Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Wildman
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://jcgeiger.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2016067795
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2016067795
HEADING: Geiger, J. C. (Jeffrey Clayton), 1979-
000 00509cz a2200145n 450
001 10333008
005 20170324160247.0
008 161214n| azannaabn |a aaa
010 __ |a n 2016067795
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |c DLC |e rda |d DLC
046 __ |f 1979-10-31 |2 edtf
100 1_ |a Geiger, J. C. |q (Jeffrey Clayton), |d 1979-
400 1_ |a Geiger, Jeffrey Clayton, |d 1979-
670 __ |a Wildman, 2017: |b ECIP title page (J.C. Geiger)
670 __ |a Wildman, 2017: |b email from publisher received 12/13/16 (Jeffrey Clayton Geiger, b. 10/31/1979)
PERSONAL
Born October 31, 1979; married.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. No Shame Eugene Theatre, artistic director.
WRITINGS
Author of stage pieces. Contributor to periodicals, including Horror Garage and Murky Depths.
SIDELIGHTS
J.C. Geiger describes himself as an adventurer, a poet, a theatrical director, and the owner of a beloved 1993 Buick Century. It was the Buick that inspired his first novel, after it broke down on a remote road in the Pacific Northwest on his way home from a writers’ retreat. Later, the repaired Buick carried Geiger on a cross-country road trip from Oregon to New York City to promote the novel. The “Wildman Road Trip” also raised four thousand dollars in donations for the American Library Association and for libraries across America.
According to his website, the success of the road trip may enable Geiger to complete an earlier project “to showcase the power of print by sharing books which have changed people’s lives.” In 2016 he purchased a 1968 Gerstenslager bookmobile. The vintage vehicle, which he describes as “a food cart, with books,” originally racked up 50,000 miles on the back roads of Oregon, distributing free books to rural communities. Geiger’s objective is to stock the restored bookmobile with used books and continue the odyssey that began before he was born.
It is the ’93 Buick, however, that jump-started Geiger’s career with the road-trip novel Wildman. The protagonist is quintessential high-school senior Lance Hendricks. Lance is a model of perfection: class valedictorian with perfect grade point average, lead trumpeter in the high-school band, scholarship winner and aspiring bank executive. He has two loves in his life: his girlfriend Miriam, with whom he expects to consummate their longtime celibate relationship very soon, and the 1993 Buick given to him by his absentee father. In the middle of a road trip through the remote forests of Washington State, the Buick suffers a mechanical failure. The days that follow could change Lance’s life forever.
Lance is stuck at the decrepit Trainsong motel while a dubious mechanic promises miracles that delay his departure for nearly a week. He spends his time at the local watering hole, where he is befriended by a cast of characters who range from exotic to crude to surreal. Drunken brawls blend with all-night parties and risky adventures involving trains, until the reader and Lance himself have difficulty separating dream from reality. Tempted into such adventures by his increasing fascination with the mysterious young artist Dakota, Lance acquires the nickname Wildman. As his unexpected layover nears its end, Lance faces hard choices about the direction his life should take going forward, and which side of himself should make the trip.
Critics responded favorably to Geiger’s debut. A reviewer at the NW Book Lovers website complimented the author for his “wide-eyed energetic style.” “The sense of place is palpable,” mused Ed Spicer in Horn Book; “the dialogue often sparkles.” Booklist contributor Reinhardt Suarez reported: “The book shines the brightest when it toes the line between real and surreal.” A Kirkus Reviews commentator noted of Wildman that “well-drawn elements of magical realism haunt its boundaries” while “quieter moments balance the narrative with genuine beauty.” At the KLCC-Radio Online, reviewer Connie Bennett hinted that Geiger offers “three endings, each more delightful than the one before.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2017, Reinhardt Suarez, review of Wildman, p. 53.
Horn Book, September-October, 2017, Ed Spicer, review of Wildman, p. 94.
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2017, review of Wildman.
Publishers Weekly, April 24, 2017, review of Wildman, p. 95.
Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2017, Sean Rapacki, review of Wildman, p. 60.
ONLINE
KLCC-Radio Online, http://klcc.org/ (August 4, 2017), Connie Bennett, review of Wildman.
NW Book Lovers, https://nwbooklovers.org/ (August 2, 2017), review of Wildman.
