Judge Simona

About the Book

A young girl in Sardinia, Simona overhears adults discussing the game of fortune telling and tries it on her friends. She discovers she has the gift of seeing the truth others do not notice. Her gift pulls others to her, including the young and beautiful Sergio. Everything abruptly changes when Sergio is killed. Under a cloak of sadness, Simona's esoteric courage and help delivered through a cast of characters carry her through a journey of seeming success. Yet she secretly harbors desires that keep joy just beyond her reach. When Judge Simona is challenged by a trial over custody of a baby girl, the Court and Simona's home start to mingle, and her alienation and longing reveal themselves. Empowered by a strong verdict, Simona cuts away from her life in Milan and retreats to Sardinia to a passage into the self. Told in terse, at times graphic prose, "Judge Simona" is a confession and appeal to her intimate reader.

About the Author

Born in New York in 1962, Joanne now lives in Greece with her husband Giorgo and three daughters Aphrodite, Kayla and Jenna. A Human Resources Manager by profession, Joanne has worked for a consulting firm, a manufacturing firm, a bank, and now for an international shipping company. Joanne graduated from Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Professional Studies. Joanne's first book "Take Tatiana Home" was a thinly veiled autobiography and formed part of the thesis for her Master's degree. "Judge Simona" is her first work of fiction.