Christine Johnson : The Author Interview

Okay, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to have this author on my blog today. Not only is she an amazing writer and one cool lady, she happens to be a new friend of mine! The best part about this interview is that it is also a release celebration!!! Christine's newest YA novel, The Gathering Dark, is out today! See what she has to say and then go buy her book!

Tell us a little about yourself, Christine: 

Oh, gosh. Okay, aside from the fact that I write young adult fiction, I Iive in Indianapolis, Indiana, I’m perpetually cold, and I’m a die hard Manchester United supporter. That was all sort of random, but that’s also very appropriate. So.

Christine's first novel. A Paranormal/ YA story.

What was the querying/agent search process like for you? 

I’ve been with my agent for a long time - yay! - so it was quite different than it is today. I did my querying via snail mail, not email. There was a lot of waiting involved. And a lot of checking the mailbox. I queried about twenty agents before signing with Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc.

Is there another genre you would like to try at some point?

Not particularly. I tried middle grade before I found my way to YA, and when I got here, I knew I’d found my place in the writing world. I’m happy. I do love a good regency romance, but I’m not sure I have it in me to write one!

Do you have a writing ritual or a certain way you like to get ready to write? 

Nope. Having kids beat that out of me. Also, Holly Black once said that the more things you NEED to write (candle, certain hours of the day, particular chair, whatever,) the less writing you’ll actually get done. She’s totally right.

The sequel to Claire de Lune

Tell us about one of your characters you loved writing:

Smith kicked my @$$. Seriously. I have a love/hate relationship with him, because it took me so long to figure out who he was and what he was doing in my book. Once I got there, though, I was so happy to have him in the story. Now, he’s one of my favorites.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? If so, what changed? 

Actually . . . no. There are projects I’ve abandoned, but writing itself is just part of who I am. Getting published is super-awesome, but it’s the putting-words-on-a-page that I love.

Tell us a little about The Gathering Dark...

The Gathering Dark is a romantic sci-fi about a girl named Keira who’s a concert-pianist in the making. When she meets Walker at her favorite music store, she begins having strange visions. At first, she think’s they’re hallucinations, but when it turns out they might be real, Keira’s world is turned upside down - quite literally.

What draws you to the science fiction genre? 

..... Geekery? Nerdtopia? Seriously, though, there’s so much in science that I find fascinating and fantastic, and those things just lend themselves to story-making in my own particular head.

What are you currently reading? 

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah Maclean and Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson. Obviously wildly different books, but I’m loving them both. R.J. Anderson wrote my favorite unreliable narrator of all time in her book Ultraviolet.

What can we expect from you next? 

The Grim anthology! It’s a collection of fairy tale retellings from a slew of fantastic authors. It’s due out in 2014, and I cannot WAIT for everyone to read these stories. They’re dark and twisted and FABULOUS.

What is your current obsession (absolutely anything)? 

Kale chips. Seriously. Tear the tender parts of a kale leaf (not the stem or ribs) into bite sized pieces. Make sure they’re dry. Drizzle with olive oil and massage to coat. Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Inhale. If it’s possible to eat so much kale that it actually becomes UNHEALTHY, then I’m doing that. Because YUM.

Where can readers find more about you? 

I’m pretty much all over the Internet. You can find me at www.christinejohnsonbooks.com, @cjohnsonbooks on Twitter, Pinterest, and on Facebook. I love hearing from people, so do come say “hi!”

As of today you can buy The Gathering Dark here on Amazon (or fine bookstores across the US). Christine's first novel, Claire de Lune and it's sequel Nocturne are also available 

ALSO...If you happen to be local to the Indianapolis area you can meet and purchase a signed copy of The Gathering Dark this Saturday February 16th at Bookmamas in Irvington from 3-5pm!

Thanks again for chatting, Christine!