Don't Blame Me
The Convict Chronicles
by
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Excerpt from 'Don't Blame Me'
The twelve strangers who were designated as the ‘jury of my peers’ took exactly 2 hours and 13 minutes to come back with a verdict; guilty.
The air in the courtroom went thin. My ears clogged like I was in a free-fall. The sound became muffled then swirled as if a large seashell was held to my ear. I couldn’t hear nor see the commotion that exploded in the courtroom, but in an eerie, psychosomatic sense, I felt everything. I could feel my mother and Jasmine hugging each other and crying, their mascara running, turning their tears into tiny black rivers staining their broken faces. I could feel my father, his face pinched in anger and confusion, speaking loudly with Mr. Beasly about an appeal. I could feel Sonny and Tysean being led out a side door, Sonny fighting hard not to cry and Tysean, maintaining his shackled-swagger, telling him not to worry because “Homey has enough money to stay out of jail and fight for years.”
Excerpt From 'Daddy's Favorite Girl'
It was late and raining so hard I couldn’t see anything through my bedroom window. Kristen and I were in bed with the covers pulled up to our necks, jumping each time we heard thunder. I had just started drifting off when we heard a boom that wasn’t from the storm. My father kicked in the door and stood there motionless. The hall light cast his shadow across my bed and a quick flash of lightning revealed a maniacal expression that stained his face and made him look grotesque. He reeked of alcohol and as he slowly approached the bed I felt Kristen freeze. We saw a wire hanger clutched in his right hand and the tremors that racked her body shook me as well. “What are you doing, Daddy?” I tried to sound calm. He didn’t answer me. He pointed at Kristen with the hanger. “Don’t, Daddy. Please don’t hurt her.” “This doesn’t concern you, Carol Ann,” he slurred. I rose to my knees on the bed and positioned myself to face him. “I won’t let you hurt her.” I reached for the hanger and he jerked back so violently a startled scream escaped me. “Go, Carol Ann!” he roared at me. “Get out of here!” I reached for him again and grabbed hold of his arm. I was determined to stop him from doing whatever his sick, intoxicated mind was urging him to do.
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About the Book
Prisons are a breeding ground for thieves, rapists and murderers to congregate and plot ways to become better criminals. This stereotype is glorified by many authors who write about the violent and predatory prison environment while never touching on the emotional and human side of a convict…until now:
Jonathan Queen’s Don’t Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles; is a collection of short stories that will take you on a journey behind the walls and barbed wire fences of America ’s Prison system and into the hearts and minds of its convicts as well as their loved ones.
You’ll go on a visit with a lifer and the daughter he hasn’t seen in 14 years. You’ll witness a drive-by shooting through the eyes of a 3-year old; you’ll read a letter written by the illiterate hand of a dying man, and find out why a young girl is accused of killing her father. You will watch an innocent man fight for love and freedom and lose both; and you will discover the disturbing ways in which five inmates react when it slips out that one of them has tested positive for HIV.
About the Author
About the Author
Jonathan Queen is the author of’ “Don’t Blame Me: The Convict Chronicles.” He is the gifted playwright and director of “Next: It Could Be Me” “Pill Line,” and “Still Steppin’.” Mr. Queen is also an actor, poet, and motivational speaker.
As co-founder of New Mindz, Inc., Jonathan Queen established the S.A.N.E Initiative (Setting A New Example), which serves to educate individuals and organizations about the power of change and the benefits of effective communications.
Jonathan Queen is knowledgeable about change because he has achieved it. He spent his teen-age years as a drug dealer. At the age of 23, he was labeled a career-criminal and sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison.
Mr. Queen used prison as an opportunity for change, not only for himself, but for others. As a G.E.D. Tutor/Teacher’s Aid, he lifted up hundreds of high school drop-outs, helping many to receive their General Equivalency Diplomas. Additionally, he taught Job Skills, Parenting courses, Creative Writing, Conversational Spanish, Theatre, and Drama classes.
Mr. Queen is a certified physical trainer (N.F.P.T), speaks conversational Spanish, and is an expert on hip-hop culture. He was a founding member of the R&B/Rap group Ace Duce and former C.E.O of Down Low Entertainment. He has organized hip-hop summits as well as programs on unity and diversity.
He completed a nine month drug education program and subsequently volunteered for the 500-hour Residential Drug-Abuse Program, where he became a Peer Counselor, Sponsor and Board Member on the Education/Tutoring Committee.
Jonathan Queen is the new example. He is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations excel through education, drug and alcohol abstinence, communication and self-improvement. Mr. Queen is happily married and lives with his wife and children in