Quick Story
Updated: Jan 30, 2018
I’m about a month away from releasing my first novel on Amazon and I wanted to tell a QUICK STORY:
If you know anything about me, you know that my brother is in prison. And like clockwork, he would call every Saturday morning so I could read him part of my upcoming book, "THE ATHLETE-STUDENT: FRESHMAN YEAR". It was amazing to see how he was drawn to the characters and storyline. It got to the point where he wanted to know more about the writing process. After explaining the process and telling him I was looking for someone to draw my book cover, he said he knew a guy in his cell-block that was talented with a pen. At first, I dismissed it, until my brother put a guy named Marcus on the phone. I immediately knew he had skills by the way he articulated his process before he starts any project. I told Marcus what I was looking for, and as I told him, he started sketching (see below). I had no idea what he was sketching, but I trusted my brother as he vouched for him. Two weeks later I got the picture in the mail and was blown away. I waited until the following Saturday for my brother to call so I could thank Marcus. We stayed on the phone for several minutes as if we had known each other for years. He told me he was doing a life sentence which immediately broke my heart. I was heartbroken for him and other inmates in the system.
I’m not talking about guilt and innocence here; I know some deserve every bit of time they got which is another story for a different day. But the thought of how a mistake or misguided step can strip you of your life saddens me. While I never did anything that warranted life, I have done some stuff that could have gotten me 5 to 10 years and only by the grace of God I never got caught. The cool thing is that through me, Marcus's talent can be shown to the outside world. It also serves as a reminder that there are some talented people behind bars. So, if you decide to purchase my book when it drops, just know that someone whose life took a different turn for whatever reason got a chance to showcase their skills.