Interview with Kimberly Johnson

I’m so happy to have you on my blog today. How has being published changed your life?

It has fulfilled a dream.

 I will forever be thankful for my contract with Heartsong Presents. But, it’s bigger than even that. Writer has made me more open to people, and life experiences. I’m an introvert and attending writers conferences and social networking and lOl these interveiws have really made me grow as a person.

Yes, I hear you. When I got my first contract I was so excited! There is nothing like it. What is your current work in progress?

I am currently working on two manuscripts. One is a romance with mystery and the other is a Christmas story.

I get confused working on more than one at a time. I’d need a serious time away after that. What would be your dream vacation?

It used to be Disney World, but I did that in 2013, so now I’m not sure. I’ve always wanted to travel Europe, so maybe a European tour. J

I would love to go to Europe and see Big Ben. If you go, send me a postcard! How do you choose your settings for each book?

I think of the kind of book I want to write and consider all real locations first to see if any of them would be suitable. Leavenworth, WA was the perfect setting for this series! My next book that releases in March has a ficticous setting because it worked best for my story.

A lot of authors prefer ficticous settings so they don’t have to worry about getting facts wrong. What advice would you give to a beginning author?

I’m sure you have all heard this before, but it’s worth reopeating. Learn the craft of writing. Attending writer’s conferences, read books on the craft, and read books in the genre you are writing.

Also, don’t become a hermit. It’s so easy to do, at least for me. Remember that life inspires art. J
 

Yes, becoming a hermit is very easy. I get excited when I have a stay at home day. Tell us about A Match for Meghan:

I loved writing this story. Meghan is a quirky, socially clumsy, yet loveable charcter who wants everyone in her life to be happily matched.

MEGHAN BLACK HAS FINALLY MET HER MATCH 

The veterinary assistant never backs down from a dare…and what greater challenge than finding die-hard bachelor Ben Young his ideal mate? But what's an incurable cupid to do when the handsome vet turns the tables and asks her out? 

Ben is perfectly content with his single life. And he figures there's only one way to get the petite dynamo to quit her matchmaking—date her himself! But his plan backfires when he realizes that Meghan could be The One. Can he convince a woman who believes in happy endings for everyone but herself that he's her Mr. Right?

Sounds good! How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all?

Meghan is a romantic. I am too. When I was a young adult I think I was similar to Meghan in that I wanted all my friends to be blissfully in love.

Meghan is a musician and plays the piano. I also play piano and taught piano lessons for eighteen years.

I love listening to my children practice their piano lessons and wished I would’ve learned. While you were writing A Match for Meghan, do you think it mattered where the book was set?

Yes. The entire series takes place in Leavenworth, WA which has really become a character in my stories. Two of the books in the series are Holiday books and there is no better place to celebrate Christmas than a quaint, Bavarian themed village nestled in the mountains.

It sounds so romantic. Will we know what happens to your character after the end of the book?

Yes!

If someone else were sitting at your desk right now, what would they see?

LOL. A cluttered mess. I am working on my laptop, but there is another desk top on my desk. I have a lap to my right, a printer to my left and a stack of papers mixed with books, another keyboard, pencil sharpener and a glass jar of pens and pencils.

Yes, my desk is a cluttered mess too. When you’re working on a project, how do you keep the immensity of it from getting you down?

That hasn’t been a problem. I love writing and it energizes me. It truly makes me happy. When I’m stuck, I put my project away and go for a walk or clean my house. Something I pick up another book and just read for fun. This usually relaxes me and gets the creative juices flowing again.

That works for me too. Both of your lead characters have “baggage” that keeps them from wanting to pursue a new relationship. Do you think sometimes we let our past get in the way of what God has planned for our futures?

Absolutely! Our past forms who we are. I often see people and their response to something and I wonder what happened in their past to cause them to respond in that way.

Do you think there’s any reason in particular some people have one reaction versus the other when something bad happens in their life?

Yes, life experiences dictate how we react—good or bad. We are certainly in control and can choose to not allow the bad stuff to determine how we respond to things, but it’s human nature to respond to life based on life experience.

 Very true. What’s on the horizon for you? 

I have my final book with Heartsong presents releasing in March.  

It is so sad they are closing this line down. What will you be writing next? 

Beyond that I don’t know. I have projects I’m shopping around, but I have no idea at this moment.

Where can readers find you online?

www.kimberlyrjohnson.com

Kimberly Rose Johnson writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul. She married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of twenty-four years.

Kimberly loves connecting with readers on Facebook and Twitter. 

https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyRoseJohnson
https://twitter.com/kimberlyrosejoh

Here is the link for A Match for Meghan on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Match-Meghan-Heartsong-Presents-ebook/dp/B00LZCTC8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415896363&sr=8-1&keywords=A+match+for+Meghan