
I’m so thrilled to introduce debut author (and my good friend!) Myra Johnson to you today. Myra will be giving away a copy of her new release,
One Imperfect Christmas, today. I’ll randomly choose a winner from among those who either leave a comment or email me at missytippens {@} aol.com. (If you email me, please put Myra in the subject line). And now, Myra Johnson…
1. Since this is your first book, I know my readers would love to hear about The Call for that first sale!
Talk about a whirlwind adventure! After 25 years of “positive rejections” and “almosts,” I couldn’t believe how fast this all happened. One day I happened upon an announcement about Abingdon Press’s new fiction line on Brandilyn Collins’s blog. Within hours I had my query off to the new editor, Barbara Scott. She looked at several of my ms. (manuscript) proposals and within a few days had chosen the one that interested her. I e-mailed her the complete ms., we e-mailed back and forth a few times over the next couple of weeks, and within a month of my initial query, she called with the formal contract offer! Needless to say, I had to restrain myself from screaming in her ear! I’ll never forget that day because later that evening we had to go pick up our new car from the Toyota dealership. So much excitement in one day was way more than I could handle, so I got very little sleep that night!
2. Oh, how exciting! Please tell us a little about your book.
Graphic designer Natalie Pearce will soon face the most difficult Christmas of her life. While taking down last year’s Christmas decorations, her mother suffered a massive stroke, and Natalie blames herself for not being there when it happened. Worse, she allows the monstrous load of guilt to drive a wedge between her and everyone she loves--most of all her husband, Daniel. Her marriage is on the verge of dissolving, her prayer life is suffering, and she's one Christmas away from hitting rock bottom.
Junior-high basketball coach Daniel Pearce is at his wit's end. Nothing he's done has been able to break through the wall Natalie has erected between them. And their daughter Lissa's adolescent rebellion isn't helping matters. Daniel's hope reaches its lowest ebb, and he wonders if the next Christmas will spell the end of his marriage and the loss of everything he holds dear.
3. Where can readers buy your book?
My book is available (or can be ordered) through any major bookstore, including
Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, and
Borders. Since Cokesbury Books is the retail arm of Abingdon Press, readers can probably find the best discounts in your local store or at the
Cokesbury Website.
4. Can you tell us a little about your personal life?
I’ve been married for over 37 years to a great guy who has supported and encouraged my dream of writing from the beginning. If not for him, I don’t know what I’d be doing right now. We have two lovely daughters who are married to wonderful young men, and between them they’ve given us five adorable grandchildren (4 boys and—finally!!—a gorgeous granddaughter who loves pink!). I’m an animal lover, so we’ve never been without pets in our home. Right now we have a half-Lab and a border collie something-or-other, plus a parakeet who still holds a grudge because I “rescued” him from our backyard birdfeeder several years ago.
5. LOL! What an ungrateful parakeet! :) Okay, so what’s one other thing readers might not know about you, maybe something unusual?
Hmmm. As I mentioned, I love animals, which includes horses. All my life I wished for my own horse, but as a city girl I never had the means or opportunity. Then several years ago I began volunteering with a therapeutic horseback riding program, met some “horsey” people, and got connected with a dressage instructor and a friend of a friend who offered me one of her “extra” horses for lessons and practice. Heavenly! Leaving all that behind was one of the hardest parts of leaving Texas and moving to Oklahoma three years ago. I regret I’ve never had the time to look into riding opportunities in our new locale.
6. Which character in your story is most like you?
While I’m not the workaholic Natalie is, we’re most alike in our moodiness and tendency to lash out at loved ones when we’re stressed or troubled.
7. Can you tell us about your next book (blurb and release date)?
My next book will be a Heartsong Presents contemporary romance. The title is Autumn Rains, and the book is due for release in mid-October. Here’s the blurb:
Healy Ferguson knows all about prisons, both the real and the emotional kind. Paying your dues to society doesn’t always mean you’ve paid your dues to yourself, and often the price you exact on yourself far exceeds the crime. Valerie Bishop is caught in the emotional prison of post-traumatic stress disorder, unable to venture more than a few feet out her back door. Shadowy moments from a night she can’t remember bombard her without warning, keeping her trapped between the painful past and a future seemingly without hope. But God promises to repay the years that have been lost; for those who trust in Him, He promises refreshing, life-giving rain. Will Val and Healy trust to see God’s perfect plan, or will they choose the chains that hold them back?
8. Sounds wonderful! I think maybe I read the first chapters of that story a few years ago. I’m so glad it will be published! Now, a last question. How can readers find you (website, Twitter, Facebook, ect.)?
My Website is www.MyraJohnson.com.
I also blog at http://myra.typepad.com, http://seekerville.blogspot.com, and http://romanceyourspouse.com.
My Facebook fan page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Myra-Johnson/67707395198?ref=ts.
To follow me on Twitter, look up http://twitter.com/MyraJohnson.
Thank you so much for being on my blog today, Myra!
Thanks for having me, Missy! Always a pleasure hanging out with one of my Seekerville sisters!
Bio:
Myra Johnson’s roots go deep into Texas soil, but she’s proud to be a new Oklahoman. Empty-nesters now, she and her husband share their home in Broken Arrow with two loveable dogs and a snobby parakeet. Her debut novel, One Imperfect Christmas, released in September 2009 from Abingdon Press.
She also writes for Barbour Publishing’s Heartsong Presents line. Autumn Rains, winner of the 2005 RWA Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Romance Manuscript, releases October 2009, soon to be followed by Romance by the Book and Where the Dogwoods Bloom.
Myra writes full-time and is active in her church as well as local and national writers groups. Myra and her husband have been married since 1972. The Johnsons have two married daughters and five grandchildren.