Chatting with New Blood: C.R. Johansson

I am pleased to introduce my guest this month on “Chatting with New Blood”, C.R. Johansson. She has had stories featured in three different WordCrafter Press anthologies, but today we’ll talk mostly about her novel, A.O.G.: Act of God. She is a talented author, who writes unusual stories that make readers think, and it is my pleasure to have her as my guest.

About C.R. Johansson

C.R. Johansson writes gripping thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy stories with a genetic twist. Her characters explore universes where the unknown prevails and the impossible is possible akin to her life with congenital heart disease. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and comical pugs. When not writing, she enjoys listening to the river nearby, working in her garden, paper-mache’, knitting and sitting on the couch drinking tea.

Interview

Kaye: Would you begin by telling us about your author journey? How long have you been writing? What inspires you to write?

Cindy: I was a daydreamer as a child, I still am, always making up stories to entertain myself. My very first poem was in elementary school. The assignment was to write a story using that week’s spelling words. I wrote “The Circus Bear” and amused my family with the ending where the bear stood on his head and then he was dead. To this day, they won’t let me forget it.

From there my journey continued with more poetry in junior high and high school until one day, I thought to myself, “I’m going to write a novel.” So, I went to the library to check out a book on how to write a novel. After I read the book, I sat down and wrote my first novel. What inspires me to write? I don’t really feel as though I’m inspired to write, I feel I’m compelled to write. The stories and poems in my head need to come out, even if they’re never read by anyone.

Kaye: I’m curious. Why did you choose to use a pen name? And how did you choose the name to use?

Cindy: The idea of using a pen name came from my husband. He thought my married name was common, so he suggested using my birth name. I thought it was a wonderful idea and just like that C.R. Johansson became my pen name.

Kaye: Let’s talk about your book, A.O.G.: Act of God. Can you tell readers a little bit about it?

Cindy: A.O.G. Act of God tells the story of a religious woman of science who is caught in her own moral struggles regarding the scientific discovery of a lifetime, the potential identification of a human soul, which ended in her boyfriend’s murder. Her drive as a scientist compels her to continue experimenting even as the murderer now turns his focus on her and her family.

Kaye: What led you to write a political crime thriller?

Cindy: To be honest, I thought it was going to be a science fiction story, but the characters had other ideas. I had just read an article about Orchestrated Objective Reduction, a controversial theory about human consciousness on a quantum level, which described the consciousness as energy. After I read the article, I had so many questions. Does the energy really exist? Is it a human soul? What happens to that energy upon death? Does it disperse into the universe? I thought to myself, if that energy is the human soul and someone discovered a technique to trap it, that person would have unmeasurable power. Immediately, I saw the scene where Amelie’s boyfriend is murdered, and the story started.

There’s so much scientific discovery going on. If you want to look for good plot ideas, look to science and medical discoveries and mysteries.

Kaye: What was the best part of writing A.O.G.: Act of God? Why?

Oh my gosh, the best part of writing A.O.G. Act of God was the roller coaster ride of deception the characters took me on. The twists and turns. They kept me on my toes.

Kaye: What was the most difficult part of the book to write? Why?

Cindy: It’s always very mentally and emotionally exhausting for me to get into my antagonist’s mind. To discover what drives them to do the horrible things they do and then write about it. I spend a lot of time walking around the house when writing those scenes.

Kaye: You also write short fiction, and have had work featured in three WordCrafter Press anthologies: Visions, with your story, “Her Beholder”; Midnight Roost, with your story, “She Shed Galeria”, and Tales From the Hanging Tree, with your story “Therion’s Heart”. All of these stories are rather dark, the last being an excellent take on the theme for the anthology, ‘lives of the hanged as lived through the ephemeral hanging tree’, and very well written, I might add. Where did inspiration for these unusual stories come from?

Cindy: Thank you so much! I’m a visual person and my stories always start with a mental image. That image can be the result of just about anything, a thought, a song, a word, a smell, anything. For “She Shed Galleria”, I saw a seductive woman standing next to a painting of a man. The man’s frightened eyes were moving as if the painting were alive, very similar to the old movies where the portraits in the mansions had eye peepholes. Meanwhile, the woman, stared forward with cold, blank eyes, but the smug smile on her lips made me shiver. I knew she’d done something horrible.

