Infinite Genius Publishing: Imagination Unbound. After thirty-two years in a science classroom — and a lifetime filling notebooks with stories that refused to be still — I am on the path to publishing my work. Keeping It Together While Falling Apart, a medical memoir written in the middle of a season that tried its best … Continue reading The words are finally going out into the world.
Love Birds Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Lonely Sovereigns After his latest clients had flown the coop—peach parasol, lace, and indignation all flapping at once—Maurice busied himself with cleaning. A new appointment was due in less than an hour, and the relentless blowing sand had once again begun its invasion of the interior. It found corners with the devotion of … Continue reading Love Birds Chapter 5
Perhaps, We Have Already Arrived
Sunday Morning Muses March 29. Who knows where the path may lead? Fate is, after all, famously fickle. We choose the way, but who are we to decide? Are we better prepared than fate? Are winds of change a push, or simply permission? Whose voice whispers our inspiration? Better yet—are you sure it is you … Continue reading Perhaps, We Have Already Arrived
Airspeed Velocity of Monarch Butterflies
Four-part essay series completed on Substack. I will soon be adding the complete essay to my author page, but for the time being, all four parts of Airspeed Velocity of Monarch Butterflies, the reflection on my 200-mile walk from my home in Hartland to my parents' birthplace, are available on my Substack. My Substack is … Continue reading Airspeed Velocity of Monarch Butterflies
Publication Day: “The Ship of Theseus” in Creative Wisconsin Magazine
Publication Day: "The Ship of Theseus" in Creative Wisconsin Magazine Today marks a milestone I have been working toward through some of the hardest years of my life. My first published piece — an excerpt from my memoir in progress, Keeping It Together While Falling Apart — appears today in Creative Wisconsin Magazine. It is … Continue reading Publication Day: “The Ship of Theseus” in Creative Wisconsin Magazine
Chapter 4 Rumor and Song
Love Birds Serialization “Dear Mrs. Macchiato, please—sit here. It is by far the most comfortable of seats.” Maurice gestured with a smooth flourish and extended a guiding hand toward a plush red velvet loveseat, its gilt trim gleaming faintly, its cushions indulgently overstuffed. The room, though modest in size, was stylishly appointed—a delicate balancing act … Continue reading Chapter 4 Rumor and Song
The Gravity of Coffee.
There are those days when gravity takes everything personally. Dropping, falling, and egregious entropy increases when we accidentally—yeah, right—drop the coffee canister on the floor. I don’t think I’m being clumsy. Nobody is that clumsy. I think I have somehow offended Graviton or Gia herself. Perhaps Gravity is feeling un-felt; it might even be feeling … Continue reading The Gravity of Coffee.
A Small Reminder From Our Love Birds
A Small Reminder For those following along, Love Birds is being serialized here on the website, and you can expect one new release each month. The tale begins with The Matchmaker and the Parrot and Maurice’s wonderfully peculiar world. Love Birds I haven’t been sending separate website notices very often, mostly because I know many … Continue reading A Small Reminder From Our Love Birds
The Nose did seem a bit Familiar
Chapter 3 The Nose did seem a bit Familiar Mrs. Macchiato adjusted the frills of her peach-colored dress, precisely matched to the parasol and wide-brimmed hat she carried. If she were about to entrust her daughter’s romantic future to a man and his bird, at least she would do so impeccably dressed. At the counter, … Continue reading The Nose did seem a bit Familiar
Enter Mrs. Macchiato
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 Enter Mrs. Macchiato
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 Volume II – On the Nature of Names
Love Birds
Chapter 1 The Matchmaker and the Parrot Note: This is part of a searilized release of chapters of a Novella. New chapters arrive monthly. Start here but then rememebe there is always more to the story. Maurice Heartman Cicero wore a small, dark mustache that curled like punctuation above his pointed goatee - an exclamation … Continue reading Love Birds
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 Lost in Virt: The Life a DPC
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.
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 Keeping it together while falling apart.
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 Been busy trying and failing and learning and trying and growing and living.
✨ 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 ✨ The Alchemy of Ink and Words
The Alchemy of Ink and Words, Vol. I
Maurice: The Matchmaker Every finished story begins as a mess. A line in a notebook. A passing daydream. A scribble that doesn’t quite make sense until it won’t stop whispering to you. This series—The Alchemy of Ink and Words—follows the journey from raw idea to finished tale. Along the way, you’ll meet characters who changed … Continue reading The Alchemy of Ink and Words, Vol. I
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 Welcome to the Realm Beyond
Hope, Dreams and A Change of Plans.
The transition from teaching to writing was supposed to be smooth. I had imagined that I would continue teaching until retirement and then transition into a full-time writing career. I hoped to get an agent, but as my wife says, “Hope is not a strategy.” So, I put together a business plan, intending to launch … Continue reading Hope, Dreams and A Change of Plans.
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 All That Is – Reverberates Within Me
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 If You’re Reading This, You’re Already a Friend
T.L. Johnson 