H-17
The
Morning Star Abduction
By:
Jake Vickers
This
is a very different style read, and very in depth. From the get go, I was drawn
into the words that kept pulling me farther and deeper in as I read, wondering
where this book would take me. I knew that I wouldn’t put it down, because the
writing was like none other I have ever read. I was strong, and sincere. I felt
the writer wanted to make his point known, and that you the reader, were there
to help to get his point across.
H-17
is an organization that has been silent for nearly forty years, until now. And
now they have come out of hiding to recruit. Making it obvious there is a need
for more of them to do whatever it is that they must do.
Gabby
Morningstar is in class, when her class is interrupted by the announcement of
the murder of her parents. After this, the homicide detective on the case,
abducts Gabby. Gabby then is being sold to ‘these mysterious people’ off of the
highway, where the exit is unmarked. She has now realized, things are beyond
strange.
Fortunately
for Gabby, her runaway sister: Nikki will stop at nothing to find and rescue
her, however long and difficult it may be.
Gabby
herself, is determined to get away from this sinister group of people, and if
anything, make anew for herself, with the hopes of surviving. Gabby feels if
she is to stay with these people, just about anything could happen to her
including death. And she can’t have that.
As
you read this book, you will be rooting for these girls, trust me. And you will
not be rooting for H-17, in fact you will want to climb into the book and get
involved. This book makes you feel like you are right there, and that you need
to mediate, and help in any way that you can. Unfortunately, you can’t. But
what you can do, is read it, and write a review. Because I myself enjoyed this
book a great deal and give it five stars. I certainly hope that Jake will find
the time write another book. He is a very good writer, and I love his writing
style. So, if you haven’t already, pick up your copy today!
Here
are my questions for Jake:
DENEALE:
What made you write this book and how long did it take you?
JAKE: My initial motivation was to escape from reality.
My
separated parents gave me 2 separate names, Jimmy and Jake. I suffered some
torment in early childhood that really compounded my proclivity for isolation.
In adolescence, I ran away often and probably devised my own personal hells by
way of poor choices informed by arrested development. Then I met a dear friend
on a school bus who very quickly became my best friend. He was a strange boy, 2
years younger than me, wearing a drab army jacket and flipping through a mail
order catalog of fantasy knives with a sort of alert intensity that seemed
determined to ward others off. So, of course we got along. We were close
through high school and through our years in the Marine Corps. We were close up
until the time that he had a schizophrenic break. I didn't know how to deal
with his crumbling reality, and so taking care of him eventually fell on
others. Months later, in March 2013, he committed suicide—but even that phrase
is a lie. I killed my brother with my neglect.
That
last sentence is something of a lie, because I am not Jake, nor am I
Jimmy—though I carry the guilt and memories of both like a pack full of rocks
that pulls me deeper into the loose dirt with every step.
During
the time after my friend, or rather Jake's friend, killed himself, the only
semi-meaningful relationship I'd ever had in my life ended horribly. With that,
and everything, it felt as though the world was closing in. I couldn't breathe
evenly, or eat my food and acknowledge the very taste of it. I'd written
stories with Nikki and Gabby as central figures, but in my mind there was the
monochrome image of Nikki screaming and snarling—just visceral and fearless and
careless and cunning and fun. And with that ferocity, I could live again.
I
began to write the novel H-17 The Morningstar Abduction. At the time, I did not
understand what was happening to me, or what was developing as I began to
write. But I know in a very literal sense that I am not the same person who set
out to write this work. I would not make you more uncomfortable by telling you
my name. This novel is many things, but to me, it is also a representative
biography that opens up to an exploration that I hope others will be interested
in experiencing along with me.
DENEALE: Who designed your cover?
JAKE:
Allison Dalton. I'm afraid the current image isn't nearly as high-def as the
one that was initially designed by Allison. If, in the future, I have the
resources for my own print, there will be updates to do the image justice.
DENEALE: Do you have any photos or descriptions of the characters that you can share with us?
JAKE:
No. The descriptions are quite specific in the novel, though never intentionally
constructed in an exclusionary fashion. The photos don't exist as they are not
extrapolations of literal figures. I would hope that the audience can
personalize the experience of H-17 to a greater degree if I do not dictate in a
manner that has nothing to do with the writing.
