1. Tell us a little about the story behind Island Dreams?

Island Dreams takes place on Wildflower Island in the Southern Puget Sound. It is the second book in my Wildflower B&B Romance Series. Here is the back cover copy.

Piper Hunt arrives on Wildflower Island to develop family property into an upscale resort knowing this may be her last chance to prove her worth to her father. With grandiose ideas, she soon finds herself at odds with adjoining property owner, Chase Grayson. As she begins to appreciate the simplicity of the island, she struggles to maintain balance between her father’s wishes, preserving the natural beauty of the island, and her attraction for Chase.

Chase Grayson values the peace and quiet of Wildflower Island. That serenity is threatened when Piper Hunt discloses her plans to develop an upscale resort that not only butts up to his property, but will turn the island into a busy tourist destination. In fighting her plans, he also finds himself fighting his attraction to her. If he doesn’t stop her plans for the resort, his life will be altered forever. If he succeeds, it means he will never see her again. Can he live with either choice?

2. What made you want to use something true in your story? I like to use actual places as settings, but in this case the island I planned to use wasn’t large enough to fit my story. The first book in the series worked fine, but by the time I got to the second I realized it was too small. So I changed the name to Wildflower Island. If you are familiar with Anderson Island in Washington state you will see a few places that are actually on that island like the general store and golf club in my series. When it was going to be called Anderson Island I did my best to find pictures of the island and read anything I could find about the place.

3. Have you done something similar before? Will you do it again? Yes and no. I set my very first contracted series in Leavenworth, WA. The setting ended up being a character all its own and an important part of the story. The stories would not work if you picked them up and moved them to another small town, that’s how important that setting is to the series.

I visited Leavenworth several times to get a feel for the town, but I did tweak the layout just a bit to fit my stories. J

4. Did it require a lot of research to use real life? Yes. Because I patterned Wildflower Island after an existing one that had been my original setting, I did a decent amount of research on Anderson Island, in Washington State. I finally came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t work for my series. You may see a few similarities between the two, but they are different.

5. How long does it typically take you to write a book? I write books in the 45-50k word count, and on average it takes me three to four months. That being said, I can write much faster if I must and I have. J I’ve also spent longer when I’m not under deadline.

6. What else you do have in the works? I’m currently working on a series that takes place in Central Oregon resort town. I’ve been working on it off and on for years, and I’m looking forward to spending quality time on it for a couple of months. Speaking of needing to research for a setting, I’ve been working on this series so long that I’ve had to rewrite scenes because buildings have been demolished, and moved. Included a swimming pool that I’d been to more times than I can remember! I’ve had to go back a few times to take in the new constructions. Even a restaurant I used in one scene was demolished and rebuilt. It’s nothing like my original building I described. Thank goodness for the internet or I never would have realized so much had changed. Beyond that series I need to start writing a novella that will release in June of 2016.

Kimberly Rose Johnson holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, and their yellow lab. She writes sweet Christian romance and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys taking long walks with her husband and dog, reading, dark chocolate and time with friends.
You may contact Kimberly via her website at http://kimberlyrjohnson.com/

Buy link:

Amazon Island Dreams: http://www.amazon.com/Island-Dreams-Wildflower-Romance-Book-ebook/dp/B00XYYRP66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436895628&sr=8-1&keywords=island+dreams

Amazon Island Refuge: http://amzn.to/1PSwybE