Local author and daughter publish book of short stories

On eve of her 88th birthday, local resident and writer Helen DePuydt released her first book.

Her daughter, Theresa Johnson, of Vancouver, Wash, illustrated and designed the non-fiction book.

The book is a collection of short stories written by DePuydt over the course of many years. The stories are both biographical and autobiographical, focusing on life in Montana, particularly the pioneer life of DePuydt's mother who homesteaded south of MT in the early 1900s. Also included in the book are heartwarming and humorous tales of DePuydt's own experiences of raising a large family on a farm-ranch south of Malta.

It was DePuydt's youngest daughter, Theresa, a professional illustrator and publications designer who insisted that her mother's writings be compiled in a book. Johnson, who graduated from Whitewater High School in 1988, studied art, illustration, and graphic design at MSU-Bozeman. "Illustrating and designing books for publication is something I do as a profession so it just made sense for me to assist my mom in self-publishing her first book. She was both surprised and delighted by the idea but I don't think she ever dreamt it possible until the print proof was physically in her hands."

DePuydt's book titled Montana Memoirs can be purchased at Phillips County Museum Gift Shop and online. Johnson has already started on the process of publishing a second book of her Mother's writings which is planned for release in the Spring of 2020.