Happy Thursday, friend! Welcome to an interview with author Faith Johnson about her latest novel, Perception. Let’s welcome Faith and learn more about this YA Fantasy!
Get to know the author: Faith Johnson
Hi Faith! Welcome back to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
I’m an eighteen-year-old college student born with cerebral palsy. My favorite genres to read and write are fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. I published my debut fantasy romance novel, Perception, in May of this year, and I’m excited to see the difference it will make in the world.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’m a wheelchair user and am also on the autism spectrum. I was confident in my disability as a child. However, once I reached middle school, people began to see me differently, and as I noticed the way they ignored me whenever I tried to speak to them, my self-view turned negative. I suddenly felt the need to prove my worth. Once the pandemic shortened my eighth-grade year and I found myself going off to high school, I saw it as a fresh opportunity to show the world who I could be. By the beginning of junior year, everyone knew I wanted to be a neurologist—everyone except me. The real me wanted to write stories. The real me wanted to explore Latin America. The real me wanted to build a loving, happy family.
Towards the end of junior year, I ditched the doctor idea, and put all my attention on writing Perception. I finally realized there was no point in suppressing what brought me joy, because people would always see I had a disability. People were going to choose how they wanted to see me no matter what I did. And I had to make that choice. I chose positivity, even though it’s still a process, and that’s when Perception entered its final form. I wanted to show people like me how to accept themselves.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
I first began writing Perception in the second semester of my freshman year of high school. I didn’t even have a theme for it back then. I was just writing to quench my thirst for romance. But once I decided it deserved to be published, it took a series of dead ends and rewrites to bring it to fruition. I managed to get it on Amazon just weeks before graduation.
What makes your story unique?
I would say it blends the real-life struggles of being a teenager in the 21st century with a complex fantasy world and a sweet romance. It pulls you from reality, but makes you think about life at the same time.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
People who enjoy magical realism and clean, healthy romances, and are struggling to find both of these at the same time. As someone who used to be an avid Twilight fan, it’s safe to say that it’s more than time to write a fantasy romance where the teenage main character isn’t forced to choose between the lesser of two toxic men.
Did you bring any of your experiences into this book?
Yes, I’ve split my experiences(good and bad) between important characters. For example, Amanda(the female main character), reflects my ongoing struggle with anxiety.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
I hope people realize that everyone has a gift inside of them, and that all they have to do is look for it, just like I did.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
I can’t get over the first kiss. It’s so good that sometimes I just wish I could go inside the book and take Amanda’s place. I want Rodrigo for myself.
Perception is the first book in The Perception Saga. Tell me more about the series.
The series will follow Amanda and Rodrigo’s four years of high school(and maybe beyond, I haven’t decided yet). It will chronicle Amanda’s struggle with controlling and accepting her new powers while external threats against her species develop. Both Amanda and Rodrigo will have many hurdles to overcome internally and in their relationships throughout the series.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
I have to have discipline if I really want to get something done. This is easier said than done.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Figure out what the end of the book will be before you write.
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
You can find me on Instagram and Facebook.
Perception
Young Adult Fantasy, 2024
The first two months of high school for Amanda Thompson have turned out to be an absolute nightmare. Her boyfriend left her for her worst enemy during the homecoming dance. There’s a growing rift between the four people she loves most. She faces constant harassment each day she sets foot in Eastland High, and there’s nothing she can do about it. Girls who stand up for themselves won’t get into Ivy League schools.
But when Amanda finds out she has a dangerous magical power, things get a whole lot worse. There’s no one to turn to, except for Eastland’s new student, Rodrigo Mendoza. He’s violent, impulsive, and doesn’t care about anything. He’s made it his mission to drop out of high school and will stop at nothing to get there. He’s the kind of boy Amanda must stay away from at all costs.
The magic is destructive. Strong enough to end civilizations. And it rests in the hands of a girl who’s on the verge of collapse.
Content notes
TW: Mentions of bullying, chronic illness, anxiety, and divorce
Book Excerpt from
Perception
She flew into the wall. A dark blue substance poured from my hands and consumed everything around it. The lights flickered and lockers popped open.
