Johanna lives in Kelowna B.C., Canada, and Ajijic, Mexico, is an immigrant from The Netherlands (1982) and a Canadian citizen. When she started writing short stories in her late fifties, she was a child protection social worker, and discovered her love of writing. A few stories made the shortlist in contests (Glimmer Train, CBC/UBC Short Story Contest); a few stories were published locally. She self-published two novels, and completed two more novels, once of which has recently found a publisher.
Her first novel is a book-in-stories about life, and dating after fifty: On Thin Ice (2012). Johanna’s second novel Guardians’ Betrayal (2018) is a fictional story about fictional the adoption of older children, suitable for adults and mature new adult readers with an interest in family drama.
Johanne’s third novel (historical fiction) is set in The Netherlands during World War II about a young chief of police under German occupation, inspired by true events in her parents’ lives. It is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2021 with American publisher Histria Books under the title Between A Rock And A Hard Place.
A fourth novel is a murder mystery set in a small town in Canada, titled Murder In The Strata, written and long-listed for the Three-Day-Novel Writing contest in BC.
Johanna is currently working on a historical novel inspired by her German-Slavic grandmother, who lived through two World Wars in Germany and in The Netherlands.
Johanna is active on social media and she maintains a blog.