Sikeston native sees success with first novel

Jarod Powell is a writer who is enjoying success at a young age.

Powell's recently released "Boys in Gilded Cages" -- his latest work and his first novel -- is meeting with strong acceptance.

"Writing is my first love," said Powell, who grew up in Sikeston, Missouri, and now lives in St. Louis.

Speaking of what he has accomplished by 30, Powell said, "I feel old, but I guess I'm youngish."

He has been able to do so much so soon because he "hit the ground running after high school." Many writers discover in their childhood that they have a gift, and though he recognized he had "a way with words," Powell said it was not until around 10th grade he realized he had a true knack for the art.

The cover of "Boys in Gilded Cages." (Submitted photo)

The description of "Boys in Gilded Cages" reads: "In gloomy southern Missouri, meth-addicted preacher's son Eric Redmond -- idealistic, eccentric, and wise beyond his years -- warns us of an impending apocalypse of our own doing. With a wide cast of characters that exist in the periphery of unreliable source Eric ... we see both dysfunction and beauty in this hypnotic and fragmented novel of adolescent self-destruction, bad medicine, and death."

Most of the characters in the novel are young men, which also is the target audience for the book.

Chapters could stand alone as stories of their own, though they are part of a larger story. Powell called the book an "experimental narrative that I've worked out for myself."

Unlike most writers, Powell is not an avid reader.

"I didn't have the attention span for reading when I was younger," he said. In fact, when he had to read literature and write about it in school, he confessed, "I would just read the synopsis on back and then write -- and I would get As."

As much as he loves to write, and even with the measure of success he is experiencing, Powell said, "Nothing gives me anxiety issues like writing." It's the deadlines that get to him.

He also admitted he is "still not very well-read" but is "mostly self-taught."

The writer had no idea of the effect of his high-school writing until a couple years after graduating from Sikeston High School. He related a story of talking with a friend, who asked him to share one of his short stories. As he began to share, the friend stopped him because he had heard the story before: A high-school teacher had been reading it to her classes as an example of a strong writing, without using Powell's name. Although Powell recalled the teacher praising that story when he wrote it, this was the first he had heard that she was holding it up as an example of writing talent.

However unconventional Powell's journey, it seems to be working for him. "Boys in Gilded Cages" came out as an e-book in November, was downloaded thousands of times in just two months, and was No. 1 on Amazon.com for a week. It also was in the top 10 at Barnesandnoble.com. The hardcover version now is available.

The novel has received four stars on Goodreads.com and Amazon.com, and one store has had to restock already.

With some hesitation, Powell chose to allow the free e-book downloads first, which proved to be a wise move. Because his name was already recognizable from the release of two previous books, people jumped at the opportunity to download his first novel, he said.

Powell's first book -- a collection of short stories with some of the same characters in "Boys in Gilded Cages" -- was released in 2009. Powell also published a collection of poetry in 2013.

The other works, he said, were published traditionally and have not achieved the popularity of "Boys in Gilded Cages." They have sold a few thousand each, which is "fairly successful for small press," but the novel surpassed them even before it was released in stores.

"It is a lot more successful," he said. "Half your currency is based on not how many copies you sold, but how well known you are because of what you've written."

With name recognition, accessibility through free download and social media campaigns, Powell was able to reach many people. Book clubs also featured the novel.

"I decided releasing it for free would get my name out there first, and it did," he said. He described himself as "old school," but he added, "Now, I am a believer in the e-reader."

With the Feb. 25 print release of the book, Powell now is going the old-school route. The book is available in St. Louis and a couple other cities and will be available everywhere soon.

Powell was pleased to offer advice to aspiring writers.

"It's more realistic than you might think. So, don't give up," he said. "You should at least try. You should at least dedicate yourself, if that's what you want, because, it's more in your reach than it's ever been before. ...

"It's not like it was years ago. The middle of nowhere is not the middle of nowhere anymore. The industry is within reach like never before."