I’ve had a long relationship with books. Creating them, that is. It’s the whole range from: designing, editing, ghostwriting (from lawyers to beach experts), and ultimately, authoring and now publishing them. Here’s a summary in reverse chronological order…
ANNOUNCING – the publication of my sixth novel: THE TWILIGHTS. I’ve turned to post-apocalyptic dystopia for this one. Here’s the one-line premise: 80 years after an asteroid has completely changed the planet, a small group struggles for survival in North America. Available in all Amazon online stores worldwide (and in Kindle Unlimited). In ebook and paperback. 304 pages.
ANNOUNCING – the publication of my latest novel: EL NORTE on Amazon. This suspense thriller follows an introverted Texas high-school graduate who has his world blown apart on a celebration trip to Central America. Will he find the strength in himself to survive and to get justice for his family?
Available in all Amazon online stores worldwide (and in Kindle Unlimited). In ebook and paperback. 322 pages.
Click below for a little video teaser…
MOVIE OPTION NEWS – the motion picture and television rights to my debut historical novel NEW YORK 1609 have been optioned for development and production. See more about this book farther down.
Time traveler Tom Cook has settled into his Stone Age life, but it’s not without its challenges that include a burning desire to see his future-dwelling daughter, Pook, again. Now, with the time portal closing, Tom confronts enemies in different worlds, hoping to save both his family and his adopted band of Neanderthals.
Neander: Evolution (2021) concludes this unique, science-fiction, time-travel adventure to—and from—the land of Neanderthals. Available worldwide in all Amazon stores (and in Kindle Unlimited). Available in ebook and paperback. Or, here’s the whole series.
Amazon Review:
“…finished the final installment truly satisfied with how Mr. Johnson rounded out the saga and presented his unknowable ‘truth’ about the Neanderthals, whose genes inhabit all our bodies and brains.”
— Abilgail
Time traveler Tom Cook is living a “normal life” with his Neanderthal band 40,000 years ago when a crisis sends him on a quest to the future to save his prehistoric family.
Neander: Exploitation (2020) is the second novel in a science-fiction, time-travel adventure series to the land of Neanderthals . . . and back! Available worldwide in all Amazon online stores. In ebook and paperback.
Will there be a third book? Time will tell!
P.S. If purchasing, don’t forget to leave a customer review and rate them. Reviews make a big difference for how other readers (and Amazon itself) view(s) books. It all helps. Thanks.
Editorial Review:
“I constantly found myself unwilling to put this book down because I was so looking forward to seeing what happened next … If you’re a time travel addict, get Neander: Exploitation now!”
— Terry Tyler, Terry Tyler Book Reviews
A troubled science reporter travels back in time to the age of Neanderthals and changes the course of human history.
This is the first novel in my NEANDER series: Neander: A Time Travel Adventure (2019). It’s a fast-paced, action-packed book that builds on the latest anthropological research about our Neanderthal “cousins.” Available in all Amazon online stores worldwide (in ebook and paperback). The U.S. store link is above.
Editorial Review:
“… This is a well-written, compelling, and believable story of a man thrust into a world thousands of years before his own. The characters Tom meets are realistic and sympathetic. I became so interested in the Neanderthals that I wanted to learn more about them. This is one of those books I didn’t want to end.”
— Susie Pruett, Historical Novels Review
Shown above is the consolidated version of the historical fiction novel that covers the founding of New York City from its earliest beginnings more than 400 years ago. When forests, wetlands, and strawberry fields covered the land. When wolves, bears, and beavers roamed free, and native tribes and bands called it home.
It’s the story of a Native American (Lenape) who battles Dutch and English explorers, traders, and settlers at the 17th-century birth of NYC and the island at its heart: Manhattan (which I once swam around). Includes the negotiations and legendary “purchase” of Manhattan in 1626.
There are two formats of NEW YORK 1609 (ebook and paperback) available, and to get to both on Amazon, just click here.
NOTE: this Omnibus Edition includes updated and revised versions of the four short ebooks in The Manhattan Series described below plus new added content including an Afterword explaining what happens after the story ends. I wanted to roll the four parts together into one full-length work for those who don’t read ebooks or just want to have the entire story (including the new Prologue and Afterword) in one book. And at a lower price.
2022 UPDATE NOTE: the motion picture and television rights to this book have been optioned for development and production. More to come about that.
Some Editorial Reviews:
“A thoroughly good read, with lively engaging characters, clever blending of real and fictional personages, a strong historical narrative, and some excellent plot twistings throughout. I really enjoyed this entertaining book, and recommend it.”
— Sam Law, It’s Good To Read book blog
“An incredibly visual and epic story of a changing culture and landscape. It’s a beautifully told story about family, friends and community through colonisation. … A wonderful mixture of historical fact and fiction, expertly written.”
— Peter Donnelly, founder, The Reading Desk
“A good one for fans of Mannahatta.”
— Dr. Eric W. Sanderson, author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City
“Harald Johnson’s 1609 [The Manhattan Series, Book 1] will entice you with the distinctive voices of explorer Henry Hudson and Dancing Fish of the Manahate band, a compelling drama, and just the right amount of historical detail to transport you in time and place.”
— M.K. Tod, author of Time and Regret and historical fiction blogger at A Writer of History
Above is the original 4-novella ebook series. I wrote and published these serially over a one-year period in 2016-2017. They became the basis of the final expanded book you see just above. They’re still available on Amazon (as ebooks only), but the new full-length book is more complete and up-to-date. Here’s a link to the novella series, but again, I recommend the New York 1609: Omnibus Edition that comprises the four novellas (and more).
My first non-fiction books were the Mastering Digital Printing series back in the ’00s you see above. They were pretty darn popular considering that the first edition was ranked #5 on Amazon (that’s of all books!) and was even outselling Harry Potter for a brief nanosecond. I went on to write a couple of spin-offs and also to shepard some of my friends’ books on the same topic for the publisher (Thomson/Reuters/ Cengage). Helping others write and publish their own books was immensely satisfying. There’s nothing like seeing a book you worked on at a bookstore or on Amazon, even if it’s not your name on the cover!
Sound interesting or have questions? Leave a comment below.
Time marches on…and not even using a time machine. Went looking for old SWIMSWIM covers online and got a bunch of LOL’s…the Japanese SwimSwim character/products and the ‘new name” version SWIMSWAM. Now I’m inspired to get going on SWAMSWUM for centenarians and older. You know, repeated simultaneous holding of breath underwater AND the tub railing…
Oh, and now I’ve got a few more books to order.
Mark off
Hello Mark!
Re: old SWIM SWIM covers… there’s one here in /About, and here are four of ’em:
http://www.trihistory.com/features/birth-triathlete-magazine-insiders-story
Re: SWAMSWIM… and tub breathholding: I like it. Just be careful!
H
Wow, how’d you get permission to use the Neanderthal reconstruction on your book cover? Did they charge much? Kennis & Kennis do such amazing work
Hi Angelica (a fellow author/visual artist)!
It’s a bit convoluted but after negotiations with the photographer of my first-pick version of the K&K reconstruction broke down, I went with another version from a stock agency, from which I purchased a license. I had to do more work in Photoshop, but I think it turned out well. Email me if you want more details.
That does sound convoluted! After having issues with licenses, I’ve just been using my own art for covers. It comes in handy to have those skills. All the best!
I really enjoyed 1609, very interesting to me, However, I am confused as I went on to 1612- and Dancing Fish was younger and Kong was alive again and much seemed repeated from the first book. What am I missing? I’m not usually THAT clueless!
Hi Lynn! Thanks for your interest and your comment. Let me try to figure this out with you…
First, I assume you are talking about the ebook novellas (1609, 1612, 1625, 1640), and not the New York 1609 Omnibus Edition that includes all of these plus added content, correct? I’ll assume so and continue…
“1609” ends as Henry Hudson ship is leaving the NYC area in the early part of October, 1609. Dancing Fish is 15 years old (CH2: “Where the families of the Manahate band had come for all his 15 sun cycles.”), and his faithful dog Kong is very much alive (it is presumed).
“1612” starts on October, 30 1612. Dancing Fish is now 18 (CH2: “You know I am not called ‘Little Eel’ now,” Dancing Fish said, annoyed. “We were made men at the same time. We’ve both seen 18 winters. I don’t use your baby name. Why do you use mine?”) and Kong is still his loyal companion (CH3: “He whistled to Kong, who was immediately at his side. A dog was always good on a hunt or a trip, and Kong, a wolf descendant with a hide the color of charred wood, was a fine dog.”). So Dancing Fish is older, as expected, and Kong is still very much part of the story.
As far as repetition goes, I hope not! Of course, there are recurring (and evolving) main characters (Dancing Fish, Willow, Owl, etc.), but the story has moved along another three years. And with new European characters, which matches the known history.
Hmmm… I’m wondering if you may have jumped between the Omnibus Edition and the separate novellas? Although that wouldn’t explain any timing issues because they match, with the novellas now becoming “Parts” of the longer book. Does this help? Any more clues? Or is it possible that Amazon somehow delivered faulty versions of the books to you? I want to help make this right.
UPDATE: It appears that Lynn went from reading the Omnibus Edition to one of the novellas, which actually precede the Omnibus. I’ll try to make that clearer on the Amazon pages.
Enjoyed the island of ManhattN novella. I devoured all 4 books amd I want more. Good job.
Thanks very much for the comment, Russell!
Yes! Very interesting indeed. Looking forward to more from the additional dates you have listed.
Thanks for comment! The first one (“1609”) will be releasing soon. Then the others will follow. It’s all one story but broken into parts based on the key, actual events that took place in the beginning years of NYC’s history. Or as they say in Hollywood: “Based on true events…”
Three of the books in the series are now out. Things are getting interesting on the island of Manhattan!
The novella series is complete, and here’s the expanded Omnibus Edition (“New York 1609”) with new added content:
https://www.amazon.com/New-York-1609-Harald-Johnson-ebook/dp/B07D2N3X2V/