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My guest this week is Joanna Politano, who talks about her new book, The Lost Song, what asylums were like in Victorian England, and why we gravitate toward stories. She also shares how she juggles all her duties as a writer and a homeschooling mom by prioritizing what’s important in her life. Spoiler alert: It’s not cleaning her house or weeding her garden. (Any my apologies to Joanna. I think I called it The Lost Song in parts of our interview.)
The Lost Melody by Joanna Politano
When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant’s father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman’s portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.
The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?
Fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano casts a delightful spell with this lyrical look into the nature of women’s independence and artistic expression during the Victorian era–and now.
Get your copy of The Lost Melody by Joanna Politano.
I’m Joanna, and I love Jesus.
That’s me in one sentence, and here’s the rest. I really love story. Especially from people overlooked or undervalued by the world. (Is that you? Has that ever been you, at least for a brief space of time? Come grab a seat. Have I ever got something for you—keep reading.) Yes, I’m quiet, but that’s because I’m listening. Really listening. I already know my story—I want to hear yours.
How’s your day going? How’s life going?
I’m not talking about the big, colorful adventures that would make amazing social media posts. I want to hear about that thing that makes you feel odd or alone, because it’s likely tons of others feel that way, and I long for you to know that by the time we’re done talking. Tell me your everyday life, occurrences common to most people, and things that might bond us if we talked about it. Maybe it’ll make more sense to you then.
Because that’s what stories do for us.
They are not an escape from the world, but a way to untangle and understand it. So go ahead, tell me your story. It may just make you feel a ton better to get it out there and realize you’re allowed to feel that way… or at least it’ll give you someone to celebrate or cry with.
Maybe you’re not ready to open up yet, and that’s ok. Some stories are rough. Private. That’s allowed.
But hey, I have a secret for you. If your own story has left you raw and broken, try this bad-day medicine. I dare you.
Go out and hear someone’s story. Walk right up and ask them. Doing that isn’t invasive or crazy. It’s real. Empathetic. Loving. And it brings a sense of value to the one doing the telling. Because in truth, no one wants their life to be invisible or forgotten. Have you ever felt either of those things? Yes, probably. All right, now go do something about it. No, don’t shout your own worth out loud—no one will be listening.
Go out and “see” a person the rest of the world has written off and write them back into the land of the living.
That will speak louder than anything impressive you can say about yourself. Ask them questions about themselves, and take genuine interest. Then watch them bloom to life because someone has realized they’re still there, and that their life has value. Cause that light deep in someone’s eyes and pull their inner vibrancy to the surface.
So if your own story is too sensitive to share, make this your story—blessing people, breathing life, recognizing value in people the way Jesus did. You can do all this no matter how little you feel you have to offer, no matter what type of person you are. All you have to do is ask, then stop talking. Go try it right now. I’ll wait right here.
Ok, now how’s your day going?
And there you have it—my writer heart in a nutshell.
ABOUT ME:
I’m a work-from-home mom of two fun and adventurous littles and we’ll soon be homeschooling. I married my hero Vince, who is my love and my polar opposite. I write, he tears it up with the red pen. I break cars and other mechanical things, he puts them back together. He’s nailed the “speak the truth” thing, and I bring the “in love” part. But the real spark to our marriage is that he does not like chocolate and I… like it a normal amount. We love and live from our little house in the woods near Lake Michigan.
