September 12, 2006

Cat Tale Back Before Christmas
by JENA PASSUT
of the Oakland Press

Christmas came a little early this year for Clarkston children's book author Barbara Johns. Johns is releasing her second self-published title, Christmas at the Candle Factory-- a story that follows Midnight the cat and her mischievous apprentice Elvis during the busy season at the Davisburg Candle Factory, a real candle factory and store in the heart of Davisburg,  a quaint town between Clarkston and Holly.

This book picks up where Johns' first-- The Cat in the Candle Factory-- left off, Johns said, but it was also written to stand alone.

"You can read it alone and still have a really cute story", she said.

In Christmas, which was illustrated with colored pencils by Holland artist Carolyn Stich, Elvis has joined the candle factory ranks and continues to irk the elder Midnight

"It  follows the older cat coping with a mischievous kitten at the busiest time of year," Johns said. "In the end, when Midnight finally gets her way and gets rid of him, she realizes, in spite of his obnoxious self, she missed him a lot."

Johns said she had the Christmas-themed book in mind even as she was writing the first book last year.

"Holidays are really important in terms of candles." she said. "It's a wonderful time of year in a candle factory."

Johns should know. She owned the Davisburg place, housed in a charming 19th century brick building in the 1980's . Back then, Midnight was a real fixture in the store and lived there.

"She was part and parcel of the business," Johns said. "She pretty much ran things, as cats think they do."

Johns got the idea to add a kitten to the mix and named him after a cat she once owned.

"He was a terror," she aid with a laugh.

Phoebe Bojanzyk, who has owned the candle factory with her two daughters for seven years, said she is glad her store is the setting for the books.

"They're just darling. We love them." Bojanzyk said. "They've brought us quite a bit of new business, too."

Bojanzyk said they offer tours of the factory and young readers often can't believe they are standing in a place they just read about.

"We can't visit a story," she recalled one girl saying as she walked into the factory. "This one we can," her grandmother assured her.

"Kids walk in with their eyes as big as saucers." Bojanzyk added.