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These are excerpts of recent stories about Warrior Priest and Fate of the Warriors.
Author tells how Shelby fuels his stories
Mansfield News Journal, April 5, 2008, by Angel Taylor
Mike Johnson, a North Canton resident, visited fifth grade students at Shelby's Central Elementary School on Friday to talk about his three books, "Warrior Priest," "Fate of the Warriors," and "God's Perfect Scar."
His first book, "Warrior Priest," is about World War II.
"I concluded there was a story of World War II that I could tell in ways most Americans don't know about," Johnson said.
Johnson said he doesn't regard his books as war novels. "They are about ordinary people who find themselves caught up in extraordinary circumstances," he said.
He said he got the idea for his first book after looking at a picture of his Uncle George, a priest who hunted mountain lions, coached football and flew his own airplane.
Little epiphanies inspired his second and third books, he said. "'God's Perfect Scar' is a book I didn't intend to write," Johnson said. "But readers asked me to tell the stories of the survivors (of the first book)."
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Got a book in your head? Get it publishedCanton Repository, December 30, 2007, by Gary Brown
"I ought to write a book."
If you are a wannabee author, there perhaps is no better time than the present to put your thoughts into words and those words onto paper. Mike Johnson has had a pair of historical fiction works published -- Warrior Priest in 2005 and Fate of the Warriors in 2007.
Johnson has received a multitude of responses to his work during the three years in which he has published two novels. Praise that has come in from readers in several states and no doubt has been both satisfying and motivational. "Your new book arrived a few days ago," wrote Sharon Dillon of Williamsburg, Virginia, earlier this year after she had read Fate of the Warriors. "I was sad when I finished it. What's next?"
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Shelby author puts a new twist on American historyThe Daily Globe, October 9, 2007, by Leah Soubly
Author Mike Johnson returned to the roots of his upbringing to discuss the work behind his two books. Johnson's books, Fate of the Warriors and Warrior Priest, are formed around real-life scenarios and situations that Johnson researched and observed throughout his life.
Johnson's inspiration for his first book came from within his family when he was handed an old photograph of his late Uncle George. I looked at that photo and realized I knew enough about my Uncle George to think that his life could be a book, Johnson said.
Johnson's Uncle George was a priest who flew airplanes and went mountain lion hunting. I thought I could take the popcorn kernels of his life and explode them into a character, Johnson said. Basically with all the traveling I've done, I realized there's a story of World War II that hasn't been told yet. It's the story of perspectives not familiar to most Americans.
Johnson explained the key to his books success has been five categories of research. The first category is document research. Those are books, movies and maps. The second category is friends. For example, I wanted to use a village in France as a locale in the book. I have a friend who lives in that village in a house built in 1513. I said,I've been to your village a number of times; is it possible to get me a map of your village that is annotated in English?
Johnson said a month later a map of the village annotated in English was in his mailbox.
The third research category is the Internet. I wanted to show what D-Day was like through the eyes of the Navy. So I sat in front of my computer and used the Google search engine to locate the first U.S. vessel to fire on occupied France on June 6, 1944.
The fourth category is personal knowledge which consists of life experiences.
The fifth category is my favorite and it's luck, Johnson said. There's a mountain lion hunt that takes place in one book, and I wanted it to take place authentically. I couldn't find what I wanted on the Internet. Then one morning I opened up the Akron Beacon Journal, and the cover story was Big cats are back. It had everything I needed.
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Love and war in 568-page epicAkron Beacon Journal, June 10, 2007, by Barbara McIntyre
The reputation for scrupulous research that author Mike Johnson earned with 2005's Warrior Priest hasn't faded with Fate of the Warriors, a sprawling multigenerational epic of two families joined by love and war.
The historical novel begins in 1906, when young Edward Lawrence sees his father suffer a tragic farming accident, but this is only the prologue for introducing the main character, Edward's older son Dick.
Born in 1922, Dick is wounded serving in the Navy. After the war, he leaves his hometown of Shelby, Ohio, for California. He has a relationship with film star Ann Sheridan and joins a construction firm operated by the industrious Santiago family.
There is a tense sequence with Dick and a retired general behind enemy lines in Korea in 1950, and Dick's half-brother Ben carries the saga into the 1960s at Ohio University and onto Korea.
Despite its length, Fate (hardcover, it clocks in at 568 pages) again shows Johnson's talent for characterization and continuity.
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These novels will keep you turning pages and learning about lifeMansfield News Journal, March 25, 2007, by Ron Simon
If you ever think you would like to write a book, a historical novel especially, talk to Mike Johnson. He knows just how it's done.
Johnson hit the jackpot with me when his first book, Warrior Priest, came out. I loved it. Kept me up all night.
He told me he had another book up his sleeve and Fate of the Warriors is the result. Fate, like Johnson's first book, is based on characters from Shelby, Ohio. But it was also about a Southern California family, the Santiagos, whose fate is intermixed with the Lawrence clan from Shelby.
Johnson is very good at bringing totally different characters from around the world together. In Warrior Priest, the characters came from Shelby, France, Poland and other points. In Fate, they come from Shelby, California, New York City and, most importantly, South Korea.
