Olivia Jones

Eleven-year-old Olivia “Oli” Jones lives in the backwoods of rural Alabama. Her best friend, Bartholomew “Mo” Wright, helps her make sense of her uncommon life. After all, they both share the same tragic history. Both their fathers enlisted in the Army. Both their fathers fought in Vietnam. Both their fathers never came back. This deeply wounding sadness is something they bear together as only best friends can. However, they want nothing more than a semblance of a “normal” childhood, and when the opportunity comes to have that, they chase it with reckless abandon. One day, Oli and Mo discover that his father is alive and living in a city a couple of towns over. The two friends devise a plan to find him without telling their mothers. In finding Mo’s dad, Oli believes she’ll find answers to her own father’s whereabouts. This harrowing tale is told through a series of flashbacks and backstory, narrated by the brave and determined Olivia. Over a summer, Olivia’s journey spans the state of Alabama, and in the process retraces historic steps across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. She is forced to grow up quickly, as she uncovers dark secrets she wasn’t supposed to find out and learns details about her father’s angst-filled life. The story unfolds through more inspired events, including a widely publicized court case. We eventually come to understand how powerfully lives can be transformed when people join forces for good.

Author Biography

Phillip (also known as Phil) A. Brown grew up a second-generation San Diego, California native. For more than four decades Phil has used his gifts, talents and skills to create a positive economic difference in urban underserved communities like the one in which he grew up. He focuses on creating self-empowerment and community empowerment through sports, entrepreneurship, economic development and by producing inspirational methods and tools to facilitate learning about African American history. This historical fiction, “Olivia Jones,” (Phil’s first foray into authorship), centers Selma, Alabama’s rich voting rights history. Jan Carpenter Tucker is a graphic designer, creative director, digital solutions specialist, editor, and publisher serving a wide array of clients. Her signatures are bright, bold, colorful design and carefully crafted strategic communication. Jan guides authors to self-publish beautiful and exquisitely edited, designed, and printed books through her company, Night Star Publisher. Wendell Wiggins began his education as a visual artist in his hometown, Washington, DC. He attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and pursued his postgraduate studies at the California Institute of Art. His career began in Los Angeles. As a graphic designer, illustrator, fine artist, photographer and visual effects director his career spans the film, television, advertising and entertainment arts industries, as well as commissions for murals and private paintings for a wide variety of clients from individuals to companies and businesses. His fine art has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad.