The Death Wizard Chronicles

Got it all covered

2012-01-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

Talked cover ideas today with my editor. This is one of the fun parts, as you might imagine. We're going with original illustrations from an excellent artist. I'm very excited.

The editing process for each book is going to be extensive. Which of course is great. I look forward to it.

I'm hoping to debut the series at this year's DragonCon in Atlanta. Should be a blast. Only about seven months away from opening day.

Can't wait!

August 2012

2012-01-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

I'm in the void right now, floating along at near light speed toward the life-giving planet I will call my new home.

The name of the planet?

August 2012.

That is when book 1 of The Death Wizard Chronicles will be released by Bell Bridge Books. Editing and cover considerations already are under way. But many light-years (at least it feels that way to this author) lie between now and then.

So I'm waiting. Waiting. In the void.

My plan is to again become active on this blog -- probably around May or so. I know this doesn't mean that thousands will return just because I've deigned to post again. It only means that I'll reawaken once I've reached the outskirts of the galaxy that is home to August 2012.

Some time over the next several months, three short prequels will be released by my publisher to advance the series. I guess I should consider these prequels to be outposts where I'll be refueling my starship. Maybe I can hit the bar while I'm there and hobnob with the natives. Until then ... I stare out the distant stars .....

And tap my foot.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

A timely novel worth checking out

2011-09-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

In the near future, a large weather satellite is going to crash into the Earth, spreading debris for 500 miles between Canada and South America. A good friend of mine, Chris Stevenson, has written a clever novel called Planet Janitor that is about shipmates who travel the galaxy cleaning up space junk. For fans of sci fi, it's a really fun book, and it's now on sale on Kindle for only $1.99. http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Janitor-Custodian-Stars-ebook/dp/B004IASH8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316221525&sr=1-1

My own personal web site

2011-08-19T16:35:00.002-04:00

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.

The Death Wizard Chronicles is back!

2011-07-19T23:23:00.001-04:00

My six-book epic fantasy series titled The Death Wizard Chronicles has been accepted for publication by Bell Bridge Books, an imprint of established fiction publisher BelleBooks. Book 1 is scheduled to be published in August 2012, with subsequent books coming out in relatively quick fashion. I could not be more pleased and excited. This is a dream come true for me in so, so many ways.

Newest novel will give you the creeps

2011-07-15T18:27:00.002-04:00

My latest novel, a scary, sexy ghost story called Dream House, is now available as an e-book. It is being distributed by Out of Bounds Press. Order it here.

Here is an excerpt:

Greg collapsed to his knees, and he was squeezing his right wrist with his left hand. His right index finger was pointing skyward, as if blaming the heavens for his unexpected predicament. I felt bile rising in my throat. The finger had become nothing but bare bone, yet somehow it still wriggled.

Greg was screaming, a high-pitched female scream, and then he looked at me with pleading eyes, as if begging me to make it all stop, to take it all back. I took out my cell phone and dialed 911, but when I held the phone to my ear it squealed so sharply I cast it away, and it plunked into the now broiling water. A small geyser followed, as if I had tossed a live hand grenade into the green muck.

I staggered toward Greg with tears in my eyes, and my legs felt heavy as sodden wood. Now he was bent over, his face between his knees but his finger still pointed straight out. Only now even the bone was dissolving, and it smoked like the end of a lit cigarette.

“What’s happening?” I said, sounding as pathetic as a little boy. But I seemed to have nothing else to offer. Then I saw Greg’s cell phone in a case attached to his belt, and I took it out and dialed 911 again. The same squealing, as loud as a siren, caused me to cast the phone down. Only this time the phone hit a root and shattered like glass on terrazzo.

Suddenly I felt the urge to run. I could make it back to my house in just a few minutes, call the police from there, and then wait at the house while they went to Greg’s rescue. Or I could even lead them to the opening in the trees and wait there. After all, I would only get in the way if I tried to help further. Leave it to the pros, right? But Greg was in serious trouble. Now he was puking. As terrified as I was, I had to do something.

I leaned over, grabbed his left bicep, and in a fit of super-crazed strength yanked the man to his feet. His face was pale, his eyes swollen and bloodshot. I’ve never seen anyone look quite so terrified. Perhaps my face mirrored his.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” I said. But it was as if I was shouting into hurricane-force winds that muffled the words.

Still, he seemed to hear me. He nodded weakly and then leaned toward the opening where we had entered the now-nightmarish cove. But as soon as he did that, something occurred that was more frightening than anything I had yet encountered, even dwarfing the face in the bathroom window. All the strength left my limbs, and I fell back on my rump and began to whimper. A pink-skinned arm, tiny yet impossibly strong, sprang from the green gook, and a hand the size of a baby’s somehow seized enough of Greg’s skinny ankle to pull him into the water.

In just a few seconds, he was dragged beneath the surface.

He pleaded with me before he went under.

“Help me!” he squealed.

Then he was gone.

Anyone out there looking for books 3 and 4?

2011-03-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

While my search for a new publisher continues, my series is currently out of print. However, there are a few copies here and there on Amazon, and I've noticed that books 1 and 2 continue to sell. However, there is only one copy of book 3 on Amazon, and it is way too expensive. So .... if there is anyone out there who has purchased 1 and 2 and would be interested in purchasing 3 and 4, please contact me at the jsmhimes email address at the very bottom of this page and I'm sure we will be able to work something out that is very affordable.

Who is this man?

2011-03-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

During the three years that it took me to write The Death Wizard Chronicles, I prided myself -- sort of, I guess -- on being the type of writer who focused on just one project at a time. When it came to DW, I started on page 1 and finished on page 2,800 or so, and never once wrote anything else of any significance -- not even a short story.

I knew many other writers who were not this way. Some of them had three or more novels going at once, and they would bounce back and forth between them depending on their moods. This always seemed kind of foreign to me. I preferred to focus on one thing at a time.

Fast forward to now ........ and I am currently working on rewrites on DW, on revisions on a horror novel, and on the first draft of a YA fantasy with a woman who lives in Japan. (And yes, she and her family survived the earthquake. :) )

So I guess I've switched camps, huh?

It's kind of fun, I have to admit.

Rewrite of The Pit

2011-01-22T16:26:00.003-05:00

I just returned from a week alone in a cabin in the mountains during which I did an entire rewrite of Book 1 of the series, entitled The Pit.

I removed most of the back story and introduced characters into Book 1 that previously had not appeared until Book 2.

Book 1 is now longer and more detailed, and it is very front-story driven. Instead of being about 70-30, it is now about 95-5. I replaced probably 60 pages of back story with about 100 pages of front story.

A new publisher has shown some interest in the rewrite. I'm hoping that this will result in a happy ending. Of course, there are no guarantees.

Being married with three of my five daughters still in the house, you can imagine how peaceful it was being by myself for such a long stretch. Of course I missed my family, and I did have some bouts of cabin fever, but overall it was a rewarding experience. I kept a log while I was there, and recorded that I worked on Book 1 for more than 60 hours in about 5 1/2 days of writing time. No world record, of course, but not bad.

Haunting development

2010-10-17T21:48:00.003-04:00

I continue to make progress on my ghost story. I've finished the first draft and am four-fifths of the way through the first revision. It's going to be relatively short -- probably no more than 85,000 words -- but it's very scary and also very sexy ... maybe too sexy. I'm still considering toning down the graphic aspects of the sex. A few scenes feel gratuitous. (But sometimes gratuituous sex is the most fun of all!)

I'm hoping to begin shopping the novel by early January. With The DW Chronicles still without a second publisher, it's going to be fun to have another player in the game.

DW will always be my masterpiece. I'll never write anything better, and hopefully it will one day get the credit it deserves, even if it is post-Jim Melvin. But like any writer who has failed to strike it rich, all I can do is keep writing.

And that's what I've done.

Pour little me

2010-08-20T23:52:00.003-04:00

It's raining tonight, really hard. An unexpected rain. I live in an area that's had below-average rainfall for several years now, so whenever it does rain -- no matter how frequently -- it's welcomed. I hope it keeps raining until after I go to bed. Is there anything better than falling asleep to the sound of rain?

I'm 66K into my horror novel. I feel like I've got about 20K to go to wrap it up. It's scary and sexy and wild. It'll be fun when it's finally finished. Maybe this one will hit it big -- and then carry The Death Wizard Chronicles along with it.

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in the mountains. It rained there too.

I so envy the people who can afford to just write.

Horns!

2010-07-04T23:48:00.003-04:00

I'm 120 pages into the ghost story. I can't seem to keep the sex out of it. What's wrong with me?

Back in the saddle

2010-06-04T21:24:00.007-04:00

I've begun work on a horror novel that I'm going to call The Bathroom Window. It's going to be a full-blown, sexy, supernatural ghost story that will be R-rated and really scary (at least I hope).

Right now, I'm 60 pages in -- and writing at a much slower pace than I did when I wrote The Death Wizard Chronicles. Back then, I was averaging about 45,000 words a month, and it's taken me a month to write 17,000. But heck, it feels good anyway.

I can't seem to get away from working some sex into my stories. DW has it too. I'm not sure how readers feel about this. "Sex sells" doesn't seem to apply as much to books as it does to movies -- unless an author is writing erotica. So I'm not sure if this is a strike against me or not.

I do have an idea for a young adult fantasy standalone, but can I write young adult for 500 pages? That remains to be seen.

Ants in my pants

2010-05-02T21:46:00.005-04:00

My house recently was invaded by these annoying little black ants. Under the baseboard they came. Up the side of the kitchen cabinet. All over the granite countertop, dining room table, cat food, etc. My equally black cat was especially annoyed. He'd find a squadron of them marching along my wood floor and swat away.

My wife doesn't like to kill anything. It upsets her to pull a carrot from the ground. She'll catch wasps, roaches and anything else that has found its way into our house in cups and cans and release them outside. Problem is, you can't do that with an army of tiny black ants, each about a fifth the size of a grain of rice.

Enter, me. Husband. A k a Ant Killer!

Okay, so she made me use an organic ant spray, which I squirted along the baseboard. Problem solved.

Nope.

A few feet down the baseboard, here they came again. Sprayed there. Half a day of relief. More ants. Sprayed again. Again. Again. Finally sprayed all along the outside of the house. Finally, no more ants.

How many did I kill/murder/slaughter? How many did I send to a writhing, hideous death? Many hundreds, at least. I am the Ant Killer!

Tonight, I was sitting out on my back deck. And what did I see? Little black ants crawling on the wooden planks. My right index finger -- the spray finger -- began to twitch. But I held off. For now.

Instead, I sat and watched the hummingbirds feed. Luxuriated in the warm breeze on my face. Drank a cold Corona with a lime. Admired my black cat as he bathed himself.

But the ants ... I watched them too. I see them. Do you?

My finger twitches even now.

Weighty issues

2010-04-24T21:22:00.003-04:00

I was very skinny when I was young. Between May when I graduated from ninth grade and September when I entered 10th, I grew 5 full inches in height -- from 5-7 to 6-0. Yet I didn't gain a pound of weight. At that point, I was 6-0 and weighed about 130 pounds. My pants were 27 waist, 34 inseam. I didn't surpass 150 pounds until my early 30s. And didn't surpass 170 until my early 40s.

