Merrimack man pens mystery novel
Published: Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005 in the Nashua Telegraph
Name: Jason T. Johnson.
Hometown or local connection: Merrimack.
Title of your book: “A Brand You Can Count On.”
Synopsis: Detective Jake Jackson has it all: great family, friends and job. However, when the call comes in about a body in the river, Jackson’s life may never be the same. When he’s contacted by the sadistic killer minutes later, it turns personal. The murderer seems to know everything about him – could it be a friendship gone wrong or someone with a past grudge? Jackson teams up with his computer guru daughter after being taken off the case. Urgency sets in when a family member disappears – will he track down the killer before the victim is marked for death?
Publisher: Jason T. Johnson, through www.lulu.com.
Price/where is it available?: www.lulu.com/jasontjohnson; $4.93 for the e-book version, $14.95 for the trade paperback.
Web site: www.jasontjohnson.com.
Brief biography: Johnson was born and raised in Manchester and currently resides in Merrimack with his wife and two daughters. He has a degree in computer science and is employed in the IT field. He is at work on his second novel in the Jake Jackson series.
What motivated you to write this book? I’ve always been an avid reader of mystery. I had tried starting a novel twice before, but never got beyond the first page. When I started this one, the words and story just came to me, it was as if someone just flipped on a light switch.
How long have you been working on it? Start to finish, the first draft took me a year and a half. I put it away for a while before going through it several times to edit it. Total time was about 2½ years.
Is the book geared to a particular type of reader? I’d say this book is geared toward anyone who enjoys a good book in the mystery/crime-fiction genre.
What do you hope readers will take from the book? I’d hope they’d come out saying “WOW! What a great read!” On the serious side, I’d like to think it would make them think about relationships, family and friends, and how important they all are.
Name some of your favorite books and authors. I like a lot of different authors, from Robert B. Parker to Sue Grafton to Jeffery Deaver and Lawrence Block. I really like authors who can add some comedy into their writing, too, even when the subject matter is serious. Authors such as Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum series) and Lawrence Sanders (Archie McNally series) will always have a place on my bookshelf.
If you have to give an aspiring author one bit of advice, what would it be? Write what you know, and never give up even when the words don’t seem to be coming.
