K. Murry. Johnson
K. Murry Johnson stands smiling at a book signing event beside a display for his novel Image of Emeralds and Chocolate, surrounded by attendees in a convention-style setting.
K. Murry Johnson stands at the front of a room delivering a lecture, with a projected presentation visible behind him.
K. Murry Johnson plays the saxophone with eyes closed, wearing a dark suit against a neutral background, captured in an intimate moment of musical expression.

K. Murry Johnson

Novelist and LGBTQ Author

K. Murry Johnson is a storyteller whose work blends heart, history, and imagination through a distinctly LGBTQ lens. His breakout novel, Image of Emeralds & Chocolate, introduced readers to a bold new voice in gay vampire fiction—one that treats queer characters with depth, dignity, and irresistible intrigue. Johnson’s writing draws readers into richly atmospheric worlds, from the American South to the supernatural, where themes of identity, desire, and self-discovery take center stage. Guided by empathy and shaped by lived experience, his stories open space for conversations about belonging, love, and the power of being seen.

Preface

Biography
K. Murry Johnson

K. Murry Johnson holds masters degrees from Rollins College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola University New Orleans. This novel represents the culmination of a 13-year journey: to create a unique and meaningful black gay love story that brings to life the seductive, elusive world of vampires. He lives with his boyfriend in Atlanta, Georgia.

Early Life

K. Murry Johnson grew up in the city of St. Rose, Louisiana, just 13 miles outside New Orleans. He lived with his mother, father, and younger brother and sister.

In 1994 he was accepted into the prestigious Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts public boarding high school. It was there he focused on his love of the arts, specifically music and acting. He began playing the clarinet in the fifth grade and eventually made it into the Louisiana All-State Concert and Symphonic bands.

Discovering Identity

High school provided Johnson an outlet to explore his sexuality. In the small town of Natchitoches, Louisiana he would travel to the local bookstore to make sure his name was first on the waiting list for E. Lynn Harris’ latest black gay love stories. With a population of 39,000, exposure to other black gay men was limited. Despite the isolation, he dreamed of falling in love with an educated, handsome black gay man like those in Mr. Harris’ books.

College Years

Johnson attended Loyola University on a band scholarship. There, he became president of the Gay and Lesbian Outreach At Loyola (G.O.A.L.) organization. Despite the challenges of leading an LGBTQ organization at a predominantly white and Jesuit university, the role proved rewarding.

He won the Spirit of Loyola award for racial understanding and was named one of the university’s most influential students for organizing events exploring the intersection of race and sexuality.

During his senior year, he enrolled in a creative writing class and wrote a coming-of-age black gay love story as his assignment. That short story became Tour of the School, the first chapter of Image of Emeralds and Chocolate. What he believed would end in that class instead began a 13-year journey.

Beginning the Novel

After graduating with a degree in Computer Information Systems, Johnson joined Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida. He shared his short story with a coworker and friend who surprised him by asking, “What happened next?” again and again — prompting him to write four more chapters. Her enthusiasm helped bring the novel to life.

Earning master’s degrees in Technical Program Management and Business Administration and moving from Orlando to New Orleans and then Atlanta slowed progress but made room for two pivotal events:

  1. He began a relationship with an aspiring novelist. Meeting two to three nights per week at Borders Books, the story grew from 56 pages to well over 200.
  2. He discovered Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, which inspired him to make the object of Eric’s affection supernatural — creating the beautiful vampire Marquis and giving the novel a unique twist.

Career Challenges and Finishing the Book

In 2008 the recession hit Johnson directly; he was laid off from Deloitte, one of the Big Four consulting firms. The job loss forced him to leave Atlanta and ended his relationship, but he continued visiting Borders Books in Silver Spring, MD to keep writing.

Once he finished the novel, he bravely reached out on Facebook to one of his favorite authors, James Earl Hardy. Hardy read and critiqued the book and described Image of Emeralds and Chocolate as “groundbreaking.”

Johnson’s Mission

Johnson set out to write a unique and meaningful black gay love story that also brings to life the seductive and elusive world of vampires. He believes Image of Emeralds and Chocolate is the fulfillment of that dream, and he hopes readers enjoy the novel as much as he enjoyed writing it.

The novel Image of Emeralds and Chocolate by African American author K. Murry Johnson stands upright on a small wooden book stand. The cover shows a dramatic image of a man with outstretched arms surrounded by swirling color. The book is placed on a dark, polished table with a soft, blurred background.
Image of Emeralds and Chocolate – Book Display.

Breakout Novel

Image of Emeralds and Chocolate

In his breakout novel, K. Murry Johnson combines two never before paired genres: black gay and vampire fiction. Set in Louisiana, Image of Emeralds and Chocolate masterfully explores the past and the present. The novel speaks to all who have ever dreamed of finding romance, and captures the national obsession with vampires. The story follows Eric Peterson, a talented high school senior enrolled in a creative writing course at Loyola University. Insecure and inexperienced, he often daydreams about finding love. His fantasies quickly become reality when a strikingly attractive new student, Marquis LeBlanc, is assigned as his writing partner. But the man of Eric’s dreams is hiding something. Marquis has been severely depressed for a very long time. His therapeutic motive for enrolling in a writing class is abruptly derailed when he unexpectedly falls in love for the second time in his life. If Marquis reveals his secret, will Eric accept him…or even believe him?

Breakout Novel