Book Cover Junkie Interviews Christian Memoir Author Johanna Frank

Johanna Frank is a Canadian author based in Southern Ontario, where she lives with her husband, and delights in time with her children and grandchildren. Her award-winning A Lifeline Fantasy Series includes The Gatekeeper’s Descendants (Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Medalist), Jophiel’s Secret (Winner of the 2023 General Market Suspense Fiction Award and the Christian Speculative Fiction Award), and Here Lyeth (finalist for The Word Guild’s 2025 Christian Speculative Award). 

In addition, Johanna has introduced a creative memoir, a deeply personal work that explores God’s abundant mystery and healing. 

Known for her lyrical, imaginative style rich in symbolism and spiritual depth, she invites readers into otherworldly adventures and real-life reflections that illuminate belonging, faith, and the unseen.

“Frank, one of Canada’s emerging authors in spiritual fantasy, walks a fine line between general fantasy and faith-based fiction. Her work aims to innovate and transcend traditional boundaries, catering to a hungry market of curious readers who don’t want to be preached to but are open to exploring spiritual themes through fantasy.” – Sheri Hoyte, Reader Views

Johanna's latest book is the powerful Christian nonfiction, The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. Connect with her at Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and BookBub. 

Tell us about your book! What inspired you to write it?

Thank you for this question. I included a Letter to Readers at the beginning of the novel to share more about its origins. In short, it took me well over a decade to piece together the unusual events that have shaped my life—many of which, I believe, reflect God’s abundant sense of mystery. Should you choose to

read the book (and I hope you do), the prologue draws on inherited knowledge of an ancestor’s trauma, while the main narrative—told in first person—reveals personal experiences of haunting visions, profound dreams, and deep loss. Ultimately, the story leads to an enduring sense of peace and an unwavering faith in life everlasting.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

Great question given I struggled with this considerably once I finished the manuscript for The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. The working title – The Spiritual Side of Grief - had cemented considerably so it was tough to smash it to bits once I’d realized it wasn’t quite a good fit any longer. Originally, I was wanting to simply get certain unique experiences on paper, suitably and only possibly, for sharing. Though the writing flowed more as a novel – a story – and I needed a title to reflect the story of experiences. That’s when I changed the title to The Open Window, then after considerable thought to The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

I did actually. First, it needed to be considerably different from my previous three novels which are a different genre – a speculative fantasy for adults and young adults. Many authors change their pen name when writing in a different genre, I chose not to and for that reason, required a different look for The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore. In my head, I knew I wanted it to be clean, simple, profound, and with a white background. 

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Google, of course! About five years ago, I came across a website whose cover designs instantly caught my eye. I was impressed by the creativity and professional quality of their work right from the start. Over the years, the team has expanded and taken on more clients—a clear reflection of their success. With that growth, their service has become a little slower and not quite as personal as it once was, but their design expertise remains outstanding and continues to deliver beautiful results.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

BookLife gave the cover an “A-” grade, so I was happy about that. However, after receiving a few queries such as – ‘but it ends well, right?’ – I’ve realized some readers may bypass this creative memoir, which reads like a novel by the way, perhaps because they are not confident in the faith component. While in reality, the novel is a strong testament of faith, one that survives a harsh storm.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

Review their prior work as well as their cost for producing a cover. Ensure they will provide two or three options and are willing to make adjustments once you’ve settled on an option. It is key that they ask for your input before design, input that is sufficient for them to get the ‘feel’ of your book – the feel you want your readers to have in order to pick it up.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

The biggest challenge was to take the heart and guts and experiences I’d kept secret and carried on my sleeve so-to-speak for many years and allow it to transition into a product per se. When writing, I’d decided to put my best foot forward, to have the story professionally edited and with a professional cover. Then I would make that final decision – to publish. And hence, I did publish.

Q&A with Memoirist Brooks Eason

Brooks Eason loves stories - reading and writing them, hearing and telling them. He also loves music, dogs, and campfires as well as his family and friends.

Brooks has practiced law in Jackson, Mississippi, for more than 35 years but has resolved to trade in writing briefs for writing books. He lives with his wife Carrie and their two elderly rescue dogs, Buster and Maddie, and an adopted stray cat named Count Rostov for the central character in A Gentleman in Moscow, the novel by Amor Towles. In their spare time, the Easons host house concerts, grow tomatoes, and dance in the kitchen. Books, who has three children and four grandchildren, is also the author of Travels with Bobby—Hiking in the Mountains of the American West about hiking trips with his best friend.

Visit Brooks online at: www.brookseason.com.

Find out more from the publisher's website: https://www.wordcrafts.net/books/fortunate-son/

Interview:

Tell us about your book. What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

Fifteen years ago, on the eve of the birth of my first grandchild, a fascinating story fell into my lap. I was adopted as an infant, had wonderful parents, never searched for my birth mother, and never would have, but I was found as a result of litigation in four courts in two states because I was a potential heir to a fortune from my birth mother's very wealthy grandfather. My granddaughter and I were born under almost identical circumstances. My birth mother got pregnant when she was a freshman in college, my daughter when she was a sophomore. The circumstances were the same, but the times were very different, and my daughter got to keep her child, who has grown into an extraordinary young lady. On the day she was born, I learned my name was Scott Francis for the first year of my life. It was too good of a story not to write.

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

I was lucky, and it was easy. I chose a small, independent press, WordCrafts Press in Nashville, that was recommended to me by an author friend. I sent in my submission, they said they would love to publish my book, and we signed a contract the next day.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

A songwriter wrote and recorded a song about the story of my adoption several years ago and called it "Baby Boy Francis," which is what I was called in the litigation before they knew who I was. Initially the book was going to be Baby Boy Francis with some subtitle. I was thinking Fortunate Son of Two Mothers, but others observed that readers would think I was raised by two women who were married to each other. So we decided to leave out the Two Mothers and swapped the title and subtitle. I like how it turned out.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

Not really. We were thinking we would go with a young woman who would represent my birth mother, but we wound up using a photo of me taken in 1960, the year I turned three.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her? 

