About JE Johnson

I didn’t set out to become a writer — I just couldn’t stop dreaming.

For over a decade, I had vivid dreams about people and professions that didn’t yet exist in my life. Before I had a single plot line, I already had the title: With Wine Comes Wisdom. I didn’t know what it meant, only that it mattered. I grew up loving stories, scribbling thoughts as a way to escape. But when you fail English — twice — becoming an author doesn’t exactly feel like a realistic dream.

Then one day, at the age of 48, I woke up and started writing. The words poured out, and the first book in the With Wine series was finished in just three weeks. The second took four. The third would’ve followed just as quickly, but life had other plans. I was editing, publishing, marketing — and quietly watching my relationship fall apart. I left everything behind in Cincinnati and moved ten hours south to Mississippi, starting over with nothing but a laptop and the stories in my head.

At first, I thought these books were just entertainment. But after publishing the third, I realized something much deeper: these characters were healing... and so was I.

The With Wine series turned out to be a reflection of 40 years of buried trauma — my own and what I witnessed in my family. Writing these books became an obsession, not because I wanted to become an author, but because I had no choice. The stories were loud, insistent, and healing. As my characters faced their pain, I began to face mine. And somehow, by the end of it, I found peace.

Now I spend my days dreaming up more stories, spending time with my kids and grandkids, and spoiling my fierce Belgian Malinois, Athena. My mind hasn’t stopped imagining new characters, new love stories, and new second chances. And if you’re reading this — maybe it’s because you believe in those things too.

I hope my stories remind you: hang in there. It really does get better.
And sometimes, healing starts with a single page... and a glass of wine.