Chapter 2 Enter Mrs. Macchiato https://tljohnson2028.substack.com/publish/home Maurice was comfortably past his twenties, though his precise age remained an elegant mystery, gently hinted at by subtle greys at his temples and a striking tuft of white nestled in his bangs. Each ivory strand whispered a story. And were one to listen attentively, each tale would unfold... Continue Reading →
Volume II – On the Nature of Names
The Alchemy of Ink and Words “The bravest part of any story is the moment you choose to enter.” https://tljohnson2028.substack.com/publish/home 🪶 What’s in a Name? In my last post, we met Maurice—the enigmatic matchmaker with a velvet coat, a fondness for misdirection, and a parrot who can sense true love. Originally, he was called Maurice Handsome Cicero—a... Continue Reading →
Love Birds
Chapter 1 The Matchmaker and the Parrot Maurice Heartman Cicero wore a small, dark mustache that curled like punctuation above his pointed goatee - an exclamation at the end of a carefully composed face. He was not born in a metropolis, nor had he spent more than a fortnight within its hallowed, hectic confines. In... Continue Reading →
Lost in Virt: The Life a DPC
I just finished the final draft of this novel. It started as an adventure.Then it turned into years of work—creative juices flowing, ideas churning, and life lived through words on the page. I met characters who took on lives of their own, and I watched their story arcs unfold. This didn’t happen overnight. Over the... Continue Reading →
Keeping It Together While Falling Apart
(Today’s Pain Log) I’m writing this from the recliner that pretends to be a solution. It isn’t. It’s a truce. Ten, maybe twenty minutes of less-awful before everything starts screaming again. Nights are math problems I can’t solve: how many positions can a body try before it bargains with dawn? Quick status for those following... Continue Reading →
Keeping it together while falling apart.
Keeping it together while falling apart. What an excellent experience. The feeling of community and support was healing to a soul that needed reassurance. The Wisconsin Writers Association Conference was in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, last weekend. I met some fantastic writers and even more amazing people. The Vibe was positive and welcoming. Thanks to Sarah,... Continue Reading →
Been busy trying and failing and learning and trying and growing and living.
Hi folks, Sorry, it's been a while. It's more difficult to sit and write these days. But with that said, I am still full of stories. Some would finish that sentence differently. I have posted a story on Substack and remind you that I am still hitting the keys on the keyboard when I can.... Continue Reading →
✨ The Alchemy of Ink and Words
Volume I – Chapter One: The Matchmaker and the Parrot T.L. Johnson Jul 01, 2025 “The disguises we wear are not always born of deception. Sometimes they’re stitched from the threads of longing.” 🪶 The Chapter Has Landed It’s time.Chapter One of The Matchmaker and the Parrot is here in full. This first installment introduces us to Maurice Heartman... Continue Reading →
Welcome to the Realm Beyond
Hello, and welcome. My name is Terry Johnson, and this is the beginning of a long and winding journey—one that stretches from the rolling hills of Wisconsin to the edge of the multiverse and back again. I’m a novelist, world-builder, and storyteller who has spent a lifetime exploring the space where imagination meets meaning. I’ve... Continue Reading →
All That Is – Reverberates Within Me
A Poem of Sorts - written long ago, if I could remember when, I'd say. When I read it, I think of my wife, who resonates in your remembrance. All That Is – Reverberates Within Me All That Is – Reverberates Within Me It is sound, yet music to my ears.My breathing is a resonant... Continue Reading →
If You’re Reading This, You’re Already a Friend
A short note for fellow travelers. There are places you go to be seen. And there are places you go to simply be. This is the second kind. I’m not here to sell you anything or flood your inbox. I’m here because I have stories to tell—some already written, some whispering still. And because, for... Continue Reading →
Keeping It Together While Falling Apart
Dispatch #1 Writing can be a difficult task. Ask anyone who’s ever sat down in front of a blank page or that yawning white Word doc. Sometimes it prompts a blank mind. Great for Zen—not so great for novel-writing. For some, writing a thousand words is a herculean challenge. For me, it used to be... Continue Reading →
Repost from Listening for the Sounds of Summer.
Listening for the Sounds of Summer Blog. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,... Continue Reading →
From Sunshine to Wine
The rays of sunshine travel 93 million miles in eight minutes and twenty seconds and land upon your lawn. These rays of sunlight are not the sun’s heat or thermal energy but a form of energy called electromagnetic radiation - a kind of radiation including visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and X-rays, in which electric... Continue Reading →
From Wheat to White Bread
Okay, full disclosure. I eat wheat bread 90% of the time. I like white bread. I now love wheat bread, but it took a while. The science of acquiring a taste for foods through repetition and exposure is established. In a future article, I will tell how I acquired a taste for bourbon. True Story.... Continue Reading →
From ? To Hot Dogs
It’s the start of grilling season with a smattering of summer-like weather in the north and warm temperatures already settling in in the south. We have all seen the headlines. And you’re probably wondering just what goes into making your favorite hotdog. Huffington Post “How Bad Are Hot Dogs For You, And How Many Are... Continue Reading →
From Chicken Coop to Omelet.
With the skyrocketing prices of eggs, many folks are beginning to wonder if raising chickens might be the answer. Well, that depends on the question. Photo by Dana Tentis on Pexels.com In Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a computer is created to answer a question. The Feynman computing center is by U.S. Department... Continue Reading →
From Chicken to Egg
What came first, the chicken of the egg? Well, the first chickens evolved from chicken-like ancestors. Therefore, one day, the creature we call a chicken hatched from an egg. Of course, the question on everyone else's mind is? Click the button on the right to become a follower. How much did the egg cost? Photo... Continue Reading →
From Food to Sports Drink
You can easily get all the electrolytes you need from the food you eat. What would you need to eat to match the electrolytes found in a sports drink? We are going to approach this problem from a few different angles. Question 1. What is in my Sweat? Photo by Fabio Pelegrino on Pexels.com Sweat,... Continue Reading →
From Water to Sports Drink
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Let’s start with some water. So far, the evidence supports the idea that living organisms need water. You do too! We’ve all heard from some source, at some point, that humans are 70% water. That is not true for all parts of our body, but it is a valid approximation.... Continue Reading →
From Serving Size to Total Calories!
By Terry L Johnson Serving size seems like a very straightforward concept. But the waters become a bit murky when exploring how serving sizes are determined and how companies implement the idea. One might assume a serving size is a guide for how much of the food product you should eat in one sitting. Sorry,... Continue Reading →
From Potato to Potato Chips
By Terry L Johnson Potato chips. Is there a more iconic American snack? Here in the US, we consume a lot of potato chips. On average, we chow down on more than 6 pounds of potato chips individually each year. Altogether, those chip bags are filled with some 2 billion pounds of potato chips each... Continue Reading →
T.L. Johnson 