For “Therion’s Heart”, I saw a naïve’ woman standing in the torrential rain surrounded by an angry and very frightened mob. It reminded me of scenes from horror stories where a fear driven mob turns on someone, an outsider or one of their own, and commits horrific actions because of that fear. Fear of anything unknown is a powerful motivator.

Kaye: What differences do you see in writing short fiction and novel length works? Which do you prefer?

Cindy: There are so many differences between writing short fiction and writing novels, but I would say the most challenging is creating an interesting short story without holes in plot or character that’s entertaining. Which do I prefer? I’m a novelist at heart. I love taking my time to explore all the details of the worlds and characters I create. Sharing their triumphs and failures, and peeling away the onion of what makes them tick.

Kaye: Where do you hope to see yourself as a writer in ten years?

Cindy: I’ll still be writing and publishing novels, but I really hope to share my writing with more people.

Kaye: You work in the thriller, science fiction and fantasy genres. What advice would you give to an author wanting to break into any of these genres?

Cindy: I’ll start with the cliché, just keep writing and reading, but more importantly, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there to editors, publishers, and the public. Wear every rejection letter you receive like a medal. You’ve earned it and it means you’re one step closer to being published because you learned something.

Kaye: Who are your favorite authors? Do you try to emulate them?

Cindy: I love the oldies, Alfred Hitchcock, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, and George Orwell. Character driven stories that expose human behavior. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Life is messy, unexpected, and full of unknowns. Things we think will happen, don’t always happen. I believe my life is an example of that. Doctors told my parents when I was a baby that I wasn’t going to survive infancy and here I am.

I definitely emulate my favorites, in my own unique style. If I can write a story that blurs the line between right and wrong, villain and hero, and takes the reader on their own self-discovery journey and leaves them wondering what they would do in the same situation then I’ve succeeded.

Kaye: What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

When I went to my first writers conference, I felt so insignificant compared to everyone else because I wasn’t published. Another author befriended me and told me, “I was an author, whether published or not.” From that day onward I moved forward with confidence, and I share that word of wisdom with others out there. You are an author whether you’re published or not.

Kaye: What’s next for C.R. Johansson? Is there another book in the works?

Cindy: Yes, I’m always working on something. I plan on re-releasing “Bless The Beasts”, my first novel, in tandem with its sequel “Suffer The Children” in 2026. Plus, I may release a collection of flash fiction in the autumn of 2025.

Kaye: Please tell my readers how they can find you online, if they’d like to learn more about you and your books. (Include links here.)

Cindy: I’m most active on Facebook, but I’m on Goodreads, Linkedin, and Pinterest as well. My books can be found on Amazon. This was loads of fun! Thanks for having me!

Kaye: You’ve been a wonderful guest, and you provided some really good answers to my questions. I look forward to future submissions to WordCrafter Press anthologies, and wish you the best with your books.

About A.O.G. Act of God

What is a soul?

After Kent is murdered for uncovering the answer, Amelie, a woman of science raised in a world of religion, finds the looming threat of death at the hands of the same sordid murderer now hangs over her and her family should she pursue the technology further. With her new friend and lover, Hatch, by her side, her own moral compass betrays her, and she realizes too late that her own naïveté is her downfall against the depraved dark corners of man’s heart.

My Review of A.O.G. Act of God

I acquired a digital copy of A.O.G.: Act of God from the author, and my guest today, Loretta Ellsworth. All opinions stated here are my own.

This political crime thriller is based on a premise which I found quite unique; the idea that a soul might be captured after death in some way. It’s an interesting premise, and Johansson explores the both the morality of it and the possibilities it would present. In what way might this ability be used? And should it be used, or left to the realm of the devine? The implications are downright scary.

Amelie is a research scientist, exploring the realms beyond death. When her partner and significant other, Kent, is murdered for uncovering the code for capturing souls, and places his findings for her to continue where he left off, it places she and her family in danger from the killer. Someone doesn’t want the secret let out, and they’ll go to any lengths to prevent it. She doesn’t know who to trust. Her boss, Bill, who seems so sympathetic? The elders of the religious community she lives in? Her co-worker, Clint, who has the knowledge and ability to help her find the answers she seeks? Her new friend, Hatch, who she has unexpected feelings for?

This political thriller has a story line that keeps the reader guessing until they reach the final pages. But, I also felt some of the major players could have been developed more. I give A.O.G.: Act of God four quills.

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