I most certainly was one of those types who could eat anything and any amount at any time of day or night. The act of sucking on a straw caused me to lose weight as I drank a 1,000-calorie milkshake. My stomach was as big around as the straw.

However ...........................................................................................................

Metabolism finally caught up to me. Now I'm 190 and battling not to get bigger. My arms and legs are still relatively thin, but my stomach is no longer cooperating. Over the past 10 years ago, I finally have had to watch what I eat. And watch and watch.

And my pants are now 36 waist, 30 inseam. I understand the waist growing, but I don't quite get the inseam shrinking.

Now, 6-0 and 190 doesn't exactly make me a porker. But guys like me who gain weight only in their stomachs also end up gaining things like cholesterol and blood pressure and blood sugar.

So, we exercise. And we don't eat after dinner. And, my gawd, we don't get within a mile of a milkshake.

Colonoscopy: wanna talk?

2010-04-08T22:35:00.002-04:00

I'm 52.

I had a colonoscopy yesterday, just to make sure everything's okay. The day-before purging wasn't so much fun, but the actual event wasn't bad at all. Great drugs, at least. And pretty nurses (who winked at me afterward and handed me phone numbers crumpled up on scraps of paper).

One thing that amazed me about the entire thing was how many people I know who also have had the procedure. They came to me in droves, sharing all kinds of amazing stories about loopiness and toilet seats and polyps. (The more you say that word, the cooler it sounds.) It's almost like a cult! There are the Colonoscopers and the ... others.

My group is fascinating! The others? Well, they're just kind of b-o-r-i-n-g.

Any other Colonoscopers out there?

The one talent

2010-03-19T21:39:00.004-04:00

I recently was reading a poem by Steven Erikson (see post below) that had a simple yet provocative theme:

The painter must be mute
The sculptor deaf
Talents are passed out
Singly
As everyone knows
Oh let them dabble
We smile our indulgence
No end to our talent
For allowances
But talents are passed out
Singly
We permit you one
Worth lauding
The rest may do service
In servicable fashion
But greatness?
That is a title passed out
Singly
Don't be greedy
Over trying our indulgence
Permission
Belongs to us
Behind the makeshift wall --
The bricks of our
Reasonable scepticism.

This poem spoke to me. Each and every one of us is born with one talent that supercedes all of our other talents.

That's not to say that there aren't people out there who are multitalented. We see that all the time. Tiger Woods is multitalented. Cough.

Sorry, couldn't pass that up.

Anyway, when I really explored deeply into this concept, I found it to be fascinating. My guess is that some of us never truly uncover this superlative skill. It could be the woman who sounds so great singing in the shower could have bested Mariah Carey, had the cards fallen right for her. Or the dad who blew by all the neighbor kids in the race from the garbage can to the mailbox might have been able to blow by Usain Bolt.

For me, this is very clear. By far my best talent is writing epic fantasy. Nothing else comes close. I'm an average singer at best. I can't dance a lick (though I wish I could). There are third-graders who can outdraw me. And my best athletic endeavor ever has been bowling, though gawd knows I wish I could have been better at golf.

But I can do the epic fantasy thing. And you know what? I'd prefer to be a best-selling writer of epic fantasy than an actor, rock star, politician, sports great or anything else. Heck, I'd rather be a best-selling writer of epic fantasy than a pro golfer, and that's saying something.

I have the one talent.

But I also have enough talent left to dream.

Here comes the s-p+a*m

2010-03-07T18:26:00.002-05:00

After a couple of years with no spam at all, I'm starting to get a lot of it in my comments. So I've had to turn on comment moderation, which I normally find annoying in other blogs.

Is there anything that can be done about blog spam besides comment moderation?

Erikson: best of the best?

2010-02-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

I've just now begun to read Book Nine (Dust of Dreams) of Steven Erikson's magnificent Malazan Book of the Fallen series, and once again I'm transfixed.

Before starting Dust of Dreams, I recently finished reading, for the first time, Clive Barker's Imajica, and though Barker's work is grand in scope and quite excellent, it nonetheless pales in comparison to the Malazan series -- in all regards (IMO).

I have to say that I think Erikson's series has risen above all others in the epic fantasy genre. He has no peers. He has created the single greatest epic of our time.

An astounding work.

New direction for The DW Chronicles

2010-02-23T15:12:00.005-05:00

After a long and excellent relationship, my agent (Dr. Uwe Stender) and I have amicably agreed to part ways. We remain friends. Uwe is a class act, by any standard.

I am now actively seeking agent representation.

Where does epic fantasy stand?

2010-02-13T22:11:00.003-05:00

I often wonder what percentage of the reading population enjoys epic fantasy. When I first began my series, I felt confident that my favorite genre was quite popular among the general reading population. For the most part I still think this is true, but maybe fantasy isn't as popular as I thought. Or maybe its popularity is on a down cycle right now.

Any opinions on this?

Sweet and sour

2010-01-28T21:52:00.003-05:00

When I first lie down at night to go to sleep, I almost always envision that I'm huddled inside a small log cabin in the middle of the wilderness. Outside, a blizzard is raging. But the door to the cabin is locked and its windows are shuttered, and though I can hear the howling wind, it can't get to me. I'm safely tucked into a small, warm bed with plenty of blankets.

Somehow this contrast is comforting to me. All the bad stuff outside, all the good stuff inside. What good is warmth without cold? Comfort without discomfort? Safety without danger? The sweetest things are contrasted with the sourest. It's the way it has to be.

Sleep comes.

Followed by dreams.

The cabin is replaced by a slew of other images as raging as a blizzard.

The wind continues to howl, but this time it's inside.

The end of an error

2009-12-31T14:31:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm one of those who is happy as all hell to see the end of 2009.

Here's to 2010 being everything that 2009 was not!

Cheers!!!!

Dreaming and screaming

2009-12-23T21:43:00.005-05:00

I dreamt the other night that I was a deposed Roman emperor about to regain his power. As I strode from a tunnel into the main arena of a packed coliseum, tens of thousands cheered my return. It was explosively loud.

In response, I raised my arms toward the sky and howled.

Which I apparently did in real life, because I woke myself up while making an extremely weird whining sound. I also woke my wife up, though not all the way, so I couldn't have been making that much noise.

Then I fell back asleep and immediately had another weird dream. This time I dreamt that a co-worker of mine fell over and died of a heart attack. Ambulances came and took his body. As I was walking away from the scene of his death, I turned and saw his ghost walking alongside me. The ghost wore a maniacal grin. Again I howled. And again I woke myself up making the weird whining sound.

What's up with that? Whatever happened to good old-fashioned sex dreams?

Many mini thoughts ...

2009-12-16T21:27:00.004-05:00

* I have to admit that I'm one of those people who isn't particularly fond of Christmas. Certain things are okay: a sweet-smelling tree, lights in the holly trees in the front yard, Christmas music on the radio. But these few benefits are far outweighed by the negatives: the expense, the worry, one kid jealous of another, the never-enough syndrome, the big credit card bill in January. To be honest, I'm relieved when it's over.

* I am (was?) a big-time Tiger Woods fan. Few people have been more shocked than I've been over the scandal. I was one of the many who had bought into his mystique, and though even I had to admit that he was arrogant, I did not think Tiger capable of the kind of serial misbehavior that recently has come to light. Selfishly, I kept hoping that it would go away. By "selfishly," I mean that I wanted it to go away so that he could get back to winning majors. I love golf, but to me Tiger is (was?) golf. When he didn't play or was not contending, I lost interest. Now, do I lose interest for good?

* Germs are everywhere. My wife's sick. My daughters have been sick. My co-workers are sick. The cashiers at Wal-Mart are sick. Yet I've managed to not get sick in almost a year. How much longer can I hold out? I'm dreading that middle-of-the-night sore throat that starts it all.

* Wouldn't it be great if work-weeks were two days and weekends five days?

* At this very moment, I can hear a train that passes within a half-mile of my house. I so love that sound. It makes me want to curl up under a blanket and sleep. What is it about trains that cause that kind of feeling?

* Speaking of sleeping, I'm one of those people who must have some sort of fan going when I sleep. At the least, the ceiling fan needs to be on -- even in the dead of winter. It's part flowing air, part white noise. When my wife is out of town, I break out a factory-sized floor fan and blast it like a hurricane. Man, do I sleep well then. Meanwhile, my wife is one of those people who has to have the windows open -- even in the dead of winter. So we have a deal. Windows open, fan on. Both of us freeze our asses off when we get up in the morning.

* Two of my favorite Tiger jokes have been these: "Tiger has gone from chasing Jack Nicklaus to chasing Wilt Chamberlain." And: "Majors or mistresses?"

* I love my gas fireplaces, my electric heater in my master bathroom, my oversized bathtub in my master bathroom, and my tempur-pedic mattress.

* Is Christmas over yet?

Aging like a werewolf

2009-11-23T21:31:00.009-05:00

Age comes upon a person with relentless ferocity, churning ever forward.

This is not all bad. Getting older has its benefits. For one thing I've gotten smarter -- or at least it seems that way. For another I've gotten wiser -- ditto. In some ways I've gotten better looking -- double ditto.

It's not all good, either. Eventually of course, death comes -- sooner for some than others. But even for those of us lucky enough to hang around for a while, some weird things occur.

For instance it wasn't until about age 45 that I began to snore. Until then I was a quiet sleeper, and proud of it. Then one morning my wife mentioned that I had snored a little the night before. I remembered finding this amusing. The second time she told me also was funny. But the third, tenth, fiftieth became not the least big funny, because I had no desire to ruin her sleep anymore than my own. And make no mistake: snoring wrecks it for both of you. My wife is kept awake by the noise, and I'm kept awake by my wife shaking my shoulder and saying, "Jim, you're snoring ... Jim, you're snoring ..." while I groggily respond, "Huh? What? ... Huh? What? ..."

The weirdest thing about snoring is how the snorer doesn't have a clue. I can be lying there making enough noise to terrify a nearby werewolf, and yet I'm blissfully unaware of it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm as silent as a baby.

After my wife has woken me up a couple of times, I then enter into a sort of half-sleep in which I'm fighting not to fall back all the way, which will bring on the inevitable snoring again. I figure that if I can stay awake long enough for her to fall asleep, then maybe I can sneak off after that and not disturb her.

Oh well, what can you do? Age is that way.

Let's not even get into balding, pot bellies, and hair on my ears.

The good news is I don't have that one problem that comes with age! Fit as a fiddle there -- triple ditto. :)

The Name of the Wind is terrific

2009-11-20T20:43:00.003-05:00

One of the best books I've read lately is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. This book is extremely well written and conceived. Certain aspects of the plot, character, and setting aren't exactly to my liking. I prefer a larger dose of monsters and magic. But The Name of the Wind's overall excellence overcomes any shortcomings. I'm looking forward to book 2.

To be young again

2009-08-09T20:45:00.003-04:00

Ah, how time flies. This is me, 31 years ago.

See below for what I look like now.

What's in a name?

2009-07-24T21:46:00.006-04:00

On Aug. 26, 1957 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., James Sheldon Fuller entered the world. Quickly, I became known as Jimmy. And I had a lot of energy. Whenever I started to do something reckless, my mom would say to me, "Why would you want to do that, Jimmy?"

