HELENA MONTANA ARTICLE

This very nice story appeared in the Helena, Montana Independent Record for July 6. Any comments?

A COUPLE OF WRITERS

By EMILY DONAHOE, IR Staff Writer - 07/06/2006

They met on the Internet. He was a Hollywood screenwriter, producer and cartoonist; she was a counselor in a men’s prison — in the UK.

Since then, couple Dan Bessie and Jeanne Johnson have each written books, started up a small publishing enterprise and are set to tour the country in support of them — and then they’re moving to France.

The couple will be in Helena at the Montana Book Company 12-2 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, for a reading and book signing.

“Well, we were both looking for someone,” says Bessie, who found Johnson’s profile on a site featuring English women. “There’s nothing wrong with American women; I’ve just always had a fondness for English women.” Johnson and Bessie began e-mailing to get a sense of each other’s personality and genuineness. Because, according to Bessie, they had both “been around the block” they each were completely honest about who they were and what they were looking for from the get go.

“We asked all the questions,” says Johnson. “Whether it would be more than that I didn’t know until we met.” After writing back and forth for nearly four months, Bessie and Johnson felt comfortable enough to take the next step; Bessie invited Johnson to come to California for a visit.

At best, he told Johnson, this could be the beginning of a wonderful romance; at worst, you’ll have a nice vacation.


Johnson knew enough about Bessie that she was pretty sure he’d be a really nice guy — even if they didn’t hit it off romantically — and accepted.

“I thought, well — what have I got to lose?” she says.

In the San Francisco airport, Bessie leapt out from behind a pillar with a red rose; sparks flew.

“I think we were more bowled over than we expected to be,” says Johnson.

After a very successful visit, the relationship progressed long distance over the next several months. It was important for Johnson to spend time with Bessie in her hometown, so he flew to see her in the fall.

“I liked him just as much in England as I liked him in California!” Johnson says with a laugh.

The next February, Johnson moved to California and the couple was married.

Bessie’s book, “Reeling through Hollywood: How I Spent 40 Fabulous Years in Hollywood and Never Made a Nickel” is an account of his time in the business — from drawing the cartoon “Tom and Jerry” to directing and producing — and also a sort of how to for those considering a career in the arts.

For so many people, says Bessie, making it in media means nothing less than fame and fortune. Unfortunately, that isn’t the norm.

With “Reeling Through Hollywood,” Bessie promotes learning to appreciate the process of creativity and other ways to enjoy a successful and fulfilling life in the arts — whether your name is on the marquee or not.

Johnson’s book, “Starlings in the Park,” is a collection of 18 short stories about people in crisis who come to a point of change.

“People fascinate me,” says Johnson. “I guess you write about what you know. In a way, I’ve been in a very privileged position of hearing so many stories.” “I had written a couple of stories but I hadn’t thought of myself as a writer,” adds Johnson. “I showed Dan my stories and he said: ‘You’re a writer!’ So I was just encouraged.” “She’s a better writer than I am, I gotta tell ya,” says Bessie, who amends that to “a different writer” a moment later.

“It’s because she has a very very deep understanding of human nature,” says Bessie. “The stories she writes are very rich.” “People need to know that they’re not alone,” says Johnson, who hopes that people will relate to the characters of “Starlings.” Even as writers, the couple work well together.

“We basically run everything we’ve done in front of each other,” says Johnson “... it works very very well because our styles are very different.” //Meet the authors When: 12-2 p.m., Saturday, July 15 Where: Montana Book Company Call: 443-0260