About the Book

Book: Joann: Apron Strings Book Five

Author: Donna Jo Stone

Genre: Inspirational Historical (1960s) Romance

Release date: May 15, 2024

One cookbook connects them all…
Joann ~ Book Five in a string of heartfelt inspirational stories, featuring different women throughout the decades from 1920 to 2020.

Twenty-four-year-old Joann Kincaid’s life ambition is to one day run the family’s general store in Pecan Grove, Louisiana. It’s 1965 and the times may be a-changing, but Joann’s father is stubbornly hanging on to old-fashioned views about what he wants for his daughter. She’s just as determined to prove she’s a capable businesswoman.

In the past, she entertained romantic dreams alongside her vision for the store but discarded those notions when her high school sweetheart, Nathan, left for college. Now he’s back to reestablish his family’s farm—and a relationship with Joann. She still loves him but isn’t sure she can trust him.

As the conflict in Vietnam escalates, there’s a real possibility Nathan could be drafted. Should Joann pursue her lifelong dream to continue her family’s legacy? Or give Nathan a chance to prove he’ll be her true and committed love before it’s too late for them?

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About the Author

Donna Jo Stone writes southern-flavored novels for the inspirational and general market. Her stories are often about people facing tough times. Not all of her books have romance but when they do, the romances are sweet. No graphic language, sex, or violence, just plenty of heart-tugging emotion with endings that leave readers with a sense of hope.

More from Donna

Joann: Apron Strings Book 5 is part of the Apron Strings series, a multi-author project. When Jenny Knipfer, the organizer behind the project, approached me about joining the lineup of authors, I was immediately intrigued. An old cookbook passed down each decade to a new character? Small towns? Romance? Sign me up!

The books in this inspirational series are connected by one single cookbook, Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, as it passes from character to character. The cookbook contains more than recipes. Through time, women have penned encouraging words, quotes, and scriptures in the margins. There are eleven books in the Apron Strings series—one for every decade from 1920 to 2020. My novel, Joann, takes place in the 1960s.

One of Joann’s specialties is a popular 60s favorite, Jello with Dream Whip. No recipe needed there. Joann uses recipes from Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book, but she would’ve relied on a cake mix every now and then, such as in the recipe at this link, Joann’s Easy Blueberry Pound Cake. https://donnajostone.wordpress.com/2024/04/24/from-the-apron-strings-kitchen-joanns-easy-blueberry-pound-cake/

Another name for this should be Disappearing Blueberry Pound Cake, because that’s what happens when I make it! This cake has become a family favorite. As far as how Joann’s cooking attempts using Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book come out, you’ll have to read the novel to see. In the back of my novel there’s another recipe, one that would’ve appeared in Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book. All of the Apron Strings books have a recipe or two (or more) in the back.

Parts of Joann’s story are fun and lighthearted, but she also faces serious issues during uncertain times. I hope readers enjoy reading Joann, but also hope they come away from her story with a deeper understanding of the comfort that comes from trusting God with the future.

Interview with the Author

1.What does success as an author look like to you?

For me, success means to have touched the reader, entertained, helped, or enlightened them in some way. My goal is to write stories that encourage readers and leave them with a sense of hope. If I can manage to make a positive impact, then I feel I’ve been successful.

2. Which character did you connect to best in this book?

I found it easy to imagine the conflict my main character, Joann, felt. I haven’t had to choose between continuing a family legacy or taking a chance on an old love, but I’ve had to make hard choices affecting my future, not sure which one was the path God had for me.

Like all women, Joann juggles a multitude of responsibilities. She fills the role of surrogate mother to her younger sister, runs the family store, and gives help to people in her community. While my tasks may look different, I can relate to being pulled in several directions at once!

3. Which part of the book was the most difficult to write?

I can’t remember a specific part as harder than any other, but having a deadline with people depending on me was equal parts motivating and terrifying. I worried something might come up and torpedo my schedule. I’d been thinking about self-publishing my novels and had started learning about the process, but hadn’t taken the plunge yet. As part of a multi-author project, I didn’t want to let the other authors down. Soon enough, I found them to all be wonderfully supportive. With the group helping me along by answering questions, giving advice, and encouraging me, I finished writing Joann in plenty of time.

4. What inspired this book?

When Jenney Knipfer approached me and told me about her concept for the Apron Strings series featuring a single cookbook passed from woman to woman, I was hooked. The cookbook changes hands every decade, so the series starts in 1920 and goes on to 2020, each book a different woman’s story, a book for each decade. The stories are inspirational women’s fiction and all take place in small towns or rural communities and include romance.

My story is set in the 1960s. I drew inspiration from the events, music, and the societal changes women were facing at the time. While Kincaid’s Mercantile and Stellar Records are fictional, they were inspired by actual places. I sprinkled in local points of interest that those from the regions surrounding Shreveport may recognize, although Pecan Grove, Louisiana, is a fictional amalgamation based on the small rural communities in the area.

5. Which author influenced the you most?

There are so many great authors I have learned from, it’s impossible to single out one. As a confirmed book nerd, I read across genres and subjects, taking notes on what I read. I enjoy collecting quotes, and writing down my reactions and thoughts on the story. Some of the books I reread the most are: Anne of Green Gables, C.S. Lewis books, Peace Like a River, many classics of all sorts. I devour popular fiction as well, from historical to cozy to an occasional sci-fi. I especially like regional fiction, with a special place in my heart for southern fiction. (I loved Under the Magnolias by T. I. Lowe and Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse.)