The LitReactor Interview

If you’re a book nerd, you are probably familiar with LitReactor. It’s one of the biggest and best sites out there for readers and writers of all genres. So it goes without saying that I was super honored when they contacted me about doing an interview.

They asked some intense, thoughtful questions about coming out, putting together my new zine, Trans Mess, and more. I’m really happy with how the whole thing turned out, so I hope you’ll take a couple minutes to read it:

MP Johnson interviewed at LitReactor

New Release: Trans Mess

For those of you who don’t know, I recently came out as a trans lady. I changed my name to Emma, although I’m keeping MP Johnson as my pen name, and I moved to Chicago. Anyway, this has all been a long time coming, but in the process I’ve been writing a lot about what’s happening, what’s led up to this and how I’m feeling about all of it.

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I think it’s some powerful stuff, and I put a lot of heart into it. Since I’m a long-time zine nerd (Holy shit! It’s been almost 20 years since I released my first zine), I thought a lot of this writing would really fit that format, so I created a zine called Trans Mess, which is available now. Here’s the cover:

This is a good companion piece to my book Nails, which is coming out in November from Lazy Fascist Press. That book is a snapshot of one weekend in my life from about 10 years ago. It’s kinda upsetting even when I read it now, just not knowing who I was or how to express my gender identity properly. This zine shows where I’m at now. It’s still messy, but I think I’m in a healthier, more positive place. Anyway, I hope you’ll consider reading it. It’s definitely some of my best writing.

• Buy Trans Mess at my store

New Release: Drag Queen Dino Fighters

My latest book is out now from Eraserhead Press! It’s called Drag Queen Dino Fighters and it’s about drag queens doing battle with space dinosaurs in the streets of Los Angeles! Don’t tell anyone, but it’s also about family, and getting older and prioritizing what’s important in your life. Mostly though, it’s about prehistoric creatures smashing stuff and drag queens being fabulous. Check out the cover art from Jim Agpalza:

How about those guns?

If you’ve been following me, you may know that I’ve been working on this book for about three years now. For a while, it was going to be released under the title Dinosaurs & Drag Queens, but I wanted something a little zanier. Anyway, I’m proud of how I juxtaposed one of my childhood obsessions (dinosaurs) against one of my current obsessions (drag queens). I hope you dig it too!

• Buy Drag Queen Dino Fighters on Amazon!
• Add Drag Queen Dino Fighters on Goodreads!
• Support my weird books!

Drag Queen Dino Fighters Available For Preorder

Have I ever told you how much I love dinosaurs? I had a big bucket of them when I was a kid. I would build cities out of blocks and have triceratops and ankylosaurus smash through them, roaring wildly (actually, I was pretty quiet about it). Probably half of the stories I wrote as a kid were about dinos.

I decided to revisit my childhood obsession by pitting the prehistoric beasts against one of my more recent obsessions: drag queens. Oh, and PS they are space dinosaurs.

The book is called Drag Queen Dino Fighters. It is coming May 1st from Eraserhead Press, but is available for preorder now.

Check out the cover art by Jim Agpalza:

Want to know more? Here’s the description from the back cover:

From the author of Dungeons & Drag Queens comes a fierce bizarro tale of dinosaur-riding realness.

Ivanna Deflower’s chance at drag superstardom passed her by long ago. She has resigned herself to a normal life raising her son with her ex-wife while occasionally hosting Sunday morning drag queen bingo. And she’s fine with that. She really is.

Until her life is turned upside down by the one thing that’s guaranteed to give a past-her-prime drag queen another shot at the big time: a baby triceratops that can out-dance even the youngest and most sickening divas in Los Angeles.

But the climb to the top isn’t going to be easy. Not only does she have to contend with her shade-throwing former friends, there’s a certain big game-hunting drag king with a vendetta and access to cybernetic technology. And what about all those bright lights in the sky and the shaking ground? Even if she can sashay around all of these obstacles, what is she going to do about her own family?

Drag Queen Dino Fighters is a fun and fabulous high-heeled adventure story that further proves why Wonderland Book Award winner MP Johnson is considered one of the most exciting rising stars in the bizarro fiction genre.

2017 Here I Come!

2016 was a banner year for me. Now I’m putting together my plans for 2017. Depending on how much random shit goes off the rails, it looks like it’s going to be a fun year.

