et ceteras

A woman with short blonde hair, wearing glasses and a turquoise sweater, reads a large book at a wooden table indoors, with sunlight shining on the book.

Welcome to et ceteras, a blog featuring posts about Joann, animals, childhood, The Mollys B. (her latest book!), and writing in general. An insight to her writing, Joann shares thoughts on topics regarding her inspiration, ethics, companionship with animals, and imagination. Check back often, or subscribe to receive the latest updates by email!

What Can I say?
Animals Joann Howeth Animals Joann Howeth

What Can I say?

I have this thing for ungulates . . .

Ungulates. What are they? They are a large family of mammals with hooves (basically, a modified toenail made of keratin). There are 286 species in the world – the smaller group are odd-toed—think horses, zebras, rhinos, and tapirs. The largest percentage of ungulates are even-toed animals—think deer, cattle, goats, giraffes, hippos, pigs, and camels. I’m not kidding – these guys, all of them, are really fascinating.

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THE STORY OF A CAMEL
Writing, Creative Process Joann Howeth Writing, Creative Process Joann Howeth

THE STORY OF A CAMEL

I didn’t recognize it while it was happening, but here I am now, the author of two children’s picture books whose main characters feature ungulates. How did this happen?

It took sixteen years for me to write THE MOLLYS B., my picture book biography about a heifer fleeing a Montana abattoir, but that was all subconscious writing because when that story fell into my lap, it arrived nearly complete. And in the two years it took for me to get it ready for publication, it went through twelve drafts. It was heaven-sent. And made of magic.

Neville, perhaps the embodiment of his dromedary personality, gave me a lot more trouble. It took twenty-eight drafts to get his story right. How did this goofy, gangly, tenderhearted camel galumph his way into my life?

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