In January, 2016, Lillian McCloy celebrated her 90th birthday. For this momentous occasion, her daughter Johanna McCloy presented her with the following gift: she would transcribe, edit, and publish the memoir that Lillian drafted on her Selectric typewriter over 20 years earlier.
Johanna McCloy, a freelance writer and editor, published Six Car Lengths Behind an Elephant: Undercover & Overwhelmed as a CIA Wife and Mother under the Bordertown Publishing imprint in July, 2016. With no advance marketing and very limited exposure, Lillian McCloy’s memoir garnered prominent author endorsements and rave reader reviews. The book continues to sell more copies every year.
Johanna was also a longtime editor of the website, Dare to be Fabulous, featuring women’s personal stories of daring, joy and empowerment. As such, she curated a selection of those stories for her next book publication Dare to be Fabulous. She also created the Dare to be Fabulous Journal Notebook as a companion for the writing prompts in the book.
What’s next on Bordertown’s publication roster? Stay tuned! Join the mailing list to receive occasional updates.
FEATURED SPEAKER
Johanna is a featured speaker at Arts & Culture events, recounting her mother’s life as the wife of an undercover CIA officer during the Cold War, as well as her own experiences as a spy’s daughter. She also speaks and leads discussions around the theme of Dare to be Fabulous. Please contact Bordertown Publishing if you’d like to host Johanna for a speaking event.
Johanna is also on Substack. Join her there! Her publication is titled In This Life.
