Spotlight & Giveaway: The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jaleigh Johnson to HJ!

Hi Jaleigh and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Reimagining of Thornwood House!

Hi there! I’m so excited to talk about THE REIMAGINING OF THORNWOOD HOUSE!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

When land witch Evie Sharpe and her adopted daughter Ruby move to Iskendra to be caretakers of Thornwood house, they discover a grumpy, grieving, damaged structure that won’t let them in. They’ll need all their love and magic to reimagine Thornwood house into the home they’ve always longed for.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

One of my favorite quotes in the book comes from a character who is speaking about Thornwood house and the challenges of becoming a caretaker for it, but it’s special to me because it speaks to one of the broader themes of the book, which is that sometimes things happen that require you to reimagine your own life and who you’re going to be.

“You don’t renovate a house that’s been through what it has, that can feel what it does, any more than you’d renovate a life that’s suffered a great loss. You nurture it, allow it to grieve, and, when it’s ready, help it to reimagine itself and what it’s going to be moving forward. It won’t be the same as it was, but it can still be something amazing.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Fun fact, the romance in the book is a bit of a love letter to my husband. We’ve been married going on nineteen years now, and even though we’re very different from the characters of Evie and Gil, the sense of safety and trust that develops between them is a reflection of our own relationship.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Oh, I really want to deep dive into this, but I also don’t want to give away any spoilers! Let’s just say, Gil is first attracted to Evie because she finds something he’s lost, something that’s very important to him. And Evie is first attracted to Gil when she sees how much he cares about that something. Clear as mud, right?

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

There’s a scene between Evie and Gil that had me both laughing and blushing. Again, without giving too many spoilers, Gil accidentally sneaks up on Evie, and she reacts instinctively with her magic, tying him to a tree with vines. Here’s a snippet:

Gil chuckled, drawing Evie from her thoughts. “Well, Cinda was right,” he said. “You are not a person to be crossed.”
Evie smiled in exasperation. “I’m not that scary.”
“I beg to differ.” He flexed his arms, but the vines held him fast. “Um, do you think you could . . .”
“Of course! I’m so sorry!”
Evie stepped up to him, taking hold of one of the imprisoning vines. This close, Gil smelled like soap and the summer night, and there was a pleasant warmth radiating from his skin. Evie wondered—possibly too late—if this was a good idea. But it was her power that had tied Gil up. Only she could undo it.
Gently, she coaxed the magic flowing through the vine to release its hold. The green strand went limp in her grasp, but it and several others were still wound securely around Gil’s arms and torso, so Evie began the slow process of untangling them.

Aaaand you’ll have to read the book if you want the rest of the scene! (Trust me, you want the rest of that scene).

Readers should read this book….

…if they like cozy, cottagecore fantasy with a bit of romance, a strong mother-daughter bond, and lots and lots of magic.
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

Currently, I’m working on another cozy fantasy novel, but I can’t say much more than that right now!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One copy of THE REIMAGINING OF THORNWOOD HOUSE for a U. S. only winner.

To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials (FB, Twitter/Instagram) and Leave a comment to this Q: If you had the chance to run off to the woods and live in a sentient house, would you take it, and why?

This giveaway closes 3 days from the date of this post.

Excerpt from The Reimagining of Thornwood House:

THE REIMAGINING OF THORNWOOD HOUSE by Jaleigh Johnson
Ace Hardcover | On sale June 9, 2026
Excerpt

Mr. Tansling shuffled some papers and glanced over at Evie with a smile that was probably intended to be kind, except it looked like he’d practiced the expression by studying a wax doll.

“I’m sure you and Miss Keeler are anxious to have this matter resolved,” he said. “While it’s true that you’ve assuaged some of my concerns regarding your fitness to adopt Miss Keeler, I’m afraid there are certain doubts that remain.”

“Oh?” Evie felt a flush creep up her neck, but she forced herself to ignore his patronizing tone and spoke with all the politeness she could summon. “I wonder that there can be any doubts about my capabilities. Ruby came into my care when she was seven years old. She’s eleven now, and has become a capable farseer witch under my tutelage-”

Mr. Tansling raised his hand to stop her, that facsimile of a smile still fixed in place. “Rest assured, all that has been taken into consideration.” He cleared his throat. “Forgive me for stating the matter bluntly, but being her teacher is not the same as being her parent. Your inexperience in that area is one of my concerns, and, as Mr. Cinton pointed out, going behind the committee’s back and applying for a position outside the ECRA’s jurisdiction hardly does you credit. It points to a lack of maturity, which isn’t surprising, given that you’re only twenty-five years old.”

“I didn’t go behind anyone’s back-” Evie cut herself off. Her voice had risen in frustration, causing Mr. Tansling’s brow to arch.

And just like that, she was losing control of the conversation. Were they really going to deny her this, after everything she’d given the ECRA? She hadn’t been considered too young to risk her life for the agency, and she’d done so countless times over the last seven years. She’d earned pebble-like scars along her collarbone from hurricane debris, walked through forest fire smoke as black as her hair, and broken more bones than she cared to count. Even if they never acknowledged it, she knew she was one of the best earthwalkers they had.

