To take on a challenge by a co-worker, in 2015 Eric Jackson-Forsberg participated in the National Novel Writing Month where he was tasked with writing 50,000 words in the month of November.

The program, which shut down this year, asked writers to write a 50-word first draft of a novel.

At the time, Jackson-Forsberg was working as a copywriter in New York City where the creative department often was looking for group activities or ways to challenge or inspire each other.

“And she (a co-worker) brought this up, and I’m like, O.K., I’ll give that a shot, awesome, Jackson-Forsberg said. “So, I was really glad she did.”

Spiral, is inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and offers a personal perspective on Wright, but with supernatural dimensions. Submitted photo

His debut novel, Spiral, is inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and offers a personal perspective on Wright, but with supernatural dimensions.

To say Jackson-Forsberg is big fan of Wright’s work, may be an understatement.

“I would say (I’m) maybe more than a big fan,” the author said.

Jackson-Forsberg worked as a curator at the Martin House in Buffalo for nine years. According to martinhouse.org, the Martin House was built between 1903 and 1905. The house was designed by acclaimed American architect Wright as the city home for Buffalo business executive Darwin D. Martin and his family. The Martin House is characterized by its spatial openness, horizontal planes, pier and cantilever construction, and palette of natural colors and materials. It is considered one of the great achievements of Wright’s career, resulting from a remarkable partnership between client and architect.

Martin (1865-1935) was an accomplished business leader in the city of Buffalo. A self-made millionaire, he was a top executive for the Larkin Company–a rapidly expanding soap and mail-order operation, the website noted.

Wright (1867-1959) is internationally recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th century architecture and design, the website said. His legacy is marked by his vision to create a new form of architecture based on the open landscape of the American Midwest. Wright redefined traditional concepts of structure and space by connecting the built environment to the natural world. He is best known for his Prairie style homes, efficient office buildings, innovative furniture, and decorative designs.

“The Spiral draws on my own process of discovery as curator of a Wright house,” Jackson-Forsberg said. “It’s a meditation on sublimity and the futlity of finite knowledge, exploring themes of personal, professional, and spiritual doubt.”

The book is published by NFB Publishing, located in Buffalo.

NFB said in a statement, that the story’s central character, Holden Maddox, is a curator haunted by his pursuit of the truth. His esoteric study of Frank Lloyd Wright design and his aOempts to sort out his shadowy, small-town past are irresistible obsessions. Driven by a desire to reconstruct his personal history and forge a future for himself, Holden is drawn into a mystery surrounding two pieces of art glass, ar,facts with convoluted

roots much older and deeper than he knows. Uncanny forces–from the far reaches of the solar system to the Brooklyn Bridge–complicate the quest in ways that defy his imagina,on, test his resolve, and

bend the laws of physics.

While the novel relies on Wright’s designs and the shadow of his character, it does so in a new way, distinguishing it from books like T.C. Boyle’s The Women based in the salacious circumstances of Wright’s

personal life, the NFB statement said. The book should appeal to those fascinated with Wright and his work, as well as those interested in the occult and the pursuit of sublimity, from architecture to astrophysics.

Jackson-Forsberg thoroughly enjoyed writing his novel.

“It’s been, it’s been such a great experience that there’s actually a little bit of a of a letdown once it was done,” he added.

Born and raised in Boonville, in Oneida County , Jackson-Forsberg received his Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College with a concentration in creative writing, and a Masters of Arts in art history from the University at Buffalo. For nine years, he served as curator for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House complex, contributing to books such as Frank Lloyd Wright Art Glass of the Martin House. He and his family have lived in Boston, Buffalo, and Brooklyn, and now call Chautauqua County home.