Good morning everyone. Today I'd like to welcome author Johanna Garth, who is stopping by for an interview. I recently read & reviewed her debut novel, Losing Beauty. Johanna is kindly taking time out of her busy schedule to stop by and answer my nosey questions :)
Bookworm: Welcome to my blog Johanna, and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Johanna:
Hi Naida, Thank you so much for inviting me to be a guest author here at The Bookworm.
I‘m not one of those people who always knew they wanted to be a writer. Instead I always wanted to be a lawyer. It wasn’t until my oldest was born that I realized my love of reading and telling stories could translate into something else. Ever since then I’ve been stealing away to scribble, or type, down my thoughts. When I’m not writing I am the mother to two, chef de cuisine, carpooler, errand runner, rule enforcer and general boo-boo kisser.
Bookworm: What was the hardest thing about writing Losing Beauty? How long did it take you to complete?
Johanna:
The hardest thing about all my writing projects is finding quiet time. The only time my household is quiet is when the kids are at school. Everyone knows not to call me between the hours of 9:00-3:00. Losing Beauty is the third book I’ve written and, oddly enough, it was the easiest to write. The first draft of it took about five months and then I revised and edited for another six months. Maybe I’m getting quicker or maybe it was just because my youngest started kindergarten and I’ve had more time.
Bookworm: What kind of research did you do?
Johanna:
The research for every book is different depending on the subject matter. Losing Beauty is loosely based on the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. Even though I didn’t feel compelled to stick strictly to the boundaries of the myth, I still needed to understand it. I read several books on Greek mythology and ancient Greek history and relied on the internet to fill in any holes. The ancient myths are rife with betrayals, jealousies and interfamily strife. I wanted Losing Beauty to reflect those themes in a modern setting and in a way that would feel current to the reader.
Bookworm: If Losing Beauty were to be made into a film who would you like to see playing the roles of Persey, Aaron, Daniel and Haden?
Johanna:
One of my closest friends is a movie buff and also happens to be an early reader of Losing Beauty. She has been lobbying for the following choices and I have to say I agree.
Persey: Amanda Seyfried
Aaron: Chord Overstreet from Glee
Daniel: Gabriel Macht
Haden: Hugh Jackman
Bookworm: Are you working on any other books at the moment?
Johanna:
Yes , yes, yes! I’m working on the second book in the Persephone Campbell series. It’s called Losing Hope. It’s a funny title for a work in progress because, as a writer, the one thing you want to avoid is losing hope.
Bookworm: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Johanna:
I write because I love it. My greatest measure of success is, not how many books I’ve sold, but whether the people reading my book have been able to step outside of their own lives and become lost in another world for a little while. I think that’s the mark of a wonderful book and something everyone should experience.
Bookworm: Who are your favorite authors and what is it that really strikes you about their work? What is your favorite genre?
Johanna:
That’s such a hard question to answer because I’ve always been a voracious reader. A few of my favorites, and I’m kind of picking at random here, are Judy Blume, Colette, Stephen King, Edith Wharton and Audrey Niffenegger. The thing these authors share is an amazing gift of telling story through dialogue and creating characters that feel real and present. As for genre, I’m a fiction omnivore. Occasionally I’ll read nonfiction but I do it exactly the way my kids their veggies, only because we know it’s good for us.
Bookworm: Last but not least, if you were stranded on a deserted island, and were allowed to bring 3 items with you, what would they be?
Johanna:
Can I just be a little silly here? Nobody wants to hear I would bring food, water and a first-aid kit, so barring those oh-so-boring-and-yet-extremely-practical items, I think I would bring the following:
1. A yoga mat so I could exercise and take a nap without being covered in sand. Also, in a pinch, I could roll it up and use it as a pillow.
2. An IPAD (because what deserted island isn’t fully equipped with wireless). I could read, write, look at pictures of my family and send out the occasional tweet and blog post.
3. The third item was a no-brainer. My friend Georgie’s pumpkin bars. They’re so amazing I’m certain they could sustain me for days. And healthy too, kind of, despite the cream cheese frosting, pumpkin’s a vegetable right?
Bookworm:
Thank you again Johanna. I truly enjoyed your book and am happy to hear you are writing the sequel. I like your casting choices, and I can easily imagine Hugh Jackman playing Haden!
I also like your three items of choice for the deserted island.
Best of luck with everything!
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.
This is her debut novel.
About the book:
Losing Beauty
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.
