POWERGRAMS

Before he went to work at Alabama Power, Jake Little Jake Little always wanted to be a soldier or an author. A decade later, the 29-year-old has combined those previous career ideas into "Black Cat," the fi rst novel in what Little hopes will be a series about protagonist Trevor Cole. Available on Kindle, paperback or hard cover from Amazon, the fi ctional hero leads a team of "highly classifi ed operatives" in the fi ght against terrorism. Little was born in Los Angeles, America's second-biggest city, but grew up in Maplesville, one of Alabama's smallest towns. As a youth, he enjoyed fi shing, hunting and football while admiring the military service of family and friends. Little was hoping to become a Marine after high school and college, before he learned about a job at Alabama Power. He was hired in 2011, two days before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which is the emergence time frame of the fi ctional top- secret group Little began formulating in his mind years later. "I do not have any military experience," said Little, a lineman in Transmission Lines Construction, Corporate Headquarters. "But I have always been fascinated with everything military, especially the special operations and black ops side of the business." Little opted for a career with Alabama Power over the military life but remains inspired by the men and women fi ghting for his country. He researched the challenges faced by soldiers in the modern era of going against people who use terror as a weapon and attack innocent Americans. In 2019, the 286-page "Black Cat" was self-published, receiving high marks in online reader reviews. Little had full control of every aspect of the creative process, from content to cover design to release date. He bore all the production costs. "From an early age, I had always enjoyed reading short stories and enjoyed creating some of my own," Little said. "As I got older, I started juggling the idea of trying to write a novel – but as life got fi lled with a career and bills – those dreams quickly took a back seat. It wasn't until we brought home our second child, our little girl, that I decided to pick those dreams back up. I knew that my wife and I would always teach our kids to follow their dreams and quickly realized that I never fulfi lled my own dreams." Little and his high school sweetheart, Jonica, were married in 2013. They live in Thorsby with their 3-year-old and 2-year-old children. He is working on a line of children's books "strictly for my little boy and little girl," while writing the follow-up to "Black Cat." "I am extremely excited about the way it is going so far," Little said. "I have learned a lot, and am continuing to learn a lot about the writing process. I believe that the second book will be much better and much more in depth than the fi rst." Regardless of the ultimate success of "Black Cat," future sequels or Little becoming a contemporary Dr. Seuss, he's already accomplished a lifelong goal. "Writing a book is always something that has been on my bucket list," he said. By Chuck Chandler LINEMAN AUTHORS FICTION ABOUT WAR ON TERROR 28 28 PROFILE Little

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