INTERVIEW WITH AMBER L. JOHNSON

Like many authors in the industry today, Amber L. Johnson originated from the world of Twilight fan fiction—the place I first read her work and met her as an author. After following her writing for years, enjoying the worlds she creates and the characters she lets us all love, it’s a pleasure watching her fight her way to the top. Where she deserves to be.

With two books under her belt, Where We Fell, and my personal favorite, Beatless, Amber L. Johnson has a promising career ahead of her, and a very busy year, having announced she’s signed a multi-book deal with The Writers Coffee Shop.

Amber’s third novel, Puddle Jumping, is set to release June 1^st, 2014. With the pending release of such an original and amazing story, I was thrilled when Amber agreed to let me pick her brain about her career as a writer, her family, and her wishes for the future.

Questions for Amber L. Johnson:

I’ve followed you as a writer for years and have watched you grow into the published author you are today. Which is nothing less than amazing. If you were able to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give your younger self about your writing and why?

If I was going to talk to my younger self, I’d initially say, “OMG, stop being so annoying.” Followed up by, “Invest in a thing called Google.”

As for writing, I’d probably advise that she never give it up. I wrote my first book at 7 years old and started a bunch of others. But trying to fit in at school and falling in love at 17 took a lot of my time and energy. It wasn’t until I had my son and never slept that I tried my hand at it again. (As an aside, “2009 Amber,” don’t do that one thing, okay? Or the other one.)

Puddle Jumping is about a unique boy and the girl that loves him. I commend you for handling the plot with care and for being bold enough to write about such a sensitive subject with grace. Do you have any expectation for Puddle Jumping, and if so, what is it?

Oh, Lord. I think my only expectation is that maybe, just maybe, the people that read the final version will love it as much as the original. That some of those parents and teachers that reached out to me will still feel it rings true, if not truer, given how many new experiences I’ve had in the past few years. I don’t expect everyone to adore it, but if it touches someone deeply, then it’s possible I’ve done a good job at the end of the day.

What did you do to prepare for Puddle Jumping? Was writing this particular book any different than your previous work and why?

Preparation for publication has been, for lack of a better word, Hell. Not because I don’t love this story. But because I do. I have spent hours and days, speaking with people about this book, editing and re-editing, garnering feedback, streamlining it until I felt like it was finally ready to see the light of day. It’s not perfect. But I think that’s the point of the book, right?

I’ve given the manuscript to teachers, parents, psychologists, classes, bloggers, etc., etc. to make sure I have exhausted every bit of information I may not have known with my own experiences so far.

The difference between this work and my others is that it’s pretty much Young Adult, which I never thought I would publish. Lilly is not a passive voice in this story. She’s speaking directly to you, explaining how a girl who never expected to fall in love, who is too adventurous and has the scars to prove it, would have the honor of falling for the amazing person Colton has become.

The Puddle Jumping cover is absolutely breathtaking! I’ve read the fanfiction version and the published version of PJ, so I know what inspired it, but tell me who brought it to life.

LOL. Thank you <3

I know you were there when we were brainstorming ideas for the cover. I wanted something simple and beautiful, but there was also a part of me that wanted a contemporary YA book cover with people standing in puddles or holding hands in the rain. I was looking through stock photos when I came across the water color face, and it took my breath away.

There was more brainstorming, and then weeks of trying to figure out the color and placement and fonts. Funny enough? The final cover was one that my cover artist, Annie, made on accident. She threw it in at the last minute, and I emailed it to my team for their reactions. I was set on it but wanted their feedback, and at the end of the day, the colors were too much to walk away from.

I can’t wait to hold it in my hands.

What can we expect from you in the next year?

Next year you’re going to be sick to DEATH of me. I have books coming out in November, January, March and May. And then I might take a 2 year nap.

J/K

If you know anything about my son, you know I might be lucky to sleep until 8 a.m. on a Saturday.

Who is Amber L. Johnson? What are you greatest fears and biggest hopes?

Laying out my fears? Come on. You’re killing me here.

I have always said that my biggest fear is that I’ll never mean anything to anyone. That I’ll die and no one will notice. (Wow, that took a turn for the morbid, eh?)

My biggest hopes? Someday my son won’t have to struggle so much, and he’ll be accepted exactly for the fantastic, talented, loving child that he is. And maybe one day, I won’t have to work in an office, and I can write about people that only exist in my brain all day until the bus comes after school.

SYNOPSIS

When it comes to love there’s no such thing as conventional.

Everyone thinks Colton Neely is special.

Lilly Evans just thinks he’s fascinating.

Once friends when they were younger, their bond is cut short due to her accident prone nature and they go their separate ways. Years later, they meet again and Lilly learns that there is something special about the boy she once knew, but she has no idea what it all means. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to find out.

When he walks through the corridor of her school the first day of her senior year, she knows that it’s time to get to know the real Colton Neely. The more she learns, the deeper she falls.

Their friendship grows into love, even as Colton does not express it in words. But one decision threatens to break down the world that Lilly has tried so hard to integrate into and she must figure out if the relationship can survive if they are apart.

Amber L. Johnson:

Amber is a full time mom, full time wife, is employed full time, and writes when she can. She believes in Happily Ever Afters that occur every day - despite the obstacles that real life serves up on a regular basis. Or perhaps they're sweeter simply because of them. She always has 2 rubber bands on her wrist, a song in her head, and too much creamer in her coffee cup that reads 'Cocoa' - because she's a rebel. If she's not at her desk, with her boys, or behind the computer, she's supporting live music with her arms raised above her head and eyes closed, waiting for the drop.