I clenched my fists, but the energy didn’t stop flowing. The power thickened and the light became blinding. The lockers’ rattle intensified, and the ground rolled.
The disgruntled cries of the crowd, though faint over the energy’s thunderous booms, sent me spiraling into even more of a panic. I was killing people. And, I couldn’t stop.
A golden light shot back at me, slowly overpowering the endless substance. I dropped to my knees, unable to withstand the force of it.
The power shining through my hands thinned and darkened, retreating just as quickly as it came.
But, now that the thunder was gone, I could hear the screams. I couldn’t look up at whoever was letting out that call of agony. I didn’t want to see the damage I had done.
“Rodri!” I heard his brother call.
The guilt and fear that was already in my soul went up a notch. One of my friends was dying, and I did it.
The longer he screamed like that, the more I wanted to die. I wanted the power to come back. I wanted the power to make something fall on me. If I was dead, I wouldn’t have to face this.
He finally stopped screaming. I forced myself to look at him, alarmed, expecting to find a pale corpse.
His brother helped him sit up. He turned toward the direction of the cafeteria, and I heard a sound come from it once again. Leah, despite being thrown around, limped back into the cafeteria without saying a word. Isabella and Candace followed her as if nothing happened. Not a drop of shock was in their expressions.
“Estoy bien,” he said, his voice still marred by pain.
“No,” Ramiro pressed as he stood up.
“I have to,” Rodrigo said.
He drew closer to me. I wanted to move away from him, but my brain was too busy dealing with this blow to act on it. I didn’t know how I could even remember to breathe at this point.
“You shouldn’t be near me,” I choked out.
“It’s okay, you won’t kill me,” he reassured me.
“I don’t understand. Why did this happen?” I asked.
“You lost control of your power,” he said.
“That’s impossible. I didn’t even know I had one,” I remarked.
His brother stood behind him, keeping a close eye on me as if I were some kind of monster. And, judging by the open lockers on the wall, I was.
“I’m fine, Rama, you can go now,” he said.
Ramiro hesitated but walked into the great abyss that was the cafeteria.
I thought back to what I had seen the Monday before the teacher’s convention. I remembered what it felt like to be pinned against the table, inches from death. I could still hear the mass panic in the room. I could still visualize, with perfect precision, my fellow freshmen, leaping on tables and shielding themselves from the storm of electricity. There was no way I could live with myself if I caused that.
“I can’t do this, I almost killed everyone, it’s too hard,” I breathed, the burn returning just as panic overtook my confusion.
“But, you didn’t, the only thing messed up is a hallway worth of lockers,” he said, his voice taking on a soothing layer I had never heard before.
“But what if there were people around? It’s gonna happen again, I have to leave before it happens again,” I cried, “all of them in there know. Leah knows.”
“I erased it from their memories. They won’t know anything about it,” he insisted.
“That’s today. What about tomorrow and next week? What if I keep doing it? I can’t live with this, I’ll destroy everything, I can’t be here anymore,” I said, my breaths growing more uneven as I felt the burn come back again.
Rodrigo grabbed my hand. I looked into his soft eyes. There was a slight touch of pity in them, but they were also full of hope, something he didn’t seem to have much of.
“You don’t have to go anywhere. Leaving isn’t gonna help. I wish the last girl would’ve stayed. I would have tried to help her,” he said, “it can be controlled. You can learn to live a good life with it.”
“How do you control it, then?” I asked, still wondering how that was possible.
“You learn, you train, you get used to it, you find techniques. But the good news is, you have me, and I’m gonna teach you everything,” he vowed, “Thanksgiving break is coming up. We can start over the weekend.”
The burn in my hands fizzled out, and the panic in my chest was replaced with a powerful sense of trust.
“So, what brought you to this point?” he asked, his tone gaining back some more of that familiar sting.
I chuckled, but the laugh sounded crazed. “I have a feeling you already know.”
“Yes, but I’m waiting for you to give me some words so I can deal with it,” he said, a mischievous smile on his face appearing even behind his exhausted features.
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