Joshua A. Johnston's Blog, page 7

State of the Writing: November 2016

It’s November, which also happens to be National Novel Writing Month. I’ve never attempted to crank out a full novel in a single month, because … well, that sounds really hard. But I’ve been at work on plenty of stuff:

The major edits for my second book, Into the Void , are done. The only remaining editorial hurdle is the copyediting, which is all about ferreting out those pesky little mistakes. That should happen in the next month or two. All systems are still go for a May 2017 release. My s...

From the Nintendojo Vault: It’s in the Games

I originally wrote this piece for Nintendojo on June 18, 2012, shortly after Nintendo formally introduced the world to the Wii U. With a few small changes, I could have just as easily written this piece for Nintendo’s newest console, Nintendo Switch. You can find the original post here.

This past week, Nintendo finally lifted the veil on Wii U, first with its Nintendo Direct presentation on the system’s hardware capabilities, and then with a few launch window titles at its E3 press conferenc...

Enclave Publishing: Hard Versus Soft Science Fiction

It’s been a busy week on the writing front! My piece on “hard” versus “soft” sci-fi is live over on Enclave’s website.

The post Enclave Publishing: Hard Versus Soft Science Fiction appeared first on JOSHUA A. JOHNSTON.

Speculative Faith: What Does God Need With a Starship?

I wrote a piece for the websiteSpeculative Faith offering some thoughts on the relationship between science fiction and religion. You can fine the post right here.

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The Shadows of Aeroel is Now Available

If you’ve followed this blog in the past, you may already know the story … but it still bears retelling. A year ago, my publisher suggested I write a short story as a lead-in to my debut novel, Edge of Oblivion. The result:The Domes of Aeroel, a 9000 word tale set fifteen years beforeOblivion. The Domes of Aeroelfeaturesa cast of characters whose lives and actions intersect with the events of the novel trilogy, and it’s absolutely free. The catch? It’s the payoff for signing up for my mailing...

Nintendojo: My Baten Kaitos Interquel

I’ve got a new piece up on Nintendojo — an outline of fanfiction from a GameCube franchise that never turned into a novel. You can find it right here.

The post Nintendojo: My Baten Kaitos Interquel appeared first on JOSHUA A. JOHNSTON.

Celebrating Six Months of Oblivion: A Free Short Story and a Book Giveaway!

Five months ago to the day, my debut novel,Edge of Oblivion,released to the general public. The entire experience has been awesome, humbling, and overwhelming. With next month marking the six-month anniversary of the book’s launch, I’ve decided to mark the occasion by, well, giving stuff away for free.

The first is a free short story. Late last year, at the suggestion of my publisher, I wrote a short story entitledThe Domes of Aeroel, which takesplace fifteen years before Edge of Oblivion an...

State of the Writing: September 2016

So let’s get to it.

I’m knee deep in my second round of edits for Into the Void. (The first round, called macro edits, deal with big-picture stuff. The smaller edits, called line edits, are more for flow and transition.) The edits are going extremely well, and should be done by the end of this month. Into the Void is slated for a mid-May 2017 release.

In the meantime, two other projects are just now starting to come out of beta. The first, Book 3 of the Sarco series, has gotten some awesome f...

Star Trek at 50: My Top 10 Favorite Franchise Moments

On September 8, 1966, science fiction was forever changed. On that evening, as part of a preview block, NBC aired a new show calledStar Trek, producedby anAir Force veterannamed Gene Roddenberry and financedby Lucille Ball’s Delsilu Productions. The episode, entitled “The Man Trap,” would not go down in history as one of the series greats — andStar Trek(now called Star Trek: The Original Series)would only last three seasons — but the series would continue to grow and find life in subsequent i...

From the Mumbling Mommy Op-Ed Vault: On Studio Ghibli

This piece originally ran in July of 2014 on the parenting blog Mumbling Mommy. You can find the original here.

Beyond Princesses: The Case for Studio Ghibli

Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!

I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!

If you have a young daughter – or even if you don’t – these lyrics are no doubt firmly tattooed into your brain. The culture-defining Disne...