A CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN FRIESEN:
Q: Your biography mentions that, like Sam/Jack from the book JERK, CALIFORNIA, you also have Tourette Syndrome. How much of Sam's/Jack's story is your own? What is your personal history with the disease? At what age did symptoms first appear? How did that affect you growing up?
A: Sam's story is completely fictitious, but his internal struggle with Tourette Syndrome mirrors my own quite closely. He is much more honest with himself than I was—I had a hard time accepting the fact that I couldn't stop my movements. Somewhere, I had picked up the idea that I should be able to stop them. My symptoms first appeared when I was five. Eye blinks and shoulder jumps. Early on, those movements didn't affect me much. My peers didn't make a big deal of them. But in junior high, those tics (and my dishonesty about them) began affecting relationships. By high school, school was a lonely place. But again, my attitude about TS, and not the syndrome itself, deserves a fair amount of credit for that.
Q: Are there any common misconceptions about Tourette Syndrome that you wish people better understood?
A: Yes. So many people's concept of Tourette Syndrome includes people blurting curse words. Stressing that dramatic aspect makes good TV ratings and humorous movie clips. For a fraction of those with TS, this does occur. But the majority do not swear involuntarily. The other thing I'd like to mention is that I've never met a person with TS who is not profoundly creative or gifted in some way. We're good people to have around!
Q: Sam's/Jack's relationship with George is touching and sincere. George came along just when Sam most needed someone to believe in him. Were there any influential people in your own life who helped guide you?
A: My grandma had the rare ability to build me up and kick me in the rear at the very same time. If you've never had this type of person in your life, it's quite an experience. One minute she would tell me what she saw in me, how proud she was of me. Then, bam! She'd let me have it, and point out all the areas in which I had more growing to do. But I listened to her, because I knew she loved me and I was certain she believed in me. She was a powerful guide in my life.
Q: The romance between Naomi and Sam/Jack is sometimes sweet, sometimes frustrating, but always very true-to-life. Was their romance based on any in your own life?
A: Oh sure. Dating my wife was the most irritatingly wonderful experience of my life. I never knew what was going on.She said things, did things when we were together, that I knew I should understand. It's like we dated in code and I didn't have the code book. So I got slugged in the shoulder quite often, which didn't turn out to be a bad thing.
Q: Jack's/Sam's story is often heartbreaking, especially when it comes to his difficulties fitting in at school and his lack of meaningful friendships. Sadly, ostracism and even bullying is not uncommon among high school students. Do you have any advice for teens struggling with these challenges?
A: High school ends. A speaker told us on day one of ninth grade, "These are the best days of your life." I heard that again during my freshman year at college. I remember thinking, he better be lying, because this is more nightmare than dream. I look around at my close friends now, years later. I'm not in contact with anyone from high school and only one guy from college, but my life is filled with great friendships—the kind everyone looks like they have in high school but few actually do. School ends, the wind blows people every which way. When that wind dies down, there will be someone there for you.
Q: The power of names to define a person is an important issue in the book. What has been the importance of names in your own life?
A: I think a name can shape a life. It can also be a marker in the road. I was born Jonathan, but nobody called me that. I was Jon, or John-Boy, or Jonno, or whatever. I think nicknames are great. They make a person feel special. But after a disastrous college relationship, I wanted to put everything behind me. It's as if I wanted to take a shower and wash off everything about myself and who I'd been, including the name I'd been called: Jon. I reclaimed Jonathan. It's my true name, my true self, and reclaiming it made me feel new again.
Q: Acceptance, both of yourself and of others, is a major theme in Jerk, California. Tell us why this was an important message for you to convey in writing this novel.
A: If you're a hider, like I was, you build up walls so other people's words and stares can't hurt you. But you also peek over the top of that wall, and judge everyone else. If you feel rotten about yourself, it feels better if you can rip somebody. Then you don't need to look at your own problems. I didn't set out to write a novel about acceptance, but when I revisited the emotions of high school, it was impossible for that not to become a major theme.
Q: There is also a song titled Jerk, California (by the band Halloween, Alaska). Which came first—the song or the novel?
A: The novel came first. The band members read an early copy of the book and came up with the song. I heard it and my jaw dropped because they nailed it—the mood, the feeling. I was shocked. Halloween, Alaska did a great job.
Q: What is your favorite book? Who is your favorite musician/band?
A: My favorite book is Peace Like a River by L. Enger. I read it five pages at a time. That's all I could handle. It was so. . .perfect. As far as music—if money was no object, I'd love to hear Sting play an acoustic set on a small stage. There is something haunting about his music that appeals to me.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
A: No. I always wrote, but I didn't think I'd be a writer. I entered college as a guitar performance major. I played classical guitar, and in bands around the Twin Cities. Writing muscled in and took over, though I still love my guitars.
Q: Where do you find inspiration for your characters and stories?
A: Every story of mine contains an element lifted from real life. I need to understand an aspect of a character, or a piece of the plot. Once I find that interesting detail, my imagination takes over. I stick that familiar piece into a situation or character I know nothing about and start asking, "what if."
Q: What's your writing process like? Where do you write? Do you have any writing rituals?
A: I write in my cave (my office). It overlooks about fifty beautiful acres of Minnesota woods and farmland. I'm a natural night owl, so I'll often write until 3:00 AM, but I'm trying to change that. I don't know if it will work, but I'm trying a grand experiment and now write in the morning. That frees up the evenings for the family. My only writing ritual is my pre-writing prayer. I ask God to help me write something that will make Him smile, then off I go.
Q: Who do you share your writing with first?
My wife. Always my wife. Every writer needs a brutally honest spouse, and that's what I have! I stare at her face while she reads. It's to the point now where she doesn't need to say anything when she's done. I usually end up stomping back to my cave for another rewrite.
Q: What's next for you? Any more books in the works?
A: The books will keep coming! I'm excited about my next novel. Rush tells the story of Jake King, a young adrenaline junkie who joins a team of crazed firefighters. They rappel out of helicopters to take on California's most dangerous wildfires. But joining The Rush Club, this team's secret society, proves more deadly than any fire, both for Jake and the girl he loves. I'm thrilled with how this story is coming together!
