🎉 I have a very exciting announcement to make!

My fourth novel, SECRETS AT SPARHAWK POINT, releases on August 25, 2026 from Holiday House! 🎉

The amazing cover is by Stephanie Son, who has created all of my book covers!

And here’s the description:

***
To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishi-Biizhiw. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But… what if it isn’t?

1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: a lack of tourists means no income from their mother’s two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving… so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.

After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishi-Biizhiw—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real… even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.

***

I am so excited for August and can’t wait for you to read this story!

I tried something over this past year that I’ve never done before: I journaled every single day!

I have kept various journals all my life, starting at the age of six. I have a computer file of journal entries from the past sixteen years, but those efforts were never very consistent, and most of the entries were written sporadically—sometimes with six months between them.

But last February, I saw a writer doing a journaling challenge: writing a journal entry every day for three months. While I admired her consistency, I assumed that this was something I could never do. Yet it looked like such a fun challenge, so I decided that one month would not be so difficult to keep up with. I could try it for one month.

I got out an adorable journal and began writing. I challenged myself to write at least one full page each day, because I knew that after a few days I would resort to writing a mere one or two lines.

I did something different with this journal: before this, there was never anything visual prompting me to journal before. I always put my journal away somewhere, and that computer file certainly didn’t take up space. But this time, I kept my journal where I would see it every single day: in the stack of current reads next to my bed.

And it reminded me! Every evening I would write a page. In the past, my journal entries would often be a rundown of what I’d done that day. But this time I shook things up. Some pages did describe something that I’d done that day, but other pages were dedicated to gratitude lists, memories, or genealogical research. Other pages were creative: poems, observations about books or movies, or analyses of my writing dilemmas.

After journaling this way for entire year—hardly ever missing a day—I can say that this process has changed me as a writer. I never would have thought that keeping a consistent journal would help me as a writer, but it has. It’s much easier to jump into a piece of fiction writing now than it used to be—I have that consistency habit down. Writing—and subsequently re-reading—my entries on creative problems has helped me to identify patterns in my process that need to be adjusted; reading older entries reminds me of how I tackled problems before and how to approach them now. Two of those poems turned into a picture book manuscript. Even ranking my favorite characters in a book—something I do when I can’t think of a good topic!—has been helpful for thinking about characters in new ways.

Needless to say, I’m going to continue my practice of journaling one page a day, and I encourage you to do the same if you’re in need of a boost of creativity!

I wanted to give a quick everyone a update on my current writing projects!

This past summer/fall, I’ve been working on some of the last edit rounds for The Blossoming Summer, my third novel. It will release on June 3, 2025, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s about a girl named Rosemary who leaves London at the start of WWII to to live with her grandmother in Wisconsin, where she discovers her previously unknown Ojibwe heritage.

I’ve also been working on revisions for two projects that I can’t discuss much yet. But they’re very cool 🙂

I’m drafting another book, and I’m nearly to the midpoint, exactly halfway through. I’ve only written it for 32 days so far, so I’m quite pleased with my progress!

And I was so immersed in this new book that I wasn’t even trying to invent another story idea yet. But a sudden, full-fledged idea just seemed to drop in my lap one day–a combination of some previous ideas that, once merged, became a premise I absolutely love. So I’ve been brainstorming a bit on that and have even been working on a Pinterest board for it!

I took some photos for these new stories recently, to inspire me as I write:

All of these projects are such a joy, and I can’t wait to be able to share more about all them sooner or later. 🙂

Are you working on any writing projects right now?

My debut novel, The Star That Always Stays, celebrated an exciting milestone on Tuesday, September 5: the paperback edition released into the world!

It was a thrilling moment for me, and to celebrate even further, I announced on Instagram that I would answer some questions about TSTAS in honor of the paperback. Here are some of those questions and my answers:

What was the initial first spark of inspiration for the story? I first got the idea when I was doing genealogy research about my great-grandmother. The events happening in her life when she was fourteen—starting high school while dealing with her parents’ divorce, her mother’s remarriage, and the beginning of World War I—made me think that this could be a compelling middle grade novel.

Do you see yourself in any of the TSAS characters? If so, in what way? I absolutely see myself in the characters. I was a lot like Norvia as a teenager, but as a child, I was a little bit more like Dicta! I definitely have Norvia’s bookworm tendencies, and I also share Vernon’s interest in classical music.

Did you have a specific playlist/mood board you referred to while drafting this project? I just mentioned classical music, and some of the pieces mentioned in the book were actually ones I listened to while writing (the full list can be found here). During one of the major overhaul drafts of the book, I remember listening to the finale of Dvořák’s String Quartet in F major over and over again. I also listened to some Ojibwe, Acadian, and Celtic music while writing the Beaver Island flashbacks.

