Michael Bassey Johnson

“In solitude, listen to your heart, for at that moment, it speaks nothing but the truth.”
Michael Bassey Johnson

To Arthur Fletcher

For my contribution to Dearest Devised Darling: Anthology, I chose Arthur Fletcher as the fictional character to whom I wrote. Although I wrote the letter, it didn't come from me. I imagined what another character from The Girl in the Scrapbook by Carolyn Ruffles would want to say to him. An attentive reader may notice the initials at the end of the letter.

Words. Mots. Parole...

I dedicate last night and this day to the word nerd in me. 

I dreamed of words all night. 

https://youtu.be/NhK_XazdBUk?si=MBC1WaaaLSkVevaK

Editing & Transformation

I'm editing... 
and I've transformed my upcoming book into something I did not expect. 

Sanober Khan

“I was coming together...
limb by limb, after being broken
for an infinity.”
Sanober Khan

Fonts

Publishers recommend certain fonts for fiction and other fonts for nonfiction. Designers have their own opinions on which fonts to use and which to avoid. Ultimately, whoever designs a book often chooses the right font for it. 

Since I design my own books, I spend a little time choosing its font based on the context and my own taste. I consider this a fun part of the book publishing process. 

While creating the anthology Dearest Devised Darling, I initially chose a font that looked like calligraphy. It matched the context of the book beautifully, and reading it seemed easy enough, so I thought I had found the perfect font for the book. I formatted the book with that font, using a slightly larger font size than normal and a tiny bit more space between the lines, just as I do for all my books, to make reading easier on the eyes. Then I uploaded it to Amazon and requested a proof. 

On the day I expected the proof to arrive, as soon as I heard the mail carrier's car, I stepped outside the cabin to get it. The mail carrier wondered about my excitement, and I told her the package contained the proof of my new book. I opened it immediately, and she waited because she wanted to see my book. After I inspected the cover, I handed it to her. She opened the book and said, "Oh, I can't read this." "What do you mean you can't read it?" I asked. She explained, "This kind of writing is hard for me to read. The way the letters are... I just can't." I thanked her for telling me that and said goodbye. 

I went back in my cabin and changed the font entirely because I thought if one person, especially one who has to decipher different handwritings every day, can't read it, some other people may have trouble reading it as well. 

Here are the two fonts:

December 2023