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Voodoo and the Bayou
Once Upon a Time in the Big Easy follows a former hitman down to New Orleans as he tracks a kidnapped girl trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wanted him to have a challenge of being a hero and not only saving a young woman but taking down a disgusting scoundrel.
Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?
New Orleans is such a mysterious city, historically with voodoo and the bayou in its landscape. Made me think of intrigue for the readers.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Chubby Pone and the direction of the next book?
Consequences is the next adventure for Pone as he races against time to save his handler, who was poisoned by a bullet and is in a deep coma. He tries to find the culprit and a cure.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
For a young girl kidnapped by her father. The task gives him more than he bargain for as Theiler Lebeau throws him into a world of gambling, contraband, prostitution, and incest. The Troubleshooter puts his life on the line again to help those who can’t help themselves.
Ending Theiler’s bayou fabulous life of disgust is top priority, along with rescuing a young girl and others, while crumbling an evil empire.
Autobiography: Winner of the International Writers Inspiring Change: Most Inspiring Author Award in 2017 for the horror/thriller “Things That Go Bump in the Night: Here There Be Monsters,” “Crabbe H. Appleton: At your service” with Mercury Slim short stories and song lyrics.
Once Upon A Time In The Big Easy: Down On The Bayou
Wilson Jackson’s Once Upon a Time in the Big Easy is a gritty and relentless tale that drags you straight into the underbelly of New Orleans. It’s a story of corruption, redemption, and raw survival, soaked in the sweat and danger of backroom deals and human cruelty. The novel opens with a shocking abduction and never takes its foot off the gas. Between the dark world of human trafficking and the desperate quest for justice led by the world-weary Pone, Jackson weaves a sprawling drama that blends crime noir with southern gothic flavor. The writing is unapologetically direct. The dialogue feels lived in, sometimes crude, often brutal, always real.
Reading it pulled me in two directions at once. On one hand, I admired the grit, the pulse of the city that beats through every scene, the way Jackson makes New Orleans feel like a living, breathing monster of beauty and rot. On the other hand, it’s not a comfortable read. The violence against women, the twisted family secrets, the corruption, it all feels too real at times, like you’re eavesdropping on sin. I found myself grimacing and nodding at the same time. The language is rough, but it works. The story feels like it’s been told by someone who’s been there, who knows these streets, who’s smelled the whiskey and gunpowder. It’s got that old-school crime energy, but with a heart that still believes people can be saved, even in a swamp of evil.
I didn’t expect to feel as much as I did. There were moments when I had to stop and breathe. Jackson has this way of slipping a sliver of hope into the filth, of giving you a reason to care when all you want to do is look away. The characters, even the minor ones, stick with you. Pone especially, hard, cynical, but still clinging to some moral code, is the kind of flawed hero I like.
I’d recommend this book to readers who like their stories dark and unfiltered. It’s perfect for fans of hardboiled crime fiction and southern thrillers that dig deep into human messiness. Once Upon a Time in the Big Easy feels like James Lee Burke’s The Neon Rain collided with Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, gritty crime, southern heat, and characters who bleed, curse, and pray in the same breath.
Pages: 316 | ASIN : B0DZQ7TDD1
Enough Is Enough
A Few Casualties So What follows a former hitman turned reluctant problem-solver who is tasked to prevent a gang war by figuring out who murdered two teens from rival crime families. What was your inspiration for Chubby Pone’s character, and how did you craft his outlook on life?
Chubby is a nickname my family gave me. Though I am not fat, my oldest sister gave it to me when I was a baby, and Pone came from a coworker whose maiden name was Pone. I thought of Al Capone, which gave the character a gangster appeal. I based him on myself on some things I have gone through in my life, and also my son, who dealt with ignorance from growing up with alopecia. He was teased a lot, and as he got older, he accepted baldness and is now a college graduate and married. I wanted a character with a light and dark heart when it is needed. You can ignore people who are immature, but there are times when you have to say that enough is enough and fight back.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
The first part of the book, I did, and then the characters started talking to me if that makes any sense. Most writers will tell you that as you get deeper into your story, the characters start to come to life and give you ideas on what to do next.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
Yes, and the 2nd book is already out. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE BIG EASY: Down On The Bayou. The most disgusting and blackest character I ever created. You’ll have to buy and read the book to find out what I mean.
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A Few Casualties So What
In A Few Casualties So What, Wilson Jackson drops the reader straight into the grit and shadow of Metro City, a place where the Great Meteor has bent time, pulling the ghosts of the Prohibition era into the raw edge of the future. The story follows Chubby Pone, a former hitman turned reluctant problem-solver, navigating gang rivalries, crooked alliances, and his own tangled loyalties. When the children of two crime lords are murdered, Pone is thrust into a dangerous game of diplomacy and survival, caught between warring families, corrupt politics, and a city that seems to breathe violence. Through smoky clubs, high-stakes poker tables, and sudden bursts of gunfire, Jackson blends noir grit with a sharp-tongued wit, crafting a crime saga that is as much about character as it is about bullets.
I enjoyed the texture of Jackson’s world. It isn’t just described, it’s lived in. The details, from the way Pone polishes his bowler hat to the stink of cheap booze in a gangster’s breath, make the city feel like it’s been around for decades before the first chapter starts. I could almost hear the slap of shoes on wet pavement. That said, the prose sometimes lingers in these textures. There were moments I wanted the story to push past the ambiance and get to the meat of the scene. Still, the dialogue crackles. Pone’s banter, especially with Red and his poker buddies, is sharp, often funny, and layered with unspoken history.
The plot itself feels like a pool game. It’s slow, deliberate setups punctuated by sudden, violent breaks. I appreciated that the violence never felt cheap. Even the drive-bys and assassinations have a code, and when that code is broken, the weight of it lingers. Pone is a fascinating protagonist because he’s neither romanticized nor demonized. He’s competent but flawed, dangerous but bound by his own sense of justice. There’s a cynicism here, but also a surprising tenderness in how he treats his chosen family. I found myself caring less about the “whodunit” than about how Pone would navigate the moral knots he’s tied into.
A Few Casualties So What felt less like a crime novel and more like an invitation into a very specific corner of a city. Jackson’s writing is rich, unhurried, and atmospheric, and his characters carry the kind of weight that makes you believe they’re out there somewhere, still playing cards in a smoky basement. This book would be a strong pick for readers who love noir that takes its time, crime stories that don’t flinch from moral complexity, and dialogue that could cut glass.
Pages: 270 | ASIN : B0F4675T6Z
LITERARY TITAN 