How did you grow as an author as you wrote it? What I learned most was that revisions are crucial to shaping any book into what it needs to be. You have to be willing to rewrite and revise your story and make significant changes! Nothing has been more instrumental to my writing than being able to look at a project to see how it could be improved, and finding editors and mentors to help me along the way. Writing (and re-writing!) TSTAS helped me grow so much as an author.

What inspired you to include all the classic books in the story? At the time I was writing TSTAS, I was delving into a lot of vintage girls’ books and absolutely loving them, and this really inspired me to make Norvia into a reader of those same kinds of stories. I feel that a coming-of-age story written in a classic style featuring a character from a Native background is really meaningful. If you’re a fan of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, like so many people are, then this is a way for you to revisit and enjoy that kind of story all over again, but this time with a character from a different culture. (All the books mentioned in TSTAS can also be found here.)

What was your favorite part of writing TSTAS? My absolutely favorite part was bringing my ancestors to life through this story and exploring what their lives might have been like! And my favorite scene to write was the section where Norvia, Dicta, and Vernon invent a very imaginative game together, and it’s the first time they begin to have fun as siblings. That part was added during the writing of the third draft, and it was the first scene I wrote of the new version!

What is the message you’d like readers to take away from TSAS? My hope is that readers come away feeling joyful, regardless of what’s happening in their lives at the moment. It’s important to me to write stories that are realistic yet inspiring!

A quick update! Because I haven’t done any writing updates lately, I thought I’d fill you in on my latest projects. First of all, I’ve been working on a new type of outlining for one of my next novels, which has been both an interesting and helpful experiment. I’ve tried to further hone my story structure, character arcs, and outlining over the past six months, and it’s fun and enlightening to test out different methods and new approaches to my novels. I also wrote a 14K-word novella in February, a sweet story set in the 1880s that I might end up expanding into a full-length novel at some point.

I only have 20,000 words left to write in my current historical novel (I’m at 45K of 65K). This particular book is delightfully fun to write – it’s the fourth in a series and by now, the characters are so firmly established in my head that it’s simply a matter of finding the most effective situations and scenes to propel their individual stories along.

About a month ago, I also experimented with a style of writing that straddles the line between prose and poetry. Using this style, I wrote a few scenes for a future book – and loved the outcome. That particular story hasn’t percolated in my brain long enough for me to write it, but I definitely feel that I will return to it someday.

I’m also currently gathering ideas for my next MG novel, sifting through plot elements and characters and concepts and settings. I’ve been testing out *a lot* of ideas lately, trying to find ones with that inspire me most. I think I’ve possibly hit upon my favorite idea in a long time!

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful spring!

Recently Read: Miss Billy series by Eleanor Porter, The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson, The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall

Currently Reading: The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright

I’ve always been fascinated with scrapbooking, and I’ve kept various types of scrapbooks since I was seven years old. Some have been personal scrapbooks with special mementos alongside photos I’ve taken, and others have been collections of magazine photos I liked.

Some of my most recent scrapbooking efforts are pages designed to inspire me as I write my novels! I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, explaining how I collect ideas and imagery for my books and arrange them in ways that enhance the “vision” of my works-in-progress. I typically do this very early in the writing or prewriting process of a book, and it helps to shape the aesthetic feel that I’ll attempt to describe in the story.

I did this for my novella last year, gathering pictures of beaches and and cottages and a homecoming theme to inspire me.

Right now I’m in the most delightful stage of any book–the prewriting process. It’s delicious to dream up a story, and I’ve been mulling over this one for about a month now. I’m sifting ingredients, trying to determine what will make the best recipe for this particular tale. I’m stirring together character traits and settings and time periods and messages and motives. I’m planning out the look and feel of the book.

Which brings me to the creation of these scrapbook pages, designed specifically for my next sweet romance novel! Any guesses on the historical era?

And of course, sometimes I create pages to springboard me to new ideas. One of them helped to cement ideas for a short story I’d like to write.

Do you enjoy scrapbooking? Have you ever considered putting together images for story inspiration?

Recently Read: Christmas at the Circus by Joanne Bischof, The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker, Only Dollie by Nina Rhoades, The Golden Name Day by Jennie D. Lindquist

Currently Reading: Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace, Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery, Cousins by Evan Commanger

It’s been about a month and a half since I last posted here, and the reason is because I have been *very busy* with writing projects! For the past month, I have been deep in the first-draft process of a triple-timeline Christmas novel—it’s to 50K words thus far, so only about 25K to go!