J. C. Geiger has eaten the beating heart of a snake, been deported from a full-moon party, and spent a short time locked in a Bolivian prison. He also writes fiction. His short works have appeared in the pages of Murky Depths and Horror Garage, and onstage at The Second City in Chicago. His debut novel WILDMAN will be released by Disney-Hyperion in May, 2017.
Special note to writers and readers: J.C. Geiger’s life sounds pretty darn catchy when all of his accomplishments are neatly summarized in one paragraph. It is important to note: It took J.C. a long, long time to sell his first book. Sure, prisons and full-moon parties were involved. But mostly basements. Small rooms. Too much coffee. Sunless days, head in his hands wondering: why, why the hell is this my J.C. Geiger’s life? But let’s get back to the pithy bio, shall we?
In addition to writing, J.C. is the Artistic Director of No Shame Eugene Theatre and the proud owner of a legendary 1968 Gerstenslager bookmobile which will undoubtedly lead to ill-advised exploits and cross-country adventures. To stay in the loop, embark here.
[Added by skechwriter 1/11/18]
From https://jcgeiger.com
July 14, 2017
Top Seven Surprises on The Wildman Road Trip
To promote WILDMAN’s release, I attempted to drive from Eugene, Oregon to New York City in a ‘93 Buick Century – the same car that broke down, stranded me in rural Washington, and inspired me to write the book in the first place. I drove 5 miles for every copy of Wildman sold, and 1 mile for every $5 donation to the American Library Association.
The entire 10-day, 4300-mile journey was live-streamed using two phones and a Chromebook.
All day. All night.
.....
A final surprise? The trip itself netted around $4,000 dollars for libraries from over 100 new donors. And support continued to pour in after the journey ended. To date, around 400 book lovers have contributed to the Wildman Road Trip!
The ’93 Buick is currently parked in a secluded garage in the Midwest, resting up for its return trip in July. It’s 2,000 long miles back to Eugene, Oregon — and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
.....
October 12, 2016
I Just Bought a Bookmobile
I plan to take this food cart with books as far as its 1968 engine will let me. Even approaching 50 years old, the bookmobile checks out. Engine, 95% compression. Only 50,000 miles under her belt. A history of serving rural communities across Oregon, and all the good karma of having given away thousands of free copies riding on an International Harvester frame.
So what EXACTLY will I do? The bank teller asked me this. So does my wife.
.....
Long-term plan: I want <
So, yeah. Kind of like <>.
.C Geiger has eaten the beating heart of a snake, been deported from a full-moon party, and spent a short time locked in a Bolivian prison. He also writes fiction. His short works have appeared in the pages of Murky Depths and Horror Garage, and on stage at The Second City in Chicago. His debut novel, WILDMAN, was inspired by the breakdown of his ’93 Buick Century while driving home from a remote SCBWI writing retreat. He met Sara Crowe at the same retreat, two years later.
WILDMAN will be released by Disney-Hyperion in May, 2017, and J.C. himself can currently be spotted in the Pacific Northwest on bike or behind the wheel of the ‘93 Buick. These days, it runs like a dream.
Jeff Geiger is represented by Sara Crowe.
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Print Marked Items
Wildman
Ed Spicer
The Horn Book Magazine.
93.5 (September-October 2017): p94.
COPYRIGHT 2017 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Full Text:
Wildman
by J. C. Geiger
High School Hyperion 330 pp.
6/17 978-1-4847-4957-9 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-4847-5852-6 $10.99
High school valedictorians with girlfriends and college scholarships, like protagonist Lance,
have it made, right? What happens, however, when we begin to doubt basic societal premises
that define success? Lance takes a road trip in his classic but troublesome 1993 Buick. Of course
the car breaks down on his way home, one day before his much-anticipated epic graduation party
(and the long-delayed sex he expects to have with his girlfriend), and he gets stuck in a seedy
room at the Trainsong Motel in middle-of-nowhere Washington State. The quirky characters in
this provincial locale seem far removed from his life. Lance aches to fix his beloved Buick and
get to the party. He is, however, a high school boy, and there is Dakota--an intriguing young
woman artist with a very different perspective on life. Questions, questions, questions. And in
these questions, Lance begins to slow down and notice that his life is just as provincial as
anyone's in Trainsong. <
suspend disbelief and allow love to blossom in a condensed time frame, they'll be delighted with
Geiger's debut novel. ED SPICER
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Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Spicer, Ed. "Wildman." The Horn Book Magazine, Sept.-Oct. 2017, p. 94. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A503641818/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b6271648. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A503641818
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Wildman
Reinhardt Suarez
Booklist.
