Welcome to the writings of
Jack L. Cassell

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This site features my current projects. You will find brief synopses and excerpts.  Presently, there are four key projects completed or near so.  Hope you enjoy reading the synopses and excerpts.  The projects are:
     The Unbroken Circle
     Lost Journey (Sequel to The Unbroken Circle)
     The Implant
     The Road Least Taken:  Journey Into Self

Agents and Editors feel free to contact me regarding publishing these works.

Watch for the publication of the works in the future.  To inquire about their publication, please send an e-mail to   jcassell2003@comcast.net

         Snail Mail:
   1417 La Paloma Dr.   
                      
   Knoxville, TN  37923

            Enjoy

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Personal Information

Born in the shadows of all that is coal mining in Southestern Virginia, I grew up under the watchful eye of humble, loving parents. The black dust stole years of breathing from my grandfather whose heritage was Native American, being one-half Cherokee The pride in being Native America was a powerful imprint. My father and mother owned and operated a small restaurant and escaped the shadow of coal mining themselves. My mother subtly infused myself and another brother with the belief that an advanced education could be the true escape from the coal mining shadow.

A brief stint in the Army Corps of Engineers (three years, two months, twenty-three days, three hours and approximately twenty odd minutes) broadened perspectives, and added maturity. Number crunching proved to be foreign to a internal quiescence seeking to surface. Four years of education at Berea College in Kentucky provided a whole new view through eyes that took in human behavior and began the quest for "human skills." The psychology focus led to a M. A. from The University of Kentucky in Counseling. Three years as a counselor in a psychiatric setting left me with more questions than answers. WHY became a constant companion of WHERE and WHAT . . . joined just as quickly by WHEN and HOW. The Five Horsemen of the Apostrophe led me to The University of Kansas and a Ph.D. degree in Psychology.

But the circle was still broken. Many years as a traveling, lecturing professor at the University of Tennessee provided a wealth of experiences and perspectives. In the thirty-one plus years of experience, the opportunity to travel, lecture, and train paraded a complete menagerie of humanity and potential characters before me.  I wrote and published a great deal in my profession . . . articles, chapters in books, and two books.  Those writings afforded a measure of satisfaction but not pleasure.    Something was missing that had tugged at me since English classes in high school. 

It was time to begin closing the circle. Writing other than of a scholarly nature.  An extended, unfulfilled need to nourish myself with words and let them grow and mature within led me to the foothills so that I might look up to the mountain that must be climbed . . . Fiction Writing.  Attending conferences on writing was very rewarding where I won the Fowler Award for Best of Contest. 

The first book is The Unbroken Circle which is set in the frontier days of 1832.  The project has been professionally edited and is ready for publication. The sequel, Lost Journey, is in final editing. The Implant, a modern day novel, is complete as a first draft. The Road Least Taken: Journey Into Self is a self-exploration project and is never ending but has traveled 100+ pages and is ready for an intermediate stop.

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