Jay's Story

       In September 2006, Jay began his quest to bring his literary dreams to fruition with the formation of Tyvon Books. Having always possessed a creative spirit, it wasn’t until an unforeseen crisis forced Jay to uproot his family to rural Georgia. While the move may have been catastrophic in some sense, it would eventually turn out to be therapeutic. The wide-open space and slower-paced environment freed Jay from the constant hustle of city life. With this newfound freedom, Jay was now able to take time to reflect on various aspects of his life. For years, having admittedly been held in psychological bondage by circumstance, Jay felt his situation was hopeless as he often struggled to support a wife and three children. As what would later be understood as a move of God, Jay’s relocation from Atlanta further south would prove to be a blessing. Once equipped with stable employment and a new home, he could now focus on utilizing his gifts, such as writing. “I didn’t know it then, but God was doing what I wouldn’t do. He took me from what I thought was my comfort zone—disposing of all my hindrances, and He placed me somewhere that I never expected to be, but in an environment that would allow for me to grow and eventually prosper. I realize now that sometimes He has to do that in order to grab our attention and ultimately set us on the right path.”
      As a child, Jay completed some thirty books in which he also illustrated, proving his early passion for writing. In his teens, his artistic talents shifted as he took a strong interest in the emerging 80’s hiphop culture as a break dancer and graffiti artist. At the end of his high school career, having already taken Mechanical Drawing courses, Jay enrolled into the Florida A&M University School of Architecture. But after an unsuccessful stint in college, he would soon find himself in the precarious position of raising an infant son. With the help of family and friends, Jay, at the age of 23, embraced single-parent fatherhood. “I remember, not too long ago, sitting in the theater watching The Pursuit of Happyness almost in tears from seeing Will Smith’s character go through many of the same things. I did have a job, but it was paying less than $7.00 an hour with no overtime. I was renting a two-bedroom townhome just outside of Atlanta and making payments on a car that was more than ten years old. At the time, my baby was about two and a half… Had no dependable childcare because it wasn’t affordable! I remember tossin’ a few dollars to friends and friends of friends just to get by on a day-to-day basis. Even that was a trip—having to always try and find somebody at the last minute… Something had to give, so we ended up ditching the townhome and became tenants on my brother’s loveseat and sofa. At least then I knew I could afford descent daycare.”
       It wasn’t until three years later before that situation would ever stabilize. For in 1998, while working in Chicago, Jay married his girlfriend after a brief courtship adding a stepdaughter and newborn son. Once returning to Atlanta, Jay’s life would again be put to the test as a layoff, followed by eight months of unemployment threatened the security of his new family. “For me that was the breaking point… Here it is, as a man we’re taught that we’re supposed to be the breadwinner—and your family depends on you to be that. Yet you keep coming up short. That wears on you. …We had no gas, no phone, and had to practically beg for food. Unemployment was just enough to pay rent. Life wasn’t supposed to be like this! I was angry, not just with myself—but with life in general, and all that just compounded, becoming a pattern of failure—a trail of disappointment. It changes the way you view yourself—it changes the way you view those around you. My self-esteem was destroyed as I began to base my significance and success on other people’s perceptions. I found myself seeking affirmation from the wrong sources and placing unfair expectations on myself. I took the negative energy of my own pity and fed upon it and it became my excuse to be abusively belligerent to those closest to me. No lie, I was hard to live with… That right there nearly cost me my family. But I think the thing that hurt the most was the fact that I wasn’t raised like that… Growing up, I never saw any of the chaos that was now afflicting my home. In fact, I was reared in a structured, nurturing environment by two loving parents. But I guess that what it was… I knew my life should have been better than the way it was turning out. I honestly felt that I had let a lot of people down.”
      But even through the adversities, another pattern was emerging. While weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning. With each trial came a victory in the form of blessings. And out of those storms came revelations—testimonies that Jay now brings to life having regained his passion for writing.



