of blades and thorns

the official blog of author grace a. johnson

Romance Q&A Pt. 5: Comedy, Romance Movies, & Unintended Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 29, 2022
15 min

Romance Q&A Pt. 5: Comedy, Romance Movies, & Unintended Romance

Well...there are a few painful confessions in this bunch of questions! Who knows what hard truths you might learn about yours truly! Seriously, though, I had to put some thought into these! Y'all asked some tough questions, and I hope I did them justice! (And didn't ramble too much...as per usual.) saraina's question What are your tips for pulling off non-cheesy romantic comedies (or just including those elements in stories)? Ha. Ha ha ha. Um. Saraina. I suck at comedy (pardo

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Third Place Winner: Reality Dust by Abigail E.

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 26, 2022
12 min

Third Place Winner: Reality Dust by Abigail E.

Y'all. I couldn't help myself. Abigail's story was so unique and intriguing, with such an interesting twist on this prompt. I just knew y'all would love the mystical, sci-fi twist as much as I did! the prompt “Breathe.” I exhale. Inhale. “Just breathe, Casey. You're fine. The world is fine. Everything is fine.” I hide my face in my hands, trying to focus on the rattle of the train around me. Familiar sounds. Real sounds. That is what reality is. Reality is the smell of dust,

101 views15 comments

Second Place Winner: My Eyes by Nicole Sua

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 25, 2022
7 min

Second Place Winner: My Eyes by Nicole Sua

Y'all, I couldn't help myself. I fell in love with this story from the first sentence. So beautiful, with the most lovely message - I know it will touch your heart! This story definitely deserves a place in the winners' circle! *winks* the prompt From the day I went blind, he became my eyes. We had just been married when sickness fell over the house. The halls were blanketed in thick silence only to be broken by the occasional cough. My dear Edward was the only one who mirac

108 views17 comments

First Place Winner: Baby Names by H.S. Kylian

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 24, 2022
10 min

First Place Winner: Baby Names by H.S. Kylian

Well, my short story picture prompt contest has come to a close, and believe me, y'all, it was SO. STINKIN'. HARD. to pick just THREE stories to share with y'all! Every single one was so good - unique, touching, heartfelt - so y'all may be seeing a few more than three stories coming your way in the coming weeks! *winks* But I had to pick a story to take the cake, now, didn't I? So I chose Baby Names by H.S. Kylian...a sweet and sorrowful historical story based on the prompt b

117 views9 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 23, 2022
4 min

Strike Out Challenge

This challenge is gonna be fun, y'all! And very personal, so y'all beware...y'all may discover some deep, dark secrets about yours truly. *winks* Thanks to the lovely Saraina Whitney for tagging me! Y'all check out her post here! The rules for the tag are simple (like, so simple that they don't have rules): just strike out whichever of the items on the list you've done! And you can explain the how, when, and why of it, if you like! And I guess you can tag however many people

139 views27 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 4: Love Songs, Heroines, & Christian Content

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 22, 2022
20 min

Romance Q&A Pt. 4: Love Songs, Heroines, & Christian Content

This just might be my last installment, guys! I'm out of questions now, so unless y'all have more (BRING 'EM ON!), I'll be taking a break from romancifying y'all for a while! Seriously, though, I am so excited about this mostly-final post! Kayti, Rylie, and Riley's questions were PHEMONENAL, and even though I've included my usual amount of rambling (y'all see now how I was able to write a 200k novel), I hope I've offered some helpful tips and tricks! Thank y'all again for sub

73 views21 comments

Coming Soon: Worthy of Legend by Roseanna M. White

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 19, 2022
2 min

Coming Soon: Worthy of Legend by Roseanna M. White

Guess what's coming soon to a bookstore near you! No, not Bound and Determined - at least, not yet. I'm talking about Roseanna M. White's upcoming release (which I can't wait to read and fall in love with), Worthy of Legend!!! I'll spare y'all the gushing, because boy! do I have a lot to share today! about the book The Secrets of the Isles, 3 1906 After a summer of successful pirate-treasure hunting, Lady Emily Scofield and her friends are forced to hide the unprecedented dis

