My guest today is Tom Johnson. Hello! Welcome
to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to have you here.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
PANGAEA:
EDEN’S PLANET was written several years ago, and has gone through a couple
printings with different publishers. It is currently with FIRST REALM
Publishing, where it was contracted two years ago. The story is science fiction
with elements of time travel, survival, and a light touch of romance. Our world
has been left devastated by nuclear war, and NASA sends a rocket ship manned by
seven scientists to terra-form Mars, which may be mankind’s only chance of
survival. However, an anomaly in space damages their ship and sends them
falling back to Earth, where they discover an alien planet to the one they had
just left. When I first wrote the story, Colonel Peterson was black and Major
Cooper white, making it an interracial romance, but by the time it was in print
we had dropped all reference to her race, feeling race should have no stumbling
blocks to romance. Instead, Colonel Peterson is dedicated to the mission, and
now has the burden of keeping her people alive in a harsh and deadly
environment. She doesn’t want to fall in love, but slowly she and her second in
command are becoming more attracted to each other.
Wow! It sounds great!
Science
fiction has always inspired me. I think PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET owes a lot to
PLANET OF THE APES, ROCKETSHIP XM, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE. In APES we have a
rocket ship travel forward in time, while PANGAEA goes backward in time, both
resulting in drastic consequences. XM was an expedition to the Moon, but went
off course and landed on Mars. In PANGAEA, a rocket ship heading for Mars is
also knocked off course, and lands somewhere else. And, like TWILIGHT ZONE,
PANGAEA has a paradox at the end.
All right.
So, when did you know you wanted to write? Or has it always been a
pastime of yours?
Actually,
I began to experiment with writing in the early ‘60s while stationed with the
Army in France. I was a military police supervisor. As a desk sergeant, when we
were on lonely night shifts and my units were on patrol, I would create plots
and characters, and put them in through action scenes. One of the plots I
created at the time was JUR: A STORY OF PRE-DAWN EARTH, but it wasn’t until
after a tour in the jungles of Vietnam in 1970 that I actually wrote the first
novels in that series. Unfortunately, they didn’t go anywhere for many years. I
guess you could say that life interfered, which it has a way of doing. I was
always serious about writing, but it was necessary to set that aside while I
earned a living. My first published novel was a nonfiction book released in
1980, plus I was writing newspaper and magazine articles throughout the 1970s
and ‘80s, as well. A stroke in 2002 made the decision for me. The first two JUR
novels were picked up that year by NBI, and I wrote the third novel the
following year (also for NBI). Writing now was to keep my mind active, and I
settled down to what I had wanted to do all my life.
Interesting! I love to hear about an author's journey!
Do you have any favorite authors yourself, Tom?
There
are so many. The early years would have to be George O. Smith, Isaac Asimov, A.
E. Van Vogt, Robert A. Heinlein, and P. K. Dick. But I loved the classics like
CALL OF THE WILD, WHITE FANG, HEIDI, and those authors, too. Today, I would add
K. G. McAbee, Camy Tang, John Cater, Barry Lancet, Amy DuBoff, and … well, I
could go on. There are so many new authors that I love reading, and it’s hard
to pin any of them down.
I know what you mean! :)
Do you write in a specific place? Time of day?
I
have a computer in my bedroom, where I can disappear all day, if I like, and
just write stories. I find it easier to write when I’m alone, and not
distracted by anything. I usually write during the morning, however, and read
in the afternoon. When I am working on a story, I want to write at least 1K words
in a sitting, but sometimes I get more, and sometimes less. I love it when the
inspiration is with me, and words flow to the page.
Oh, me too! That moment is amazing, isn't it?
So, are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers? Any
advice?
Read.
And know the subject you are writing. If it’s a subject you’re not familiar
with, do your research. I have always believed that a writer is a master of
words, and profanity disappoints me. It tells me the author’s vocabulary is
limited to four letter words that begin with an “f”. So use your mind to find
words to tell your story. A story must have a beginning, middle, and end, with
good plots, and characters that come alive. Entertain me, and make me want to
read your next book.
