Interview and GIVEAWAY with Author Patricia Johns!

Hi, guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;-) And one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends at coffee shops then head to the bookstores. Yes, plural. After all, books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination! So consider this our virtual coffee shop. I'll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chat with today's guest. <3

Today we are going to pry into the private life of CHAT with author Patricia Johns!

Patricia Johns is a Publisher Weekly bestselling author of sweet romance for Harlequin books. She lives with her husband, teenaged son, and energetic parrot in Alberta, Canada. The winters are long and cold, and give her plenty of time to do nothing but write books. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Connect with Patricia on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Interview ~

This may be the most important question I ask -- no pressure or anything, LOL! 

*drum roll*

What are you drinking in our virtual coffee house? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else altogether?

Tea. I love it! I always have a pot on and I’ll even drink it cold. Not iced tea… tea in the pot that I forgot about while it was hot. But that said, I do like coffee once in a while, too. It depends on quickly I need the caffeine to hit my system.

Love a good cup of tea! If you could order anything in the world to eat (we can dream, can't we?), what would it be?

That’s a tough one! But I have to say fresh fruit. But really good, tree-ripened fresh fruit. Give me mangoes ripened on the tree, and I’d be in heaven!

Yum! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?

At my desk… mercifully alone! I write best when I’m by myself, and once my family gets home from work and school, I have to give up that solitude. So I don’t take it for granted.

Totally understand! Do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-)

Probably my entire existence! I people watch a lot—that might be explained by the fact that I’m a writer. I also like to smell books. I didn’t think that was weird until my husband told me it wasn’t exactly normal. My deepest longing is for a gorgeous library—all mine, with hard cover classics and tall wooden bookshelves and a ladder… and leather chairs to lounge in by a lead-pained window. Cars, restaurants, pool, expensive vacations? They don’t even enter into my daydreams. It’s all about the library.

Wait...those things aren't normal? ;-) What inspired you to write The Amish Marriage Arrangement? 

This book was fully centered around a funny scene that happens at the very end of the book—so I can’t even tell you what it is, or else I’ll ruin it for you! But the idea for the whole book started with a joke on my own head. This book is a fun story—light and full of heart.

How fun! What led you to write in this genre?

I am a total romantic. I believe in soulmates. My husband asked me to marry him after two weeks of knowing me, and I said yes! People say that romance novels give women unrealistic expectations, and I disagree. Romance novels give women the expectation that they’ll find loving, faithful, devoted partners who will think they are just amazing. That’s not unrealistic at all! In fact, it just hands the challenge back to the men to step up to the line.

I love that so much! What message do you hope to convey to your readers?

In this book, I hope people will finish the book feeling hopeful and happy, and believing that no matter where they are in life, that real, respectful, honest love is possible.

Great message! Can you tell us a little about your next project(s)?

I’d love to! My next release will be A BOY’S AMISH CHRISTMAS that comes out end of October. This is the third and final book in my Butternut Amish B&B miniseries that follows the guests who come to an Amish run bed-and-breakfast. If you haven’t read the first two books, definitely pick them up!

An old-fashioned Christmas…

A newfound love!

Brett Rockwell is looking forward to a peaceful Christmas retreat with his young nephew—until they’re snowed in at an Amish bed-and-breakfast with tenacious journalist Emaline Piper. Though Brett is determined to avoid publicity, Emaline’s charm melts his reservations. And Brett lets slip a shocking truth—a story that could make Emaline’s career. Will professional ambition divide them, or can Brett and Emaline give their love story a happy ending?

And the end of December, my first Amish cozy mystery comes out! It’s called MURDER OF AN AMISH BRIDEGROOM. When the community ice man, Ike Smoker, is found dead and his girlfriend is discovered coming out of the ice house with blood on her hands, everyone thinks they know what happened. But Petunia Yoder knows her best friend couldn’t have done it… now to prove it!

So exciting! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level? 

I do! This is the verse that spoke to me when I was deciding to marry my husband. (We’ve been married 18 years now!)

Isaiah 60:21 “They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.”

I married him knowing in my heart that he was the one.

That's so beautiful! What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds -- mine! -- want to know. ;-)

Right now, I’m reading a fantasy series called The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I started reading it as a teenager, and now that I have a teenager who is also reading it, I picked it up again. But I also love reading cozy mysteries, historical sagas, classics, romance… I’m always reading something! 

My husband loves that series! Thanks for answering all of my prying questions, Patricia!

Check out Patricia's upcoming release, The Amish Marriage Arrangement! 

Forgiving past mistakes

Could open up a whole new future…

After leaving the community years ago, Amish bad boy Arden Stoltzfus is back to convince his grandfather to move to Ohio. But neighbor Sarai Peachy stands in his way—her grandmother is sweet on the older gentleman. When a sudden windstorm damages her grandmother’s home, Sarai and Arden are forced to work together on the repairs. Will spending time with the former heartbreaker prove to her Arden is a changed man?   

Giveaway ~ 

Patricia has generously offered one paperback copy of The Amish Marriage Arrangement!

Rules, Info, and Such ~

The author is giving away one paperback copy of The Amish Marriage Arrangement!

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only! 

This giveaway will close on 7/27/23 at 12:00 A.M. for all the night owls.

A winner will be drawn within four days of close of giveaway. The winner must respond to our e-mails within one week of notification, or their prize will be forfeit. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Enter via the handy Rafflecopter link below. May the odds be ever in your favor. ;-)

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer loves to write romantic and comedic stories that proclaim God’s deep love for us. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an avid blogger. In her spare time, Joy loves to sing (especially Disney songs), drink large quantities of coffee, and take flowery photos for Bookstagram. When Joy isn’t fighting with fictional people, she’s hanging out with her husband and their adorable daughters. Connect with Joy via www.vjoypalmer.com!

Connect with Joy on her website, personal blog, devotional blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Amazon Author Page!