ICYMI: TSJ Talks The Thing on the Re-Creative Podcast … and There’s More to Come!
TSJ Talks The Thing
In case you missed this event from last year, where I spoke with hosts Joe Mahoney and Mark Rayner about John Carpenter’s The Thing, here is the post for you again. And, there is an important reason for it, because I’m happy to say there’s more coming soon!
As I write this, I have recently completed my second visit to the Re-Creative Podcast to talk about another classic Sci-Fi/Horror movie remake from the same era: David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986). Stay tuned for news about that interview, which I will post here at Life After Gateway.
The reason I am back on the podcast to talk about The Fly is not just because of my love for the genre or the film: it’s also because of the similarities between the two properties, which we will include in the discussion.
And …
And, at the conclusion of our discussion, I pitched a third visit to the podcast, because there is an incredible third film which fits the pattern that I want to talk to the Re-Creative guys about. Consider the following:
- The Thing and The Fly were famous published SF stories first, as was the mystery third film I’d like to discuss
- All three were popular Sci-Fi movies made in the 1950s
- All three were remade (some multiple times), but the remakes in all three cases were actually better than the first
- All three had unique points of view at their release which reflected an important element of society, which had changed by the time the remake was filmed
Can you predict what the third film is?
I’m not sure if the guys will agree to have me back to talk about this third film, but my pitch was compelling. Fingers crossed.
Stay tuned for the new podcast interview about The Fly. I’ll post the link here when it’s published.
For now, here’s my visit to Re-Creative where we spoke about one of my favourite films, John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). The episode is an interesting look at the process of filming the epic masterpiece. Our conversation holds an important message for storytellers everywhere, which is … Well, you’ll have to listen. We discussed the filming, the metaphors, the characters, the (intentional) ambiguity, the score, the sequence of filming, blue barrels, and much, much more.
And coming soon, I’ll be on the Re-Creative Podcast discussing …
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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 31 March 2026
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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
“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
“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories
“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“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
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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.
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
