Local author published

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As many young people began college life this fall, many young adults have also recently seen their college days come to an end. The beginning of "real life" began for the recent grads and as their futures lay ahead of them, they became aware that the old biblical saying about "putting away childish things" also meant changing a lifestyle and leaving many friends they had become accustomed to while getting a higher education.

When one finds himself at this cross road in life, it is sometimes very difficult to cut a new path in the world, and Joel Frey, a native Bartlettonian, found this to be especially true for him. As he looked around, he saw many of his peers were struggling also. After years of playing with the idea, Frey has written a book about his experiences after college.  Frey's autobiographical book about life after college, titled "Two Sides of a Cypress Wall ( the true story of a reluctant college graduate)" was published Aug. 31.

After graduating from Bartlett High School in 1992, Frey went to Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro and received his journalism degree and graduated in 1996."That is where the book picks up," said Frey. "It's kind of written as a diary after I moved back to Bartlett. It's the two-year period after I graduated from college."

Frey moved back to his parent's home near Freeman Park after college graduation and waited for his life to start. Working odd jobs and odd hours while counting down the days until he could get back together with his buddies in Murfreesboro and party like they had done while in college.

"After working at a hotel and at other jobs, I thought 'There has got to be more to life than this,'" said Frey. "I was living with my parents and partying. I wasn't making very good decisions."

Frey eventually got a job with a trade magazine specializing in forestry.

"I was still going back to Murfreesboro to hang out with my friends and I was drinking too much," said Frey. "I don't expect recent graduates to read my book and think I have all of the answers, but I do want them to know that they are not stuck. There is a point when you have to say 'This is my life and I have to make a change.'"

Frey says he is not the person that he was and he isn't endorsing the behavior described in his post- college day stories in his book.

"I am donating 50 cents of every book sale to Mothers Against Drunk Driving," said Frey. "Thankfully, I was lucky. I put myself in situations where something could have happened to me or someone else."

Frey's book has been a family affair. He began writing in January of 2005 and finished the first draft in May of 2006. His father, Gary became his editor and wrote a forward for the book, his sister, Kristin Glaeske proofread, and the cover design was done by his cousin, Tyra Baumler.

The book has other Bartlett connections besides most of the setting. Gary Johnson, who owns Post Printing in Memphis lives in Bartlett and his son Ruston is featured throughout the book also.

"Mr. Johnson said he would stop and read anything that mentioned Ruston as the book came off the printer," said Frey. "Like my dad, he learned a lot he didn't know about his son. But it's all good now."

Frey made a connection while writing the story of his past that is now impacting his future in a big way.

"I had to get in touch with an old friend from MTSU," said Frey. "Her name is Heather and I wanted to use her real name when I wrote (most of Frey's friends gave him the okay to use their real names, but some are pseudonyms) about our time together. So ten years later I sent her an email and said, 'Hey, I am writing a book and you are in it.' She had moved to El Paso, and I had moved to Dallas. We ended up meeting in Nashville one weekend while she was visiting her sister and realized that our lives had reached very similar points with our goals and with God and other things. We are getting married New Year's Eve. That is the anniversary of the first time she emailed me to say the book was good and she wanted to see me."

Frey says even if the book doesn't sell well and he ends up eating 1,000 copies, he was reunited with the love of his life and that is a happier ending than even he could have imagined.

Frey is now a public relations director for Travelocity in Dallas, Texas. He works as a spokesperson for the company and does speech writing.

For a copy of Frey's book visit, www.joelfrey.com or email Frey at jfrey74@yahoo.com.