2008 Woodie Awards
Student spotlight (Jairus Hallums full Interview)
Nicole Smith
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News
|
Jairus Hallums
----------
At nineteen, most students are focused on one thing-college and everything that goes with it: looking for the best deals on textbooks, scrambling for agreeable class times, writing papers.
Very few could claim they're publishing their first book.
But Jairus Hallums can.
Hallums, a freshman journalism and political science major, recently wrote and published his first book Forbidden to Fail and is working hard to promote it across the nation.
Here, The Johnsonian talks to Hallums about growing up as a military kid, future career plans and-of course-Forbidden to Fail ($13.99, Xulon Press).
The Johnsonian: Firstly, not many 19-year-olds can say they've written and published a book! How does such a great accomplishment make you feel?
Hallums: It makes me feel absolutely wonderful to see what I have been working on for so long actually come into fruition. Many people say that they want to write a book, but it is an entirely different thing when you can say you wrote and published a book. God is good! That is all I can say.
TJ: How have your family and friends reacted to it? Are they supportive?
H: My family, like always, is my major support system. Everyone has just been wonderful. It's funny how every conversation that someone has in my family, my book is mentioned somewhere. It's great. My friends were definitely surprised by it. Actually I can say that for my family as well. I did not let anyone in my family, or any of my friends, read my manuscript. My parents still had an upper hand though--at least they knew I was writing a book (something my friends could not say because I wanted it to be a huge shock--a major surprise factor). Many of my family and friends have read and given great feedback pertaining to FORBIDDEN TO FAIL.
TJ: Where did the idea of "Forbidden to Fail" arise from? Was there a moment that made you go "Wow, I need to write this"?
H: I was never one of those "journal keepers" or "diary writers" before this book came to be. The only way that I can explain it is it had to have been God to give me the idea. The phrase "Forbidden to Fail" actually came from my pastor back in El Paso, Texas. I remember (mind you this is years ago) when this phrase came out of his mouth, and it just stuck with me. After time, it started resonating in me, and I formed my own understanding of what it meant, according to what God had already spoken to me.
Be the first to comment on this story