Interview with Alex R. Johnson, Author of Brooklyn Motto

by zaida

in Author Interviews, eBook, Literary Fiction, News

18 Jan 2026

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Brooklyn Motto?

Like most writers, I’ve always wanted my own detective, my own Columbo, my own Shaft. And I felt like for something truly to be mine, it needed to be deeply personal. That’s why the private investigator is also doing a sort of cultural self-exploration while he’s trying to solve multiple murders. I’m mixed race, Ecuadorian and American, and that has always presented its own set of conflicts, both internally and externally. Giving the P.I. the same ethnic background as myself allowed me to process that narratively. And if you’re exploring yourself, why not pick a time in your life when you felt invincible, when hangovers weren’t as brutal, and you felt like you were on the cusp of your life really beginning? That’s one of the reasons why the novel is set in 1998, and Nico (the protagonist) is 28. The story was originally something I pitched to my screenwriting agents as a potential TV show, but as I started writing my notes, I slipped into first-person narration, and I quickly realized that’s what the story wanted to be.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Brooklyn Motto, what would they be?

Music is very important to me—and to the protagonist and the story itself. That’s why I didn’t just pick a single theme song; I actually created a full playlist for the book. You can find it here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6KgyU8cwIlB8WoREfHr8pZ?si=06c5dcc28f684d65

If I had to narrow it down, I’d say “Damage” by Yo La Tengo or “Between the Bars” by Elliott Smith captures the mood really well. And I’d definitely include Roberto Jordan’s Spanish cover of Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” which plays an important role in the novel’s conclusion.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

It bounces between crime fiction and literary fiction, but true satire is also a favorite.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

“The Mad and the Bad” by Jean-Patrick Manchette, “The Hot Rock” by Donald Westlake, and “Nobody Move” by Dennis Johnson. I’ve also been planning to re-read the entirety of Todd McEwen’s novels chronologically. McEwen is a genius satirist who should be known by more folks than he currently is.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Probably the one where Nico needs to break into an apartment by swinging on a Time Warner cable wire hanging off the back of the building. As a writer, I love being not just in control of the words, but also the pace at which you read them – creating tension through pentameter. I feel like I really nailed it in that sequence. It’s also deeply cinematic, and hopefully very fun to read (it was very fun to write).

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I need music to be playing. Sometimes with lyrics, but mostly instrumental. Lately it’s been veering towards a genre I like to call “haunted space station” – it’s in the cloudy overlapping space between white noise and melody. Sort of ambient, sort of not.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

“Do Your Work.” I produced a documentary years ago about late avant-garde poet Steven Jesse Bernstein. He had an incredible work ethic and insisted that creating art required consistent discipline. You wake up, you get dressed, you make coffee, and you do your work. I don’t necessarily have that discipline, but I strive to. I’m also okay with never getting there, entirely. But I make sure I take the time to “do my work.”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

There are obviously deep ideas in BROOKLYN MOTTO about gentrification and police corruption that I want you to ponder, but what I really want you to feel when you finish the book is a mix of sadness and hope. I want you to be sad that your time reading the novel is over, but I want you to be joyful about the protagonist’s future. The ending of the book feels like a life beginning, and there’s an inherent excitement in that. It’s not always going to be roses, but there’s always room for hope. Hope helps. Especially now.

Alex R. Johnson is the author of the new book Brooklyn Motto

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