Jane Johnson – author

Terrific two-page article by journalist Fleur Britten in this weekend’s Sunday Times Style magazine: What it feels like to marry a Berber. AFTER MEETING A HANDSOME MOROCCAN ON A CLIMBING TRIP, PUBLISHER AND NOVELIST JANE JOHNSON LEFT LONDON AND HER DESK JOB FOR HIS TINY VILLAGE IN THE MOUNTAINS…
Funny reading about yourself in someone else’s words, yet as if you are the one speaking! And a bit of dramatic licence… But a good article all the same, and lots of people talking about it.

‘It comes as no surprise to discover that parts of THE SALT ROAD are based on the author’s own experience of ditching her fast-paced London life to settle in Morocco. In fact, Johnson’s descriptions are so evocative, it’s hard to believe that some of the book is actually fiction. The plot follows disillusioned accountant Isabelle as she travels to Morocco after finding an intriguing amulet among her late father’s possessions. Her story is interlaced with that of another woman who has travelled across the Sahara – taking the reader on a magical Moroccan adventure, where the desert holds the key to more mysteries than just the amulet. Unputdownable.’ 5-stars
SHE MAGAZINE – September issue

Nice to be picked out as Book of the Month above Philippa Gregory and Nicholas Evans!

Two great 5 star reviews from early readers at Waterstone’s and on the Spinebreakers sites:

‘I am absolutely lost for words because this book is simply scintillating. The adventure was enthralling and the plot was incredibly intriguing. I was astonished at the end of the book, my mouth hanging out in shock- no joke. You can guess a million times the outcome of the book but I never in the least saw it coming…and I’m not easily surprised in books. So this was a major shock but what a spectacular ending… I guarantee all historical romance lovers will enjoy this as I certainly did.’ Juwi

‘This book taught me a lot about the ethnic background of [the Tuareg] people and the danger they face, with corrupt governments etc. It has enlightened me about Islamic religion, which I didn’t know much about before. Overall, this is now one of my favourite books and I award it five stars! I recommend it to anyone who loves to read and to people who are just curious about books, because once they read this one they will be hooked line and sinker!’
Nicolle

We’re one month out from publication, and I can only hope other readers will enjoy the book as much as these two have.

I’ll be appearing at the first Penzance Literary Festival next month along with a dozen other local authors, including Patrick Gale, Emily Barr and Michelle Cartlidge. If you’re in Cornwall come and hear ‘Stranger than Fiction: Writing historical and exotic novels’ on Friday 20th August from 4pm-5.30pm at The Exchange, top of Chapel Street, Penzance, where I’ll be talking about my strange and wonderful life, writing in Morocco and reading from THE SALT ROAD, which goes on sale the following week.

I’ve just set up a Facebook page for THE SALT ROAD. Please do visit and give it the thumbs up if you like it.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/The-Salt-Road/144049385609573

‘For thousands of years Tuareg tribespeople have defied the pull of civilisation and roamed the vast and inhospitable Sahara desert with their animals. Yet now the drought that has left seven million people in Niger needing food aid is blighting Tuareg nomads too. With water holes drying up and animals dying many Tuaregs are turning their backs on the desert and heading for cities in the region, perhaps never to return…’

Mike Thomson, BBC Today programme July 3 2010

THE SALT ROAD is proving to be very topical. There was an interesting, though short, report on the plight of Tuareg tribespeople suffering from the effects of drought, but there’s more on the BBC website. To read more on the subject and see their photos, click here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8764000/8764830.stm

Here is the lovely cover for Luitingh-Sijthoff’s edition, due out in August.

Draft cover for Spring 2011: lovely, isn’t it?

Here are the beautiful covers for the Longanesi paperback of The Tenth Gift and the strikingly unusual cover for The Salt Road (poetically retitled Rain Falling on Dunes).