Rogue's Angels Present: Blackhorse Road by Merida Johns

Please welcome Merida Johns author of Blackhorse Road

Merida Johns will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Blackhorse Road

by Merida Johns

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GENRE: Women’s fiction romance

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

Since I was ten years old, I had wanted to write fiction, but my professional career steered me in another direction. 

My opportunity to follow the dream I had had as a child came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life and leadership coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling instead of another self-help book?” I asked them. After that phone call, I got started answering that question. Almost three years later, the result is my debut novel Blackhorse Road.

2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?

Blackhorse Road is a work of women’s fiction—a story of a woman protagonist’s journey toward a fulfilled self. Because of its genre, the story is a tale of how an ordinary woman, tackles challenges, faces deception and betrayal, and struggles with self-doubt but through an unexpected source finds a way to come full circle to restore her well-being and hope and, in the end, faith in herself.

Substories about women other than the protagonist are intertwined throughout the book. Some of these chronicle women’s emotional growth and grit in challenging cultural and religious norms to follow their North Star, while others show that achieving self-awareness and a flourishing life is not always obtainable or straightforward.    

3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?

Because of my background in women’s leadership development, there was no question that I wanted Blackhorse Road to be a story of a woman’s maturation overtime. Blackhorse Road begins in 1966 when Luci, the protagonist, is eighteen years old and ends twenty years later in 1986. That period provides many opportunities for emotional growth as the protagonist hits brick walls, experiences love and loss, and makes some hard choices to save herself.  

When I tell someone that I have written a novel, I am asked the predictable question, “What’s up with the story? Is this an account of real events. Maybe your life?” “Well, no, but then again, yes,” I stammer.  

When I started writing fiction, I took two pieces of advice before pounding the keyboard—write about what you know and know what you write.  Blackhorse Road blossoms from my imagination that is influenced by my experience, perspectives, and observations that give the story authenticity and sensitivity, helping readers connect with the characters and feel their joy, disappointment, sorrow, and happiness.  

But Blackhorse Roadis enriched by the backstories that set the context for the characters and events in the story—historical incidents, politics, economics, philosophy, religion, and psychology that influence the values of the characters and ultimately the consequences of their actions.  I uncover these backstories from usual fact-checking and readily available historical references.  But the sources I like best to enhance the pallet of my novel are diaries and old letters. 

So, Blackhorse Road draws upon letters, diaries, and other first-hand accounts and blends these with my experience, observations, and imagination to show how ordinary people tackle challenges, live through sorrow and betrayal, and struggle with doubt as they search for self-awareness and meaningful life.

4. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

In my career before fiction writing, I had written several college textbooks and lots of what fiction writers might term boring articles about health information systems.  

When it came to fiction writing, I was familiar with the publication process and the roles of the production team, such as developmental editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, and how a book moves from a concept to a  finished product.

But, writing fiction is a different ballgame than writing nonfiction—it’s like taking the rules from basketball and trying to apply them to football—and that’s what’s called the devil in the details!  I had to learn an entirely new way of writing for Blackhorse Road. Instead of presenting and describing facts and concepts, I had to learn how to show, not tell, readers about emotions. I had to learn how to connect readers to the characters and use language in a different way so that readers could become one with the story.  In short, I had to learn how to entertain, not educate and inform.

Fortunately, two of my strengths are curiosity and creativity, and I’m happiest when using my right as opposed to my left brain.  So, you could say that I’m a story of a woman who has come full-circle herself and achieved the dream of a ten-year-old girl who wanted to write fiction.       

6. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I am working on a women’s fiction novel tentatively titled Suzanna that begins in Columbus, Ohio, in the mid-1980s.  Suzanna has her whole life in front of her like an open freeway or so she believes . . . The story is packed with challenges and hard decisions, as Suzanna strives to untangle herself from a co-dependent relationship and follow her North Star.  The ending, like Blackhorse Road, has a surprising twist—this one, though, might raise the reader’s curiosity just enough to wonder if coincidences that edge on the paranormal might be real.  Stay tuned!

7. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

As I wrote the story, I formed a relationship with all the characters in Blackhorse Road. I was amazed at how the characters surprised me as they evolved from my computer keyboard. I found myself challenging them with questions. Luci, you did what?  What were you thinking, Chris? Berry, that was heavy!  Sean, you were brilliant!  Marie, how could you go so low?  I also fell in love with characters I would never have anticipated, and I was unpredictably torn between love interests—pure satisfaction that made me smile as the words tumbled across the computer screen!

