A PHOENIX RISES FROM THE ASHES
Phoenix
Johnson is an Australian author who has always had the passion for
the written word. She had her nose in at least one book ever since
she could read and would even scrutinize the back of the cereal box
every morning at breakfast. It was only natural she take up writing.
Phoenix
has multiple works in progress, and her favourite writing genres are
the same as her reading genres; erotica, romance, paranormal,
thriller and a combination of these.
Having
started out reviewing, Phoenix was nominated for the 2011 Xcite Best
Reviewer Award. She has also participated in her first NaNoWriMo in
2012 and successfully completed the challenge with a day to spare,
despite also juggling a home life and full time study.
She
currently lives on the sunny Gold Coast, Queensland, with her
partner, their daughter and cat Flash and a cranky Siamese Fighting
Fish.
She lives here, by the way...
She lives here, by the way...
Yeah. I'm jealous too.
Ms. Johnson, who are you as a person?
I’m
a stay at home mother of 1, soon to be 2, cat owner, fish owner,
engaged to the man I’ve loved and lived with for about seven and a
half years, as well as full time student, proof-reader, sketcher,
photographer and all-round horse nut! I have an eclectic taste in
music, clothes and movies, but my bookshelves are filled with mostly
paranormal or horsey books. I’m a country girl at heart, having
grown up in a fairly rural town, yet I also enjoy the city and the
beach.
I
write what I read, paranormal and horses. However, I’m expanding
them with sub-genres; erotic romance, contemporary romance,
horror/thriller/suspense. I have a fickle muse whose presence is
often fleeting, but when she’s here, she helps me smash out large
chunks of story that often are sending chills down my spine, making
me cry or getting a chuckle from me. A consistent timetable is
something I’m trying to work on, but with so much also on my plate,
it’s a challenge. Doesn’t help that Australia is in the middle of
a very hot summer right now, either! Me + heat = poor concentration.
I am looking forward to moving, and of course to winter so I can
concentrate again.
Besides
writing and reading, tattoos, horses, and drawing are definitely up
there. I love my ink (only one so far, but working on changing
that!), obsessed with horses and dabble in drawing when I am in the
mood. What I draw? Horses and have managed to squeeze out some tattoo
designs as well, of course.
I’ve
always been a reader, and had these fanciful dreams and scenes that
would run through my mind day and night. I started dabbling with
writing in high school, but never felt like I had the support to keep
it up, so I gave it up. I tried again just after graduating, but
wasn’t able to stick to it then, either. However, a few years ago,
when we had our daughter’s Naming Ceremony, the celebrant mentioned
how well written my emails always were, and asked if I was a writer.
Between Helen and my aunt, Annette, I was encouraged to try once
more. Just over a year later, after much practice and a few lessons
learned, I submitted my first manuscript, The Wolf in the
Neighborhood, and just shy of two months after that, I got my first
acceptance email. I haven’t looked back since!
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| Naughty Nights VICTORY! |
One
of my greatest accomplishments would have to be getting accepted for
publishing. I’ve definitely seen since then that time-management is
something I need to stick with, and up until late December last year,
I had been doing fairly well. Things have been pretty hectic since
then, though, so hoping things calm down again soon so I can get back
to my usual schedule. I feel so lost without being able to stick to
the schedule I’d fallen in to!
I
think it helps me remain calm and sane, so to speak, though most
writers I know are a little crazy. In the best ways, of course! It’s
given me sense of self outside of my relationship and being a mother.
It also shows me that determination and will pay off, and it’s
worth all the frustration when the story is finished and gets
published.
Outside
of my books becoming so popular I don’t have to actually work if I
don’t want to, my dreams are fairly normal; buy our own house on a
large block of land where I can ride horses. Be financially stable
enough that we don’t have to worry about bills, and can have nice
things, and go out to dinner just because we want to. Fairly regular
hopes and dreams, but not less special because of their normality.
