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Jackson County’s cities and towns may still be relatively small, but don’t let that fool you. The small town atmosphere is great for two things: a quiet home for authors and a wonderful setting for their stories. After a successful career in the Navy and at Auburn University, what is a Who’s Who in America recipient to do? For Caine Campbell, writing is the thing to do. He says that he writes “for the pleasure of an act of creation” and relates his experiences authoring two books to those of a carpenter building a piece of furniture. In his life, Campbell has held many positions. He served as a U.S. Navy intelligence officer in the Far East. After his return to the states he worked as a newsman for NBC. In addition, he was the editor of a Texas newspaper, the Mountain Sun. He hosted television shows such as Jerry Brown’s Humanities and played a role in the movie Tennessee’s Partner. It’s no surprise that Marquis chose him to be a part of the Who’s Who. He has written two books to date: Two Hundred Years of Pharmacy in Mississippi and A Reminder of Stones. The latter is a novel about a Texan sheriff. He has recently completed an autobiography: Mickey, Do You Hear Them Singing?. The book follows Campbell from birth in New Orleans on through his coming-of-age years during World War II. It tells of his service in the Cold War and a quarter-century-long career at Auburn University. At press time, he was seeking a publisher for this book. Campbell and his wife Bettye moved to Jackson County from Texas in 1999 to be with their two daughters. He says he left his place of inspiration but brought to Georgia a nearly finished manuscript (A Reminder of Stones). Since the birth of Living Jackson Caine has become the editor of this magazine. A Reminder of Stones is available on-line at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com and locally at the Crawford W. Long Pharmacy and Commerce Drug for $14.95. Malcolm Campbell remembers hearing his father’s old typewriter and the sounds it produced (sometimes for hours on end). He truly comes from a family interested in words; his father was the dean at a journalism school near Tallahassee and his wife, Lesa, formerly worked as the editor of the Rome News Tribune. Although his professional career led him to technical writing, he always gravitated towards the art of story telling, a characteristic that comes out in his first book, The Sun Singer (reviewed in September/October 2006 Living Jackson). Additionally, he has written grants and taught journalism at Berry College. He is currently working on his next book, which he explains is a “darker look” at the classic hero. The book, although somewhat similar to The Sun Singer, takes a more current approach to setting. His wife Lesa wonders if he’ll ever finish. Since moving to Jefferson, after an 18-year stint in Norcross, he and his wife have joyfully engaged in many community efforts. He is on the Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission and both he and Lesa are involved in Jefferson’s Better Hometown initiative. He says that the slow pace of country living in Jackson County lends itself to his style of writing—unhurried and methodical. He enjoys the space provided by the county’s still-rural environment and works to preserve the olden feel. The Sun Singer is available at Downtown Interiors in Jefferson for several dollars cheaper than the retail price of $19.95. In addition, you may find his book online at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. To many, Richard “Dickey” Hoard is a mentor. To others, he is the son of Floyd Hoard. And to yet another group of people, those who do not know him personally, he is an author. Hoard’s days as a mentor extend into the past as he has been a coach at both Commerce and Jefferson high schools and a teacher at Jefferson and Jackson County high schools. In the present, he mentors the members of Oconee River Methodist Church in Bishop where he serves as pastor. Floyd Hoard was a Jackson County prosecutor in the 1960s. In 1967, he was viciously murdered in his own driveway. As the son of Floyd, Richard remembers every detail of the event and everything that went on in his mind afterwards. He chronicles the details surrounding the death of his father and how it affected him in his first novel, Alone Among the Living. His second book, The Race Before Us, which was featured in the July/August issue of Living Jackson, describes the summer travels of a 15-year-old track star from Athens High School who faces morally challenging situations and must make tough decisions. Hoard now lives in Watkinsville with his wife Candise. He is working on his next book, which he explains is in the “semifinal draft stage,” about a young seminary student up against life’s grueling obstacles. Alone Among the Living and The Race Before Us ($24.95) are available online at www.amazon.com. The latter is also obtainable from Downtown Interiors on the square in Jefferson. Our Time and Place, a more recently published historical text on Jackson County, tells the story of Jackson County from birth to a contemporary setting. The early history, history of the county’s municipalities, historic crimes and the growth stages of Jackson County are all included within. Although the entire Jackson Herald staff took part in the creation of Our Time and Place, Angela Gary, associate editor, and Jana Adams, features editor, were most important to the compilation of facts and stories contained in the book. Our Time and Place is no longer in print and not available for purchase at this time. However, most libraries in Jackson County have a copy available. Being born in the Commerce hospital automatically makes you a Jacksonian, but Pamela Dodd’s doings after her birth have made her an integral part of the community. Not only has she shared some great stories with readers from all over, she taught many Jacksonians how to read and write. Her extensive experience in the classroom began with schooling of her own at Piedmont College in Demorest. After completing her studies, she taught at the Tallulah Falls School for several years. Later in life, she would return “home” and teach at