J. Stanion’s daily routine is far from what you might expect for an award-winning author. When she isn’t working on her next book, she’s feeding Angus cattle, tending to horses, and caring for her three-legged dog. It’s this rural life on her South Carolina farm that has shaped the way she writes, infusing her stories with a grounded, authentic perspective. Surrounded by nature, Stanion has found that the quiet rhythms of farm life often provide the inspiration for her award-winning and bestselling storytelling.
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The Simple Life That Fuels Creativity
For Stanion, farm life is a continuous source of inspiration. The connection she has to the land and her animals brings clarity and focus to her writing. In her words, “An hour or two with my horses, especially if I’m having trouble with a project, provides a real boost to my heart and mind to get back to work with a feeling of peace.”
Stanion’s immersion in the natural world gives her the mental space to explore her creativity. There’s a simplicity in rural life that allows her to step away from the hustle of modern distractions and connect deeply with her characters and stories.
Bridging Farm Life and Storytelling
While working the farm may seem worlds away from writing historical fiction, Stanion draws surprising parallels between the two. The patience required for tending to animals mirrors the care she puts into crafting her narratives. Both pursuits require attention to detail and an understanding of life’s cycles. She uses these lessons to create stories that feel organic and deeply human.
Her debut novel, My Place Among Them, which tells the story of John Iron Horse, a Lakota boy navigating the complexities of life after surviving the Wounded Knee massacre, reflects the groundedness of Stanion’s rural life. The novel’s themes of survival and resilience resonate with the challenges she encounters in managing a farm.
Resilience in Writing and Farming
Farming teaches resilience—a quality that Stanion carries into her writing process. There are good days and bad days on the farm, just as there are in the writing journey. Yet, the same persistence required to care for animals and crops is what enables her to bring stories to life. Stanion reflects, “Time management was definitely my greatest struggle. Many days my husband came home for supper only to find me still sitting and typing like I was when he’d left that morning.”
This unwavering dedication helped her complete My Place Among Them, a novel that has since won multiple awards:
2024 BREW Seal of Excellence
2024 Silver Medal Global Book Award for Cultural Heritage Fiction
2024 Pencraft Award for Best Book for Fiction – Cultural
Finalist in the 2023 Laramie Book Awards novel competition for Americana Fiction
Finalist in the 2023 Goethe Book Awards novel competition for Post-1750s Historical Fiction
2023 BREW Fiction Book Excellence Award for Political Fiction of the Year
2023 NYC Big Book Award Winner for Cultural Heritage
2023 Outstanding Creator Awards Top 25 Ranked Non-Fiction Books
Second Place in the 2023 Incipere Book Award for Historical Clean category
2023 HFC “Highly Recommended” 5-Star Award
These accolades affirm the novel’s power in blending historical fiction with deeply personal themes, many of which are inspired by Stanion’s connection to her rural life.
Grounded in Rural Reality
Stanion’s writing isn’t just shaped by the stories passed down through her family; it’s also influenced by the reality of living and working on a farm. The physicality of farm chores, the changing seasons, and the rhythms of nature have a way of grounding her stories in something tangible. Her connection to the land helps her create vivid settings and characters that feel authentic.
Her rural life also informs her pacing and storytelling style. There’s a patience and attention to detail in her writing, much like the way one would care for crops or animals. This authenticity is what draws readers into her stories and keeps them turning the pages.
Discover the Stories Rooted in Rural Life
J. Stanion’s My Place Among Them is more than just a historical novel—it’s a reflection of resilience, survival, and the human spirit, deeply influenced by her rural life on the farm. If you’re looking for a story grounded in authenticity and rich with cultural heritage, this is a novel you won’t want to miss.
Experience the richness of Stanion’s rural-inspired storytelling. Buy My Place Among Them today! Available on Amazon and learn more about J. Stanion’s journey at www.jstanion.com.
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