Saying Good-Bye to the Old and Saying Hello To the New by Jo Ann Brown

Life is a woven tapestry of having to say good-bye to one aspect of it and saying hello to another. I always thought that a graduation ceremony,

instead of being called “commencement,” should be more of “Hail and Farewell” as we had in the military when a high-ranking officer cycles out and another takes her or his place. A celebration of both the leaving and the arrival. Throughout our lives, we have periods of time when we are settled and times when we’re packing up and moving on.
Sometimes, this is literal. We find we have to move from our home to another place. It might be a job change or retirement or even going to college or simply buying that RV and seeing the world. Right now, we’re helping my father with that good-bye. He’s getting ready to sell the house, the only one my parents ever owned, that he’s lived in since the early 1970's. It was part of our family even before they bought it, because my mother’s parents rented the downstairs apartment before it was converted to a single family. Nearly fifty years later, he’s realized that taking care of that big house is more than he wants to deal with,

so my sisters and I are helping him sort through years of possessions and deciding what he wants to keep, what he wants to sell and what he wants to give away. For all of us, it’s a farewell moment, a reopening of the past as we look at photos and through items we’d once been familiar with but had forgotten or simply put out of our minds. His “hello” moment will be when he moves into his new apartment at my sister’s house and no longer has the responsibility for a big house...though he still intends to keep busy by doing things like mowing the grass and puttering in the garden.
Life is made up of these moments of change. Change caused by outside circumstances, change caused by others, change caused by ourselves. After all, isn’t that what our romance stories are about...how someone is changed by someone who comes into their life at a pivotal moment? It’s always so comforting to me, as a reader, to see how the hero and heroine (and their families and friends) step up to confront change and make it work in a positive direction for them.
Though there’s always that moment when a reader is hoping that everything doesn’t crash down in disaster!
Right now, I’m facing a few endings and beginnings of my own. In life and in my writing.

My upcoming book The Amish Widower’s Twins will be final book in my Amish Spinster Club series. Releasing in mid-June in print, it’s a book that I felt really sorry to finish because I have enjoyed writing about a new Amish community set near my home town. On the other hand, I’m now working a new Amish series, Green Mountain Blessings, that will begin in December 2019. I’m getting to meet a whole new collection of characters and work with them as they go through their own endings and new beginnings. Just like when we read a book by a favorite author, it’s sad to have one series come to an end, but, oh, how delicious it is to begin something brand new! Who knows what waits us in the days to come?

Patricia Johns: Place Holder Boyfriends

When I was seventeen, I met a guy I could have married.

He was a really nice guy, very sweet and down-to-earth. We’ll call him Bob. He was blond haired and blue eyed, with this quirky little smile and with manners that made me feel special. He was a country boy, and about as sweet and honorable as they come. I was working at McDonald’s at the time, and he worked there, too. We started talking, and I could tell that he liked me–as in really liked me–but I had a long distance boyfriend.

Now, the long-distance boyfriend (let’s call him Ted) was another very nice guy. But there wasn’t a huge amount of chemistry there, and while we both really respected each other, it wasn’t going anywhere fast. Plus, there was about 4 hours of driving between us, so…

Anyway, one evening after work, Bob drove me home. He just sort of... hung around and ended up staying for supper. He got along with my family really, really well. My dad had never really taken a shine to Long Distance Boyfriend Ted, but Bob just sort of… fit in. He liked Star Trek like we did, and he loved my dad’s cooking. Bob was kind and decent, and I could tell he really wanted something with me. We just clicked.

So, the next day at work, I had to tell Bob about Ted. It was the right thing to do, and I wasn't the two-timing sort.  Bob, being the very decent guy that he was, bowed out. Like completely–no more chit chat, no more rides. He simply went away so efficiently, that I have no idea where he went or what became of him. But I often thought that if I hadn’t been dating Long Distance Ted at the time, Bob was the sort of guy who would have stuck. I could have dated him for a couple of years, and ended up marrying him.

