Hangin' with Johanna Garth

Johanna Garth, how cool are you? Lawyer, author, mother, sexy woman with cleavage mojo and flattering sunlight – you mean to say you’re not a doctor, too? Or an inventor of cold fusion? What, were you slacking one day?

"Is cold fusion that thing where you ignore your kids and discover odd pieces of frozen fruit fused together with questionable chunks of chocolate in the freezer? If so, then I think a major scientific breakthrough has occurred at the Garth household. Actually, it might not be cold fusion but it’s definitely the answer to how I live my life and maintain some semblance of sanity. Sometimes we eat breakfast for dinner. Sometimes I shut the door to my office and when I open it two hours later I discover other people’s small children foraging in my kitchen snack drawer. And sometimes the blogosphere or the Twitter account gets ignored and we all play in the backyard. Whatever I’m doing I’m focusing on it as though it is the most important thing at that given moment and I let all the rest go."

I look at you, Mizz Garth, a regular visitor to this silly blog (again with the slacking? Johanna, you could be hanging out with Stephen Hawking, helping him solve math problems or crossword puzzles or something) and I am plump with admiration. I just finished reading Losing Beauty, a romance novel that dances with fantasy while keeping both feet firmly grounded in real life, and I most thoroughly enjoyed it. I took it with me on a camping weekend and it was the perfect read for curling up into the hammock, camp coffee in hand. A little spice, a lot of adventure, a spunky heroine and some hunky men. Really, what’s not to love? But I have to ask, how does a legal eagle decide to become an author?

"I love the term ‘legal eagle’ because it makes me think of Daryl Hannah who was my teenage girl crush ;) But seriously, it wasn’t something I ever thought about. However, in retrospect, it was something I could have easily predicted. I’ve always loved reading and writing but I was very focused on my law career. After my daughter was born I woke up one morning, sat down and started writing a (terrible, awful, very bad, will never, ever be published) book. Then another and another and then Losing Beauty. The idea came in bits and fragments and then took hold one night while I was brushing my teeth."

I'm about three-quarters through my novel and sometimes it feels like I'm never going to finish. What inspiration can you give me, and the rest of us wannabe authors, to get the job done, even on the toughest of days?

"Just keep writing. I spent an entire week writing a scene in Losing Beauty where Persey goes to the grocery store and picks out groceries. Dialogue was written, organic tomatoes were described. In the first edit I realized how ridiculous and boring it was and cut two chapters (yep, I wrote two chapters that talked about nothing but grocery shopping) but it was useful because it kept me moving towards completion."

Are you pleased with Losing Beauty's reception? Is it doing as well as you had hoped?

"There are days I’m thrilled with its success and days I’m despondent. The highs are very high and the lows are tummy on the ground low. It’s a good thing I like roller coaster rides." 

And what's next? A sequel? There seems to be lots of room for Haden to make another appearance...

"Yes. Losing Hope is going out to beta readers as I write this! I’m really excited about it. It’s a little bit sexier, some new characters and has a lot going on. One of my friends already refers to it as The Empire Strikes Back of the Persephone Campbell Series."

I just want to say, Johanna, that you've made an impression on me. Sure, I love your book but I also love your blog – your kind, candid words are always fresh and feel like a dip in a mountain spring. I admire that freshness – it's the reason I picked up your book in the first place. And thanks for dropping by my blog. Means a lot whenever a Real Published Author reads my dribble! Thanks for your comments and thanks, above all, for your inspiration.

From Goodreads:

Losing Beauty

by Johanna Garth (Goodreads Author)

 3.94  ·   rating details  ·  47 ratings  ·  11 reviews

Child abuse, cross-dressing, theft, adultery—people in Persey Campbell’s town have terrible secrets and she is the unfortunate repository for all of them. What she can’t figure out is why everyone is so desperate to tell her their worst secrets.

Daniel Hartnett is a lawyer who has it all. People think he’s lucky. What they don’t understand is Daniel has a crap-o-meter that lets him hear the meanings behind other people’s words. He used to think his crap-o-meter was a gift from God. It made him successful with his career and women. Except now he’d like to meet someone and settle down and he can’t turn his crap-o-meter off. As long as it’s on, there are no surprises, no rush of anticipation and no falling in love.

When Daniel meets Persey he discovers the first girl he’s ever met who is immune to his special talent. The only problem is someone else discovered Persey first and is hell-bent on claiming her as his own. Haden is the king of the Underworld with a plan to make Persey his immortal queen. What Haden doesn’t plan on is Persey’s unique ability to compel secrets and how far the people who love Persey will go to protect her from the inner darkness that threatens to destroy her soul.

About the Author: Johanna Garth is a writer of urban fantasy and mythic fiction for adults who resides with her husband and two children in Portland, Oregon.