Monday, December 10, 2007

Day six of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

Day Six finds me at The Writer's Life, hosted by the indomitable Dorothy Thompson. Here, I talk about how my main character, Torg, would fit into today's modern society. My answer might surprise you. Please check it out here.
epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, The Writer's Life

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi, Jim.

The publication schedule for the Death Wizard books is very tight. How long have you been working on them? Were all six books completed, at least in draft form, before you got a writing contract? It seems like a very ambitious project. I understand you were a newsman for many years, so were you moonlighting and writing novels? Lastly, are the Death Wizard books the first novels you've written?

Jim Melvin said...

Hey, Bryan:

Good questions, all. And I appreciate your interest and your very kinds words. Though The Death Wizard Chronicles has been a part of my imagination for more than 25 years, I didn't write the first page of Book One until September 2004. I'm now in the final revision process of Book Six. When I signed with Rain in March 2007, I was nearing the completion of the first draft of Book Five.

I was a journalist at the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times from 1978-2003. I wrote one novel when I was 20 years old (I'm 50 now), a horror novel called Sarah's Curse. (One reporter who recently interviewed me mistakenly called it Sarah's Purse ... ha!) It was shopped around by an agent but never published. But I wasn't overly concerned because I believed the second novel would be the one to hit it big. Only it took me a quarter-century before I wrote the second (and third through seventh) novel.

Synopsis

The Death Wizard Chronicles is a sexy, action-packed six-book epic fantasy series: Book One (Forged by Death), Book Two (Chained by Fear), Book Three (Eve of War), Book Four (World on Fire), Book Five (Sun God), Book Six (Death-Know).

The DW Chronicles is not for children and teenagers -- or the faint of heart. But if you like graphic fantasy that is bursting with excitement yet still has a lot going on between the lines, I think you'll love my series.

In a groundbreaking paradox, the Death Wizard, a champion of good, derives his power from a source traditionally seen as negative -- death. His nemesis, an evil sorcerer, derives his power from the sun, the benevolent source of all life. Their struggle to control the fate of the planet Triken will take your breath away.

In an original twist never before seen in this genre, the Death Wizard is able to enter the realm of death during a "temporary suicide." Through intense concentration, he stops his heartbeat and feeds on death energy, which provides him with an array of magical powers.

The series also is a love triangle involving two desperate characters attempting to come together despite the machinations of an all-powerful psychopath with incestuous cravings.

Graphic and action-packed, spanning a millennium of turmoil, The DW Chronicles carries readers on a journey they will never forget.

Do you fear death? The Death Wizard does not. Find out why.

-- Please go to www.jim-melvin.com for more details.

About Me

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Clemson, SC, United States
I was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but grew up in St. Petersburg, Fla. I graduated from the University of South Florida (Tampa) in 1979 with a B.A. in Journalism. I now live in South Carolina near the Blue Ridge Mountains, a pleasant setting for writing, to say the least. I was an award-winning journalist at the St. Petersburg Times for twenty-five years and I currently work at the Charlotte Observer. I am married with five daughters.

The author

The author
Jim Melvin, a veteran journalist, debuts as novelist.