Please welcome my guest Jerry Harwood, here to talk about why he wrote his YA novel Jam Sessions. Includes a link to his TPT lesson as well!
When I wrote Jam Sessions I wanted to write a believable character in a fun story that could entertain (and thus be read) as well as help. On my notebook where I kept character names, pplace names, and other things to reference as I wrote I placed in bold ink the sentence, “Phillip’s backstory exists but is not discussed.”
I did that for several reasons. One, because that is the way most of us experience friends, peers, coworkers, and even non-immediate family. We may not know their trauma, we might know something happened with very little detail, or we might know a version of their events. But we don’t know.
This decision allowed me to focus on Phillip at school. He moved schools in the middle of the year as his mom left an alcoholic husband. She moves back near her own parents who help raise their grandson. A story that most communities experience.
Now the twist and comedy insert…. Phillip’s first friend by total chance was the school bully. People ask me occasionally if I wrote the book based on my own story or one particular. I did not. However, there was a moment of inspiration for the story. Mr. Filter represents a real teacher I once had and he did something akin to “Jam Sessions.” Further, I am a middle school teacher and walked into the office one day to see two kids sitting on a bench. One was a “frequent flyer” in and out of detention. The other was a transfer student new to our school. It was there I thought how likely a new kid’s first social contact might be a school bully.
I always knew in outlining that Phillip would suffer from panic attacks. Again, I also wanted to create an environment where that wasn’t immediately discussed and his peers never really understood what was going on. So many who suffer from anxiety do so in perpetual silence.
I also wanted to provide a journey and not leave Phillip a static character. He finds a little middle school level romance, learns the value of family with his grandfather, and realizes the value of making better friend choices. He also has a teacher who does creative writing in his classroom. It is an academic version of journaling, a technique that has proven very helpful for some with anxiety. Phillip also finds coping skills in woodwork and in humming a song. He receives time with a counselor as well.
As an Indie author, it is difficult getting your work out to the market. One thing I intentionally did was to place my book (and a 30 copy license for the ebook) on TeachersPayTeachers for $2. The kit comes with the ebook in epub and mobi (the two industry standard electronic formats) along with a teacher’s guide and several Jam Session writing prompts. Here are the first ten:
-1. You just found a portal to…
-2. You got a job as a professional taste tester. What types of flavors do you taste?
-3. Someone you look up to just asked you to spend the day with them. What happens?
-4. Your parents tell you for your birthday you can go anywhere in the world. Where and with
who?
-5. For lunch today…
-6. If I were an animal…
-7. You heard the expression, “it is raining cats and dogs?” Well on Thursday…
-8. I was eleven when I was told I would have to live the rest of my life on stilts.
-9. My favorite holiday memory is… because…
-10. I always wanted to change my name to… because…
If anyone is interested, the link is here:
Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Circumlocution
The stats show that adolescents today will suffer from anxiety and depression during their teenage years. Many will experience anxiety at a level that is debilitating for a season of life or perhaps as an ongoing struggle. Many of their peers will disassociate with the student rather than try and help. Unfortunately, the same is true for adults in the child’s life. I hope my work helps some learn some coping skills and maybe helps some identify the peers in their orbit who need a friend.
Order Jam Sessions and find out more about Jerry:
http://www.jerryharwood.com
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0868XNSH9
https://www.facebook.com/jerry.harwood.731
