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Patricia Johns

~ Bestselling author

Patricia Johns

Tag Archives: Kensington author

Tin Man

27 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

harlequin author, Kensington author, romance author, writing life, yoga

I’m not a naturally bendy person. I never have been, and having a sedentary job doesn’t help. But I never did anything about it! I just sort of accepted that this was how my body was, and silently felt grateful that I was a grown woman now who didn’t have to do a PE class or anything if I didn’t want to.

But then an editor posted on Twitter about a stretching app she was using that was making her so much more flexible after a few weeks of using it, and I started to think… Being locked down, we were all finding ways to do things at home. Being an introvert, doing something new without an audience was ideal. The last thing I want to do is join a yoga class and try to twist myself into uncomfortable shapes with people watching.

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So I gave it a try.

I don’t always go through a full set of exercises. Sometimes, I just do a few that I find helpful. I’m a lot more flexible these days, and I’m finding that I’m able to do things without thinking that I could never do before. Every day I do some of the exercises behind a locked door. There is nothing less comfortable than having someone walk in on you mid-stretch! 

So the pandemic has had some silver linings–like trying this new app.

My attitude these days is this: We can’t control the fact that there is a global pandemic, but we do have control over what we do with this time! I want to come out the other end of this alive, to start with, but I also want to grow.

Maybe I’ll be more flexible. Maybe I’ll be a better cook. I’ll certainly have written more books. The time will pass, and when things get back to normal again (hopefully sooner than later!) I want to have made the most of this strange, uncertain, tumultuous time.

And I hope to be a little more bendy. 😉

***

Don’t forget–you can find my bestselling Amish romance at Harlequin’s Love Inspired as well as Kensington Books! And all of them are sold at Walmart, Target, and at booksellers everywhere. 

Facebook Post

 

 

Why I like being called “ma’am”

16 Thursday Jul 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

call me ma'am, harlequin author, Kensington author, ma'am, writer's life

I’m 41, so I think I’ve earned it!

I know that in the south, this is a common form of respect. And I love that! But here in the north (WAY north, like in Canada), this isn’t something we tend to practice. In fact, a lot of women hate being called “ma’am.” They feel like it makes them old. But I like it!

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I’ve worked long and hard to get to this point in my life. I don’t want to be mistaken for a younger woman, either. I don’t want to be called “miss.” I’ve spent the last twenty years working my tail off to build the life that I dreamed of, to grow a career in writing against all the odds.

That’s twenty years of getting published, learning the trade, polishing my work, and getting better at writing books. That’s twenty years of owning the title author.

I’ve spent fifteen years married to the man of my dreams, working side by side with him to build the home and the marriage that we longed for.

I’ve spent the last twelve years raising our son, poring my heart and life blood into teaching him how to be kind, respectful, honest and hard working. That doesn’t come easily. I often say that when this child is a grown man, strong and successful, that I will deserve a medal that says I Raised a Good Man, and I will wear it everywhere, including the grocery store.

So don’t call me “miss” or try to pronounce my name. Just stick with “ma’am.” I’ve earned it, and it keeps the respect in a man’s voice. I’m a professional, a wife, and someone’s mother. I’m an author, and I’ve spent years working my tail off to earn the right to be referred to as “ma’am.” You won’t offend me. I’ll like you more for it. 😉

***

Don’t forget–you can find my bestselling Amish romance at Harlequin’s Love Inspired as well as Kensington Books! And all of them are sold at Walmart, Target, and at booksellers everywhere. 

Facebook Post

 

A long awaited shelf

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bookshelf, harlequin author, Kensington author, love inspired author, Patricia Johns, writer's desk, writer's life

I’ve been wanting to get another bookshelf for the longest time. As an author who releases approximately six books a year, I have a lot boxes of books delivered to our home, and I don’t give away every single copy that I receive. I keep a few for later giveaways, or to give to friends, etc. So I end up with literally boxes of books piled up with nowhere to put them.

Well, this quarantine, Mr. Johns finally got sick of staring at book boxes, and we ordered another shelf from Wayfair. I was so thrilled! It’s very pretty, and it matches my desk so nicely.

shelf 1

Our son and I worked for a couple of hours putting it together, and then Mr. Johns came home from work with a his drill, and that sped up the process considerably.

