Author Interview: Lovin' On Red by Mary Pat Johns

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Lovin' On Red by Mary Pat Johns, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Lovin' On Red
Series: Romance in Valiant #2
Author: Mary Pat Johns
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: April 9, 2024
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

He has everything … except what he wants most. 

Rory is a wildly successful contractor with all the right connections. He has everything, except the woman who sees past his missing foot. If only the tiny redhead he’s insanely attracted to would go on a date with him, it could work, but Vi refuses. 

Licensed massage therapist Vi Summers needs her childhood home remodeled, and Rory Spence is the perfect man for the job. Only he’s the last person she wants to work with. Despite Rory’s reputation as a flirt, his tender attention to getting her house right helps Vi see into his heart. Too bad her past mistakes prevent a future relationship. 

Drawn together like magnets, they navigate trouble with illegal squatters, family expectations, and fire. Will they finally be honest with each other, or will their secrets tear them apart?  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

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More Books In This Series

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Excerpt

This morning, new strength fortified her and refused to let go.

Even if Rory trampled her heart into pieces, she would get to the bottom of this.

Vi rubbed her puffy eyes, not wanting to look in a mirror— no doubt she looked atrocious.

Decision made, she flew through her morning routine. Plaiting her hair, she remembered Rory playing with the loose strands. With shaky fingers, she undid the long braid, then pulled it back with a band. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. She donned an outfit and applied makeup. The earrings he’d given her stayed on the dresser. Showing grit was all well and good. Acting like a lovesick idiot? Not so much.

If he meant what he said in the break-up text, maybe she’d hang in Houston awhile to figure out Plan B.

Did that mean Rory was Plan A?

Vi left to find out.

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About the Author

Mary Pat Johns lives in South Texas with the love of her life and two spoiled dachshunds. You can find her at the gym, on her computer, or  reading a book.

Connect with Mary Pat by visiting marypatjohns.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Author Interview with Mary

Q: What was the inspiration behind Lovin’ on Red?

Mary: I wrote the first draft of Lovin’ On Red during our country’s deep isolation due to COVID. It was such a bewildering time, I wanted to give readers something to look forward to.

 

Q: How long did it take you to write this story? 

Mary: The first draft took about three months, but the revisions took much longer. I worked on it in between learning how to market and doing my first book launch and debut release, so probably a solid year of devotion to Lovin’ On Red.


Q: Do you have a favorite quote from this book?

Mary: I have several but my all-time favorite is when Rory goes to Houston. Here’s the excerpt:

Rory gently clasped her raised hand with one of his, then caught a tendril of hair flying across her face with his other hand and tucked it behind her ear. “You need to set aside the knee-jerk reaction. The one where you shut me out. I love you, Vi. You don’t have anything to fear from me.” His calm, reasonable voice steadied her, though her mind insisted on reciting the reasons she left.


Q: What do you hope readers take away from Lovin’ on Red? 

Mary: I want readers to see the extravagant grace of God at work and realize, maybe hope for the first time, that His grace and goodness isn’t limited to our understanding of how it’s supposed to happen.


Q: Lovin’ on Red has such a cute cover. Do you have a favorite cover from among the books you’ve written? 

Mary: Thank you. I also love it. Our graphics editor does a lovely job. Probably my favorite is my first book Countin’ On Jesse. The vector image I chose for Jesse, though I didn’t know it at the time, resembles a portrait my mom painted of my dad. He’s in heaven now, but the images are eerily similar. And I love how it set the tone for the other book covers in the series.


Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers would not know? 

Mary: In addition to teaching high school for a long time, I taught Bible classes to adults for years. How that translates to writing romance, I’ve never been able to figure out, except God’s pursuit of us is the best love story of all time.


Q: How long ago did you start writing? 

Mary: I’ve dabbled at it for years, but seven years ago, I realized I needed to actively pursue it or I wouldn’t accomplish my goal of becoming a published author. I had to let go of “good” things and treat it like a job instead of a hobby.


Q: What is your favorite thing about being a writer? 

Mary: I enjoy the creative act of writing and sharing my heart through stories. And it’s also quite pleasant to work from home.


Q: Do you prefer to read ebooks or physical copies? 

Mary: For fiction, I love ebooks. However, when I do research or Bible study, I prefer hard copies that I can mark up.


Q: How many bookcases are in your home? 

Mary: At this writing, I have three overflowing bookcases. For years, I’ve given books away, and that’s also part of the reason I like ebooks. They don’t take up near as much space.


Q: What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

Mary: You can always find me reading a good book. I enjoy cooking too and make time to try out new recipes. And I’m crazy looking forward to meeting my Brazilian daughter-in-law and helping her learn how to do life in the States.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win print copies of Countin' On Jesse and Lovin' On Red, plus sea turtle earrings and necklace!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 8, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 15, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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