28 views10 comments

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 17, 2022
8 min

Author Interview: Lillian Keith

(Dudes, I TOTALLY forgot my intro, so I apologize if y'all saw this as a blank space earlier!) (I was also out of town today, so I didn't realize I'd messed this up until I came home!) (So here I am...adding an intro...) ANYWAY. I am SUPER excited to share with y'all my interview with middle-grade author Lillian Keith! She is such a sweetheart and an amazing writer, and I know y'all are gonna love getting to know her and her work! What first inspired you to write? I don’t qui

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Spotlight & Guest Post: Should We Tell Her? by Lillian Keith

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 15, 2022
6 min

Spotlight & Guest Post: Should We Tell Her? by Lillian Keith

I have got one PACKED post for y'all today! Everything from a book spotlight to a guest post to a giveaway (*cheers ring out because we all love free stuff*) - we've got it all...and it's for none other than middle-grade author Lillian Keith's latest release, Should We Tell Her? I haven't read middle-grade in literal years (since I was about seven or eight), but I know this sweet story will be loved by readers of all ages, and y'all won't wanna miss your chance to learn more

91 views25 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 3: Kisses, Chemistry & Why I Write Romance

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 12, 2022
17 min

Romance Q&A Pt. 3: Kisses, Chemistry & Why I Write Romance

I don't know about y'all, but I am SO excited for this installment in my Romance Q&A series! Probably because I get to talk about some of my favorite things...kisses, chemistry, God-honoring romance, and more! PLUS, if y'all read all the way through, you'll find an excerpt from Prisoner at Heart! This post is jam-packed with goodness, so I won't keep y'all waiting any longer! issabelle's questions What's the book that got you into romance? (Both reading and writing.) It was n

149 views30 comments

The Remarkable Blogger Tag (and a secret surprise)

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 8, 2022
6 min

The Remarkable Blogger Tag (and a secret surprise)

Buckle up, y'all, because you're in for a treat! Not only am I super excited to share this epic tag by Simply Selina, which the lovely E.G. Bella nominated me for, but I also have a special surprise to share with y'all if you can read all the way through! Pretty sure that just upped the suspense up (I hope), so I'll cut my intro short and dive right in! (PS: The questions I answer were created by Lucy @ Elsie LMC!) the rules Add the featured image Tag your post with #theremar

129 views28 comments

Welcome to August! (July Wrapup + August Goals)

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 3, 2022
4 min

Welcome to August! (July Wrapup + August Goals)

Y’all. This is literal insanity. I’m serious. Google “what is insanity” and it will say “the fact that it is already August.” (*coughs* Joking, joking…but also not.) I just…I cannot believe it. I feel like I have accomplished absolutely nothing in the last seven months. (Let’s see, finished BAD, started an editing business, published a devotional, got Instagram…okay, okay, I take it back.) And, naturally, August is probably gonna be the busiest month yet, since we’re (1) cele

96 views16 comments

Romance Q&A Pt. 2: Cheesiness, Subplots, & Favorite Tropes

Grace A. Johnson

Aug 1, 2022
22 min

Romance Q&A Pt. 2: Cheesiness, Subplots, & Favorite Tropes

DUDE. Y'all gave me some TOUGH questions, lemme tell ya. I had to do a LOT of thinking on these, and I still don't think my answers are good enough. In some cases, I do more rambling and make very little sense (hopefully I'm clear enough); in other cases, I wasn't sure if I even knew the answer (Faith, your questions were LEGIT), so I just did the best I could; and for the rest of them, I feel like my tips/advice are a little outside-the-box, so take what I say as a supplemen

106 views29 comments

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of blades and thorns

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