Joanne Oakley
Words by Joan Fallon, author
SUCCESSFUL Malaga-based author Joan believes International Women’s day is very important as women still have a long way to go, although the progress made over the last 30 years has been ‘phenomenal’.
She recalls taking up golf in the 70s when women were very restricted as to when they could play golf. After being voted onto the committee of her local course by the other women, she was told by an unhappy male member that she would ‘ruin the place’.
On starting her career in writing, Joan was also told to use a male name or an initial as she was more likely to be published.
Throughout her teaching career she also remembers ‘feeling all the time that I was fighting hard against the glass ceiling’ and latched onto these feelings in her writing, using strong female protagonists.
Joan writes about 11th Century Moorish history when women had many rights. She has seen first hand through interviews how different things were 900 years later in the late Franco era, with women needing male approval for many rights. “It was unbelievable how few rights women had then,” she says.
Joan currently lives in Malaga with her dog Max and recently self-published her latest book ‘The Pirate’.
For more information on Joan and her books go to www.joanfallon.co.uk, her latest book is available to buy on Amazon.
