Books with author Mark Johnson

Ancient and glorious Krona is at last in sight, its majestic domes of copper and bronze glowing like gold under the setting sun.Yet within sanctuary's bosom a den of vipers readies to strike, the warmest of masks but a serpent's guise. Brooding clouds and the cries of dying men are but harbingers of the storm to come. A city falling to the darkest of dreams, the edge of Hell but a nightmare away.Oblivion's Blade is pulled free of paradox, and all of Dawn trembles as Death's Handmaiden awakens, gods of Fire and Shadow by her side.The Void howls its eternal hunger. The final hour is at hand.

2019 IAN Outstanding Fiction Winner for LGBTQ Fiction **Not a Cliff Hanger**His world was water and rhythm. Hard work and drive kept Royal O'Connell one step ahead of his competition. His spot on the swim team, keeping his scholarship, was the only plan that mattered. His world was ebony and ivory. Natural talent and ambition set Camden Morgan apart from the other music majors. His dedication scoring him a full ride. Normally, their paths would have never crossed….But when Royal meets his best friend's new roommate, his big plan and Camden’s controlled environment faces a variable that could destroy it all. Attraction. The world they live in had no room for error. That undeniable pull between them was dangerous and neither one of them could've prepared for the choice they'd have to make. Love isn't always an easy road and, when everything they've worked for is on the line, they'll have to decide if being together is worth the risk.

"Mark Johnson has a magical way of picking you up from your comfy reading chair and dropping you off in the heart of the cold and at times unforgiving Himalayas. I read the whole book in just a few quick sittings and constantly found myself laughing, biting my nails, and undeniably identifying with every ridiculous thing Mark found himself doing on his journey. If you enjoy grand adventures and a fair share of “dad humor,” add Mark’s EBC chronicle to your bookshelf now." ~ Tim Moore, The Penny HoarderImagine yourself trekking through the epic Himalayan wilderness to Everest Base Camp — 17,600 feet above sea level and the gateway to the planet’s most iconic mountain. Experience the world's most startling, high-altitude landscapes, interact with the welcoming Sherpa people, and struggle to catch your breath as you narrowly avoid being trampled by an oncoming train of enormous, shaggy yaks loaded with climbing expedition supplies. Now, imagine living this adventure without leaving your favorite reading chair."Doofus Dad Does Everest Base Camp" brings that scenario to life.In April 2018, Tennessee writer Mark E. Johnson embarked on a life-changing, grueling, and often-hilarious adventure — a 12-day, 80-mile trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal's Himalaya Mountains — after launching an improbable trekking company a year earlier. This was Johnson's first excursion out of the continental U.S., and this journey into the exotic country of Nepal was indeed a trial by fire (and ice). Hike alongside "Doofus Dad" on each part of this bucket list quest, from the starting point of Nashville, Tennessee, through a mind-numbing 23 hours of air travel, into the suicidal traffic of Kathmandu, and on every day of the trek with equal parts lush detail and sly humor. Experience Kathmandu’s Hindu and Buddhist temples, visit the infamous Yeti's Scalp of the Khumjung Monastery and join in on a hysterical salsa dance lesson at 14,000-feet. “Doofus Dad Does Everest Base Camp” is a gripping adventure story that also serves as a practical resource for future trekkers. It includes:A standard EBC trekking mapAn EBC itineraryDaily trekking statistics including elevation changes and hiking timesThe gear lists of Mark and his wife, HollyA Nepal trekking training guideThe foreword is provided by mountaineering legend and Everest blogger Alan Arnette, called "one of America’s most respected chroniclers of Everest," by Outside Magazine. “This book is a must-have for the bookshelf of yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's traveler,” says Arnette.The audiobook is read by Johnson and even includes sound effects from the trek itself.Johnson is a longtime freelancer and blog writer, best known for his Dave Barry-esque stories about parenting, rural living, and health and fitness.

Childhood and adolescence were a virtual rollercoaster ride for Mark Johnson. In his second book--Tales of a Rollercoaster Operator: Stories from My Missouri Youth--he navigates the highs and lows of coming of age in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1960s and 1970s.Experience Mark's favorite growing-up twists and turns in this collection of twenty-six funny and poignant essays, including learning to drive a rollercoaster, discovering the joys of a first pet, embarking on a quest with his father to wrangle World Series tickets, and witnessing the wonder in a brand new year after a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger. This book of stories will inspire you to revisit your youth, dust-off your favorite memories, and find new meaning in the indelible moments that stay with you for a lifetime.

A time of revelry and celebration as dark dreams give way to dawn is but a memory.A circle of young mages saved and a doom averted is only a single countered move in an ancient game of deception and betrayal.A new piece moves forward, and all of Highrock spins into living nightmare, hundreds of desperate children now trapped in the most horrific of dreams, even as enemies stalk the keep to assure that those students who don't perish in nightmare will instead fall to their wicked blades.Horror and butchery are but the opening moves in a gambit to secure a pair of ancient artifacts that could catalyze the destruction of Dawn itself, the world entire doomed to the most hideous of fates, if Jess and her companions do not act in time.But first they must survive the perils of living dream, and the demon that waits for them below.

From Fertile Ground -- a memoir spanning three generations . . . In his memoir and writer's mosaic, debuting author Mark Johnson searches for answers after his mother dies. He leaves behind his corporate job in his mid-fifties and soon discovers a love for writing and nature across three generations of his family. In each chapter, he weaves together more than fifty years of diary accounts from his grandfather's North Carolina farm, his mother's encouraging and wisdom-filled letters from her complicated life, and his own narrative as a gay man coming to terms with his past and his grief.Mark leads you on a writer's journey to reawaken his artistic sensibilities, remember the important people and moments in his life, and rediscover his southern roots. From Fertile Ground examines our human desire to make sense of our heritage, find our own path, and leave our mark on the world.

