Necessity is truly the mother of invention. It can also be the catalyst for creativity, as it was for local author JoAnn Smith Ainsworth. She was close to retirement from a law firm where she was a legal secretary for many years. Suddenly, within three days, the firm collapsed.

"I found myself in early retirement, and I knew I needed a way to supplement my social security. I loved writing, having received my B.A. in English and Social Sciences from U.C. Berkeley. But I hadn't even written a complete novel yet!" said Smith Ainsworth. A literary agent of a friend read some of her short stories, poems and 40 pages of Matilda's Song. The agent sat her down and told her to be a novelist.

Matilda's Song takes place during the medieval period. She chose medieval settings because Ainsworth is an Anglo-Saxon name, meaning the property of Ains. "I wanted to explore family culture. I was looking for a time when women had a fair amount of freedom. This was a period before the Norman Conquest really took hold.

I set Matilda's Song in 1120 A.D., one generation after the Norman Conquest. In the story, Matilda still uses herbs and songs to heal in the traditional way. It is about a woman who escapes a political marriage arrangement to a brutal knight. It is personal courage within herself that motivates her," said Smith Ainsworth.

Courage is a theme that runs through all her novels. "My characters find the resolve and strength to overcome whatever they're faced with, she said. "Often what they are faced with is so big, they must dig deep within themselves in order to prevail. And my characters never fail."

Matilda's Song is an intelligent romance. It is richly descriptive, filled with suspense, sensual rather than sexual.

The author paints and layers the personalities in order to give them depth.

Her characters and situations are just as relevant today as in the medieval period.

Smith Ainsworth's advice to writers is, "It's never too late to follow your dreams. I became a published novelist as a senior citizen. That takes courage." She truly embodies her title as the "author of novels relating that courage makes ordinary people extraordinary."

The public is invited to join Ainsworth at a book-signing for Matilda's Song, Sunday, Sept. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m at the Edward Jones office, 1336 Park St., Suite D, Redwood Square (call for info: 749-0403).

Visit the author at: www.joann smithainsworth.com, and follow Smith Ainsworth on Twitter and Facebook.