Bio: Johnell DeWitt

http://greatphotos.us

As soon as I was old enough to know books weren't born in a library, I wanted to write my own. 

I grew up on a small farm in a town with no stoplights, but I knew the world was a big place because of the books my mom would read to me. 

We eventually traded the bucolic life on the farm for life in a desert town, much bigger and more varied. It was a shock to my young system and I hated it...at first.

Books were my friends those first few days and my escape. 

After time, I came to love my new home and the educational opportunities that came with a bigger city. I eventually went off to college, with a stint in Finland in between, and graduated with a degree in public relations. 

I landed my first job in high-tech doing International PR. Moved from there to work at a private college in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and eventually on to D.C., where I worked in the Community Relations arm of an international organization.

As most good stories go, I met a man, fell in love and decided to marry him. He was a Foreign Service officer on his way overseas, so I joined him. 

Three kids and four countries later, we came back “home.”

I’d already traveled quite a bit before getting married, so my family’s adventures abroad just added to the stories brewing in my head. 

Now that I'm back, I want to dust of the dream of childhood and start writing my own stories. This blog is the first mile of my aspiring writer’s journey. 

I want to invite any of you with similar dreams to come along. 

 

A few of my favorite picture book creators are:
Mo Willems
Don and Aubrey Wood
Jan Brett
Chris Riddell
Peter Brown
Graeme Base
Godeleine de Rosamel
Sandra Boynton
Vivian French
Chris Van Allsburg
Leslie Patricelli
Lane Smith
And too many to go on...

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

-Harriet Tubman