Larry W. Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1952 Arkansas City, Arkansas, USA |
| Occupation | Author, Cartoonist, Book Publisher, Song Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Contra Costa College |
| Genre | Children literature |
| Website | |
| www | |
Larry W. Johnson, born April 19, 1952 is the author of Those Fun Lovin’ Ferrets & The Magical Stone! Those Fun Lovin' Ferret & The Magical Stone! is a children fiction novel written and created from the his creative imagination. He takes many of his memorable childhood experiences living and growing up in the small town Arkansas City, Arkansas in the late 1950’s and early 60’s.
The story begins when this fun lovin’ Ferret Family moves from a mid size city in the United States to a seemingly quiet, boring, small town called Ark City which is anything but a city. The two main anthropomorphic characters are Frinkles and Fusha. They are two fun seeking, fun lovin,’ adventurous, and curious ferrets. What these two siblings learn and experience in Ark City is far beyond their wildest expectations, especially when they discover there is a magical stone near their home down at the river’s edge.
The first fourteen years of his life was lived in the rural south in the small town Arkansas City, Arkansas. He grew up on partially paved gravel road named Morning Star Avenue. Arkansas City was the birthplace of his distant cousin John H. Johnson, the founder of an international media and cosmetics empire that includes Ebony and Jet. The book, Those Fun Lovin’ Ferrets and The Magical Stone! is a combination of his creative imagination, and many of his childhood experiences in Arkansas City, Arkansas. At fourteen years old he moved to Richmond, California. After graduating high school and receiving a degree in Library Science, he worked in the Berkeley Public Library for over a decade. He left that job and started his own small chain of bakeries. One in Emeryville, California, San Francisco, California, and San Leandro, California. He was known in the San Francisco Bay Area as the "Cookie Man." After five years in the baking business, he returned to the private sector. He also created his own clothing line he called, "Proud." After the tragedy on September 11, 2001, he captured the attention of the late journalist Chauncey Wendell Bailey, Jr. because of his "Proud American" patriotic designs. In 2010 he began writing his book at his desk while still working for Waste Management in Oakland, California. Approximately six months before leaving the company he was introduced to a new customer service program and he began to tinker with the program’s acronym, J.A.D.E., and within hours, he had begun writing a book in between phone calls and during his lunch hour. He creatively integrated his childhood experiences with his first bus trip from Arkansas to California. He simply reversed the travel. He chose people he knew, loved, and respected from his childhood home to be characters in his book. For instance, the Ferrets’ neighbor in the book, Mrs. Mayne Lillie, comes from combining two name together he remembered growing up there. Mrs. Mayne Payne and her neighbor, Mrs. Lillie Bell Ford. Mr. Benjamin Frusco, the school bus driver known as "Mr. Frown" by the kids on the bus name comes from his best childhood friend’s father first name, Mr. Benjamin Williams. The surname Frusco comes from the Fresca soda he was drinking at his desk when he began writing the novel. The students at Ark City Public School in the book were students he met after he moved to California. He said, “I can still vividly remember the experiences of hearing the crickets and the frogs chirping and croaking in the cow pasture in the next block. As for Fade-Away The Firefly, I can also remember catching fireflies and holding them in a Kerr glass jar to watch them emanate different colors of light from their bodies in my dark bedroom."
The title of each sequel will start with Those Fun Lovin' Ferrets. The sequel to The Magical Stone will be an adventure and journey to a mystical and magical planet called Phylan if Frinkles, Fusha, and their friend Fade-Away will be able to solve the riddle inside the magical stone. Larry ends his book by saying he wants each reader who read his book to never underestimate the power of their imagination, and allow their daydreaming to become a dream, and the dream, a reality.
Book Characters
Fade-Away - The Firefly (LIGHTNING BUG) became separated from her best friend. Her best friend was captured by humans, and placed in a jar where it died. She knows about the magical stone and she experienced touching it. The stone magically enabled her to talk, but because she was unable to read, she couldn't interpret the riddle. She found true and trusting friends in Frinkles and Fusha.
Ferret Family: The - Frinkles Ferret, Brother; Fusha Ferret, Sister; Fridilia Ferret, Mother; Franky Ferret, Father.
Hurko – Hurko is a youngster that lives on Epicuria Avenue. He thinks life is for fun and game. He loves to be recognized by his peers, and he doesn't think much about the future or his future. He is always looking for shortcuts and quick fixes.
Mr. Benjamin Frusco - Known for always frowning, and he generally sees things negatively, but because he lives on Morning Glory Lane, he goes along to get along. Whenever he speaks, he speaks slowly and grunts before he speaks.
Mrs. Mayne Lillie - Is a retired middle school teacher and librarian. She always smiles and sees things positively. She tells the story about the magical stone down by the river.
Nightletter - Is the adopted family dog that was left at the front door on a December night with a letter asking the Ferret family to. "Please love him."
09:24, 22 June 2011
Further information
editJohnson, Larry (2011). Those Fun Lovin' & The Magical Stone!. SelfPublishing Inc. ISBN 978-0-9833565-3-0.
References
edit|Article=www.motherloadmultimedia.com/article/August 6, 2011 |Article=www.newszone.us/.../327679-larry-johnson-introduces-new-book/August 5, 2011 |Article=www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/08/04