A New Poster in my Office
If you know anything about me, you know that I surround myself with creative inspirations. My John Carpenter Movie Poster Museum, in my basement rec-room/theatre, is a perfect example:
(And that’s not all of my Carpenter movie posters. I have two versions of The Thing in my movie theatre, for instance, along with a few others like Escape from New York.)
In the loft office, where I write, I have less wall space because of bookshelves, but I did have an empty half-wall with an image from my childhood. It features the original cast of Star Trek and USS Enterprise, the most beautiful ship in all of science fiction. I fell in love with that show when I was under the age of ten, and I still love TOS and a few of the subsequent series as well, like TNG and SNW.
I don’t believe people younger than forty or fifty really understand the importance television held for us while growing up. You see, I was born in 1970. There was no internet, no smart phones (or cell phones in common use), and no Netflix. When I was around ten years old, movie rentals did become a thing. However, until then, we really only had the entertainment that we had available to us in the house or in our yards. If we wanted to listen to a song, we had to wait for it to appear on the radio! We could go to the store to buy a book or a record, but if it wasn’t in stock, we had to wait. The only movies we saw were on TV or in the theatres. Once the movie’s run was over, that was it, unless it happened to air on TV. There was a lot of waiting to see something again. TV shows were important, and each day had a different appeal. Sunday nights, when I was really young, was for the weekly Disney movie, for instance.
I guess my point is that there was no instant gratification like there is now. I couldn’t just go online, find a show, and be watching it within seconds.
But there was syndication on television.
And there was Star Trek.
It was on each day at 5:00 pm, right after school and while my brother and I were waiting for dinner. I watched it religiously. For years. I knew every episode within the first ten seconds, without much question. Usually that was based on the first musical notes and the initial frames of Kirk, or the bridge, or the planet they were approaching. The show was extremely important for fans of science fiction and space operas in general. It inspired our creativity. We latched onto its themes of morality and its grand storylines featuring massive consequences, love, hate, betrayal, war and the struggle to maintain peace. Amazing Sci-Fi concepts like time travel, faster-than-light warp speeds, aliens, and incredible technologies. It spoke of greater things on the horizon for humanity. There were seventy-nine episodes, and when the run ended, the next day I knew that the very first episode would be on and the episodes would start all over again. My love for Star Trek is why I make Star Trek model kits (but I stick strictly to The Original Series … for now). It’s also very present in the thrillers that I write. Around my house and office there are references to Trek, and in my office now, there is this:
I saw the poster schematic of USS Enterprise and knew immediately I couldn’t leave the store without it. It’s now a permanent fixture in my office, just feet from where I write, and I hope you like it as much as I do. As I said, inspirations are so important.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 28 December 2024
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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!
WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.
“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite
“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest
“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
Book Cover & Jacket Copy:
AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!
A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …
Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.
Taunting him.
Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.
If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.
But the assassin could be anyone …
Watch your back, Mac.
A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:
The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007
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TSJ’s Awards
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THE WAR BENEATH: FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister
THE SAVAGE DEEPS: FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister
FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist
Praise for THE WAR BENEATH
“If you’re looking for a techno-thriller combining Ian Fleming, Tom Clancy and John Le Carré, The War Beneath will satisfy … a ripping good yarn, a genuine page-turner.” — Amazing Stories
“One very riveting, intelligent read!” — Readers’ Favorite
“If you like novels like The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising,
you will certainly enjoy The War Beneath.” — A Thrill A Week
“If you’re here for thrills, the book will deliver.” — The Cambridge Geek
“… an engaging world that is highly believable …” — The Future Fire
“This is a tense, gripping science fiction/thriller of which Tom Clancy might well be proud . . . When I say it is gripping, that is the simple truth.” — Ardath Mayhar
“… a thrill ride from beginning to end …” — SFcrowsnest
“… if you like Clancy and le Carré with a hint of Forsyth thrown in,
you’ll love The War Beneath.” — Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee (RET),
2017 Nebula Award & 2018 Dragon Award Finalist
“Fast-paced, good old-fashioned Cold War espionage … a great escape!” — The Minerva Reader
