New Tampa Father & Son Authors Both Earn Writing Awards

By Matt Wiley

Connor Wilson is a man of few words. Spoken words, anyway, as the 13-year-old Grand Hampton resident already is hard at work on his third novel, after following in the footsteps of his published father Jeff. The duo was holding a dual book signing on March 22 at Cupcake Cache on E. Busch Blvd. as we were going to press with this issue.

Connor, now 13 and a seventh grader at Bayshore Christian School in South Tampa, published his first children’s book at the ripe old age of 11, entitled A Giant Pencil.

“It’s about a boy named Billy who gets picked on a lot,” Connor explains. “One day he finds a giant pencil in the woods and decides to erase all of the people who are mean to him, which is pretty much everyone. But, he gets lonely, so he decides to draw them all back.”

The book, published by Chicago-based Magic Dreams Publishing, received praise from Readerviews.com, winning the website’s 2012 “Reviewers Choice Award for Best Book Written by An Author Age 18 & Under.” Jeff says that the book also earned Connor bragging rights as the “youngest traditionally-published author in the country.”

Jeff, who has published three supernatural thriller novels of his own, also has received an award for one his books, The Donors, which is about an evil force preying on victims recovering in a hospital. The book received the MWSA (Military Writers Society of America) Gold Medal for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror in 2013. Jeff says that Connor likes to tease him about being the first to win an award.

“He likes to point that out at dinner about every night,” Jeff says. He remembers when Connor first approached him about writing a story.

“Connor was nine when he first came to me and said that he wanted to write a story like I did,” Jeff explains. “Being a supportive father, I said, ‘Cool, I can help you along the way.’ Several months later, he came to me and said, ‘Dad, I finished the story!’ I thought it was something for school and asked when it was due, but he said, ‘No, Dad, the book!’ I was blown away.”

Jeff says that at the time, he was in between writing agents, but decided to represent Connor himself, already knowing a little about shopping a book around to publishers. He says that it took about ten months before A Giant Pencil was picked up by Magic Dreams.

“For me it’s a great feeling (seeing your son get published),” Jeff says. “I’ve been doing this for a few years now, but it’s been nowhere near as exciting as seeing my son get published.”

Connor and his father have done book signings up and down the east coast, as far north as New York, and Connor has even spoken at several TEDx (Technology, Education, Design) youth events at schools to other kids about writing and getting published, in hopes of inspiring them to follow their dreams, as well.

“My dad did (wrote books), so I felt like I wanted to also,” Connor says. “I tell other kids to just keep trying your best at what you love to do.”

Connor and Jeff’s books can be found at Barnes & Noble Booksellers (which has a location in the Shops at Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel) and online at Amazon.com.

For more info about the authors, please visit TheGiantPencil.com and JeffreyWilsonFiction.com.