Never Say Never

About the Book

Forgiving is one thing, but forgetting is a whole other story. How can Amina move forward when memories of the past haunt her into submission? How can she make peace with the demons of the past when present demons are a constant reminder of her struggles and weaknesses? How can she improve if she constantly doubts that anything will ever change? Amina makes one mistake after another and does things she never thought she would do. Daily living becomes a struggle when she questions her sanity and loses control. Are the men in her life worth all the trouble?

About the Author

Amy R. Johnson was born and raised in El Dorado, Arkansas. The only girl in a family of six, Amy was raised by her divorced mother in an impoverished neighborhood of public housing. She describes her childhood as a “difficult” yet memorable time when the “it takes a village” philosophy was still very much accepted and enforced. “I have fond memories of growing up with my grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins and neighborhood friends all looking out for each other and taking care of each other. We were a huge extended family.” However, seeming to follow the cycle of her parents, Amy married and divorced at a young age, but considers herself blessed to have lived through the experience. Learning from numerous mistakes of her youth, she started over, leaving the past and her embarrassing mistakes behind. At age 23, she began her journey with Christ, was baptized and began attending Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church. She remarried and has been married to her husband for the past fifteen years. Encouraged by her husband and family, she returned to graduate school in 2003 to pursue a degree in education. She received a Master of Education degree at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. Currently, she resides in Plano, Texas with her husband and two sons. Always passionate about teaching, learning, and helping others, she teaches high school English, and has coached middle school girls basketball and volleyball, sponsored an after school book club, a program for at risk youth and a step team. She loves reading, writing and spending time with family and friends. Additionally, she enjoys attending her sons’ basketball and football games. “My purposes for writing are to shine a ‘soft and empathetic’ light on painful life experiences, provide hope, laughter, joy and promote a ‘love affair’ with literacy. “If my words can help someone laugh, love, or learn, then I feel like I have contributed something awesome to the world and hopefully my legacy will live on for many generations.” Never Say Never is the second book in the series about the fictional character Amina Jefferson. “So many people have asked if I based the character on myself and my life experiences. The answer remains yes, no and maybe. Amina is me, you, your mother, your sister, your daughter, your aunt, your cousin, your niece, your co-worker, your best friend, the woman you can’t stand, the women that you speak to everyday and the strangers that you pass by without a second thought. There’s a part of her in every woman. I hope you enjoy her stories.” Publisher note - I would like this bio on the last page or so of the book.