Charlene Rose Johnson has been a writer all her life. She isn’t sure when she started, but by the age of 9 she was writing full-length books. She still has a trunk-full of these early “masterpieces!” She started her first professional writing job in 1979 when she went to work for the Horseman’s Journal as a staff writer. Following the win of several awards regarding the Florida thoroughbred industry, she was offered the position of Editor of the Florida Horse magazine and moved to Florida in 1982, a major move which changed her life forever. Much to her surprise, she fell in love with Florida!
Up to that point, her entire life had been about horses, nature and writing. Writing about horses was a dream come true! How could anyone have such a great life! But the move to Florida opened many new doors. Her long-time passions for history, Native Americans, the water and ecology took off in this brand new environment. She could no longer keep herself locked into the narrow fields of study – horses – into which she had trapped her mind and her passions up to that point. Horse, as the animal would forever be a passion, but as a business, it faded. Florida Thoroughbred would be her swan song out of that business, a very difficult and emotional transition to make.
Then she gave vent to her long love of water of which Florida abounded! Not only did she quickly become a scuba diver and sailor but she mastered both of those and became an instructor and boat captain. She also learned about the treasures of Florida, her springs and freshwaters as well as the salt water and eventually became heavily involved in water issues of Florida.
She also let her passion for history run free and was horrified that perhaps as many as 2 million people lived in Florida at the time of contact, of whom she had never heard! Because she was familiar with most major tribes of America and like most people, thought the Seminoles were “Florida’s tribe,” she was disgusted to realize no mention had ever been made in HER history books and school books of all the first people who dealt with the European invaders. So she also took on that as a passion, researching, working with the foremost archaeologists in the field and from there came the work of her lifetime … so far … Eye of the Dolphin. Because this is a work of fiction, she quickly found out that getting fiction and non-fiction published are like two different worlds. It hasn’t yet happened. But things in that department are changing …
As she continued to evolve, spiritually, emotionally and on a variable career path, she also learned a great deal about therapy and self-help ideas. She was first a client, then a co-facilitator with a therapist who worked a great deal in Nature, Michael Rebel. When Rebel offered an idea for a book he’d long had, she jumped all over it. Animal Angels is the result.
Today she continues to write on variable subjects, freelancing wherever possible and pursuing several more book projects.
Copyright 2010 Charlene Johnson