Joan Marie Verba

Joan Marie Verba earned a bachelor of physics degree from the University of Minnesota and attended the graduate school of astronomy at Indiana University, where she was an associate instructor of astronomy for one year. She has worked as a computer programmer, and health-weight loss coach. She currently works as a writer, an editor/publisher and a social media manager and mobile marketing consultant.

An experienced writer, Joan is the author of the nonfiction books Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets, Boldly Writing and Weight Loss Success!, as well as the novels Countdown to Action!, Action Alert!, Deadly Danger!, Situation: Critical! and Extreme Hazard!, plus numerous short stories and articles. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. She has served on the board of directors of both the Minnesota Science Fiction Society and the Mythopoeic Society.

Joan is a proud member of the National Weight Control Registry. This is a registry of people who have lost at least 30 pounds and have kept it off for at least a year. Read My Weight Loss Story. Read my weight loss site, which contains all sorts of weight loss tips.

Interviews:

Situation:Critical featured on Jonathan Maberry’s blog June 28, 2011

The Genre Traveler Podcast Snippet, No. 22, Joan Marie Verba (March 21, 2011):

Or watch the full podcast

Thunderbirds books featured September 4, 2010 on Keith R.A. DeCandido’s blog:    KRAD’s Inaccurate Guide to Life

Interviews of Joan Marie Verba by Henry Jenkins, Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California:
   Confessions of an Aca-Fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins

   An account of early Star Trek and Darkover fan fiction with Joan Marie Verba, May 17, 2010

   Thunderbirds are Go and Joan Marie Verba Explains Why May 19, 2010

“Safe Passage,” Snows of Darkover, 1994

“The Madwoman of the Kilghard Hills,” Towers of Darkover, 1993

“An Invitation to Chaos,” Leroni of Darkover, 1991

“The Honor of the Guild,” Renunciates of Darkover, 1991

“Mind-eater,” Domains of Darkover, 1990

“Death’s Scepter,” Four Moons of Darkover, 1988

“This One Time,” Free Amazons of Darkover, 1985

Revenge, Denied – a fantasy short story An Amazon Kindle Bestseller, February 2012

“The Wisest Wizard,” Mythic Circle 32, June 2010

"Working Together in a Novel Way," The Writing Group Book, Sept. 2003

“Post-It Software Notes,” ComputerUser magazine, July 1996

“Coda Music Technology,”ComputerUser magazine, December 1995

“Computer Manuscript Formatting,” SCBWI Bulletin, April/May 1995

“The Three Great Myths of Writing,” SCBWI Bulletin, Dec. 1994/Jan. 1995

“The Sum of the Parts,” Science Fiction Review, Summer 1991

“She Dunit,” Mpls./St. Paul Magazine, October 1984, p. 147

• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
• Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
  and Member of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers

Other Interests:

• The Mythopoeic Society, which studies the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other fantasy authors.
• The Doctor's Exchange (Far Beyond the Stars), the official Siddig El Fadil/Alexander Siddig fan club.
• Fanderson, the Official Appreciation Society for the Film and Television Productions of Gerry Anderson.
• Producer of a public access TV interview show for genre authors, TV Bookshelf