By Aimee Hancock
TROY — For local author Joey Janson, writing wasn’t always a beloved hobby.
The newly-published author released his first novel, “Rescuing Leah,” just last month, but what is now a passion of his was once an annoyance.
Janson, 30, said it was an assignment he received in eighth grade that changed his mind, and his future, forever.
“It’s actually funny how I started writing because I used to hate it, but in eighth grade, my language arts teacher gave us this assignment that pretty much changed my life,” Janson said. “I used to hate writing assignments because there were always so many rules to follow, but this one was different. This one was to write a 14-page short story on whatever you wanted.”
Janson said he quickly began to enjoy completing the assignment and even went over the 14-page requirement. After sharing his work with his classmates, he was named best writer in the class.
“After that, my teacher said I may have found one of my specialties and that was writing a good entertainment story,” Janson said. “So, that’s how I ended up where I am now.”
Originally from Greenville, Janson has lived in Troy for the past few years. He works as a car detailer for Beau Townsend Ford, and along with writing, also enjoys martial arts and firearms.
“Rescuing Leah,” which Janson describes as a “love/action” story, centers around a couple named Josh and Leah. When Leah is kidnapped by a local drug cartel in retaliation for Leah’s father, a judge, putting the cartel leader in prison for life, the police and FBI are little help, prompting Josh to take matters into his own hands. An action-filled drama ensues.
Janson said it took him about six months to write the novel’s rough draft, followed by nearly a dozen re-writes before sending it off to be edited.
“The whole process took up to a year to get it right,” he said.
Published by FriesenPress, a Canadian self-publishing firm, Janson’s book is available in e-book, hardback, and paperback form, and can be purchased from most major online retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Amazon, Nook, Books-A-Million, Google Books, and Apple Books.
To learn more, visit www.joeyjanson.com.
