Hey folks, today I am super excited to be part of the blog tour for the wonderful new book by the super lovely Debbie Johnson. I am so lucky to have a very entertaining interview here with the ady herself. Make yourself a brew, get comfy and enjoy.
Hello Debbie, thank
you so much for agreeing to an interview, I am pleased to welcome you to my
website. How are you?
Thanks for having me Daniel. Feeling slightly scared right
now – there’s a huge water balloon fight gearing up in my garden!
So tell me a little
bit about yourself, where are you from and what do you write?
I’m originally from the Midlands, but have lived in Liverpool
for over 25 years – which is scary, as I don’t ever think I’m older than 19...mainly
I write women’s fiction, but have also dabbled with fantasy and crime as well.
I really enjoy reading all different kinds of books, which spilled over into my
career as a writer. Ideally I’d probably have lived in a different era, where
writers had 17 different pen-names and wrote everything from Westerns to
romances! No matter what genre though, for me all books are about characters –
no matter how good the plot is, if you don’t care about the characters, there’s
no point.
What can you tell me
about your typical writing day and what your process is?
I’m not very good at doing typical. I can get very easily
distracted, to the point where I have started to see Netflix as a manifestation
of pure evil. But what I try to do is work solidly between school runs. I have
three kids; one is technically a grown-up, one is in high school, and one is in
primary school, so it’s all pretty busy. I attempt to buckle down and write
between about 9.30 and 2.30, when there is nobody around asking me where the
remote controls are or asking me for money or fighting with each other.
Sometimes that works, sometimes I just watch a lot of Grey’s Anatomy and then
panic-write until 2am...
Do you have a special
writing space/room?
Ha ha ha ha ha! You can take that as a no. The whole house is
full of people and dogs. I’m lucky if I get a spot on the sofa.
Any necessary supplies
/ coping strategies when you’re writing? Wine? Cake? Music?
I will occasionally do a playlist that fits the book, but not
always. In my fantasy novel, Dark Vision, the lead character was a pop writer
and music was very relevant, mentioned a lot in the book, so I did it for that.
But mainly I just need to stay focused, or before you know it, the whole day
has got away from you. I always try and have a 20 minute break for lunch, where
I watch some mindless TV and switch my brain off for a little rest. When you’re
‘in the zone’, it’s easy for your entire thought processes to be dominated by
your characters and story, so you need to hit pause on the crazy every now and
then!
Can you tell me about
your journey to publication? How did that all happen?
Uggh...this is always a swine of a question to answer, as my
‘journey’ was as complicated as getting from Liverpool to Katmandu on public
transport. I’ll try and make it shorter: when I was 40 I entered a writing
contest and won it. I got an agent. I finished the book (Fear No Evil), and
then had about six million rejections. Then I wrote a women’s fiction book
(this would eventually become The Birthday That Changed Everything) and had
even more rejections. I wrote a fantasy novel (Dark Vision), which actually got
published. Hurrah. In the meantime I’d written some romantic comedies, which
were then published by HarperImpulse at HarperCollins. A different imprint also
published Fear No Evil. Harper Fiction then bought Birthday. So I went from
being the Rejection Queen to having what felt like dozens of books out within a
short space of time...so since I started, I’ve now had 10 books published, as
well as two ghost-written books for Abbey Clancy. Phew. I deserve a lie down!
What is it like to
work with the folks over at Harper / Harper Collins?
Really great. My editor Charlotte is brilliant – a lovely
person, fab to work with, wonderful to go the pub with! There’s a really nice
community of authors there, and obviously it’s a huge company, which presents
all kinds of opportunities. I also really value their flexible approach to me
doing more books than a usual person does, and allowing me to focus on both
paperback and e-book.
What do your family
and loved ones think of your success?
Well, my kids are quite blasé about it now. It’s just what
mum does. We were in the British Library in London recently and I was having
kittens of joy because I saw The A-Z of Everything in the book shop, and they
were, like ‘yeah, great...is there a café? Can I get an ice cream?’ As a
family, we’re very down to earth and sarcastic. Actually, anyone listening to
us would think we hate each other – the banter levels are extreme. So I’d
actually be shocked if any one of them ever seriously said they were proud of
me etc – I’d probably call an ambulance in fact. But I know they are, and
that’s what matters! They also know that when they’re especially amusing, they
might get into my Magic Notebook – a little pad I use to record the acidic gems
of abuse that get cast around in our house, that often end up in one of my
books...that’s why I like writing teenaged characters so much. My whole life is
an inspiration!
So what do you like to
do when you’re not writing?
I’m so boring – I like reading! Or watching TV. Walking my
dogs. Spending time with the kids. Going to quiz nights with my pals. I also
spend a lot of time doing Fantasy Holiday Planning – this is where I go into
great detail about some luxury holiday that I’ll never be able to afford, and almost
feel like I’ve been there by the time I’m done...my current favourites are
Canada and the Galapagos Islands. In reality we’re more likely to be staying in
the UK, as we live in a permanent state of I’m Skint.
So what’s next for
Debbie Johnson, what are you working on right now?
Well, as you can tell, I’ve had a weirdly shaped career so
far. I’ve done women’s fiction/romance types of books for a while, and then The
A-Z of Everything, which isn’t a romance but is about deeply held forms of love
and family life. Currently I’m working on the next installment of the Comfort
Food Cafe series, which is about the way that our friends can become our
family, along with some romance, some funnies, and some lovely cake. After that
I have a new idea for a big, sweeping, full-on romance that will probably make
people cry buckets...and there’s a new crime idea bubbling away in there as
well. My brain is a busy place.
What other writers do
you love or have influenced you in some way?
Loads! My all-time writing idol – in terms of who I wouldn’t
mind following in the footsteps of – is probably Nora Roberts. I love her
suspense books, her romance, her Eve Dallas mysteries as JD Robb. She makes
writing seem effortless, and has also never been boxed into one genre – I love
that about her. I read a lot of crime fiction, love a good dystopian young
adult book, and devour fantasy and good-quality paranormal romance as well. So,
I love John Connolly, James Lee Burke, Robert Crais, Mick Herron, David
Eddings, Charlaine Harris, Darynda Jones, and so many more. I especially like
certain ‘lady sleuth’ stories, from writers like Sara Paretsky and Sue Grafton.
Any particular
highlights in your writing career so far?
In all honesty it’s all a bit of a rollercoaster. You have so
many dreams and hopes for each book – sometimes they fall flat, sometimes they
exceed your expectations. I’ve never had what you’d call a ‘typical’ career.
Getting emails from readers or reading reviews where I’ve obviously touched
their lives (this has happened a lot with The A-Z of Everything and also the
Comfort Food Café books) is a huge, huge privilege. And of course winning
awards is never shoddy!
Thank you so much for
taking the time to answer my questions Debbie, as always you are a star.
Thanks for having me sweetie! See you soon.
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