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EXCERPT ONE:
A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”
Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.
Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.
Gram taught me to be independent, manage my anxieties, and have confidence in myself, showing me how to use my imagination to wiggle out of a jam or face the “grim crossroads” when confused or sad.
The first time I cried and lost it over a complicated computer problem, she said, “Be inventive, Katie! What can you do to calm down and think things through?”
We put our heads together to come up with ideas. Gram said she brewed herself a cup of tea when needing a break. Mom worked on crossword puzzles. Dad played solitaire. My one decadent delight was a FatBoy ice cream, and that’s how Gram and I hatched the plan of taking two ice cream sandwiches and hiding them under the frozen vegetables to create my private emergency stash.
“Close your eyes, breathe, take a bite, and replace the leftovers. No one will suspect anything. Our little secret. . .”
AUTHOR INTERVIEW:
What are your favorite TV shows?
A good British mystery. Among my favorites are Endeavor, Vera, Broadchurch, Foyle’s War, New Tricks, Grantchester, and the list goes on. In fact, for the observant reader, there is a reference made to Sam in Foyle’s War in my current release, A Proof of Love!
What is your favorite meal?
Hands down, breakfast. The odor of fresh-brewed coffee and the sweet, savory aroma of maple sausages crackling in the frying pan, paired with the delicious taste of blueberry pancakes and cheesy scrambled eggs, can’t be beat.
If you were to write a series of novels, what would it be about?
It’s a tough choice between a cozy mystery series and a family saga. A cozy mystery series might feature a knitting group of senior citizens in a small rural town—in fact, in my current novel, A Proof of Love, such a group exists and is ready to unravel the clues.
Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?
You might ask (and rightfully so) why the king of thrillers and horror, Stephen King, would attract a women's fiction writer. The story starts with, "Once Upon a Time, a woman's fiction writer read Stephen King's Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which led (horror of horrors) to reading his first novel, which led to reading his last novel . . .
King’s memoir of his journey with the craft of writing threw open windows of insight for this author who had switched from authoring nonfiction to fiction. What a storyteller! The first part of the book is the memoir of the author's early days. I enjoyed these tales so much that I found myself laughing out loud with many passages. I could so relate! The early memoir laid the groundwork for the rest of the book, which focuses on encouraging authors and providing a writing toolbox. Simple sentences, strong verbs, minimal attributions in dialog (said preferred), limited adverb use, and a few well-chosen details are among the tools in the kit that resonate with me.
Aside from King’s writing style, his stories are more than a thriller or horror fiction—the bedrock of each is a moral and a lesson to be learned.
How did you come up for the title of this book?
All of my novels have had an initial placeholder title. For A Proof of Love, the placeholder was “Katie and Rose.” As the story evolved, however, the major theme went beyond two individuals to a story about the inseparable nature of grief and love and the special people in their lives who should never be forgotten. Using memoir as an overlay to the fictional story, the remembrance of the special people in Katie’s life became A Proof of Love.
AUTHOR BIO:
At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.
My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives. My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.
After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)
Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.
Substack: https://meridajohns.substack.com
Facebook: https://meridajohns.substack.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/MeridaJohns
Website: https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com
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