Tag Archives: romance

Romance and the Irish Language with Jennifer Deibel

February 10, 2023Author Interview, Blog, Books, Expats, Expats and TCKs, Writingauthor, interview, ireland, irish, jennifer deibel, romancebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Today I am watching for the mail truck, awaiting the delivery of an Irish romance book I’ve been eagerly anticipating: The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel.

Not only does the heroine share my name (although spelled Brianna… sigh), but the book comes out the day after birthday, February 21!

Read my last interview with Jennifer Deibel

While waiting for my copy to come in the mail (and while you’re waiting for yours!), I had the chance to interview Jennifer about her upcoming release.

1. The Maid of Ballymacool is set in 1930s Ireland. What is your favorite aspect of this setting?

It might be easier for me to say what I don’t love!

Seriously, though, I love just about everything involving a historical Irish setting.

One thing I enjoy about the 1930’s is that it’s not a time many people write about when it comes to Ireland. We tend to focus on the Great Hunger and the Irish War of Independence—and rightly so.

However, exploring more unfamiliar time periods really gets my imagination going—especially because rural Ireland was so much slower to get the more modern conveniences, so 1930 in County Donegal was more like the 1910’s were everywhere else in the world.

The Maid of Ballymacool is the featured novel in my March 2023 book box!
Visit cratejoy to order

2. As a romance writer, you are a queen of love stories! What’s your own love story in a nutshell?

Awww, thank you! My love story began my freshman year of college, when I met my now-husband.

Though, really, it started much earlier in our lives, as both our parents had prayed for each of our future spouses. In fact, when we got engaged, my husband’s grandmother gave me a garter to wear on our wedding day that she had bought right after Seth was born. And then she’d prayed over me—even though she had no idea who I would end up being—every day.

But, once we met, it would be two more years before our romance really began to bloom. If we were a romance trope, it would be friends to lovers.

3. Each of your books shares vocabulary from the Irish tongue–your second language! What’s one of your favorite Irish terms or phrases?

Oh, there are so many! And I’ve added almost all my favorites in my books already. But there’s one that always makes me smile. When we were in our langauge class, we were talking about a specific area of County Clare called The Burren, and we were describing it.

I asked our teacher how to say “It’s unique.” He thought for a moment, and then answered: Níl a mhac a samhail in aon ait. It means, “There’s not the likes of it to be found anywhere.”

4. What do you hope readers will come away with after reading The Maid of Ballymacool?

My prayer for this book is that anyone who feels—or has ever felt—unseen, overlooked, or stuck in a seemingly impossible circumstance, would realize just how seen and loved they really are. And that they would turn to God to find it. And for those who are secure in who they are and how much they’re loved to reach out to those around them who don’t know.

Read my interview with Gabrielle Meyer

Thanks for talking with me, Jen!

If you’re putting The Maid of Ballymacool on your To Be Read list, here’s a tip– preorder before February 21 from Baker Book House and you’ll get 40% off and free shipping.

Historical Eras and Faith with Gabrielle Meyer

January 16, 2023Author Interview, Blog, Writingauthor, fiction, historical, interview, novel, romancebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

If you’re a historical fiction fan, then you’ll love the Timeless books by Gabrielle Meyer. These split-time Christian romance novels take place in TWO or THREE historic eras–not just one!

After devouring book one, When the Day Comes, I was lucky enough to get to interview Gabrielle Meyer about book two, In This Moment, which releases in May of 2023.

In both When the Day Comes and In This Moment, the main characters are time crossers–individuals who have lives in more than one time period at a time. If you were a time-crosser, what other era would you like to live in?

I’ve thought about this question, and because I love several historical eras, it’s always hard for me to choose.

I think the one that is most appealing is the Gilded Age, from about 1880-1910. I love the industrial boom, the rise in recreational activities, traveling, and entertainment, and I love the clothing from that era.

Gilded Age fashion as depicted by Mary Cassatt

All in all, it was a prosperous and happy time for many Americans. They were between wars and starting to enjoy some of the modern conveniences we use today, like telephones, automobiles, and electricity.

In In This Moment, Maggie lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001. If you could have dinner with anyone from any of these eras, who would you choose and why?

I would definitely say Abraham Lincoln, in 1861. He’s often touted as one of the greatest American presidents, but for good reason.

