INTERVIEW with GRACE A. JOHNSON
Good day, Everyone!
Grace Johnson is an amazing Christian teen writer, who happens to be a friend of mine! She interviewed me a couple months ago, so I figured I'd return the favor XD I'm so very glad I did! All of her answers were amazing, and I highly suggest you read them! You won't be disappointed, trust me!
Without further ado, let's jump in!
1. Have you ever considered writing under a pseudonym? Why or why not?
I have multiple times, actually. It wasn’t until after I was published under my real name that I considered writing different genres/styles under pen names. Fantasy would be Kari Vernon (don’t ask why) and Julie Dwyer would be another name for a separate genre. Eventually, I ditched those and decided that, later on, I’d write a different, more aesthetic style of contemporary books under the name Ivy Drake. Once again, that fell through, and I didn’t consider a pen name until just recently - I eventually decided it would simply be too much work to keep up two separate author names and brands. But who knows! Maybe I’ll use a pen name one day.
2. How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?
Good question - very good question, Daisy! It honestly depends - mainly on which book they’re reviewing and why they left a negative review. For example, I’ve gotten several negative reviews for Held Captive (and by negative, I mean three stars...don’t think I’ve gotten a review lower than that for HC yet), and I completely understand them. Held Captive was written when I was twelve to thirteen, so it’s far from perfect, and even I’m not satisfied with it. Those reviews aren’t really difficult to process at all, because I get it.
However, when someone leaves a review or even just shoots me an email ranting about all their personal pet peeves, that’s pretty annoying. Even if there are certain small elements you didn’t like or understand, you can still write a review that’s informative and presents at least a few positive aspects of the book. I always try to do that - inform readers of my personal distastes but still let them know that there are good parts of the book and things that I didn’t like that they might.
Another type of review that just doesn’t need to be written at all are the negative reviews for books you knew you weren’t going to like before reading it. If you’re not a romance reader, then don’t leave a review for a romance book that you didn’t like. Don’t turn romance readers away from it by whining about the whole thing!
*sighs* Anyway, I could go on about this forever. Long story short, what bothers me the most as an author is (1) getting negative reviews from readers who don’t even read my genre (like a non-Christian complaining about the faith elements of a Christian book) and (2) being critisized for really, really dumb things. Like, “You should’ve made Rina pretty. People like reading about pretty people. Ugly characters don’t sell well.” Dumbest thing ever. (And true story.) For one, I never said Rina was ugly. Two, people love reading about ugly or not-so-pretty characters. It’s so much more realistic and relatable!
3. What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
Definitely a pantser! Or at least I started out as one. I’m morphing into more of a plantser now...simply because my stories are getting way more confusing and I like rambling about them to myself in a doc.
4. How long have you been writing or when did you start?
Ah, here’s a hard one! I loosely started writing when I was nine years old...but I wouldn’t say I became truly focused on it until I was twelve. So, when you put it that way, I’ve really only been writing for four years now!
5. What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
DON’T GIVE UP.
But everyone says that, so let me try again.
It’s gonna be hard - especially the first time - but you have to remember that writing is both an art and a craft. It takes time and dedication, as well as passion and inspiration. But most importantly, writing is a calling. It’s a desire and mission put inside of you by God Almighty, and if you’ll work with Him, then He’ll guide your every word and bless your endeavors - trust me.
Speaking of endeavors, there will be a lot. I was once told that your first novel is never published. I scoffed then, but they were right. Your first novel, first short story, first essay - whatever you’re writing - won’t be perfect. Might not even be “good enough.” So try again. Learn more. Grow. There is always room for improvement, just like there’s always room for mistakes and half-finished projects and first drafts of only 5k words. Eventually, you’ll come to that place where you feel ready. You feel prepared and inspired all at the same time. You know you’ve found the story that you’re capable of writing and that deserves to be read. It’ll be a long, hard road, but so worth it. Believe you me.
And even that book may not be perfect. So write another one. And another one. Whatever you do, don’t stop writing. Or reading either. Read ‘til your eyeballs fall out of your head! (Figuratively speaking, not literally. Please don’t actually do that.) The more you write, the better you become.
6. What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?
Ah, I could go on for hours about this! There are simply so many facets and aspects I could give lecture upon lecture on... but I won’t, for time’s sake. (And the readers’ eyes. Wouldn’t want to strain them with all this reading. Anyway… ) Since I’m a predominately fiction writer (which means I don’t count the essays I write for school as “writing”), I’ll focus on the most important elements of prose.