113.18 (May 15, 2017): p53.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Wildman. By J. C. Geiger. June 2017.336p. Hyperion, $17.99 (9781484749579). Gr. 9-12.
On the way to the most epic party of his life, Lance's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere.
Almost immediately, his car is taken away by a mysterious tow truck, and he is forced to rent out
a room at the dingy Trainsong Motel, where he figures he can ride out the night. The Trainsong
and the people who live there have other plans. As one night stretches into several days, Lancevaledictorian,
banker-in-training, and all-around "good kid"-starts to wonder about the choices in
his life. <
the existential question that high-school graduates face: How do I live the rest of my life?
Geiger's cast of misfits and his gritty settings lend a dangerous edge to every interaction Lance
has on his sojourn. Ultimately, it is the surreal world that forces Lance to consider what makes a
life well lived, and whether or not you are truly alive if you always stick to the plans laid out for
you by others. -Reinhardt Suarez
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Suarez, Reinhardt. "Wildman." Booklist, 15 May 2017, p. 53. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A496084875/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=3fee5da1. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A496084875
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Wildman
Publishers Weekly.
264.17 (Apr. 24, 2017): p95.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Wildman
J.C. Geiger. Hyperion, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 9781-4847-4957-9
Lance Hendricks plays by the rules. He's first chair trumpet, his 4.0 GPA has won him a college
scholarship to study business, and he and his longtime girlfriend are about to have sex for the
first time. He's a machine, always moving forward, until his car dies in rural Washington State,
far from his Oregon home. The car was a gift from his absent father, and Lance won't leave it,
even when the repairs drag out for days. During this unscheduled break from regular life, Lance
hangs with the locals at the town's one bar, answers to the nickname Wildman, jumps trains, and
spends time with lovely and unconventional Dakota. Debut novelist Geiger strands Lance a
couple hours and a world away from comfort, setting up a dramatic climax in which Lance has
to decide who to be--the rule-following boy he was raised as or the man who wants to play
music and can't stop trembling when he's with Dakota. The book's world is a bit binary--it's
either dreams or drudgery--but it effectively conveys the necessity of finding one's true self.
Ages 14-up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Wildman." Publishers Weekly, 24 Apr. 2017, p. 95. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491250921/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e3e8900a. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491250921
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Geiger, J.C.: WILDMAN
Kirkus Reviews.
(Apr. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Geiger, J.C. WILDMAN Hyperion (Children's Fiction) $17.99 6, 6 ISBN: 978-1-4847-4957-9
A high school valedictorian takes a madcap left turn in life. Confident, white, 18-year-old Lance
Hendricks' life seems set for him. The all-around good guy's got a gorgeous girlfriend of two
years, early admission into Oregon State University on a scholarship, a 4.0 GPA, and he's first
chair trumpet player in the high school band. On his way home to Bend, Oregon, after a trip to
Seattle, his 1993 Buick breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Washington, and the next five
days change his life forever. Train-hopping, improbable brawls, whiskey shots, late-night parties
at dive bars, and a mysteriously beautiful and unforgettable young white woman named Dakota
are all part of the mix. Geiger's first novel for teens is based in reality, but <
wondering where the plot is headed and if it's real. The ethereal Dakota is reminiscent of John
Green's Alaska, while the rest of the cast is crass, uncouth, dangerous at times, and winningly
human. All of this is amplified by Geiger's ability to spin laugh-out-loud, insight-filled one-liners
to keep the pace up while the <
thought-provoking, hilarious, eloquent story of a young man realizing that the world is much
larger than the one set up for him. (Fiction. 14-adult)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Geiger, J.C.: WILDMAN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A489268507/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=c0053bed. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A489268507
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Geiger, J.C.: Wildman
Sean Rapacki
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.1 (Apr. 2017): p60.
COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
4Q * 4P * S
Geiger, J.C. Wildman. Hyperion, 2017. 336p. $17.99. 978-1-4847-4957-9.
