Martha Jean Johnson is the author of The Queen’s Musician, a widely-admired novel about a Mark Smeaton, the Tudor musician who was falsely accused of treason and adultery in the case against Anne Boleyn. Kirkus Reviews called the book “original and worthwhile . . . a thoughtful, dramatically gripping work of historical fiction.” A five-star review from Readers’ Favorite described it as “a heartfelt and thoughtful tale of the fragility of love. Very highly recommended.” Johnson also comments on historical fiction and discusses her own love of reading and writing in Historical Magic on Substack.
Johnson became a novelist after a long career analyzing and reporting on Americans’ views on public policy. She worked with public opinion pioneer, Daniel Yankelovich, and authored three nonfiction books with Scott Bittle, all from Harper Collins: Where Does the Money Go? Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis; Who Turned Out the Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis; and Where Did the Jobs Go?. In 2012, she released You Can’t Do It Alone: A Communications and Engagement Manual for School Leaders Committed to Reform (Rowman & Littlefield). She has written numerous articles and reports on public policy issues, including pieces in USA Today and The Huffington Post. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS.
This web site describes both her fiction and nonfiction publications. She lives in Jersey City, NJ and holds degrees from Mount Holyoke College, Brown University, and Simmons College.