About Johanna
A shy girl from a small town in New Zealand that never quite seemed to fit in, Johanna had more imagination than she knew what to do with. She learned to immerse herself in a good book at a very young age. Not good at sports, and an only child for the first eight years of her life, Johanna started concocting stories and dreaming up whole new worlds to while away the hours.
She drove her family to distraction with crazy accents, showing such animation about her characters they worried she had imaginary friends. Little did they know, it was all a carefully contrived plot she was acting out, testing viability for certain situations, to see what sounded believable.
After secondary school, Johanna trained as a fashion designer and worked in the industry for several years. Now married with three children, Johanna decided to share her love for fantasy, romance and the paranormal. She made it her goal to get published and tell her stories to others. It has been a challenge to juggle her writing with the commitments of her family, but Johanna achieved that goal with her first publication in 2011.
Her first short story, Hunted, was published with XOXO Publishing in Allison Cassatta’s_collection, titled Evernight. She also published in the collection's sequel, Evernight vol 2. Unfortunately both these volumes have since become unavailable, but Johanna has republished these stories in the Storm in a Teacup novella series.
Johanna's debut novel was book one in a paranormal romance series, set in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region. It remains her most popular work, with book six due out in late 2025. She has written several other books within the magical realism spectrum, including paranormal romance, urban fantasy, urban fantasy romance, and fantasy romance. Under her pen name Waverly Wynter, Johanna also writes sweet romance.
There is a common theme when you read Johanna's stories. Underdogs and outcasts form a 'chosen family' - people with something to prove or overcome, who will stop at nothing to protect their own. You'll also be knee-deep in suspense, plot twists, witty banter and plenty of humor. Don't forget the romance... You're not going to want to miss that! Until then, there is coffee to be had.
