Authenticity is essential to Romance author, Paula Judith Johnson, especially in the historical romance genre.
I’m an avid history buff! My late husband, Wayne, and I were involved with many mountain man-era black powder clubs for over 20 years. I’ve carried that excitement and passion with me ever since and often use those experiences when writing about the early 1800s.”
Likewise, she brought her experience of owning and operating an investment and insurance advisory firm, to her contemporary writing. What she doesn’t know first-hand, she researches online and through personal contacts.
Paula Judith Johnson is the author of esteemed romance novels, such as her historical Sweetbriar, A Love Triangle Romance, which is a 2020 Book Excellence Award Finalist. Her two contemporary romances are, Starting Over, A Second Chance Romance, Book 1, and Second Time Around, A Second Chance Romance, Book 2.
Her fourth novel, Brewer’s Betrothal: A Love Triangle Romance, is the first in a trilogy that returns her readers to the era of 1812 America. This novel pulls in a few characters from Sweetbriar for cameo appearances.
Since her earliest childhood, Paula Judith has been passionate about writing. Even before knowing how to form letters of the alphabet, she remembers scribbling make-believe words.
“My first novel, actually a long, short story, was written during 8th grade as an English project. During the summer that followed, ablaze with the concept of writing fiction, I convinced the sister of my heart to join me in writing a medieval-type tale of war between The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five. The Beatles prevailed, of course, since we were both avid fans. Although both early works were lost to posterity, they still conjure chuckles of fond remembrance.”
It was also during 8th grade that Paula Judith wrote Beauty, which you will find in The Thought of You. It is a poem expressing the yearning of a young heart. “I was crushed to earn a poor grade on the poem, so I hid it away, showing it to no one except the sister of my heart.”
During high school drama class, Paula Judith discovered the use of emotions could give life to her characters on stage. What she learned was easily transferable to writing.
At the age of 20, Paula Judith Johnson moved to the north Oregon coast, where she met and soon married Wayne Brown. During their first months together, she often wrote love notes to her husband. Soon he was writing love notes back. They were married for 45 years. “The Thought of You is a condensed compilation of those early notes and poems to each other and about other people we love.”
Life intervened, and writing took a back seat. For 18 years, Paula Judith worked in the banking industry and then transitioned her career into investment advisory services. Home, garden, and hobbies consumed most of her creative efforts. Time flew by.
“That realization smacked me in the face when my oldest brother Steven W. Johnson’s book, Not Much of a Crime, was published in 2006. I had not written creatively in over 30 years! “It was challenging to find time to write due to my husband’s precarious health and working to grow a business. But I asked myself, ‘If not now—when?’ The answer was simple—now, or never.
“I considered my energy cycle and decided the best time to write was early in the morning. Surprisingly, with passion and desire firing me, it was easy to reset my internal alarm clock. Getting out of bed at 5:00 a.m. gave me two hours to write before “real life” called me away.”
Paula Judith found that on some mornings, the words flowed effortlessly. Those mornings are rare jewels she cherishes. Other mornings, she scrapes along a barren, rock-strewn path picking up little pebbles, one-by-one. Either way, she loves the process of walking alongside her characters, crying with them over their losses, and rejoicing with them in their triumphs. “After all,” she says, “they are my friends. I hope they become your friends, too.”
Fun Facts About Paula Judith Johnson: While involved in mountain man-era black powder clubs, Paula Judith regularly participated in shooting reproduction muzzle-loading rifles, pistols, and shotguns. She also enjoyed activities that included throwing Bowie knives, tomahawks, and spears.
Paula Judith boasts many competition prizes and is especially proud of placing 1st in woman’s rifle and 1st Overall (rifle, pistol, knife & tomahawk) at the last Fort Clatsop Muzzleloaders rendezvous.
