IT ONLY TOOK 60 YEARS | A-M Mawhiney on Dreams, Resilience & Reinvention

What happens when a childhood dream takes 60 years to become reality? Tonight, Joe sits down with novelist Anne-Marie Mawhiney to explore creativity, resilience, reinvention, and why it's never too late to pursue a dream. A-M discusses her first two novels, Spindrifts and Spelldrifts, her spontaneous approach to writing as a “pantser,” and her award-winning third novel, Fugitive Rifts, recipient of the 2026 Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Joe and A-M also discuss how social work influenced her storytelling, the importance of finding hope during difficult times, and practical ways aspiring writers can make room for creativity. A-M Mawhiney Official Website: https://www.ammawhiney.ca/ A-M Mawhiney Contact Page: https://www.ammawhiney.ca/contact Watch / Listen Watch on Rumble: https://rumble.com/JoeRooz ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@JoeRooz Website: https://joerooz.com Support The Joe Rooz Show & Go Backstage Support The Joe Rooz Show for just $5/month and get access to exclusive content, including The Post Show Show—where Joe returns to the ideas, questions and moments from these conversations that he wasn't quite finished talking about. ️ Patreon: https://patreon.com/joerooz ▶️ Rumble: Click JOIN on The Joe Rooz Show channel Locals: https://joeroozshow.locals.com Special thanks to: Executive Producer Wayne Rankin Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez Executive Producer Angela Wetuski Executive Producer John Seeley Executive Producer Karl Nicosia Want to be a guest on The Joe Rooz Show? Send Joe a message on #PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/joe Check out our partners: PodHome: https://podhome.fm Creative Edge: https://www.creative-edge.services/ Get MasterPeace https://masterpeace.health/Rooz (00:01:42) Introducing Anne Marie Mowini and her writing path (00:03:20) Knowing she wanted to be an author at age eight (00:08:24) How social work and academia shaped her fiction (00:11:21) Writing through lockdown and discovering her first novel (00:14:19) Plotter or pantser and building stories by instinct (00:17:52) Retirement plans, travel, and a new creative chapter (00:19:49) From manuscript to publication with Friesen Press (00:22:09) Human nature, trauma, and compassion in communities (00:26:52) Why fiction can reach readers academic writing cannot (00:28:45) Fugitive Rifts and four teens finding common ground (00:34:02) Developing character arcs and layering in trauma (00:40:39) Near future fiction, climate danger, and 2028 (00:42:38) Winning the Nautilus Gold Award (00:45:37) The book's bigger consequences and helping the unhoused (00:47:45) Why it is never too late to start writing (00:51:19) Respect for Finland's housing first approach (00:58:47) Joe's closing reflections on timing and impact - Joe "Rooz" Russiello https://www.joerooz.com/support https://www.joerooz.com