Getting to know: Cometan
by Northern Life
What were you doing at 19? Going out and partying? Playing video games? Or were you setting up a business and writing a novel? Well that’s exactly what Cometan has been doing. A British author, entrepreneur, diarist and aspiring philosopher and composer, Cometan is the founder of The People’s Constitutional Company of Jesse Millette – better known as simply The Jesse Millette Company.
“Think big. Then, think bigger”
Cometan
Born in Preston as Brandon Reece Taylor, Cometan grew up between two separated parents, seven siblings, two sets of grandparents and a whole host of cousins and other relatives. Feeling of a decidedly ‘unknown identity’, Cometan’s life changed forever when on the day of his fifteenth birthday, the idea came to him that he should make his own fictional mystery detective, and so Jesse Millette was born.
The initial concept for Jesse Millette consisted of the fictional character and his cousin, Harriet Millette, attending a function at their estranged family’s estate. While this story was not included in the series and the title remains unknown, it was the catalyst for The Original Jesse Millette series as well as various other mystery and non-mystery related series. Influenced by the Nancy Drew series and the Hardy Boys series, Cometan credits these books with having a huge influence over the general demeanor, themes and idyllic atmosphere present in the Jesse Millette books. Other works that Cometan credits as having influence over Jesse Millette are Vango by Timoethée de Fombelle and the Enid Blyton mystery books all of which he loved to read whilst growing up.
Cometan grew up in Preston and was born to Sean Taylor, a vending machine business owner and Louise Counsell, a hairdresser and salon owner. Prior to Cometan’s birth, his parents had enjoyed seven years together but in 2002, when Cometan was just four years old, the relationship imploded and this separation between his mother and father are said to have been the main reason for Cometan having Jesse Millette’s parents divorced. Cometan also states that he was in a state of emotional contention throughout the separation of his parents, particularly when they found new partners, and that it was Jesse Millette that finally allowed Cometan to come to terms with his family life.
Growing up, Cometan’s grandparents played a large role in his upbringing. He spent many childhood weekends at his paternal grandparents, Derek and Irene Taylor’s house near Longmeanygate in Leyland. Derek and Irene who were highly religious took him to various Catholic churches along with his cousin, Thomas with whom Cometan shared a brotherly bond. Like many aspects of his life this seeped into his literary works and, the religiosity in Cometan’s early life went on to form the undertones of faith and religion in Jesse Millette.
“First, you must understand you are nothing. And from there, you can become something”
Cometan
Cometan enjoyed a rich and successful school life throughout his education. After attending St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Primary School, he then attended Brownedge St Mary’s Catholic High School where he embarked on a number of school trips which greatly influenced his career including a visit to Statford-Upon-Avon where he experienced his first Shakespeare play, and also a visit to Geneva, Switzerland to visit the United Nations headquarters and CERN. He also undertook numerous influential trips which undertaking his A Levels at the Cardinal Newman College in Preston including a trip to Los Angeles where he visited Hollywood movie sets, the New York Film Academy and the headquarters of Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers. Whilst at college, Cometan studied English Literature and Language, Media Studies and Geography and then at the age of eighteen, went on to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) where he chose to study Business and Marketing. It was during this time that he developed his ideas for Jesse Millette and began to develop and mature them beyond their initial conceptualisations.
He went on to work in a paid marketing and business-related role at Hoghton Tower, a fortified stately home, where he initially volunteered – a large step away from his first ever job assisting his mother in her salon, Eulocis, in Chorley! He frequently interacted with the de Houghton family including Sir Bernard and Lady Rosanna de Hoghton as well as their son and daughter. The first portrait of Cometan was actually taken by Thomas, de Hoghton’s son and Cometan was heavily involved in marketing the Tower and also creating greater relations between the Tower and his university, UCLAN. Once again, Cometan was inspired by the world around him and the rich architectural and ornamental features of the tower as well as its eerie and atmospheric character influenced his literary works.
“My dream is all have, and all I am”
Cometan
As well as being an author and entrepreneur, Cometan is also an aspiring composer. Like many of his cousins, he enjoyed years of piano lessons on his grandparents’ baby grand and this eventually culminated in him attending Heylings Music School in Chorley. Here he undertook examinations up to grade five as well as a grade four music theory qualification. Cometan’s interests then turned towards the composition of pieces, all while still under the tutorage of the Heylings Music School.
Cometan is also an open Freemason of the Lancaster City lodge, and although the details of his initiation into the fraternity and his interactions with the group are unknown, he is still one of the youngest Freemasons to ever join the fraternity. He first expressed interest at the age of seventeen and actually accepted to join a year later, aged eighteen.
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