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-ra...