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R. Dean Johnson

Goodreads Author

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http://www.rdeanwriter.com

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RDeanWriter

Member Since

January 2015

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I haven't been R Dean Johnson my whole life. My parents named me Robert Dean Johnson, Jr. They called me Bobby. Everyone did until high school when I graduated to Bob. It felt mature, so I went with it. Who doesn't like a guy named Bob Johnson? It's a fine name up until the point you think you might want to be a writer.

I didn't know I'd want to become a writer. In fact, I started college at Cal Poly Pomona as an engineering major who wrote stories rather than doing his physics homework, graduated as a business major who wrote really plot-heavy stories about people who didn't like their jobs as business people, and left an ad agency job in Irvine, CA after four years to go back to school and learn more about writing stories. Good ones.

It was I haven't been R Dean Johnson my whole life. My parents named me Robert Dean Johnson, Jr. They called me Bobby. Everyone did until high school when I graduated to Bob. It felt mature, so I went with it. Who doesn't like a guy named Bob Johnson? It's a fine name up until the point you think you might want to be a writer.

I didn't know I'd want to become a writer. In fact, I started college at Cal Poly Pomona as an engineering major who wrote stories rather than doing his physics homework, graduated as a business major who wrote really plot-heavy stories about people who didn't like their jobs as business people, and left an ad agency job in Irvine, CA after four years to go back to school and learn more about writing stories. Good ones.

It wasn't until a brief stint in the MFA program at the University of Alabama that I discovered my namesake, The Robert Johnson. The guy whose name is synonymous with the Delta Blues. The guy who may or may not have sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads and suddenly started doing things with a guitar unlike anyone else. The guy who died young and mysteriously. How can some kid from Anaheim (yes, home to Disneyland) compete with a guy that dangerous? A guy that cool? Well, I can't. And frankly. publishing anything as Bob Johnson sounds about as real to me as John Doe or Anonymous. So, I have two early publications as Robert Johnson, Jr., and the bulk of my work appears under the name, R. Dean Johnson.

I hold an MA in English from Kansas State University (Wildcats, not Jayhawks). After that brief stint at Alabama, I went on to earn an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University (Sun Devils, not Wildcats).

After teaching stops at Prescott College (AZ), Yavapai College (AZ), Cameron University (OK), and Gotham Writers Workshop (NY), I am now an Associate Professor at Eastern Kentucky University where I teach fiction and creative nonfiction in our low res MFA program, Bluegrass Writers Studio.

All that, but I'm still just Bob. The guys on my softball team call me Bob. My undergrad and graduate students call me Bob. My wife, the writer Julie Hensley, calls me Bob. Even my kids (7 and 3) sometimes call me Bob. Pleased to meet you, I'm Bob. ...more

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R. Dean Johnson’s books

Average rating: 3.78 · 216 ratings · 53 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Californium 3.74 avg rating — 164 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Delicate Men: Stories 4.03 avg rating — 40 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales from the Concrete Highway by David LaBounty (Goodreads Author), John Peter Beck (Contributor), Joshua Swainston (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Something L.A. 3.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

28 posts
R. Dean Johnson's Blog

Shopping Your (My) Manuscript

I’ll be at the Louisville Book Festival on October 19 to talk about what to do with your book-length manuscript once it’s where you want it to be and are ready to publish. What makes me particularly excited about this presentation is that after publishing my first book, Delicate Men (Alternative Book), with an indie press and my second book, Californium (Plume-Penguin) with one of the New York Fiv

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R. Johnson rated a book really liked it James by Percival Everett	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 07, 2025 10:42AM · 1 like · like
R. Johnson rated a book it was amazing The Mary Years: A Novella by Julie Marie Wade	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
One of the odd criticisms of memoir is that it can be navel gazing, and perhaps that is a problem if the author isn't already famous. Julie Marie Wade (who, honestly, should be famous), has subverted this by sharing her formative years through the ro ...more
Jun 01, 2025 08:22AM · like · see review
R. Johnson liked Cynthia Bookish_onthecape's review of Five Oaks: " Five Oaks Honest ARC Review: 4.5 ⭐️ Well written, poignant and filled with heartfelt accounts of one family over a span of three generations, Five Oaks is one you don’t want to miss. At times, I felt that each generation of characters were relatable, c" Read more of this review »
Jun 01, 2025 08:20AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Five Oaks by Julie Hensley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Five Oaks by Julie Hensley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
R. Johnson liked Sarah Jensen's review of Five Oaks: "🌳 Five Oaks by Julie Hensley A summer of secrets where roots tangle and truths bloom. Deeper Dive: Hensley’s coming-of-age tale follows sisters Wren and Sylvie at their grandparents’ estate. Sylvie’s childlike narration—hauntingly lyrical—masks dark fa" Read more of this review »
Jun 01, 2025 08:20AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Five Oaks by Julie Hensley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Five Oaks by Julie Hensley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
R. Johnson liked Catherine Rose's review of Five Oaks: "I love a book with a (largely) all-female cast, so I was super excited to be able to download an ARC copy of Five Oaks on Netgalley through Lake Union Publishing. So, big thanks to both of you. First, and perhaps most important, I need to give Julie " Read more of this review »
Jun 01, 2025 08:20AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Five Oaks by Julie Hensley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Five Oaks by Julie Hensley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
R. Johnson rated a book it was amazing Five Oaks by Julie Hensley (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 07, 2025 12:24PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Five Oaks by Julie Hensley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Five Oaks by Julie Hensley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
R. Johnson is currently reading The Mary Years: A Novella by Julie Marie Wade	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 07, 2025 12:21PM · like
R. Johnson finished reading The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 10, 2025 06:50PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
R. Johnson wants to read Title Nine: Poems by Jenna Goldsmith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 21, 2024 11:52AM · 1 like · like
R. Johnson is now following Jenna Goldsmith Author of Title Nine: Poems
Oct 21, 2024 11:52AM · like

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Quotes by R. Dean Johnson (?)

“I want to believe him. I know stuff happens to people and they can't always be who they were or who they think they're supposed to be. But knowing that doesn't mean I'm okay with it. It's more like what Mr. Krueger says about black holes: We can't wish them away, so we'd better learn as much as we can about where they are and how they work so we don't get sucked in.”
― R. Dean Johnson, Californium

tags: coping, depression, mental-illness, ya

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R.’s Quotes

tags: coping, depression, mental-illness, ya

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“What I want is to hold you like a bell holds space between the hours.”
― Miguel Murphy

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R. Dean Johnson’s Followers (35)

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R. Dean Johnson

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28 posts
R. Dean Johnson's Blog

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