On the book front, I’ll be releasing:

• Nails (Lazy Fascist Press) – This is a true sad comedy about the messy business of dealing with gender stuff. Release date: TBD.
• Drag Queen Dino Fighters (Eraserhead Press) – Drag queens fighting space dinosaurs. What more do I need to say? Release date: May.
• Lonely Tentacle (Bizarro Pulp Press) – Zany Lovecraftian bizarro about a tentacle that breaks free from a god and tries to make its way on Earth. Release date: Fall.

My press, Weirdpunk Books, will be releasing Zombie Punks Fuck Off (currently accepting submissions), edited by Sam Richard.

I’ve pretty much nailed down my convention schedule for the year, so if you want to nerd out with me, check my appearances page.

I’ve also been cast in a music video by one of my favorite bands and will play a roller-skating drag queen gang member in Dolly Deadly 2.

Who knows, I’ll probably put together a zine or chapbook along the way too.

A Quick Look Back At 2016

Like I said, 2016 rocked like hell. There were 5 books released with MP Johnson on the cover:

• Berzerkoids (Bizarro Pulp Press) – My first short story collection.
• Lake Lurkers (Severed Press) – Aquatic terror set in Minneapolis.
• Neon Trash (Weirdpunk Books) – A guide to forgotten B-movies of the ’80s.
• Mondo Bizarro (Strangehouse Books) – An anthology of bizarro fiction edited by me.
• Hybrid Moments (Weirdpunk Books) – A Misfits tribute book I co-edited with Sam Richard.

I published a collection of the best material from the 15-year run of my zine, Freak Tension. Remembered how much I love zines in the process.

Razorcake also published a zine of my One Punk’s Guide to Outlaw Country. And of course I contributed a ton of reviews to Razorcake.

Playing against type, I was featured in a short horror film called Meow as a stoner hippy pizza delivery guy. If you look realllly close, I also can be seen in the audience in the movie theater scene in the short film When Susurrus Stirs, based on the story by Jeremy Robert Johnson (no relation).

Oh, and I went to a ton of cons and saw Iron Maiden twice and the original Misfits once and lots of other shows and cries and hugs and life and shit.

 

 

October Is Officially Insane

Halloween month has been absolutely crazy. Four new books with my name on the cover.

First, meet Lake Lurkers, a tale of alien tentacle monsters climbing out of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis and eating rich people in the neighborhood where I actually live in real life. This sucker is out now from Severed Press and you can grab a copy of the eBook or paperback on Amazon.

I also brought my obsession with movie guidebooks to a whole new level with Neon Trash: Forgotten B-movies of the ’80s. Check out that glorious cover by Justin Coons. You can also snatch this one on Amazon.

Another book based on one of my obsessions is Hybrid Moments: A Literary Tribute to the Misfits from my publishing company, Weirdpunk Books, edited by myself and Sam Richard. A collection of stories that shed new light on my favorite songs. Available on Amazon. PS, if you haven’t read my review of the Misfits reunion show in Chicago, you should check it out when you get a chance. Anyway, I just appeared as Maddy Manslaughter at the release party for this one last week, and it was a blast.

Out new from StrangeHouse Books is Mondo Bizarro, a collection of bizarro fiction stories that I handpicked a couple years ago and is now finally seeing the light of day. Amazon that sucker as well and you got yourself a shopping spree.

Incidentally, I also have a heavy metal bizarro short story called “All Request” in Mondo Bizarro’s sister anthology, Tall Tales With Short Cocks Volume 5 from Rooster Republic. I mean, if you’re buying stuff, that’s on Amazon too.

Last thang! Razorcake released my One Punk’s Guide to Outlaw Country as a standalone zine that you can buy or download. It looks cool as hell.

I really should take a break after this month, but I’ve actually got a million cool things up my sleeve. Thanks for supporting all this insanity!

Kickstart Hybrid Moments: A Literary Tribute To The Misfits

My publishing company, Weirdpunk Books, is finishing up its second release, a book of short stories inspired by the songs of my favorite band of all time: the Misfits.

Check out the cover art by Justin T. Coons:

There will also be a limited edition version only for Kickstarter backers with cover art by Bill Hauser, who you know from the cover art for Berzerkoids, among other things. There is also a bunch of original art and other cool stuff for Kickstarter backers.

This is grimy, small-press stuff, so getting preorders through Kickstarter is crucial for the book to succeed. Please consider pitching in. The prices you see for the Kickstarter are not inflated. They’re actually less than what you’ll pay for the book on Amazon when it goes live, so take advantage of this deal. Plus everything comes signed.

Check out the Kickstarter.