Liz Johnson Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.  

A. I love stories. I love to tell them. I love to read them or watch them or hear them. I love their power to change lives and encourage the struggling, which is one of the reasons I always wanted to work in Christian publishing. I’m a full-time editorial and marketing manager for a major Christian publisher by day. I’m an aunt to five of the cutest kids ever. I love to travel and especially to explore the history around my home near Nashville, TN.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I’m not sure there was ever a moment of wanting to be a writer. I was just always writing. From short stories to a really, really bad novel I wrote when I was twelve, I just didn’t stop. Every school assignment that could be story was one. Every spare minute was spent in front of a computer or with pen in hand. I wrote my first short story at seven and signed my first book contract at twenty-seven.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?  

A. I never thought too much about getting published until I told a friend of mine about a story that I was writing, and she told me to finish the book and send it in for consideration. She kept me accountable to finish the book and then helped me get it ready to submit my proposal. That book became my first published novel, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn. But it wasn’t an easy sell. I first received a rejection letter, saying that the story didn’t follow all of the Love Inspired Suspense guidelines. I was crushed, but I took a deep breath and a couple days before sending a thank you note and asking if I could fix the problem and resubmit. The editor said yes, and that began almost a year of editing—back and forth with my editor—before Love Inspired Suspense offered me a contract. I’m so glad that I didn’t give up. Since then I’ve written three other books for LIS and a novella for Barbour, which was part of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection, which hit the New York Times bestsellers list in October 2011.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release A Promise to Protect?  

A: Navy SEAL Matt Waterstone knows about keeping people safe. When his best friend’s sister is attacked, Matt promises no harm will come to Ashley Sawyer–not on his watch. But Matt’s not the only protective one. Ashley will do anything to safeguard the residents of the battered women’s shelter she runs. She’s sure she can handle the threats she gets in return. What she can’t handle is the way Matt scales the walls around her heart. Yet when she falls prey to a crime web more sinister than she’d realized, trusting Matt could be the only way to survive.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for A Promise to Protect?

A: I’ve always been interested in Navy SEALs. There are interesting novels about SEALs for the general market, and I started wondering what would happen if SEALs were believers. How would their faith in God affect their jobs and their loves? After reading a couple biographies of SEALs—Lone Survivor and Fearless—my respect for them continued to grow, and I’m so happy that I was able to write this book.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: Ashley really struggles with giving up control. She feels that she always has to be strong. Just before writing this book, I began suffering from severe panic attacks. I had just moved to a new city, started a new job, and faced the worst flood in Nashville’s history. I was so wrapped up in doing things on my own—being strong on my own. And it took a trip to the ER and months of panic attacks for God to get my attention and remind me that He is strong, and I don’t have to be. Our culture tells us that that strong win, but the Bible is clear that when we’re weak God’s strength is made perfect. I hope readers will walk away from this book reminded that God’s strength is enough for everything we face.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: I have a couple favorites. The big climax scene at the end always has me biting my nails. But if I have to pick just one, it’s about halfway through the book when Ashley and Matt open to each other about their pasts. Matt has a line—I won’t spoil it—that may be my favorite thing that I’ve ever written. I cried when I reread it in edits.

Q: What inspires you to write?  

A. I’m a firm believer that God gives us each talents and expects us to use them. For me, that’s writing. I want to tell stories that give God the glory, so I’ll keep doing it until He tells me to do something else.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?  

A: It’s so much harder than I thought it would be. I assumed that as soon as I was published I’d be confident in all my writing. That’s not the case at all. I continue to doubt my skill and question myself. But I’m learning that’s pretty normal among authors. Even more difficult than I conquering doubts is finding the time and motivation to actually sit in front of my computer and type out the words. I know why I write, but I don’t always feel like writing—especially after a full day of work. I like what William Faulkner says about it: “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.” I’ve had to learn to do the same, except I write at 9 at night.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: The thing that has helped me most in my writing is accountability. The lament that I hear most from beginning writers is that they don’t have time to write. Or they can’t figure out how to set aside time. For me accountability changed everything. My friend Kelly encouraged me and asked every day if I was writing for my first book. And then I found other friends who like to write, and we have weekly writing dates, where we keep each other accountable to write for at least an hour. Find an accountability partner to keep you writing. Even writing a couple times a week will begin to add up until you have a finished book.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?  

A. Certainly! I just finished my second book in the Navy SEAL series, a sequel to A Promise to Protect, which is about Ashley’s brother Tristan and a woman that he rescues from a Middle Eastern prison. It’s still untitled but will be out in early fall 2013. And I’m under contract for the third in that series as well. I’ve also been brainstorming some contemporary romances, playing around with ideas for those.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?  

A. I love to read pretty much anything I can get my hands on. And since moving to Middle Tennessee, I’ve loved exploring the history here. From Civil War-era plantations to President Andrew Jackson’s home to the Rock City of southeast Tennessee, I love it. I enjoy the theater and wouldn’t be a Nashvillian if I didn’t seek out great live music, which is all over the place.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? 

A. They can find my misadventures in publishing on my blog at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com. I tweet at twitter.com/lizjohnsonbooks and post at facebook.com/lizjohnsonbooks.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?  

A. Thanks so much for having me! This was so much fun!