Everyone needs a photo with half their face and this book cover.

I loved researching this time period and learning more about him and Mary Todd Lincoln (most of it didn’t even appear in the book). I can’t imagine Lincoln’s job—he is truly a remarkable man that endured incredible hardship and heartbreak as an American president. I’d love to have dinner with him and Mary in the White House.

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I write, because I feel like I did have dinner with them through my character, Maggie.

The first of your Timeless series, When the Day Comes, carries rich themes of surrendering self for others and surrendering to God’s plans. What spiritual message do you hope readers will take away from In This Moment?

I wanted the themes to be quite different between the two books, so in In This Moment, Maggie deals a lot with the idea that God hasn’t revealed His plan to her, so she’ll need to take several steps of faith.

Read my interview with historical romance author Jennifer Deibel

Often, there are no clear cut right or wrong answers in life. This is true for Maggie. She loves each of her paths equally and doesn’t know which ones to give up. She does a lot of soul-searching, asks a lot of questions, but, in the end, she has to trust that she’s making the right choice.

I think this happens a lot in life—at least for me—and it was fun to explore this theme with Maggie.

Thanks for talking with me, Gabrielle! Can’t wait to read In This Moment.

If your interest is piqued, good news–preorders for In This Moment are currently 40% off, and you’ll get not only a bookplate signed by Gabrielle but also free shipping and a bookmark!

Historical Romance Author Ashley Clark on Flowers and Falling in Love

September 20, 2022Author Interview, Blog, Uncategorized, Writingauthor, interview, novel, romancebreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Who knew you could meet an author in an elevator and end up being a huge fan of their books? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me when I ran into Ashley Clark at the ACFW conference this year.

I read her book Where the Last Rose Blooms in a single sitting. It was that good.

So I thought I’d invite Ashley to do an interview here so we can share this book with you and talk about some of the little-known historical facts behind its plot and characters!

Where the Last Rose Blooms on Amazon

Breana Johnson and Ashley Clark — Did you notice that her dress matches the dress on the book cover??

Hi Ashley! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions.

Thank you so much for having me, Breana! It was such fun to meet you at the ACFW Conference. I’m looking forward to chatting on the blog today.

I learned a lot about the messages of various flowers in Where the Last Rose Blooms. I had no idea a bouquet can actually be a secret code–which is exactly what ends up happening in your story!

What is your favorite flower, and what is the meaning behind it?

I had a great time researching flowers for Where the Last Rose Blooms, and I have to confess… I even bought my own flower dictionary!

Honestly, I love all flowers, but if forced to pick a favorite I’d probably choose peonies. I think their intricate petals are so stunning. They typically symbolize love, romance, and beauty, which makes them the perfect flower for weddings! Alice in Where the Last Rose Blooms probably sells a lot of them. 🙂

Read my author interview with historical romance author Jennifer Deibel

Ashley Clark with a stack of Where the Last Rose Blooms

You named one of your characters “Ashley,” which was very Jane Austen of you. What’s the story behind giving a character the same name as yourself?

I am so glad you asked about Ashley’s character because there is a story behind this one!

Rose and Ashley are actually based on real people, who were named… you guessed it… Rose and Ashley!

History has left us very little information about their stories, but we do know a bit from the Ashley’s Sack artifact which was discovered at a flea market and is now on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. I hope to see it in person someday!

You can read more about Ashley’s Sack in my debut novel, The Dress Shop on King Street.

Ashley’s cutting of the Peggy Martin Rose, which survived being underwater during Hurricane Katrina and plays a role in *Where the Last Rose Blooms*

I enjoy a good fictional romance, but it’s also fun to hear the love stories of real-life couples! Would you share yours?

My husband and I met in college at our campus ministry. He invited me to Starbucks after a prayer event, and I initially told him no because I needed to study… on a Saturday.

Y’all, I was such a nerd back then!

Okay, I’m still a nerd, but I digress… needless to say, he talked me into the shindig, and I remember calling my mom that night and telling her one of the “cool guys” had invited me to coffee. Ha!

He bravely learned to swing dance in the weeks that followed because he knew I used to dance every Friday night, but the real kicker was one rainy night at Steak and Shake… he pulled his car up close to the door so I wouldn’t get wet, and “coincidentally” had Switchfoot playing on his car radio. I think his great taste in music sealed the deal for me. Hahaha!

