Local author's first novel features prized pup
Liz Johnson needed a little help from a friend to write her first novel, and she repaid the favor with an unusual tribute.
Johnson told Kelly Blewett about the story rolling around in her head — the pair worked in the publicity department of the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a Christian publisher based in Colorado Springs — but bemoaned the fact she would never get around to finishing it.
Blewett wasn’t having it. She pushed her friend to create a calendar for exactly when she would write. Then, Blewett kept asking her friend if she had met her goals.
“I just got tired of saying ‘no,’” Johnson said. “I’m definitely an undisciplined writer. But I hated letting her down, so I wanted to make sure I could say ‘yes’ to her.”
Three months later, the rough draft was done. And Tuesday, Johnson’s book “The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn,” will be published. It is a Christian romance that was picked up by Steeple Hill books, a leader in that niche.
“It was so exciting to see that dream of hers coming true,” Blewett said. “I’m just glad I could be part of it.”
Blewett isn’t the only member of her family who is part of it. Toward the end of the novel, a furry character is introduced — Henry the bichon frise — and he comforts the “sweet and spicy” redheaded protagonist. Henry, it turns out, is Blewett’s beloved dog, the same creature that comforted her while her husband was deployed in Iraq.
“I didn’t have it planned at all that he was going to be part of the story,” Johnson said. “But I wanted to do something for Kelly and I know how much Henry means to her. It was a way to honor Kelly, who has been a really good friend to me.”
Book Signing
Liz Johnson signs “The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn”
When: 1-3 p.m. Aug. 15
Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 1565 Briargate Blvd., 266-9960