Which would have been tragic, because then I wouldn’t have been able to marry Mr. Johns nearly ten years later, and in my mind there is a very big difference between a person you could marry and a soulmate. My husband, if you hadn’t guessed, falls into the latter category. He was a man I’d forever regret not marrying.

So, since we’re all thinking thankful thoughts this month, today, I’m thankful for Ted–the place-holder-long-distance boyfriend who kept me from getting involved with Bob. It’s funny how things turn out, but I truly believe that God’s hand was there, keeping me available for the man He’d chosen for me… for the man who was already praying for me in the heart of Africa.

Long Distance Ted went on to get married and have two children. I’m sure he’s equally grateful not to have married me. (Delightful as I am. ;) ) I don’t know what became of Bob, but he was an honest, good guy, and I like to think that he found his soulmate, too–someone worthy of him. He deserved that.

As for Mr. Johns, he immigrated to Canada and we met 9 years after the Bob/Ted situation. It took exactly two weeks for him to propose and a heartbeat for me to accept. We both just knew.

***

This month, my Western Romance has hit the shelves! This is a sweet romance written by a Christian author. That means you can trust the books I write, no matter which line they are published in. I hope you enjoy this story!

 

 

COULD HE BE HER HERO? 
Hope, Montana, is no longer home to Andy Granger, who sold his piece of the family ranch to developers. He's only back to run a cattle drive in his brother's stead. But the community can't forgive him for selling out. And Dakota Mason, the beautiful cowgirl he hired, has every reason to hate him… 
Ranching is in Dakota's blood. And now the developers have cut off water her neighboring ranch desperately needs. She's only on the ride for a paycheck—not to turn her back on her community. And definitely not to fall for some overly protective urban cowboy. But Andy may surprise everyone…including himself.

Harlequin         Amazon           Patricia Johns Website

Patricia Johns: Here Comes the Bride

When I got married eleven years ago, my mom forgot the music for the wedding march. Now, it was a teeny tiny wedding, and I had done very little of the actual planning, but I still remember the look on my mother's face when she gasped, "There's no music!"

The guests quickly came to a solution: everyone hummed the wedding march for me, and Mr. Johns and I said our vows.

Looking back on that day, the forgotten music is my favorite memory. Everything else went off without a hitch. Flowers, pictures, cake cutting... But the mistake became the sweetest memory because of the loving people who hummed for me.

Life never ends up the way we imagine it. We might vow "in sickness and in health," but our mental image doesn't really include sickness. Or poverty. Or worse. We imagine that life will go smoothly, our finances will grow and we'll grow old together. Positive thinking, right?

I've only been married for eleven years, so I don't have the wisdom of some other women who have been at this for much longer, but I have learned something... The hard times are a challenge, but when we look back on how we got through, they can be the sweetest memories.

Like when Mr. Johns and I drove across the country to relocate to a brand new city with nothing but what would fit into our Honda. Or when our son was born two months premature and we sat together in that hospital loving him as hard we could to get him through. Or when we worked our tails off to pay off debt--together! Always together.

Nothing worthwhile is easy. In my husband's home country in Africa, they have a saying for women who are in love: "I'd live with him in a tree." That's how I feel about Mr. Johns. Of course we want the good times, the financial security, but I'd live with that man in a tree if I had to. So long as we're together.

I didn't care if there wasn't any music. I was going down that aisle to marry him.

 I'm a Christian author who writes sweet romance. You can trust my books to bring you wholesome, heartwarming romance, whether it's a Love Inspired romance, Heartwarming, or Western.
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The Cowboy's Christmas Bride

Hope, Montana, is no longer home to Andy Granger, who sold his piece of the family ranch to developers. He's only back to run a cattle drive in his brother's stead. But the community can't forgive him for selling out. And Dakota Mason, the beautiful cowgirl he hired, has every reason to hate him…

Ranching is in Dakota's blood. And now the developers have cut off water her neighboring ranch desperately needs. She's only on the ride for a paycheck—not to turn her back on her community. And definitely not to fall for some overly protective urban cowboy. But Andy may surprise everyone…including himself.