#1 Voice. There is one thing that will always captivate me over plot, characters, themes, even grammar! And that’s voice - or writing style, as some call it. When I read a book, I want to experience something totally unique - even if the author is employing a common trope or the whole story is cliche - and I want to be able to recognize the individual author without even glancing at the name. I want a distinct voice. More than that, if the author is writing in first-person, I want the character to have a voice that’s distinct from the author’s and the other characters - that’s something I focus on more than pretty much anything else in my writing (hence why it’s taken me two years to write one book...and I’m not even finished yet). So, for any writers out there, one of the most important things you can do is hone your voice. Create a recognizable cadence and rhythm for your writing, a tone that is uniquely you - just like your actual voice.
#2 Quality. Out comes my inner grammar troll. Yes, I’m one of those. I correct my dad’s grammar in text messages. But, seriously, y’all - the quality of your writing, from even a standpoint as simple as grammar and punctuation, is imperative. Train yourself to write with clarity and cleanliness, regardless of what you’re writing. It could be a social media post or a messy first draft; it doesn’t matter. The quality of your writing is your credos amidst the logos of your plot or message and the pathos of your characters and themes. It’s what bears witness to your intelligence and experience as a writer.
#3 Clarity. In the same vein as quality, clarity is determined by how your writing is read. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to reread sentences that made no sense - or, worse, walked away from novels uncertain about the point of them. Every sentence, every theme, every message, every plot point must be clear. I’ll admit I’m not the best at this myself, since I tend to lean toward the philosophical stream-of-consciousness rambler side... but that doesn’t mean I don’t strive to create a story that has a clear objective, meaning, and purpose.
#4 Respect. I’d go so far as to say that respect is a key component of a good writer rather than writing in general. Whatever you’re writing - be it a persuasive essay about gun control or a story dealing with racism or a historical novel about the Civil War - you need to respect all those who may read it. Respect even the types of people or mindsets you portray in your writing. Writing that stereotypes is simply not acceptable on any front - and I certainly don’t appreciate it. (Especially when people start stereotyping Southerners...but that’s a story for another day.) Everyone has their own views and the reasons behind those views, so respect them, even if only for the fact that they are a human being and equally loved by God. The last thing anyone wants to read is something that intentionally sparks conflict.
7. If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick?
Well, let me start by saying that I have two spin-off series in the works already...one as more of a prequel series to the Daughters of the Seven Seas and the other as a sequel series. (And, yes, I will probably write them in a Star Wars-like order. Middle, first, then last.)
So suffice it to say that there aren’t many side characters who remain unstoried. *wink* I do, however, have two characters that I would love to see more of! Billy Sandes is one of them. I’ve actually been toying with the idea of him getting a story of his own - at least a short story or novella - but I’m not sure how that will pan out. On that note, I could write a story about Scarlette Wilde... Ah, so many possibilities!
Then there’s Tomas Wilde. Now he is a character I could write a whole spin-off series about! I’d actually kind of like to write a series a few generations later about his grandchildren/great-grandchildren, but that’s just a pipe dream at the moment.
Anyway, I think for now, I’ll just stick with the Arlington Family prequel series and the Bennet Siblings sequel series!
8. What would you say to an author who wanted to design their own cover?
GO FOR IT! I’ve personally designed six of my own covers - for my shorter stories - and it’s a ton of fun (not to mention cost-efficient)! Daisy designed hers as well, as do a couple other authors I know! I myself don’t have the resources, capabilities, or talent to design a cover worthy of a full-length novel, but I love designing the covers for my shorts using Canva - which is free and works pretty well, in my opinion!
Whatever you do, make sure you research, study, and practice before you jump right in. It’ll take some time to decide what design software works best for you, which stock photos to use, how to arrange things, etc., and you’ll need to hone your skills and eye for design before you slap a cover on your book - but once you get there, it’ll be nothing but fun! (Unless you’re designing a wrap-around cover. Now that’s much more difficult, but you’ll get the hang of it, trust me!)
9. How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve written three novels - although one of them was only published on my blog - a novella, and four short stories with another to come! My favorite? Oy, I love each and every one of them for various reasons, but I do think my favorite published book just might be The Gift of Her Heart, a Christmas novella I released last summer. It is by far my funniest and most romantic story yet, and I incorporated some new writing techniques that really make it stand out to me.
But...there is Bound and Determined, my next novel and my current work-in-progress. Once it’s completed and published, I know I’ll be able to call it my absolute favorite! (Until I move on to my next, next project, of course!)
