Daily Inspiration: Meet Linda Johnston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Johnston.

Hi Linda, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
As a young girl, I concocted so many stories, writing all the time. I used to write Christmas plays every year for my siblings and me to perform on Christmas Eve for our parents. I considered submitting a manuscript when I was in my late twenties. It was rejected, sigh. However, I received a letter back that was very encouraging. They told me I had the natural art of storytelling and couldn’t be learned. They asked that I continued sending my work and suggested how to improve it. Life gets in the way. Between my children, my husband, and my extended family, it took years (lots of them) for me to submit again. In the meantime, I continued to write just for me. It gave me joy. I assumed my time of being a published author had come and gone. Years and years went by, and I continued to write. I became a member of Romance Writers of America, and upon moving to North Carolina from Upstate New York, I joined the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. That’s where I met Donna Steele, a woman that changed my life and would become my mentor. She bugged me continuously to let her read one of my WIP (work in progress). I finally caved and gave her only the first 10 pages. I was nervous about sharing my work with anyone. You suddenly become vulnerable, letting another peek into your private world. It was days before she called me back. I was sure she hated it.

This is how the phone call went:
“I had to wait until I cooled off, so I wouldn’t hit you with something for never trying to put this in print,” Donna told me. All I could say was, “What? You liked it?”

The rest is history. Proudly I published my very first book at 70 years old. Who would have thought that possible? It’s a valuable lesson to anyone who thinks that time has passed. It’s never too late, no matter how old you are! Today I have published one series, Designed with Love, consisting of four books, a novella in an Anthology, and I’m preparing a new series for publication, The Whispers series, consisting of three books that will be coming out in late spring of 2023. I have a Christmas book in the works coming out in mid-October. I’m a happy woman these days as I can do the thing I love, write. It warms my heart to know that other people enjoy my work too. The response I have received has been overwhelming at times. Like I said, so, so happy! I write under my maiden name because when I was younger, I always dreamed it would be on the front of a book cover. I wanted to make that childhood fantasy come true. However, my husband chuckles and says, “After forty-some years of marriage, you forgot who I am.” We’ve laughed about it. But no one is prouder of my accomplishments than my husband, Joel.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Life is never a smooth road! Every writer gets one, and you have to deal with it. As a writer, rejection can play with your psyche. It’s easy to let other things become a priority and move away from your craft while you mentally heal from pouring your heart and soul into something that someone else didn’t like.

I finally got back into serious writing after our children had grown and my husband and I were empty nesters. I was ready to submit a manuscript again when my biggest life challenge happened. My husband became ill, and it took weeks to find a diagnosis. He has rare leukemia. Rare to the point that only seventeen people were known to have been diagnosed in the US. We were told maybe 250 in the world had it. It was red cell leukemia. He is permanently on oral chemotherapy, and I’m happy to say he is doing well and has been able to enjoy his life. Everything in my life came to a halt. I had been a Heart of Carolina Romance Writers member and left when he became sick. When I returned several years later, I threw myself back into this Chapter, becoming involved in Online Classes. It helped me recover emotionally from the health scare. I felt like my old self again. I loved the interactions with other authors.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Jack of all trades would best fit. I have worn many hats: display advertising salesperson for a newspaper, professional sales for an advertising specialty firm, cake decorator, sewing and alterations person, ridged design and customer service person, garden nursery salesperson, camp counselor, and administrative assistant for a property management firm. Whatever my job, I generally put over one hundred percent into it. And I’m a published author! I love learning new things. I may be flawed, but I can get by and sound knowledgeable. I’ve been told I have excellent common sense and problem-solving skills. I love puzzles or putting together something even did our gas grill that came in a million pieces. (Well, not a million, but it seemed like it.) The exciting part was when I pushed the button, it worked!

What were you like growing up?
I was the oldest of six children. My parents relied on me for babysitting and setting an example for my younger siblings. It’s a hard act to live up to. I was undoubtedly bossy and opinionated with my siblings with this responsibility. My parents would say I stumbled. on more than one occasion, and I agree. But we all lived through it, and I have good relationships with all my siblings, and when we’re together, we laugh over childhood memories. As a child, I was very much a tomboy. I spent time outside, using my imagination to build forts in the woods, build tree houses, and appreciate nature. I loved the outdoors, climbing trees, fishing, and building rafts to float on the creek near our childhood home. I love softball, kickball, and most sports—sledding, ice skating, and building our ice slide. I loved living in the country. Every child should have that opportunity.

I loved to be creative. I remember presenting my mom with a game I had created. I hand-wrote all the cards, made the playing board on a piece of cardboard that came with my father’s shirts from the drycleaners, and formed the pieces to move around the board out of Playdoh that I let harden. My mom was pretty shocked. It surprised me and made my heart swell when she told my aunt about it. She sounded so impressed. As one of six kids, it made me feel exceptional. By twelve years old, I started reading adult books. I still remember my mother giving me a copy of Window on the Square by Phyllis Whitney. A huge moment when your mother lets you read something she read. Something I will always remember.

Contact Info:

• Website: tiffintalesofromance.com
• Facebook: Linda Tiffin Johnston