Episode 35: Nancy Johnson
Nancy Johnson, author of THE KINDEST LIE, one the 2021s most anticipated books; a pick by Oprah Magazine for top releases in February 2021, and already an Amazon #1 best-seller
Key Topics: Her inspiration, lots of 2021 book recommendations, and the story of how Nancy got that amazing review from Jodi Picoult.
Interview Notes:
Nancy chats about her debut, THE KINDEST LIE. In addition to being chosen by Oprah Magazine as one of the best books you’ll love in February, this novel has made every most anticipated list – Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Refinery 20, Woman’s Day, Popsugar and more. And this novel is a now a Book of the Month selection and received a stellar blurb from the one and only Jodi Picoult!
We chat about how it feels to go from “typing away in Starbucks” thinking about what you want your readers to feel, to the novel being in the world and being so widely acclaimed.
Nancy shares the story of how she got that amazing blurb from Jodi Picoult – and it’s all to do with the generosity of Caroline Leavitt, @carolineleavitt , awesome NYT bestselling author herself and host of @amightyblaze who critiqued an excerpt early on and fell in love with this book – and tweeted at Jodi to suggest she’d love the book. A real example to Nancy of how “the writing community has been incredibly generous”.
We chat about Nancy’s inspiration; how she was inspired by the events of 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president, and it was a bitter-sweet moment for Nancy who was on the brink of losing her beloved Dad to lung cancer, but also a time of great hope for the black community. However, the reality is that despite all that hope, we still don’t live in a post-racial era- and Nancy wanted to explore that divide between black and white America when it came to hope for the future.
We also discuss major changes through editing: one includes the color of a major character., as Midnight started as a black kid. The book also started with four point of view characters and ended with two.
Her advice for writers: focus on revising toward the very best book you can create, no matter what your publishing path. Also don’t be a trend-chaser- and you have to love the story that only you can tell.
Nancy’s recommended reads include WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by Denny S Bryce, set in jazz age Chicago (releasing in March), WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG by Julie Carrick Dalton (don’t miss my interview with Julie right here just a few weeks ago).
THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner , historical fiction set in eighteenth century London, dealing with getting back at the men who have wronged women in their lives. LITTLE PIECES OF ME by Alison Hammer – a sophomore novel coming in April. THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris– coming in the summer and a book that everyone is already talking about, which deals with racism in the workplace.