I’m also in the midst of writing a delightful novelette that I’m hoping to release to my email subscribers next month. If you would like to receive this story in the coming weeks, just scroll to the bottom of my home page and punch your email into the subscriber box! 🙂

I recently joined Instagram—you can check out my profile here—and that’s definitely proven to be an enjoyable platform. I love sharing pictures of favorite books and snippets of my writing.

While I’m always sad to see summer and fall—and my flower garden—give way to the winter months, there are upsides: Hallmark movies on the weekends, soft sweaters, and plenty of time to pursue genealogy and (of course!) read delicious books. (See my list at the end of this post!)

Other bookish things I’ve loved over the past month or so…

• Conversations with my writing group and mentors: Since August, I have been enjoying the community of an amazing group of writers, and the two mentors spearheading this group have provided me with consistently thoughtful feedback, guidance, and thoughts on my writing journey.
• The books of Nina Rhoades: I recently discovered the children’s stories of Nina Rhoades, who wrote sweet novels set in New York City around the turn of the century. I’ve read three of her books so far and am currently on the fourth!
• Receiving critiques and exploring the revision process: Lately I have been seeking out critiques for my writing, and I love the process of exploring how I can learn from those comments. It is always a joy to better my craft!
• Reading groups: This autumn, I read Pride & Prejudice with one book group and am currently reading Noel Streatfeild’s Gemma series with another! Both opportunities to read, relish, and reflect with friends have been lovely.

Happy Reading!

Recently Read: Listening Valley by D.E. Stevenson, The Historic Christmas Tree Ship by Rochelle Pennington, The Little Girl Next Door by Nina Rhoades, Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Currently Reading: The Children on the Top Floor by Nina Rhoades, Gemma Alone by Noel Streatfeild, The Journal of Beaver Island History

This week, I thought I might give an update on some of my current writing projects and reading lists!

An aesthetic I created for my middle grade novel

In September, I finished drafting a delicious middle grade novel set in 1949 England. I wrote the beginning of the book two years ago, added a little more one year ago, and then couldn’t think of where to take the story. But finally this summer I had the perfect inspiration for the book–I simply withdrew a plotline from one of my unfinished projects, paired it with the characters and setting that I’d dreamed up for this novel, and everything fell into place!

I’m currently brainstorming and outlining a lovely Christmas-themed novel that’s been simmering in my mind since last winter. I’ve promised myself not to start writing it until mid-October, but I almost don’t think I can wait that long. 😉 (This novel will be my NaNoWriMo project, too!) In the meantime, though, I might be working on a fun novelette, but I’ll have plenty to keep me busy until I can start my Christmas novel. The World Championships of gymnastics will be held in Stuttgart for the next two weeks, and I’m *so* looking forward to seeing how the competition unfolds. (Fingers crossed that the Japanese women qualify a full team to Tokyo 2020!)

So far this year I have read 91 books.This far surpasses my goal of 75 books for 2019, which I set last December. (True, I don’t think I’ve yet read any of the long classics I had planned to add to my list this year, although I’m rectifying this right now by reading a very long and revered classic with a reading group. See my current reads below!)

More fun from the past few weeks: 

– I’m entering two stories in a very exciting writing contest this fall. I can’t wait to see what happens!

– Last year I planted snapdragons that were a perfect “sunset” shade, a mix of pink and orange. (My absolute favorites!) Then last month this same color of snapdragon popped up amidst my strawberries. I didn’t plant it there – they weren’t even in that flower bed last year! – but it was such a fun surprise.

– Over the past two months, I’ve been digitizing a box of amazing family photos, which has kept me happily busy. 🙂

– I’m re-reading some of my favorite Judy Bolton mysteries,and it’s delightful to return to these books at this time of year. Autumn is perfect for Judys!

– I also recently put together the picture on the left, a mix of cut silhouettes and paint on watercolor paper…a future book character, perhaps? 😉

Recently Read: The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser, Grace Coolidge: An Autobiography, The Invisible Chimes by Margaret Sutton

Currently Reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Strange Likeness by Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield, At Home in North Branch by Arleta Richardson

I read some lovely books this month! I totaled nine books read in May (seven new books and two rereads). One of my favorites from this month was Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes, which just released at the end of April. I found it incredibly hard to put the book down; it was set in Maine (one of my favorite literary locales!), and the story was spellbinding with a beautifully uplifting message and memorable characters. Another favorite was When Patty Went to College by Jean Webster, first published in 1901. This author is better-known for one of her later books, Daddy-Long-Legs, but I found this book even more humorous and entertaining. It’s more like a string of short stories than a novel, and while this format can be dull in some volumes, this one kept up a good pace.

