Memoir of local business owner to be released

Memoir of local business owner to be released

Greenville, ME, June 16, 2025 — Johanna S. Billing’s THE MEANING OF LOVE, a July 14 release from Armin Lear Press, weaves the author’s quirky sense of optimism through an intriguing story of childhood abuse and its aftermath.

    By the time she was 25, Johanna S. Billings had already suffered multiple traumas, losing her entire family in the process.

    Her memoir, The Meaning of Love, tells a story that begins with her parents finding themselves unable to care for her severely disabled sister. Her parents separate and her 9-year-old sister is sent to live in a nursing home. Not long after the author’s 15th birthday, her dad is killed by a drunk driver, leaving no one to help her survive living alone with her volatile and abusive mother. 

    When her mother is investigated for child abuse and cleared, Johanna shuts down, stops asking for help and tries to endure her home life until she can escape. But escape doesn’t provide the solace she’d hoped for, especially after her mother dies by suicide, leaving behind a mess—literally and figuratively.

    A promising writing career, a healthy marriage caused the strain of the past to subside. Then Johanna was blindsided by a (mis)diagnosis of bipolar disorder. It caused her world to unravel, challenging everything she thought she knew about overcoming her past. A move from suburban Pennsylvania to rural Maine took her to a new level of healing that helped finally find peace.

    The Meaning of Love centers on Johanna’s trauma and recovery as she explores forgiveness, constructive thinking, and the labyrinth of mental health care. Despite its serious nature, this irresistible memoir is at times quirky and humorous, showcasing the author’s indomitable sense of optimism and her love of art, nature, and romance.

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Johanna S. Billings is an award-winning writer and photographer turned antique dealer. Before launching the business, Johanna worked for both daily and weekly newspapers in her native Pennsylvania and her adopted Maine home as a writer, photographer and editor. Her work has garnered recognition on the state, New England and national level in categories as diverse as investigative journalism, features, business and photography. Her work has also appeared in magazines such as Redbook, Cat Fancy and Down East. She and her husband, Sean, co-authored a dozen books on antique glass and local history. They live in Greenville, Maine, with their three cats, Pasheva, Lily, and the Little Guy.

Armin Lear Press has published 85 books since its birth in 2020. The company has staff and affiliates in the US and France. Armin Lear is a member of the IBPA and distributes its books worldwide in English through Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

Title: The Meaning of Love

Author: Johanna S. Billings

Genre: Memoir

ISBN PB; ISBN EB: 978-1-963271-76-8; 978-1-963271-77-5

Price PB: $24.95

On-sale Date: July 1, 2025

Publication Date: July 14, 2025

For further information, contact: Johanna Billings, russophile64@gmail.com

For a review copy of the book, contact: Maryann Karinch, mkarinch@arminlear.com