I emptied out some boxes of books into the selves on the bottom, and I have more space still for when more boxes arrive. (My next release will be in September, so that’s coming up!) I stacked the books all two deep in the cupboard below, and there is still space in there, so I was so happy with how spacious it is!

shelf 2

And just so you can see how well it matches my desk, this is a quick picture of my desk where I work.

desk

Have you picked up my latest release? It might still be on the shelves still, and if it’s already gone, you can pick it up online anywhere books are sold.

***

On the shelves now! 

3.295427.512.9781335488183They need her help. She needs them…

An Amish bachelor. A motherless child.

Can she turn them into a real family?

Schoolteacher Patience Flaud longs for a family of her own—but knows it can never happen. At least she can help Amish bachelor Thomas Wiebe with his small Englisher daughter. As she settles the child into Amish life, Patience begins falling for the bewildered new father and his heartbroken little girl. But is love enough to make them a permanent family?

Harlequin

Barnes and Noble

 

 

Don’t hate me, but…

15 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Amish romance author, harlequin author, Kensington author, life of leisure, love inspired, Quarantine, The Nanny's Amish Family

I’m kind of liking quarantine. Is that crazy? It might become crazy over time, but I’m such a home body that this really isn’t bothering me too much.

Like many people I worry about staying clear of the virus. I take precautions and do my best to be as responsible as possible. I wear my mask when I go out on essential errands, and use sanitizer on my hands.

And at home? I write books. I read books. I do basic yoga that is probably not very pretty to look at, but it keeps me limber.  I cook a lot… and I tend to my little balcony garden. I hang out with my son who is homeschooling until my husband comes home and we eat together.

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It’s rather peaceful, actually! I mean, I do have deadlines to meet and a living to make, but I can do all of that from right here in my home, and taking away any obligation to leave the home for anything but groceries or the post office, I’m gone from stressed out (stage one of quarantine?) to kind of mellow.

It makes me think of ladies back in the 1800s, taking their strolls through the garden, doing a little painting by some trees, and then reading in the sitting room. I used to wonder how they didn’t die of boredom, but I think I’m starting to understand what happens to you when you’re cooped up over a long period of time. You kind of give in to it!

I think an 1800s life of leisure would suit me, so long as I was allowed to write books, wasn’t squeezed into a corset, and didn’t have anyone patronizing me. Oh, and no balls! I couldn’t survive a hot, stuffy social obligation rife with airborne pathogens. (I would have been difficult to marry off, wouldn’t I? 😉 )

So maybe what I want is just a gorgeous country house with lots of beautifully kept land surrounding it, and to be left alone at it. Too much to ask? Probably.

**

On the shelves now! 

3.295427.512.9781335488183They need her help. She needs them…

An Amish bachelor. A motherless child.

Can she turn them into a real family?

Schoolteacher Patience Flaud longs for a family of her own—but knows it can never happen. At least she can help Amish bachelor Thomas Wiebe with his small Englisher daughter. As she settles the child into Amish life, Patience begins falling for the bewildered new father and his heartbroken little girl. But is love enough to make them a permanent family?

Harlequin

Barnes and Noble

 

Pretty little pleasures

08 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Amish author, amish romance, harlequin author, Kensington author, love inspired author, The Nanny's Amish Family, writer's life

I love when the sun is shining and the rain clouds are coming up behind… It’s beautiful. It give me a rush of sublime awe–where I feel very small and the forces of nature feel very, very big.

Screen Shot 2020-05-27 at 8.01.57 PM

I’ve been enjoying this spring–the rain storms, the blasts of heat, the sudden chilly days that take you by surprise. Somehow, all of us being asked to stay indoors makes the view outside my window that much more meaningful. When this is all over, I don’t think we’ll be taking some of our common pleasures for granted anymore!

But these days, I’ve been watching my little balcony garden grow. My potted strawberry plant is a real little go-getter. There are at least twenty-five blooms and tiny green strawberries, and I’m so proud of her effort.

strawberries

I hope you’re finding the small pleasures in your days, too! 

***

On the shelves now! 

3.295427.512.9781335488183They need her help. She needs them…

An Amish bachelor. A motherless child.

Can she turn them into a real family?

Schoolteacher Patience Flaud longs for a family of her own—but knows it can never happen. At least she can help Amish bachelor Thomas Wiebe with his small Englisher daughter. As she settles the child into Amish life, Patience begins falling for the bewildered new father and his heartbroken little girl. But is love enough to make them a permanent family?

