By Mylee Mayberry
THATCHER, AZ—After three years of writing and editing, EAC English instructor Terrence Jones recently published his first novel, Hunter of Giants. The story begins with U.S. Marshals Special Deputy William Harper returning to his birthplace in southern Ohio following the curious death of his friend. Throughout the story, he recalls his early life memories and the central plot develops from a childhood conflict.
“I suppose the inspiration came from memories, a sense of nostalgia, from parallel themes I see, then and now,” says Jones. “Many of the characters are fictionalized versions of people I knew. A few of the early experiences are my own. The more current stories, subplots and characters, also stem partly from my personal life. As an adolescent I lost my mother to cancer and a close friend to a child predator. These things shape us, and how we manage the pain matters.”
The initial manuscript took about a year to write. Terry’s younger brother, Trent, an accomplished screenwriter, provided useful feedback on the first few pages to help set the stage. Another year was spent revising and editing, cutting several thousand words and sharpening other sections. Somewhere in that process Jones sent an unpublished copy to the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society for a writing competition and [the work] finished as a semi-finalist. After that, more revisions were made and the copy was sent to the current publisher. In less than a day, the script came back with instructions to edit the work carefully.
“At that point I asked EAC’s communications instructor Gayle Houser and EAC English emeriti Marilyn Wilton for help,” says Jones. “They were happy to lend their eyes and insights and offered many useful observations and suggestions.” After more revising and additional editing, Jones sent the work back to the publisher. Even after preview copies were created, a few more changes were made.
“I don’t know yet about writing another major work. EAC English instructor Ken Raines said he thinks everyone has a book inside them, at least one story to tell worth writing. This could be mine. I did, however, leave opportunities in the script for a second novel, jumping off points with these characters, just in case,” concludes Jones.
The book is available locally through Jones, and is available online at Amazon, Barns and Noble as a NOOK BOOK, and at www.bibliobookstore.com. To sign up for one of Jones’ classes, or to view his class offerings, visit eac.edu.