DENEALE: What are you working on now?
DENEALE: What are you working on now?
JAKE:
I'm
working on the second H-17 novel. It's about ¾ completed in my head, but I have
a ton of groundwork to do. I'm quite motivated to see that H-17 isn't forgotten
or ignored or just read dumbly. It isn't the greatest piece of literature in
the world, but it is the very best I can do at the moment. To hear from readers
who find it meaningful is more important to me than I can express here.
DENEALE: What motivates you to write?
DENEALE: What motivates you to write?
JAKE:
...
DENEALE: If you were to get writers block, or have ever had it, what do you do for it?
DENEALE: If you were to get writers block, or have ever had it, what do you do for it?
JAKE:
I do not believe in writer's block.
DENEALE: What suggestions can you offer for the aspiring writers out there?
DENEALE: What suggestions can you offer for the aspiring writers out there?
JAKE:
Have the courage to be original despite the negative voices that will seek to
impede your progress and clip your wings.
DENEALE: How long have you been writing?
DENEALE: How long have you been writing?
JAKE:
I've been writing since 2017. Jake started when he was 16. The answer that
you're wanting is that I started at the age of 16. Back then, I wrote shitty
poetry and thought it was the most beautifully emotive thing in the world, and
that the girl it was for could never possibly deny something of such deeply
poignant and personal meaning—of course I was mistaken.
DENEALE: What are your hobbies?
DENEALE: What are your hobbies?
JAKE:
I don't have any social activities as I don't have any people in my life. I
write of course. I sometimes rewire circuit boards to breadboards. I solve
puzzles. I break things. I game. I listen to music. I search for meaning. I
howl at the moon. I think at a frenzied pace and my mind never takes a break.
DENEALE: Do you put yourself into your characters?
DENEALE: Do you put yourself into your characters?
JAKE:
I'd rather not offer an answer as to what portion each of these characters is
or isn't the individual you are conversing with.
DENEALE: Where is your favorite place to write?
JAKE: My friend killed himself just feet from a giant metal desk that one is probably accustomed to seeing in classrooms in the 90's. I repainted the desk and spray painted MORNINGSTAR MOTHERFUCKER on the side. I write on that.
DENEALE: Please share with us your social media and book links:
JAKE:
On
goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=h-17+the+morningstar+abduction
s
DENEALE: Anything to add?
DENEALE: Anything to add?
JAKE:
The things I have to say will be said with a series of H-17 novels, and I will
do everything in my power to make sure that each novel is an improvement over
the last.
H-17 The Morningstar Abduction by Jake VickersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very different style read, and very in depth. From the get go, I was drawn into the words that kept pulling me farther and deeper in as I read, wondering where this book would take me. I knew that I wouldn’t put it down, because the writing was like none other I have ever read. I was strong, and sincere. I felt the writer wanted to make his point known, and that you the reader, were there to help to get his point across.
H-17 is an organization that has been silent for nearly forty years, until now. And now they have come out of hiding to recruit. Making it obvious there is a need for more of them to do whatever it is that they must do.
Gabby Morningstar is in class, when her class is interrupted by the announcement of the murder of her parents. After this, the homicide detective on the case, abducts Gabby. Gabby then is being sold to ‘these mysterious people’ off of the highway, where the exit is unmarked. She has now realized, things are beyond strange.
Fortunately for Gabby, her runaway sister: Nikki will stop at nothing to find and rescue her, however long and difficult it may be.
Gabby herself, is determined to get away from this sinister group of people, and if anything, make anew for herself, with the hopes of surviving. Gabby feels if she is to stay with these people, just about anything could happen to her including death. And she can’t have that.
As you read this book, you will be rooting for these girls, trust me. And you will not be rooting for H-17, in fact you will want to climb into the book and get involved. This book makes you feel like you are right there, and that you need to mediate, and help in any way that you can. Unfortunately, you can’t. But what you can do, is read it, and write a review. Because I myself enjoyed this book a great deal and give it five stars. I certainly hope that Jake will find the time write another book. He is a very good writer, and I love his writing style. So, if you haven’t already, pick up your copy today!
View all my reviews
