Get to Know Joyce Yarrow

Joyce Yarrow is an award-winning author of literary novels of suspense that, according to Library Journal, “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual mysteries with an international setting.”

Her coming-of-age novel SANDSTORM won the 2022 gold medal in Women’s Fiction at the CIPA/Evvy Awards and her historical thriller, ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT, has been awarded 5 Stars by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and translated into Spanish and Portuguese. Joyce’s other published novels of suspense include ASK THE DEAD, RUSSIAN RECKONING, and RIVERS RUN BACK (co-authored with Arindam Roy).

A New York City transplant now living in Seattle, Yarrow began her writing life scribbling poems on the subway and observing human behavior from every walk of life. She is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have appeared in Inkwell Journal, Whistling Shade, Descant, Arabesques, and Weber: The Contemporary West and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Yarrow is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.

Tell us about your journey to becoming an author.

I started out as a poet in New York City, scribbling my observations of humanity while riding the subway and the bus. At the age of seventeen, I saw my work in print for the first time when the Bus Poems were published in Niobe Magazine. Since I also played guitar and sang, songwriting came next, and eventually short stories. Gradually the number of words I wrote each day multiplied until, to my surprise, I found myself writing my first mystery novel, Ask the Dead. I chose to write a crime novel because the genre requires a strong plot and structure. I had seen so many friends start work on literary fiction that they never finished.

What real-life adventures have you had that you added to your latest novel?

One summer I hitchhiked with a friend across the country, from New York City to northern California and back again. I felt comfortable doing this because as a child I’d hitchhiked with my dad to Orchard Beach in the Bronx, just like Sandie does in Sandstorm.

You meet all kinds of people in New York, have you had any strange encounters while living there?

In New York City, while I was waiting on the subway platform for a train, I was accosted by a drunk who threatened to throw me onto the tracks. “Your mother would be very disappointed in you,” I said, the words popping out of my mouth with no thought behind them. To my amazement, he started to cry and walked away. When we draw on innate empathy, magic happens!

What are some of your pet peeves?

I hate hearing writers complain about how badly they’ve been treated by the book business. As I see it, we’re privileged to have time to be creative when most of the people in the world are struggling to survive. If you love what you do, the world will reward you in unexpected ways.

About the book

Sandstorm by Joyce Yarrow

Genre: Urban Fiction

GOLD MEDAL WINNER – Cipa Evvy Award for Women’s Fiction

When you trade the straight and narrow for the crooked pathways of crime, it’s likely to become a permanent arrangement. Unless, like Sandie Donovan, you’re a born grifter, determined to use your knack for deception and crime to restart your life and achieve success as an actor.

A pitch-perfect, heartfelt, and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting.

**The ebook is on sale for Only $3.99 OR is in Kindle Unlimited!**

Purchase on Audible | Amazon | EBook on Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Watch the trailer on YouTube.