Old Elizabethan Jason Greenfield stands on the brink of a publishing contract – and of thus finally fulfilling his true vocation. Jason (OE 1985-89) wanted to be a writer from a young age, but was encouraged by his family to get a ‘proper’ job.
He completed post-graduate qualifications in advertising and then teaching, but continued to write alongside his studies and his work.
Jason wrote his first novel whilst a pupil at QE – a work featuring many of his classmates. He has continued to write, with six completed full-length novels ready to go, predominantly in the fantasy/science fiction genre.
In 2009, he was introduced by fellow OE Bradley Edison to the literary agent Michael Cohen. “Although he liked my writing style, he confessed my sci-fi concepts were not his cup of tea,” said Jason. “My mother had suggested that I write about my grandfather so I pitched the story to Michael and he was ‘wowed’ by the concept and agreed to become my agent.”
The resulting work, Forever Torn, has received critical acclaim from publishers, but has been considered too ‘niche’ for them to take it to press. However, the book has been published on Kindle, with several publishers following download sales closely with a view to offering Jason a print publishing deal.
Forever Torn is the true story of the life of Jason’s grandfather Harry Gilmore (born Orcik Gilevic). It traces his experiences from his birth in exile in Siberia and childhood in the family’s native Lithuania, where he was orphaned and sent to his grandparents in London. There his younger brother was adopted by a wealthy, childless couple. The book examines how a promise Harry makes to his grandfather and the circumstances of the adoption impact greatly on his relationship with his brother for the rest of their lives.
“My ultimate goal is to get all my work printed and I hope to see a few of the stories made into films or television projects. In addition to the six completed novels, I have also produced treatments and ideas for around 100 further concepts – some in other formats, including film, television, animation, cartoon and comic book,” said Jason.
“Essentially, after about 20 years trying to find my definitive vocation, I have concluded that I had it right in the first place.”
Brief resumés of three of Jason’s completed full-length works are below, along with details of two significant works in progress:
The Dashing Blade (historical, swashbuckling adventure with a mix of comedy and straight action/mild sci-fi – first of a series that melds historical, literary and original characters)
The Unseen Man (sci-fi/fantasy epic, set in a comic-book universe, which he wrote with the intention of creating the definitive superhero novel – although ironically the supposed ‘hero’ is a super-villain)
Mad Dog and The Englishman (wild sci-fi involving beings called Ethereals that are based on stereotypical and iconic energies. “Not for the faint of heart!” says Jason)
In the pipe line: Jason has a long list of ideas, but the top two he is currently working on are:
Moonrise Harbour (American over-the-top soap meets chick-lit meets real-world, from the perspective of a main Bridget Jones-esque character)
Vampire Nation (Mystery and intrigue in a world where vampires and humans have co-existed since 1920)
Follow this link for more information Jason and his work.