Synopsis:
Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle is a collection
of creative stories based on the lives of animals in an
urban underworld jungle. The stories are focused
around a family of outlaw rabbits who are fixtures in
the criminal activities taking place in the jungle while
trying to maintain a balanced life and family structure.
Deceit and mistrust lead the rabbits down a dark
rabbit hole of revenge and murder.
There are no happily-ever-after’s in these
stories. Join the Jackson rabbits as they navigate
their way through the urban jungle using their Animal
Instincts.
Excerpt:
STORY 1: “All sunny days ain’t so bright”
As the twins played farther and farther away from where their mom told them not too, the sun was beating down on the Jackson brothers. They were from the toughest, baddest, most dangerous rabbits the Forrest had ever seen. Poppa Rabbit made his “bones” doing whatever he could but due to his ridiculous speed he was a robber, no one could catch him. Mama Rabbit on the other hand was a sneaky, yet sweet rabbit who’d do whatever to get the money. So, it was no telling which parent was the most ruthless. Mama and Poppa rabbit settled on running a speakeasy for the underworld elite called “The Bunny Hop House”. Out of all the times the parent rabbits were expecting kids, the only ones that ever made it were Leaps and Jumps, and they were their parents pride and Joy. Leaps was the eldest by only a min, and Jumps was not far behind and that normally set the tone for the rambunctious twins.
“Leaps, you see that strange bird flying over there. Looks like he’s been following us the whole time”
“Well let’s stop and see if that’s the case.” Replied the oldest brother
Just as the brothers suspected the bird had been following them. This bird wasn’t just any regular bird, he was a dove, a black dove that only spoke to a few animals, but he sees everything going on in the jungle and beyond.
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 auto worker, 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.
7 Questions:
1.Could you introduce yourself to our audience?
S.L Jackson: Hello, I am S.L Jackson debut award winning urban fantasy author from Inkster, Michigan. I recently released my novella, “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle.
- Why did you decide to write an urban fantasy novella?
S.L Jackson: I decided to write “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” because I studied the market and seen a huge void. Early parts of my novella came to me when I was a kid and introduced to creative writing in the fourth grade. The story just stuck with me in many aspects. Once I realized I could not get it out of my head I started to do research on the type of story I was getting ready to put in the universe. It was nothing like it out, nor remotely close, so I knew it was meant for me to put my content into the world.
- What is “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle about?
S.L Jackson: “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” is a story about family, love, loyalty, trust, romance, and honor. It just takes place in the jungle centered around an organized crime ring led by a family of outlaw rabbits. But I did not humanize the animals in the book meaning, there are no guns, cars, paper money etc. These animals are still just that, the snake will swallow you whole, not Uzi you down.
- What was the feeling like receiving the news your book won an award?
S.L Jackson: That is a feeling that will go unmatched. I was excited for so many reasons, but the main reason is I spoke winning awards into existence. “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” is the 2020 eLit Awards GOLD medal winner for “Short Story Fiction” That means out of all the books that was entered into that category my book was the best, GOLD MEDALS go to the best, and I told everyone who would listen that “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle” would win awards, and at the time I knew nothing about how books won awards. However, I researched, gathered the information, and made that happen. I knew my content was powerful and impactful enough to win.
- Tell us more about the hashtag you created as well.
S.L Jackson: I created the hashtag RESPECT URBAN AUTHOUS (#respecturbanauthors) and the reason for that is, while researching information related to books, I noticed that we had no real voices in certain areas. Then I noticed it is because we were put inside a box, and that box was “URBAN” which meant we are black, and now they try to skip pass us. So, I had to let them know, RESPECT URBAN AUTHORS, because we are winning awards like ya’ll winning awards. We are best sellers as well, yall must respect it.
- Do you plan to write any more books?
S.L Jackson: Yes, I plan on writing more books, I am just not sure what genre I want to write in yet. I am an author; an urban fantasy novella was just my first book. I can write any style of books, so once I decide on which type of book, I want to do next, I will research the market and go from there.
- What is next?
S.L Jackson: Right now, we are in the process of animating “Animal Instincts: The Urban Jungle”. As of now I ‘am the very first author to write a novella and turn it into a cartoon themselves. The possibilities are limitless, I am self-financed, no one can tell me no, I am my budget and investor.
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