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University, Johnson met her husband Gale while working a public relations job in Chicago. She then wrote feature articles and a column for the Chicago Tribune before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1971 and purchasing a weekend home in Rappahannock County.
Before moving to Rappahannock permanently three years ago, the Johnsons lived in Rochester, N.Y.
Her first novel tells the story of “a best man from a jilting, who proves he is the better man for the heroine and their true loves ties the knot in Flint Hill, Va.,” she said.
“I wrote and wrote and rewrote and I joined a writers’ group,” she said of her first fiction attempt. “After awhile, the other writers asked to see what I was working on. They read it and wrote me a nasty fax saying that it was just terrible.”
Utterly devastated, Johnson showed the novel to her husband, who encouraged her to submit it to publishers in spite of the criticism.
Out of 10,000 potential books submitted to Harlequin Temptations, Johnson’s was published. Since 1997, it has been translated into 16 different languages.
“For those who belong to writers’ groups, or want published authors to read their stuff, do not believe everything they tell you. First, you have to believe in yourself and your work and be persistent. Don’t give up something that you love to do,” she said.
Johnson’s childhood sparked both her love of horses and her love of gardening. She now grows a variety of exotic greens, hardy kiwi, squash, cherries and bitter melon, some of which have been purchased by the Inn at Little Washington.
Gale Johnson, who is his wife’s biggest fan, rides with the Old Dominion Hunt. The two love Rappahannock County for its mountain views, river fishing and diverse, talented community.
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