Regina author Margot Johnson has chosen Moose Jaw as the setting of her debut novel, Love Takes Flight, which will be released on July 10 — and she promises there will be some recognizable locale for Moose Javians.
Love Takes Flight is about a jet pilot enlisted at the base and a local dog kennel owner, who cross paths due to their respective furry companions.
“They both have some secrets and some challenges in their past, which sort of get in the way of a relationship at first, but the story is about how they work their way through things,” said Johnson.
The novel, of course, focuses on the romance between the two main characters but their dogs also play a key role as well — and they happen to be modeled after Johnson’s own dogs, which is not the only piece of the book that takes after real life.
Set in the Friendly City, Johnson features some recognizable attractions as the characters get out and about together — a choice she made because she thought it would be interesting to see a book set someplace close to home, for once.
“I liked the idea of highlighting Saskatchewan,” said Johnson. “I thought Moose Jaw would really work well for that.”
Moose Jaw lends itself perfectly to the characters and the feeling Johnson wanted her story to exude: a smaller city with a warm, hometown nature that is conveniently close to an airbase.
Partnering with a New York-based publisher called Wild Rose Press, Johnson found that there was interest in her choice of setting, as not many novelists choose small-city Saskatchewan to feature.
The debut of this novel is the culmination of a lot of hard work for Johnson, and she is very excited to see it happen.
“It was definitely one of my dreams to have a published novel,” said Johnson. "There's a lot in it that is just kind of fun to read and it's a feel-good story."
One of the themes in the story is following your dreams, so Johnson hopes that between her characters and herself, the story of Love Takes Flight inspires readers to also pursue their dreams.
“There's a lot in it that is just kind of fun to read and it's a feel-good story,” she added.
Johnson is continuing to write, with two more novels already in the works, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. No sequels for Love Takes Flight are planned as of yet, she admits.
Currently, Love Takes Flight is available on Amazon — as a pre-order until the official release date, which is July 10. Both paperback and e-reader versions are available.
