Author Interview (and a Giveaway!): Jessica Leigh Johnson & Fixed Up

Please join me today in welcoming author Jessica Leigh Johnson to the blog to chat about her new contemporary romantic comedy, Fixed Up!

Jessica Leigh Johnson is an Ohio native who now lives in northern Minnesota with her husband and three of their five children. She wrote her first book, “Do You Trust Me?” in 2012. She has also written dozens of articles on the ins and outs of parenting children with chronic illness. She is most passionate about fiction writing—specifically Christian romantic fiction—and has recently discovered how much fun it is to write romantic comedy. “Fixed Up” is her first full-length fiction novel.

Jessica graduated from Crown College with a degree in Christian education, and currently serves as her church’s librarian. When she’s not writing, she can most likely be found at the lake or in the sauna, trying to blend in with the Minnesota natives she lives with.

You can connect with Jessica on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.

FIXED UP by Jessica Leigh Johnson
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Romance / RomCom
PUBLISHER: Frost & Faith Publications
RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2023
PAGES: 274

Blind dates, set-ups, online dating—I’ve tried it all, and so far none of it has led me to true love. And that’s why I’ve come to the conclusion that romance is overrated, and it’s time for me to swear off dating forever. To prove how serious I am, I’ve even told my roommate to cease her matchmaking efforts. No more men for me, thank you. I don’t need to be in a relationship in order to feel fulfilled. I’m a librarian, after all, and I believe that a good book and a cozy blanket can rival the company of a man any day.

But when my ex-boyfriend gets engaged to a woman I’ve never met and invites me to the wedding, I have to put my plan on hold. I’m not going to the wedding alone, so obviously I need a date. The problem is, I’ve only got two-and-a-half months to find someone. If I don’t, I’ll be stuck going with my parents—and that’s not happening.

Thank goodness my roommate has one more guy in mind, and he’s perfect for me—or so she says. At this point, my standards couldn’t get much lower. As long as he doesn’t fraternize with amphibians or treat me like one of his gym buddies, he might just be my perfect match!

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Hi Jessica! Welcome to the blog!

Jessica: Oranges. They come divided into handy sections and have lots of vitamin C!

Carrie: Vitamin C is good!

Jessica: Summer. I live in northern Minnesota, so winter is a bit too extreme for me.

Carrie: I’m a northern Illinois girl living in Georgia and I miss winter… but probably after one extreme winter I’d be like “I’m good for a bit” lol

Jessica: Music. I’m a singer, and I LOVE 80’s music and musicals!

Carrie: I make more of a joyful noise than anything but I prefer music too, hands-down.

Jessica: Ocean. I love the sound and the smell and the overall size of it. It makes you realize how big the world is.

Carrie: the ocean is so soothing and powerful at the same time

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Jessica: It would be flying. When I was a kid, I used to pray every night that God would give me the ability to fly. I never got it, but I still think it would be awesome.

Carrie: totally!

Q: Who is your favorite book character from childhood? 

Jessica: My favorite book character from childhood was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I loved everything about that story. I was also obsessed with the movie, and when I was little I could only watch it once a year when it came on TV around Thanksgiving time. Weirdly, after I got married I ended up living in the town where Judy Garland was born. Coincidence? I think not 😉

Carrie: oh how fun!

Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled while researching a book?

Jessica: For the story I’m currently working on, I needed the make and model of a really old, gigantic, outdated, nasty oven like the one that was in my rental house when I first moved to Minnesota. I think I Googled “hideous ovens” to see if that particular appliance would come up. It didn’t. I think I’m the only person on earth looking for a hideous oven. It’s not a popular search.

Carrie: hahaha

Q: Which of your main characters in Fixed Up is most like you?

Jessica: The main female character, Meg, basically is me. I had to make her just a little bit different so that the story would be interesting. Meg has many of my quirks, pet peeves (there are a lot of them), and insecurities. The book is basically a diary masquerading as a fiction novel.

Carrie: LOL i love that 🙂

Q: Did you have the whole plot outlined before you started writing Fixed Up, or did you let the characters dictate what came next?

Jessica: This is a story that came out of nowhere and took me by surprise. I had no outline and no real plan. I originally came up with the idea for a flash fiction piece I was (thinking of) writing. It was only going to be a few thousand words. But then it took on a life of its own and the characters wanted more time, and I wanted to see the whole thing play out.

Carrie: Some of my favorite books started out that way, too!

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Fixed Up?

Jessica: The main character in this story, Meg, struggles to feel loveable. She spends quite a bit of time trying to do better, to be better, and to reach a certain level of Christlikeness in order to feel “worthy” of love. The main takeaway of the book is that what matters most is the fact that God loves us, and He loves us because we belong to Him. It’s not because of the great things we’ve done or how well we behave. His love isn’t conditional. We’re His children, and He loves us. End of story.

Carrie: amen ♥

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.

Jessica: I’m currently reworking a home renovation love story that was first published in 2016 as a short story. I’m adding the hero’s POV and making the whole thing longer. I’m excited about it because I liked the characters way too much for just 12,000 words!

Jessica Leigh Johnson is offering a print copy of Fixed Up to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.

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What about you? What makes you want to read Fixed Up by Jessica Leigh Johnson?