Nightshade

Nightshade is a story of hope, struggle, victory and triumph set in the Deep South. The pages are filled with intrigue, infidelity, sultry passions, betrayal and redemption, set in a moss-festooned, fertile land of tall pines, scrub palmettos, white sand roads and dark rivers, where even darker and more sinister secrets whisper in the shadows. Author Johnny Bullard will attempt to make you laugh, cry and experience the agony and ecstasy that is Nightshade; strikingly beautiful, yet deadly poisonous.

White Springs native Johnny Bullard was born in a place where two cities and two counties interconnect on the banks of the historic Suwannee River. His family roots run about seven generations deep into the sandy soil of north central Florida, a place he dearly loves and where his entire life has been spent as an educator, public servant, musical performer and writer. Born into a family of prolific storytellers, Bullard absorbed all the tales that were told aloud, as well as the ones whispered quietly inside screened porches and around the dining room table when family and close friends gathered together. Bullard’s grasp of the culture and life of this region is expressed by one who has not only lived it, but who loves it and is a part of it. He is humorous, poignant and offers an honest voice of a South that is still colorful, vibrant, rich and real. Bullard is as much a part of the region as the historic Suwannee River, immortalized by Stephen C. Foster in the unforgettable tune, ＂Old Folks at Home＂. An old turpentine distillery at the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs is where Bullard calls home. He boasts four college degrees from Valdosta State University in Georgia, including a B.A. in English. He also did post graduate work at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and was privileged to be selected to attend the prestigious Harvard Principal’s Center at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1993. Bullard writes a weekly column, ＂Around the Banks of the Suwannee＂, which is published in the Jasper News and Suwannee Democrat newspapers. He has also written magazine articles for several well known publications including ＂Forum＂, a quarterly publication of the Florida Humanities Council. His weekly newspaper column always ends with his signature message to all his readers, friends and relatives throughout the region. He writes, ＂From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, I wish you a day filled with joy, peace, and above all, lots of love and laughter.＂