UNPACKING ‘A PERFECT TRAGEDY’: An interview with author Jason Lennox

book. Have any doors opened for you?

Life has been amazing. I hosted a launch party with my family and had several interviews with different media channels in the early weeks of the launch. I’ve also landed on a handful of podcasts since then and have been connected with several promising connections. Most of all, it has given me some great discussion with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. My formal marketing plan has been launched and I’ll be sharing on many podcasts and with other organizations in the upcoming months.

Your book launch seemed like a very memorable evening for you. Can you talk more about that event?

My book launch was a week after it went live. The date was December 16th, a meaningful date for several reasons. It was the date I was transferred from jail to treatment in 2010, and I felt all those feelings come back on the day of the launch. More meaningful than that, though, that date is also my Grammie’s birthday. My memoir was dedicated to her, and the title, book, and much of my recovery were inspired by the relationship I had and didn’t have with her. I can’t spoil it any more than that, so you’ll have to read it to learn the rest of the story.

The launch party was in Waseca, with 40 family members and very close friends showing up. I had some of the most important people in my life there. My dad’s sisters and brother from the east coast, who’ve never visited me here, came out and spent a long weekend here, and I had three other cousins fly in and surprise me real time. I signed a LOT of books, a handful of my closest people shared some amazing memories, and we finished by singing happy birthday to my Grammie and listening to her favorite song. It was quite possibly the most incredible night I’ve ever experienced.

How did you decompress and how did it feel once the final edit went to publish?

I don’t think I truly decompressed until a week or so after the book launch. Once the final edit was completed, I had a hard time sleeping. It was a Thursday night as things were finalizing on Amazon, and on Friday morning everything was live, and I announced it across all my platforms. I remember standing up during a welcome meeting at work, for new employees, and my legs and body were shaking from that launch announcement. I don’t often get like that, but whatever was happening had me trembling from head to toe, in a good way. It was years of putting together something that a fraction of a single percentage of people do and was so surreal to experience.

What is the most common feedback you have received about your book?

Several single words come to mind – honest, raw, inspiring and vulnerable. So many people reached out telling me they didn’t know it was so bad, even my closest family. It really goes to show that we never really know what’s going on inside someone’s inner self. I also received a lot of messages from family and friends that said they couldn’t put it down, read it from start to end without stopping, and other comments of that sort.

You were very vulnerable in sharing some very deep, personal experiences and private thoughts in the book. Was there ever a moment in your writing where you paused or felt that you needed to “hold back?” Did you hold back?

I’ve been sharing my story for years and have mostly been comfortable sharing some deep things from my life. However, this was definitely a little different, and I included things I probably never shared in other settings. I didn’t really hesitate sharing as I wrote the manuscript, but as I reviewed some of it toward the end of the project, some feelings of shame and embarrassment crept in. I felt like backing out of the project as late as a few weeks before launch. At that point, I left the review alone and never actually read through it in its final form. I knew I’d pick it apart and hesitate.

There are certain things not included, but nearly all of those were held back out of respect

CONTINUED page 10 for others, not because I wasn’t willing to share from my perspective.

Who are some of your favorite authors? Are there any books that have stood out or made an impact in your life?

Rhonda Byrne, Don Miguel Ruiz, and Eckhart Tolle are some of my favorite authors. They’ve all written books that will forever stand out and will continue to serve me as I re-read them: The Secret, The Four Agreements, The Power of Now. These are all books that I continue to learn from, even after reading them multiple times per year.

Who has guided you the most when it comes the writing process?

My cousin Sarah is an author, and she was really the driving force behind my start on the book and continued to guide me through the process. My editor and designer were also very instrumental in keeping me on track and keeping my perspective in a state of reality.

What did you learn about yourself while taking on the challenge of writing a memoir?

I learned that I always have a little more in me than I think. There were many times along the way I thought I was at my limit, and those times often coincided with what I thought was the end of the hardest stage of the memoir. I learned there were several more “hardest” stages to come and that I always find a way to get through them.

Explain your writing process; do you tend to take breaks, write when the mood takes you?

I usually dedicate set times to writing. My life is built on structure and building in time is a requirement to make any meaningful progress. Especially during the last round of writing, in which I wrote a new version in less than a couple months, I dedicated time every morning and sometimes every night.

You are a captivating storyteller. Do you plan to write more? If so, will you stick with non-fiction, or do you have any interest in branching out to creative/fiction writing?

If you’d have asked me three months ago, I’d have answered with a hard no. Now that I’ve come back down and had a chance to breathe from the intensity that came with the last six months of the project, I’ve already thought about a follow-up book that focuses more on the principles and practices I’ve learned that not only contributed to my personal recovery, but also everything I’ve learned as a consultant in the healthcare business. I’ve also thought about some fiction writing – I did some of that as a very young boy and found some magic in that. The former is more likely, at least in the foreseeable future.

What do you hope that people take away from A Perfect Tragedy?

Three things: i. A reason to believe a new life is possible, no matter how deep someone falls into addiction or struggles with mental health and self-worth. ii. A newfound understanding of what it’s like for people suffering from addiction, and consequently, a less stigmatizing and more compassionate perspective in those who watch others struggle. iii. A spark to do something meaningful in life.

What is a good way for people to find your book?

Amazon is a great way, though my website links to Amazon and has all kinds of other information about the book, my speaking, and more. www.jasonlennox.com

Any final comments you would like or readers to know?

Addiction is one of the most misunderstood conditions on the planet, both by those afflicted and by those witnessing it from near and far. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, A Perfect Tragedy will shed new light on what the world believes about addiction and all the struggles that contribute to and come with it.

I’m forever grateful for all the support I’ve received and will receive, and more grateful and honored to have the opportunity to share some support in return.

What is the best way for people to reach out to you with any questions?

Social media – LinkedIn or Facebook; my website – jasonlennox.com; or email – jason@ jasonlennox.com. 

Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MNSU alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a radio show for KOWZ 100.9, and she is now the music and promotions director at KOWZ & KRUE Radio in Owatonna. She resides in Mankato with her movie buff husband and YouTube obsessed children. Catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.

By JANE TURPIN MOORE Guest Contributor

She may be retired from fulltime employment, but multitalented musician/composer Barbara Piper of Northfield, formerly of Faribault, is more musically active than ever.

Piper, who relocated to the Northfield area in 2017 after living in Faribault for a quartercentury, is currently involved with at least four area ensembles and is producing her own compositions to boot.

Finding Piper in action will be easy in the coming months. Read on to learn more of Piper’s back-story.

Tell me what you did in Faribault.

I was a music teacher for 22 years and then taught remedial reading at Faribault Middle School for three years. Altogether, I had a 34year teaching career.

How did you prepare for that?

My undergraduate degree is in music education, and I have a master’s in education and a second master’s degree in literacy. I studied at St. Cloud State, St. Mary’s, Mankato State and the University of Minnesota. I’m just an overeducated fool!

Has music always been in your life?

I have memories from around age 3 of my dad singing to me and playing his guitar—I loved that so much—and my mom played piano, French horn and accordion. Most of my family members, including my parents, still make music.

You were a music teacher for a long time; what are your primary instruments?

Guitar and voice, first of all, but I also play piano and really love classical composers; Chopin and Grieg are among my favorites. French horn was my main instrument, and I played that in the Faribault community band for 15 years. And as a band teacher, I have a working knowledge of all band instruments because that was my