Four young dragons embracing the world of trade. What could possibly go wrong?Waking up in a land exotic and strange after his foolproof plan backfires, Sorn and his cousins discover a realm where trade is king and wily merchants, clever captains, and powerful nobles are all in the game. After rescuing a grateful noble from a band of cutthroats, Sorn is given a unique opportunity to learn the rudiments of trade and secure admittance into the Royal Arcane Academy, a life of prestige and comfort then all but assured.Sorn instead dares a perilous sea voyage that will have him and his cousins battling for their lives against ships of war as they face down an empire bent on world conquest, all for the sake of making a little extra gold.Sorn was sure everything would be okay. Four young dragons embracing the world of trade. What could possibly go wrong?

**Stand Alone**Her world was color. Canvas and paint. Indie O’Connell lived inside her head. Her voices the muse. And as a freshman at St. Peter's College, all she wanted, was to create a name for herself with the brush in her hand.His world was over. Despite his humble upbringing, Kai Carter seemed to have it all. Captain of the swim team and a full scholarship. His golden boy status a mask he had to wear to keep his dream and his family afloat. All the pieces of his life dangled precariously from his fingertips.Forced to fight a battle he’d never signed up for, Kai’s loyalty turned out to be his undoing, and like a good captain, no matter what the cost, he’d gone down with the ship. They never planned for their worlds to collide.He was her brother's best friend.She was supposed to be invisible.Off limits.Being together, regardless of how much they wanted it, was a line they'd never cross. But when lives get messy, lines get blurred, and in love, nothing is ever black and white.

World affairs were deteriorating as the autumn courtship letters of Walter and Margaret came to a close. In this winter sequel, which begins shortly after their Christmas engagement, the cattle and potato markets flounder. Walter’s fledgling farming operation is jeopardized, and his wedding plans are tabled as he searches for meaning in God’s perplexing will. Troubling concerns naturally arise. Margaret struggles to know her soulmate’s feelings when her own are astir leading her to question Walter’s desire for her and God’s will for her life. Both are children of the horrors of the Great War and the following Great Depression. When the Nazis drive into Austria, Walter and Margaret find themselves pondering scriptures for insights on which to ground their faith in God and in each other. As they share their insights, they witness to a faith that carries them through each struggle as it arises. Although Walter and Margaret are two individuals going about two very ordinary lives, both are caught up in a desire to understand and find meaning in their lives as well as in the news. It is not surprising that they point out and comment on many issues and events with which we can all identify. Hopefully, my reflections on how their understandings later played out in their lives and mine will aid readers in gaining a deeper insight into their own. That may be the sole benefit of this book for some. Other readers will also be caught up in the three pivotal issues raised in the letters: our fundamental sources of truth, the coming world order, and the early understandings surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. These issues cut across national boundaries. Their significance touches many. Our views on these issues shape our institutions and occasionally create deep divides. For that reason, we usually avoid discussing them in polite conversation. Yet, as these letters document, they lurk and easily surface.

In his memoir and writer’s mosaic, debuting author Mark Johnson searches for answers after his mother dies. He leaves behind his corporate job in his mid-fifties and soon discovers a love for writing and nature across three generations of his family. In each chapter, he weaves together more than fifty years of diary accounts from his grandfather’s North Carolina farm, his mother’s encouraging and wisdom-filled letters from her complicated life, and his own narrative as a gay man coming to terms with his past and his grief. Mark leads you on a writer’s journey to reawaken his artistic sensibilities, remember the important people and moments in his life, and rediscover his southern roots. From Fertile Ground examines our human desire to make sense of our heritage, find our own path, and leave our mark on the world. Born in St. Louis, Mark Johnson graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1979. He built a multi-faceted career as a communication professional before retiring and beginning a new chapter in 2014. Mark and his husband Tom divide their time between the Chicago area and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Somehow life enticed two expressive soulmates, a struggling farmer and a high-school teacher, to regularly set aside time each week for over a year to carefully script their thoughts on the issues and events unfolding about them. Life had them fall in love as the economy tanked and another world war threatened. This came about in 1937 when Walter met Margaret at a church outing at summer’s end in Greeley, Colorado where she was visiting her sister shortly before returning to her job in Washburn, North Dakota. They married thirteen months later. Aside from two brief visits, their letters contain all of the premarital thoughts that they exchanged. Questioning God is the second book in A Lettered Courtship, a trilogy with an edited version of their correspondence at its core. Because these two expressive soulmates were to become my parents, I was often privy to how their understandings played out in their work and relationships and was always well aware of how they played out in mine. I have come to see the understandings and choices in these letters not as answers, but doors and angles into my own life and relationships and perhaps those of the reader. I have included extended takes on their concerns with our fundamental sources of truth, the changing world order, and the open tomb.

Who came up with the idea of a Jack O' Lantern? How did trick-or-treating get started? Just what ARE those footsteps following you at night on Halloween?All these questions and many more are answered in this fun and easy-to-read book about the craziest, weirdest, and most amazing Halloween myths, stories, and superstitions.Your children will love to discover...* What happens on Halloween if you walk backwards down the stairs with THESE two objects?* How people tricked and confused the ghosts of dead people in the old days.* The REAL reason why witches carry brooms (not what you might think).* The ONE sure way to find out if the spirit of a loved one is watching over you on Halloween.* What's a mummy's favorite kind of music? (and other horrendously hilarious Halloween riddles).... and much more!So download "Halloween for Children" and discover the wackiest, weirdest, and spookiest Halloween stories and traditions.