Welcome!
Thank-you for reaching out to my website. On this site, you can get acquainted with me, what I write, browse my books, and if you're so inclined, sign up for my newsletter. I push a note out once a month keeping you up to date with what's going on, where I've been and where I'm going, what I've written, and what will be coming soon. I also include one of my favorite things to write: a flash fiction piece based on a visual prompt.
So, again, welcome to my tiny corner of the Galactic Web. Use the button below to say "Hi!" if you're so inclined. I hope, as Bogie says in Casablanca, "this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
Who I Am
R.A. (Rob) Johnson is a pan-genrist author whose writing stretches from micro-fiction to novel series, and spans historical thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and even speculative non-fiction, for YA readers through adults. His forty-year career as a software engineer diverted much of his writing output to journal articles, academic papers, marketing collateral, design specs, and the ever-present code, which led to over forty-five issued patents and dozens more pending. His writing often features an element of mystery that challenges the reader to examine the story and their world on many levels. Then again, some of it is just plain fun.
By clicking below, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter and you'll be able to download an eBook of my novella, Tales from the Wood: A Modern Fairytale, for free!
Books
Starside Interlude and Other Stories
A Collection of flash fiction, short stories, and other stuff.
Mystery and mayhem in space…
Magical battles between good and evil…
Tales of romance, love, and betrayal in deep space, virtual worlds, and your neighborhood…
In Starside Interlude and Other Stories, author R.A. Johnson brings an eclectic stew of science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, and rom-coms told in bite-sized morsels and three-course banquets. Each of the thirty-nine stories in this volume takes the reader to a different time and place. Whether they are set in today’s world, our distant past, far in the future, or in magical realms, these tales will all delight, enlighten, or at least entertain you. They are told through a variety of genres and forms, so, when you turn the page, you may find a single-bite flash of science fiction, a crime caper screenplay snack, or a longer fantasy to really sink your teeth into.
Whether you have a few minutes waiting for a bus, or you want to spend a quiet evening in front of the fireplace, Starside Interlude and Other Stories has stories that will kill some time, touch your heart, and transport you beyond the mundane into exciting worlds with relatable, real characters. Are you hungry? Bon Appetite!
The Templar Lance
Book One in The Enclave Series
A secret society…
A relic that can change human history…
A mystery that spans the centuries…
A young priest must solve it, but will his faith survive?
Author R.A. Johnson brings you The Templar Lance, the first entry in the Enclave Series of historical thrillers that will make you question centuries of dogma and doctrine.
Father Dan Koprowicz is assigned to an isolated parish with a long, dark history and secrets that date back to the Crusades and the mysterious order of warrior monks known throughout the world—the Knights Templar.
While theories about the Templars’ treasure abound, Father Dan is faced with the real question about that ancient Order. Why were they granted unprecedented powers by a succession of popes? Power and authority that surpassed that of anointed kings.
The answer could shake the world to its foundations.
Lady 355: Mother of Freedom
Book Two in The Enclave Series
A revolution on its last legs…
A network of spies in the heart of the enemy…
A mystery unsolved for two centuries…
Who was the key member of the Culper Ring, George Washington’s spies in New York, who saved the American Revolution multiple times?
Author R.A. Johnson brings you Lady 355: Mother of Freedom, the second entry in the Enclave Series of historical thrillers which answers the centuries-old mystery of the identity of the spy known only by “355”—the code for “Lady”.
Sarah Harkin, a precocious preteen, is often in trouble in her village in colonial Pennsylvania. Abused and misunderstood, a night’s wild escapade sets her on a path that will write world history.
In the present day, the mysterious group known as The Enclave keeps secrets that can rewrite history. Thrust into this iconoclastic world is Amy, a troubled young orphan.
How are these two, born two centuries apart, linked? Inextricably.
Tales from the Wood: A Modern Fairytale
In Tales from the Wood: A Modern Fairytale, Cindy inherits a fortune from her estranged grandfather, but it comes with a catch. Listening to her grandfather’s favorite record propels her into a world of myth, magic, and music. Guided by Jack, the Green Man of myth, and the tree spirit, Auntie Hemlock, Cindy joins a troupe of traveling minstrels: a handsome singer, a bard, a dancer, a teamster, and a silent flute player. They are sexy and mysterious and fun, but also dangerous. Can she trust them? Will they help her find her way back home? Or will she get lost in their world, losing her Way until going back and going home are not the same?
Based on the Jethro Tull album “Songs from the Wood,” Tales weaves the themes of the songs on that iconic prog-rock album into a modern portal fairy tale of love and lust, trust and betrayal, revenge and redemption; all while our heroine tries to find her Way by following her heart.
“Well-written folklore references in an engaging modern fairy tale.”
- Ian Anderson, founder of Jethro Tull
“A fun fantasy that’s as unforgettable as a catchy tune.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“…this well-written book was flawless and a joy to read.”
- Online Bookclub Review (Four stars out of four)
The Ghost of Mackey House
Finalist -2021 Page Turner Awards
The Mackey House is a century-old house that has been converted to a quaint bed and breakfast in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. When a struggling writer returns to Mackey House for a writing retreat, he learns that the husband of the owner of the B&B has gone missing. Inspired by the enigmatic statue on the front lawn, he begins researching the tragic and twisted history of Mackey House, and its predecessor the Mackey Hotel, for his next novel. He teams up with a local Sheriff’s deputy investigating the husband’s disappearance, and they uncover secrets that will put them, body and soul, in the gravest danger.
“A gripping tale about an ambitious writer, a determined cop, and a deadly myth. The riveting story that results is both horrifying and life affirming.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“Four out of four stars. The storyline was exciting and suspenseful—everything you’d want from a horror/mystery.”
– OnlineBookClub Review
My Blog
My blog is currently located on another site (robjohnsonwriting.net/blog). Click the button below to be redirected there.
Newsletter
Sign up for my monthly newsletter below and get an eBook of Tales from the Wood: A Modern Fairytale for free! I promise not to spam your inbox, nor will I divulge your info for any reason. I send out a newsletter once a month, and (very) rarely send updates for new releases, pre-sales, events, and the like.
Here's an archive of last four newsletters.