Fate is, as you might guess, all about the vagaries of fate on human lives. It's what happens to people and how they react. It's about love versus attraction and loyalty. The old saying about how life comes at you like a rocket totally applies to this novel. I could never quite figure out where the next crisis was coming from. When it happened I was about as shocked as the characters in the book. From a shootout in the demilitarized zone in Korea to an attack in New York City's Central Park, it's one thing after another.
I think Johnson must have loved Southern California. Like the Santiagos, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. But this book is about people. One of my favorites was Edward Lawrence, patriarch of the Lawrence clan. Another was John Santiago. The women in this novel are the kind of women any man would be glad to have in his life. The men don't quite measure up, but if I were Edward or Dick Lawrence or John Santiago, I'd be pretty satisfied with my life.
Life, however, can be hard. Cancer, violence or multiple sclerosis can turn stories around. Some die young. Some wish they had. Johnson's own views on life and chance are vivid. Life tosses some wicked curves, and some will rise to the occasion. Others will simply turn in their time cards and check out. Johnson also has thoughts on God and religious practice as voiced by Dick Lawrence.
Finally, there are some real characters in this story, including Minnesota senator and Vice President Hubert Humphrey and movie actress Ann Sheridan.
Fate of the Warriors is an easy read because Johnson rarely lingers. He keeps the story moving at a breathless rate. His last chapter is a final summation of what happened to most of the characters. I was happy with the results. That's the way it is when you begin to identify with the characters. Their lives become yours and you begin to realize that when you have been reading all night and realize it's past midnight.
So obviously I recommend this book.
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Suggested Reading - Alumni Authored BooksStanford Business School Website, March 1, 2007
Mike Johnson's second historical novel, Fate of the Warriors, takes you on a journey meant to provide a different and broader perspective on happenings during the 1940s-1970s. Along the way, readers visit Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, New York's Central Park, the beaches of Malibu and Santa Monica, Disney Studios, and the 38th Parallel in the Korean DMZ. Central to the book are certain themes including the role of chance in our lives and opportunities for redemption and how people respond. The book uses authentic locales and situations, an accurate timeline, and is available on all major bookselling websites.
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Best Books of 2006Akron Beacon Journal, December 31, 2006, by Barbara McIntyre
...Novelists showed some impressive skills in 2006. Mike Johnson of North Canton combines excellent historical detail with fine characters in Warrior Priest, the tale of Father Jack Brecker and his services as a chaplain during World War II.
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2006 Date BookMansfield News Journal, December 10, 2006, by Ron Simon
May brought my 65th birthday and a bonus, meeting Mike Johnson and reading his Warrior Priest. It was great.
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'Warrior Priest' is intriguing look at World War IIAkron Beacon Journal, August 6, 2006, by Barbara McIntyre
World War II is a subject that has defeated many would-be novelists, but North Canton author Mike Johnson acquits himself nicely with his epic, Warrior Priest.
The title character, Jack Brecker, is a native of Shelby, Ohio, and is ordained in 1942, even as his brother Tom fights in the South Pacific, far from his sweetheart, Bridgett; Bridget's nurse sister, Theresa, still holds a schoolgirl torch for Father Jack.
Lest it all sound like a soap opera, rest assured that there is plenty of intrigue and battlefield action, and many more characters, the best being a pair of star-crossed Polish patriots and a dangerous French woman.
Several real-life personages wander through: Tom meets up with Jimmy Doolittle before his historic raid on Tokyo, and Jack befriends Gen. George S. Patton and Cleveland Indians player-manager Lou Boudreau. These fictional encounters don't detract from Johnson's spot-on historical accuracy.
Most affecting is Johnson's account of an Easter Mass that Father Jack celebrates for the Polish Airborne Brigade.
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Local woman inspires character in historical novelDouglas County Sentinel, Douglasville, Ga., July 6, 2006
Douglasville's Mary Gray Moss died unexpectedly from a heart attack at age 80 on April 6. Back in 2003, unbeknown to her at that time, she inspired a character in the historical novel, Warrior Priest.
The book tells the story of World War II from perspectives unfamiliar to most Americans. Major characters include a young priest who becomes an airborne chaplain, a Krakow student who joins the Polish lancers (horse cavalry), women Resistance fighters in Warsaw and a French village, a deck fireman aboard the aircraft carrier Hornet, and an Army nurse.
In developing the meticulously researched story, Ohio author Mike Johnson, Ms. Moss' son-in-law, sensed the need for another character and felt he should be from another part of the country. In honor of his mother-in-law, Johnson decided to create Roscoe Remlinger of Douglasville who becomes a member of the legendary 101st Airborne Division which was in the thick of combat from the beaches of Normandy to Hitler's stronghold.
Roscoe, called 'R' by his friends, parachutes into France on D-Day, later saves the life of a friend during Operation Market Garden, helps repel German forces at Bastogne and continues to figure in the story.
"I remember well my first visit to Douglasville in 1981," says Johnson. "It was small and decidedly rural, probably much like the town was in the 1940s. It was easy to imagine Roscoe being a product of that environment. As readers learn, his leaping off big boulders into a swimming pond as a boy later fueled his decision to become an airborne soldier."
