Milly Johnson
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Milly Johnson is a British author known for her work in romantic fiction. In addition to her novels, she has worked as an after-dinner speaker, poet, professional joke writer, short story writer, and newspaper columnist.
Biography
Born in Barnsley, Johnson was educated at Agnes Road Primary School, Longcar Junior School, and Hall Balk School for Girls. She later studied drama and teacher training at St Luke's Campus, University of Exeter.
She lived for many years in Haworth, West Yorkshire, where she became acquainted with author Stan Barstow, who also resided in the area. During this time, Johnson held various administrative positions while supplementing her income by writing jokes and poems for the greetings card industry. She also worked as a ghost-writer for Purple Ronnie in its early stages. She later became a professional copywriter within the greetings card sector.
Johnson’s breakthrough into publishing came at the age of 41 with the submission of her manuscript The Yorkshire Pudding Club, which was inspired by her experience of being pregnant simultaneously with two friends. In 2005, she secured her first two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.
Her work has received multiple accolades, including a nomination for the Melissa Nathan Award for Romantic Comedy in 2012, and two wins of the RoNA Award for Comedy Romance in 2014 and 2016. She also appeared as a winner on a regional edition of Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me. In 2020, Johnson was honoured with the Romantic Novelists' Association's Outstanding Achievement Award.
Awards and honours
| Year | Awarding Body | Category | Nominee/ Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Melissa Nathan Award | Comedy Romance | An Autumn Crush | Nominated |
| 2014 | Romantic Novelists' Association Awards | Romantic Comedy Novel | It's Raining Men | Won |
| 2015 | Yorkshire Society Awards | Arts and Culture | Milly Johnson | Won |
| Romantic Novelists' Association Awards | Romantic Comedy Novel | The Teashop on the Corner | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café | Won | ||
| 2017 | Contemporary Romantic Novel | The Queen of Wishful Thinking | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Outstanding Achievement | Milly Johnson | Won | |
| 2021 | Goldsboro Books Awards | Romantic Contemporary Fiction | My One True North | Won |
In recognition of her contributions to literature and her strong connection to the region, Johnson was appointed Vice President of the Yorkshire Society in 2018. Her work has earned her a number of accolades and nominations throughout her career, reflecting both her popularity with readers and her standing within the literary community.
Bibliography
| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Yorkshire Pudding Club | Simon & Schuster | 978-1849834100 | |
| 2008 | The Birds and the Bees | 978-1849834094 | ||
| 2009 | A Spring Affair | 978-1847392824 | ||
| 2010 | A Summer Fling | 978-1847392831 | ||
| 2011 | Here Come The Girls | 978-1849832052 | ||
| An Autumn Crush | 978-1849832038 | |||
| 2012 | White Wedding | 978-0857208965 | ||
| The Wedding Dress | 978-1471111785 | E-book exclusive. | ||
| A Winter Flame | 978-1471187773 | |||
| 2013 | The Four Seasons Collection | 978-1471128776 | A compilation of A Spring Affair, A Summer Fling, An Autumn Crush and A Winter Flame. E-book exclusive. | |
| It's Raining Men | 978-1471114618 | |||
| 2014 | The Teashop on the Corner | 978-1471114649 | ||
| Here Come The Boys | 978-1471133886 | E-book exclusive. | ||
| 2015 | Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café | 978-1471140464 | ||
| Ladies Who Launch | 978-1471152160 | E-book exclusive. | ||
| 2016 | Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage | 978-1471140488 | ||
| The Barn on Half Moon Hill | 978-1471158711 | E-book exclusive. | ||
| 2017 | The Queen of Wishful Thinking | 978-1471161735 | ||
| 2018 | The Perfectly Imperfect Woman | 978-1471161773 | ||
| The Mother of All Christmases | 978-1398535145 | |||
| 2019 | The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew | 978-1471178474 | ||
| A Cat-Shaped Space | Self-published | 979-8764585741 | Poetry book. | |
| 2020 | The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe | Simon & Schuster | 978-1471186202 | Quick Reads production. |
| My One True North | 978-1471178528 | |||
| I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day | 978-1471178566 | |||
| 2021 | The Woman in the Middle | 978-1471199028 | ||
| 2023 | Together, Again | 978-1471199066 | ||
| 2024 | The Happiest Ever After | 978-1398523562 | ||
| 2025 | Same Time Next Week | 978-1398523616 | ||
| Let the Bells Ring Out | 978-1398547063 |
Literary Projects and Charitable Works
In addition to her 22 novels, Johnson has published several shorter works, many of which were released exclusively as e-books. These include The Wedding Dress (2012), a collection of short stories themed around weddings, and Here Come the Boys (2014). In 2015, she released Ladies Who Launch, which serves both as a sequel to Here Come the Boys and as a prequel to Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café. In May 2016, Johnson published the 16,000-word short story The Barn on Half Moon Hill to raise funds for the Care for Claire campaign, established in support of Claire Throssell, whose children were killed in a domestic abuse-related murder–suicide. In 2019, she released a poetry collection titled A Cat-Shaped Space, with all proceeds donated to Yorkshire Cat Rescue. In 2020, she contributed the novella The Little Dreams of Lara Cliffe to the relaunched Quick Reads initiative, which aims to encourage reading among adults.