Q&A with Janet Sumner Johnson

 

Photo by Anchor + Spire Photography

 

 

Janet Sumner Johnson is the author of the new middle grade novel Fault Lines, the second in her Winterton Deception series. She lives in Utah.

 

Q: Fault Lines is the second in your Winterton Deception series--do you think your characters have changed from one book to the next?

 

A: Yes! The characters went through a lot in book 1, and those events left their mark. I know I am the author, and created these characters, but I found it fascinating to see how they were different as I worked on Fault Lines.

 

In fact, as I wrote, I had to adjust some storylines because the characters were affected more than I realized. Gordon and Boyd are particular examples of that. I had planned for them to fall into their easy friendship right away. Hope was no longer fighting against their connection, so I thought it would be a fun pairing throughout the book.

 

I don’t want to spoil anything for readers, but what ended up happening for them in book 2 surprised me as well. Some characters changed more than others, of course, and some we get to see different sides of, but I always love stories where characters change and grow, so that’s how I try to write.

 

Q: What inspired the plot of Fault Lines?

 

A: Figuring out the plot for Fault Lines took me longer than the actual writing! I knew I wanted it to be a puzzle mystery, just like the first book. I knew I wanted to create an opportunity for the family to reunite to give them a chance to build their connections as a family.

 

And I knew I wanted to explore Jane Winterton’s past a little more. She’s an interesting character who made a lot of bad choices in her lifetime, which led us to the situation in book 1.

 

One real life event that inspired me with the story was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist in Boston in 1990. If you haven’t read about it, you should! It’s fascinating. 

 

I also loved the idea of focusing the treasure hunt on a literary artifact. And of course, with Jane Winterton’s love of everything Jane Austen, not to mention the recent transfer of artifacts from Winterton Chalet to Anne’s museum, it just made sense to tie that in.

 

I did a lot of reading about Jane Austen’s history, as well as that of her family after Ms. Austen’s death, and all of that helped me pull the story together.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I am a plotter, which means I don’t start writing a story until I have at least the key plot points in place, including the ending. However, there’s still a lot of discovery along the way, and things definitely change as I go.

 

One major thing that changed after the first draft was where the treasure is found. I also changed the villains, to give them more of a backstory. I changed Jane’s backstory and her connection to the missing artifact. I already mentioned the changes with Gordon and Boyd and their interactions. 

 

I suppose the better question is “what didn’t change?” The talent show was always planned to be there. But even with that, I ended up adjusting several of the talents by the final draft give better emphasis to the book's themes.

 

I don’t want to give away the ending for those who haven’t read, but the basic plot building to the climax never changed (even if specific scenes within that did). Until a book is written, it’s hard to see exactly what’s needed for the plot to work, so revision and changes are a big part of the magic that is storytelling.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Hope and the members of her extended family?

 

A: What a great question. In Fault Lines, I wanted to showcase Hope’s growth. She’s not perfect, but she’s really trying to be a better person. So to do that, she had to face prejudice and stereotyping, the same way her past-self had so often dished out to others. 

 

On the other hand, the Wintertons had to face an uncomfortable truth, and sometimes it’s easier to fall back on prejudices than to do the work of changing your worldview.

 

Ironically, this means their roles were reversed from Book 1. Hope is forced to offer more than just words to prove she’s changed, and in addition to battling with the Wintertons and their anger, she has to battle with herself to keep from falling back into her old habits.

 

All of this means that the dynamic is a lot of tension and conflict. Hope and her extended family struggle to remember the good feelings they shared by the end of book 1, and communication often feels impossible.

 

There are even moments where Hope wonders if this new family of hers is worth the effort, but the best things in life are always worth fighting for. 

 

Q: What are you working on now? Will there be more books featuring Hope?

 

A: I’m currently working on a YA murder mystery. It’s been fun to experiment with different types of mysteries, and I’m hopeful that fans of the Winterton Deception Series will grow into it. But it’s still in too early a stage to talk details.

 

Right now, I don’t know if there will be more stories with Hope. I’d love to write at least one more, but as publishing is a business, it will depend on sales.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: One really fun part of writing this novel was taking a trip to the Oregon coast with my sister to do some hands-on research. We spent time at a key site, which really helped get the details right and give a little more flavor to the scene. While there, I took a lot of pictures, and one of them was used as reference for the cover image.

 

It’s not always possible to visit every site that appears in my books, but when I can, it’s one of my favorite parts about writing. Not only does it take the writing up a notch, but I experience a place on a deeper—more enhanced—level when I plan to include it in one of my books. 

 

Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about Fault Lines!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Janet Sumner Johnson.