Biography of Timothy S. Johnston

TSJ — 2013. Photo by Tiffany Jones Photography.

(See Bios for Media Purposes Below)

Timothy S. Johnston is an award-winning writer of futuristic and contemporary mystery/thrillers.  There is always a technological component to his plot lines, and the science that he uses to propel his stories forward is real and verifiable.  His characters are strongly motivated and undergo extreme change; his protagonists each find themselves drawn into intense situations seemingly beyond their control.  The stakes are always huge and the outcomes unique and unpredictable.  He is dedicated to the art of telling a compelling story and contributing to the genre that has given him so much over the past four decades.  He is passionate about writing and committed to inspiring others through his stories.  Carina Press published a trilogy of thrillers by Johnston:  THE FURNACE (2013), THE FREEZER (2014), and THE VOID (2015). This series — The Tanner Sequence — details Homicide Investigator Lt. Kyle Tanner’s emotional journey as he solves difficult cases set in unique and deadly claustrophobic environments.  THE FURNACE won the 2015 CYGNUS Award in the “Science Fiction Thriller” Category, was shortlisted for the 2015 Science Fiction EPIC Award, and all three books in The Tanner Sequence won the 2015 CLUE Award for Thriller / Suspense Novel in the “Blended Genre” category.  THE FREEZER won the 2016 Science Fiction Epic Award and was shortlisted for the 2015 CYGNUS Award.  THE VOID was shortlisted for the 2016 Science Fiction EPIC Award.  In 2016, Timothy S. Johnston signed with ChiZine Publications to publish a brand new series. The saga is The Rise of Oceania, set underwater in the near future amidst the espionage, intrigue, and action of a Second Cold War rapidly turning hot. The books are: THE WAR BENEATH and THE SAVAGE DEEPS.  THE WAR BENEATH won First Place in the 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards in the Action/Adventure category, and it was a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 CLUE Awards.  It was also a Finalist in the 2019 Silver Falchion Awards and a Finalist in the 2019 CYGNUS Awards.  THE SAVAGE DEEPS won the 2020 CYGNUS Award in the Climate Fiction category and was a Finalist in the 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards.  In 2020, Timothy S. Johnston signed with Fitzhenry & Whiteside to continue the series and released FATAL DEPTH in May, 2021 and AN ISLAND OF LIGHT in December, 2021.  In Spring of 2022, FATAL DEPTH won the 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award and was a finalist for the 2022 Silver Falchion Best Action Adventure Novel.  The Shadow of War is now in stores and online; it is a 2022 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Finalist.

Timothy S. Johnston is a member of the following organizations: International Thriller Writers, SF Canada, Crime Writers of Canada, and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

DATAFILE:  TSJ

Timothy S. Johnston fell in love with science fiction and horror at a young age.  Television shows such as STAR TREK, SPACE: 1999, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE during his formative years had an enormous impact on his creative journey.  Films of the era including ALIEN, STAR WARS, LOGAN’S RUN, ROLLERBALL (1975), SOYLENT GREEN, THE OMEGA MAN, and SILENT RUNNING also stimulated his emerging imagination.  Then, during his teen years in the 1980’s, he discovered THE TERMINATOR, THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, BLADE RUNNER, THE FLY, and ALIENS — movies with a harder edge that furthered his admiration for the genre.  He read THE EXORCIST, JAWS, and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR at the age of twelve, along with an assortment of Stephen King horrors in subsequent years such as CUJO, IT, and CHRISTINE.  Other writers he discovered in his teens included Frederik Pohl, Isaac Asimov, Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur C. Clarke, Lester del Rey, and Robert Heinlein.  He was often tired during the day because of nighttime reading, and is now embarrassed to admit that he was frequently late to school.

By the time Timothy was seventeen, he knew that writing riveting page-turners and telling stories in the science fiction, horror, and thriller categories was where his destiny lay.

Timothy is also an avid filmgoer.  In the genre field his favorite films are PLANET OF THE APES (1968), THE THING (1982), and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978).  Dramas include GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, 12 ANGRY MEN, and AMERICAN HISTORY X.  He has an eclectic sense of humor and enjoys a wide variety of comedies ranging from Mel Brooks to ED WOOD.  His preferred comedy duo is Abbott and Costello.

His favorite Science Fiction books are GATEWAY by Frederik Pohl, ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card, Asimov’s FOUNDATION saga,  Joe Haldeman’s THE FOREVER WAR, and READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline.  He credits Michael Crichton, Isaac Asimov, and Agatha Christie as his biggest inspirations.

Timothy S. Johnston enjoys writing thrillers that have numerous twists and turns and involve a scientific or technological plot line.  Rather than telling a story that goes from A to B, he will tell one that goes from A to Z — and beyond.  Cliffhangers abound in his thrillers, and putting one down before completed is difficult.

He hopes to see one of his books in film or on television, and in his wildest dreams to one day collaborate with James Cameron, J.J. Abrams, John Carpenter, and Steven Spielberg.  Timothy S. Johnston has enormous respect for creative talents in every genre and artistic realm, be it writing, film, music, art or dance, and he is not shy about crediting those who continue to inspire and stimulate his imagination and creativity.

Timothy S. Johnston writes about his love for Suspense, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, and Science Fiction on his blog, Life After Gateway, and he sponsors an annual award for Senior Creative Writers in the Thames Valley District School Board in Southwestern Ontario. He is currently at work on The Rise of Oceania, his book series with publisher Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Biographies for Media Purposes

One Sentence

Timothy S. Johnston is the author of Science Fiction/Thrillers The War Beneath, The Savage Deeps, Fatal Depth, An Island of Light, The Shadow of War, The Furnace, The Freezer, and The Void, and he has won the GLOBAL THRILLER Award twice, the EPIC Award, the CYGNUS Award, as well as the CLUE Award.


