Vickie Johnstone
Biography
Hi, I live in London and have a thing about fluffy cats. I work as a freelance sub-editor on business mags and editor/proofreader on books.
I love reading, writing, films, the sea, art, animals, nature and travelling.
In 2011, I self-published several books:
Kaleidoscope (March) - a gathering of 119 poems that I wrote over the years on a variety of themes and in different styles;
Travelling Light - a small, free book of poetry;
Kiwi in Cat City (April);
Kiwi and the Missing Magic (June);
Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (October).
The Kiwi Series is written for readers aged 9 up. They follow the adventures of a magical cat called Kiwi and her two human friends, Amy and James. With a flick of her tail, Kiwi magically changes the two children into kittens and takes them to her other home, Cat City, and to other new worlds.
In October 2011, I signed with InknBeans Press, who are now publishing my books. The Kiwi books now have illustrations by Nikki McBroom.
Books published in 2012:
Day of the Living Pizza (May)
Especially written for inclusion in The Gage Project anthology (on Amazon) of stories and poetry for children. All profits go to kids' charities.
Books coming soon:
A book of 300 haiku;
Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle - book four in the Kiwi Series; and
3 Heads and a Tail - a romantic comedy of errors with walkies.
Good luck with writing and happy reading :)
Vickie Johnstone
Blog: http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.com
Twitter: @vickiejohnstone
Website: Kiwiincatcity.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorVickieJohnstone
http://www.facebook.com/KiwiinCatCity
http://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopePoetry
Where to find Vickie Johnstone online
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Books
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Smashwords book reviews by Vickie Johnstone
- Mementoes of Mai
on June 24, 2011
To me, this was part travel log, part food review and part nostalgic glance back over the life of a young man making decisions on life. The book took me to another place, filled with new sounds, a different language (I liked the touch of a dictionary at the back), new smells, different traditions, new foods and various scenery. It often made me hungry or gave me itchy feet to jet off somewhere. The pace of the book is quite leisurely and the main character drifts along, remembering his experiences and trying to make sense of everything that is happening around him. On his search for his ‘true love’, he discovers many things about himself, his values and what he really wants.
- Remember...in your dreams?
on Aug. 12, 2011
I liked the originality of this book. The framework is of a man taking his grandson on a trip back through history and memories by astral travel. The book has a spiritual edge to it, filled with crystal balls and mythical wanderings. There are many humorous stories about the child’s grandmother, who is fun, talented, quite wild in a way, tenacious and independent. The narrative switches between the first and third person; sometimes in sentences that bump each other, but I found this interesting and novel. There are some fascinating insights into the politics of Panama and a scene set on Black Friday. The narrator ‘shows’ his grandson his past, including his first political rally, for example. Something that stuck in my mind was when the narrator thought it a pity that children lose their glow as adults; that this glow is a gift. The silver thread linking the astral travellers made me think of the delicate, but strong thread connecting family members. It shimmers brightly with the memories of the grandfather narrator. He writes that one of his favourite animals is the elephant for, as they say, elephants never forget.
- Upgrade
on Sep. 10, 2011
I enjoyed reading this book. It's well-edited and flows along really smoothly. It's also fun. The idea is novel and you dive into the story pretty swiftly. Here you have Mr Average Geeky Guy who would love to be Brad Pitt. The idea is: what would you wish for? And if you get your wish will it make you happy? Surrounded by what you wish for, what option would you choose? Imagine a box of chocolates, all tantalising and yummy... this book is like that. The female characters are all different and well developed (some more than others!!). Everyone is an individual - some have agendas, some don't. Brent is a curious character. Watching him deal with his new-found confidence is cool. What would you do in his position? Would you take advantage? Would you be nice? Would you stay the same? I also loved the ending. A well-written, fun, interesting and original read. I recommend it.
- Gerald and the Wee People
on Oct. 12, 2011
This book opens with Gerald trying to persuade his sceptical best buddy, Vernon, to go down to the woods to help the Wee People who he has been seeing in visions since they were at school. Like all good adventures, we have a character who believes & a character who disbelieves... even what he's seeing. This is a book that teens & adults will enjoy, I think. It's good for young readers and there is enough going on to keep adults interested. I like fantasy books where the author builds a new world for you to exist in for a while. This is an enjoyable read and there are a variety of characters here. There's also some morals and lessons to be learnt. Some characters grow, others... The interaction is good and the conversations natural. One of my favourites is the girl who is quite hot stuff - you'll have to read to find out who I mean. I like the ending - everything is tied up at the end, but there is a strand or two that can be picked up in book two, and I look forward to reading it.
