I’ve always been a fan of both diversification and experimentation when it comes to my writing career. From my soon-to-be-launched cell phone project to making my work available in a variety of digital formats, I’ve tried to examine different ways to bring my writing to the people who value it the most – my readers.

2010 is going to be an adventure in living out that belief; I’m going to try different things and see just what folks respond to the most.  And I’m happy to say that I’m here to announce the first of these experimental ventures – The Mirror’s Road.

The Mirror’s Road is a novel I’ve had hanging around in the back of my head for awhile.  It’s such a mix of genres that I’ve never even tried to sell the idea to a publisher – it would probably give the guys in the marketing department fits as they tried endlessly to pigeonhole it into one genre or another without success.  But it’s a story I want to tell, one I want to share with all my fans, so I’ve been looking for a way to do just that.

I found it through a little site called Kickstarter.

You see, Kickstarter is a site devoted to doing just what its name implies – kickstarting projects with the help of others.  People pledge money to a project in return for cool rewards and a behind-the-scenes look at the development process from beginning to end.  The site is backed by Amazon.com, which provides an appropriate measure of security to the entire process.  It’s all or nothing funding, too; if a project does not meet its financial goal in the timeframe set (between 1 and 90 days) then no money changes hands.

I’ve turned The Mirror’s Road into a Kickstarter project, as you can see from the widget below, and I want to  invite you all along to share the ride with me.  If you decide to back the project – and there are various levels of doing so from $5.00 to $100.00, with appropriate rewards for each – you’ll get to participate in the project with me, providing suggestions on everything from character traits to plot lines.  You’ll get to follow along from development of the intial idea to the actual writing, from the production of the cover art to the final printed product.  And regardless of the level of backing you chose, you are assured of getting a copy of the completed book as my way of saying thanks for supporting the project.

So what’s the book about?  I can tell you it’s an urban fantasy novel, full of things that shouldn’t exist in a world that doesn’t quite believe in them. And it’s a road story too, about a young man on a journey, searching not only for his destiny but also for the almond-eyed girl that appears in his dreams each night, the girl that calls him on through the darkness. Who they are and what they mean to each other? Well, I think we’ll find that out in time.

If you want to get involved, and I really hope you do, simply click on the widget above which will take you to the project’s home page.  Click on the pledge level you want, select your reward, and follow the Amazon check out process.

And remember, the pledge period runs until April 16, so your card won’t be charged until then and only if we meet our goal.

Remember that secret project I’ve been hinting about?

On November 23rd 2009, scientists at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland will run a fifteen second test on the newly completed Large Hadron Collider.

For that brief period, protons will swarm back and forth along the seventeen miles of carefully constructed tunnel and slam into each other with devastating force, generating power the likes of which has not been seen since the moment of the Big Bang.

Fifteen seconds.

That’s all it will take for things to go horribly wrong.

From bestselling authors Joe Nassise and Jon F. Merz, creators of the Templar Chronicles and the Lawson Vampire series, comes a new adventure full of action, suspense, and all-out high octane excitement!

Visit the HELLstalker Facebook page to learn more!

In 2006, the Templar Chronicles Trilogy (HERETIC, A SCREAM OF ANGELS, A TEAR IN THE SKY) introduced you to Knight Commander Cade Williams. A former SWAT officer with the Boston PD, Cade was scarred, body and soul, in a chance encounter with the supernatural, leaving him with unusual abilities of his own, including the power to cross into the realm of the dead. Now Cade leads the prestigious Echo Team, the top combat unit of the resurrected Templar Order, and is charged with defending mankind from the supernatural threats and forces that surround us.

In late 2008, EYES TO SEE will introduce you to the hedge witch, Denise Clearwater. Mystically tied to the power inherent in Nature, Clearwater uses her arcane abilities to maintain the balance between all living things. When evil grows too strong and surges past the boundaries that normally hold it in check, it is Clearwater and her coven who step forth into its path, determined to cull the tide and return things to the way they are intended to be.

In the not-so-distant past, these two champions of the light met for the first time in the midst of a supernatural crisis that threatened to wipe an entire town and all its inhabitants right off the map, forcing them to put aside their differences and work together for the common good. Now, for the first time, that story can be told in BABYLON DREAMS.