If I were to pick one character who fascinated me the most, it is Marie, the protagonist’s mother, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be her.  But if I were to pick one character that I would like to be, it would be Luci, the protagonist.  Her emotional maturation, as one critic called it, is “flippin’ gorgeous.” Luci’s words provide a hint for why I might choose to join her on the steppingstones of her life:

“This is the beginning of my story about love and betrayal and a journey toward empathy, compassion, and forgiveness. It is also a story of choice—my choice to be inspired by the resilience of a great-grandmother, the values of a father, and the wisdom of a spouse. But in the end, it is a story of how . . . I was reminded to open my heart to love and kindness.”

12. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I compile what I call a mini-story.  This includes a few paragraphs on the theme of the story that sketches out the plot, conflict, and resolution. Then I elaborate in the next section on the powerful influences/influencers in the story, followed by descriptions of the strong challengers, major conflict, and resolution.  Afterward, I develop a short synopsis, as far as I can go, of each chapter. To be sure, though, nothing is set in stone.  My characters and events evolve, and each day as I write about these, the characters take me off guard by their actions and thoughts, and I am surprised by unexpected events that surface without notice!

For tracking characters and events, I develop a timeline and a list of characters and their relationship(s) with each other. Both of these will have additions and are edited throughout the development of the novel. 

I maintain a style sheet while I’m working on my novels.  Style sheets are usually used by copyeditors, but I have found this tool essential in keeping track of style and usage for my own purposes. For example, I will list words that I always hyphenate or capitalize, notate how I treat inner thoughts by using italics, not quotations, and so on.  The style sheet also lists all references I have used for fact-checking and fact-finding.  When I hand the manuscript to the copyeditor, the style sheet functions as a communication tool between the two of us, making life so much easier for both.

13. How do you maintain your creativity?

A creative brain needs “space” to imagine, wander and wonder, and invent. I keep up my creativity by taking mindful minutes and mindful walks. Mindfulness means staying in the present, being open and curious to new things, refraining from snap judgments, and showing yourself some self-compassion.  The mindful minute is a sixty-second break, where I sit comfortably in my office, close my eyes, and listen to the sounds around me.  When distracting thoughts come into my mind, I acknowledge those and gently push them away and return to listening.  That sixty seconds is like a spa bath for the brain.  The mindful walk is similar to the mindful minute but lasts about ten minutes.  During the walk, the purpose is to be in the present, observing, listening, and enjoying the moment, and be open to whatever the experience has to offer! No mind clutter! 

14. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

All my characters are my favorites, but I’ll elaborate on Chris, one of the love interests of the protagonist.  Chris’s extraordinary character is shown through the following quotes.

Chris—Chapter 21: “You cannot contract out responsibility for exercising your conscience to religion, government, or other authority. To mindlessly follow authority thwarts one’s autonomy. After all is said and done, you are accountable for your choices. Those who believe that following the rules will excuse them from moral responsibility are living in fantasy land.”

16. Anything else you might want to add?

I would like to share a couple of “ah-ha” moments I have had since Blackhorse Road launched. 

Blackhorse Road as a work of women’s fiction—a story of a woman protagonist’s journey toward a fulfilled self. Because of its genre, I believed that the story would appeal primarily to women age thirty and older. But since launching the book, I have had a couple of “Ah-ha” moments that have changed my perspective.  

The first came during a virtual launch party for Blackhorse Road, an audience member asked the beta readers if the book would be appropriate for younger readers. What prompted that question was the beta readers’ observation about how the lines of communication between Luci (the protagonist) and her father play a critical role in the formation of Luci’s values and belief system, and her grit to achieve autonomy.  In response to the question, one of the beta readers said that she had given the book to her seventeen-year-old granddaughter so that the two of them could read it together, and another beta reader shared that she was reading the book with her fourteen-year-old daughter.  The consensus among the beta readers was that the book was appropriate for teens fifteen and older.

The second ah-ha moment came from a text I received from a middle-aged man who had just finished reading Blackhorse Road.  “Just finished Blackhorse Road.  WOW!  Very powerful.  Made me cry! Great job.  Let me know when you have a book signing event in my area.”