Great advice! Thank you for offering those words of wisdom.
And thank you so much for
stopping by to visit us here today at Writing in the Modern Age. It was
so nice having you! :)
Readers,
here is the blurb for Pangaea: Eden's Planet.
Seven
astronauts en route to Mars encounter a time warp in space that disables their
ship. Crash landing on Earth, they discover an alien planet sixty million years
before the dinosaurs. Pangaea, the super continent, is filled with danger and
terror, as they must survive against fierce reptiles that ruled the Earth 250
million years in the past!
Here is an excerpt.
“God
– God? Enough about your God,
Manning!” Colonel Peterson ordered. “What God would strand us here, in a
primitive land, away from civilization? Wreck our ship, and injure our friends?
“I
don’t want to hear any more about this so-called God of yours! And get rid of
that stupid sign before anyone else sees it!”
“Let’s
get some fresh air, Evelyn,” Major Cooper suggested, taking the colonel by the
arm and leading her gently from the bio-dome. Looking back over his shoulder,
he winked at Roger Manning and Sheri Thompson.
Once
they were outside, the colonel regained her composure as she took several deep
breaths. Looking at her second-in-command, she smiled briefly and asked,” Did I
lose it back there, Major?”
“Just
a tad,” he grinned. “But nothing damaged, I don’t believe. Let Manning have his
Garden of Eden – and his God, if he wants them, Colonel. Maybe it will help
keep him sane. I think that we’ll each need our special little distractions
before it’s all over with.”
“Before
what’s all over, Major?” she asked. “Before we’re all dead?”
“A
slip of the tongue, Colonel,” he shrugged. “But, perhaps a Fraudulent slip at
that!” he admitted.
“We
are lost in a prehistoric land, with no chance of ever returning to our homes,
and we’re likely to die a horrible death if we aren’t careful. But if we keep
our heads about us, and watch our step, we just might grow into old colonels
and majors in time. The sooner we face those truths, the better we will be able
to deal with the situation, and accept our fate.”
“In
other words, there’s nothing we can do about it,” she said, staring into his eyes.
“We
can live,” he said, as his arms reached out for her. “And love.”
Suddenly,
a voice called to them from the Galileo Two: “Colonel Peterson, you’d better
come here,” Doctor Terril called.
The
moment was broken, and they turned and rushed for the ship, fearing the worst.
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00L9A7SAU
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4714924
Author Bio
Tom
Johnson’s dad was a cowboy and cook, giving his family an itinerant lifestyle.
He changed schools often, as his dad’s jobs were relocated. His dad wanted him
to follow in his footsteps, but a cowboy’s life didn’t appeal to him. Instead, during
his high school years, Tom dreamed about becoming an entomologist. He loved
biology and math, but was weak in other subjects. He read every book he could
find on insects, reptiles, and arachnids, as well as paleontology. However, his
life changed when he joined the Army and spent a 20-year career in law
enforcement. Afterwards, he and his wife started the publishing imprint of
FADING SHADOWS, and published a hobby magazine for 22 years, and several genre
titles for nine years. He was a voracious reader from an early age, and has
never stopped reading for pleasure, though his interest in genres has often
switched from SF to western, to hard-boiled detectives, the classics, and back
to science fiction again over the years. In his own writing readers will often
find something about his love of zoology, whether insects, reptiles, or saber-tooth cats. Now retired, they devote their time to keeping Tom’s books in
print, as well as helping promote other writers.
Author Links:
Website: http://jur1.brinkster.net/index.html
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Tom-Johnson/e/B008MM81CM/
Publishers: http://bloodredshadow.com/night-to-dawn-magazine-and-books/tom-johnsons-sf-and-adventure/
Tom's
Books:
