About

HI, I’M VONA

THE BEGINNING

Photo of Vona StewartI was born in America’s bicentennial year, six months before Jimmy Carter was elected president. In other words, I’m getting old and have gray hair.

I was an imaginative kid, inventing stories that sometimes got me into trouble. I had to learn that making up a story about someone and repeating it as truth wasn’t something those around me always enjoyed, especially if it involved (as it often did) someone getting eaten by a bear.

I began writing books in earnest after I was married and grown. I wrote a novel or two every year for several years, stuffing them into a password protected folder on my hard drive when complete. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to allow family members to read what I had written. My husband and children encouraged me to share my work with a broader audience, so here we are. (It’s scary!)

TIDBITS & ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

When is your next book coming out? I’m a little behind due to a devastating family tragedy. I’m hopeful book three will be ready early 2024.

Do you have any plans for audiobooks? My audiobooks are available everywhere, but here’s the link to them on Audible.

How do you pronounce Vona? VON-UH. It rhymes with Donna. The ‘o’ in Vona can be hard to pronounce if you aren’t an American English speaker. This might help. I do not pronounce it like this, but don’t worry, I answer to anything that comes close.

Is Vona your real name? No, it’s a nom de plume (pen name) made from part of my maternal grandmother’s name, LaVon (Listen to the pronunciation). Stewart is my paternal grandmother’s maiden name.

What is your real name? My real name is Jessica.

Why do you use a pen name? Because I never liked the idea of my real name up in lights.

Where do you live? Idaho, but I’d like to move somewhere else, though I’m not sure where.

Hobbies? Reading and napping. Does that sound boring? Never fear, I also enjoy reading and napping while camping in adventuresome places. My kids enjoy snowboarding in the winter and swimming in the summer.

Likes/Dislikes? I love dark chocolate — especially the ridiculously expensive kind with little toffee bits inside. I greatly dislike spiders who wander inside instead of staying outside in the garden where they belong.

Kryptonite? Math, dates, appointments, time… anything to do with numbers. I have dyscalculia, which is a sort of cousin to the better known dyslexia. Dyscalculia isn’t as well known or studied, but I’ve had it my whole life, and even as an adult I still have to work harder than others to remember math facts, read an analog clock, count out change, double a recipe, and remember appointments and birthdays.

Introvert or Extrovert? Introvert. I am a Myers Briggs INFJ.

Hogwarts house? Ravenclaw. I’m an over-analytical, deep thinking book worm, and I can come on strong during debates. I loooove researching and learning, though I’m not very good at riddles, so I might have trouble getting into Ravenclaw tower from time to time.

Favorite Fantasy Reads:

Favorite Classic Reads: