Christine Johnson Interview

Today I am excited to welcome author Christine Johnson to Interviews & Reviews.

Christine is the author of several books for Steeple Hill and Love Inspired and has been twice named a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® award. When not writing, she loves to hike and explore God’s majestic creation. These days, she and her husband, a Great Lakes ship pilot, split their time 

between northern Michigan and the Florida Keys.

Christine, welcome to Interviews & Reviews!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Before writing full-time, I was a librarian for many years. I love, love, love the smell and feel of new books. Each one promises to transport the reader to another place and time. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to go from cataloging books to seeing my name on the cover of a book. To think that my books are in libraries gives me goose bumps. And yes, one of the greatest thrills was seeing Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data in my book. Okay, maybe it takes a librarian to understand that.

How did you become interested in the historical romance genre? 

As a child, I remember reading biographical narratives of historical figures. I loved to imagine the people that lived and walked over the ground I was standing on many centuries ago. That love of history later led me to pick up historical romance.

Please tell us about your new release.

​In Freedom’s Price, Englishwoman Catherine Haynes loses her home and her family when her father dies. Rather than merely exist on the paltry sum left to her, she sets off for America to find her mother’s estranged family. When a storm dismasts the ship in the straits of Florida, her plans to reach Louisiana before her funds run out are waylaid. She enlists the help of a wrecker, Tom Worthington, to get her there faster,

but he has a secret mission that could scuttle her future. Freedom’s Price is the third book in the Keys of Promise series.

How did you become interested in the historical romance genre?

As a child, I remember reading biographical narratives of historical figures. I loved to imagine the people that lived and walked over the ground I was standing on many centuries ago. That love of history later led me to pick up historical romance.

How do you get the inspiration for your books and characters?

I wish I knew. Characters often arrive from nowhere, sometimes even in a dream. I can see them and hear them, but it takes a lot of probing to get to the root of their personalities. The initial inspiration for a story often comes through historical research. Some little tidbit piques my imagination, and a story grows from that tiny seed.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on the fourth book, Would-Be Mistletoe Wife, in my mail order brides series for Love Inspired Historical. It is scheduled for release in early December, just in time for Christmas. This book is set in the historic town of Singapore, Michigan and takes place at the time of the Great Chicago Fire. Chicago was not the only place to endure a firestorm that weekend of October 1871. Many cities in Michigan and Wisconsin burned as well. This book follows the heroine and hero through the traumatic event and its aftermath and brings new meaning to that Christmas.

I can't wait to read it! Thank you for stopping by today. To start Christine's Key's of Promise series from the beginning, check out the books below!​