A former attorney, Joanne earned her law degree from Boston University School of Law, where she was both a contributing author and the notes editor for the Annual Review of Banking Law Journal. Joanne practiced at Gilmartin, Magence and Ross, LLP, in Boston, Mass., where she specialized in real estate, especially condominium developments. She also served as the approved-attorney department manager at Chicago Title in Austin, Texas. Despite her retirement from practice, Joanne keeps abreast of current laws while researching legal articles for various publications. Her work has been cited by numerous sources, including in federal court decisions and law school journals.

Joanne loves history. She has written for The History Channel Magazine and History Magazine. She also writes educational articles that spark interest in children and young adults. Her subjects vary, and include the French Revolution, World War I, the Aztec Empire, and Tudor England. Her interest in history stems from her studies at Brown University, where she earned an A.B. in Political Science and Economics.

She also writes stories and essays. Her work has appeared in the New York Times best-seller Chicken Soup for the Soul series—Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul—which was released in September 2005.

Joanne is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and regularly performs volunteer work for the organization, such as copyediting of its monthly journal.