Greeting Readers, the Book of Psalms 37:3 and Romans 10:11 speaks about having trust in your life. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pastures. Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Today, we will focus on a man who has recently become a first-time author in Brookhaven and he would like to share some of the tidbits of his book with the various communities.

Bobby L. Johnson was born in Carthage where he lived the first few years of his life. His parents moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin while he was still very young. He attended elementary through high school there, and he received a degree in education. He taught high school English and social studies there until his retirement. Bobby lived in Milwaukee from 1950 to 2009. He is married to the former Shirley Ann Thomas Johnson formerly of Caseyville. She and “Bob,” as she affectionately calls him, lived in Milwaukee until their retirement. They are the proud parents of two children, Eric Lee and Tara Leah. After their retirement Bob, Shirley and Eric moved to Brookhaven and purchased a house with extra land to relax and enjoy their retirement. They united with Shirley’s home church Zion Chapel AME in Caseyville pastured by Rev. Rebecca W. Johnson, formerly of Los Angeles, California.

Since grade school, Bob was always the biggest kid in his class and was always fascinated with words. He loved to read and always wanted to know why an author wrote about a particular person or place. He has always wanted to know why people did what they did. He stated that he grew up poor, but he did not realize it until he was grown. His mother never allowed her children to feel sorrow for themselves. They worked hard and whatever happened in life, it happened. She always believed that common sense and faith in God would always help them to overcome any obstacles in life. His mother’s slogan was, “if you treat people right, they would treat you right.”

Today, Bobby L. Johnson is the proud author of his book, titled “Meet Ida Mae Daughtry,” a fictional novel that is a mixture of inspirations, spiritualities, mysteries and suspense. This novel is about a young black girl from a small gritty town named East Saint Louis, Illinois. She believes in herself, and with imagination and a growing spirituality, she pursues the American dream. She experiences defeat and victory as she keeps her emotions under control. Her world has a background of casual sex, dope and violence, with little provocation. Ida Mae will hurt you because she has seen black life at various levels and she wants more than just to be another poor black girl.

This novel also includes other characters that make it interesting to read. Some of the other characters are: Ida Mae’s dad who is known as “Slim,” her mother named Lovie, Ida’s Mae’s husband named James W. Fowler who is called “Weed Wine.” L. C. is her father’s nephew who is a Vietnam vet, and he sometime sees and hears things from his past experiences. Ida Mae and Weed Wine are the proud parents of twins, Frederick Fowler and Freda Paine Fowler. Then there is Second Floor Clyde who works for Weed Wine. Ida Mae is studying for her stockbroker’s license, so she can work around serious money on Wall Street and have lunch in Manhattan. She is aware that the world is without mercy, and she made up her mind to secure her future before she is old, gray and stiff. Her favorite thing to read is the Wall Street Journal because it enlightens her about cultures surrounding money and what to say. She will also pull out her Bible and read about the “wisdom of Solomon” within the Book of Proverbs. She is freshly convinced that God is guiding her through a maze filled with change and danger. A quiet voice continues to encourage her that her future and many blessings are bound with interaction with a stranger. They are steady grooming the twins to take over their businesses one day. During their trials and tribulations in life they meet many interesting people who can help them in one way or another, such as: Mr. Cavelli who was a fencer.

The intent of the writer and author Mr. Bobby Johnson is that you do not have to be born into wealth nor do you have to be born into a bad family to determine your destiny in life. You can rise up above your circumstances and your lifestyle by reaching out and applying yourself to achieve your life lone goals and dreams.  You can be ambitious like Ida Mae Daughtry and succeed in life by fulfilling your life long goals and dreams. “You can dominate your own lifestyle or you can let your lifestyle dominate you!”

The novel was published by Page Publishing, Inc. this past spring. It is now available for sale by the author. There will be a book signing on Friday at the Lincoln County Public Library from 3 to 4:30 p.m. by the author. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come out and become a part of this important book signing. You can also received your book at that time. Congratulations to Mr. Bobby Johnson for becoming an author and may God continue to bless you and your family daily.

Eva Harris and Lincoln County Schools’ Alumni will meet Oct. 20 at the public library at 6 p. m. for a meeting and to elect officers.

If you have any Loyd Star Area News to Report, please call Carolyn Elaine Beard Humphries at 6012-833-5753.