Contemporary & Literary Fiction · Humor & Satire
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J Keith Thompson
Jeffersontown, Kentucky native J. Keith Thompson, is a writer and humorist, currently residing in Southern Indiana with his wife Katie. He comes from a technical background where he spent years writing installation manuals, rollout templates and software/firmware upgrades for the restaurant industry. He attended Jefferson Community College in Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana University Southeast in New Albany, Indiana, and is recently retired. He has published the short story ‘Animal Crackers with Zebedee’ along with other spiritual observations on the Catholic 365 forum. He also writes entertaining reflections on scripture for his parish community. Married for 44 years, he has a son Niall, daughter Emily and three rambunctious grandsons. ‘TWO-BIT WIZəRD’ is his first novel.
IN THE AUTHOR’S WORDS
Author interview
Interview submitted .
What inspired you to start writing?
I wrote short stories in grade school but the first time I picked up the book 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien, I knew I wanted to write a novel. I was in an English Literature Class in High School studying Chaucer, and I was the only student who was enjoying it, so that's when I knew I was cut from a different mold. I love a good vivid tale that one can relate to, humorous with a dash of the bizarre.
Who are some of your favorite authors and books?
Tolkien, of course. Henry Fielding 'Tom Jones' J.D. Salinger 'Catcher in the Rye' and Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle' and 'Slaughterhouse-Five' Lately, I've drifted towards the Patrick O'Brian series of 'Master and Commander.'
What would you like to tell readers who have just discovered your books, but haven't read one yet?
Hang on to your seat. I like to take the reader on a wild ride of offbeat and outlandish situations with characters who are quirky, but believable. I like to prove that even in the most serious of situations, humor can be unearthed. But the thing I want most is for the reader to develop a kinship with the characters. Understand them. Relate to them. And see themselves in them.
Who is the favorite character you created, and how did they come into being?
Jon Willis (aka Two-Bit Wizərd) who is a reproduction of my idiot high school teenage self. He is a composite me, my friends and every young adult going through the maturation process tiptoeing on the precipice of adulthood. Full of questions, fears and of course hormones.
What are your future plans as a writer?
I currently have a few manuscripts in the works. A romantic comedy and possibly a follow up to Two-Bit Wizərd.
Books by This Author