When I was in second grade, my parents divorced -- and my mom remarried. Mr. Melvin became my step-dad, and my real dad, Mr. Fuller, sort of stepped out of the picture. Even though I was never legally adopted, I assumed the name Melvin. I became Jimmy Melvin. But my step-dad liked the name James, so I became James Melvin. At the time, I agreed that James was cool.

When I entered high school, I decided that James was no longer cool. And so I became Jim, which I remain to this day. I was able to obtain my driver's license under the last name Melvin by getting a note from my high school principal, and I grew into adulthood/credit cards/student loans/mortages by using my Melvin driver's license. (This was all legal, so don't freak.) I even got a passport under the name Melvin by filling out some long-winded forms.

And so, I am Mr. Melvin to this day.

Do I prefer Melvin over Fuller? No. Do I prefer Fuller over Melvin? No. For whatever reasons, I grew into the kind of adult who doesn't give much credence to names. I judge people, including myself, by their behavior. My behavior has been great in some ways, terrible in others. Like most people, I would assume.

Before my mom died, she and the rest of my family took a driving trip to the mountains, and we rented a white van to hold us all. The van didn't handle well, especially on inclines, and at one point I was faced with driving up a very steep hill. My sister was in the passenger seat, and I turned to her and asked her if I should attempt it. And from way in the back of the van, I heard my mom's high-pitched voice say, "Why would you want to do that, Jimmy?"

I laughed until I cried. At that moment, at least, I was still Jimmy.

But above all, I was still me -- great and terrible.

I drove up the hill. And we went on our way.

Many mini thoughts ...

2009-07-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

* Sure would have been nice to see Tom Watson win the British Open. Once Tiger's out of a tournament, I usually lose interest. But Watson brought back my enthusiasm. The guy's 8 years older than I am -- and about 50 strokes better on the golf course. I was proud of him.

* My Honda CRV is doing some weird things lately. Mainly, it tends to not want to start, as if the battery's gone dead, and I'll turn the key and turn the key ... and suddenly it will rev up as if nothing's wrong at all. It has 140K on it. In the old days, I already would have traded it in. But having no car payment means more than ever, doesn't it? By the way, what's the best hybrid out there right now?

* I really wish it would rain more around here. Rain can be a pain sometimes, but when it goes day upon day without raining, that's really disheartening. Plus, it seems to rain everywhere else but on top of my house. Who doesn't enjoy sleeping with the windows open when it's raining? Even thunder can be soothing. Anybody know any good dances?

* The best movie I've seen in a long time is Dark Knights. I recently rented it and watched it for the first time. Heath Ledger was even better than advertised.

* Does anybody remember Cop Rock from the early 1990s? I've been watching songs on You Tube. I'm one of the few people who seemed to love that show and its music.

* My wife bought me a massage chair for Father's Day. One of the best gifts she's ever given me. I'm using it right now. Gawd, I could get a massage twice a day and not get sick of it. I also adore back scratches. It always amazes me how few people like back scratches or have even given them much thought.

* Bottled water or tap water? I prefer the taste of bottled water. But am I just being bamboozled?

* Sunrise or sunset? I'm a sunset guy.

Do you find this amusing?

2009-06-27T23:27:00.003-04:00

Today, my wife and I took my three youngest daughters to Carowinds, a Disneyworld wannabee near Charlotte, N.C. Soon after arriving, we waited 45 minutes in 100-degree heat to get on the Rip Roarin' Rapids, only to have the ride shut down about 20 people from our turn to get on.

Later, we bought and shared two seafood platters at $12.99 apiece, six bottled waters at $3.75 apiece ($4.06 after taxes), and six Diet Cokes at the same price. We tried to buy two margaritas at $7.49 apiece, but they couldn't sell them to my wife and I because they had no one working the cash registers who was 21 or older. Overall, we spent more than $100 on food and drink and were still hungry. And I can tell you, it's not because we're pigs.

I actually enjoyed the hokey ice skating show, but only because the theater was air conditioned. Anything with either air conditioning or shade was awesome.

Overall cost: just shy of $300, not including gas. And there was nothing priceless about it.

Ironically, we all were in great moods on the ride home, simply because we were riding home (and my Honda CRV has great air conditioning).

As you can tell, we're just not amusement park people.

Flashes of brilliance

2009-06-13T21:51:00.003-04:00

What is it about fireflies that is so fascinating? For me, there's almost a supernatural allure. The way they come and go, flashes of temporary brilliance, unplanned, unpredictable.

Though I was born in New York, I spent most of my life in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico, where there are no fireflies. Since I've been in South Carolina the past few years, I've been reintroduced. They never cease to amaze me.

My daughters love them too. They chase them down and capture them in glass jars. I only allow them to imprison the fireflies for a minute or so before letting them go.

As if mere glass could contain them.

Aren't I special?

2009-05-30T21:41:00.002-04:00

Things I'm really good at:

* Independently twitching my eyebrows.
* Whistling.
* Thumb wrestling.
* Kissing.
* Cooking.
* Taking care of my teeth.
* Driving a car.

Things I'm pretty good at:

* Bowling.
* Shooting wadded-up paper into trash cans.
* Giving advice.
* Being polite.
* Listening.
* Maintaining an exercise routine.
* Swimming underwater.

Things I'm okay at:

* Singing.
* Ironing.
* Mingling at parties.
* Making the bed.
* Keeping in touch with my loved ones.
* Drinking in moderation.
* Avoiding road rage.

Things I'm terrible at:

* Touching my toes.
* Dancing.
* Remembering things.
* Keeping sports in perspective.
* Keeping quiet while someone else drives.
* Not getting depressed at the end of a vacation.
* Being a good person all of the time.

Boo!

2009-05-20T20:42:00.003-04:00

I have at least one mischievous side to my personality. It cracks me up when someone is startled. For the most part, I have grown out of sneaking up on someone and outright scaring them, but if I innocently walk up to someone and startle them, I will chuckle over it long after I should ... sometimes even the next day or the day after.

I don't watch much TV, but occasionally I watch The Dog Whisperer, and it never ceases to crack me up when the dogs freak out while being admonished by Cesar. When mockingbirds dive-bomb cats, I laugh. When turtles withdraw into their shells, I giggle. I still chuckle over a time when I went on the rollercoaster Space Mountain at Disney World, and an elderly woman in front of me screamed at her husband the entire ride: "Henry, oh, Hennnnnry!"

I'm not sure what this is about. I sincerely do not wish anyone harm. But when someone is startled, it cracks me up. It's an immature weakness, but I can't deny it.

Bring on the rain

2009-05-17T20:13:00.005-04:00

It's been raining here all day. Strong, steady rain. Upstate South Carolina has been in a drought for several years now, but it's easing ... and the easing is beautiful and tender.

Life is so dynamic ... yet impermanent. All living beings are barreling toward death like a train with no brakes. We churn past beautiful countrysides, all on the same bittersweet ride. What can you or I do but ride along with everyone else?

I remember walking into a room at a Hospice center knowing that my mom had just recently died. I had left her for a few hours to go home for some sleep and a shower, fully expecting that she'd still be breathing when I returned. My mom was an unusual person, lazy but nonjudgmental, drunken but artistic. Her dead body shocked me. In front of several Hospice nurses, I cried out, "Oh, mom!" It was all I could say. Otherwise, I just cried. For her. For me. For us all. Have we not all cried this way?

Bring on the rain.

Blockhead

2009-05-11T21:55:00.004-04:00

I've never been the type who has suffered from writer's block. I've had occasional writer's slowdown, but never the complete block. I've always figured that if I can write just one sentence, then I can write another, and another, and so on. And it's always worked.

But when it comes to this blog, I've got writer's block. There are few things less interesting than a dead blog, but that's what has happened to this one, which I suppose is appropriate for a blog with Death in the title.

My excuse is that my search for a new publisher has taken the wind out of my sails. And to be honest, this is one of those rare cases where the excuse is legitimate. I just can't seem to get fired up about it anymore. If/when the great news finally occurs, I think I will be rejuvenated in a big way. It'll be as if I've discovered a bottle of blue pills that pumps up my fingertips rather than my you know what.

I have most definitely grown to admire people who can sustain a blog for months and months and even years. There's a discipline there that is quite impressive.

From beginning to end

2009-03-30T22:10:00.002-04:00

While waiting to (hopefully) hear great news from a large publisher, I have spent the last few months doing another full edit on my six-book series. Though I revised each book in the series about a dozen times, this was the first and only time that I have done a revision from the start of book 1 until the end of book 6, as opposed to one book at a time. This was very helpful to me, and I made a lot of nice changes and even a couple of crucial catches.

Also, in this last edit I approached the series more as a reader than as the writer, and I found myself enjoying the process. Overall, I reaffirmed my confidence in the series and was quite proud of the final result. There's nothing wrong with patting yourself on the back, especially in the privacy of your own mind.

Now, I've decided to take on a couple of short stories. This should help take my mind off the waiting.

Anything to take my mind off the waiting!!!

Thoughts ...

2009-03-03T23:09:00.007-05:00

Things I really like:

* Our new president.
* The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
* People who are able to accept the beliefs of others.
* Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
* The tickle of inhalations and exhalations on the tip of my nostrils.
* The last sentence of a really good book.
* Diversity.
* Beautiful landscapes.
* Did I mention our new president?

Things I really don't like:

* Rush Limbaugh.
* The Dallas Cowboys.
* People who feel their religion is the only religion.
* Any other kind of mattress.
* Lack of awareness.
* The first sentence of a really bad book.
* Lack of diversity.
* Beer cans swarming with ants.
* Take a hike, Rush. (Okay, so I'm failing on the "beliefs of others" bit.)

Here and there

2008-10-06T22:36:00.004-04:00

In the immortal words of a former colleague of mine ...

Many mini thoughts ...

The large publisher considering my series still hasn't responded, which probably isn't a good sign. I feel like someone trying to sell a house that you know is well-designed and in great condition but that no one can afford to buy.

The other night, I got got carded while buying a six-pack of beer. I'm 51. Before showing the cashier my ID, I asked her how old she thought I was. She said 32. My oldest daughter is 25.

Is it just me, or can Nov. 4 come not a moment too soon? That is going to be a sweet night. Go Obama!

Speaking of young looking, my youthful Tampa Bay Rays are in the ALCS. I am so proud of that team. The last time I was at Tropicana Field was in 2003. I left the game in the fifth inning with the then-Devil Rays losing big. And while walking through the concourse, I heard a roar and then a thumping sound. Hopping down the stairs was a shiny white baseball, and it jumped right into my hand. Turns out, it was a home run hit by Rocco Baldelli that had flown into one of the exits and bounced down into the concourse. The ball is autographed and on my mantel right now.

Ever since buying an extremely expensive Tempur-Pedic mattress, I have had zero lower back pain. This comes on top of having had lower back pain for most of my adult life. Awesome.

Since starting my job at the Greenville (S.C.) News five months ago, I haven't written a single word of fiction. But the News' online site, which I help to run, has set three consecutive months of record traffic.

I'm watching Saturday Night Live again after years of paying it no attention. My guess is, you know why.

I have an obsession with Diet Coke, but only between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Otherwise, I only drink water, orange juice, and light beer.

I have a best friend who is a born-again Christian, conservative Republican, and a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. I am none of these things. Yet the friendship remains.

