“Manifest West is dedicated to my loving children, Jamie and Melissa, both kind and gentle citizens of this world.”
         -Ken Jackson

Ken Jackson embodies the spirit of the Southwest.

He was born in East Tennessee in the late 1940s, but at the age of eight moved with his family to Grand Junction, Colorado. His father was in the uranium business and often allowed young Ken to tag along on trips to the mining and milling operations scattered across Colorado’s Western Slope.

Ken was all too happy to help. Helping people, after all, would become his passion in life.

A talented, albeit sometimes wild teen, Ken attended the University of Colorado on a full-ride academic scholarship. He later earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Following completion of his formal training in New Orleans, he ventured out to the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Eastern Arizona.

It was there he found his true calling.

He signed up with the Indian Health Service in 1976 and began a two-year tour of duty that later stretched to five. While practicing there he became fascinated with Native American culture. The people had a depth and edginess to them he’d never seen. Out of his admiration for the Apaches sprang the seeds for this first Western novel – aptly titled Manifest West. However, he was far too busy tending to the needs of his patients to put pen to paper just yet.

In 1981, Ken joined a private practice in Pinetop, Arizona, which was a mountain community that bordered the reservation. He spent 10 years there before moving across the state to Kingman, where he still works fulltime.

But, he has never stopped reaching out to the tribes in the area.

To this day, he still assists the Hualapai in Peach Springs, Arizona. And, on the last Friday of each month, he descends into the Grand Canyon on horseback to provide pre-natal care for the Supai, who live within the canyon walls.

Colorful characters and vibrant Southwestern settings continue to fascinate Ken. He’s twice crossed the entire state of Arizona on horseback, treks documented by Arizona Highways Magazine and PBS, as well as in television and print. These adventures triggered a wave of creativity and contributed to the authenticity of Manifest West, which he finished in 2008. Treble Heart Books published his novel in 2009.

From “Bitch” Cassidy to “Dazen Confused,” all of the people, places and storylines Ken brought to life are fictional, but based on real people he encountered and real events he experienced on and off the reservation. He has great respect for the survivability and resiliency of the Native American people. He also has a deep passion for their lifestyle and history. His goal is to weave stories that bring Southwestern and Native cultures to life for all his readers.