Teen Author Boot Camp Interview 2015: J.R. Johansson

Last updated on: April 2, 2015 at 7:09 am by Jonathan Ryan

Teen Author Boot Camp Interview 2015: J.R. Johansson 2015-04-02T07:09:07-05:00 Jonathan Ryan

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

(Next up on the TABC 2015 front, author J.R. Johansson. She’s got some amazing things to say about her struggles as a mom and a writer. Her new book, Cut me Free, is in book outlets everywhere )

What was the one event in your life that got you writing?

I don’t know if it was any one event, but I had just gone through a divorce, was a single mom for the first time ever, and my 5-year-old son had just been diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes. With all of those things in my head at once, I escaped into writing. It was never something I thought I would want to do, but I had a story in my head that provided an avenue to get away for an hour or two at a time. When I finished it,that was when I finally thought…”hey, maybe I should consider writing.”

Are there themes that you are drawn towards in your books?

Absolutely. I’m very drawn to the theme of the battle within. People are so many shades of gray and I don’t do well with black and white. People are complex, characters should be also. I love exploring the conflict with the outside, but every book I’ve ever written has also had an element of psychology from my minor thrown in. Give me gritty roads to self-discovery, I’m all about that.

How does your worldview play into your writing?

Hmm…interesting question. I haven’t really thought about that much. I think it’s important to question everything. Accepting the status quo kind of puts the world on a path that I’m not happy about. I think people should get involved more and to me, that shows in my writing with dynamic characters who try to take action for change.

What advice will you have for the teen writers at TABC?

My advice for teen writers is to try everything. They will obviously be at TABC because they love writing. That already puts them about 10 huge steps ahead of where I was at that age. I didn’t know I liked writing until I tried it, until then, I assumed I didn’t. Don’t be like me. Assume you might. Give yourself the chance and try it out. I also didn’t think I would enjoy writing thrillers or horror, but by then I’d learned my lesson about giving it a try. And now I understand myself and my strengths better because of it.

Tell us about your latest project. Where can people get it?

My latest project is a young adult contemporary thriller titled CUT ME FREE. It’s both a survivor story and a terrible look into the worlds of child abuse and child trafficking. It’s intense with deep characters and complex relationships. More importantly though, underneath it all, I think it’s a story of hope and the strength we can find in the human spirit. It’s available at Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and pretty much anywhere else that books are sold.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

April 1, 2015

Teen Author Boot Camp Interview 2015: Co-Founder and Author Lois Brown

Next Post

April 6, 2015 Teen Author Boot Camp 2015 Interview: Matthew Kirby

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Alien Life ASMR Book Reviews Careers in Writing and Filmmaking Catholic Imagination Christmas miracles DC Trinity War Articles Ebola Faith Family Entertainment Fangirl Raves Filmmaking Geek Books Geek Comics Geek Culture Geek Entertainment Geek Gaming Geek Girl Geek Goes Catholic Geek Goes Catholic Geek Literature Geek Movies Geek Music Geek Sports Geek Tech Geek TV Ghost Bear Ramblings God's Not Dead Coverage Grace Unplugged Coverage Ham on Nye Coverage (Yeah, we went there) HWA Stuff Indie Artists Interviews Jonathan Ryan Book News Kardashians Lord of the Rings Mark Driscoll Movie Reviews Parenthood Pixie Perfect Salt Lake City Comic Con 2014 Social Issues Teen Author Boot Camp The Conjuring Coverage The Michigan Dog Man Adventures Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the name "Daniel" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Chosen one The Lord is my shepherd God is my judge God is my strength