Interview: Julius Thompson – Ghost of Atlanta

Today we’re pleased to Welcome Julius Thompson to our site..  Mr. Thompson is the author of Ghost of Atlanta, the third book in a trilogy.

About the Author (From his website):

Julius Thompson grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York and attended Bushwick High School. The sixties in Brooklyn was an era that had a personality, a feel, and a life-force that changed a generation. Mr. Thompson felt this energy and experienced these fires of social change.

After high school, Mr. Thompson spent the next four years riding the “A” train to Harlem, in upper Manhattan, to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the City College of New York. At CCNY, which was located just a few blocks from the famous Apollo Theater, Wednesday afternoons was hard on the undergraduates. The matinee performances of the major R&B groups of the times were more tempting than attending a boring college lecture. Most of the time Mr. Thompson succumbed to the temptation, but still earned a college degree from one of the best universities in the country.

At CCNY, literature instructors like Prof. Thomas Tashiro, fueled the fire in him to become a writer!

Mr. Thompson’s journey to compose a trilogy began in 1995. The fourteen year fictional journey of character Andy Michael Pilgrim from Brooklyn, to Philadelphia and finally Atlanta is now complete. In this pilgrimage, readers experience places that are filled with hopes, dreams, challenges and fears that make us human.

The novels that make up the trilogy are A Brownstone in Brooklyn which was published in 2001, Philly Style and Philly Profile in 2007 and Ghost of Atlanta which will be published the first week of January 2011.

Mr. Thompson received the Georgia Author of the Year nomination for Philly Style and Philly Profile, from the Georgia Writers Association, in 2007.

Mr. Thompson is writing his fourth novel, Purple Phantoms, which is a story about the haunting of a mythical high school basketball team.

Mr. Thompson is currently a Creative Writing/Publishing Instructor at Atlanta’s Evening at Emory’s Writers Studio. For more information please visit him at www.ghostofatlanta.com.

About Ghost of Atlanta:

In The Ghost of Atlanta, Andy Michael Pilgrim faces demons from his youth that haunted his life. These are the ghosts in the crawl spaces of his life; some are real and some supernatural.

After landing a job with The Atlanta Defender, Andy returns home and visits the place where he finally faces remembrances of his deceased abusive father. While walking around the grounds, he meets his mysterious cousin, Joe Boy, and finds out that the property is going to be sold by unscrupulous cousins.

While Andy fights this battle, he must confront the personal demon of a possible drug addiction, breaking the color barrier at the south’s largest newspaper, The Atlanta Defender, meeting his old girl friend and fighting the lingering effects of segregation in small-town Georgia life.

As the story unwinds, all these forces push Andy toward the breaking point, where he almost quits on life. Malevolent mortal deeds are committed and Andy could be next in line.

“The Ghost of Atlanta” is, overall, a superbly written book. 5 stars!~Readers Favorite

Rhodes Review: Tell me about your current book?

Julius:  In Ghost of Atlanta, Andy Michael Pilgrim faces demons from his youth. These are the ghosts in the crawl spaces of his life; some are real and some supernatural.

     While Andy fights this battle, he must confront the personal demon of a possible drug addiction, meeting his old girl friend, breaking the color barrier at the south’s largest newspaper and fighting the lingering effects of segregation in small-town Georgia life.

    As the story unwinds, all these forces push Andy toward the breaking point, where he almost quits on life. Malevolent mortal deeds are committed and Andy could be next in line.

    “The Ghost of Atlanta” is, overall, a superbly written book. 5 stars! ~Readers Favorite

Rhodes Review: Care to tell our readers about your background in writing?

Julius:  I’ve been a writer since I was a sophomore at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, New York. I wrote for my high school newspaper and then at The City College of New York.

     After College I worked as a copy boy with the New York Times and then as a full-time sportswriter with the Philadelphia Bulletin and a part-time sportswriter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

     Gradually, after leaving the newspaper business and becoming a high school Language Art teacher my interest moved toward the world of fiction. In 1995, I started the first book of the trilogy, A Brownstone in Brooklyn that was published in 2001 then Philly Style and Philly Profile in 2007. That book garnered me a Georgia Author of The year Nomination.

   And now, Ghost of Atlanta, the final book in the trilogy was published in January 2011.

Rhodes Review: Have you always wanted to write?