L.M. Montgomery’s The Golden Road was another delightful book from May, full of the delicious descriptions and characterizations that I love about Montgomery’s novels. While the first half of this one is funny and episodic, the second half is heartwarming and compelling. Another book I enjoyed immensely was Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson, which is set in 1919 San Francisco and features a 17-year-old girl who longs to be a reporter. I also re-read The Midnight Visitor by Margaret Sutton, one of my favorite Judy Bolton mysteries, and Katie John by Mary Calhoun, a favorite from age 10 or so that I still love reading. I also read some fun vintage mysteries!

I’ve started another reread of Jane of Lantern Hill, my all-time favorite novel. It’s always a treat to slip back into this wonderful world, and summer seems like the perfect time to revisit Jane and her father and their marvelous summer home on Prince Edward Island. Last December I reread Anne of Windy Poplars and was struck by the similarities of one of its subplots to the incidents of Jane. The subplot of Little Elizabeth seemed remarkably akin to Jane’s story, and since Windy Poplars was published in 1936, just year prior to Jane, I wondered if L.M. Montgomery was inspired to expand it into a full-length novel. Then I read one of Montgomery’s short stories from 1934, entitled Tomorrow Comes, and realized that it is actually the original story—Windy Poplars and Jane are both derivative versions! In fact, verbatim passages from both books appear in the original short story. All three tales are simply enchanting, so if you haven’t read them yet, do so right away! (But Jane is the best, so if you’re only going to read one, choose this one!)

This month I finished writing two major projects from this spring, a novella called The Joy Cottage and the third novel in my historical series, Every Beautiful Gift. Having finished these two, I’m hoping to work on some short stories—I have so many ideas floating through my head, I can’t wait to explore some of them!

I just finished the first draft of my latest #workinprogress! It’s a romance comedy/drama novella set at a lake cottage in 1946, and it’s been an absolute breeze to write ❤️📖😍 pic.twitter.com/uaKHvyTddL

— Anna Rose Johnson (@GymnasticsRosie) May 15, 2019

The garden is so beautiful right now! Everything is just beginning—all the young blooms are here or getting ready to arrive. I am so excited about my creamy-white marigolds, and they are going to be *so many* strawberries soon! The forget-me-nots are always a lovely treat as well this time of year. I’m especially pleased that my blue-grape hyacinths have come up for the second year in a row—I initially planted the bulbs in the fall of 2017. (As you might recall, these flowers appear the Pat books by L.M. Montgomery; they grow at Silver Bush!)

But at last they were throwing open the windows to let in the spring and Pat learned all over again how lovely young cherry trees were, waving whitely in green twilights, and the scent of apple blossoms in moonlight, and the colonies of blue grape-hyacinths under the dining-room windows. – Mistress Pat

As the snow begins to melt and the days grow warmer (a relief after one of the snowiest winters in history), I’m deep into the drafting of the third novel in my historical series. The process is infinitely enjoyable!

I’ve been planning out this book, conducting research, making lists, and gathering inspirational images for several months now. But the best part is actually beginning the writing process, and immersing myself in the wonderful world of 1915-16, when my novel is set.

And oh, the fun things I’ve done for this one! Requesting imperative research PDFs from libraries. Delving into the newspapers of the place and era. Studying photographs. Paging through catalogs of gorgeous fashions. (Well, virtually paging through them—they’re all online!) 😉

But one of my favorite aspects of research has been watching films set in the 1910s. Obviously, this isn’t *quite* the same as doing the solid research I listed above, but it’s delightful to acquire a visual feel for the era of my novel. Over the past few months, I’ve watched Summer Magic, Pollyanna, The Music Man, On Moonlight Bay, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, The Happiest Millionaire—sweet stories that evoke the vintage simplicity I hope to insert in my books.

What I’ve found is that research is a never-ending process—you’re always discovering something new and fascinating to add another layer of depth or a unique element to your narrative.

Additionally, I’ve started working on a contemporary novel that features the renovation of an abandoned mansion. I love old houses and try to include them in my stories whenever I can. 🙂

I’m also very excited for spring! I cannot wait to start working in my flower garden again. After witnessing the success of my pink tulips last summer, I planted orange tulip bulbs last fall, and I’m eager to see them sprout up!

Recently Read: After Many Years by L.M. Montgomery, More All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich, The Wishing Well by Mildred A. Wirt

Currently Reading: Love to Everyone by Hilary McKay, Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes