
Joan Marie Verba (she/her) is an autistic author, publisher, and web developer. She 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 coach. She currently works as a writer, an editor/publisher and a web developer and social media consultant.
An experienced writer, Joan is the author of the nonfiction books Voyager: Exploring the Outer Planets and Boldly Writing as well as the novels Twelve, Defying the Ghosts, Sword of Queens, The Arachne Portal, Wondry Dragon Finds a Home, Countdown to Action!, Action Alert!, Deadly Danger!, Situation: Critical!, Extreme Hazard!, and Danger Zone! plus numerous short stories and articles. She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association 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.
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Contact Information:
Email Address: verba001@umn.edu
Books By Joan Marie Verba
Word Count: Click here to reveal78000 (Click here to hide)
Summary: A voracious predator. A frantic plea for aid. Can she stop a dangerous menace from devouring the dragons’ offspring? Rhea Monroe has missed her childhood friend. She’s excited when the young dragon she grew up with returns to Earth after years away. Hearing that the dragons are in desperate need, the recent college grad immediately vows to help. But the instant they arrive in the dragon world, they’re tasked with helping to defeat a frightening, formless creature known simply as The Terror. Teaming up with her boyfriend and other allies both human and winged, the resourceful companions struggle to cultivate a plan to defeat the ravenous attacker. But after a huge misstep awakens the monstrous horror, they’re aghast as two of their own are consumed…. Can Rhea and her friends stop The Terror and prevent a devastating apocalypse? Summoned by Dragons is an absorbing fantasy novel. If you like compassionate heroine journeys, nuanced characters, and grand new worlds, then you’ll love Joan Marie Verba’s sky-high adventure. Read Summoned by Dragons to save the hatchlings today!

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Summary: His love is locked inside an enigma. Can he solve the mystery to make himself a home? A hidden kingdom. The 18th century. Alden grew weary of battle long ago. And now the honorable soldier seeks to put the horrors of war behind him to settle in a land of peace and start a family. And while an attractive shopkeeper catches his eye, he finds himself caught up in the kingdom’s greatest riddle: the twelve daughters of the king and queen vanish every night and reappear in the morning with their shoes worn out. Drawn to a shared passion for dancing as he spends more time with the woman of his dreams, Alden can’t avoid a growing involvement with the land’s enchanted magic. And as he does so, he starts to realize that the alluring woman he’s falling for may hold the key to answering the perplexing mystery. Can Alden unravel a magical entanglement and find his way to happily ever after? Twelve is a charming fairy tale retelling. If you like upstanding heroes, picturesque romance, and delightful surprises, then you’ll adore Joan Marie Verba’s heartwarming story. Read Twelve to expose the realm’s enchanting secrets today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal50000 (Click here to hide)
Summary: Their goal is to make the world a better place. One billionaires’s obsession may turn their altruism into destruction. Jay Ecklund is desperate to belong somewhere. Rejected by his family and former employer, he really needs this job as a receptionist at an up-and-coming tech corporation. He’s astonished when he discovers the all-woman staff is secretly developing a portal capable of instantaneous transport to anywhere on Earth. Thrilled to be part of a company designing innovations to help others, Jay is excited when the machine is at last operational. But he worries about it falling into the wrong hands when an ambitious billionaire hell-bent on accumulating power makes a bid to get it…at any cost. Will the portal be used as a rescue device as intended, or will a relentless manipulator warp it to a more sinister purpose? The Arachne Portal is an electrifying standalone science fiction novel. If you like fast-paced adventures, phenomenal science, and thought-provoking themes, then you’ll love Joan Marie Verba’s compelling story. Buy The Arachne Portal to open a gateway to the future today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal60000 (Click here to hide)
Summary: A teen without a home. A dangerous residence. Can she survive one terrifying night to secure her future? Charlene Griffin never thought she’d be without a home. But when she’s kicked out on her eighteenth birthday, she has no choice but to sleep inside an ominous Victorian mansion. And with the owner offering the estate to anyone who can spend a full night in the haunted property, Charlene decides to risk life and limb to get off the streets. Refusing to heed the warnings of those sent running in fear for their lives, Charlene is confident she can last from sunset to sunrise. But she’ll need all her wits about her to withstand the hours of terror, because these ghosts are determined to get rid of her. Will Charlene outsmart her supernatural foes and make it to dawn? Defying the Ghosts is an eerie YA haunted house story. If you like heart-racing action, fearless heroes, and survival adventures, then you’ll love Joan Marie Verba’s thrilling tale. Buy Defying the Ghosts to explore forbidden shadowy corners today!

Word Count: Click here to reveal80000 (Click here to hide)
Summary: The kingdom of Somerlie has been in the grip of the evil overlord Tashtalon for over 500 years. No one has ever seen Tashtalon, but he puts the kingdom to sleep every night, and during the night, people disappear, never to be seen again. Gill has spent her life thinking these things could not possibly by changed, until strange events point her to the only thing that can defeat Tashtalon…a magical weapon called the Sword of Queens. To prevent its use, Tashtalon made a law saying that any woman wielding a sword will be put to death…and he enforces that law savagely. Can Gill summon the courage to find the sword and use it before Tashtalon kills her?