…Something unwanted has come to the town of Herring’s Cross.

Something dark and twisted with an unfettered taste for human flesh.

Something that stalks the streets of this once quaint Long Island community, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

When word of the abomination reaches the ears of the Templar Order, the High Command dispatches the Echo Team to deal with the threat. Things will not be easy for Cade and his men however, as they come face to face with an enemy unlike any they have ever faced before.

The long-lost Book of Hours has surfaced after being missing for more than three centuries. The Book gives its bearer the ability to open doorways between this world and the next. One after another the denizens of that dark realm are being called up and released into our own, freed to wreak havoc and terror among the inhabitants of Herring’s Cross.

Cade quickly realizes that the demonic hordes infesting the town are simply cover for the enemy’s true intentions, but his hands are so full dealing with the former that he doesn’t have the time or manpower to take the fight where it really needs to go.

But the Knights are not facing this threat alone. Knowing the Templar’s reluctance to deal with individuals utilizing arcane abilities, Clearwater and her coven have made a point of avoiding the men of the Echo Team, but when the strength of their enemy leaves them no choice but to reveal themselves to the Knights, they suggest an alliance against their common foe.

Reluctantly, Cade agrees. By combining the arcane power of the hedge witches with the military firepower of the Templars, the allies are able to gain the upper hand against the demonic forces invading the town and begin driving them back.

Their biggest challenge still awaits them, however, as they come face to face with the angel of Babylon, the half human-half demon sorcerer at the heart of the assault.

A sorcerer with the power of the Book of Hours at her beck and call.

A sorcerer determined to make Herring’s Cross her own little patch of hell on earth.

This new novella-length work will be published in beautiful collector’s formats in both a limited hardcover edition and a leather-bound lettered edition by Bad Moon Books early next year. (I know you all want it NOW, but I still have to write it first!) Like all Bad Moon publications, this volume with featuring interior artwork, a stunning cover, and be available only in a limited printing.

I’ll be sending out advance ordering information to allow you to reserve your copy as soon as it becomes available via my newsletter, so if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to do so!

(PS – This is only the first of three major announcements concerning the Templar Chronicles that I’ll be making in the next thirty days, so stayed tuned for more!)

]]> http://josephnassise.com/announcing-babylon-dreams-a-new-templar-adventure/feed 0 http://josephnassise.com/hatfieldinnovativestudios-inks-deal-with-joseph-nassise http://josephnassise.com/hatfieldinnovativestudios-inks-deal-with-joseph-nassise#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:24:02 +0000 admin http://josephnassise.com/hatfieldinnovativestudios-inks-deal-with-joseph-nassise

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21,2007

Hatfield Innovative Studios inks deal with Joseph Nassise

While a veil of secrecy hangs tightly over any specifics regarding the project’s
content, Hatfield Innovative Studios (HIS) has confirmed that it finalized negotiations
with internationally best-selling author Joseph Nassise to pen their EPIC graphic
novel trilogy late last year. Secretly working behind the scenes since 2006, Nassise
brings his own brand of supernatural suspense to what promises to be a very unique
project.

HIS owner Patrick Hatfield had the following to say about the inception of the project
and what led him to select Nassise for EPIC. “I had been involved with the comic
industry for a number of years doing everything from sub-contracted inking projects
to partnering on three self-published titles to collaborating with Rob Hunter on two
major projects for Marvel. Thanks to negotiations with a former McFarlane editor-in-
chief, some interesting projects surfaced and I was considering moving out west
when tragedy struck – I was involved in an accident that injured my drawing arm for
life.”

“Recovering took time and because of it I had plenty of opportunity to consider
myself and my place in the industry, to decide exactly what it was that I wanted to
do. In an industry filled with projects that had all begun to look so similar, I noted
that only a few select artists and writers were standing out as original and unique. I
decided I wanted to do the same.”

“Sometimes you have to pull yourself away from things that you truly love in order
to grow. Sometimes you have to take the path less chosen.”

“I had been kicking around concepts for my mythology for several years—ideas that
had continued to evolve and change the more I worked on their development. I
decided to let the research that I did on those concepts become my new muse—let
the characters and ideas channel through the research. For a year and a half I did
nothing but read, study and fill journals with notes concepts and ideas. Finally I felt
that I had enough to take the next step. With over 500 pages of concept notes and
designs, I searched for a writer,” Hatfield said.