Hitting shelves November, 2016

Patricia Johns: A Better Behaved Woman

There is a Marilyn Monroe quote that drives me crazy:

It dislike this sentiment so much because it suggests that bad behavior is "worth it" in order to get the sweet times. I couldn't disagree more--and that might sound callous, because I do understand the underlying plea... Underneath Marilyn's false bravado, under the swagger, there is something deeply sad: an unmet desire to be loved.

We all just want to be loved: by parents, by siblings, by friends, by a partner. No matter how wealthy or famous, that search for love is the same. Love me--even when I'm hard to love.

But is that too much to ask of a man?

I'm married, but that love is based on my behavior, too. If I started cheating, started hurting him, I could break that relationship irreparably. It would be possible to push him away. I can't just say, "Put up with my garbage, or you don't deserve my good times." That isn't fair to him. Nor would it be very mature of me. He loves me heart and soul, but maintaining a marriage is practical, too. He might still love me, but if I continually behaved badly, he might not be able to stay with me. It would be too much to ask.

If I'm looking for Someone to stick by me no matter what, I need to look higher. God loves me at my worst, and not because I'm so fabulous at my best, either. He is the One I can trust to love me as I am and not give up on me. And with that basic need met--being loved at my worst, treasured even when I'm hardest to be with--it makes me into a stronger woman, a better woman, a better behaved woman.

Because, at the end of the day, behavior still matters.

What does it take to make a relationship work? Christian or secular, everyone is searching for same answers. I've found my answer in the One who created my heart.

I write for three different lines in Harlequin--Love Inspired, American Romance and Heartwarming--and you'll see the Christian values I live by in all of them. This month, HER STUBBORN COWBOY is on the shelves, and I hope you'll check it out!

If you'd like to see more of my work, come by my blog! You can also find me on Facebook, where I'm always thrilled to connect with my readers.

Patricia Johns: Women of Faith

Women of faith don't always preach.

 In fact, women of faith seldom get the chance to preach, unless they are talking to their children. In our day-to-day life, it isn't appropriate. But that doesn't mean that a woman's life doesn't speak for her.

I'm a Christian. I'm a church-goer. My worldview is colored by a belief in a God who loves me and guides my future. As a church-going Christian, I might be a minority, but as a woman of faith, I'm not! Many people don't identify with a religion, or they haven't been to church since childhood. Others are come from other faith backgrounds. When you set aside our differences, we're united in our belief in something more.

We believe in Someone More. We believe more is expected of us. We have hope. It isn't something nailed down by dogma or theology, it's an anchor of certainty deep inside of us that can't be argued away. We're women of faith. 

I write for both the Love Inspired line and American Romance. My Love Inspired writing is faith based, and my American Romance writing is written by a woman of faith. My faith, my conviction that there is something more to life, is a part of that writing. Even if I can't talk about it directly, it's there. My hope in Someone More is what fuels my love of writing happy endings. 

This month,  my American Romance came out. I hope you'll check it out! It's about family, starting over, motherhood in less than ideal circumstances, and finding out what kind of woman we want to be.

You can find it in bookstores this month. You can also find it on Amazon and the Harlequin site. And as a special surprise to me, it's also found in bookstores in the UK, published in the Cherish line of Mills and Boon!

 As women of faith, we're part of society, part of our communities, and part of the world. We're out there, and we can't always preach. Sometimes, we just have to live it.

If you'd like to see my other books or keep up with the life of a Harlequin author, come by my blog! You can also find me on Facebook, and I love to connect with readers. :)

Sticks and Stones with Patricia Johns

It takes a certain personality type to be a writer. I sit at home all day by myself, spinning stories and drinking pot after pot of tea. I only have the internet for company most days, which isn't very balanced. I'm forced to get out and interact with real live people on a semi-regular basis, and I have to warn you: not a lot of social contact  tends to breed a socially awkward woman.