Harlequin

Barnes and Noble

 

My little balcony garden

21 Thursday May 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

amish romance, balcony gardening, harlequin author, Kensington author, love inspired, The Nanny's Amish Family

I planted my little balcony garden this year, and I love it already! We don’t have a lot of space, but I do like to watch things grow over the summer, and it’s soothing to stand out there on a summer morning, plucking dried blooms off the flowers, or watering the pots.

This year, I have a tomato plant, a strawberry plant, some geraniums and some peas. We’ll see how the peas go! I’ve tried them before on the balcony, and they weren’t successful, so maybe I’m crazy to try again, but I’d really love some fresh peas!

strawberries

 

garden 1

Plus, my little balcony garden is a great place to take pictures of my Amish books–don’t you think? 🙂

This book is on the shelves now! So I do hope you’ll pick up a copy!

nanny B

 

***

On the shelves now! 

3.295427.512.9781335488183They need her help. She needs them…

An Amish bachelor. A motherless child.

Can she turn them into a real family?

Schoolteacher Patience Flaud longs for a family of her own—but knows it can never happen. At least she can help Amish bachelor Thomas Wiebe with his small Englisher daughter. As she settles the child into Amish life, Patience begins falling for the bewildered new father and his heartbroken little girl. But is love enough to make them a permanent family?

Harlequin

Barnes and Noble

 

 

 

 

 

Still the one

17 Monday Feb 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

hands, harlequin author, Kensington author, Mr. Johns, relationships

After nearly fifteen years of marriage, Mr. Johns is still The One.

He’s the one I wait up for, the one I come home to, the one I still flirt with, and the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with. When our son was tiny, getting time together was harder, even getting on the same page in parenting. But the older our son gets, the more we get that time together back again. We laugh more, and we’re getting very good at the united front in parenting.  (The laughter might sound diabolical sometimes. Muahaha!) I think we bring out the best in each other, though. I’m a kinder, softer woman because of him. I love this guy. Heart and soul.

I snapped a picture in church. I liked it–it’s us. Just a moment from our week, side by side.

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Here is to many more of these times together, and may we never take it for granted.

***

Coming in April 2020!

Pre-order now!

Thursday's Bride MMFor a proper young Amish widow struggling to begin again, encountering her reckless first love will test her forgiveness, resolve—and heart . . .

Overwhelmed by grief and tending twin baby daughters, Rosmanda Lapp is without options. She still blames her brother-in-law, Levi, for her husband’s accidental death—but she and her aging in-laws need him to keep their farm going. Yet as Levi takes on his responsibilities with a new determination and steadiness, she can’t help but regret that she chose his serious-minded brother over him. For Levi is still very much the passionate man she loved—and Rosmanda now has even more reasons to keep him at arm’s length . . .

Levi can’t blame Rosmanda for staying clear of him. He has mistakes to make up for and must finally do right by his parents. Still, he never got over his brother stealing Rosmanda away. And he can’t  deny the feelings that even now tempt them back to each other. And when a mistake from her past threatens her reputation, Levi will do whatever it takes to help her—and trust that faith and courage will at last help them claim a future together . . .

 

 

 

A new African dress

13 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

African dress, harlequin author, Kensington author, Patricia Johns, posing, Thursday's Bride

My in-laws recently returned from a trip to Africa to see family (my husband’s side of the family is African), and while they were there, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (who was local) had a dress made for me. They took some pictures of me, showed them to a seamstress my sister-in-law knows, and she made a dress to suit.

Now this dress fits me perfectly, and I absolutely love it! (Thank you, Mom and Mimi!) I can’t imagine the skill it takes to look at a picture of a woman and then make a dress to fit her.

Anyway, I wanted to show you all a picture of this dress, and my husband took picture after picture of me in it, and I just couldn’t look right… I mean, I look in the mirror, and it’s beautiful! I get in front of a camera and I turn into a doofus.

This was the best picture I could get, just me standing there like a lug. Out of fifteen photos. Each more awkward than the last. (But the dress is really cute, right?)

dress

 

So I pointed out to my husband that I just don’t know how to pose! I don’t know what to do with my hands. I mean, my husband’s older sister knows how to pose for photos so that she looks amazing. It’s a skill! I can hide behind a book and have it turn out okay, but to have another person snap a picture of me? I end up looking like… well… this.  And I like my figure, I like my weight, my size, my features. I’m not complaining about the bricks and mortar here… but I just can’t seem to pose so that I use what the good Lord gave me to any kind of advantage.

