State of the Author

Michael R. Johnston — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Despite what some of my reviewers think, I've never been a straight man writing gay characters. I'm going to digress here, and say that nothing would be wrong with that; straight men and straight woman are free to write gay characters any damned time they wish. I wish more of them would.

But I am not, nor have I ever been, straight.

I identified for many years as gay. Then I met a woman, married, and identified as Bisexual. And now I'm getting divorced, partly because I realized that the "bisexual" label didn't really fit (there is more to it, of course, but that’s private). We're friends, and co-parents to a wonderful young adult, and it's time for us to part.

Please understand, I never lied to my family. They've known who I was and what I was since before my ex-wife and I began dating. My daughter has known I liked men--even that I preferred men--since she was old enough to understand the concept.

But it's time to stop trying to fit into the mold that no longer fit. It's time for me to be the gay man I've always felt I was.

My books will continue to be Achillean-focused, and my work will always be for my community--the LGBT+ community and our allies.

I'll see you out there.

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Sacramento Book Festival

Michael R. Johnston — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I’ll be appearing at the first annual Sacramento Book Festival on May 31st from 10am to 4pm. Most of the day I’ll be manning my table and meeting readers, as well as selling (and signing) my books. But from 12:40 to 1:20 I’ll be discussing science fiction with a few other local SFF authors, then signing books afterward.

More info here: https://www.sacramentobookfestival.com/

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Michael R. Johnston | Updates

State of the Author

Sacramento Book Festival