My publisher chose the designer. I had no direct contact with the designer.

How was your experience working with the designer? 

It was indirect but very good. I'm very pleased with the cover.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover? People love it, both front and back. The photo of me suggests the period in which the story is set. I'm wearing a cap and have my hands in my pockets and my pants rolled up. The photo on the back is of my birth mother, who was quite a beauty. I don't know whether it was taken before or after I was born. Her family, who are my family too now, gave it to me. They also gave me two portraits of her, one on her wedding day in 1964 when I was in the first grade and one painted the year she turned fourteen. They've been very generous.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

I don't really have any tips because I never looked for a designer, but in terms of a design, my advice is to use something that catches potential readers' eyes and makes them want to open the book and read it.  

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

I hope people will read it. I won't brag on the quality of the writing because my parents taught me not to brag, though I worked very hard on it and I'm happy with it. But it's not bragging to say it's a fascinating, compelling story, not because of who I am but because of the amazing sequence of events and the other people in the story, including my birth mother, who was beautiful and rich but lived a short, tragic life; the wonderful parents who raised me; and my brave daughter and extraordinary granddaughter. Writing about them has been a pleasure.  

Margaret Fenton talks about the cover for 'Little Girl Gone'

Margaret Fenton grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and moved to Birmingham in 1996. She received her B.A. in English from the Newcomb College of Tulane University, and her Master of Social Work from Tulane. She spent nearly ten years as a child and family therapist for the Department of Human Resources before focusing on her writing. Hence, her work tends to reflect her interest in social causes and mental health, especially where kids are concerned.  She is the planning coordinator of Murder in the Magic City, a one-day, one-track annual mystery fan conference in Homewood, Alabama. She is President of the Birmingham Chapter of Sisters in Crime and a member of the Mystery Writers of America. Margaret lives in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover with her husband, a software developer.

Find out more on Amazon:

Little Lamb Lost (book one) / LittleGirl Gone (book two)

Connect with the author on the web: 

www.margaretfenton.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Margaret-Fenton-60189695222/?fref=hovercard

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

Claire Conover is back in Little Girl Gone, the sequel to Little Lamb Lost.  She has taken into custody a 13-year-old girl found sleeping behind a grocery store.  The girl’s murdered mother is found at a construction site owned by a family friend, then the girl disappears.  Her mother worked in an illegal gambling industry in Birmingham.  Things only get more complicated from there.  Is it possible the girl pulled the trigger?  She doesn’t have a lot of street smarts, so where could she have run? Claire has to find the answers, and the girl, fast. 

I was inspired to write this novel after reading a newspaper article on teens and sexting.  Information is so immediate now, and I wonder how careful current teens are about what gets out there on the internet.  That was the basis for the story. 

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

             I got my contract with Oceanview when I attended Killer Nashville in 2007.  I highly recommend that conference for yet to be published authors (YTBP authors).  For a bit of extra money, you could talk to either an agent or a publisher.  I chose the agent.  Went to my meeting, sat down and gave her my mostly rehearsed pitch for Little Lamb Lost.  She hated it.  I don’t mean a little.  She HATED it in capital letters, and essentially said she didn’t understand why anyone would want to publish that.

            So I went to the bar and ordered myself a large, extra large really, gin and tonic.  I was halfway through with it and a bit buzzed when my friend Don Bruns approached me and asked if I’d talked to Oceanview Publishing.  I explained what happened with the agent, and he said he was going to get the rep from Oceanview.  She came over, and I pitched, pretty sloppily.  She wanted to see it and about two months later I had a contract with Oceanview.  So my secret to getting published?  Gin.  Lots of gin.  By the way, Little Lamb Lost is an Amazon bestseller.

            Then I wrote the second book in the series, Little Girl Gone.  Oceanview decided they were only publishing thrillers, and passed on it.  So I put it out myself through CreateSpace and Amazon.  I’ve been told I’m a “hybrid author”.  I can live with that. The third will be out hopefully by the end of the year. 

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing the story, or did it come later?

            My titles always come to me first.  I knew after Little Lamb Lost I wanted to have a word that would be in all of the titles.  I love mysteries with that kind of hook, like Sue Grafton and Mary Daheim.  And Margaret Fenton’s Little mysteries were born! I think it kind of fits, since Claire works with little kids and all.  The third is titled Little White Lies.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

            Oceanview designed the cover for Little Lamb Lost, and I had input but not much—more like thumbs-up or thumbs-down.  I liked the cover.  For Little Girl Gone I kept some of the same features, like the font.  As a reader I love book giveaways!  For Little Lamb Lost I ordered a hundred little stuffed lambs and gave them away at Malice Domestic.  The white teddy bear on the cover is in Little Girl Gone, and I’ve given away a hundred stuffed bears for this book.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

            My cover designer is my brother, John Stephen Herring.  He has a fancy camera and a great computer and said he could do what I wanted. 

How was your experience working with the designer?

            I was great.  I love the cover to Little Girl Gone!

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

            I don’t know that anyone has really mentioned it, that I remember.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

            Find someone you click with.  Have a basic idea of what you want.  You are going to be living with this cover for a long, long time.  I would also choose something you could replicate in a way if you are writing a series.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

            My mysteries are very character-driven, and I hope everyone enjoys meeting Claire and crew.  I welcome feedback from readers at my website, www.margaretfenton.com.