I am such a fanatic about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I cannot watch the games live. Instead, I record the games and watch them only if the Bucs win. I even put a towel over the TV so that I can't sneak a peek as I walk by. My family knows better than to mess with that towel.

Did I mention that I haven't written a word of fiction in five months? Man, do I miss it.

Picking up the pieces

2008-04-04T21:37:00.006-04:00

It's Day seven or so of post-Rain, and I still find myself depressed over it. I had gotten more used to the idea of being a published novelist with active books on the table than I had realized. Now I feel as if I'm starting from scratch, which I guess I am.

Still, I'm in better shape than many. My agent has agreed to begin resubmissions, despite having had nothing to do with my signing with Rain. So in the long run, I might well end up with a larger house, anyway. But in publishing parlance, "long run" means 12-36 months ... or more. Sigh.

I started Book One of my six-book series in September 2003 and finished Book Six (including revisions) in January 2008. All those months in between, I wrote virtually seven days a week. It became a very large part of how I defined myself. Since the Rain collapse, I find myself unable to write. So I guess that for a time, at least, I am redefining myself.

During the time period that I wrote the series, I was not working, except to play the role of house-husband with three young children. But as of April 14, I am rejoining the workforce as multimedia editor of the Greenville (S.C.) News. It's going to be an exciting but demanding job that will require a huge portion of my creative juices, if I'm to do it justice. Will I have any juices left to write another novel? I have a great idea for a very scary ghost story. So we'll see.

In the living vicariously department, my good friend Dave Scheiber's co-written book entitled Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob is doing extremely well. Bob Delaney, the undercover police officer turned NBA ref who is the subject of the book, hit a grand slam today on the Jim Rome show. You can hear this amazing interview here.

Covert is a big-time book that is close enough to best-seller status to taste. Maybe the appearance on Rome's show, which attracts more than 2-million listeners per week, will push Covert over the top. I certainly hope so.

One-year anniversary of my blog

2008-03-23T21:08:00.005-04:00

One year ago today, I created this blog and wrote the first item. Here it is, in its entirety:

Coming Sept. 2007: Book One, The Pit

This is my first-ever posting. I recently signed a contract with Rain Publishing Inc., to publish my six-book epic fantasy series, The Death Wizard Chronicles. Book One, entitled The Pit, will debut September 2007, followed by one book a month after that until February 2008.

You've heard this many times, I'm sure, but for me this is the culmination of a lifelong dream. Now comes the business of getting people like you to read my series. In future blogs, I'll publish details on when and how to buy!

The DW Chronicles is not for children and teenagers -- or the faint of heart. But if you like graphic fantasy that crackles 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 briefly 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 millenium 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.

So ...... what has changed between then and now?

* My blog has received 8,774 hits. This is no world record, of course. Some blogs receive more hits than that in a single day. But it's not terrible, either.

* Four of my six books are in print, with book five due to come out within two weeks and book six not long after that.

* There have been festivals; conventions; book signings; reviews; video, audio, and print interviews; and a virtual tour of the blogosphere, among other promotional events.

* I've received hundreds of emails, comments, and words of encouragement from pleased readers.

* I've met a lot of writers and readers, both in-person and online.

But I have to be honest. Despite all this, sales have been disappointing. The bottom line is, you can market until your head falls off, and if you're not either a) a big name, or b) with a mega-publisher, then the odds of achieving large sales are heavily against you.

My publisher has tried real hard. I've tried real hard. And neither of us has any plans of not continuing to try real hard. In so many ways, this series deserves better. But in the immortal words of Clint Eastwood: "Deserve's got nothing to do with it."

To any and all of you who have purchased any or all of my books, I offer my most sincere appreciation. It means the world to me, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

It's still early. It's not over yet. Rain and I have a lot of fight left. We believe in The Death Wizard Chronicles. In our opinion, it ranks with the best epic fantasy available anywhere from anybody.

But convincing the masses ain't easy, I can tell you that. Come on, Clint ... doesn't deserve count for something?

You live, you learn

2008-03-20T23:21:00.002-04:00

Things I find comforting:

* Train whistles.
* Warm blankets.
* Good-natured laughter.
* Purring cats.
* Long back scratches.

Things I find disturbing:

* Smokers.
* Rude teenagers.
* Ultra-conservatives.
* Bad tippers.
* People who litter.

Meme time

2008-03-15T20:15:00.003-04:00

Michael Southard, editor of the popular online fantasy magazine Tower of Light, tagged me with this meme.

1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences and write them down.
4. Invite five friends to do the same.

I chose Chris Stevenson's Once Upon a Goddess.

"Mason went to his bungalow and found Augustus and Felicity seated on the edge of the bed, engrossed with a wrestling Smack Down event. The volume had been turned up unusually high and when Mason glanced around he saw that the furniture had been upended,m and the pillows and bedspread had been flung about. A decorative planter had broken and lay on the floor along with a spray of fertilizer and shards. Augustus had a sleeve missing from his shirt. He and Felicity looked winded."

Okay, I'll tag ... well, Chris.

Book review: The New Feminized Majority

2008-03-14T22:43:00.003-04:00

Book Review by Jim Melvin
The New Feminized Majority
By Katherine Adams and Charles Derber
2008 Paradigm Publishers

In one of the most super-charged election years in our nation’s history, along comes a book that will stir up the pot even more.

The New Feminized Majority pulls no punches in its assertions that the “Democratic party can lead America for decades” by embracing the “feminized majority.” Suppressed for most of our nation’s history by male-dominated conservatism, this visionary social movement is on the verge of rocking the political landscape.

Made up mostly of women but also of millions of men, the “feminized majority” represents an “increasingly robust majority of voters in this country who are prepared to support a progressive politics of social justice.” This fundamental shift from masculinized values (competitiveness, aggression, individualism, violence as a tool to solve problems) to feminized values (cooperation, empathy, appreciation for equality, nonviolent solutions to conflicts) will help “transform the country and the world, making a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable planet.”

This is not a book that will convert Evangelical conservatives — or virtually anyone who leans well to the right. In fact, they probably could not read past the first few pages without angrily tossing The New Feminized Majority into the nearest fireplace. But liberals, centrists, and even moderate conservatives will discover a treasure trove of information within these pages. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an enlightening one — as well as being topically cutting edge.

According to the authors, the feminized majority’s rise to power will be tantamount to a second American Revolution. The key to this vitally important uprising will lie in the hands of the Democrats — namely Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. By embracing a strategy based on feminized values, the Democratic Party can return to power not just this year, but for the foreseeable future. And if this happens, the United States — and the world — will have much to celebrate.

The New Feminized Majority was printed on recycled paper. Does this please you? If so, then this book probably will please you, too. How smart do you have to be to care for the environment? To be anti-violence? To want to advance the rights of women and minorities? To desire equality and peace in the world?

How smart do you have to be?

Smart enough to read this book.

Smart enough to agree with it.

I need a big favor

2008-03-11T20:20:00.000-04:00

Writers always are asking favors of their readers. I'm no exception. To anyone who has purchased any of Books 1-4 on Amazon, would you please leave a reader comment, if you haven't already? This adds a ton to credibility.

Be honest -- in both directions. If you love it, please say so. If you see flaws, feel free to expose them.

Karma is a powerful force. Doing good things for people pays dividends. This would be a good thing ... a very good thing ... for me.

Megacon was Megafun

2008-03-10T17:55:00.005-04:00

I'm back from Megacon in Orlando. I've done a book festival and a bunch of other personal appearances, but this was my first-ever comics conference. Overall, it went pretty well. I sold 51 books and talked face-to-face to at least 300 people. To any of you who met me in Orlando and/or bought one of my books, thanks so much for your support. It was a lot of fun! And most of you had some very interesting things to say.

I'm not sure of the totals, but I would guess that at least 15,000 people attended the con over the three-day period. There were hundreds of exhibitors selling everything from bookmarks to authentic swords. I saw a variety of mind-blowing costumes and outfits. Needless to say, the "people-watching" was A+++. It sure made the hours pass fast. Just about everyone seemed to know everyone else, and most everyone was younger than I am. But they were friendly and seemed in fantastic moods.

I enjoyed the entire experience.

Please come to visit at the Megacon in Orlando

2008-03-06T20:58:00.002-05:00

To anyone who lives in Orlando and/or Central Florida, I will be at the Megacon in Orlando selling heavily discounted copies of Books 1-4 starting Friday March 7 (noon-7) and also on Saturday (10 a.m.-6) and Sunday (10 a.m.-5). I'd be thrilled if you came by to visit. The event is being held at the Orange County Convention Center (The North/South Building) on International Drive.

Makes you wonder

2008-02-27T23:17:00.003-05:00

Here's an interesting stat. Sharks killed one human in 2007, while humans killed 38-million sharks.

Here's another one: There are at least 500-billion galaxies in the universe. And many of these galaxies contain billions of stars. Which translates to trillions of planets. Which translates to a heck of a lot of intelligent life, in my book.

The time it takes light (at 186,000 miles per second) to travel from our sun to the nearest star is approximately the same time it would take an ant to walk from Tampa Bay, Fla., to Seattle. Yet there are 40-billion suns in our Milky Way galaxy.

How about: Americans buy 2.7 billion packages of breakfast cereal each year. If laid end to end, the empty cereal boxes from one year's consumption would stretch to the moon and back. Is there enough milk for all that?

The kind of emails that keep you going

2008-02-27T14:05:00.002-05:00

Dear Jim,

The third book (which I have already finished) in your six-part series is by far one of the best books I've read, as are the first two. I am almost powerless to put your books down; that's how much I enjoy them. ... I cannot wait to read the rest and undoubtedly will regret when there are no more books. It is exciting and fun to read your books. I am impressed at how fluidly you combine every characters' point of view into the books, and this only adds to the excitement and adventure of the Chronicles.

From,

Alex Evans
Tenafly, N.J.

Top 100 in fantasy

2008-02-23T20:40:00.003-05:00

Amazon numbers are as thrilling and as scary as a roller coaster. But this Saturday night, the first four books of my series simultaneously were ranked in the top 100 among fantasy books, with Moon Goddess going as low as No. 38. Thanks to any and all readers who've purchased my books online. You can't imagine how much it means to a debut author.

In other news, I recently added excerpts for all four books to my excerpt blog. Please check it out here.

epic fantasy, Death Wizard, Stephen Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Steven Erikson

You either love fantasy or you don't

2008-02-22T16:53:00.003-05:00

I once was at a book-signing and attempted to strike up a conversation with a customer who had entered the bookstore.

"Do you like epic fantasy?" I said.

"I gave that up in seventh grade, buddy," he said with a sneer. Then he strode away toward the historical fiction department, quite proud of himself for putting me in my childish place.

From my experience, only about one in five adults enjoy reading epic fantasy. The 20 percent who do are rabid about it. But the 80 percent who don't seem to view epic fantasy as little more than kids stuff.

I remember once describing my work to someone at a party, and I emphasized that a lot of my series is adult in nature, equivalent to an R-rated movie that is borderline X. Not fifteen minutes later, I heard that same person telling someone else that I write "Harry Potter stories."

Not that there's anything wrong with "Harry Potter stories," but you get my gist.

So I've been asking myself, why do I enjoy reading and writing epic fantasy so much? Am I just a kid at heart? It doesn't feel that way to me. A lot of the epic fantasy out there right now is fiction at its highest levels -- and is certainly sophisticated enough to entertain adults.

Obviously, my childhood had a lot to do with my love for the genre. The ideas for my series literally were a lifetime in developing. I grew up on the waterfront in Florida and was lucky to have about ten other boys my age all living on the same street. We hung out morning, noon and night, playing all the usual sports that young boys adore. But we also were obsessed with fantastical games that contained super powers and super heroes. Rather than “grow out of it,” my love for magic and monsters stayed with me into adulthood.

The historical fiction department has some great books, I know, but whenever I grab a cup of coffee and wander through a bookstore, you'll know where to find me. Heck, I gave up historical fiction in the seventh grade.

Cast of a lifetime

2008-02-16T22:19:00.002-05:00

I think it's safe to say that all readers create images in their minds of their favorite characters. That's why some movies based on books can be such disappointments, because the actor just doesn't match what the reader envisioned during his or her reading. Just for fun, above are the faces I have envisioned for some of my characters while writing this series. I hope this doesn't ruin anything for those of you who are reading the series now. If you have other ideas for Torg or whomever, please let me know!
Torg: Adrian Paul (with long hair)
Laylah: Claire Forlani (with blond hair)
Invictus: Orlando Bloom (with long blond hair)
Vedana: Susan Sarandon (with wild hair and a lot of crazy makeup)
Rathburt: Tim Robbins (with long black hair)
Sobhana: Eva Longoria (just right)
Chieftain Kusala: Gerard Butler (he's perfect)
King Henepola: Samuel Jackson (another perfect match)
Queen Rajinii: Tilda Swinton (awesome for this role)
epic fantasy, Death Wizard, Stephen Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Rain Publishing Inc., Adrian Paul, Claire Forlani, Orlando Bloom, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Eva Longoria, Gerard Butler, Samuel Jackson, Tilda Swinton

Another fun interview

2008-02-16T21:54:00.001-05:00

If you get a chance, please check out this interview in the February newsletter of Literary Mary.

Starting in March: a free giveaway

2008-02-09T21:17:00.001-05:00

Rain Publishing Inc. will be sponsoring a monthly contest for my series and for the rest of its authors starting in March. One copy of Book One (The Pit) will be given away by Rain in March, and Books Two-Six in April-August, respectively. To win a free copy (including shipping) of The Pit, all you'll need to do is correctly answer a question based on one of my blog items. There'll be no purchase necessary. Details to come!

epic fantasy, Death Wizard, Stephen Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Rain Publishing Inc.

A moment of reflection

2008-02-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago, I finished the final revision on Book Six of my series. All told, it took me 40 months to write 700,000 words.

As is typical of things like this, the reality didn't live up to the long-imagined hype. I didn't leap from my chair and start jumping around in a fit of frenzy. Instead, I simply let out a long sigh. Bestselling fantasy author Stephen Donaldson often says (and I'm paraphrasing) that books are never really finished. They just sort of fritter away until there finally comes a time when you don't find yourself working on them anymore. In today's age of online marketing, truer words have never been spoken.

I still have to go through the editing process of books 5 and 6, plus look over galleys, etc. So there's a long way to go before my frittering is done. But there's no denying that I reached a milestone in mid-January that few people ever achieve. The series is written, from beginning to end, and I'm plenty proud of it. In my opinion, it's some of the best and most sophisticated fantasy of the past five years, at any level. Of course, that's only my opinion. The readers must decide for themselves.

Thus far, the quality of the reaction has been superb. It's the quantity that needs a little work.

So to any of you who have ever accomplished a large task -- whether writing a book or anything else -- please raise a glass with me.

And whisper ...

Cheers.

epic fantasy, Death Wizard, Stephen Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Steven Erikson

After all these years, the flu finally gets me

2008-02-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

I'm one of those guys who prides himself on rarely if ever getting sick, at least to the point that it has any kind of effect on my daily life. But I'll be darned if the latest strain of the flu didn't get me yesterday afternoon. And man, is it nasty! I'm sure a lot of you out there can relate.

I had a terrible night last night. The Tylenol cough and could medicine I took barely made a dent, and I had some of the weirdest dreams known to humankind. One dream, which lasted about six hours, involved hundreds of people lining up with a "flu form" and asking me to sign it. When I did, they instantly were cured. But no one would bring me a flu form. In another hourslong dream, hundreds of people brought me balloons and flowers, to the point that my room filled up so much that I could barely breathe.

I slept from 8 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. on my wonderful Tempur-Pedic mattress (it's the only thing that made the experience even halfway bearable), then got up and staggered around the rest of the day, though I did manage to pick up my three youngest daughters from school.

I'm hearing that this thing goes on for a while? Sigh.

And my wife and youngest daughter, who don't have it yet, are headed to Wash. D.C. for a big gymnastics meet this coming Thursday. Could the timing be any worse?

The whole thing makes my head hurt. And I'm one of those guys who prides himself on never having headaches.

A real stretch

2008-01-25T22:32:00.001-05:00

When I was in middle school in the early 1970s (we called it junior high), I was a fast runner. I weighed about 80 pounds, and I could run so fast I almost disappeared. Okay, so I almost disappeared even when I wasn't running.

Anyway, in eighth grade, over the course of about two weeks I blew out both my hamstrings while running the junior high version of track. Back then, there was no such thing as MRI's. If you hurt yourself, you limped around for awhile until it healed. In my case, it healed fine -- except for one annoying problem. My hamstrings seemed to shorten, which severely reduced my flexibility. Since then, I have not been able to touch my toes with my knees locked, and it is uncomfortable for me to sit on the floor for any length of time. The lotus position? Forget it. Frequent lower back pain? Yes, dammit. Does stretching help? Not as much as it should.

Am I capable of doing a split? Don't make me laugh. If you ever found me in a split position, I would also have to be dead.

However ...................... my youngest daughter, Lia (above), is sort of the anti-Jim Melvin, at least in terms of flexibility. When I lie on my back, lock my right knee, and raise my leg, I can barely achieve a perpendicular position. Lia, on the other hand, can bend her leg back so far that she could easily kiss her own toes. In fact, she could kiss her own heel. Or calf.

Lia can do a split as easily as I can cross my fingers. She also, in a very short time, has become an extremely good gymnast. In fact, at 8 years old, she is better as a gymnast than I have been at any sport in my life. She can do flips and twist and leaps and jumps that would cause an ordinary mortal to scream in terror.

But there's one problem: the judging. No matter how well she does, how magnificently she performs, the judges seem to give her scores that are lower than I believe she deserves.

Am I just being the overly proud parent?

Or maybe it's just that my hamstrings are short-sighted.

A bestseller on the horizon

2008-01-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

No, not my series ... at least not yet. But a dear friend of mine has a book debuting in February that has bestseller written all over it.

Nationally recognized sportswriter Dave Scheiber of the St. Petersburg Times (where I also worked for 25 years) has co-written a book with NBA referee Bob Delaney called Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob. Delaney is a force of nature, and when he enters a room, all eyes turn. He also is a dynamic and polished public speaker. The book will debut on Feb. 1 and is being published by Union Square Press, an imprint of Sterling (which is owned by Barnes and Noble). Needless to say, it should debut high on the nonfiction list and is likely to be headed soon to the big screen.

Here's the description that runs on Amazon.

Book Description

In a riveting page-turner, NBA referee Bob Delaney reveals the clandestine life he led before becoming one of professional basketball’s most respected referees.

In 1975, Delaney had spent only a year and a half as a New Jersey State Trooper when his superiors approached him with a tantalizing yet dangerous undercover assignment: to infiltrate the Mob. Delaney accepted, and became Bobby Covert, the president of Alamo Trucking, a fully-operational business used by law enforcement as flypaper for snagging crooks.

At the height of The Godfather era, Delaney wore a wire and lived among wiseguys who modeled themselves on their on-screen counterparts, quoting lines from “The Movie” and boasting of how often they’d seen it. Delaney even crossed paths with Joe Pistone, the real-life Donnie Brasco (though neither knew the other was undercover), knowing all the while that a single slip could get him killed.

Ultimately gathering enough evidence to convict 30 members of the Bruno and Genovese crime families, Project Alpha was a success, but Delaney struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and traces of Stockholm syndrome after getting too close to those he investigated. Therapy helped him come to terms with all he’d endured during his three tense years undercover, and, once a college basketball star, Delaney began officiating high school and intramural games as a way to rebuild his life—eventually working his way up to the NBA, where he has been a referee for more than two decades.

This is his amazing true story, with a foreword by NBA great and current TV commentator Bill Walton.

My agent, Uwe Stender, represents this book, and Dave mentions me and The Death Wizard Chronicles in the acknowledgements. So, my series will be a bestseller -- at least in that regard!

I've known Dave for more than 30 years, and he is one of the greatest people I have ever met. There is no nicer or more deserving guy on the planet. I wish him the best of luck.

But in this case, Dave doesn't need it. Thanks to Bob Delaney's amazing life and Dave Scheiber's amazing abilities as a writer, Covert is a lock.

Covert, Bob Delaney, Dave Scheiber, blogosphere, Death Wizard, Jim Melvin,

Another keeper review for The DW Chronicles!

2008-01-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

Here's another great review for The Pit, this one by Jaime McDougall that appeared on The Book Stacks.

The Death Wizard Chronicles
Book One: The Pit

Only a Death-Knower can die
And live again.
Only a Death-Knower can return from death.
And remember.
Only a Death-Knower can tell us what he has seen.
Not all care to listen.

While war approaches under the direction of the sorcerer Invictus, threatening to completely destroy the peace Triken has known for centuries, Death-Knower wizard Torg is trapped in a pit that is a hell like no other.

Though no ordinary human could survive more than a few hours in the pit, Torg lives on…

Jim Melvin proves himself to be a master storyteller, putting his characters through the worst imaginable hells and showing no mercy. He keeps you turning pages, the reader wondering what the characters could possibly be put through next.

The Pit, the first book of The Death Wizard Chronicles, is an action-packed tale taking place on vibrant three-dimensional world. Triken is a world rich with intricate relationships and a full history on which Melvin has built the lives of many races.

Triken truly comes alive for the reader and is filled with mysteries and places that even the most powerful characters in the book are unaware of. That gives the reader the opportunity to discover and learn with the characters, which makes them easier to identify with.

Melvin has added to the texture of the world by integrating eastern philosophies, giving the magic used not only consistency but depth. He has worked out the details of his magic system so readers can understand where it comes from and how it works.

As a story, The Pit is rich and full; as a book it is addictive and quite an excellent addition to the adult fantasy book shelf. And it is distinctly "adult" fantasy – the scene that redefines "all-consuming orgasm" is enough to lift this from a level suitable for children.

I definitely recommend this book. As the author himself has said, reading this book will make you decide if The Death Wizard Chronicles are for you.

They are for me. All in all, an excellent package

-- Jaime McDougall, thebookstacks.com.

epic fantasy, The Book Stacks, FictionScribe, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Warming up to sex

2008-01-16T22:39:00.000-05:00

Hmmmm ... now I'm rethinking the sex thing. I only got 26 hits the first day, but I got 80 hits the second. Maybe it just takes sex a couple of days to get cranked up.

epic fantasy, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, sex, wild sex, kinky sex

Death Wizard on the Book Connection

2008-01-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

Today, The Death Wizard Chronicles is featured on a popular and highly regarded blog: the Book Connection. Please check it out here. There are synopses, excerpts and personal reflections.

