WELCOME!

Hello, and welcome to my first blog post of my new website!

Getting the formalities out of the way, my name is Paula Johnston, and I am an author. WHAT A MASSIVE LOL. The reason I’m cringing while writing this is because it still feels really wanky to say - even though that is what I am. It’s my official job title and has been since August 2020 when I self-published my debut novel, The Lies She Told - and yet I am still riddled with imposter syndrome! Apparently so many writers are, and I suppose that should make me feel better, but honestly, I really don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable claiming to be something I thought I’d only ever fantasize of becoming.

Cliché alert – Yes becoming an author was without any shadow of doubt, my childhood dream!

I vividly remember a younger me lying on my tummy in my granny and grandad’s upstairs hallway. Legs kicking the air, surrounded by multiple sheets of A4 paper, I would get lost in the world of words for hours, writing stories that I believed my family would enjoy reading. And there were many. Apart from obviously loving the content of my novels and my vivid imagination, the rules meant that family members had to appreciate my artistic skills just as much as the story itself. Designing a cracking front cover was essential to little me - who had absolutely no idea that she’d be required to do the very same thing much later down the line.

Fast forward to the age of twenty-nine, I found myself doing the same little nervous dance in the middle of my grandparents’ living room after presenting them with my most recent creation. After following a different career path, struggling with my mental health, and being diagnosed with a chronic stomach condition, I somehow managed to successfully self-publish my very own psychological fiction novel - complete with a striking front cover designed, also by moi.

As this is my first blog, I plan to discuss points from this post in much greater detail but for now I just want to give a quick summary of how things panned out after hitting that self-publish button.

To my utter disbelief, the twisted tale of Karly Winters soared to the top 100 of the Amazon charts, climbing until it found its highest ranking at number 13. You can now find The Lies She Told alongside so many amazing books by some of the biggest psychological fiction writers, holding its own with over 1,200 Amazon reader reviews. Despite having no backing from a large publishing house or the support of a literary agent, the book managed to find its way into several Waterstones – including Scotland’s largest book shop, Glasgow Sauchiehall Street – and online at WHSmith. As well as receiving fantastic write-ups in a variety of newspapers, including The Daily Record and The Scottish Herald, I’ve been asked to chat about my debut in more depth with some amazing podcasters, and was also invited to speak as part of Book Week Scotland, two years in a row! After receiving a traditional publishing offer for the book to be brought to life via audiobook, people now also have the option to read or listen to the crazy idea I genuinely never thought would amount to much.

And what a wild three years it’s been!

Thanks to the support of so many readers, the success of The Lies She Told has opened so many doors – including the one that led me to my amazing agent, Jade. After signing with Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency in April 2022, l finished writing my second book and have now embarked on the traditional submission journey to publication.

Hopefully, I haven’t bored you too much and you’ll keep reading as I continue to post. I plan to answer questions that I’m often asked, and more than likely overshare WAY too much.

I am incredibly grateful and can’t thank everyone enough for supporting me on this journey. I look forward to spilling the tea about writing, publishing, life in general and of course, some other nonsense.

Thanks for reading!

Paula x