Waitin' on Paige: Q&A with Mary Pat Johns + Giveaway

 

 

About the Book

Book: Waitin’ On Paige (Romance in Valiant Book Four)

Author: Mary Pat Johns

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: July 8, 2025

All he wants is to reclaim her love…

Tavo Morales has returned to Valiant, Texas, to stir the embers of a relationship with the woman he has never stopped loving, but hidden reefs from his past threaten to destroy his future. Paige Munoz wants her new event planning business to be a success and won’t let anything stand in her way. But the path she’s on to make her dreams come true proves dangerous. Is the love Tavo and Paige once shared strong enough to survive his secrets and her stubbornness?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Mary Pat Johns’ writing career began once she retired from teaching speech and writing. She has written devotions for an online publication, had short stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul, and wrote a column for the Victoria Advocate, a local newspaper.

Countin’ On Jesse, her first novel debuted in 2023, and books 2 & 3 of the Valiant series, Lovin’ On Red and Glitter and the Grouch released in 2024. God put it in her heart to tell stories of brave veterans and their reintegration into civilian life after suffering the traumas of war.

She writes Christian romance because when we see life through the hope of Christ’s sacrifice, we find that happily ever after is God’s idea.

 

More from Mary Pat

The ending of a series is always bittersweet. I will miss the characters, but I remind myself they are in a good place. Kind of like my grown children. They have their own lives to live, and I’m not as “hands-on” as I was during their formative years. If you weren’t around for the beginning of this series, no worries. Each book tells its own story. In the meantime, stay tuned. I have other stories to write. That said, I probably won’t wander too far from Valiant—the strong, safe place where it all began.

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books? 

I try to keep my books lighthearted while simultaneously tackling tough issues with sensitivity.   

 Can you share 5 random facts about this book? 

I wasn’t sure I could finish this book. At first, I wasn’t relating to the characters. Once we were all on board, the plot unfolded excruciatingly slow.     

One of the major themes of the book came as a complete surprise. My knowledge of it grew incrementally, as if I were reading the book for the first time. 

I despised the character of Ed Clarkston and had to reach deep to make him somewhat likeable.  

The character of Homeless Sue was the same person who skinnydipped in the Peeps’ pool in Book 1, Countin’ On Jesse. 

My husband provided the inspiration for Tavo’s unique singing voice.  

Our county sheriff’s department has two sets of twins on staff. One set is fraternal; the other set is identical. (Yes, truth can be stranger than fiction.) Both sets provided the inspiration for the twins in the story.   

What was the most challenging part of bringing this book to life? 

I had a tough time figuring out Paige’s motivation to prolong the relationship with Ed Clarkston. Yes, she wants to help her mom, but he is such a slimeball! Finally, when I made the connection between Ed’s chameleon-like ways and the mysterious aura she associated with her father, it helped me understand there was a powerful undercurrent (like an undertow) operating from within. It pushed her into decisions she wouldn’t normally make.           

What do you hope readers will take away from the book? 

Second chances are God’s idea. He’s the one who makes a way when we turn to him in sincerity and submission.   

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next? 

My newsletter is the best place to find my latest book news. It’s a once a month, short, sweet offering about book news, a great giveaway, and tidbits about my family. Sign up today and receive a free download, “Longin’ For Valiant.” It’s a short backstory about the main characters in Countin’ On Jesse and Lovin’ On Red, Books 1 & 2 of my Valiant series.    

https://prnt.sc/P_ZMgoPwSSYd 

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 22

Simple Harvest Reads, July 23 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, July 23

Leslie’s Library Escape, July 24

Artistic Nobody, July 25 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 26

Guild Master, July 27 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, July 28

Fiction Book Lover, July 29 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 30

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, July 31 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, July 31

Cover Lover Book Review, August 1

A Reader’s Brain, August 2 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys , August 3

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 4 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Mary Pat is giving away the grand prize of signed copies of the four book in the series!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway