Brooke Johnson

Brooke Johnson is a stay-at-home mom, amateur seamstress, RPG enthusiast, and art hobbyist, in addition to all that book writing. As the jack-of-all-trades bard of the family, she adventures through life with her fiercely-bearded paladin of a husband, their daughter the sticky-fingered rogue, and their cowardly wizard of a dog, with only a sleep spell in his spellbook.

They currently reside in Northwest Arkansas, but once they earn enough loot and experience, they'll build a proper castle somewhere and defend against all manner of dragons and goblins, and whatever else dares take them on.

Johnson's new novel is The Brass Giant: A Chroniker City Story.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

I have a few different books cycling through my currently reading pile, and several more sitting on my nightstand waiting to be cracked open.

The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland — I’ve grown to love Norse Mythology over the years, fascinated by the brief glimpses into Nordic and Viking culture that I’ve gathered from history, other books, films, and even artwork. But I’ve never actually read any of the Norse tales. I’ve been reading through this book for a few years now, reading a story or two when the mood strikes. It’s written in that very mythological, almost biblical way that doesn’t always make for the most engaging read. The stories are interesting though, and I’ve found that my favorites are the ones involving the giants.

The Complete Guide to the Tarot by Eden Gray — This one, I started reading because I rolled a Dungeons & Dragons character who practiced as a fortune teller before she took up the life of the adventurer. She was given the gift of foresight and divination from her deity, the god of fate, and her primary tool for using this gift is her tarot deck. I’ve already read through the Major Arcana, which is what my character focuses on when she uses spells and divines the path she should take, but I’m now about halfway through the Minor Arcana, and once I feel that I have a good enough grasp on the Tarot, I plan to include those cards in role-playing my character as well.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett — I was introduced to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series only a few years ago, and I’ve slowly been reading through the novels, in order, starting with The Color of Magic. I’ve been in love with the series and the world ever since. I started reading Guards! Guards! the same day that he died, and it’s been difficult for me to enjoy for that reason I think. I keep putting off finishing it because every time I pick it up, I’m reminded that Terry is no longer with us, and that’s a shame.

I’m also between books in another series, The Paper Magician trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg. I picked the first book up on a whim because the idea of a magician attuned to paper sounded interesting enough that I wanted to read about it. I now have the sequel sitting on my nightstand, The Glass Magician, which I’m planning to read next.

Visit Brooke Johnson's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Brass Giant.

The Page 69 Test: The Brass Giant.

--Marshal Zeringue