10. What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
Well, why don’t I chat a wee bit more about Bound and Determined? The hardest part so far has been the beginning. I doubt that any other part of the book will be half as problematic as the beginning. I started on the story at the end of 2019, and it wasn’t until...well, really March of last year that I actually started making progress on it. It took me three months to work out the first three chapters! I wrote several different versions and arranged them in all sorts of ways and added, then edited a prologue until I finally came to terms with my beginning and my newest POV character’s voice. Oh, the struggles of a perfectionist pantser!
11. What part of the book was the most fun to write?
As for the most fun? ALL OF IT! It’s been my toughest project to date, but I’ve loved every moment of it! But if I had to pick the most funnest part (yes, that’s improper English, but I’m trying to make a point here), it’d be all the arguments between my hero and heroine! They clash soooo bad and yet they have the most chemistry! I just love their bantering back and forth!
12. Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why?
At the moment, it’s Keaton - the hero of Bound and Determined and a side character in my previous two novels. I honestly don’t feel like I relate to him, but more than he relates to me. I know that doesn’t make sense, but what I mean is that I slowly wrote myself into his character without even knowing it! One day I just looked at him, about halfway through the book, and thought “Gee! He’s just like me!” And I didn’t plan that at all.
There are just a lot of ways we’re the same on a personality level, and then a lot of just inner struggles of mine bled into him until he was dealing with the same things I was at the time. Kinda weird but also...cool? I guess. Because just writing it out like that and giving Keaton the answers to his problems gave me the answer to mine.
Yeah, that makes no sense at all.
13. When was the last time you Googled yourself and what did you find?
The last time was today, actually, and I found my website, which sorely needs to be updated for mobile phones. *laughs* Actually, you can find me as Grace A. Johnson on Google - my site, pictures, books, etc. - but if you search for just Grace Johnson, you can find an actress, a model, a hockey player...a whole host of Grace Johnsons. Add the middle initial and I pop up!
14. Do you play music while you write — and, if so, what’s your favorite?
When I first began writing, I was almost always blaring music - particularly Relient K and Hawk Nelson (yes, I know you’re googling them...they’re Christian punk rock bands from the early 2000s...and, yes, that’s a thing). I couldn’t write without it back then.
Nowadays, I usually write when people are sleeping (be it my mom and younger siblings during naptime in the afternoon or at 10 o’clock at night), and I absolutely hate wearing headphones or earbuds...so I’ve had to adjust to not listening to music as often. When I do have a chance to, however, I love listening to Lifehouse (another 2000s rock band), Jeremy Camp (the old stuff, mind you), and a few worship songs that we sing at church. When I’m in an instrumental mood, which has become more often as of late, I really enjoy listening to dark academia playlists.
15. If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play which characters?
I LOVE THIS QUESTION! My only problem is that I really don’t have a good answer. Unfortunately, my main characters Rina, Xavier, Elliot, and Keaton simply don’t look like ANYONE on the face of this earth! It’s crazy!
Either that, or I’m just picky.
So I don’t have actors for most of my Daughters of the Seven Seas characters (I’ll probably be more likely to find actors for characters from other series, but I haven’t made it there yet). I do, however, have actresses for my two redheads and the younger version of my character Collin. So, for any DotSS fans, I imagine Crimson (heroine of my second novel, Prisoner at Heart) as Eleanor Tomlinson. She plays Demzela in Poldark, and she looks EXACTLY like Crimson! From her red curls to the blue dress she wears (in a lot of the pictures, at least), they’re like twins!
And I could totally see a young Isla Fisher play Scarlette Wilde...assuming the movie was made in the ‘90s.
As for Collin Bennet, the father of Held Captive’s hero Xavier, he definitely would’ve looked like Chris Hemsworth when he was younger. Particularly when Hemsworth was in the movie In the Heart of the Sea!
So there probably won’t be any movies anytime soon, at least, not with a convincing cast. Oh well!
Grace A. Johnson is a teenage Christian fiction authoress, book reviewer, and avid reader. She lives in beautiful (but humid) South Georgia, surrounded by farmland and forestry, with her parents and six younger siblings. She has written four novels, three of which are published, and a smattering of short stories and novellas, which you can find on Amazon. She's also a homeschooler who loves learning about history, linguistics, art, and the world around her. You can find her on Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, or blogging on her website at www.graceajohnson.com. Join her for a virtual cup of tea and a free short story when you sign up for her e-newsletter!
(Find her book "Held Captive" here at https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07PVWLCLQ&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_5EENZPSC2BW0480WTXYP )
