Five on Friday - Joelle Charbonneau

Happy Friday all. August is quickly slipping away without my permission! Hope you had a great week. What good books have you read lately? I just finished a non-fiction book about a psychiatrist who spent a year working in a hospital for the criminally insane. Whoa, talk about frightening!

I don't have a lot of extra stuff to share today, so let me give you sweepstakes/contest links and then we'll get to the main attraction!

Friday Reads has copies of DEATH MONEY and THE KILLS.

Criminal Element has a "Histories and Mysteries" sweepstakes--7 BOOKS! Plus,  this is a hot, hot prize...there's a chance for you to win an advanced copy of Craig Johnson's WAIT FOR SIGNS. It's the upcoming collection of all his short stories. Nice! Be sure to get in on that!

And of course, make sure you stop over and see what Lesa is up to this week! Tell her I said "hi" while you're over there. 

And that brings us to this week's Five on Friday guest! Joelle Charbonneau first began entertaining her audiences on stage--in musical theater and operas. Today she still teaches voice when she isn't hard at work on one of her successful book series or on her many duties as a mom.

Joelle's writing career started with a mystery series centered around roller skating. Can I just say I'm glad no dead bodies ever turned up in the Roll Arena during my roller skating days? She added to her bibliography with the Glee Club Series (huh, I wonder where that idea came from?). And most recenlty she's been rocking the YA world with her Testing Trilogy. The final book of the trilogy, Graduation Day, came out this summer.

Whenever I've had the chance to interact with Joelle, she's always been cheerful and happy. So today I am especially happy to have her here on the blog. Please help me welcome her for Five on Friday:

Is this research for the next book? Murder by fork?

1. If I could tell my 16-year-old self one piece of advice, knowing what I know now, it would be "Lighten up!"  I was really serious in high school and unless I was on stage I was often really afraid to cut loose and have fun.  I think I was worried that I'd make a fool out of myself.  Since then, I've learned that it's often the days where I make a fool out of myself that I have the most fun.

2. One thing I have no tolerance for is People posting things on their social media accounts that they haven't bothered to fact check.  Just because an article someone else shared says something you agree with doesn't mean it is true.  SNOPES is a wonderful thing.  More people should use it.

3. A skill I’ve always wanted to have, but don’t is Drawing.  I can't draw--well, technically, I can put pencil to paper, but nothing I draw ever actually looks like what I intended it to.  Somewhere along the line, I missed the drawing gene and now you are all forewarned.  If you have to pick a team for Pictionary - I'm probably not your girl.

4. When I’m feeling under the weather, I….make Chicken Tortellini soup and watch a lot of bad court TV shows.  Judge Judy and chicken soup are the perfect cure for the common cold.  And if that doesn't work, I just pretend I'm not sick and hope for the best!

The #1 item on my bucket list right now is: To see one of my students on Broadway. It's something totally out of my control, but I would love to be in the front row watching one of my students achieve that dream. (If one of them ends up in a movie, that would be good, too!) 

Everything about Joelle's responses fascinates me! First, I wish someone would make me chicken tortellini soup when I'm under the weather. Yum! I was so excited that Joelle chose to answer the question about a skill she wished she had. Most people answer that with a musical skill response. She has the musical skill so it's interesting to hear what she would like to be able to do.

And her bucket list item? How cool is it that she's all about her students? Now THAT'S a true teacher there, folks. I love it!

So happy that Joelle had time for Five on Friday today. This has been a great installment. Hope you enjoyed it too! You can connect with Joelle on Twitter and Facebook. And you can learn more about Joelle and her writing at her website.

Have a super great weekend and happy reading!