Take a lifelong Washingtonian, drop her deep in the heart of Texas, and you get a gal with a yen to spin a yarn about the two places she knows best. Jo-Ann Power, who used to work in the nation’s capital, began to write Missing Member after she moved to San Antonio. Creating a spunky congresswoman in a heap of trouble, Power realized she could tell a tale—with a tall, dark, handsome hunk—and chuckle as she wrote. Missing Member is her first novel in the Me & Mr. Jones series—and has been chosen by THE MYSTERY GUILD as a FEATURED ALTERNATE!

The author of 16 previous mainstream, mystery and romance novels, Jo-Ann has won awards and praise from reviewers and readers. Her ability to “cleverly weave politics, murder and romance, creating intense, breath-catching suspense” is a hallmark of her works, says Publisher’s Weekly. Earning her a place in the Doubleday Book Club, her award-winning, “power-ful” style has been ranked with Daphne DuMaurier’s and Phyllis Whitney’s. Her characters "make readers believe in the power of love" (Old Book Barn Gazette) and her suspenseful plots "keep readers up till the wee hours of dawn." (Gothic Journal)

Power began her career writing fact. As a freelancer, she learned that readers want to understand an issue quickly, easily and with a bit of entertainment to boot! That meant she could write about anything that intrigued her—and much did. She has learned—and so have her readers—about everything from financial services products and trends, medical advancements, historical events and biographies, to social issues and the challenges to being published, in fiction and in non.

As a result, her non-fiction credits include many mass market national magazines, as well as major metropolitan newspapers including:

The Washington Post
Baltimore Sun
American Banker
Journal Newspapers in Maryland.

For interest groups, the federal government plus corporate and individual clients, she has ghost-written numerous pieces that have appeared in industry trade journals as well as these mass market publications:

Austin American-Statesman
Wall Street Journal
The New York Times
Los Angeles Times

Now, every week, she also writes a syndicated column in a regional Texas newspaper aimed at helping small business owners improve their marketing. The column is titled—what else?—“Power in Marketing!” (A few of them appear as pdf downloads on her business’ site, www.powerontheweb.com, under Our Words.)

Jo-Ann’s fiction credits include two mainstream novels, two first-person old fashioned 19th century type gothics, two novel length and one novella Victorian historical mysteries and 10 historical romances. Winning rave reviews and many awards from industry groups and in contests for their characterization, their historical accuracy, their plotting, these novels are:

The Mark of the Chadwicks, Zebra, 1993.
The Last Duchess of Wolff’s Lair, Zebra, 1993.
You and No Other, Pocket, 1994.
Angel of Midnight, Pocket, 1995.
Remembrance, Pinnacle, 1995.
Treasures, Pocket, 1996.
Gifts, Pocket, 1996.
The Nightingale’s Song, Pocket, 1997.
Never Before, Pocket, 1998.
Never Again, Pocket, 1998.
Never Say Never, Pocket, 1999.
Allure, Pocket, 1999.

With a friend and collaborator, Jo-Ann wrote these contemporary mainstream and historical mysteries:

Cummings, Barbara and Power, Jo-Ann, Prime Time, Pinnacle, 1992.
Cummings, Barbara and Power, Jo-Ann, Risks, Pinnacle, 1993.
Crowleigh, Ann (Cummings and Power), Clively Close, Dead as
Dead Can Be, Zebra, 1993.
Crowleigh, Ann (Cummings and Power) Clively Close, Wait for the
Dark, 1993.
Crowleigh, Ann (Cummings and Power), “The Ghost of Christmas Past,” Murder Under the Tree, Zebra, 1993.

Today, Jo-Ann writes both in her “copious free time,” aka early in the morning and much too late at night.

Please find Jo-Ann’s previously published novels on Amazon and in many, many new and used bookstores as well as public libraries.

Also, please look for her newest works, too, as they appear in your favorite bookstores.

Write for Your Life Part I Write for Your Life Part III

Write for Your Life Part II Write for Your Life Part IV