BLURB:

Under another hand, Blackhorse Road could all too easily have been a singular romance. Johns provides more as she follows Luci down the rabbit hole and out the other side of life experience, bringing readers into a world where . . . transgression changes everything and challenges carefully-constructed foundations of belief and values. As Luci lets go of her lifesavers and navigates obstacles to happiness, her story becomes a vivid portrait of hope and self-examination which ultimately moves into unexpected territory. Novel readers seeking a tale that closely considers deception and forgiveness, love gained and lost, and family ties will welcome the multifaceted Blackhorse Road's ability to come full circle in a satisfyingly unexpected way. - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

It’s the turbulent mid-1960s, and Luci, an eighteen-year-old Southern California girl, is on the quest for self-determination and new beginnings. Three powerful forces influence her values: the grit of her Irish great-grandmother, Lucinda McCormick; the philosophy of choice of her father, Sam; and the 1960s ideals of equity and altruism. But potent foes thwart Luci at every turn. Her budding romance with a handsome United States Air Force Academy cadet sets the stage for conflict and deception that last for two decades. When Luci discovers how her autonomy and her love affair were hijacked, she struggles with anger and bitterness. But from a surprising source, she finds a forgiveness path that restores her well-being and hope and, in the end, faith in herself.

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EXCERPT:

The cranky engine revved as the driver shifted gears, and the military bus crawled forward exiting the air force base. Along a narrow and dark roadway, the vehicle increased its speed and left the MPs at the gate standing immobile and mute in the glow of the rising moon. Drifting through the open windows, the Southern California desert air blew like pixie dust across the faces of the thirty young women headed home from the street dance. A few hours ago, they were preening and adjusting their bouffant hairdos, reapplying creamy pink lipstick, and placing the last twirls of mascara on their eyelashes to prepare for a street dance with cadets from the elite Air Force Academy. Then, the atmosphere buzzed with gossip, chatter, laughter, and anticipation. Now, the glimmering night sky created the perfect backdrop that lulled each into a contented silence to fantasize about the handsome men they had met.

“This is the beginning of my story about love and betrayal and a journey toward empathy, compassion, and forgiveness. It is also a story of choice—my choice to be inspired by the resilience of a great-grandmother, the values of a father, and the wisdom of a spouse. But in the end, it is a story of how a letter of gratitude . . . reminded me to open my heart to love and kindness.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Short Bio:

Merida Johns takes her experience as an educator, consultant, and businesswoman and writes about the human experience. In 2018 Merida took an unlikely off-ramp from writing textbooks and motivational books to authoring women’s fiction. Her stories are learning lessons where awareness and curiosity transport readers to the most unexpected places within themselves. Merida hails from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, grew up in Southern California and has lived from coast-to-coast in the United States.  Besides writing, she enjoys fabric arts, including weaving and knitting. She makes her home in the serene Midwest countryside that gives her the inspiration and space for storytelling.

Long Bio:

For three decades, I was a university professor who taught classes and wrote textbooks on “nerdy” subjects centering on computer systems in healthcare. 

But a decade ago, informed by my experience in a male-dominated area, I started my practice as a leadership coach to help women break the glass ceiling and fulfill their leadership and economic potential. Consequently, during the past ten years, I transitioned from writing textbooks to motivational books on creating environments where people flourish through better leadership.

 About a year ago, I was on a conference call discussing concepts of what makes a fulfilling life with fellow life coaches.  Bang! Like a thunderclap, I had an insight. What would it be like to help people understand the concepts of a flourishing life in a story instead of through a motivational book or text? After all, I thought, storytelling has been the most compelling form of communication for thousands of years. As far as I could recall, none of the great prophets fed up learning objectives and multiple-choice questions to their followers.  No!  They got their message across through stories.

 Motivational books and textbooks give frameworks, theories, and ideas, but they don’t immerse us in the human experience. They don’t show us how others face challenges, embrace their passions, overcome sorrow, celebrate achievement, quash self-doubts, develop positive emotions and relationships, handle betrayal, or act on aspirations. 

 Storytelling ignites our imagination and emotion.  We experience being part of the story rather than being served up a platter of facts, exercises, and information. 

This eye-opener was enough for me to take on the challenge of novel writing.  My passion is to help people catapult beyond concepts and theories and jump into the wonderment of imagination in designing a flourishing life for themselves. Storytelling does this best.

Happily, as a fiction writer, I have jettisoned learning objectives and test questions.  Ah…the freedom makes me feel as light as a balloon on a summer breeze.

Website:  www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeridaJohnsAuthor/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/meridajohns

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Merida-L.-Johns/e/B001IU2KBS

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/shop/MeridaJohns

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Merida Johns will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3444