Bullied

I used to think that I was the only kid that had been bullied when I was growing up.  As time passes, most "odd ducks" realize that they were not the only ones.

I often wonder what drives someone to become a bully?  Insecurity? False sense of superiority? I don't know and I suppose I'll never know.  All I know is that I've seen, experienced and read about some really horrible accounts of those who were bullied and it's enough to bring you to your knees at times.

My own account of bullying began early.  It's the primary reason I hated school as badly as I did.  Every day was a struggle to get up and face my opponents.  While I experienced a garden variety of bullying tactics, none hurt as badly as when my school was adorned with graffiti that was directed directly at me.  There's something about seeing words on display that were written with the intent to hurt and demean.

Thank God, I wasn't pushed to the point of ending my life over it.  I've seen the PSA's about "It Gets Better".  Yeah, it does.  But  damn, waiting for that day to come when it gets better can seem like a lifetime.  That's one of the reasons I wrote The Long Road from Perdition.  The tag line,  "The scars you can't see are the hardest to heal," ring achingly true. 

God bless the Odd Ducks.

JRS

Who IS JR Stone?

I hate that question.  I bet if you were to interview as many authors as you could (me included), you would find that one of those authors absolutely HATES interviews.  And, if you haven't figured it out by now, I am that author.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to get the word out about my latest novel.  I do.  I'm just not sure that I have enough charisma to tempt the potential reader into reading my book.  Every author feels like they have written the best novel in the market and I'm no different.  I want to read feedback from readers and see it reviewed in the newspapers and magazines.  The only problem is that in order to do that, the author has to put him or herself "out there" along with their book for literary consumption.

Believe me, it's not a marketing scheme to claim the personality of being a recluse.  I am what I am.  In fact, I had a reporter from the Beaumont Enterprise approach me about an interview for the paper.  I had to level with her; I don't do face to face interviews.  I've been a writer for alot of years so it's not the fact that I'm a newbie.  I can't make myself do them anymore.  I prefer to let my writing do the talking for me.  That's why when I found authonomy.com (Harper Collins's U.K. sister site) I was so pleased to find fellow authors praising my work.  Writers are basically supportive of each other, but I was even surprised at the glowing reviews and references.

"...The scars you can't see are the hardest to heal." A book well worth reading from beginning to end. How many people can carry an unspoken burden for 23 years? Nick is a very sympathetic MC, with the brooding personality that suits his looks. I know some such . . . quite a few. Is all of this fiction? You manage to portray your characters in such a real way, I have to wonder. Very talented writer with the ability to sustain interest in the reader. Happy to have backed it and best with it."  

The written word is powerful.  Much more so than an author telling you that fact.  So, Beaumont Enterprise, if you are still interested...allow me to stay in the shadows while you expose my words to your readers.

JRS

Charley

When I decided to write my novel, there were a few characters that I had in my head that I wanted to bring to life.  One of those characters was a guy named Charley.  Granted, he is a fictional character, but he is based on someone I used to know some years ago.

The only similarities between the character in my book and the guy I used to know was the number of years that it took to completely harness his hopefulness about life in general.  You see, there was a time when "Charley" felt like he could make a difference.  There was a time when he fell in love and didn't worry about getting hurt in return.  It was just before the latter years that I wrote about Charley.

To me, he was a pure spirit.  He had his faults as we all do, but he really tried to love better than he was loved, work harder than others worked for him and sometimes, people took advantage.  It was during these times that I saw him help those down and out even though he couldn't see they were dragging him down with them.

Never mind trying to help him or warn him.  People see what they want to see.  While those who took advantage of Charley took on an ugly reflection, somehow, Charley was still able to see the beauty that had been lost long ago on these souls.  It is then that I imagined Nicholas meeting Charley.  Full of emotional baggage but able to love someone who felt totally unlovable without taking advantage.

Sometimes watching life happen is a cruel vision while being a writer can give solace to the weary.

Read about Charley in my novel.  You'll be glad you did.

JRS