Author: Stephan Oak - Author of the Jett Landry Series

Writing and publishing a novel is a huge task. I never realized how huge a task it was until I wrote Jett Landry: The Fuse. It takes a team of people to make it work. Writing it is only one part of getting this project out to the public. So, now that I’ve released Jett Landry: Urban Legend, I decided to take a moment and explain the contributions of everyone on the Acknowledgements Page.

Micky Mitchell: Micky is the artist who did the covers of both The Fuse and Urban Legend. She’s an amazing artist. She is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She has this ability to create images that bring these characters to life. The cover of a book is the first thing people notice before they know anything about the book. It’s what generates interest. Micky knocks it out of the park every time. She puts her heart and soul into every picture she draws. Look her up if you’re interested in seeing more of her work. Or drive around downtown; you’ll see some of her murals.

Theresa Anderson Ener: Theresa edited this book. I learned a lot from Theresa. Not only did she proofread the book and find things I missed (it’s hard to proofread your own work because you know what you expect to see) she also provided notes that were very helpful in putting this story together. I enjoy our conversations, both in person and on social media, about books, writing, liquor and board games.

David S. McRae: David reviewed The Fuse. But not only did he review The Fuse, he contacted me to provide a lot of guidance, encouragement and advice for a first time author. A lot of his advice is manifested in Urban Legend. I appreciate him taking the time to help me get started on this journey as a storyteller. He’s also the author of the Vagrant Summer series. Check it out!

Sunni Sonnier: Sunni allowed me to base a character on her personality. If you live in Southeast Texas, or now in Southeast Louisiana, you probably know Sunni. She’s a bar manager and music promoter. She’s a force of nature. One of the most genuinely nicest people you ever want to meet, she doesn’t just promote music; she promotes people and communities. The unconventional and hip field agent “Steampunk” Sonya is based on Sunni. If you know Sunni, you know she is perfect for this character. Sonya is going to be a recurring character in the Jett Landry/Port City universe. She’s just too cool not to be. Wait until you see what she gets to do in Volume 3!

Rob Flurry: Rob also allowed me to base a character on his likeness. Richard, Jett’s new mentor, is based on Rob. Again, if you live in Southeast Texas you probably know Rob. He’s a cool guy. The kind of guy who always looks out for his friends. He’s also a Blacksmith who has been featured on an Amazon short film and in The Texas Tribune. Sunni and Rob are iconic parts of Southeast Texas culture and it was an honor to create characters based on their contributions to our community.

Franora Anderson: Franora owns Shabby Shabby Antiques in Beaumont, Texas. In her shop in the Old Town section of Beaumont (one of my favorite parts of town) she also sells records. I stopped in one Saturday to buy some vinyl records and, after a long conversation with Fran about music and art and local happenings, I came back and gave her a copy of Jett Landry: The Fuse. She read it, made a video review of the book, recommended it to her friends and customers, promoted and help the sell the book from her shop and even set up a book signing event. She offered all of this before I ever had a chance to ask. It’s that kind of passionate support that keeps local arts alive in Beaumont. Beaumont has vibrant art, music, theatre scenes because of people like Franora who get involved in promoting local artists. Look for her shop on Facebook and check it out! She has some great deals!

Aaron Barnhill and Zach Bowman at Beaumont Y2Z Podast: Aaron and Zach are also iconic members of the Southeast Texas community. They promote anything and everything that makes Beaumont, Texas a great place to live. Through their podcast they put the spotlight on local artists, musicians, authors like me, small business owners and really anyone doing anything in Beaumont that is unique and/or interesting. They reached out to do a podcast on Jett Landry: The Fuse. Go on YouTube and check out their Podcasts. It’s a great Podcast series.

Michelle Cate, Stephanie Orta, Greg Buscemi: Michelle and Stephanie engaged me from the Art Studio Inc, another iconic part of the Southeast Texas Art community, to participate in a virtual book fair for local authors. Greg is the Director of The Art Studio Inc. They do so many great things and contribute so much for the local culture in Beaumont.

Annalee Zenkner: Annalee is a poet, a podcaster and a master of wine. She’s also a good friend. A former resident of Southeast Texas, she’s now back home in Washington State. When she found out I published a book, she reached out to me with an invitation to be on her podcast. Exposure on the West coast, a market where I haven’t made any ground yet, would be huge.

Mary Eileen: Mary has knowledge and skills in areas that are valuable when writing a novel about crime. A retired detective, she’s an invaluable source of information about procedure and ethics. She’s also really cool and a good friend. The character of “Mary,” the cop who shows up at the diner in The Fuse, is a tribute to Mary Eileen.

