by Stuart R. West
by Stuart R. West
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The Secret Origin Of Tex, The Witch Boy
First of all, thank you very much, Velvet, for letting me blab away on your blog about my YA trilogy.
The Tex, The Witch Boy series has been percolating in my mind for, well, years. Since high school (and I ain’t gonna’ tell you how long ago that was). Basically I’m Tex. Um… except for I’m not a witch nor was I instrumental in uncovering three killers (an unlucky and dangerous high school, that Clearwell High). But I share many traits with my main character, Tex. Like him, I was awkward, unsure of myself, lacking self-confidence and never knowing when to kick my inner censor on (something I still struggle with). Of course, I have to say, I wasn’t as brave as Tex, either. I didn’t stand up to school bullies, wish I would’ve. Actually, I did try once…didn’t work out so well for me. But that’s beside the point. Speaking of which, I’ve had a few readers suggest the incidents of bullying recounted in the first book seem over-the-top. Until they read the afterword. Trust me; every bullying incident either happened to me or a friend of mine. To this day, I still have a friend who doesn’t have full usage of several of his fingers. So…the secret origin of Tex, The Witch Boy? Exorcising my high school demons.
The Tex, The Witch Boy trilogy books are all YA paranormal, murder mystery, comedic romantic thrillers. And they all deal with social issues today’s teens face. It’s a lot of gist for the writer’s cavern, too. Tex, The Witch Boy (the first in the series and the print copy should be out in December) tackles high school bullying. Tex and The Gangs Of Suburbia deals with identity and senseless, random, horrifying high school violence. It’s based on a true story that happened at my old alma mater a couple years ago. It also introduces fan-favorite character, Elspeth. Until y’all read the books, I’d prefer to keep her shrouded in mystery. As it is, she threatened to hijack the entire series, so much so that she kicked and demanded her own spin-off tale. Since I’m afraid of her, I wrote it and it’s out in Summer, 2014. The third, and last, Tex book is Tex and The God Squad, also out this December. It’s my most ambitious of the trilogy in terms of issues and expansive ”set-pieces.” Topics include teen suicide, religion and gay and lesbian issues. Whew.
Okay, so we have a teen boy witch. I hear some of you asking, “But, Stuart, shouldn’t he be considered a warlock?” Nope. I did my research, even talked to a few bonafide witches. “Witch” is indeed the proper term. Why a witch, I hear you asking once again (man, you’re an inquisitive lot!)? Well, I thought the juxtaposition of having an already awkward teen boy discover he’s a witch too intriguing to ignore. Teens already face enough indecision about life; being a witch is the dramatic icing on the cake. (Truth time…at first I also considered having him be gay, but ultimately thought that was just stacking the book too much). And being a witch opened up all sorts of exciting story possibilities.
The uniting theme of the books is about high school friendships forged in the face of adversity, teens trying to carve out their existence in an overwhelming world. High school rocked my world a lot; I haven’t forgotten. In the books, I hope to touch on uncomfortable situations, missteps (and my protagonist makes a lot of them), every awful and awkward encounter that I remember like it was yesterday. I use humor as a cover for these instances, but underneath every clown’s mask lies a sad truth, I think.
I also wanted to create a series that has a male protagonist, books boys can enjoy as well as females. That’s where I started, at least. But it’s the female characters who take charge and kick butt. There’s Olivia, Tex’s friend (possibly girl-friend?), a radical who’s upset she’s not considered a suspect in the current murder investigation, thinks it’s sexist. I told you about Elspeth, whose faux-hawk is nearly as tall as her bravery and cynicism. Don’t forget Mickey, the unusual witch mentor, a hand-slapping, fried chicken-extorting (it’s complicated) elderly woman who could take down any of these kids with her ice-cold glare. That’s just the tip of the character iceberg in the world of Tex, The Witch Boy.
I tried to write the kinds of books I wished were around when I was in high school. They’re books that are fun, thrilling, surprising, and carry a strong message of hope. I’d love nothing more than to reach teens today, tell them they’re not alone, there’s nothing wrong with them. And stay strong.
Welcome to the wild world of Tex, The Witch Boy.
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Guest post created by Stuart R. West, author of Tex, The Witch Boy
© 2013. All rights reserved.
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