C.R. Johansson's Blog

In Progress - Stay Tuned

I’ve been working on something new to express my fun, quirky, and eclectic side. A short (flash) story collections chapbook series. 😊 Stay tuned for more.

SF Themes - Overpopulation

There are many popular themes in science fiction stories and films. One of them is population control. From Soylent Green (Make Room! Make Room!) and Logan’s Run (novel and film) to The Caves Of Steel (novel) and Passengers (film). Many science fiction writers have frightened us with their version of what they believe society will become because of overpopulation and all of them have made us wonder, “what is the answer to overpopulation”. What are your favorite overpopulation novels or movies?
https://medium.com/adams-notebook/sci...

AI or Ghostwriters

Did you know that approximately 45% authors use AI at some point whether writing, marketing, illustrations or plotting? Did you know that several well-known, famous authors use with the encouragement of the main publishing houses, to use ghost writers for plotting, outlining and even writing their novels?
I’ve been thinking a lot about AI lately and why do we accept ghost writers as just a part of life. We have no problem reading the novel of our favorite author knowing they didn’t do all the writing or creating themselves, but we turn our noses up and refuse to buy novels where the author admits to using AI to help generate the plot or outline.
I get it, it’s new technology and everyone is afraid it’s going to replace human jobs, but have you ever read a raw story generated by AI? It sucks. It’s flat, without depth or dimension. It doesn’t sound or feel like a human wrote it. There’s no way a product from AI in its original form can replace a human. A human will always be needed to flesh out the story with human elements, thoughts, and feelings. Much like the original author will always work together, side-by-side, with the ghostwriter to create a masterpiece.
What are your thoughts? What if you found out tomorrow that your favorite modern-day author used AI to help in some form. Would you stop reading their books? Would you feel the same way about a ghostwriter?

Author Eccentricity

Artists have a reputation of being eccentric, but is that a bad thing?
Have you ever seen a person and thought, “I want to be just like them.”
When I was young, I wanted to be like Pippi Longstocking. She had the most amazing adventures, bright red braids that stuck straight out from her head, two different colored stockings and most importantly, her self-esteem was so strong that she didn’t care what other people thought of her. Children like Pippi Longstocking, if she were real, would have been labeled, weird, strange, and possibly nerd, but would she get teased by her peers? In the books Pippi wasn’t teased for her idiosyncrasies. Her outgoing, anti-authoritarian, personality drew friends to her.
I’ve encountered many eccentric adults in my life. Some were extroverted and were surrounded by friends, and some were introverted with just a few close friends, but they all had the same robust self-esteem that allowed them to navigate the world with a positive outlook and enjoyment. So, be the person you want to be, even if it’s the old lay with crazy glasses who owns a duck, and don’t worry about what others think.

Suffer The Children

Boom! And just like that, the first round of editing “Suffer The Children” is complete! Next comes note checking, and a read through before sending it off to my professional editor.

Doors To Other Worlds

A dream, a spaceship, a wormhole, a time machine, a mirror.
A game, a rabbit hole, a painting, a tornado, a wardrobe.
There are so many different doors to others worlds and dimensions in literature.
I love the more unusual, sometimes almost absurd, ideas.
What are some of your favorites?
https://bookraid.com/reader-blog/3727...

Novel Release 2026

Coming 2026
Suffer The Children
Sequel to Bless The Beasts

Summer Reading Wrapped Up

Did you read any of these hot mysteries or thrillers over the summer?
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Writing - Jingles

Writing of any type takes time, and while there are days that we may cringe when a commercial jingle comes on TV or the radio, if the writer is successful, not only does the jingle become an ear worm that no amount of chewing gum to ward off, but the commercial makes us want to buy the product. Here are just some jingles from the past. What are some of your favorite jingles?
https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/06/...

Live Author Ask Me Anything

Join me this summer for a live Author Ask Me Anything session on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/cindybrown.c...