Looking for a Summer Read? Try This Ebook by Whitnall High School's Jake Lepper

For a lot of high school students, with countless class papers, exams, and college and scholarship applications taking up most of their time, extra-curricular writing is the furthest thing from their mind.

But that's not the case for senior Jake Lepper. On Dec. 4, 2011, Lepper, a 17-year-old senior, published his first book — The Protector — making it available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com. And at $1.50, it's a bargain!

Greenfield Patch asked Jake to tell us more about The Protector in this week's edition of Names in the News.

Patch: What is The Protector all about, and where did the idea come from?

JL: The Protector is about a secret service agent named Colby Giampalo. It is set in Washington D.C. The President of the United States Francis Lancaster is on a trip to Russia to meet with the Russian president to discuss terrorism in the world. Without warning, the presidential motorcade is attacked. Simultaneously in the United States, the vice president and the speaker of the house are also being kidnapped. Within a matter of hours the United States is in chaos and they have lost control of weapons systems and nearly everything else. Colby must fight to save the president, the government, but most of all, his wife.  
The idea came about when I was watching a documentary on the secret service. It was exciting so I began to create a story about a secret service agent. I never thought it would amount to much but slowly, I gained ideas and inspiration so it grew and before I knew it, I had the ideas to write a book about. I'd like to think that I modeled the characters after people that I know or have encountered in my daily life.

Patch: How long did it take you to write it and what was your favorite part about the writing/editing process?

JL: The book took me about 2 years to write, but that is not continuous. I had to find time between school work and extracurricular activities so it took a little longer than it normally would have. Of the writing process, my absolute favorite part is the writing (coincidentally). Specifically the action scenes. It may not seem like it to most people, but writing out action scene is just as thrilling as watching one in a movie, for me at least. The suspense lies in the fact that even I don't know what is going to happen next until I make it up! Editing is by far my least favorite. I think I must have read my book about five times before submitting it and I still found errors! In the future, I would like to have a real editor or at least a family member to edit.

Patch: I've heard you love to read. What's your favorite book and why? What are some of your other favorites?

JL: I do love to read, although I don't get enough time to do it sadly. My all-time favorite book is Jurassic Park. It's just so exciting and different than the movie! I must have read it about five times by now. Other favorites include The Lost World, Andromeda Strain, Prey, Eaters of the Dead, DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Deception Point. If you see a trend here, then you're right. My all-time favorite authors and inspirations are Michael Chrichton and Dan Brown. 

Patch: What do you think, or hope, the future holds for your book The Protector and your writing career? In other words, is being an author something you will pursue as a career?

JL: To be honest, I never even thought my book would get the attention that it is getting now! This really is thrilling for me. I really do love to write. It is one of my all-time favorite pastimes. I really want my book to get out to as many people as possible. I want my book to show people that I had a great time writing it and I want people to have a great time reading it. Being an author is not something that I will pursue as a career. I will be attending UW-Madison this fall to study Medical Microbiology, I hope to continue on to medical school and then the navy, but I know that I will always find time to write. This is my first book and obviously my skills in writing have a long way to go. I am sure that I will take many writing classes in college and I will always continue to write simply so others can enjoy my work.

Patch: What other hobbies and interest do you have?

JL: I am very active within many clubs in school. I am the president of the AFS club, a cultural club centered around the foreign exchange students. I participated in National Honors Society, science olympiad, and Wisconsin Model United Nations, as well. Most of all though, I am a member of the Whitnall band. I play the Baritone saxophone primarily, but I also play tenor quite often. I served as the woodwind captain in our marching band and I am the only senior to have played in the jazz band for all four years of high school. At my last band concert (in May), I was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award. I'd like to think that music is my passion that is right beside my writing.