Mandatory Awareness: S.L. Jackson

S.L. Jackson, an Urban Fantasy Author, from Inkster, MI, who now resides in metro-Detroit, first entered the publishing scene in 2019 with the novella ‘Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle.’ He is an autoworker, a community activist skilled in the art of urban jungle survival, a podcaster, and a former entertainer and entertainment education provider. You can always find him reading, watching, and listening to interviews, helping others achieve their goals, and busying with anything that challenges his creativity. “Writing is my way to escape,” Jackson says.

Even though his first novella ‘Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle’ is considered an Urban Fantasy, he prefers not to place himself in a box and stunt the growth of his creativity by limiting himself to one genre. He is the creator of the hashtag #respecturbanauthors. He has been nominated for several awards that include Feathered Quill Awards, Ippy/Elit Awards, Top Shelf Magazine Awards, and Top Shelf Book Cover Awards. His podcast, “The Connected Experience,” is a cultural and lifestyle show.

Jackson is currently working on a comic book and cartoon series for ‘Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle.’ His plans also include more books, awards, and his books placed in libraries across the world. “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” has won the Gold Medal award for “Short Story Fiction” at the 2020 eLit Book awards. 

 

Christina: What is your Swagger? What makes S.L., S.L.?

S.L.: Hello, I am S.L Jackson, debut urban fantasy author from Inkster, Michigan. My supreme confidence is what makes me who I am. I am a firm believer in speaking things into existence and manifestation, and this is a prime example of that. Also, Inkster, Michigan, is the most important 6.2 miles in the history of the world. I encourage your readers to look it up, they will be surprised who is from there and the history of my city. 

Christina: Why did you become an author? Have you always loved to write, or is it something that just came to you one day?

S.L.: To be honest, Christina, I have always been a writer. When I was nine years old, my older cousin Blac introduced my twin brother AJ and I to rap. So, I was introduced to writing raps and creative writing around the same time. We stuck with rap for a long time in our lives, but becoming a published author was something I decided to do in September of 2019. 

Christina: I am a lover of books, and I have always loved to write, and I hope to write a book one day. What advice would you give to other aspiring authors out there and me?

S.L.: Advice I would give to aspiring authors is to just make it happen. First, research, see where you would fall in the marketplace, and decide what type of book you want to write. Once you figure that out, then put the pen to the pad. You also must know the business of selling books, so just write and research. 

Christina: Tell our readers about your novella, “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle.” How did you come up with these stories focused around a family of outlaw rabbits?

S.L.: “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” is based on rabbits because when I was younger, my brother and I let my older cousins Gator rabbit “go,” and ever since that day, I wondered about how “FREED” animals lived. So, in 4th grade, when I was introduced to creative writing, my very first story was based on outlaw animals and how they lived. “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” is just a spinoff of my very first creative writing story. “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” has been in my heart for almost 30 or so years. 

Christina: How and why did you start your podcast, The Connected Experience?

S.L.: The Connected Experience Podcast was started by my twin brother AJ and I. Throughout all our years of being involved in business and the entertainment industry we built a healthy list of contacts who we stayed in touch with. At one point in our city, we were the go-to guys for helping people out with the business side of the entertainment industry. So, we decided to “connect” people via our podcast, and our show turned into a hit show. We started The Connected Experience because we wanted to sit and talk with a few people, and we made that happen. Our motto on the show is “I want for my brother, what I want for myself,” but it’s more than a motto, it is a lifestyle. If I want for you what I want for me, how could I not help you advance. (https://soundcloud.com/tcepodcast)

Christina: What is one thing you would tell your younger self now that you are a published author?

S.L.: I would tell the younger version of me not to rush to get old. Also, live limitlessly. The world is such a big place, value experiences over money. I grew up fast, but by no means did I have a bad childhood, I was just in a rush to be grown. 

Christina: You are skilled in the art of urban jungle survival. Tell our readers about this. What is it?

S.L.: Urban jungle survival is making it out the ghetto. Remember I told you I was from Inkster, Michigan, well when I was growing up, it was a real war zone. My roots are deep there, a lot of my childhood friends are dead or in jail; a lot of us did not make it. But I did, I survived that urban jungle. I am proud of the fact I made something of myself, and I survived the urban jungle. 

Christina: Who or what inspires you?

S.L.: Life inspires me. When I look into my daughter Shelby’s eyes, that inspires me to want to do more, be greater. She is going to have to tell someone about who her father is one day, so it is up to me to be great, so she has something to talk about. 

Christina: Why an urban fantasy as your first book? Is that the genre you tend to lean towards when reading? 

S.L.: Urban fantasy was just what came out first. I do not even read urban fantasy novels. I did my market research and seen that my contribution to the world was just considered “urban fantasy.” Truthfully speaking, I hate labels, I am just an author, and I write what I feel. 

Christina: Who is your favorite author, and why? 

S.L.: I have a host of favorite projects by a variety of authors. But if I had to go with my top three (it is a tie, I do not have a number one), it would be Iceberg Slim, Donald Goines, and Harper Lee. Iceberg Slim is on my list because of how raw his projects were. I was introduced to “pimping” through his books at a very young age, so I credit Iceberg Slim with giving me the “Game”. Donald Goines because my father introduced me to his works, and that was an incredibly special moment in my life. And the truth is my real first name came out either an Iceberg Slim or Donald Goines book. My dad is not sure which one, so I guess being an author was in me. Then Harper Lee, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” may have had the most impact on writing besides religious text. I loved that book as a kid, and to know she only released one project always stuck with me. 

Christina: Do you have any upcoming events or projects that you would like to share?

S.L.: Definitely, I’m going to give you an EXCLUSIVE: here is the link to the first look at “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle ANIMATED” (https://vimeo.com/443440090) we will be releasing this around the top of 2021. I am the first author to turn their novel into a cartoon without the help of a studio. That means I am in control of how the world will receive my content; being self-financed, I call all my own shots. 

Christina: Is there anything additional that you would like to share with our readers? 

S.L.: I would just like to let your readers know that any and everything is possible. I wrote “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” in September 2019, I put it out in March of 2020, by May 2020 I won “BEST SHORT STORY FICTION” Gold Medal at the 2020 eLit awards, I’m in the process of making it into a cartoon. I told anyone who would listen when I talked about everything I was going to do with this content, and that’s what I am doing. It is limitless on all the things coming from my award-winning novella, “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle.” I created the hashtag Respect Urban Authors (#respecturbanauthors), so we all can have something of our own to be a part of. For more info about me or to order your copy of “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle,” visit my website: www.1sljackson.com.

 

Connect with S.L. Jackson:

Website: www.1sljackson.com

 Instagram: @sljackson3

 Facebook: Sljackson522

 Twitter: @tcohhdotorg