 Julius:   I knew I had this ability to write, but the motivation and confidence was zero. What developed confidence in my writing ability occurred when I was a junior at Bushwick High School in Brooklyn, New York.         

      I got up enough nerve to ask my English teacher, Miss Egan, the question. If the answer was negative, all my hopes and dreams of becoming the next great writer would be dashed.
      I knocked hard on the door to her office, entered, and asked her, “Can I be a writer?”
      She stared at me for a few seconds and then said, “Do it!”
      I haven’t looked back.

Rhodes Review: What is your writing process like?

 Julius:  Without a doubt my best work is done late night around 11:00 p.m. It feels like early morning, the ideas start to flow, my minds’ eye is filled with the visuals.

Rhodes Review: Where do you usually get your muse/inspirations?

 Julius:  The inspiration for writing the trilogy came from the people I’ve known, loved and imagined over the years and the situations I’ve encountered.

        As a college student in New York City in the sixties, I experienced the sit-ins at The City College of New York while looking at the gates of City College shut tight and wondering if I was going to graduate.

          I can still smell the smoke from the burning buildings during the Brooklyn riots. From incidents like these the genesis of the trilogy evolved.

Rhodes Review: What led you to come up with the story for your current book?

 Julius:  This is the end of Andy’s journey. I needed to see him come full circle, but most the maturation of his character, both physically and mentally. He’s learned you can’t control or change every negative thing that happens. It’s part of life and you have to adjust and live your life to the fullest.

Rhodes Review: How long did you spend writing your current book?

 Julius: I spent two years writing,  rewriting, rethinking Ghost of Atlanta, and a year finding the right Publisher. I’m thrilled with my current publisher, Passionate Writer Publishing. The wait was worthwhile!

Rhodes Review: How much research is involved in writing?

Julius: In writing the trilogy the research was pretty easy, these places were home. The settings are real places with real streets and building structures. Everything needed to be exact. I revisited all the places to make sure  my memory was correct.

Rhodes Review: What’s your newest writing project?

 Julius:  I’m working on my fourth novel, Purple Phantoms, which is the story of the haunting of a high school basketball team. What sparked my interest in writing this book, as a basketball coach, I’ve seen too many young athletes die at an early age. I’m about 35, 000 words into the project.

Rhodes Review: Where can readers find you?

 Julius: Readers can visit me on Facebook, Twitter and my websites: www.jtwrites.com and www.ghostofatlanta.com . I’d love to chat and answer any questions about my books and the writing process.

           I’m a Creative Writing instructor at Evening at Emory, a program of Emory University in Atlanta.

           I will be glad to help any reader or writer with any information that will help them become a published author.

Rhodes Review:  I’d like to thank Mr. Thompson for taking this time to talk to my readers and tell you a little bit about himself.

Julius Thompson Websites/Purchase Links

 Websites

www.jtwrites.com

www.ghostofatlanta.com

 Purchase Links

Amazon.Com:

http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atlanta-Julius-Thompson/dp/098325950X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297460262&sr=1-1

 Barnes & Nobles.Com

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ghost-of-Atlanta/Julius-Thompson/e/9780983259503/?itm=1&USRI=ghost+of+atlanta

 Passionate Writer Publishers

http://www.passionatewriterpublishing.com/ghostofatl.htm

Mr. Thompson can be seen throughout February and March at these locations:

Feb. 16 – Guest Blogging at http://authorsbyauthors.blogspot.com
Feb. 19 – Author Interviewed at http://www.immortylcafe.com
Feb. 21 – Guest Blogging at http://rhodesreview.com
Feb. 25 – Author Interviewed at http://myimmortalstories.blogspot.com
Feb. 28 – Guest Blogging at http://cladestinesanctuary.blogspot.com 
March 2 – Author Interviewed at http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/
March 8 – Author Interviewed at http://kippoe.blogspot.com
March 10 – Guest Blogging at http://ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com
March 14 – Guest Blogging at http://amomentwithmystee.blogspot.com 
March 16 – Guest Blogging at http://louisewise.blogspot.com
March 18 – Author Interviewed at http://margaret-paranormalromanceauthor.blogspot.com
March 22 – Author Interviewed at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bkwalker 
March 24 – Guest Blogging at http://thepovlounge.wordpress.com/ 
March 28 – Guest Blogging at http://writersmovementweb.blogspot.com

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