Jan Notzon
AUTHOR

Jan Notzon

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Jan Notzon, one-time melon picker, actor (Another World, Matlock, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, film and theater), court interpreter, teacher and now playwright and novelist was born and raised in the once sleepy Mexican border town of Laredo, Texas. After a stint in The Big Apple, he now makes his home in Charlotte, NC. Author of seven full-length plays, a one-act, three short-stories and a children's story, he has recently turned his attentions to the novel. All are passionate, character-driven stories that examine the unvarnished questions raised by this strange, enigmatic thing called "life" that we share. His first, The Dogs...Barking, is the coming-of-age story of Jason Kelly, a sensitive intelligent boy scarred by the devils his upbringing instilled in him. His odyssey takes him from the staid, conformist 1950s in Luz Oscura, Texas to university life in the wild-eyed, rebellious '60s and on to the raw, frenetic power of New York City. There he pursues the dream of stardom he hopes with calm the wretched "dogs" that torment his spirit. His journey finally leads him back to that sleepy border town. His second novel, And Ye Shall Be As Gods, traces the story of Jake Kazmareck and his quest to uncover the evil that plunged his beloved baby-sister into despair and his lost love into madness. After a journey filled with agonizing self-discovery, he finds the answer he seeks in a most unexpected and harrowing place. Next is The Id Paradox, a tale that asks whether the beast that lies in each of us is to be fought or accommodated. Three friends, an almost fatal adventure canoeing down the Rio Grande that unleashes in Jake Kazmareck the inner monster that plagues him for the rest of his life. Then, their frustrated attempt to sneak the family of one of them across the Mexican border to safety. It results in his apparent death and the consequent estrangement of the other two. When news reaches them that their bosom buddy is not dead but rotting in a Mexican prison, Jake is tasked with a nail-biting but ultimately successful rescue attempt. Now the challenge is to restore the broken spirit of his dear friend. Jan's fourth, Song for the Forsaken, chronicles the family history and loss of faith that threaten the deep bond of two dirt-poor sisters in Appalachia. It is their African-American volunteer caretaker and friend who fights to heal the rift. Then comes Suffer Not The Mole People, a fictionalized account of the author's Polish immigrant ancestors and their harrowing flight from their Prussian masters in the 19th century. For Alexander, the next to youngest, it is a journey of hair-raising risk but critical self-discovery. Following one Texan and two Mexican families, ONLY THE DEAD (Know the End of War) tells the tale of the bloody founding of the Mexican and Texas Republics in the early 19th century. A tale of rebellion, ideals, the fight for freedom amid wonton treachery, It traces how culture determined the development and results of each. "To Sing Like a Mockingbird" is the story of Justin Kopechne, an idealistic teacher in a reform school/prison in barren south Texas and his painful journey to acceptance of an imperfect world and an imperfect self. Two lifelong friends now on opposite sides of the illegal drug trade fight for his allegiance. Then comes "Heir of the West Wind", John Michael Macalister's fiercely fought journey back to himself from the bitter cynicism his time in Huntsville Penitentiary instilled in him. It is the love expressed in his surrogate mother Luz's diary that tugs at his soul.
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