{"id":11975,"date":"2016-03-17T00:01:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T05:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.melanierobertson-king.com\/wp02\/?p=11975"},"modified":"2016-02-27T11:10:48","modified_gmt":"2016-02-27T16:10:48","slug":"st-patricks-day-with-jb-johnston-of-brook-cottage-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melanierobertson-king.com\/wp02\/?p=11975","title":{"rendered":"St Patrick’s Day with JB Johnston of Brook Cottage Books!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JB<\/a>Welcome to Celtic Connexions. Come in, make yourself comfortable. I know you under two different names – JB and Debbie. Which would you prefer I used?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hi Melanie, thank you so much for having me as a guest. I honestly don\u2019t mind which name you use. I will answer to anything! Most people online know me as JB so I suppose that one\u2019s okay. At book events I attend I get called by both names. Whatever anyone is comfortable with. The name JB is a shortened version of two names \u2013 Jontybabe, which was my original online name, and Just Books Johnston! A little joke about when asked what I bought on a shopping trip I always say, \u2018Just Books!\u2019 My real name is of course Debbie but I do most of my writing under the name J.B.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I made sure to have Doritos and wine on hand since I know you enjoy them. One of the wines is from the Niagara region of Ontario, the other from somewhere in South America, Argentina I think. Hope you like red. I don’t have a lot of white wine, although I can send my manservant, Donald, to the wine cellar to see what’s there.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh thank you Melanie. Doritos are my guilty pleasure but I have to restrict myself to one bag a week now otherwise I\u2019d be hugely fat! Friday nights are the nights that I settle down on the sofa with my Doritos and wine and I watch a movie with my son. I\u2019m more of a rose or white wine girl myself but I have been known to partake in a glass of red although I do avoid it as it makes me very giggly and even more silly than I normally am. Also, it makes my face go very red too.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is only Thursday, but then it’s a special occasion – and these Doritos are virtual so you can have as many as you like. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ah, the manservant says we have some Jackson Triggs Sauvignon Blanc in the cellar. Shall we open one of them? It’s a very nice wine. * gives manservant the nod and a few minutes later, the wine appears in a cooler with two glasses already filled for us*<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself? The readers at Celtic Connexions know Brook Cottage Books but not necessarily the woman behind the brand.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"JB<\/a><\/p>\n

\"JB<\/a>Oh gosh! It always feels funny talking about myself! I\u2019m so used to promoting other people. Well, I am 45 years old and a bit of a book freak in case anyone hadn\u2019t noticed. I am a fully qualified and practicing social worker in the real world although I am desperate to have a full time career in the bookish world and hope that one day someone notices me and offers me a job! Although not based in England, I\u2019d be more than happy to fly to the mainland for meetings! Yes I\u2019m that desperate for a job in publishing. I\u2019d love to start branching out also and start writing magazine articles. I have some great ideas for articles and the plan is to start compiling them into a folder and pitching them to magazines. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I love walking and running and I used to be a real gym bunny until a shoulder injury slowed me down a little. I\u2019m waiting for surgery to correct that. I\u2019m always looking for new challenges and have turned into an adrenaline junkie. I abseiled down a very large tower a few years ago for charity and I\u2019m always on the lookout for an adventure! Until my shoulder injury I was always taking part in charity runs but I\u2019ve had to stop doing that for a while as apparently I swing my arms a lot when I run and that\u2019s not good for my shoulder! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m very family orientated and have a real interest in special needs and parenting issues as my daughter has autism and a learning disability. I am very happily married to a wonderful man who is an accountant! I have 2 children and 2 step children and a mad dog. As well as Brook Cottage Books I have a personal blog www.thedebbiediaries.blogspot.co.uk<\/a> <\/strong>\u00a0and I have just started a product review site www.crazyatthecottage.blogspot.co.uk<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What made you decide to start a book blog?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, a number of years ago I originally had a special needs blog called IT\u2019S A CRAZY WORLD. That blog no longer exists now as I was concerned that now my daughter was much older someone in the real world would recognise that I was writing about her and tell her about it. On that blog I used to write some book reviews. I\u2019ve always been an avid reader and constantly have my nose stuck in a book. However, the requests for reviews became so great that I knew I needed a dedicated site just for bookish things. I was really interested in having authors on the blog with interviews and guest posts too and I wanted to take part in book tours. And so, Brook Cottages was born and has evolved into something way beyond what my original expectations ever were for the blog. Now, as well as book reviews and author spots I coordinate and run virtual book tours which I absolutely adore. Although, this means never having a day off! But, I can live with that. Brook Cottage Books has taken over my entire life and made me realise that being involved in the book world is actually my dream job. I have met so many wonderful and generous people through the book world that I feel this is where I belong.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You were shortlisted for an award for your blog, were you not?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh yes I was! In 2013 I was shortlisted for Romance Blogger of the Year at the Festival of Romance. That was a great feeling and a wonderful black tie event to attend. Everyone was spruced up in their finest and to be honest I was more than a little nervous! Unfortunately I didn\u2019t win but my lovely friend Sharon Goodwin did win with her blog Jera\u2019s Jamboree. However, the lifestyle magazine I am involved with www.loveahappyending.com<\/a> <\/strong>\u00a0did win an industry award for Innovation in Romantic Fiction so that was a proud moment for those involved. At that event it suddenly dawned on me that book bloggers were at last receiving recognition for all the hard work they do. It was amazing! In 2014 I was honoured to be asked to present the award to that year\u2019s winner Sophie Hedley for her amazing blog Reviewed the Book.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If memory serves, you’re from Northern Ireland. What sort of things do you and your family do to celebrate St Patrick’s Day?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes Melanie, I am from Northern Ireland. I live about 14 miles outside of Belfast. To be honest I don\u2019t really do anything to celebrate St Patricks Day. It does mean a day off work so I usually spend it being quite lazy with a big lie in, daughter permitting! My husband can usually be found on the golf course every St Patricks Day as there is usually some sort of golf competition on that day. St Patrick\u2019s Day celebrations always involve lots of Guinness though!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"JB
By Dirk Van Esbroeck (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>I’ll put on a bit of music for us to listen to while we sip our wine. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n