By Nathaniel A. Lopez
On the edge of Kearny resides local author Nicholas Wilkinson, who lives on his property known as Fort Wilkinson with his family, and a few farm animals. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wilkinson has been a resident in Kearny for three years.
“We moved from Philadelphia to Phoenix, then after about 10 years of living that city life, we just lucked out and found a property here in Kearny. We absolutely love it here,” Wilkinson commented. “I’d say I’ve lived a very interesting life. I was on my own at an early age, due to abuse and neglect. I have this philosophy that, I know what I want and I go out and do it. I was a professional wrestler. I was an EMT. I was in the Army. I have done a lot of exciting things.”
Wilkinson has invested all of his working time into being a full time writer, due to the difficulty of finding work in his wheelchair.
“I thought, well, I’ll pour everything I have into my writing, whether I get paid millions or not, at least I’m getting these stories out there, to me that’s what matters. I get these characters, these ideas, and these things in my head and the only way to get them out is by writing a story, or a book, or a novella, or whatever it is at the time,” Wilkinson added.
From a young age, he had a desire for writing, he began writing in notebooks, on computers, and on laptops, deciding to just go for it. In 2009, Wilkinson published two non-fiction self-help books on Amazon.com. The internet boom helped him find small publishers, and groups of other writers.
“One thing I tell young writers is get your story out there; it doesn’t matter if it’s bad. There are people out there who will help you make it better,” Wilkinson said with hope.
One of his books, Teens in Crisis, had a chapter that was studied by a class of students in Norway, after Wilkinson was contacted by a professor. He recalled it being a big sale for him.
Wilkinson threw a small Meet the Authors event at the end of May at Kearny bar and grill The G&J, with one other author. Despite it not being the turnout he had hoped for, Wilkinson has plans to host more events to let the community know about other local authors, giving them a chance to meet and speak to them.
Nicholas Wilkinson has books of the sci-fi, horror, young-adult and children’s genres available to purchase and read on Amazon.com. Show some support to a local Copper Basin artist!