I tried a couple of different poses in the mirror, and came up with two. One did not work at all, and this one was half-decent.

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I still look like a bit of a doofus, but it’s better. And I just love the dress! It’s comfortable, and flattering, and I’m going to wear it constantly once summer hits.

However, there are family members in Africa who have never met me in real life, and the only mental image they have of me is from awkward photos. You can only imagine what that talented seamstress had to work with, photo-wise! But I really do think I improve upon personal meeting.

And for everyone else who is related to me by marriage… Sorry! I try, okay? I do! Please just believe me that when you add personality to this tall glass of awkward, the overall impression improves. 😉

***

Coming in April 2020!

Pre-order now!

Thursday's Bride MMFor a proper young Amish widow struggling to begin again, encountering her reckless first love will test her forgiveness, resolve—and heart . . .

Overwhelmed by grief and tending twin baby daughters, Rosmanda Lapp is without options. She still blames her brother-in-law, Levi, for her husband’s accidental death—but she and her aging in-laws need him to keep their farm going. Yet as Levi takes on his responsibilities with a new determination and steadiness, she can’t help but regret that she chose his serious-minded brother over him. For Levi is still very much the passionate man she loved—and Rosmanda now has even more reasons to keep him at arm’s length . . .

Levi can’t blame Rosmanda for staying clear of him. He has mistakes to make up for and must finally do right by his parents. Still, he never got over his brother stealing Rosmanda away. And he can’t  deny the feelings that even now tempt them back to each other. And when a mistake from her past threatens her reputation, Levi will do whatever it takes to help her—and trust that faith and courage will at last help them claim a future together . . .

 

 

Another new cover!

10 Monday Feb 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

amish romance, cover reveal, Kensington author, Love Inspired romance

This will be my first Amish release through Harlequin, although those of you who read my books know it’s far from my first Harlequin book. 😉 However, this one is special to me, and I hope that you all love this story as much as I do.

This is book one in my Redemption’s Amish Legacies miniseries, which will hit the shelves in bookstores everywhere June 2020. What do you think of that cover? The little girl’s name is Rue, is she’s sure to steal your heart, too!

3.295427.512.9781335488183

 

They need her help. She needs them…

An Amish bachelor. A motherless child.

Can she turn them into a real family?

Schoolteacher Patience Flaud longs for a family of her own—but knows it can never happen. At least she can help Amish bachelor Thomas Wiebe with his small Englisher daughter. As she settles the child into Amish life, Patience begins falling for the bewildered new father and his heartbroken little girl. But is love enough to make them a permanent family?

 

Pre-Order Now!

Things that are cool to authors

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by Patricia Johns in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Amazon, cool author stuff, harlequin author, Kensington author, love inspired author, Signed by the author stickers

Look what I bought for myself! This is very exciting in my world. Now, when I send out signed copies in Facebook giveaways (they happen fairly frequently, if you’d like to join me over there!), I will be putting one of these seals on the signed copies. Never fear, they do come off again, if you don’t want your book cover so defiled. 😉

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It’s funny the things that I get excited about these days. But I saw another author who had posted something about these seals and I realized that I just had to have them. So I asked around about them, and ended up finding them on Amazon, because that really is my first and last stop for pretty much everything these days.

So to my author pals, if these strike your fancy… Amazon. 😉

I can’t wait to use them!

***

Coming in April 2020!

Pre-order now!

Thursday's Bride MMFor a proper young Amish widow struggling to begin again, encountering her reckless first love will test her forgiveness, resolve—and heart . . .

Overwhelmed by grief and tending twin baby daughters, Rosmanda Lapp is without options. She still blames her brother-in-law, Levi, for her husband’s accidental death—but she and her aging in-laws need him to keep their farm going. Yet as Levi takes on his responsibilities with a new determination and steadiness, she can’t help but regret that she chose his serious-minded brother over him. For Levi is still very much the passionate man she loved—and Rosmanda now has even more reasons to keep him at arm’s length . . .

Levi can’t blame Rosmanda for staying clear of him. He has mistakes to make up for and must finally do right by his parents. Still, he never got over his brother stealing Rosmanda away. And he can’t  deny the feelings that even now tempt them back to each other. And when a mistake from her past threatens her reputation, Levi will do whatever it takes to help her—and trust that faith and courage will at last help them claim a future together . . .

 

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