I'm so pleased to introduce you to my friend, Johnnie Alexander and give you an opportunity to win a copy of her latest release, When Memory Whispers. Johnnie describes herself as an author, daydreamer, and quiet adventurer. I describe her as a generous, talented author who delivers delightful adventures through her historical and contemporary novels. I'm crazy about WWII novels, and hers are delightful!
Johnnie is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of more than thirty works of fiction. She is both traditionally and indie-published, serves as board secretary for the Mosaic Collection, LLC (an indie author group) and faculty chair for the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference; co-hosts Writers Chat, a weekly online show; and contributes to the HHHistory.com blog. With a heart for making memories, Johnnie is a fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips. Connect with her at JohnnieAlexander.com.
She agreed to visit my blog today and has answered some fun questions so that you can get to know her as well.
1. Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?
When my debut novel, Where Treasure Hides, (came out about a decade ago), a writing friend who lived in South Africa said she was praying for red lights so she could read the story while driving. That’s how much she “didn’t want to put the book down.” We laughed about it, but of course, I also begged her to be careful!
2. What makes you feel alive?
Being outside on a not-too-hot, not-too-cold day, lifting my face to the sun, and feeling soft breezes on my face. I close my eyes and spread out my arms, secure in the knowledge that God is on His throne and He loves me.
3. What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I’m not sure how quirky it is, but my sister and I once spent a week in Europe traveling from one city to the next via the train without a set itinerary. We had a fabulous time ~ walking around a Roman coliseum in Nimes, eating lasagna at a sidewalk table in Milan, viewing the artwork at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, buying chocolate in Geneva, and taking a sleeper train through the Alps. We spent the following week in Lisbon where, after surviving the most harrowing taxi ride ever, we spent a week walking, reading, and eating. Such a memorable trip!
4. How do you choose your characters’ names?
Sometimes the names just come to me ~ as if the characters are naming themselves. Other times I do a bit of research.
The Social Security website has a database that lists the most popular names for each decade going back to the 1880s (https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). It’s a great resource for historical names though I also do internet searches. For example, I might search for “most popular Scottish names” or “most common surnames.”
I’ve also given characters the names of my children, grandchildren, and close friends.
5. What would you like to tell us about the featured book?
When Memory Whispers is a heart-tugging story about an elderly woman sharing her World War II experiences with her granddaughter—who doesn’t know about their relationship.
As a young woman dreaming of fame and fortune, American Marie Wyatt is recruited to work for Britain’s secretive Twenty Committee, first as an Allied courier and then as a femme fatale agent. When the mysterious German who once saved her life is imprisoned in a Florida POW camp where his own life is threatened, Marie is confronted with a heartrending decision.
The story explores such questions as who is a patriot and who is a traitor and spiritual themes such as the one expressed in this Oswald Chambers quote: “If through a broken heart, God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.”
6. How can readers find your book on the Internet?
Both the print and ebook editions of When Memory Whispers are available on Amazon at https://bit.ly/WMW-AmK. The novel is also available through Kindle Unlimited.
Want to enter the drawing for a copy of When Memory Whispers (print copy, US only or eBook)? Comment about a quirky thing you've done, and we'll draw the winner at the end of the week. *If you post a comment as a guest, please leave identifying info in the post. If you win, I'll need a way to contact you.
Pam!!!! I also hope we meet in person some day. Surely it will happen!!!! Thanks for popping in and for sharing the link!!!! ~Johnnie
The quirkiest thing I have ever done was to try the little known sport of grass skiing. It was much harder than snow skiing and the falls were not as soft as falling in snow. It may have died a natural death as a sport though necause I never hear of anyone else trying it. Libby H.
I live in Quirk. My son and I speak in Olde English to one another in person and in texts. I recently went out on a limb and had my hair dyed more of an autumn red with deep red tones than the usual dark brown. It’s quite quirky. I like to play Ora is and jokes on friends and family.
For non-quirk- I love WW2 history and historical fiction.
Darcie in Wild and Windy Wyoming. Living in a perpetual cat 1 hurricane wind is quirky!
The answers to those questions make me want to read Johnnie's books. What am interesting life! The plot sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out. Last quirky thing I did was eat cookie dough at midnight. Not a great choice, but quirky.
Ive written an illustrated children’s book about the beach titled Beach Song- that’s a bit quirky. More quirky: I won my family’s fantasy football league last season- no one expected ME to win 😉 (turns out I really enjoy fantasy footfall)! Who knew? 😂 Johnnie’s book sounds super!