Meet author Johnnie Alexander

Johnnie Alexander is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of more than thirty works of fiction. She is a Mosaic Collection author, co-hosts a weekly online show called Writers Chat, serves on the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference Executive Board, and is a regular contributor to the HHHistory.com blog. With a heart for making memories, Johnnie is a fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips.

Tell us about your newest book.

My newest book is also one of my oldest books. I wrote the first draft way back in 2008 and was awarded the Novel of the Year and Writer of the Year for the opening pages at the Florida Christian Writers Conference in 2009. Now the time has come for Sparrow to leave the nest, and I’m over-the-moon excited to introduce readers to Marie Wyatt. She’s an Ohio farm girl dreaming of fame and fortune who becomes an Allied courier in wartime England.

Marie’s WWII story is interspersed with her older self, living under a different name in 1990s Florida, who longs to share her story with her only granddaughter—a young woman she’s never met.

What inspired you to write When Memory Whispers?

One long-ago day, I was browsing the shelves of my local library when I found a book called Hitler’s Soldiers in the Sunshine State. At that time, I knew little about World War II, and I was flabbergasted to learn that German POWs were imprisoned in camps throughout the United States.

The spark of a story idea burrowed into my heart as I tried to puzzle out what kind of woman would help a German POW escape from such a camp. I finally decided she must have known him before he became a prisoner. But how did an American girl meet a German soldier? What if she was an Allied spy and he saved her life and they danced on a dark street before he left her and she didn’t think she’d ever see him again and…

That book on Hitler’s soldiers led me to research espionage and women spies, Operations Overlord and Paperclip, and stories of courage alongside stories of betrayal. It also led me to write the story, Where Treasure Hides, that would become my debut novel.

How would you describe this book to someone in a 30-second blurb?

Marie Wyatt ran away from her farm-girl past in search of fame and fortune and found herself in wartime London working as an Allied courier. Whether disguised as a middle-aged British housewife or playing a role on the London stage, she acts her part to its fullest. But when a routine mission turns deadly, a mysterious German agent becomes her unlikely savior.

Plunged into a dangerous game of deception, Marie relies on her acting talent to pass false information to the Nazis. Yet the line between duty and loyalty blurs when the German agent is imprisoned in a Florida POW camp with Axis soldiers who consider him a traitor. Marie embarks on a desperate mission to save him before he’s fatally injured. In a postwar world still reeling from conflict, the couple’s lives are again threatened by a past enemy. Will they ever find the peace they crave? Or will the echoes of war destroy them?

What genre do you focus on?

I’ve been blessed with opportunities to write in multiple genres—historicals, contemporary romances, cozy mysteries, and even a couple of Amish novels. World War II historicals are probably my favorite because that multi-faceted era fascinates me. But it’s also great fun to create a contemporary heroine with a fun occupation such as a glass-blower, a genealogist, a songwriter, a wildlife photographer, and even a conscientious con artist.

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

As I mentioned above, my heroine’s name is Marie Wyatt, but she changes her name to Annalee Gilbert to protect those she loves. Since I wrote the first draft so long ago, I’m not sure why I chose those names. However, Marie’s mother was French so that may have inspired her first name.

Her code name, Sparrow, was assigned to her by the mysterious Twenty Committee, a group charged with overseeing Allied espionage missions. The code name was inspired by Matthew 10:29 that says a sparrow doesn’t fall to the ground without God knowing about it. Marie learns this truth through her experiences.

The German agent also has an Allied code name—Frost. I named him after my sister’s cat, a black Maine Coon with remarkable agility (even for a cat) and a tendency to appear where you least expected him to be.

What is the hardest part of being an author?

All the uncertainty—there’s the not knowing if the idea you’re developing is any good, if readers will love or hate your book, if another contract will come your way. With all this uncertainty, though, comes a total dependence on our Heavenly Father to provide story sparks, connections, and opportunities. That is a learning, strengthening, trusting process in itself! Sometime before I was offered my first contract, I sensed God’s promise that He would “set my feet in a spacious place.” Over the years, He has done that and, even when it’s hard, I still trust in that promise of provision and providence.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

There is such joy in my heart, gratitude to God, and personal satisfaction when I’ve completed a novel that I know in the depths of my spirit is “good.” I live for the moments when my characters become so real to me that I’m surprised by what they do.

From a practical perspective, I like the freedom that writing gives me to live with my granddaughters and their parents in Florida while also spending several weeks (even months) at a time with my grandsons and their parents in Virginia.

What’s one thing your readers should know about you?

I admit I have a few unusual quirks. Everyone in my family knows that I’m the only one allowed to open a new bag of Lay’s Classic potato chips. That’s because I like to inhale the potato chip freshness. My son once gave me straws in my Christmas stocking so I’d have one wherever I go. I also have specific lidded cups that no one else is allowed to use. (I’m not the only one, right??) I once thought wishing for an alpaca of my own was a pipe dream until God gave my sister and me a herd of them. That’s one of those “I’m glad I did it but also glad I’m no longer doing it” ventures. All three of my children and all five of my grandchildren are taller than me.

What is your favorite pastime?

Family times are the best times! We enjoy binge-watching our favorite shows and movies, game nights, eating out, eating in, and homeschool field trips. (I live with my daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters.) I read both fiction and nonfiction, occasionally work on cross-stitch and latch-hook projects, enjoy road trips either alone or with my favorite traveling companions, and believe browsing through a library or bookstore is a great pastime.

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

When Memory Whispers is my 19^th published novel, and I’ve written a few more that haven’t released yet. I’ve also written several novellas and short stories. Most are listed on my Amazon Author page at https://bit.ly/jaAmazon though a few are only available through Annie’s Fiction subscription program.

What are you working on now?

If all goes as planned, I’ll be releasing What Time Reveals, the sequel to Where Treasure Hides, in early 2025. When Memory Whispers and Where Treasure Hides are companion novels that share a few characters and a similar timeline, however, these two stories can be read in any order. I also have a short story called “Love, Christmas” in A Weary World Rejoices, the Mosaic Collection’s sixth Christmas anthology. (Available for pre-order on Amazon.)

Website: https://johnnie-alexander.com

Link to book: https://bit.ly/ja-WMW

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