(By LINDSEY WISE)
New York Times bestselling author Tim Johnston has finished his latest fiction novel, “The Current.” It’s a follow-up to Johnston’s “Descent,” a missing-person thriller located in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains.
Johnston stopped at BookPeople in Austin Feb. 7 during his current national book tour.
Johnston said his latest work is about two young women who are rescued from a river during the winter, one dead and the other barely alive. The character who survives in the novel realizes it was no accident and begins to search for answers.
Johnston said he was first interested in drawing before he turned to writing. Stephen King’s “Carrie” inspired him to experiment with storytelling.
The inspiration for “Descent” came from Johnston’s interest with random and violent news stories. Johnston explained he is fascinated by the way the public is able to quickly process and move on from unsettling reports.
Johnston believes that characters are the most important element in making a good novel. He has noticed terrible things happen to people and that sometimes no story will comfort them. His goal for readers is that they somehow relate to his characters to give them closure.
Johnston fans who attended the Austin event were eager to learn about his next book, which will unfortunately take some time, according to Johnston. It took him six years to finish “Descent.”
“The Current” was published by Algonquin Books on Jan. 22. It was listed as one of Entertainment Weekly‘s 50 Most Anticipated Books of 2019.
Johnston will continue his book tour through April 16, traveling through Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Kansas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Indiana, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, and finally California.
When Johnston’s not writing, he’s reading and teaching creative writing at the University of Memphis. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Massachusetts.
Johnston currently lives in Iowa City, Iowa and plans to continue his work.
“When I’m not writing, I’m still writing,” he said.
