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T.J. Johnston

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Historical Fiction

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November 2016

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T.J. Johnston is the author of the James Lockett Civil War historical fiction series. He is a 2023 awardee from the Historical Fiction Company's annual contest - "Highly Recommended Award of Excellence" for Lockett and the Devil's Path.

A believer in the importance and gripping tension of accurate history, he has degrees from Hope College and Michigan State University. He currently resides in Texas where he is working on subsequent historical fiction novels. ...more

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Hi. I'm a big fan from Chicago. I loved all three Lockett books and can't wait for another. How did you decide to base your characters specifically from Kalamazoo? Was there actual history in K-Zoo with Civil War sharpshooters enlisting? Thanks. Really great stuff. Superb descriptions and excellent writing. A real page-turner.

T.J. Johnston Jim, thanks for the question. I guess I would say that it is intentional and fortuitous at the same time.

As always, there are certain elements that I …moreJim, thanks for the question. I guess I would say that it is intentional and fortuitous at the same time.

As always, there are certain elements that I want to cover in the battles and/or other parts of the actual history. Naturally, I can't have my characters everywhere at once, so I do need to be selective about the parts of history that I weave into the story, because one of my primary goals is always to share accurate history. These books are not revisionist or re-writes of "what-if" history; that would be a disservice to what actually happened, not to mention unnecessary since there are so many factual parts of the Civil War that are fascinating and intriguing.

Accordingly, the first book in the series covers Shiloh and Fort Donelson. I needed the characters to be in the Western Sharpshooters in order to cover certain parts of those battles, and parts of that unique regiment were from western and central Michigan, as I learned in my early-days research.

I decided to have some of my core fictional characters come from Kalamazoo due to familiarity with the city and the fact that it has well documented historical records, which I can sprinkle in throughout the stories. For example, when Lockett talks about the Underground Railroad, Lincoln's visit, Burdick's Dry Goods store, or the clock tower, those are real events/places that existed in Kalamazoo.

The fortuitous part that I mentioned at the beginning has more to do with subsequent volumes in the series. I did not realize it at the start of the first book, but throughout these stories people from western Michigan continue to surface in the history that transpired. That is good fortune for tale as it continues, but admittedly, not planned.

Lastly, it is probably worth mentioning, that I have taken the same general approach with characters from other parts of the country. For example, I'm sure that you have noticed that there are characters from the South as well. (And these are obviously vital to giving a complete view of events.) Having characters from western Tennessee and Murfreesboro (and eventually other locations) was intentional, and I also include many historical references to those locations as well, such as the Murfreesboro Courthouse, which is still there today thankfully.

Thanks again for the question.(less)

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Where do you get your character's names from?

T.J. Johnston Since I write historical fiction, I want to make certain that the character names are time-appropriate. I often look at primary records from the times…moreSince I write historical fiction, I want to make certain that the character names are time-appropriate. I often look at primary records from the times for the names. For example, the name Prosper T. Rowe came from looking at various regimental muster rolls. "Prosper T." came from one soldier and "Rowe" came from a different soldier. I try not to use the direct combination unless it is an actual historic figure, and there are plenty of those woven into my stories as well. Clarissa is another example of a name taken from a primary record of the time period. Her name came from a slave who escaped Maryland for Canada, where she later published a diary of her time.

Thanks for the question and keep them coming.(less)

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Combine Editions
T.J. Johnston’s books

Average rating: 4.32 · 38 ratings · 5 reviews · 8 distinct works

	Lockett's Crucible 4.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Boys from Kalamazoo really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2002 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett's Betrayal really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett's Betrayal (James Lockett Novels Book 2) 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett and the Devil's Path (James Lockett Novels Book 4) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett and the Devil's Path 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett's Innocence (James Lockett Novels #1) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lockett's Innocence (James Lockett Novels Book 1) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Hello All,
I just wanted to let people know that I have started an Instagram account related to the book. There will be some whimsical posts, as well posts of on-the-scene pictures for where various parts of the story took place. You can follow me on Instagram @tjjohnstonauthor

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Published on July 20, 2019 15:53

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