One Paragraph

Timothy S. Johnston is a lifelong fan of thrillers and science fiction thrillers in both print and film. His greatest desire is to contribute to the genre which has given him so much over the past four decades. He wishes he could personally thank every novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker, director and actor who has ever inspired him to tell great stories. He has been an educator for twenty years and a writer for thirty. He lives on planet Earth, but he dreams of the stars. Visit www.timothysjohnston.com to register for news alerts, read his blog and reviews, and learn more about his current and upcoming thrillers. Timothy is the author of The War Beneath, The Savage Deeps, Fatal Depth, An Island of Light, and The Shadow of War.  His futuristic murder mystery/thrillers include The Furnace, The Freezer, and The Void. He has won the 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Award (Action/Adventure category), the 2016 EPIC Award (Science Fiction), the 2015 CYGNUS Award (Science Fiction Thriller), the 2020 CYGNUS Award (Climate Fiction category), the 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award, and the 2015 CLUE Award (Blended Mystery category). He has been Finalist or Semi-Finalist in other award competitions, and short- or longlisted in others. Follow Timothy on Facebook @TSJAuthor and Twitter @TSJ_Author.

Multi-Paragraph

Timothy S. Johnston is an award-winning writer of futuristic and contemporary mystery/thrillers. He was born in 1970 and has experienced firsthand the explosion of computer technology, the evolution of science fiction in film and television, the birth of action blockbusters, and the exponential growth of the video game industry. He reads as much Crichton, Asimov, and Christie as time permits, and he holds these three writers as his greatest creative influences. He was born to tell electrifying thrillers with elements of science and technology, and he takes pride in his love for science fiction action and horror films. He saw Alien at age 10, The Thing at age 12, and has spent countless hours watching Star Trek in syndication. He can quote Predator and The Terminator endlessly, and is currently reliving SF films from the 1980’s with his teenage daughter. He cites John Carpenter as his favorite director, Planet of the Apes as his favorite film, and Frederik Pohl’s Gateway as his favorite book.

He is dedicated to the art of telling a compelling story and contributing to the genre that has given him so much over the past four decades. He is passionate about writing and committed to inspiring others through his stories. His science fiction murder mystery The Furnace won the 2015 CYGNUS Award in the “Science Fiction Thriller” category and was shortlisted for the 2015 Science Fiction EPIC Award. All three books in his Tanner Sequence won the 2015 CLUE Award for Thriller / Suspense Novel in the “Blended Genre” category. The Freezer won the 2016 Science Fiction Epic Award and was shortlisted for the 2015 CYGNUS Award. In 2016, Timothy S. Johnston signed with ChiZine Publications to publish a brand new series. The saga is The Rise of Oceania, set underwater in the near future amidst the espionage, intrigue, and action of a Second Cold War rapidly turning hot. The books are: The War Beneath and The Savage Deeps.  In 2020, Timothy signed with Fitzhenry & Whiteside to continue the series, and Fatal Depth came out in May, 2021, An Island of Light in Fall, 2021, and The Shadow of War in 2022. The War Beneath won First Place in the 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards in the Action/Adventure category, was a Finalist in the 2019 SILVER FALCHION Awards, a Finalist in the 2019 CYGNUS Awards, and was a Semi-Finalist in the 2018 CLUE Awards.  The Savage Deeps won the 2020 CYGNUS Award in the Climate Fiction category.  Fatal Depth won the 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award and was a 2022 Silver Falchion Best Action Adventure Finalist.

Timothy S. Johnston is a member of the following organizations: International Thriller Writers, SF Canada, Crime Writers of Canada, and the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.

Find TSJ on Social Media:

Facebook: @TSJAuthor

Twitter: @TSJ_Author

Instagram: @TSJ_Author

Threads: @TSJ_Author

Mastodon: @TSJ_Author

Goodreads: @TSJ_Author

Publicity Photographs

TSJ, 2018

TSJ, 2013

TSJ, 2013

TSJ, 2019

Praise for The Furnace:

“… a Crichtonesque thriller …” — K I R K U S

“… riveting …” — Midwest Book Review

“… fantastic …” — TrekWeb.com

“… a page turner … ” — Allbooks Review

“… fun … enjoyable … plenty of action … entertaining …” — SF Site

“… outstanding.” — Science Fiction Review.com

“… intense …” — The Bibliophilic Book Blog

“… I was absolutely blown away by The Furnace …” — Dreamworld Book Reviews

“… definitely a page turner … suspense-filled …” — Kaye Trout’s Book Reviews

“… compelling …” — Booklover Book Reviews

“… Scary and gripping …” — eBookanoid

“… a great ride …” — The Qwillery

“Johnston is an exemplary novelist.” — Dreamworld Book Reviews

“… suspense-filled …” — Kaye Trout’s Book Reviews

“… a gripping page-turner …” — Ramblings from this Chick

“… an edge-of-your-seat page turner!” — Moonrise Book Blog

“… this is your perfect read.” — Chanticleer Book Reviews

“… wonderfully diabolical and frightening …” — Martha’s Bookshelf

“… a great science fiction locked station mystery …” — alternative-worlds.com

“It is a case of Agatha Christie meets Isaac Asimov with added Crichton for flavouring.” — eBookanoid.com

“Fans of Michael Crichton or James Patterson will certainly love Timothy S. Johnston.” — Science Fiction Review.com

“… properly gruesome.” — SFcrowsnest

“(The Furnace) took me by storm.” — Edi’s Book Lighthouse

“A must-read.” — Ardath Mayhar, SF author of over 60 novels including THE WORLD ENDS IN HICKORY HOLLOW.