Toye Babb: Toye is a martial arts expert. With a blackbelt in Akido and a vast working knowledge of Martial Arts in general, Toye helped me work out many of the fight scenes in both The Fuse and Urban Legend. She’s also a Beta Reader, a reader who reads the book before editing to comment on story, plot, grammar, etc. Toye also has to listen to me talk about this book incessantly when we go out to dinner after work. I get caught up in things I’m doing and she’s a good listener.

Shanon Chambers Shaw: Shanon has been one of the most supportive people I know in the development of this project. She’s been a Beta Reader, and a sounding board for ideas. She corrects my grammar and shows up at every event and helps promote the book. Shanon and I go all the back to Nederland High School. Thanks Shanon!

Of course, I would like to thank the people who read The Fuse and are now reading Urban Legend. You make this happen! Thank you so much!!!

Thanks to everyone who helped make get this book series developed and who keep pushing it upstream. I honestly cannot do this without all of your support and enthusiasm.

Below is a link to the Amazon site for the Jett Landry Saga. I encourage anyone reading this blog to click on the link and see if you wanna join the adventure!

The Jett Landry Saga (2 book series) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)

It’s actually four storms and a refinery explosion. Let me explain: A little over a year ago in September, 2019, Southeast Texas was hit by Tropical Storm Imelda. At the time I was prepping to release Jett Landry: The Fuse. This put us behind schedule. Then on Thanksgiving, the TPC Plant exploded in Port Neches, Texas. This put us behind schedule for a book release. Finally, I released the book on February 29, 2020.

Then we had COVID 19.

August, 2020, I recorded my interview with Aaron and Zach for the Beaumont Y2Z Podcast (you listen to it here). On the podcast I confidently asserted Jett Landry: Urban Legend would be released in early September.

Then we had Hurricane Laura. I evacuated to Lufkin, Texas, to wait out the storm. Back in Southeast Texas people were recovering from what was an indirect hit that nonetheless put tens of thousands of people without power and cleaning up a huge mess. Hurricane Laura hit our neighbors in Lake Charles, Lousiana head on caused catastrophic damage.

Then we had tropical storm Beta. More of a nuisance, but another reason things came to a grinding halt.

Yesterday Beaumont was on the western side of Hurricane Delta. Again, our friends and neighbors in Lake Charles took a direct hit. We were only expecting tropical storm force winds, but last night around 6:00pm the power went out and the winds escalated with alarming intensity. I heard stuff flying around in the attic as the wind blew through the vents. I had some minor damage to my house and, again, tens of thousands of people are without electricity. We were still lucky, though. Lake Charles was once again devastated.

We are going to release Jett Landry: Urban Legend. But first we have to recover from all these storms. I ask your patience here, as hurricanes and tropical storms can rock your world. It’s not like the The Scorpions didn’t try to warn us back in the 80’s. I can’t remember getting three storms in one year like this. I can’t remember a time when Lake Charles, or any American city, took two direct hits in less than a month. I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast my entire life and this is a different kind of hurricane season.

Anyway, I will post a new release date for Urban Legend soon. And when we release it, you will read it and I hope you enjoy it. In the meantime, if you haven’t already, read Jett Landry: The Fuse. I’ll post the link below.

Can we just cool it with natural/man-made/public health disasters for now, though?

Today I visited one of my favorite places in Beaumont, Texas. I have so many great memories of The Art Studio Inc. Playing band nights and public/private events with my old bands Fantastic Enemy, Y2Steve and my solo act; attending numerous art openings; numerous public events, and the parties. Most of all, it’s the people. If you want to meet some of the most compassionate and friendliest people you ever want to meet, this is where you go.

Today I was there to record a reading from my first novel, Jett Landry: The Fuse, for an upcoming virtual book fare. I’ll post the reading here on October 15th, when it’s released. But after visiting with longtime friends and looking at the artwork, I’m left with a lot of memories of good times, good people and amazing artwork. If you’re ever in Beaumont, Texas, stop by The Art Studio Inc.

Beaumont, Texas has a great art, music, theatre community. The Art Studio, The Music Studio, The Logon Cafe, The Jefferson Theatre, The Texas Rose Saloon and numerous locally owned restaurants and bars proudly exhibit all that Southeast Texas has to offer in terms of art, theatre and original music. Beaumont, Texas, is a mecca of creativity with so many people from all walks of life coming together to make Beaumont a wonderful city. Tons of original music, songwriters, bands, artists and theatre all over town. You need to check this out.