CH: J. E., welcome to my blog. Please tell us in one sentence, why we should read your book.

JET: In my novels, I want the reader to experience places that are filled with hopes, dreams, challenges and fears that make us human…I want readers to intensely feel these emotions.

CH: Your characters are ghosts, who were young basketball players that died too early, and they are given an opportunity to return to life. Where these characters hard to write?

JET: These Characters were not hard to write…just an emotional experience. Sometimes, you meet people who affect you and encounter experiences that change your life. When that encounter is with a young person, it is more intense and emotional.  As a high school varsity basketball coach, I experienced the death of several basketball players.

A dramatic example was my ninth-grade rising basketball star. He had a tremendous future and was killed at fifteen. He was riding with an older cousin, going to a pickup basketball game, and when the cousin passed a car and a cement truck was barreling down the two-lane high way. They were killed instantly!

This tragic event and several others affected my life as a coach, a teacher and a person. For years, I kept these events in the back of my mind.

When I finished writing the J. E. Thompson Trilogy: A Brownstone in Brooklyn, Philly Style and Philly Profile and the National Award-winning Ghost of Atlanta, I knew it was time to tackle Phantoms of Rockwood. The death of young athletes was the genesis of Phantoms of Rockwood.

CH: Why did you decide to write this book about ghosts?

JET: What if these young players could return for just one basketball season? The emotions of those tragic moments created a desire to make this book happen. As I was writing Phantoms of Rockwood, I could sense a presence in my home office as I was typing the words, creating vivid scenes and watching the evolution of the carnival of characters come alive on the pages of this young adult novel.

My former players lived again, played basketball on the hardwood again, sweated in games again and pulled readers in the moment. In my dedication, I wrote, “Phantoms of Rockwood is dedicated to all the young athletes who died too young. May God keep you close to Him.”  Now…I could feel their presence again in the writing of this novel.

CH: Why do you think it is important to have interesting stories for the young adult audience?

JET: As authors, we have to write stories to pull young readers into the experience of a novel. There have been few books, with lead characters for young males and especially, young black males…excluding Harry Potter. I wanted to write something for the American audience and the American young black male. This was not intended to exclude young females and young black females, but there are a plethora of books for that audience.

CH: Where do you get your inspiration and ideas from when you write?

JET: I’m a late-night writer…I mean late night! I can work all day, feel tired in the early evenings and then around 11:00 p.m., my body feels as if a pint of adrenalin has been shot into my veins. The words on the screen come alive as the visual images just flow. The bad thing is I have to shut down around midnight. I have to be up at 5:45 a.m. to get ready to face my high school language classes. My inspiration comes from relationships with people.

CH: Where are you from? Does your background have any influence on this book?

JET: I grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. The sixties in Brooklyn was an era that had a personality, a feel, and a life-force that changed a generation. I felt this energy and experienced these fires of social change. My parents were lower middle class, but believed in exposure to different things. We loved to travel, and we always took family vacations. I most enjoyed our cross country tours in our station wagon. The experience of the opera, ballet and symphony was incredible. One of my favorite places was Lincoln Center in New York City and of course, Broadway.

This upbringing was very unique for the sixties and early seventies in black families. My neighborhood had clean streets, family-owned stores and shops, good friends and camaraderie in this Brooklyn Community.

CH: How long have you been writing? How did you start writing?

JET: In 1965, I started writing at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, New York. I was afraid and very insecure about becoming a writer. I asked my English teacher, Ms. Egan, “Can I be a writer?” She looked at me and said, “Do it!” I’ve never looked back. So, I’ve been a copy boy with the New York Times, and a full-time sportswriter with the Philadelphia Bulletin.

I started writing my first novel in 1995 and I’ve enjoyed every moment.

CH: Are there any books that influence you as an author?

JET: The last book I read was Degrees of Separation by Sue Henry. It’s a Jessie Arnold Mystery.  The author has a strong grasp of intense storytelling and strong characterization. The setting is a small town in Alaska that has been shaken with a murder that disrupts the tranquility of a winter in the land of snow and ice. It’s a fascinating ‘Who done it’ that keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next.  Or what is the next clue to be uncovered?

CH: Are there any writers that you consider your mentor?

JET: Walter Mosely is a big influence on my writing. I love his sense of place and his superb development of characters. He is most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective, Easy Rawlins, a black private investigator and World War II veteran. 

CH: I understand that you have another book coming out soon. So, what’s next on the agenda in your writing career?

JET: My fifth novel, Stormy Winds, will be published in March 2015. I’m a big William Shakespeare fan for the last forty years. This novel is my Macbeth. It’s dark and moody, but very entertaining with a vital message about overcoming any problem. Short Synopsis: Stormy Winds explores former sports writer Justin Fleming’s perseverance over destructive themes and events in his life.

CH: You are an award-winning author. You won the 2011 Readers Favorite National Gold Medal Award in General Fiction for Ghost of Atlanta. You also received the Georgia Author of the Year nomination for Philly Style and Philly Profile, from the Georgia Writers Association, and Ghost of Atlanta. Congratulations! Did you ever think your books would win awards when you wrote them?

 JET: I’m Blessed! I’m honored!  I’m humble!

I love to write and just to have someone read my words is a blessing. I’ve had readers buy my books from Tel Aviv, Isreal; Isle-of-Man in England; Montana; Los Angeles and all points in between.

My novels are in the Philadelphia Libraries, Brooklyn Libraries, Chicago Libraries, Atlanta Libraries and many more Public Libraries across the country. This is a Blessing. And to win a National Gold Medal for Fiction Award is an awesome feeling. Praise God!

These are experiences I dreamed about, but never thought would become  reality.

CH: To carry on the tradition, last month you were nominated for the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award in the “Young Adult” Category for Phantoms of Rockwood.  How did you place?

JET:When you are nominated in Georgia out of the hundreds of books published in the state, you are a winner.  I did not win the title of Georgia Author of The Year, but was one of only seven books nominated out of hundreds published. Maybe, next time (smile).

CH: Do you have a website?

JET: I have two websites, and please leave a message in the guestbook or contact me: www.authorsden.com/jethompsonnovels

CH: Where is your book sold?

JET: My books can be purchased at: www.amazon.com,  www.bn.com, www.smashwords.com 

I’m blessed that Ghost of Atlanta and A Brownstone in Brooklyn are on the shelves of the Brick and Mortar Barnes & Noble stores. Just Google A Brownstone in Brooklyn, Philly Style and Philly Profile, Ghost of Atlanta and Phantoms of Rockwood and you can find a place close to you to purchase the books.

CH: Any closing remarks?

JET:This is my motto for writing: “Keep Writing, Keep Believing, and Never Give Up On Your Dreams!”

CH: Thank you, J. E. Thompson,  and thank you for sharing your young adult novel, your writing experience and your awards with my audience.  

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                                                                                                 ~ Cheryl Holloway