I once spent a few weeks working on a deadline, and when I finally roused myself to go to the grocery store, I struck up a conversation with another woman at the egg case, which seemed entirely natural to me. I was starved for human contact. Who wouldn't want to discuss the chances of eggs being cracked in the carton? Then I caught the slightly panicked look on her face as she edged away. Oops. Sorry. I get like that when I've been cooped up for too long.

But then, like most socially awkward people, after chit-chatting with a friend or having a good visit with someone (an absolute necessity from time to time), I get this nervous feeling in my gut that I've said too much and sink back down into quiet solitude again. That's where novel writing comes in and soothes my soul. I can say as much as I like when I write a book, because it's fiction and a lot harder to nail down the vulnerable bits. ;) It's feels safer that way. People can buy their eggs un-accosted by lurking novelists.

It's okay to be different. My intense focus on things that interest me and mild social anxiety are actually an asset to my writing. The focus makes it possible for me to write entire novels in a matter of weeks. The social anxiety makes me more sensitive to the details in relationships around me. If I weren't as sensitive as a skinned grape in social circumstances, I doubt I'd notice half of it.

God put me together like this on purpose. I'm not a mistake. His hand didn't slip. I'm just... me. And you are put together the way you are for a reason, too. So be you with all the dignity and pride you can muster. And if you recognize yourself in me at all... maybe try writing book!

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A Hero for Her Son

When the baby he rescued seven years ago returns—with his widowed adoptive mom—Deputy Fire Chief Matt Bailey can't turn them away. Desperate to escape the reminders of his failure in the line of duty, Matt is close to leaving town. But one look at Rachel Carter and her son, Christopher, has him second-guessing his plans. Rachel is a mom in need of a hero for her son. But as much as she wants the two to bond, she's determined to keep her distance from Matt. After losing her husband on the job, she promised never to love another fireman. Yet somehow she finds herself drawn to the one man she should avoid.

Check out my newest release, A FIREFIGHTER'S PROMISE. And come by my blog! I'd love to see you. 

Patricia Johns: Just Part of the Package

     I fancy myself a gardener. Except, I don't really have enough patience. I'm the kind of woman who draws a deep, poetic satisfaction from a sprouted seed, and then gets too impatient to wait for the plant to mature and actually give her some tomatoes, so she tears out those quivering young sprouts (which were planted too late anyway) and puts in some full basil plants instead.

     It's shameful. To everything there is a season...  but some seasons are just too short to waste! And when you've already planted your seeds WAY too late because for some unknown reason you rely on social media and Yahoo news to inform you of the proper times for these things, you realize that you aren't the gardener you imagined yourself to be.

     You are a balcony plant waterer. That is all.

     Thank goodness I have other talents! And I've realized that I just have to embrace who I am--weaknesses as well as strengths--because this bundle of impatience, enthusiasm and writing talent is ME.

     In THE RANCHER'S CITY GIRL, Eloise kills house plants, and she's certainly not the ranching woman that Cory needs in his life, and she knows better than to try and change herself into someone else. Who wants to play act for the rest of her life, pretending to be what someone else wants?

     Our weaknesses are as much a part of who we are as our strengths. What imperfections have you embraced as simply being part of the unique package this is you?

When Cory Stone discovers the father he never met is gravely ill, he brings the ornery man to his Montana ranch, along with his round-the-clock nurse. Once again Cory finds himself falling for the wrong woman--a city slicker like the ex-fiancee who broke his heart. But in Eloise LeBlanc, Cory also finds a kindred spirit. The caring beauty knows firsthand about love and loss. Neither of them is looking for a new romance, and Cory certainly isn't searching for love. But can the independent city girl heal the heart of a broken cowboy?

THE RANCHER'S CITY GIRL came out in January 2015, and is still available online.