JOSEPH "JOE" JACKSON.

DOSSIER.

BIOGRAPHY.

trigger warnings: Violence, Fighting, To be added if requested

☆ Joe was born lucky, some might say. His family was rich. His parents doted on him, got him whatever he wanted. But he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the family business. What he wanted to do was write.

And so, he went to college. Played along for a while, majored in business, but his heart wasn’t in it. So he dropped it and switched majors to Literature and Creative Writing. His parents were shocked, but supported their son. They figured it was a rebellious phase. They were wrong.

You see, Joe had never felt entitled to his family’s wealth. That was their money, not his. He wanted to earn his own money, his own way. And so, once he graduated college he left his family behind in Florida to live in New York City. The hustle and bustle of the city phased Joe a bit, at first, but he got used to it. He told his parents to give him a year to succeed in writing. He was confident he would.

Unfortunately, the best laid plans…..Joe would tell his parents he was doing well, but he wasn’t. He didn’t want to admit defeat, though. He would rather his parents cut him off, and eventually they did.

“Joe, he was an artist just living out of case. But his best work was his letters home. Extended works of fiction about imaginary success, when chorus girls in neon were his closest thing to friends, but to a writer, the truth is no big deal.” (L.I.F.E. G.O.E.S. O.N by Noah and the Whale lyrics)

Joe keeps working, keeps writing, with occasional breaks. He occasionally goes to bars and night clubs, including The Avenue where Lisa works. Lisa at first flirts with him, but he isn’t interested. She asks if he’s gay. He chuckles and says that he’s bisexual, he’s just not ready to mingle. And so he tells her about his writing. She’s intrigued and asks to see some of it. Joe is hesitant at first, trying to convince her to drop it. But Lisa is persistent. So eventually, he shares some of his writing with her. She eagerly reads it and gives him notes. And so, the two of them become friends. 

Joe helps Lisa fend off the creeps that occasionally come into The Avenue, and Lisa helps Joe stay out of as much trouble as possible. Joe occasionally gets in fights, often defending himself and others. But he has control over himself…most of the time. And he’s sure that one day, success will find him.

And it does. Eventually. After writing and rewriting, editing and re-editing, he finally lands an agent and a publisher for his first fantasy novel. He calls his parents, excited to share the news. But his father just tries to talk him into joining his business again. And his mother isn’t much better. She tries to get him to go back to Florida. But he refuses. He’s finally made a success of himself. With the money from his first book, he buys a small apartment. No more couch surfing for him. And he gets to work on the next book in the series.

His book even winds up a NY Times Bestseller. But he knows better than to tell his parents. He doesn’t talk to them anymore. But oh well. Life goes on. And he’s determined to go on with it and live it to the fullest.

STORIES.