Book Tour Stop/Giveaway: A Proof of Love

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Interview with Merida Johns

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

I kind of like who I am . . . I've had the good fortune of having a strong and loving family, good friends, and great careers. But if hard-pressed to be someone else, that would have to be the most papered pet in the world.

What risks have you taken with your writing that have paid off?

The greatest risk was to launch a career in writing women's fiction. I have written several nonfiction books and textbooks, as well as academic and research articles. But nonfiction is a different ballgame. As a nonfiction author, I was used to telling readers the facts—in fiction, the author has to develop a story and characters and show the reader, not tell them, what's happening.

The big payoff is being able to use my creativity, curiosity, and bravery in a different, fun way while still helping people become their best selves through storytelling.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

That's a tough question. I can honestly say, there's nothing I dread about the writing process itself. Writing allows me to create something new and provides an outlet to exercise my curiosity and creativity.

However, if you're talking about the "ancillaries" around writing, like securing an agent, landing a publishing contract, and marketing, that's a different story (sorry for the pun). In my nonfiction writing, I published with traditional publishers. But when I began writing fiction, I decided to hire a publication team (editors and designers), and self-publish through my own press. I didn't want to spend my creative time pitching to agents, trying to secure publishing contracts, dealing with attorneys, and afterward waiting years for publication after a manuscript was completed. So, I guess you can say, whatever I dreaded about the "writing process," I eliminated so I could spend my time on what I love and enjoy the most—writing stories that inspire readers to reach for the stars themselves.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?

My guess is that most authors suffer from writer's block. In the research community, there's a diverse discussion about what writer's block is and its causes, including affective/physiological, motivational, and cognitive components.

That's pretty heavy "stuff", so I'll stick to my definition of writer's block as experiencing "a short slowdown in creativity" from time to time."

When I need to up my creative juices, I like to play with what ifs:

·         What if a character dies?

·         What if the character goes against community norms?

·         What if the character disappears?

·         What if the character has a secret?

·         What if . . .

Other techniques I use are as simple as "changing the subject" by doing something other than writing, usually taking a walk or knitting, and being present in the moment.

Tell us about your latest release.

A Proof of Love combines fiction with a memoir overlay. In 2024, narrator Katie Blake takes readers on a journey through the summer of 2009 with her nine-year-old self, living in Woodburg, a small Midwestern town, and shares the principles and influences that came with the personalities and people she wants to immortalize in writing.

In the Prologue, Katie writes about the inciting incident prompting her to write a memoir at twenty-four years old:

Shoulders slumped, she sips lemonade turned tart. "I should have kept a diary, she says. "Not to chronicle life's ups and downs, but to share stories about those I loved the most."

She gazes at that old maple tree and makes us a promise. "One day . . . I'll write about the special people in my life so you will know them, and they will never be forgotten."

But Gram went to heaven before her one day came, and her stories, told in her own words, are lost forever.

Fifteen years later, I've learned that one day's promise is not assured. Before it's lost . . . So, I'm seizing that one day to write about the special people in my life, so you will know them, and they will never be forgotten. This is A Proof of Love.

Though Katie's grandmother is "dead and gone forever" as she opens the story, the currents of Katie's life and their effect on family and community are shaped by the values in her grandmother's sayings, which live in THE Principles List Katie creates to direct her life.

But living up to THE Principles List and relying on its precepts to control her world turns out to be a "great disappointment." Katie learns that THE List can't resolve all life's contradictions, fix every problem, or help her at each "grim crossroad," especially when it comes to Ned Boomer, Woodburg's grumpiest man, and Rose LeMay, the town's enigmatic newcomer and a secret that binds the three together.

 

A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”

Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.

Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.

Read an Excerpt

Gram taught me to be independent, manage my anxieties, and have confidence in myself, showing me how to use my imagination to wiggle out of a jam or face the “grim crossroads” when confused or sad.

The first time I cried and lost it over a complicated computer problem, she said, “Be inventive, Katie! What can you do to calm down and think things through?”

We put our heads together to come up with ideas. Gram said she brewed herself a cup of tea when needing a break. Mom worked on crossword puzzles. Dad played solitaire. My one decadent delight was a FatBoy ice cream, and that’s how Gram and I hatched the plan of taking two ice cream sandwiches and hiding them under the frozen vegetables to create my private emergency stash.

“Close your eyes, breathe, take a bite, and replace the leftovers. No one will suspect anything. Our little secret. . .”

About the Author:

At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.

My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives. My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.

After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)

Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.

Substack: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Facebook: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/MeridaJohns
Website: https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com