At her death, Ms. Moss had read the epilogues -- "She 'cheated' in that regard," Johnson smiles -- the acknowledgements, the roster of real-life people whose lives intersect with the fictional characters, and the first 77 pages of the 416-page book. A tasseled bookmark in her author-inscribed copy told Johnson that.
"Mary was a woman who was easy to like and respect," says Johnson. "When I married her daughter Lynne -- my wife of 37 years -- she was surprised when I took my young bride north to Schenectady, New York. But she understood and appreciated my decision which meant starting my career with a good company -- GE. Whenever we were together, we had marvelous talks about the issues of the day. She loved to read and to discuss what she read."
You can learn more about Johnson and his books at www.mikejohnsonbooks.com.
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Warrior Priest -- weaving together the lives of everyday peopleStanford Business magazine, May 2006
Mike Johnson has published Warrior Priest, a historical novel that tells the story of WWII by weaving together the lives of everyday people -- a priest turned airborne chaplain, a Krakow university student turned Polish lancer, women partisans in Warsaw and a French village -- thrown into extraordinary situations and times. The book uses authentic situations and locales, an accurate timeline and is available on all major bookselling websites. You can learn more about Warrior Priest and Johnson's next book by logging onto www.mikejohnsonbooks.com.
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Author Spins Riveting TaleNorth Canton Our Town, April 2006, by Dottie McGrew
Verbs are the �movers and shakers� of language � the powerful words that do the heavy lifting.
North Canton author Mike Johnson uses a lot of verbs in his action-packed first novel Warrior Priest. A case could be made that the author has much in common with the words he favors.
Since retiring from The Timken Company in late 2003, this former vice president-communications has published one historical novel, has another book ready for publication, an idea for a third and, possibly, a sequel to the first.
I put very little premium on sleep or TV, he said dryly.
Shortly after Johnson retired, he looked, really looked, at a familiar family photograph. The black and white photo, taken in 1941, depicted several young Catholic seminarians studying a map to determine the location of their first assignments. One was Johnson's uncle.
My thought was, could I put Uncle George at the core of an historical novel, Johnson said.
In that instant, the idea for Warrior Priest was born.
Warrior Priest did not live in the author's head very long. The book, covering seven years bracketing World War II, practically wrote itself, Johnson said.
The story weaves together the lives of ordinary people caught up in the convulsion of a world war: a young priest turned airborne chaplain; a Cracow student turned Polish lancer; a fireman on the legendary aircraft carrier Hornet; two young women partisans, one in Warsaw and the other in a French village; and a small-town girl who follows a volunteer flyer to England where she first treats the wounded in a London hospital and then joins the U.S. Army nurse corps.
Johnson outlined the plot and fleshed out the characters, but still felt there was one character missing. Thus Thaddeus Metz, the Polish lancer, joined the mix.
I grew very fond of these characters. They became human, multi-dimensional, even the enemy, Johnson said.
He is particularly pleased with Metz.
When you read their story, I guarantee you won�t ever tell another Polish joke. You won�t even listen to one, Johnson said.
Johnson admits to a certain zeal for research and detail. He supplemented personal knowledge of locations and events in the book with documentary research and the Internet as well as the knowledge and experiences of friends. He carefully selected the names of his characters � not too many vowels or hard consonants so that the names would not become a stumbling block and interrupt the flow of action.
When Johnson started Warrior Priest, his goals were to write a compelling story that grabs the reader by the lapels and to enjoy the writing process.
Johnson's next novel is Children of Chance, which, like Warrior Priest, weaves the lives of fictional characters with real-life people. The book starts in the 1940s and concludes in the 1970s.
Will there be a sequel to Warrior Priest?
"Might be," Johnson said, "if I can make it as compelling as the first one.
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Warrior Priest depicts vivid images of World War IIBy Ron Simon, Mansfield News Journal, February 22, 2006
This is an Oprah Winfrey moment. I've come across a book I would recommend to whomever takes time to read this block of copy.
The book is called "Warrior Priest'' by Mike Johnson. It's a novel. I don't read many novels. But it has a ton of things to recommend it.
First is that it's a darned good story set during World War II. The main characters are three brothers and two sisters from the little town of Shelby, Ohio; a Polish Lancer, a Polish farm girl, a French girl living in a tiny village in the Vosges Mountains, Gen. George S. Patton, Lou Boudreau. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and a captain in the German army.
The history is meticulous and so are Mike Johnson's memories of life in Shelby. Johnson, a Shelby High graduate and an Army veteran, lives in Canton. He is retired from the Timken Company as vice president of communications. He also travels. Everywhere. He has been to nearly every location in "Warrior Priest'' and is an avid student of history and writing.
As a reader, I began absorbing his style at about page 30 and from there it was a marathon session that ended at page 410 with a sigh. Few books can hold my interest that much.
Johnson has a website with an email address, www.mikejohnsonbooks.com, and plenty of readers have used it. Johnson sent me a sample of the reader feedback.
You can order this novel at any book store or by phoning 1-888-280-7715. Give it a shot.
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