Jackson County Elementary for two years and at Jefferson High School for 17 ½ years. Dodd says that her writing is her form of stress relief and that she began composing stories in the seventh grade. Although she admits they may not have been of publishable quality, they certainly have made her a better writer. Her books, The Gift Horse and Trinity on Tylos, reflect the ever-increasing pace of life in today’s world. They are about how people get “all caught up” in materialistic objects or a sense of duty. She currently lives in Jefferson with her husband and children. No word on what we have to look forward to, but you may enjoy reading her frequently updated journal on her website, www.pamelajdodd.com. The Gift Horse and Trinity on Tylos may be purchased at Downtown Interiors or Tut’s Book Emporium in Stone Mountain for $15.95 and $13.95, respectively. After being diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, Frank Gilbert’s need to “do something” struck in him the desire to write a book. His love of American heritage was the inspiration for Chasing the Wind. Chasing the Wind is a quickly paced novel from the point of view of Henry Shockley, one of three Georgia brothers fighting in the Confederate Army. Shockley finds himself in intense situations where his “deep, rooted principles” drive him to make some unexpected decisions. Gilbert says he has given away about 1,500 copies of his book to family, friends and acquaintances. Professionally, Gilbert worked at Carhart as a sales representative and eventually as the southern regional manager. While at Carhart, he was called on to make motivational speeches around the country. Although the author was raised in Jackson County, he moved away for several years. Since moving back some 20 years ago, Frank has lived in Jefferson with his wife Joyce. He has two children and four grandchildren. In the future, Frank hopes to publish two more books: one happening before Chasing the Wind and one after. Chasing the Wind can be purchased online at www.xlibris.com. Dr. Tom Lewis’s book, Finding God: Praying the Psalms in Times of Depression was the driving force behind a compilation of ministry resources on depression. Since writing the book, much of Dr. Lewis’s time has been spent coaching depressed individuals or family members. He and his wife, Sebring, recently made a move to Decatur after Tom’s acquisition of a new job at Columbia Theological Seminary. There, he will serve as Spirituality Director. Before the move, he was the pastor of Commerce Presbyterian Church in Commerce. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Jackson County Community Outreach’s Presidential Award. The following year he was honored as Citizen of the Year, an award given by the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce. His book is available online at www.helpfordepression.org for $7.95. Flannery O’Connor Award winner Mary Hood lives and breathes southern air in both her life and her writing. Although her books, How Far She Went, And Venus is Blue and Familiar Heat, have brought her national acclaim, she’s still just as down-to-earth as she was before becoming a published author. Her history in Jackson County stretches well before her birth when her family actually moved away from here to settle in Cherokee and Forsyth Counties. She moved to Jackson in 2001 to live on a cattle farm, but admits that she has not yet written about a cow. In 2004, she bought a home in Commerce where she has since settled in. She is employed at Baker & Taylor in Commerce as a custom library services cataloger—a job she enjoys because she is “surrounded by millions of books.” When asked what she writes about, she said, “Someone has said I write about love, ‘when the road turns to dirt.’ But a lot of my roads are paved, and four-lane, too!” This same hilarity is provided to her readers in her collections of short stories and her novel. What inspires Hood to write? “I see how good a fit writing is to my inclinations and interests. I seem to be wired to see stories, or to solve mysteries,” she said. She often wonders things like, “Why is that yo-yo hanging from the power line on that country road?” It is this wondering characteristic that has driven her to write. She is working on several projects in the present. She says another collection of short stories “will be along in the next year” and she is also nearing completion on her novel about the flood of 1994 in South Georgia titled The Other Side of the River. In a more futuristic sense, readers can look forward to a quintet of books about a fictional county in northeast Georgia. Life, love and land values will encompass the series’ progression. Her books are available at book stores in Athens and online at www.amazon.com. Authors with ties to Jackson County date so far back that even the oldest current residents weren’t yet a gleam in their parents’ eyes. Gustavus James Nash Wilson, born in 1827 near modern-day Commerce, wrote The Early History of Jackson County Georgia. Olive Ann Burns used a collection of stories gathered from her father, mostly about his father’s store in Commerce, for her first novel, Cold Sassy Tree. Before her death in 1990, Burns completed the sequel: Leaving Cold Sassy Tree. Major Damon “Rocky” Gause wrote The War Journal of Major Damon “Rocky” Gause, a true firsthand account of a great escape from World War II that chronicles his 159-day escape from the Bataan Death March and his voyage across the Pacific. Major Gause’s son, Damon Gause Jr., released his father’s journal after storing it for more than 50 years. James Horace Wood, a “country lawyer” in Jackson County, began his career with the Charlie Drake murder, his very first case. John Ross writes the story of the Drake murder as told to him by Wood in Nothing But the Truth. Frary Elrod’s book, Historical Notes on Jackson County, Georgia, has served, for many years, as the benchmark of historical writing in Jackson County. Many thanks to Buddy and Dot Hunt of Jefferson, who provided their gorgeous 1961 Studebaker pick-up for the photo shoot. Many thanks also to Brian for the use of his pasture!
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Jackson County has a Truckload of Authors