Jay Coles’ new book “Tyler Johnson Was Here” debuted March 20, and since then, he has toured the country promoting his work and meeting fans.
READ MORE: Ball State student becomes published author
The book is about a black teenager who searches for his twin brother only to find he has been killed by a police officer.
Coles spent April 9-13 at a book conference in Dallas — where he met some of his favorite authors — including Ellie Hopkins and Holly Black.
Coles said he plans to visit Santa Monica, California, in May, New Orleans in June and Comic Con in San Diego in July. He is still trying to book a visit at the Barnes & Noble in Plainfield, Indiana.
The book received more publicity than Coles expected prior to publishing because it was featured on more media outlets than anticipated.
Coles said he has seen it in Kirkus Reviews, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Cosmo, Entertainment Weekly and Buzzfeed.
Kirkus Reviews said on its website, “Coles, just 21, pens an immersive and uncompromising look at systemic police violence in the U.S.”
“It’s just been really awesome and also kind of surreal,” Coles said. “I’ve heard a lot of really good things from readers and reviewers.”
Lauren Abramo, Coles’s agent, said she is thrilled about Coles’ success.
“I especially loved going to my local bookstore on publication day and seeing the book prominently displayed, front and center, on the ‘Must Reads’ table with the biggest names in [Young Adult Literature],” Abramo said in an email. “After years of working on something, it’s always great to see it in stores.”
Despite his doubts, Coles said the book has received a lot of positive reactions on Twitter.
“It’s been really surreal hearing people talk on Twitter, saying, ‘Oh, I just love your book so much,’ ‘I can’t wait to meet you,’ ‘I can’t wait to get your autograph,’” Coles said.
Coles’ friend Anna Park also had a positive reaction to his book.
“I would definitely say that ‘Tyler Johnson Was Here’ is a must read for people who want to see more perspectives on police brutality in America,” said the sophomore hospitality and food management major in an email. “I feel as though I learned a lot by reading the book because of the conversations [about the book’s themes] that came after.”
Coles said he hopes readers are inspired by his book, and this was his ultimate goal.
“My biggest goal for writing this book is just to let kids relate and see themselves in the book that they write and be able to say, ‘Hey, I can do this too,’” Coles said. “And seeing how a lot of kids are telling me that they not only see themselves in my book, but have the motivation now to reach their dreams — it’s so cool to me.”
Contact Hannah Gunnell with comments hrgunnell@bsu.edu.
Read More
Ball State hires Butler's Mike Uremovich as Cardinals next head football coach
By Staff Reports / 8 hours agoBall State has hired former Butler football head coach Mike Uremovich to become the program's 19th head coach.
In our restless dreams…we go back, to that town, 'Silent Hill 2'
By Aaron Picklesimer / YesterdayBloober Team’s remake of iconic Silent Hill 2 is near a masterpiece. It might not achieve the same status as the original, but the game builds upon the foundations of what Team Silent originally designed over two decades ago, giving players, new and old, a fresh lens through which to experience the sorrowfully psychological story of James Sunderland. Any fan of the franchise should look to this game as the potential that the franchise isn’t dead—that hope may yet still reside within the town of Silent Hill.
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana Supreme Court weighs death row inmate’s final plea
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / YesterdayAbout two weeks away from scheduled execution, Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran’s last-ditch attempts to quash his capital punishment sentence are still up in the air.
