Friday, August 19, 2011

My own personal web site

In addition to my blog, I have created a personal website called www.jim-melvin.com. I built it in WordPress with DirectNic as the host. Before I did this, I had never heard about WordPress and wasn't exactly certain what a host was. :) To say that this was a learning process is a bit of an understatement.

On the tech/geek scale of 1-10, I'm probably about a 6. There certainly are people a whole lot more clueless -- but I'm no wiz, either. It took me about twenty google searches to finally understand how to build the site, and even then I needed tech support from DirectNic several times

This is all in preparation, of course, for the launch of the series in August 2012. There already are a lot of plans in the works between myself and Bell Bridge Books in terms of marketing and exposure. I'm very excited. And I have high hopes that this time The Death Wizard Chronicles will really make an impact.

www.jim-melvin.com will be a place to make announcements and post updates, but it will not replace this blog. I will continue to post blog items here, and with much more frequency over the next several months. In many instances, I'll probably post items in both places.
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Synopsis

The Death Wizard Chronicles is a sexy, action-packed six-book epic fantasy series: Book One (The Pit), Book Two (Moon Goddess), 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.

-- An excerpt from the middle of Book One can be found below.

About Me

My Photo
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 also worked at the Greenville News. I am married with five daughters.

The author

The author
Jim Melvin, 54, a veteran journalist, debuts as novelist.

Excerpt from The Pit

This time there were no dreams. When he opened his eyes the ruins of Dukkhatu were sprawled before him. The spider lay on her back, pierced in many places by prickly black rocks. Her hideous legs quivered, and a wet, whistling sound came from her mouth. Torg tore a chunk of obsidian from the ground, climbed onto the spider's exposed belly, and stabbed the stone into her hide, perforating her long, tubular heart. Dukkhatu let out a final, ear-shattering scream -- and went still. But the wizard didn't stop. He drove the stone into her again and again, punching huge holes in her carcass.

Her body shredded and tore apart.

Her entrails splashed in his face. But he didn't care.

Hate and despair drove his madness. When he no longer had the strength to lift his arm, Torg collapsed face-first in Dukkhatu's gore.

The wizard didn't remember standing. But at some point, he did. Then he wandered -- naked and shivering -- through and around the crumbled stone ... staggering, falling, crawling.

Tears rinsed a little of the filth from his face, but his broken body reeked of the spider's stink.

Heaps of razor-sharp obsidian were scattered among the jumble of smoother stones, as if planted there with tiny black seeds. It took all of Torg's remaining will not to grasp another shard and drive it into his own heart, ending the pain.

His life had become nothing but pain. Why breathe any longer? His endurance was gone, his hopes destroyed. Who could blame him for giving up? Not even Tathagata could ask any more of him.

What did it matter ... anyway? All things were impermanent -- he, certainly, as much as anything else. The time of his ending had come. A future lifetime beckoned.

Perhaps he would live it in a better place than this.