She’d never asked for a single thing from them in return, until now.

“In addition”-Mr. Cinton again waved the letter from the mayor of Iskendra-“it sounds as if this position as caretaker is a tenuous offer at best. Ms. Cartwright admits in her correspondence that the house has rejected all previous applicants.” He sniffed. “What makes you believe you will succeed where others have failed?”

Evie met his gaze. In this, at least, she could summon confidence. “I may be inexperienced as a parent”-four years, I’ve cared for Ruby, raising her as my own-“but my record as a land witch and an earthwalker in the ECRA is exemplary, and I possess all the traits Ms. Cartwright spoke of as necessary to restore Thornwood house.” She raised an eyebrow. “Am I wrong in that assessment?”

“You are not,” Mrs. Shields acknowledged. “The committee has taken that into consideration as well, and we have decided to put forth this compromise.” She glanced at the other members, who nodded for her to continue, though Cinton seemed as if he would have liked to keep on lecturing Evie. “We will grant you leave to pursue the position in Iskendra on a trial basis for the next four months. If you are accepted as caretaker, the leave will become permanent, and we will release you from your contract.”

Evie held her breath. It sounded too good to be true. “And the adoption?” she pressed.

Mr. Cinton and Mr. Tansling shared a glance, but it was Cinton who spoke. “As advocate, Mr. Tansling will conduct a final interview with Miss Keeler before you leave. Provided the adoption is still what she wants, we will approve it, on the condition that you are accepted as caretaker of Thornwood house. However . . .”

Here it comes, Evie thought.

“If, for any reason, you are unable to secure the position of caretaker, you and Miss Keeler will return to the ECRA, where you will stay with the agency as an earthwalker, for the duration of your contract, without seeking employment elsewhere.”

Evie remained silent, turning the offer over in her mind. This was a gray area, and everyone here knew it. Not that it came as a shock to her. Gray areas were where the ECRA lived and breathed.

Technically, they were within their rights to summon Evie back if she wasn’t accepted as caretaker, but they didn’t have the authority to prevent her from seeking employment with a different organization that worked toward the preservation of magical resources.

No, this was all about control. Now that she’d found a loophole in her contract, the ECRA wanted to close it. They didn’t like surrendering power, and they didn’t want to lose one of their best earthwalkers, not to mention a farseer like Ruby.

That wasn’t the worst of it. If she and Ruby were forced to return, if Evie had to continue as an earthwalker, with all the dangers that job entailed, the committee would have the justification they needed to deny the adoption and separate them for good.

It was unimaginable. Evie knew if she let herself think about that outcome, it would destroy the facade of calm she’d built to face the committee.

Gray areas and a devil’s bargain-she should have expected nothing less from the ECRA.

But if she agreed to their terms and successfully became the caretaker . . .

Evie didn’t even have to consider it. If it meant that Ruby would be her daughter, forever and always, she’d promise the ECRA the moon, and then she’d find a way to get it for them.

In the end, what she was actually promising was going to be much easier-not to mention more pleasurable-to accomplish. She just had to become the caretaker to an aging sentient house, in a quiet little village, far from the ECRA’s influence. Cinda Cartwright had declared that all it would take was time, patience, and magical resources.

Evie had those in abundance. Compared to what she had faced being an earthwalker, this job would be a dream.

“I’ll do it,” she vowed.

Excerpted from The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson Copyright © 2026 by Jaleigh Johnson. Excerpted by permission of Ace. All rights reserved.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

A witch and her young ward discover a magical, walking house and learn the true meaning of home in this cozy, enchanting novel from New York Times bestselling author Jaleigh Johnson.

Evelyn Sharpe is accustomed to dealing with natural disasters as a land witch, but she longs for a life with a little less danger for her and her adopted daughter, Ruby. So when the opportunity to take over as Caretaker of Thornwood House—a sentient home that acts as the magical heart of the village of Iskendra—arises, it seems almost fated.

When they arrive in sunny Iskendra, Evie and Ruby find the house is nothing like what they expected: First of all, it has walked away from the address. Thornwood House is also grumpy, guarded, and extremely hesitant to allow the two witches through its doors.

Armed with gentle hearts and wild magic, Evie and Ruby begin to form tentative bonds with the house and the citizens of the small town. But there’s something deeply damaged about the building seeping into the forests surrounding Iskendra, and Evie will have to use all her power to protect the roots she’s started to grow.
 
 

Meet the Author:

Jaleigh Johnson lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest. Her middle grade debut novel, The Mark of the Dragonfly, is a New York Times bestseller. Her other books from Delacorte Press include The Secrets of Solace, The Quest to the Uncharted Lands, and The Door to the Lost. She has also written fiction for Dungeons & Dragons, Marvel, and Assassin’s Creed. Johnson is an avid gamer and lifelong geek.