- Patchwork Dog and Calico Cat
on Dec. 26, 2011
I previously read Greta’s book ‘Gerald and the Wee People’ and really enjoyed it, so when she asked me to proof her latest book, which was for children, I didn’t have to be asked twice. This book is written for early readers aged between 5 and 8. I don’t have children myself, so I can’t comment on how a child would react to them. I can say that I really like the book. The language is easy and flows well. The paragraphs are small and the storyline is easy to follow. It is deceptively simple though in that there are some ideas for children to think about. It's also funny and sweet, and the tales are interesting. Basically, Patchy is an all-out lover of fun and adventure, but his enthusiasm and overconfidence can lead to hiccups! Literally in some cases! Meanwhile, Calico is a bit more reserved and sensible, often trailing along behind Patchy, hoping to keep him out of trouble out of pure friendship. I love the way that the stories begin with the dog wanting to fly and end with him... I won’t give it away! The relationship between the animals is cute and reads believably, so it works. I really like the pictures and the one with the dog trying to fly made me chuckle. I think it’s good to include drawings in a book for kids. They suit the story because they are cute, fun and quirky. My favourite stories are Can dogs fly?, Wishes come true and Dogs can fly. I think the inclusion of questions at the end of each chapter is a brilliant idea – a way for children to look back over the story and think about it, and remember what happened. There are some lessons to be learnt, told through the two furry characters, and thoughts on friendship. I love the following quote from the first story, which sums up the book for me - "He learned a valuable lesson that day. Be happy with who you are and leave the flying to those who know how to do it." A lovely book for early readers.
- Wild Life
on Feb. 25, 2012
(no rating)
Last year I read another book of Susan’s called Circle City Blues, which I enjoyed immensely, so I decided to try this one too - the first book in The Brass Monkey Series - and I wasn’t disappointed. The same good writing, tight plot creation and sense of humour is still there. I enjoyed the setting of the zoo, and the way in which the chapter names are linked to animals and the way they act.
The central character is Milo Crosby, a likeable character and a bit eccentric. When I began reading, I didn’t think I’d like him as he seemed a bit dodgy at the start, but then as you read on you learn his background story and his personality begins to fill out. I ended up liking him a lot. He’s funny and interesting, but has some flaws, like most of the characters. I found it funny when he began to realise that women still found him attractive – at his age, he didn’t seem to think this was remotely possible and I thought it was like someone had turned the light on for him!
The not-so-central characters are detailed and nicely drawn, from Milo’s rather intelligent though young granddaughter to the trashy but fun Sondra Lane.
Family plays an important part with some of the characters coming to terms with things that have happened in the past and attempting to reconcile events or their own feelings. There are Milo’s relationships with his son, granddaughter Alice Marie, Claire and an ageing movie star, Sondra Lane, and ghosts from his past. And then there is Claire with her sister Beryl and her parents.
I liked Claire and was rooting for her. When I began reading I started realising there was more to her than meets the eye and an interesting background story emerged. You want to find out more about her. You know there's something there.
This book is a rich mix of fun, tragedy, love and loss. The relation of the past and the present is important – the way the past sneaks in to stop you living fully in the present and some characters have some ghosts to put to rest. At the end you wonder what the future holds for these myriad characters. So I’ve just bought the second book, Charmed Life, which, the blurb says, focuses on Sondra Lane – now that should be interesting!
- Wild Life
on Feb. 25, 2012
Last year I read another book of Susan’s called Circle City Blues, which I enjoyed immensely, so I decided to try this one too - the first book in The Brass Monkey Series - and I wasn’t disappointed. The same good writing, tight plot creation and sense of humour is still there. I enjoyed the setting of the zoo, and the way in which the chapter names are linked to animals and the way they act.
The central character is Milo Crosby, a likeable character and a bit eccentric. When I began reading, I didn’t think I’d like him as he seemed a bit dodgy at the start, but then as you read on you learn his background story and his personality begins to fill out. I ended up liking him a lot. He’s funny and interesting, but has some flaws, like most of the characters. I found it funny when he began to realise that women still found him attractive – at his age, he didn’t seem to think this was remotely possible and I thought it was like someone had turned the light on for him!
The not-so-central characters are detailed and nicely drawn, from Milo’s rather intelligent though young granddaughter to the trashy but fun Sondra Lane.
Family plays an important part with some of the characters coming to terms with things that have happened in the past and attempting to reconcile events or their own feelings. There are Milo’s relationships with his son, granddaughter Alice Marie, Claire and an ageing movie star, Sondra Lane, and ghosts from his past. And then there is Claire with her sister Beryl and her parents.
I liked Claire and was rooting for her. When I began reading I started realising there was more to her than meets the eye and an interesting background story emerged. You want to find out more about her. You know there's something there.
This book is a rich mix of fun, tragedy, love and loss. The relation of the past and the present is important – the way the past sneaks in to stop you living fully in the present and some characters have some ghosts to put to rest. At the end you wonder what the future holds for these myriad characters. So I’ve just bought the second book, Charmed Life, which, the blurb says, focuses on Sondra Lane – now that should be interesting!
(4.75 from 4 reviews)