WORKS IN PROGRESS
Books currently in draft by author John W. Jarrett
CONSECRATO
A historical, coming-of-age story set in poverty-stricken Harpers Ferry during and after the Great Depression. We follow Thomas Jenks as he struggles to care for his mother following his father's death. Surrounded by tragedy and at the height of despondency, he makes a surprising discovery which transforms his life.
THE DARK PRAIRIE 2
This novel picks up where Part 1 leaves off. The comfortable life James Tuck has found is quickly upended by a series of dramatic and escalating tribulations stemming from his resolute commitment to renounce his past weaknesses. The stakes are higher than ever as he faces the appalling consequences of good intentions gone awry.
ANGELUS
A dystopian science-fiction story set in the year 2200 about George, a capricious and independent-minded father who wants to keep his ‘defective’ daughter from being killed by the government. When he discovers his best friend holds the key, he goes on a journey to obtain it and realizes he must choose between the lives of his daughter, or billions of people on Earth.
THE ONLY TRUE WISDOM
The contemporary and surreal story of Socrates, a husband, father and talented oil painter doing his best to manage his crumbling life in the aftermath of a tragedy that took the lives of his first wife and daughter. Set in Los Angeles, he wakes one morning into an entirely different though intimately familiar life and is left with no choice but to believe it was all a dream, until—to his horror—he faces tragedy yet again. Now convinced he's gone insane, he has nothing to lose. He faces a persistent fear, and in the process makes a stunning discovery that explains everything.
MABYN
Following the death of Hywel, his wife Eira and two adult children—Mabyn and Gareth—struggle to survive in thirteenth-century Wales until Gareth moves in with his wealthy fiancé, Seren. Soon after, she invites Eira to join them, leaving Mabyn on her own. Left with no choice, Mabyn befriends a thief named Carwyn and together, they build a lucrative existence. When Mabyn learns about Seren’s secret motivation to welcome Eira, however, she must choose between her comfortable life and the family who abandoned her.
LLANADA VILLA
What is real? Is reality logical, or is logic something we impose? Is there a difference between dream and reality? In this absurd and disorienting adaptation of Angelus (above),
characters ponder these questions while navigating their lives through the heavy sacrifices a global artificial intelligence requires. Named after the famous Llanada Villa home of Sarah Lockwood Winchester, this adaptation builds twisting and maze-like scenes that seemingly go nowhere. This labyrinth, however, may be the purpose of its existence: a statement by its structure, not only its content, prompting readers to draw their own conclusions.