Reader's Comments		In September 2006, Jay began his quest to bring his literary dreams to fruition with the formation of Tyvon Books. Having always possessed a creative spirit, it wasn’t until an unforeseen crisis forced Jay to uproot his family to rural Georgia. While the move may have been catastrophic in some sense, it would eventually turn out to be therapeutic. The wide-open space and slower-paced environment freed Jay from the constant hustle of city life. With this newfound freedom, Jay was now able to take time to reflect on various aspects of his life. For years, having admittedly been held in psychological bondage by circumstance, Jay felt his situation was hopeless as he often struggled to support a wife and three children. As what would later be understood as a move of God, Jay’s relocation from Atlanta further south would prove to be a blessing. Once equipped with stable employment and a new home, he could now focus on utilizing his gifts, such as writing. “I didn’t know it then, but God was doing what I wouldn’t do. He took me from what I thought was my comfort zone—disposing of all my hindrances, and He placed me somewhere that I never expected to be, but in an environment that would allow for me to grow and eventually prosper. I realize now that sometimes He has to do that in order to grab our attention and ultimately set us on the right path.” As a child, Jay completed some thirty books in which he also illustrated, proving his early passion for writing. In his teens, his artistic talents shifted as he took a strong interest in the emerging 80’s hiphop culture as a break dancer and graffiti artist. At the end of his high school career, having already taken Mechanical Drawing courses, Jay enrolled into the Florida A&M University School of Architecture. But after an unsuccessful stint in college, he would soon find himself in the precarious position of raising an infant son. With the help of family and friends, Jay, at the age of 23, embraced single-parent fatherhood. “I remember, not too long ago, sitting in the theater watching The Pursuit of Happyness almost in tears from seeing Will Smith’s character go through many of the same things. I did have a job, but it was paying less than $7.00 an hour with no overtime. I was renting a two-bedroom townhome just outside of Atlanta and making payments on a car that was more than ten years old. At the time, my baby was about two and a half… Had no dependable childcare because it wasn’t affordable! I remember tossin’ a few dollars to friends and friends of friends just to get by on a day-to-day basis. Even that was a trip—having to always try and find somebody at the last minute… Something had to give, so we ended up ditching the townhome and became tenants on my brother’s loveseat and sofa. At least then I knew I could afford descent daycare.” It wasn’t until three years later before that situation would ever stabilize. For in 1998, while working in Chicago, Jay married his girlfriend after a brief courtship adding a stepdaughter and newborn son. Once returning to Atlanta, Jay’s life would again be put to the test as a layoff, followed by eight months of unemployment threatened the security of his new family. “For me that was the breaking point… Here it is, as a man we’re taught that we’re supposed to be the breadwinner—and your family depends on you to be that. Yet you keep coming up short. That wears on you. …We had no gas, no phone, and had to practically beg for food. Unemployment was just enough to pay rent. Life wasn’t supposed to be like this! I was angry, not just with myself—but with life in general, and all that just compounded, becoming a pattern of failure—a trail of disappointment. It changes the way you view yourself—it changes the way you view those around you. My self-esteem was destroyed as I began to base my significance and success on other people’s perceptions. I found myself seeking affirmation from the wrong sources and placing unfair expectations on myself. I took the negative energy of my own pity and fed upon it and it became my excuse to be abusively belligerent to those closest to me. No lie, I was hard to live with… That right there nearly cost me my family. But I think the thing that hurt the most was the fact that I wasn’t raised like that… Growing up, I never saw any of the chaos that was now afflicting my home. In fact, I was reared in a structured, nurturing environment by two loving parents. But I guess that what it was… I knew my life should have been better than the way it was turning out. I honestly felt that I had let a lot of people down.” But even through the adversities, another pattern was emerging. While weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning. With each trial came a victory in the form of blessings. And out of those storms came revelations—testimonies that Jay now brings to life having regained his passion for writing.
ok....very niiice. I've got to get the book. You are an excellent writer. I love the detail, imagery, and how you pull the reader in. J! I am in awe! The characters are real everyday people that make it so easy to visualize where they are, what they look like and how they are handling themselves. I was drawn in from the start...with the detail of the car and flipping of the radio stations. Being a woman and reading this from a male point of view mainly with the child situation gives me a totally different appreciation for your write. Of course I need a copy!



Jay's Story \| What Is Luv? \| Events \| Order \| Contact

	jaytyvon.com designed by MXIIIg	Copyright 2008 Tyvon Books All Rights Reserved.