Everything is looking great for Lance Hendricks. He is school valedictorian, first trumpet, and a
scholarship winner, and now he is heading back home to a graduation party that will almost
certainly culminate in losing his virginity to his girlfriend, Miriam. When his 1993 Buick breaks
down hundreds of miles from home, he is forced to make a choice: abandon the car, a gift from
his long-absent father, or risk missing his own party. Thinking he can have his cake and eat it
too, he decides to let a questionable, local mechanic work on his car while he checks into the
town's one motel. Before he knows it, he gets involved in the small-town antics of the locals,
doing things he never would have imagined.
Everybody back home knows Lance as a rule follower and overachiever, but for the first time, he
is beginning to realize that guy may not be who he wants to be, and he is increasingly attracted
to an enigmatic local girl named Dakota who seems to notice things about him that neither his
girlfriend nor his lifelong friends notice. Lance is getting pulled in two directions, but is he wild
enough to follow his heart--or will he stick to the path that has been chosen for him? Geiger's
debut story, based on personal experience, will appeal to both male and female young adult
readers who enjoy coming-of-age, soul-searching stories.--Sean Rapacki.
QUALITY
5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.
4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.
3Q Readable, without serious defects.
2Q Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q.
1Q Hard to understand how it got published, except in relation to its P rating (and not even then
sometimes).
POPULARITY
5P Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday.
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4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.
3P Will appeal with pushing.
2P For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject.
1P No YA will read unless forced to for assignments.
GRADE LEVEL INTEREST
M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8).
J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).
S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).
A/YA Adult-marketed book recommended for YAs.
NA New Adult (defined as college-age).
R Reluctant readers (defined as particularly suited for reluctant readers).
(a) Highlighted Reviews Graphic Novel Format
(G) Graphic Novel Format
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Rapacki, Sean. "Geiger, J.C.: Wildman." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2017, p. 60. General
OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491949489/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9e0e479f. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491949489
Wildman by J. C. Geiger
August 2, 2017
Lance Hendricks is a perfect kid—plays trumpet, 4.0 GPA, has earnest heart palpitations for a girl, knows his way around cars. When his trusty steed—er, car—breaks down in the middle of the Washington wilderness, things—wait for it—go awry. It’s like David Lynch’s Lost Highway meets The Wizard of Oz, but without all the monkeys.
[And we’ll gloss over the characterization of the Washington woods as spooky wilderness terrain, because, you know, some of us have those woods in our back yards, and they’re not that spooky.]
Anyway, we like J. C. We met him at Children’s Institute earlier this year, and he’s got a <
–A Good Book Cafe, Sumner, WA
Whether you’re feeling wild, mild, or just darn hot, A Good Book and other independent bookstores can help you find just the right book.
Book Review: Wild Man
By CONNIE BENNETT • AUG 4, 2017
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Listen Listening...1:58 Book review by Connie Bennett of "Wildman" by J.C. Geiger
This is KLCC. I’m Connie Bennett, Director of Eugene Public Library, with a book review of “Wildman” by J.C. Geiger.
I’ve never been a teenaged boy. Never been in a ’93 Buick. So, it was with a little trepidation that I picked up “Wildman,” Eugene author J.C. Geiger’s debut novel. Though the book has received quite a bit of buzz in the teen market since its colorful “road-trip” launch last spring, I wasn’t sure how accessible – or interesting – it might be to older readers.
The book begins slowly. Our entitled, annoying narrator, Lance, is eager to get home to Bend and the promised delights of the big high school graduation party. Stranded by a breakdown in rural Washington, he’s quick to call mom to bail him out.
The story picks up when Lance meets a diverse band of locals worthy of a No Shame skit: a roadhouse hustler, a feisty motel clerk, and an assortment of hard-luck teens who crash into his life, tilting it off course – and predictably forcing our young hero to choose his future path.
Several elements raise “Wildman” above the conventional coming of age novel. Lance first becomes interesting when he sees unexpected, hidden beauty, when he hears not-yet-written music. Use of story becomes a central theme. Early on: "He rifled through his stories like a deck of old baseball cards. What had he ever done?" And by the end: “…it turns out words matter. Stories matter. The stories we tell about each other. The stories you end up telling yourself.”
Last, but not least, there are the<< three endings, each more delightful than the one before>>. First, the cinematographic, next the farewell letter, and finally, the creation of a legacy that reveals the true meaning of the book’s cover image.
“Wildman.” Perfect for the teen boys you know. And for the rest of us, too.
This is KLCC. I’m Connie Bennett, reviewing “Wildman” by J.C. Geiger.