A roar for powerful words

2008-01-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Mary "Lynn" Lewis of the Virtual Wordsmith and been presented with the Roar for Powerful Words award. Now it's your turn. The rules follow:

* Link back to the person who tagged you.

* List three things that you believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.

* Tag five others and comment on their blog informing them that they've been tagged with this award:

1) Do things on purpose: Though the subconscious mind plays a large role in the writing process, it's still imperative to know your themes in advance, and to then use literary devices such as symbolism, metaphor, allegory, dramatic irony, and foreshadowing to back these themes up.

2) Write what pleases you, not what you think will please the reader: Psychologists say this all the time: It's impossible to love anyone, if you don't first love yourself. The same goes for writing. If you try to write for the reader, most often you'll fail. But if you write for yourself -- with passion, honesty, and courage -- the reader will be more likely to enjoy your work.

3) Pull no punches: We all have limits as to what we can tolerate, in terms of joy, sorrow, pleasure and pain. As a writer, you need to push yourselves to your limits -- and beyond.

The five people I choose to carry this on are:

Chris at Alpha Adventures.

Terrie at Kappa no He.

Judy at Welcome to My World of Dreams.

Michael at Avatar Lore.

Jaime at Fiction Scribe.

Note: the image of the lion above can be found here, saved as a jpeg, and uploaded.

Sex experiment fails

2008-01-14T21:14:00.000-05:00

Well, my experiment of putting the word sex in the title, body copy, and tags of a blog item to see if it would significantly increase my hits turned out to have little effect. I've been averaging about 25-30 hits per day, and over the 24-hour period since I wrote the sex item, I got 26 hits. Hmmm. Maybe if I admit that I'm a big fan of Hillary Clinton (true, I am), then I'll get more hits -- positive and negative.

epic fantasy, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Hillary Clinton

Another 5-star review for The Pit

2008-01-13T21:53:00.001-05:00

This review is from J. Kaye Oldner of J. Kaye's Books, one of the top reviewers on the blogosphere.

The Death Wizard Chronicles: The Pit by Jim Melvin
Rating: 5 Stars

Torg, the Death-Knower wizard who is the main character in Jim Melvin’s The Death Wizard Chronicles, is like a mixture of Merlin and Conan, but with a Buddha twist. The Pit is book one of a six-book epic fantasy, where readers get to know Torg, king of the Tugars -- the mystical warriors of the Great Desert.

Torg is up against the evil sorcerer Invictus, who has threatened to engulf the world in darkness. Invictus is the greatest threat the land has ever known, and cannot be defeated by ordinary means. The Death-Knower believes that in order to combat this great evil, he needs to perform an act of virtue, something to even the scales between good and evil. A selfless act of such magnitude would set larger forces into motion.

When the Death-Knower gives up his freedom in order to save the free people of Triken, he does so knowing that this battle will not be fought on an ordinary battlefield. He orders the Asekhas, who are Tugars of the highest rank, to not follow or try to rescue him from the pit in which he is imprisoned. The Death-Knower escapes the pit, but runs into Vedana, a 100,000-year-old demon who is also grandmother of Invictus. Could the product of their brief union be what’s needed to destroy Invictus? Or will something even more disastrous come to be?

It’s hard to tell. Melvin’s tale is not predictable. We’ll just have to keep on reading to find out.

How hard do you push? (No sex jokes here)

2008-01-13T19:11:00.000-05:00

Most of you will be disappointed to learn that -- in terms of pushing hard -- I'm talking marketing, not sex. But I've been told that if you work the word sex into your blog items, your hits will increase dramatically. So I'm going to write the word sex into this item several times and see if my hits rise. Rise, get it? That's another sex reference. Let's just hope it doesn't cause my hits to shrink. (Sex, sex, sex.)

Here are my questions, in terms of marketing: Can you push too hard? Can you become so excited about what you're doing that it turns off the very people you're trying to turn on? For instance, do you as a potential reader become annoyed when you receive emails from publishers or authors regarding purchasing information and updates on their books? Has an email ever prompted you to buy a book? How about reading a blog? What if I told you that my series has sex in it? Would that prompt you to buy? Or not to buy?

The past several months, I have marketed my butt off -- though I mean that figuratively, because without a butt, having sex would be kind of weird.

Sex, sex, sex. Does sex sell? Will it increase the size of my hits counter?

I'll check tomorrow and see, see, see.

epic fantasy, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, sex, wild sex, kinky sex

Join Jim Melvin live tonight at The Plot

2008-01-09T19:26:00.001-05:00

Good evening, everyone! For anyone who might be interested, I'm appearing live tonight (Jan. 9) from 7 till 11 (Eastern Standard) at The Plot. It's Pub Night, so the drinks are on me (figuratively, I'm afraid). If you're an author and/or a reader, please click here and join in the fun.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Judi Moreo, You Are More Than Enough, The Plot

The Death Wizard is in the building

2008-01-08T14:01:00.001-05:00

Torg the Death Wizard makes a personal appearance today on The Plot. 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, Judi Moreo, You Are More Than Enough, The Plot

Come meet Torg at The Plot

2008-01-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

Today through at least Wednesday, The Death Wizard Chronicles and my main character (Torg) will be featured on a new blog called The Plot. Click here for the bio and here for the excerpt. Today you'll find my bio and an excerpt, and upcoming is a Q/A with Torg and then a very cool comment session called Pub Night that I'm certain will soon develop into a very popular feature on The Plot. So, pull up a chair. It should be a lot of fun. I'll keep you in touch on the where and whens.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Judi Moreo, You Are More Than Enough, The Plot

Friday Feast: One Hundred and Seventy-Four

2008-01-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

Appetizer:
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?
You know, this is going to sound sad, but I really can't remember a surprise in the mail other than a bill that I wasn't expecting. But when I was a boy, I used to send in the tops of cereal boxes and get all kinds of cool stuff.
Soup:
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?
Summer home in Costa Rica. Winter home in Asheville, N.C.
Salad:
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.
Love them all dearly, but banana edges orange by a nose.
Main Course:
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.
A business suit that really wasn't that expensive. All my clothes combined are worth less than a thousand dollars. But I do own an expensive set of golf clubs! The problem is, I use my clothes a whole lot more than my clubs.
Dessert:
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?
That day is yet to come ... but I can feel it, looming like a predator.

The realization of dreams

2008-01-01T17:22:00.000-05:00

"Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams." -- from You Are More Than Enough Achievement Journal by Judi Moreo. (To order Judi's book, click here.)

Throughout January, inspirational author Judi Moreo will embark on a virtual tour of the blogosphere that will include the participation of other authors. Judi is giving people like me a chance to let the world know what steps I've taken to realize my own dreams.

Thanks Judi! Here's what I have to say:

For me, The Death Wizard Chronicles were the culmination of a lifelong dream. From age 20 to 45, I lived and breathed this series in my mind, but none of the words found their way from my fingertips to a keyboard. To be honest, a large part of me believed that I would never write this series and that I would die an old man regretting it.

Instead, I refused to allow that to happen. Rather than work until I turned 65, I took a huge financial risk and stepped out of journalism in my mid-40s so that I could bring the Death Wizard to life. In September 2004, I wrote the first word. Seven-hundred-thousand words later, I'm finishing the last draft of Book 6, the final book of the series.

Realizing this dream truly was a step-by-step process. First, I retired from a job that I had been working at for a quarter-century. Then I moved my family from Florida to the mountains of South Carolina. Then I began an extensive research project, reading more than fifty nonfiction books (on everything from weapons and armor to Horses for Dummies) in little more than three months. Then I disciplined myself to write for at least four hours every day, seven days a week. All told, we're talking more than 5,000 hours of writing and revising.

Now that the series is nearly complete, a good deal of my energy has been transferred from the writing process to the marketing process. Rain Publishing (a mid-sized house based in Canada) and I are working very hard to sell this series, but it's a long, difficult climb up the ladder of success -- literally and figuratively one rung at a time.

"Every step I take brings me closer to the realization of my dreams." Man, ain't that the truth. I'm maybe halfway to where I want to be, so there are a lot of steps to go. But once I got walking in the right direction, I'd have it no other way.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Judi Moreo, You Are More Than Enough

Day Seventeen of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-28T09:41:00.000-05:00

Day Seventeen, the final stop on my whirlwind virtual tour of the blogosphere, is at Fiction Scribe, a popular writers blog operated by a woman (Jaime) who lives in Australia. (And we all know that Australians love epic fantasy, so this is cool by me!) Click here for the entire interview.

Here is an excerpt:

What character do you relate to the most and why?

Certainly, my main character is my favorite. For one thing, he’s 7 feet tall, weighs 300 pounds, and is extremely handsome and muscular, so I modeled him after myself. (Ha!)

But though he is larger than life physically, emotionally, and spiritually, he is the character (of which there are dozens) who most speaks in my voice and represents my world view.

One of the key aspects of this series is my own exploration of death and the enormous effect it has on the human psyche. My MC is named Torg, and he is called a Death Wizard — or more accurately, a Death-Knower. While deep in meditation, Buddhist monks have had recorded heart rates of less than 10 beats per minute. My main character takes this to the extreme. 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 concentrative meditation, he stops his heartbeat briefly and feeds on death energy, which provides him with an array of magical powers.

This poem from Book One says it best:

Only a Death-Knower can die.
And live again.

Only a Death-Knower can return
from death.
And remember.

Only a Death-Knower can tell us
what he has seen.

Not all care to listen.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

The Cal Awards

2007-12-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

My publisher is running an internal contest called the Cal Awards, with lucrative prizes going to the top three winners. The three authors who get the most votes via email (through mid-January) will win. All you have to do is send an email to events@rainbooks.com with Cal Awards in the subject line and this pasted into the body of the email:

This is a vote for Jim Melvin's Death Wizard Chronicles.

You can vote only once per email address. (This is not an attempt to collect email addresses for spam purposes.) I doubt I'll win, but what the heck ... it's worth a good-natured try.

-- Jim

Day Sixteen of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-26T22:14:00.001-05:00

Day Sixteen is a stop at Book Publishing Secrets of Authors. Click here.

Here's an excerpt:

I started out believing that my accomplishments as a journalist would impress the large publishing houses. Man, was I wrong ... at least when it comes to fiction. As far as the editors at the major houses were concerned, I was just another debut novelist writing in an absurdly glutted genre.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Jim Melvin interviews Cat Muldoon: Part 2

2007-12-21T18:53:00.001-05:00

Did you ever consider the deeper meaning behind what happens in a book? Beyond the action...beyond the emotion...beyond the obvious details?

One of the great advantages of cruising the blogosphere is that you meet a lot of interesting people who share similar interests. One such person I’ve met while on tour is Cat Muldoon, author of Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. Cat is the type of author who is destined for stardom. It's only a matter of when. To learn more about her and her writings, please check out her website here. You won't regret it.

Cat was gracious enough to propose an interview with me, and of course I was happy to return the favor. Part 1 of my interview with Cat appeared last Saturday. Part 2 concludes today. And you can read part 2 of her interview with me here.

Are you aiming for a target audience or does The Undercover Heir transcend genres?

