What is the title of your latest release?
WHERE WILTED FLOWERS BLOOM
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A young mom and native New Yorker moves to Nashville with a grief so heavy she can hardly breathe most days. She quickly befriends her elderly, widowed next-door neighbor who teaches her everything from how to drive a car to where to find hope and peace amidst loss.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I chose East Nashville because it’s where I was living when I got the idea for the book.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely. I’d give her a big hug, offer to buy her a coffee and bring my kids over for a playdate while we talked in the backyard.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Resilient, fighter, mother.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that roses have prickles, not thorns, and those prickles are there for a reason! They prevent animals from eating the flowers so that we can enjoy them instead.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I definitely edit as I draft. I couldn’t wait until I was totally done to do so! Not only does that feel restrictive, but I get ideas as I write. So, if I want to add/change/remove something, I just go ahead and do so before I forget.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Homemade cinnamon rolls!
Describe your writing space/office!
My writing space looks like wherever my kids are not. As a mom of three little kids, almost four, I have to get creative. Sometimes I get to write in my home office which has a beautiful desk and tall bookshelves full of my favorite books. But more often than not, I’m writing at the local library, a coffee shop, my mother-in-law’s house, the YMCA… you get the picture.
Who is an author you admire?
Jan Karon. I love that she left a thriving career (I think in marketing?) to pursue Christian fiction. Even when people told her no one would buy her clean, inspirational fiction, she pursued her dream anyway and became a huge success. I also just adore her Mitford book series!
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by Isabelle Allende helped me understand the kind of books I wanted to write. After reading that book, I remember thinking, this is MY kind of book. A story that spans generations. That follows different family members. That highlights the dysfunction present in every family and how it impacts each person differently. I knew then that if I ever wrote a book (I didn’t know then that I would get that opportunity years later) I’d want it to be about relationships… but not romantic ones. Instead, they’d follow authentic friendships and families that readers could relate to.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
When I got the call that my debut had an offer from a publishing house (three years ago), I was at the YMCA. At the time, I had a 20-month-old son and was one day away from giving birth to my daughter – my second born. Yes, you read that right. The day after signing my very first publishing contract, I gave birth to my girl. I spent a lot of time at the YMCA in those days simply looking for a little break. I’d drop off my son in their childcare center while I took a breather at their cafe (because I was very, very pregnant in the middle of summer). It was there that I got call from my literary agent informing me that we had an offer on my manuscript! It was truly a dream come true.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love both historical and contemporary women’s fiction. Not so much romance, though! I always look for them to be clean reads as well.
What’s your favorite movie?
Legally Blonde haha
What is your favorite season?
Fall! I love the transition from Summer to Fall and settling into the colder months.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With my family and friends. Last year, I decided that adults needed birthday parties too (because I put a lot of time and effort into throwing each of my children a birthday party every year). So, I threw myself a birthday party in my backyard with Chick-Fil-A catering, ice cream sandwiches stacked into the shape of a cake (because I’m not a huge fan of cake), a bounce house, and all my favorite people.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
The new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie on Netflix. Love it!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mediterranean. The food always feels fresh, flavorful, and healthy.
What do you do when you have free time?
Walk around Homegoods (without kids, of course)
What can readers expect from you next?
Hopefully more books centered around families and friendships… and maybe even a series!
WHERE WILTED FLOWERS BLOOM by Johanna Rojas Vann
A Novel
From the multi-award-winning author of An American Immigrant comes the story of a woman walking through paralyzing grief and the unlikely friendship that might unlock a path to healing.
When Sandra and her family move from New York City to East Nashville for her husband’s job, she is hopeful for a fresh start. While she will deeply miss her tight-knit family and thriving career, she is desperate to leave behind the city that holds her greatest loss.
But Sandra quickly learns that moving into a new home she designed and having the freedom to be a stay-at-home mom for the first time is not what she thought it would be. Sorrow still follows her, and no new place can fix it.
When she meets her next-door neighbor, Mark, who is an elderly, widowed, retired pastor, an unlikely friendship quickly forms. His humor, spiritual wisdom, and affinity for gardening—a skill he was forced to learn when his wife passed away—brings a welcome distraction from Sandra’s suffocating grief, giving her hope for the first time since her tragic loss. Will this friendship be just what she needs to heal her broken heart? Or will unexpected news leave Sandra with even more heartache?
Christian Romance [ Independently Published, On Sale: August 25, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593603161 / eISBN: 9780593603178 ]
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About Johanna Rojas Vann
Johanna Rojas Vann is a professional writer whose work can be found online and within numerous publications. She is a second-generation Colombian American, with dual citizenship, and lives with her husband and children in Nashville, Tennessee.
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