JOHNSTON, Tim(othy Patrick) 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born July 16, 1962, in Iowa City, IA. Education: University of Iowa, B.A., 1985; University of Massachusetts—Amherst, M.F.A., 1989.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Los Angeles, CA. Agent—Marianne Merola, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents Inc., 1501 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Also works as a carpenter.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild, Authors League of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Notable Children's Book citation, International Reading Association, 2003, for Never So Green; O. Henry Prize, 2003, for the short story "Irish Girl."

WRITINGS:

Never So Green (young adult novel), Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2002.

Contributor of "Irish Girl" to O. Henry Prize Stories, 2003. Contributor of short stories to periodicals, including New England Review, Missouri Review, Confrontation, DoubleTake, Sycamore Review, Crescent Review, Puerto del Sol, and Iowa Review.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Jewel of Nebraska, a novel about "a young man who abruptly leaves his Massachusetts home in search of the key to his unknown origins."

SIDELIGHTS:

Tim Johnston told CA: "As a writer who still makes his living as a carpenter, I get up very early or I don't get any writing done. It took nine months to write the first draft of Never So Green, and it took another five years (and countless revisions) for the book to find the right agent, and another year after that for my agent to find the right publisher, and another two years (and more revisions) for the book to hit the bookshelves.

"I always believed in the book, tried to have patience, worked hard, mostly enjoyed the process, and felt great joy and gratitude to hold it, at last, in my hands.

"The film rights for Never So Green have been optioned, which is one nice thing that's come out of my living in Los Angeles."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2002, John Peters, review of Never So Green, p. 127.

Los Angeles Times, February 5, 2003, Renee Tawa, "Building a Reputation, One Nail at a Time."

Publishers Weekly, October 14, 2002, review of Never So Green, p. 85; December 23, 2002, Shannon Maughan, "Flying Starts," p. 32.

School Library Journal, October, 2002, Linda Binder, review of Never So Green, p. 167.

ONLINE

Never So Green: A Novel,http://www.neversogreen.com/ (June 27, 2003) "About the Author."