Dance teacher writes first novel. Benchmark by Joanna Louise Wright
Benchmark, is the exciting debut release from Reading-based author, Joanna Louise Wright, and is available for purchase through Amazon in print and on Kindle - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Benchmark-Joanna-Louise-Wright/dp/1514115905 . For more information visit www.jlwbenchmark.com (launched July 10th 2015).
Partly drawn from personal experience, the 38-year-old mother of two teenage sons, from Caversham Heights, runs the Wright School of Dance and WiggleWaggle, dance and movement sessions for under-fives, but says she always wanted to be a published author. "I've always wanted to write a book, even from a young age. I thought it would be great to see my name on the spine of a book. I'd had that goal on my wish list for almost 10 years and kept seeing it just sitting there as an impossible dream.
With a message of love, friendship and personal discovery, Benchmark tells the tale of Alana Leevy, a young woman, who - still dealing with the emotional turmoil of a damaging past relationship - falls in love with a man who she feels is out of her league. Over a 10 year period, the reader is taken on a captivating journey as Alana's life becomes a rollercoaster of emotions revolving around the complicated yet mesmerising - Ben Rutherford. Full of heartache, intrigue and ultimately acceptance, Benchmark is written with a gentle, breezy style that is peppered with humour.
Wright says she hopes Alana's story can provide inspiration to readers, with its honest and real message of human strength and resilience. "I hope the reader takes away the feeling of hope, and that wherever they find themselves, there will be a way forward to a better place." she said. "With hard work, time and determination, anything is possible."
In 2011, Wright read an article about achieving ones dreams by working on it for 30 minutes a day, every day. This was the motivation she needed to write her first book.
Due to its emotional depth and honest portrayal, Wright found herself reaching into her own past when it came to some of the dramatic story twists, which proved to be a challenge for the first-time author. "I always knew it would be emotional for me to write in places as it's a story very close to my heart," she explains, "but I found that when writing from a point of truth, the words just flowed."
The whole writing process has ultimately been a cathartic experience and something she's thoroughly enjoyed. "I wrote this book for myself, to mark a period of my life in a positive way, but I soon became aware that some of my friends were going through similar emotions that I was writing about. I wondered whether publishing it could actually be helpful to others in similar circumstances. During the process I have grown into a disciplined and determined woman who believes in herself and her ability to make dreams come true. I was certainly not this person when I wrote the first chapter. When I saw the book in my hands, I cried a lot of happy tears."
Wright is now planning to continue writing and publish a second novel.
Benchmark is available for purchase or download now: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Benchmark-Joanna-Louise-Wright/dp/1514115905/
About the Author
Joanna Louise Wright is an emotive author with a personal passion for self-development, which weaves its way into all of her work by touching the hearts and minds of her readers.
Born in London, she now lives in Reading, England, where she is a dance teacher by day (running the Wright School of Dance and Wiggle Waggle, dance and movement sessions for under-fives - https://wrightschoolofdance.com) and an author by night. She is also a mother of two teenage boys.
For more information visit www.jlwbenchmark.com
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