Adventure into reading
By AMY HANSEN CNA staff reporter ahansen@crestonnews.com
When Joy (Millard) Johnson, 71, of Omaha, Neb., was younger and had troubles, she said she would fantasize about taking off around the world with no forwarding address. None of her problems would ever be able to find her.
This is the main concept for Johnson’s first novel, “The BOOB Girls: The Burned Out Old Broads at Table 12.”
“I think most women say, ‘I wish I could just get away,’” Johnson said.
The novel is a comedy mystery about four retired widows from Omaha who go adventuring and leave no contact information. Along the way, hijinks happen when they find a body, catch a killer and close down a sleazy porn shop.
“It’s a fun, quick-read novel,” Johnson said.
Johnson, who graduated from Creston High School in 1956, will be doing a book signing 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at The Bookstore, 210 N. Maple St.
Johnson has already done seven book signings throughout the Omaha area and said she is excited to come back to Creston.
“I’m doing Creston because it’s my hometown,” Johnson said.
Johnson worked at the Creston News Advertiser in display advertising from 1955 to 1957.
Johnson’s Bernese mountain dog Barney, who is pictured with Johnson on the back cover of her novel, will be at the signing.
Johnson said even though Barney is “120 pounds of love,” he’s good with children and loves to be petted.
Jim Stalker, owner of The Bookstore, is excited to host Barker.
“Every time you have an author come, it increases the opportunity to find new people, sell books and increase reading,” Stalker said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
This may be Johnson’s first novel, but she has a lot of experience with editing and writing. With her husband, Dr. Marvin Johnson, she co-founded the Centering Corporation, North America’s oldest and largest bereavement resource center, and Ted E Bear Hollow, Omaha’s center for grieving children.
Johnson has written and edited more than сто books on grief and are mostly for children to use.
Johnson said she has been pleasantly surprised at how well the book has been selling and is excited to share her story in Creston.
“It’s laugh-out-loud funny,” Johnson said. “One reviewer called it Nancy Drew for seasoned women, another called it the golden girls on steroids.”
For more information on Johnson and her novel, go to http://griefillustrated.com/Home_Page_PWA6.html.
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