One of my readers just described my writing style as a cross between J. K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkein. That is high praise. If you like those you will like mine.

If you enjoy fantasy, you are likely to enjoy Rue the Day. I would call the book a fantasy suspense, though the publisher dubbed it fantasy romance because there will be a bit more romance in future. I will not write a sickly sweet romance, so each book will be suspenseful and emotionally engaging.

The interesting thing about Rue the Day is that although it is a fantasy, people who do not ordinarily like fantasy enjoy it. I say this because a couple of my relatives have read it, and these are not people who care for books with any fantastical elements. But they liked Rue the Day enough to recommend it to other non-fantasy-readers. Also the critique group I belonged to consisted of people who like only mundane fiction. I was the only person who wrote science fiction and fantasy stories, and they liked my work regardless. Yes, fantasy readers enjoy it too! What a relief!

People who like Terry Goodkind’s books in the Sword of Truth series should like mine, and based on what I have read (my copy has yet to arrive), people who like your books would enjoy mine as well. Isn’t it lovely that novels by different authors can peaceably share a bookshelf? For clarity I will say that my book is more a PG book than an R book. No graphic violence.

Do you prefer sunshine or rain?
I like it all! Sunshine is nice when it is temperate and not too hot, but sunshine all the time would bore me. I adore listening to the rain, especially when it comes at night so that I can fall asleep to it. I even like wild storms providing they are not hurting anyone. But we have been without sunshine for a week, and that is difficult. When the sun peeked out for a few moments earlier (2 minutes tops), I went outside and stood in its rays, giving gratitude. Mind you, it was about 25 degrees at the time.

What are Faeries? And where do they live?
That should be WHO are faeries. They are a different sort of person, from one perspective. Their realm mirrors ours. Time flows differently there, such that a day in Faerie is much longer in mortal terms. You will notice this in the lore. There are various ways one might pass into Faerie, including special mounds and circular groves, and a few other secret ways I had best not reveal.

Are you a much different person now than you were ten years ago?
Interesting question. I don’t believe so. I have learned a few lessons and deepened my desire to make a positive impact on the world, but I do not feel I am significantly different.

Who is your biggest fan?
I have 4 people tussling for the position of biggest fan. One is my web designer Darrell, who said I should give up working for a living and just write novels. That would be lovely! Then there is my friend Seana who has been clamoring for the sequel since she read the last word of Rue, then my friend Bill in Denver who is also eagerly awaiting the sequel, which I will start writing early next year... One of my reviewers, Sadie, couldn’t stop reading the book and wants me to get busy as well.

When you register at my website http://CatMuldoon.com you might win a set of 4 Celtic music CDs that would be great company as you read Rue the Day. I will give these out next week. You will also receive excerpts of the book and of my stories.

Thank you so much for these insightful questions.

Cat

Day Fifteen of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Day Fifteen is a stop at Buzz the Book. Click here.

Here's an excerpt:

The pit was two hundred cubits deep but only three cubits in diameter. The prisoner lay curled at its bottom like a snake in a well. Fetid dankness swirled about him, creeping in and out of his nostrils as he breathed. A chill like no other clung to his body, freezing his heart.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Day Fourteen of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-20T17:10:00.000-05:00

Day Fourteen of my tour is a stop at Storycrafters. Click here.

Here's an excerpt:

Life has an unusual sense of humor, and for a quarter-century my dreams were put on hold. That said, those 25 years ended up serving a valuable purpose. As a reporter and editor, I learned the craft of writing and met a lot of interesting people, significantly expanding my worldview and talents. When I finally began writing my epic fantasy series, I realized that work and family weren’t to blame for all those lost years. Instead, I simply had not been ready as a writer. Finally, it all jelled. This is my time.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Day Thirteen of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-19T17:34:00.000-05:00

Day Thirteen of my tour stops at two places: Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion (here), hosted by Dorothy Thompson. And a radio interview with Sydney Molare (here), host of "You don't Know Jack!" (I love that title.)

Here is an excerpt from the Pump Up interview.

If you could trade places with any author just for a day, who would it be and why?

Well, I wouldn't trade with Tolkien. He's buried in a cemetery in North Oxford, so that wouldn't be particularly pleasant (just joking!). I probably would trade places with Stephen King, not because I'd want to live his life but because I'd love to be able to peek inside his brain and see how it's wired. Like him or not, the man is a genius.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Day Twelve of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

Day Twelve is a stop at Voice of the Angels, a blog hosted by Dyan Garris. Please check it out here and don't forget to read Dyan's fascinating bio.

Here is an excerpt:

3. Do you envision your series as a movie and if so who would star in it?

I love these kinds of questions. For me, the good news is that my books would translate wonderfully into movies, in the sense that they are visual and action-packed. The bad news is that you'd have to give them the Peter Jackson treatment: It would take at least six two-hour movies and hundreds of millions of dollars of special effects to do my series justice.

Here's how some of my characters would break down:

Torg, the Death Wizard: Adrian Paul.
Invictus, the evil sorcerer: Orlando Bloom.
Vedana, the mother of all demons: Susan Sarandon.
Laylah, the beautiful sorceress: Claire Forlani (with blond hair).
King Henepola: Samuel Jackson.
Queen Rajinii: Tilda Swinton.
Chieftain Kusala: Gerard Butler.
Sobhana: Eva Longoria.
Rathburt: Tim Robbins.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Voice of the Angels

Day Eleven of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-17T13:26:00.002-05:00

Day Eleven is a stop and review at J. Kaye's Book Blog, which has become a very popular site that is well interconnected. Please check out the review here.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

The Death-Knower does escape the pit, but runs into Vedana, a 100,000-year-old demon who is also grandmother of Invictus. Could the product of their brief union be what’s needed to destroy Invicus? Or will something even more disastrous come to be? It’s hard to tell, as Melvin’s tale isn’t predictable. We’ll just have to keep on reading to find out.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, J.Kaye's Blog

Jim Melvin interviews Cat Muldoon

2007-12-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

Did you ever consider the deeper meaning behind what happens in a book? Beyond the action...beyond the emotion...beyond the obvious details?

One of the great advantages of cruising the blogosphere is that you meet a lot of interesting people who share similar interests. One such person I’ve met while on tour is Cat Muldoon, author of Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. Cat was gracious enough to propose an interview with me, and of course I was happy to return the favor. Part 1 of my interview with Cat can be found below. And you can read part 1 of her interview with me here. Next weekend you will get part 2.

Who is Cat Muldoon?
Cat Muldoon is an award-winning author of magical tales that envelop you in new realities. Many of her stories are suspenseful, some are romantic; few are mundane. You can read some of her tales on her AuthorsDen site http://Authorsden.com/catmuldoon. She has stories in two anthologies and a couple of magazines. She wrote her first novel in four months; this spring Wings Press released Rue the Day: The Undercover Heir Book 1. She will write the next two books in the series in 2008 and hopes to release them as a set. Read excerpts of her book and register to receive stories and other goodies at her website http://catmuldoon.com/. Purchase Rue the Day from her site or http://www.wings-press.com/ or at Amazon.com. I adore writing, because it gives me the opportunity to share the strange and wonderful worlds and characters that come into my mind. I love talking (in person or virtually) with my readers and with other authors. My belief is that by prospering you, you have more to enjoy and more to pass along to prosper someone else. I am a trained massage therapist and energyworker with a keen interest in aromatherapy, chakra and energy balancing and other …shall we say rare forms of healing. Naturally, I’ve held a load of perfectly boring jobs in my life as well.

In fifty words or less, summarize your spiritual beliefs and how they helped to shape your world view and your writing. (Okay, you can go up to seventy-five).

We take each earthwalk to learn and grow. The more we prosper others, the better for all concerned. I honor the powers of life and strive to be a healing presence in the world. My writing will stick with you because spiritually there is always something going on below the surface. My inner life breathes through the stories... That was 58 words.

Is magic real?
Absolutely it is real. Magic is an unseen power inherent in all of life, as natural as breathing and just as automatic. The more we acknowledge it, the more it grows. My tales do not include unseen realities as a device of literary artifice, or just to make a good story. There is an underlying truth to the tales that is evident to those who innately sense magical power.

How accurate is the following statement? You are the type of person that is tuned into and turned on by your physical environment.
That statement is partially accurate. I am tuned in to it, perhaps in part because I am mostly blind. Because of this, I am extremely observant. Whether I am turned on or not depends on the environment. Where I live, I hear birds singing all the time. When the weather is warm, there are tree frogs, crickets and other creatures. If I am in the country, I am what you might call “turned on.” If I am in a crowd or in a city, I am “turned off.” I find crowds and large cities difficult to tolerate. As someone who is psychically sensitive, crowds are troublesome.

Do you prefer dawn or dusk?
If I am up at dawn, I can appreciate being up as long as nature is kind enough to produce a lovely sky. Yes, I am mostly blind but I do see colors and shapes. Ordinarily, I would prefer to be sleeping during dawn. I enjoy dusk and tend to be much more creative at night.
Since we only recently met, I haven't yet had the chance to read Book One of Rue The Day, but it strikes me as a mystical work that has a lot going on between the lines. Could you give us a short summary of The Undercover Heir? What follows Book One?
Let me share something that at first blush may appear to be irrelevant to some readers. It is part of what is happening between the lines. Are you familiar with Celtic knotwork, the interlace design prevalent in Irish and Scottish artwork? There is a deep spiritual meaning behind this. It is not “just art.” It speaks of the interwoven nature of all life. Not merely are all things connected, but they are all interwoven. Pull on one strand of the weave and you distort the whole. Faerie and the mortal world are mirrors for each other. What happens here happens there. Certainly they don’t have computers in Faerie (at least in my books), but the themes and energies mirror. In this same way, many ancient civilizations believed that the heavens were a mirror for below. This is the basis of astrology. As above, so below. You also find it in Chinese medicine and other places. This notion is woven into the book but not mentioned. It becomes increasingly important in the later books in the series. Now you asked for a summary. A young woman named Aislinn wakes up one misty morning; before dusk, she is nearly killed twice, she meets a strange man in the woods whom she does not trust and is taken against her will to a world that she does not know is her true home. Once “home” in Faerie, she meets the mother the Queen, who abandoned her, her father the King, whom she has never met—and finds that they are all in danger. And to make matters more difficult, they believe she is their only hope. Treachery, deceit, poison, and various forms of mayhem keep you at the edge of your seat even as the rich world of Faerie envelopes you. What's next? The King and Queen, true to Faerie nature, refuse to believe that anything could breach the “impenetrable” shielding around their realm. They quickly find out exactly how mistaken they are. Meanwhile, Aislinn has no desire to use or even to possess the considerable magical abilities she has just discovered, but if she does not learn to control her power, she will be a danger to herself and the entire realm. I believe you will find yourself staying up late to finish the books if I do my job well. There is more to come, but a teaser for book 2 is enough for now.

Next Saturday: Part Two. Don't miss it.

Day Ten of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Day Ten on my virtual tour is a stop at The Book Connection, a popular blog managed by Cheryl Malandrinos. Please check it out here.

Here's an excerpt:

What is your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a time of day when you are more productive than others?

I write seven days a week from about 8 p.m. to midnight, and am definitely most productive during this time slot. I rarely miss a day; probably no more than 20 days during an entire year. When I'm writing the first draft of a novel, I also spend about an hour the following day, usually in the morning, revising what I wrote the night before.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, The Book Connection

Day Nine of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

Day Nine is a stop at Plug Your Book. Click here.