“It wasn’t until I got the audition script from Joe that I knew that I had found the
perfect match for the project.” Surfacing out of over 100 candidates from around the
world, Joe’s well-read knowledge and interests fell completely in line with the
project. And while he won’t say exactly what the project is about, Hatfield did
indicate that there were certain similarities with Nassise‘s internationally-acclaimed
Templar Chronicles series of novels that made it easier to bring him up to speed on
the characterization and themes that were a core component of EPIC. “After reading
that script, I knew right away that HIS had found its writer.”

Nassise, it seems, feels equally strongly about the partnership. “Patrick’s drive and
enthusiasm for EPIC knows no bounds and it has been a sheer pleasure working with
him. We very quickly settled into the type of collaborative relationship that spurred
us both on to new heights of creativity and accomplishment. I’m very proud of what
we’ve done to date together and I can’t wait for Patrick to unveil it to the many fans
out there that share our passions for the subject matter.”

“I have a very bold unique vision for this project that encompasses all the things I
love – action, adventure, science fiction and fantasy, and, of course, heroes and
horrific villains. I hope to give comic fans something that they aren’t expecting yet at
the same time will be immediately obvious that it is just what they have been
searching for.”

For more information on Hatfield Innovative Studios visit their website at
http://www.hatfieldis.com.

For more information on author Joe Nassise, visit his website at
http://www.josephnassise.com.

I’m going to be working on a new series this summer – can you guess what it is?

My first addition to the series, THE LOST TOMB, is due in June and the second, YIN AND YANG, is due in October.

For those not familiar with the series, here’s a quick summary cribbed from Wikipedia:

Annja Creed is a world-traveling archeologist with a penchant for adventure, lost cities, mysterious codes and puzzles, and shadowy history that was never recorded. Heir to Joan of Arc’s mystic sword, Annja finds herself drawn into the webs of darkest villainy with lives on the line. The books deliver high-octane action, a bit of history with a twist on the fantastical, and more than a hint of derring-do.

The text reads:

When he reached his destination he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

From the exterior it looked like many of the other shops that lined this city street, but that was simply to provide protection for those who worshiped within. If the locals knew what these walls had been designed to protect, nothing would have stopped them from seizing the precious contents for their own. But the elders had chosen well when they had decided where to locate the Temple. Generations had worshiped inside its walls with no one the wiser. Many believed that their Lord and Master protected them from discovery, but the monk left such thinking to those who had reached a higher pinnacle of holiness than he had. He was not just worthy enough for such lofty pastimes.

A single torch burned in a sconce on the far wall and he swiftly made his way toward it, his long familiarity with the contents of the room making it easier to cross the dimly lit area without bumping into anything.

For the last year I’ve been involved in a secret project that I’m very excited about. I can’t talk too much about it yet, but I can offer a sneak peek. Here’s page one of EPIC: The Gift. (Created by Patrick Hatfield. Artwork by Patrick Hatfield. Written by Joe Nassise)

The text reads:

The monk moved through the night’s darkness and neither the dead nor the living took note of his passage.

His errand was an urgent one and he had spent the last several days in seclusion preparing for it. Only the cleansed were allowed into the sanctuary and the task he had been ordered to undertake was so far above his usual duties that he felt nearly overwhelmed just contemplating it, so he’d taken his preparations very seriously. His stomach felt tense from the forty-eight hours of fasting he’d undertaken and there was a dull throbbing in the back of his head from hunger, but he did what he could to ignore it. Everything seemed brighter, louder, as if he were more physically grounded in reality as a result of the fast, and he at last understood just why it was that his mentor had recommended it to him: what he was about to endure required the entirety of his senses.

The dark robe he wore over his ceremonial garments helped hide him in the shadows as he stole down the street toward the market. The streets were deserted, allowing him to move swiftly and without fear of discovery. When he reached his destination, he quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jon F. Merz  (jon@jonfmerz.com) or Joe Nassise (Joe.Nassise@gmail.com)

INTERNATIONAL FIGHT LEAGUE TEAMS UP WITH THRILLER AUTHORS FOR NEW SERIES, MISSION:IFL

The International Fight League, (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s number one team-based professional mixed martial arts league, has joined forces with veteran authors Jon F. Merz and Joe Nassise to launch a new series of thrillers called Mission:IFL.

