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Local author hosts first book signing during festival

August 10, 2016   ·   0 Comments

By Wendy Gabrek
She’s an orange-belt kickboxer, long-time ball hockey player and old-time volleyball player. Now, she can add published author to her list of accomplishments.
Joanie Hebbes, also known in the writing world as J.C. Kavanagh, was signing copies of her first published book, The Twisted Climb, during the Alliston Potato Festival last weekend.
The Twisted Climb, written for teenagers and young adults and just recently published, has already received multiple five-star reviews on the amazon.ca website.
“The kind of book that you don’t want to end and when it does, you hope there’s another one coming.”
Another reader wrote: “…. the ending!! It left me speechless and wanting more.”
“I’ve written stories since I was a little girl,” Hebbes said, adding that writing has been a part of every job she’s held since university days.
Hebbes has lived in the New Tecumseth and the Adjala–Tosorontio area for over 30 years, raising three children and encouraging their involvement in multiple sports leagues.
Her name may be recognizable to some as she began her writing career in the late 1980s working for this newspaper.
Hebbes was also instrumental in launching a subsidiary newspaper in the role of editor. Her career focus later shifted to the private sector, where, for 20 years, Hebbes worked in communications and marketing.
However, in 2014, an unexpected business restructuring put a halt to her career.
“I was in shock for awhile,” she explained, “and struggling with feelings of worthlessness that such a business decision brings.” But within a month, the urge to write became stronger than her despair. Hebbes, with the support of her partner, Ian, jumped full-time into creative writing – what she calls her “word movies.”
Since that time, she has written 10 books and one movie script, though The Twisted Climb, published by Alberta publisher Books We Love Ltd., is her first foray into the young adult genre.
“The Twisted Climb is about three teens who meet in their dreams when they can’t ‘fall’ asleep in the normal way – instead, they have to climb. But their mountain climbing adventures in the strange dream world are interrupted by a sickly-looking boy who does everything in his power to prevent them from reaching their goal. Ultimately, they face their greatest challenge together.”

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