Here's an excerpt:

You are a student of Eastern philosophy and mindfulness meditation, both of which weaved extensively into your work. Can you explain how?

Most people have meditated in one sense or another. Just emptying your mind as you watch a beautiful sunset is a form of meditation. In Buddhism, mindfulness meditation is a technique in which a person intentionally and nonjudgmentally watches his or her thoughts and actions, in the context of the present moment. Often, sessions of meditation begin by watching the breath, but any form of single-minded concentration will do.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard,

Day Eight of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

Day Eight of my tour stops at a blog hosted by Theresa Chaze, who is a Wiccan and an author of magical fantasy. Please click here.

Here is an excerpt:

You work has been described as not being for the "faint of heart." Why?

An author — and especially a debut novelist — never wants to lose potential customers. But neither do I want to be dishonest nor offend anyone unnecessarily. When a lot of people hear the words “magical fantasy,” they think Harry Potter — and rightfully so, given the enormous popularity of J.K. Rowling’s ground-breaking series. But people who are more knowledgeable about fantasy know that a lot of it isn’t necessarily kid’s stuff. The Martins, Eriksons, and Donaldsons write for adults, as do I. If my books were made into a series of movies (I wish!), the movies would be R-rated. I describe The Death Wizard Chronicles as a cross between J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King – Tolkien because it contains many aspects of epic fantasy, King because it’s pretty darn scary and rough. The Death Wizard Chronicles is a classic tale of good versus evil, with lots of action, monsters, and magic. It also contains a very compelling love story. But it's not for kids. I would say that 18 and older would be okay, though everyone is different in terms of what they might or might not find offensive.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Theresa Chaze

Day seven of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

Day Seven of my virtual tour is at Paperback Writer. Click here.

Here is an excerpt:

What struggles have you had on the road to being published?
First-time fiction is an extremely difficult sell nowadays, especially in the glutted genres such as epic fantasy. My agent and I received a lot of nicely worded rejections from the major houses, most of which only have one or two slots for literally thousands of entries. In some regards, it would be easier to win the lottery, buy the publishing house, appoint yourself president, and then publish your book than it would be to gain an acceptance in the traditional manner.
I can’t say that it doesn’t wear on you. There are times when you feel like the world’s biggest idiot for even attempting such a thing. All you can do is continue to try.

Please check it out.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Paperback Writer

Day six of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

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

Book Three is available for purchase

2007-12-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

Book Three (Eve of War) of my six-book series now is available for purchase on Rain Publishing Inc.'s website. Please click here. It is not yet available on Amazon, but should be available there within a couple of weeks.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Leicester Review of Books

Day five of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

Day five of my virtual tour is a stop at Leicester Review of Books (here). Here's a snippet from the interview:

Who is your target audience?

My target audience is anyone who likes action-packed epic fantasy, but it extends beyond that.

The DW Chronicles is literary in nature and has a lot going on between the lines in terms of symbolism, foreshadowing, parallel construction, and allegorical elements. So anyone who enjoys reading literature also will enjoy my series. I believe it will stand the test of time. I just hope I’m not one of those authors who dies of old age before my work is discovered by the masses!

Please stop by and read the rest!

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Leicester Review of Books

Day four of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

Today's appearance is at Acme Authors Link (here), where I discuss making millions of dollars and spending the summer with green hair. Please check it out.

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Acme Authors Link

Day three of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

Day three of my virtual tour is an interview with Beyond The Books (here), a popular site about writers and for writers. Please give it a read and leave a comment. I'd much appreciate it.

This taken directly from the site:
"Beyond the Books explores what it is that writers go through for publication and how they keep their heads above the waters of rejection."

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard, Beyond The Books

Day Two of my virtual tour of the blogosphere

2007-12-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

Hey, everybody! I just wanted to keep you in touch on my monthlong whirlwind virtual tour of the blogosphere. Day Two can be found here. I'll be posting something every day until the end of the month, for anyone who might be interested.

By the way, I've mentioned before that my books have sold out on Amazon. More will be on the way, but it's taking longer than anticipated for the next shipment to arrive. So, you could order my books on Amazon here and wait a few weeks for delivery. Or order them directly from my publisher here and get them in time for Christmas.

Either way would be great by me!

epic fantasy, Pump Up Your Book Promotion, Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

Jim Melvin's virtual tour begins

2007-12-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

Day One of my virtual tour of the blogosphere began today. My tour has been arranged by Pump Up Your Book Promotion, run by CEO/Founder Dorothy Thompson. My first of at least 18 stops has been an ongoing visit with The Writer's Life Author Talks, an influential group of writers and readers that was founded in 2004 and that meets regularly on Yahoo. Please check it out here. Up next? I'll let you know first thing tomorrow!

epic fantasy,
Pump Up Your Book Promotion,
Dorothy Thompson, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

A virtual tour of the blogosphere by the Death Wizard

2007-12-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Starting on Dec. 3 (Monday), I'll be going on a monthlong virtual tour of the blogosphere, where I'll be visiting at least 18 different websites, blogs, writers' groups, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun, and it should increase interest in The Death Wizard Chronicles by leaps and bounds. Stay tuned, as I'll be running continuous updates. And please check out this link for more information.

epic fantasy, virtual tour, blogosphere, sexy R-rated, Fear of death, Death Wizard

How it all began

2007-11-27T21:55:00.000-05:00

Please check out this post on Tia Nevitt's Fantasy Debut.

epic fantasy, virtual tour, Fantasy Debut

The naked truth

2007-11-26T23:18:00.001-05:00

Guilt is a powerful emotion.

And long-lasting.

About twenty years ago, I did something that still haunts me.

Back then, I worked an evening shift -- 4 to 1 -- at the St. Petersburg Times. On this particular weekday, it was around noon, and since my wife worked a day shift and both my young daughters were in school, I was alone at the house.

Our washer and drier were in the garage. I had just gotten out of the shower and was starting to dress when I realized that I was out of clean underwear. But no problem. The previous evening, my wife had done a load of underwear, and it now was sitting in the drier, waiting to be folded. Since no one was around, I dried myself off and walked naked into the garage.

The bare cement felt cold on my feet. Halfway to the drier, I sensed movement in my peripheral vision. To my horror, a rat came charging out of nowhere. And then, to my even worse horror, it attempted to run up my leg.

If anyone at that moment had had a video camera and had filmed what occurred next, that person would be a millionaire a dozen times over. I did the Jim Melvin version of the Wattusi, hopping and squealing as the rat attempted -- with great deliberation -- to clamber up my bare leg. Finally, it gave up and skittered away, hiding itself amid my shovels and rakes. Somehow I managed to rush to the drier, grab the underwear, and then escape into the safety of my house. It might well have been the closest I've ever come to having a heart attack.

The next day, I was in the garage -- this time fully dressed -- and the rat charged out and again tried to climb up my leg. I hopped and skipped and escaped.

The day after that, I heard my wife squeal. This time she had been attacked.

It was time to draw the line. The rat had taken control of my garage, and I needed to get it back.

Being a good American, I bought rat poison. Lots of it. And put it in several places. Soon after, I discovered that one of the boxes had been "tampered" with.

The next day, just before my family was to sit at our dining room table for a meal of roasted chicken, potatoes, and salad, I discovered the rat trembling in the center of the garage, in almost the identical place of the original attack. He was dying.

Only ... he wasn't a rat. Now that I could get a close look at him, I realized that he was a gerbil. And quite a cute one at that. My young daughters were horrified. As was I. Later that evening, I buried him in our back yard.

Two days later, there was a knock at my door. A well-dressed dad and his young daughter were standing on my porch. The little girl spoke first. "We live in the house behind yours. My pet gerbil, Hermy, got out of his cage. Have you seen him?"

"Uh ... no."

They left.

To this day, I'm not sure what's worse. Killing the gerbil. Or lying to that little girl.

epic fantasy, virtual tour

Mystified at 50

2007-11-25T00:14:00.000-05:00

It happened again. I'm 50 years old, and have a 24-year-old daughter. Though I'm not what you would describe as balding, the hair on the back of my head has thinned noticeably. And I've grown a beard that is at least 20 percent gray. Yet I was carded again today, this time at a Wal-Mart, while buying a six-pack of beer. Could anyone tell me what the heck is going on????

epic fantasy, virtual tour

More radio

2007-11-21T18:12:00.000-05:00

Here's another radio show, this one from thatradio.com.

epic fantasy, virtual tour

Update on ordering books one, two, and three

2007-11-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

For reasons I can't discern, Amazon has not yet ordered more copies of books one (The Pit) and two (Moon Goddess). Book one already sold out through its first stock, but more have not yet been ordered, which has created a waiting period that really seems to have hampered sales.

If any of you are waiting for this to be resolved before you place an order, you also can order books one and two directly from the Rain website (click here). And book three will be available there in just a couple of days. I'll put in another update when the Amazon situation is resolved.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

In other news, I was mentioned on a sfsite.com as a new arrival.

Another talk with Michele

2007-11-19T18:32:00.000-05:00

Please check out my recent radio interview on Michele Paivo's insightful show, Off the Mat.

Never enough sleep

2007-11-17T23:40:00.000-05:00

Sleep is such an important part of our lives. So many of our body's dynamics depend on it. But I find that I can never seem to get enough of it. Because I'm so damn busy, I'm rarely able to get to bed at a decent time. I usually average about six hours of sleep, while my body craves more like eight. I've always thought that if days were 26 hours long instead of 24, I'd be in great shape.

Insomnia has never been my problem. I'm almost always asleep within five minutes of lying down and usually much quicker than that. But over the past 10 years, I found that I was sleeping less and less comfortably and that I could no longer remember my dreams. To make matters worse, I would wake up most mornings with back pain and stiff joints.

About six months ago, my wife and I gave up on our futon mattress and spent more than we should have on one of those space-age foam mattresses that "conform to the contours of your body." My wife was against buying it. She despises anything unnatural or made with "chemicals." But I put my foot down, arguing that the futon was literally killing me.

The first night I slept on the new mattress, I couldn't stop smiling. Never before had I slept so comfortably. Even my wife had to admit that it was fantastic. Since that night, it's only gotten better. I often find myself waking up in the same position that I fell asleep in, while before I would toss and turn all over the place. And I'm remembering my dreams again. I must be sleeping far more deeply.

It's not all good news, though. I still don't go to bed early enough. It's almost midnight right now as I'm typing this. And my wife and I have become so spoiled by the mattress, we don't sleep well anywhere else. Twice recently we've been to nice hotels, and both times the beds felt lumpy and awkward. Too bad our mattress, a super-king, is too damn big to carry around with us.

Well, I'm off to bed. Since tomorrow's Sunday, I should be able to squeeze in a full eight hours! Still, Sunday night is looming, followed by the much-dreaded Monday morning.

Is there any way we can pass some sort of resolution to lengthen days to 26 hours?

A big day for me

2007-11-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to downloading some photos from my Oct. 27 talk and reading before 55 people at the Times Festival of Reading in St. Petersburg, Fla. It was a lot of fun and the audience response was sensational. Signing autographs for a long line of people buying copies of books one and two was a big thrill for me.