Julia Johnston

How did you start writing?
I wrote menus and shopping lists for my growing family and one day decided to see if I could write something else, too. I tried a journalism news writing class at Drake University in Des Moines and really liked it. Maybe because I finally could ask people all kinds of questions my mother would have called "too nosy." But I really liked crafting those answers into stories.

What have you written?
Two nonfiction books and working on the third, all with coauthor Mary Kay Shanley. Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Getting into College (McGraw Hill, 2005); For Parents Only: Tips for Surviving the Journey from Homeroom to Dorm Room (Barron’s, 2000). In progress: Survival Secrets of College Students (working title; Barron’s, 2007).

Do you write anything else?
I started doing freelance assignments before I finished that journalism master’s degree. My stories, essays, and other work assignments have been published in The Des Moines Register; Chicago Tribune; Dubuque Telegraph-Herald; Drake University Law School Counselor; ASCA (American School Counselor Association) school counselor; The Journal of College Admission; The Iowan magazine; Iowa Commerce magazine; the National Pork Producers magazine; and Meredith Corporation marketing newsletters, press releases, and internal communications.

Is writing your only job?
I love to talk about and teach writing. I’ve appeared on program panels discussing writing and also the college application process. As a Writing Consultant for Drake Law School, I work with first-year law students on the transition to a legal writing style. It’s one of my favorite jobs. I also taught news writing for about six years as an adjunct instructor at the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. And after earning my teaching certification, I was a substitute teacher for three years for at-risk students placed in juvenile shelters and a lock-up facility.

Who’s your favorite author?
Right now I’m totally taken with Ted Kooser, a Nebraskan and 13th Poet Laureate of the United States. I tend to read nonfiction, mostly history and biographies.

What do you do when you are not working?
I go west to the mountains to play: fly fishing, hiking, tent camping, even some limited backpacking in favorite places in Montana, Idaho, Colorado and Alaska. Also, as a three-year survivor of breast and thyroid cancers, I volunteer to help other patients.