I live in Alberta,
Canada, with my husband and our teenaged son. The winters here are long and
cold, which can keep me inside a lot—and writing! We have a Quaker parrot who
needs exactly 12 hours of sleep every night, and if he doesn’t get it, he
becomes a complete menace. And as for hobbies, I absolutely love dollhouse
miniatures! I have three dollhouse rooms set up in the cubbies of my desk—just
random little rooms tucked into my desk space—that I’m always working on.
They’re a lot of fun.
What genre (s) do you write?
I write inspirational
romance for Love Inspired and Kensington Books. I also write sweet romance
(which means it only heats up to a kiss, but there is no faith element) for
Harlequin Heartwarming.
Are you Indy, or
traditionally published, or both?
I’m traditionally
published. I admire Indy authors, though. You have to be good at so many things
to self-publish, and I admire that combination of skills that lets them do it
well.
What are you working on
now?
I’m always working on a new book! At the time of answering these questions, I’m
working on a book for my Butternut Amish Bed and Breakfast miniseries
for Harlequin Heartwarming. (The first book in this miniseries comes out in the
spring of 2023, so there is a lag between writing a book and getting it to my readers.)
I’m really enjoying writing these books, though—they’re cozy and let me delve
into the lives of the guests who pass through the bed-and-breakfast. I’m
thoroughly enjoying myself!
Do you read outside of
your genre? If so, what other genres do you like to read?
Oh, I read all sorts of
different genres. I read murder mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy, classic
literature… I find it helps my writing to read broadly. A writer has to bring
ideas to her books, and you have to find them somewhere. For me, this is the
trick. (And “the trick” is different for everyone!)
Did the first book you
wrote get published? How long were you writing before you were published?
Oh, heavens, no! The
first romance I wrote was absolutely terrible. Embarrassingly terrible. I wrote
for several years some small presses writing some historical fiction, and then
some romance for some e-presses. After getting my confidence back up again that
I was indeed capable of writing a book, I decided to give my dream of writing
romance for Harlequin another shot. That book was a good romance, and it almost
got accepted, but then got turned down because my hero’s job, that was central
to the story, wasn’t quite what they were looking for at the time. (He was a
lawyer.) I was crushed at first, and then I got determined. I’d come so close,
and I really wanted that contract! So I tried again with a different story.
That book, His Unexpected Family, was published by Harlequin’s
Love Inspired in 2013.
When you are writing, do
you like complete silence, or do you like to listen to music? If so, what kind
of music do you like? What are your favorite writing snacks?
I like silence. I need
the quiet to get into my own head and let the story flow. As for writing
snacks, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I eat toast, sometimes popcorn,
sometimes cut fruit… My desk is set up in the living room, so I’m close to the
kitchen, and it shows.
How long have you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always loved
writing. It’s just how my brain works. As a little girl, I’d sit up in my room
writing story after story, and I never really stopped. So I think I was born a
writer, and I’d dreamed of getting published for almost as long.
How many books have
you written, and which is your favorite?
My 42nd book
is on the shelves right now, The Amish Matchmaker’s Choice. My
favorite book is always my current one! I’ve worked so hard to bring this one
out into the world, and I really want to share it with my readers.
If you were to write a
spin-off about a side character, which would you pick?
I actually DID write a
spinoff miniseries off of The Amish Matchmaker’s Choice! In this
story, Adel wants to be the matchmaker for her community and she has to prove
herself to the bishop. Unfortunately, she finds herself falling for her client.
So when she marries him (I hope that spoiler doesn’t ruin anything for you),
what will she do for the women she tried to introduce her husband to? She feels
terrible! What kind of a matchmaker does that? So she is determined to find
them all matches. And that begins my next miniseries, Amish Country
Matches. The first book in that miniseries comes out in September
Learn more about
Patricia and her writing here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaJohnsAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorPatJohns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorpatjohns/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/patricia-johns
Here are some
links to Patricia’s The Amish Matchmaker’s Choice
Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335759276_the-amish-matchmakers-choice.html
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-amish-matchmakers-choice-patricia-johns/1140558672?ean=9781335759276
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/search?filter=&id=8388281320105&query=The+Amish+Matchmaker%27s+Choice
