Welcome to my world!

 

Hi! My name is Jo Johnson and I'm a writer & editor who:

• specializes in ghostwriting (web content, memoirs, and non-fiction);

• is an SEO consultant who teaches literary types—writers, authors, and publishers—how to optimize their sites and teaches copywriters how to use SEO tools in their web content creation; and 

• is also a certified editor who edits books and memoirs for new and established authors.

 

I'm based in Vernon, BC, Canada, but I regularly work with writers, authors, and publishers all over the world!

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What's it like working with me?

I'm loud, extremely energetic, talk really fast, and ooze enthusiasm when I'm working on a project. I also don't sugar coat shit and I definitely won't blow smoke up your ass and tell you that your manuscript is amazing if it isn't. What I will do, though, is give you a breakdown and a solid plan that outlines how we can take your book or whatevs from decent to fucking spectacular! You'll either love working with me or want to stab me in the eye with a fork to get me to shut up...maybe both! I have a very good memory, so I pick up the smallest details in a manuscript that are out of place or don't mesh with the story. It is this aspect of my editing abilities that are my strongest asset and help writers to produce smooth-flowing pieces. I'm also (and this is a full-on braggity brag moment) a fairly decent writer who can adapt to almost anyone's voice and style, so ghostwriting comes naturally to me. If you want a book done that sounds just like YOU wrote it, I'm your girl!

 

How did I get into writing and editing?

That's easy...I was basically born with a pen in hand (before computers were even around, dude). I was reading young adult books by the age of seven and writing my own stories in the First Grade. My dearly departed mama used to say that she couldn't ground me for misbehaving because I would just retreat into my room to read and write for hours—perfectly happy with my "punishment". Had she been really on the ball, she would have punished my poor behaviour by forcing me to go outside and play with my friends and taking my books and notepads away from me. LOL. Writing has always been a passion and, during my first stint in university, I realized that I spent a good deal of time editing my friends' papers because my English skills were so fine-tuned. It was a natural progression for me to also become an editor, although—I must admit—the certifications were certainly not a walk in the fucking proverbial park. 

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What else can I tell you about myself?

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• I used to be a professional photographer (for 11 years) before switching into full-time writing and editing. If you're bored of playing Candy Crush, check out my work on my Photography page (in the menu).
   

• If I could spend all my time naked, I would! There's just something so comfortable and real about not wearing clothes. Also, if I don't wear clothes, I never get a muffin top! Winning!
   

• I love animals, but even more than that, I feel what animals feel. My Gma called it a Fauna Empath, but she was a crazy old broad. All I know is if an animal is feeling something, it comes to me as different physical reactions depending on what they are feeling or I have dreams where the animal speaks to me and tells me what's bothering it. This is especially true for dogs and, in the last three years, it has grown so ridiculously strong that I can feel dogs from all over my neighbourhood when I walk or drive by them. (And maybe this is all a bunch of hooey, but if you have an issue with your dog, bring it over and watch the magic when we interact!)

 

• I played Roller Derby (which is pretty damn hard-core) for six years before retiring in 2015. During those years, I broke a finger, three ribs, my baby toe and my right hip. It was both the best and worst sport I have ever played and, while I was playing, I was obsessed with it. I still miss it every day, but I took up Mountain Biking because it's safer for an old gal like me (and all I've broken so far is my elbow, so I'm basically excelling at it...;)
   

• There is a saying out there that goes: Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. This sums me up. I have endured more tragedy in my 44 years than most people I know —most notably the death of my son and daughter, 14 years apart—and I definitely have some massive scars from it, but I also believe that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason. It's a cliché, for sure, but it's also my truth. I wouldn't be the character I am today—full of life, funny, not afraid to speak my truth, empathetic and sympathetic, compassionate, sassy, fearless, and brutally self-aware—if I hadn't lived through all that I've lived through. I believe that life, no matter where it takes us and what it puts us through, is meant to teach us and that we can't learn and grow from each experience until we accept it and keep striving to move forward.​

• I died, briefly, on March 14, 2014, and came back to life after one doozy of a Near Death Experience in which I hung out with my dead mom and childhood dog for the entire day and felt the presence of my baby daughter, Cora (who only lived 30 hours). That experience changed me in more ways than anything else ever has and it continues to change me today, nearly four years later. It was beautiful and I am full to the brim with gratitude that it happened. 

• I was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease in April 2019 and I finally understand why my body has been such a pain in the ass (literally, haha) for the past 15 years. I actually contracted Lyme from my cat, George, who had been bitten by a tick. I didn't know animals could transmit Lyme to humans, but now I do. Lyme disease is a total bitch to deal with, but it could be worse. Amiright!