Goodreads asked Merida Johns:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Merida Johns When I started writing fiction, I took two pieces of advice before pounding the keyboard—write about what you know and know what you write. Blackhorse Road blossoms from my imagination but is influenced by my experience and observations--that's writing about what I know.

But my fiction is enriched by the backstories that set the context for the characters and events in the story—historical incidents, politics, economics, philosophy, religion, and psychology that influence the values of the characters and ultimately the consequences of their actions. I uncover these backstories from usual fact-checking and readily available historical references to know about what I write. The sources that I like best to enhance the palette of my stories are diaries and letters. These provide a personal perspective to the context that help form a relationship with the reader--that's knowing about what I write.

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