Interview & Giveaway! Liz Johnson ~ Author of A Promise to Protect!

Liz Johnson is stopping by for an interview today and she's included a giveaway of her soon-to-be-released book, A Promise to Protect (details below)!

Welcome to Christian Bookshelf Reviews, Liz!! Will you tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks so much for having me! I'm thrilled to be here. A little about me? Well, by day I'm a full-time editorial and marketing manager for a nonfiction team at a Christian publisher in the Nashville area. And at night I get to get even more creative when I write fiction. I love to travel, explore the history of Tennessee (especially the Civil War era), and read. I'm addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper, and always write better with it on hand. And I love to go back to Arizona to visit my five nieces and nephews every chance I get.

What is A Promise to Protect about?
Navy SEAL Matt Waterstone knows about keeping people safe. When his best friend’s sister is attacked, Matt promises no harm will come to Ashley Sawyer–not on his watch. But Matt’s not the only protective one. Ashley will do anything to safeguard the residents of the battered women’s shelter she runs. She’s sure she can handle the threats she gets in return. What she can’t handle is the way Matt scales the walls around her heart. Yet when she falls prey to a crime web more sinister than she’d realized, trusting Matt could be the only way to survive.

What is something the average reader wouldn't know about you? 
I love to watch professional football! I'm a big Giants fan--actually I'm pretty much a fan of the Manning brothers. Whoever Payton and Eli are playing for, that's who I'm rooting for. So this year it's the Giants and the Broncos.

That's really interesting! When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I've been writing since I was a kid. At seven I wrote a story about a bear for a school assignment. It was supposed to be a couple of paragraphs. It ended up being several pages. I've always loved telling stories, and I wrote my first novel when I was thirteen. Yikes! It was so bad. But I didn't give up. I wrote another novel in college--that one was bad news, too. It wasn't until I was already working in publishing that a friend of mine encouraged me to finish the project I was working on and try to get it published. After a lot of hard work on that manuscript, I signed my first book contract at twenty-seven for The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn, which came out in 2009.

The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn is on my to-read pile... really looking forward to it. :) How many books have you written/published and do you have a favorite?
A Promise to Protect is my fourth book for Love Inspired Suspense, and then I wrote a Christmas novella that was part of Barbour's A Log Cabin Christmas Collection last year. It's hard to pick a favorite. I've loved writing each of my books. They all have threads of the things I was going through as I wrote them. But I do love this new one. I've always been enamored with Navy SEALs, so getting to make up my own team and populate it with strange and wonderful characters has been a blast.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I have so many, it's hard to pick just one. :) Maybe the music that I listen to while I'm writing. All of my books have a soundtrack--an album or two that I listen to over and over again while I write. Right now I'm listening exclusively to Brandon Heath's Blue Mountain album and a few favorite songs from the group Downhere. And I can't hear a song off of NEEDTOBREATHE's The Outsiders without thinking about my book Code of Justice. Music is really important to my writing. It sets the mood and gets me excited to write.

Where do you like to write?
I write all over the place. :) I meet a writer friend once a week at a local restaurant, and we write for an hour. I also write at my dining room table, on the couch, and sometimes in bed. But my favorite place to write is my "writing chair." Last year I bought myself a chair and a half--this gray monster of a seat--plus a matching ottoman. I can curl up in it, and I try really hard not to let myself play games or surf the net when I'm in it. It's just perfect for writing. In fact I wrote about 75% of A Promise to Protect in it.

What is the best and/or worst part about being a writer? 
The best part is that amazing feeling of accomplishment when I type THE END. The worst part is all of the work getting there. And all the social invitations I have to turn down because they conflict with my writing time. Writing is so often a solitary endeavor, and it can be lonely. But it's so worth it.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
When I'm not writing or working, I'm often exploring stories both old and new. I love well-told tales, which means I see a lot of movies, read a lot of books, and watch a bit of television. And I love exploring the historical sites of Middle Tennessee. From President Andrew Jackson's home--The Hermitage--to Carnton--a plantation, turned Civil War field hospital--I could go on tour after tour, listening to the history and the stories of the people who walked those grounds. And since I live in Music City, it would be ridiculous to forget to mention going to concerts and searching out live music around town. I really want to be crafty--but I've failed every cake decorating class I've ever taken, and Michael's has me listed as a persona non grata.

Is there a place you’d like to visit, but haven’t yet?

Right now I'm pining after a trip to Scotland and Ireland. Pictures of the countryside there is incredible. And don't even get me started on the accents. So lyrical. But it'll likely be another couple years before I get to go, so I'm trying to be patient.

Do you have a favorite song and/or movie?
Favorite is such a hard word for me. For years the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite movie, but there are so many others that I love like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Anne of Green Gables, and While You Were Sleeping. You might notice a trend. I love sweet romances, just like I love to write them.

What is your favorite holiday?
Definitely Christmas! It's the only time of year that I always get to go back to Arizona. And I love shopping for all the gifts and drinking hot apple cider and watching a slew of cheesy made for tv Christmas movies. My family always goes to the Christmas Eve service at church together, and the Christmas carols make my eyes water and my heart sing. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Do you have a favorite Bible verse? 
Romans 5:5 - And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Here are a few this-or-that questions:

Snowstorms or Thunderstorms?
Depends--do I have to drive in it? If not, then snowstorms.

Tea or Coffee?
Neither. Diet Dr. Pepper!

Call or Text?
Call my family. Text everyone else.

Early-bird or Night-owl?
NIGHT-OWL!      

Cats or Dogs?
I'm petless. :(

Are you currently working on any new novels? If so, could you give us a hint?
I'd love to! I'm currently writing the sequel to A Promise to Protect. It's about Ashley's brother and Matt's best friend, Tristan, who is also a Navy SEAL. He rescues an American, Staci, from a Middle Eastern jail, but getting her home doesn't mean she's safe. Staci overheard something she wasn't supposed to in that jail, and now someone wants her dead. We're still working on the title for it, and it's due out sometime in the fall of 2013.

I love sequels and that book sounds really good! Thank you so much for being here! Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers and where can we find you on the web? 
Thanks again for having me! What a treat to be here. Readers can connect with me at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com, www.facebook.com/lizjohnsonbooks, or www.twitter.com/lizjohnsonbooks.

Giveaway!

Enter to win a copy of A Promise to Protect by Liz Johnson! Open to the US and Canada!

Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway