Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome back to Bookmarked, Jan-Carol Publishing's blog for readers and authors alike.
Today, I am excited to share an interview with author George Justice. George currently has two novels under his belt, one titled Greezy Creek, and one titled Edenfield. Both contain coming-of-age themes as well as mystery elements.
You can find links to purchase both novels on George's website, which is https://www.georgerobjustice.com/. Visit his website to learn more about his background and how to contact him!
Now, please enjoy the following interview with George, and listen to our podcast this FRIDAY for an additional interview and conversation. You won't want to miss it!
BOOKMARKED: How long have you been writing, and what made you realize you wanted to be an author?
GEORGE JUSTICE: I began writing in earnest in 1972 while a senior at the University of Detroit. I was one of twelve selected from a field of over 300 for a semester-long advanced creative writing symposium, conducted at the time by novelist and writer-in-residence Mr. John Gardner. At semester's end, I was honored as being the most promising (a smile that I wear even to this day).
Mr. Gardner was so moved by my short story (a semester-long project) that he and his wife invited me to dinner at their home. It was after dinner that he said, “Your short story is so good that I feel obliged to give you what I consider my highest compliment. And that is: 'I wish I had written it.'" Needless to say, that was a major turning point in my academic life. I was an English major and had set my sights on teaching at the college level, but after being a part of John Gardner’s class (and after his lauding me with such a powerful endorsement), I began to see myself in a different light. I’d always had a flair for writing, but then that changed to where I began to see what I had was a gift.
How does your Appalachian upbringing inspire your work?
Well, let me start by saying that I am a native son, born right there in Pikeville, Kentucky, in the very heart of Appalachia. So, you can know that Greezy Creek is a southern story by a southern author. But my roots run far deeper than my simply being born there. My father, for example, was the oldest of twelve, and my mother was from a family of faith healers and Primitive Baptist preachers. I grew up in a family that numbered well into the hundreds, and it was through their storytelling (storytelling has always been an integral part of Appalachian culture) that I was made to be part and parcel to the life defined by the creeks and hollows of the mountains.
But then, I lived it as well and came to know firsthand what life was like without indoor plumbing, electricity, and all that lies at the core of scarcity. As I grew older, I felt very strongly that someone ought to record these accounts and preserve the events of this place and time. That someone ended up being me. And it is through these experiences that I’m able to take readers into a world that only a few can know so intimately.
How would you say Edenfield differs from Greezy Creek, both in subject matter and your writing process behind the scenes?
Well, first off, Greezy Creek is historical fiction, researched to the nth degree to make sure that every last detail is accurately represented (from flora to fauna; to the making and the effects of moonshine; to customs and traditions inherent to the Scott-Irish hybrids up and down the Appalachian chain; and to a time and place all but gone, but as authentic as America itself). The characters are based on my real-life relatives, but the story surrounding them is from my own making.
Edenfield, on the other hand, is a semi-autobiographical account of a young man's first time away from home; a young man in transition and trying to find his way amidst the confusions of coming of age. Done as a flashback, Edenfield’s overall structure is a first-person narrative and character driven with rich insights into the world of faith-based academia. The site of the principal action is Edenfield College, which in itself takes on the part of a character; that is, it is not merely a backdrop against which the action occurs—and which forms the borders of Weldon Thatcher’s world—but one that acts upon him as well. It is, in every respect, deeply soul-searching, a story in which Weldon finds himself caught up in the complexities of going from boyhood to adulthood, a time typically filled with doubt and uncertainty, yet not without surprise and wonder.
What are you hoping readers take away from Edenfield?
In the telling of Edenfield, I wanted to shed light on the pitfalls inherent with coming of age—a time when the pain of self-introspection takes up the bigger part of one’s reality. That, and to show the commonality of struggle and the collective thread that runs through us all. Although in hindsight, I’m hoping the experiences of Weldon Thatcher will, in some emblematic way, become part of someone’s survival guide.
You've written in the murder mystery genre as well as the coming-of-age genre. Is there another genre you'd like to try one day, or are you partial to mysteries and coming-of-age stories?
Interesting that you should ask, because my third novel, Lehigh Tucker, deviates from the two previous genres altogether. It is a western, if you can believe it. HOWEVER (and this is a BIG however), it is a Western far, far from the conceptions associated with the wild-wild west.
In brief, it’s about a Boston lawyer in the year 1859 in desperate need of sanctuary in order to save his own life… and out of sheer desperation, he flees town without notice in the middle of the night. The rest centers around his frantic attempts to stay ahead of the law, bounty hunters, and paid assassins. It’s a dangerous and often hilarious adventure with unexpected twists and turns around every bend in the road. Except for the ending, it’s all but done. I’m a little challenged, however, at how to bring it to a close, how to best compliment everything Lehigh Tucker has had to endure.
For me, the ending must be as compelling as the opening. It is, in many ways, its own strength … the thing that resonates long after the reader has thumbed the last page; something crucial to the overall work. I’m hoping to be finished by the end of the year. So... STAY TUNED!
Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans and supporters over the years?
I can only give undying thanks to those who appreciate what I’ve been able to bring to the page. Without them, there would be no me. To the writers with whom I share this bond of expression, I would offer the sincerest form of encouragement, and to keep in mind that whatever impacts your life will affect your writing, whether it be personal tragedy, injustice, or pure joy. It all contributes to the fullness of what we bring to the page.
Also, when you embark upon a novel and begin that communion with yourself, you must reconcile that you are alone, only with your craft and talent, and that it can, at times, be emotionally overwhelming. I’m reminded of what Barbara Kingsolver said after she finished The Poisonwood Bible. She said she went into her garden and wept, deeply and openly. So, there is that aspect.
Lastly, I would say to set your sights on the road ahead, moving always toward new lights, because I truly believe that we each have a story worth telling (some of us with two or three, some of us with a whole pocket full), each of them just waiting for that shock of inspiration. And even though there are times when you find yourself staring blankly at a computer screen, you can't ever quit… because that's simply too easy. I mean, anybody can quit. So, from my humble perch, I say KEEP ON BELIEVING, especially in yourself!
Allison Chudina
Editorial Assistant
Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc.
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