March Madness may be over, but sports fans can now focus on returning to the gridiron and the approaching football season - and the camaraderie it brings.

Earlier this month, Seattle author Derek Johnson showcased that effect in Rooting From Afar: Military Members Follow Football while on Deployment, a collection of shared stories from deployed military members who felt connected to home through the joys of watching football and cheering on their favorite teams.

Johnson, 42, has penned five books, to include two that focus on Washington Huskies athletics, and admitted that he "sees the world through the prism of football." His inspiration for this last book was triggered after he read a first-person account by an author who spent 15 months with a single platoon at a dangerous outpost in Afghanistan.

"When I finished the final page and closed the cover, the experience lingered with me and left an impression," he said.

Johnson also had a personal connection to the subject matter; a friend of his was a Soldier with the 5^th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the two had discussed how the mainstream media was painting the entire brigade in a negative light based on the actions of just a few Soldiers. Johnson began looking further into it and even considered writing a book to give the public a better perspective. While that particular book got waylaid, it was the catalyst for Johnson to start work on Rooting From Afar.

"The question hit me like a bullet: ‘What was it like for those guys serving overseas to follow their favorite football teams?'" he said. "So I started interviewing guys and asking around. The United States Naval Academy was very helpful, especially Associate Athletic Director Scott Strasemeier."

Soon after that, Johnson was able to connect with a number of Servicemembers, including a Chief Warrant Officer and First Lieutenant from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Many of the stories are humorous, and entirely relatable, like when 1^st Lt. Nathan Taggart was the only Seahawk fan around the TV in Afghanistan and began jumping up and down after Russell Wilson threw his ‘Fail Mary' touchdown to Golden Tate to beat the Packers...only to look around and realize everyone else was enraged by the bad officiating.

"I'm not attempting to set any records straight with this book, but a driving force is to provide something recognizable to the troops who read it. I hope they think: ‘That's exactly how it was for us trying to watch football at FOB Wherever,'" Johnson said.

"It's my hope that civilians and Soldiers alike will enjoy this book," he added.

Rooting From Afar can be found on Amazon (www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7VISUO) for your Kindle or through Johnson's own website at www.derekjohnsonbooks.com.