Nolichuck, TJ’s Wild
Frontier Adventure by Jackson Keene is an amazing exciting adventure of a young
man named Thomas James Cockrell, called TJ.
TJ is in high school
and living the hardest time of his life. He’s in that awkward teenage years,
lacks self-confidence, and has no interest in school. His only passion at the
moment is drama class and plays.
He has the typical
issues at school of being harassed and bullied by the bigger and more popular
kids. His misery is compounded by his parents’ divorce, and his beloved sister,
Natalie moving away to another city with his mother. TJ feels lost.
The adventure and life
changing experience transpires when TJ discovers a green mystical book in his
father’s desk. His father’s desk drawers are usually locked up, but on that
special day, the drawer was unlocked. TJ’s curiosity won and he opens the
drawer to look inside.
This is a very
entertaining, exciting and enlightening story of the rite of passage of a young
man. The amazing learning experiences and maturity gained by TJ in his
adventure. This is a great book for young adults. A good read.
We had the pleasure of
also having an interview from author Jackson Keene. Jackson can you tell
us when and why did you start writing?
I've had the
"itch" to write for 20 years. I finally woke up one day
and realized that I'd be an old man if I didn't start soon! I wrote plays
and short stories as a kid, and have had several ideas for novels over the
years, but never jump-started my writing in a serious fashion until NOLICHUCK came along.
What inspired you to
write Nolichuck?
NOLICHUCK was a combination of many things stewing
around inside. I was born and lived in Tennessee as a kid, and knew some
of its history. Like TJ, the main character of our story, I had to
constantly fight off bullies in school. I always loved history, but
wanted to write about periods of history that are less written and less
celebrated than the great events -- a look at common people living everyday
lives, so to speak. Davy Crockett was a childhood hero, and I wondered
what it was like for him as a teenager. Of course, I originally planned
to be a history professor, so naturally one of my characters HAD to be
that. I was never the star athlete in high school, so I emphasize with
TJ's disappointments in sports. Above all, I wanted a story that would
deal realistically with the hard life issues that far too many young adults
face today: Bullying, divorced families, struggling with grades, not
making the "team", not part of the most popular cliques, mean
teachers, boredom, unhappiness, few close friends, lack of meaningful
communication with either parent, etc.
What is the hardest
part of writing Nolichuck?
For me, developing
strong characters and creating believable dialogue was the hardest part.
Coming up with an imaginative plot with subplots is fairly easy, but fleshing
it out with people and interaction that really captures the reader’s attention
is what it's all about.
Where is your favorite
place to write?
In our den with its
fireplace, the comfy couch (where I can catnap now and then), and my personal
office set up is where I can fully concentrate on thinking and writing.
Although, truth be told, some of my best ideas and plot revisions come to me
just as I'm drifting off to sleep at night. I keep a notepad and pen next
to the bed to capture "brainstorms" when they come.
Can you share a little
of your current work with us?
The next book in the
YA series is: Reds! TJ's Wacky War Adventure.
Thank you for your
visit and your interview. It's a pleasure to learn about your writing habits
and skills. I know that your readers will enjoy to learn that your next book is
in progress. Warm wishes.
LINKS TO NOLICHUCK