One
of the ones that stick in my mind was when I was talking to Cassandre
Dayne about a scene I had written and read back over. I said to her
about the chills I got as I read it, and feeling silly over it, to
which she said “That is how you know you’re doing it right.”
Ok, paraphrased, but that was pretty much what was said. So now, I no
longer feel silly when I cry during a sad scene or feel a bit hot
under the collar during a steamy scene. If the author doesn’t feel
it, then mostly likely neither will the audience.
Gosh, Ms. Dayne is just everywhere, is she not? That's really good advice, actually, I'm gonna pot that to a post-it note by my computer. What can we expect to see from you in the future?
I
have a number of works in progress, including a western style
contemporary romance, my first attempt at a m/f/m ménage (short
story, also western style), a paranormal thriller with the same feel
as Underworld, yet entirely its own, and a paranormal horror, my
first foray in to the horror genre. I normally am not a fan of being
scared silly, but I look forward to what horrors my muse has in store
for me while I write The Crypt! They are just some of my works in
progress, and goodness knows what will come after that!
Definitely
the Phoenix; although dragons and unicorns have their own beautiful
tales of mythology, the Phoenix is the most symbolic. It rises from
the ashes of the old life, being reborn in to something even more
beautiful, passionate and strong. Born of fire, forged from the flame
to be something greater. How can you go past such beautiful
symbolism?
Well, when you put it like that, I suppose we all should strive to be phoenixes. We'll just remember who our alpha bird was.
I think it's high time we learned about your breakthrough piece, don't you think?
The
Wolf in the Neighborhood- Book One of Wolf Smitten
This
one was quite fun to write. It came to me randomly one night as I was
lying in bed, drifting off to sleep. The first scene popped in to my
head, so I jotted a note down on my phone and got to it the next day.
I knew it was going to have some heat to it, but I was not expecting
the paranormal side to it, nor did I know it would become a trilogy!
It’s been well worth it, though, now that I see it out in the world
being well received so far!
Could
a dark secret revealed by a new lover be something you could overlook
just to have him?
Krissy
has a hunky new neighbor with a dark secret; Derek is a vet with an
interesting past. They hit it off quickly but when Krissy’s abusive
ex, James comes to town, Derek shows a side Krissy never could have
guessed, yet James refuses to give up.
Can
Derek’s secret save them, or will James have his revenge?
An excerpt from The Wolf in the
Neighborhood:
“I’m certainly not complaining
about the wakeup call. I just don’t want it to be some kind of
obligation after last night, or – well, you know – before.”“Let’s not talk about that right now. I just want to get as much of you as I can.” She leaned in for another deep kiss before he could say another word, grinding her hips as she did so. His moan in her mouth told her he was happy to forget about everything that wasn’t her on top of him.
His hands moved around to her back, holding her close, barely giving her the space to move back one last time. “So when is this sheet going to be removed from between us? We can’t give in to ecstasy with it still covering your waist.”
“You’re the one sitting on me, so I guess it’s up to you,” Derek replied, all sass and cheek.
Naughty Nights Press (available in ePub, Kindle, and PDF)
All Romance eBooks
Amazon
Amazon UK
Smashwords
Kobo
And at some point Barnes and Noble
Phoenix Johnson is quite the prolific social media enthusiast; she can be found at the following:
Twitter:
@Phoenix_Johnson
Thank you, May, for
hosting me. It’s always a pleasure to get out and about, even if
it’s only a cyber visit, to see new people! I hope people enjoy the
snippet of The Wolf in the Neighborhood, and thanks to anyone who
buys it. Don’t forget, reviews are welcome on Naughty Nights Press
estore, Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords etc. Every bit helps!
Thank you, Phoenix, for your hard work and your art. Your career is bound to catch fire like your inner phoenix and only grow stronger. It's been a pleasure!
Thank you again May, it's been great! Definitely a fun interview.
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