We’ve now been married thirteen years and have a seven year old son, as well as a senior cocker spaniel.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Ashley as much as I did! If you want to know more about her books and flowers, you can follow her on Instagram or visit her website.

The Last Wedding

July 27, 2016Expats, Expats and TCKs, International Travel, New York, Third Culture Kids, Uncategorized, United Statesbarn, ceremony, family, farm, front yard, handmade, Johnson, marriage, married, New York, reception, romance, romantic, rural, weddingbreanamjohnson@gmail.com

Well, it’s official—all the Johnson kids are married! Jesse and Joy were the first to get married 14 years ago almost to the day, and Stevie and Kirsten tied the knot last week, about two years after we did. The wedding was lovely, and it was a huge blessing to be there for it. My brother-in-law Jacob thought that “The Last Wedding” would be a good title for a blog post, so here you go!

Kirsten and Stevie met in high school at Rift Valley Academy, the Kenyan boarding school that Ben and all his siblings attended through high school. They met and started dating in 2010. I met both Stevie and Kirsten during my RVA visit in 2013. Stevie proposed on Lake Kivu in Rwanda last year, after their second year of long-distance dating in college.

Kirsten’s grandparents live on a farm in New England, and the wedding was held in the front yard.

The flowers are all wildflowers that Kirsten and her bridesmaids picked from the rural countryside around the farm. The orange lilies were particularly lovely.

Ben was a groomsman, and a rather dashing one! I loved the African cloth ties that the men in the wedding party wore. It was a nice touch of Tanzania to represent Stevie’s childhood.

The ceremony was beautiful. My nieces Esther and Emily were flower girls, they did a great job.

The pastor gave a wonderful message on love and the hand of God in our lives. Stevie and Kirsten’s relationship is and always has been centered around their love for God and for each other. It’s been cool to watch as their relationship has grown and finally come to result in the beautiful marriage we witnessed.

The bride and groom decided to do a sand ceremony, but with jelly beans instead of sand. One of our nephews, who shall remain anonymous, admitted to me in a whisper that he swiped one or two after the ceremony.

The Johnson family sang a song from Mom’s songbook during the ceremony. Unfortunately, my video didn’t catch everyone in the frame, but most of us are there!

Kirsten’s mom and aunt also sang a song together.

The parents gathered around the bride and groom to pray over them and their marriage.

And finally, the moment that Stevie and Kirsten had dreamed about for years: The vows and the pronouncement of husband and wife!

After the ceremony was the reception. We ate homemade chicken tika, rice, salad, and veggies. As you can see, the tables were decorated to reflect Kenya, where Kirsten and Stevie met.

We took lots of pictures with the barn as our backdrop. So lovely. I found out later that the barn was only chosen as a background because it was the only place with shade. It really couldn’t have turned out better, though. The red of the barn contrasted nicely with the bride’s white dress and the bridesmaids’ navy blue sundresses.

After the wedding paparazzi had subsided, it was time for toasts, cake, and celebrating.

One of Kirsten’s aunts made the wedding cake. She even made the edible flowers on top—they aren’t real flowers, believe it or not! They look like the Gerber daisies that the bridesmaids held during the ceremony. The cake stands are made from a tree that Kirsten chose in the forest, as are the stumps that lined the aisle for the ceremony.

The wedding favors were bags of Kenyan chai. This is the best kind of tea in the world. You steep the tea in scalding water, then add almost the same amount of milk as there is tea, and finish it will a ridiculous heap of sugar. A little chai masala sprinkled on top creates perfection. Then you dip your toast or mandazi (doughnuts) in it.

The bubbles on the table were intended for the getaway line, but the kids couldn’t help breaking into them during dinner.

All of the wedding party introduced themselves and gave a toast. As usual, Ben was hilarious. He has quite the collection of funny stories about the adventures of Ben and Stevie.

At the end, Stevie and Kirsten sang a song together. You can’t tell from the photo, but Luke and Lisa accompanied on guitar and drum.

When it was time for the bride and groom to go, we all stood at the edge of the driveway and blew bubbles for them. If was fun to watch as the grown-ups had just as much fun with the bubbles as the kids did! We waved goodbye as they drove away in a cloud of bubbles and balloons.

Breana's Blog

A writer's adventures around the world