Working for a classified department within the United Nations, the Boston Marauders, a multinational team comprised of former special operations and intelligence operatives, carries out extremely hazardous missions while simultaneously competing within the International Fight League. Each Mission:IFL adventure will contain heart attack-inducing action scenes featuring mixed martial arts and enough global conspiracy for even the most voracious thriller fan.

“Millions of people watch MMA on TV,” said Nassise, whose latest novel spent weeks on international bestseller lists. “We’re giving them more opportunities to read about it, listen to it, and see even more of it than ever before. That’s something we’re really proud of.”

Mission:IFL is currently being shopped to novel publishers, with plans to expand into other media in the near future. “We’re looking forward to finding just the right partners for this project,” said Merz, the author of a dozen thrillers. “It’s going to be huge and with the IFL on board, the series can’t miss.”

Merz, who also recently co-authored a non-fiction book on mixed martial arts with former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, concluded by stating, “Given the popularity of MMA right now, we expect this series to go into orbit. MMA isn’t just for martial artists. Everyday folks are eating up the sport and asking for more. Mission:IFL aims to serve up the same caliber of excitement that the live events do.”

Various rights to Mission:IFL are available. Interested parties should contact Jon F. Merz or Joe Nassise for more information.

About the IFL
International Fight League (IFL) is the world’s number one professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York and offices in Las Vegas. For more information about IFL, please see: http://www.ifl.tv

About Jon F. Merz
Jon F. Merz is the author of a dozen thrillers, two non-fiction books, and several screenplays. The Boston-based writer has studied martial arts for over twenty years and maintains his website at http://www.jonfmerz.com

About Joe Nassise
Joe Nassise is the author of eight novels and several comics. His work has been translated into multiple languages and garnered him international praise. A martial artist for many years, Joe lives in Phoenix and maintains his website at http://www.josephnassise.com

What do you get when you combine the fastest growing sport in the United States, the world’s only team-oriented mixed martial arts league, and thriller writers Jon Merz and Joe Nassise?

An incredible new series called Mission: IFL, of course!

From the proposal:

“Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing entertainment platforms in the world. This combat sport, using a wide range of fighting techniques including striking and grappling, sets records with Pay-per-view events that dwarf any boxing bout. The incredible success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has paved the way for other MMA venues, and public attention seems firmly fixed on this amazing pugilistic phenomenon.

The International Fight League has rapidly evolved into the top team-centric MMA platform, with ten teams battling it out between January and June for a place in the world championships held each August-September. The IFL has positioned itself perfectly to take advantage of the malaise affecting football fans when the NFL season ends in early February. Now, there’s a new sport broadcasting great events every week across the nation and soon, internationally, that gives football fans and other disenfranchised sports enthusiasts the chance to get behind a new breed of athletes: mixed martial artists. Fueled by sponsorship deals, a tremendous fan base, and excellent word-of-mouth, the IFL has enjoyed truly explosive growth.

From the IFL’s most recent SEC filing: “(IFL) events create a body of television programming content that we currently distribute through an arrangement with both Fox Sports Net (“FSN”), a national sports cable network available to over 80 million households across the United States and MyNetworkTV, Inc. (“MNTV”), a broadcast network available to over 100 million homes.”

Recent industry estimates put the number of IFL viewers each week at approximately ten million. Live events held across the country routinely attract tens of thousands of attendees. The IFL is clearly a dominant force in the MMA world.

Now, the IFL is seeking new ways to expand their brand awareness through a variety of multimedia projects. To that end, they have officially endorsed a new series of thriller novels that should debut in early 2009.

The Mission:IFL novel series revolves around the exploits of a fictional twelfth International Fight League team known as the Boston Marauders. This team trains and competes like any other IFL team but they also have a secret purpose known only to a select few.

Every member of the Boston Marauders is a former special operations soldier or intelligence operative from their respective countries (US Navy Seals, British Special Air Service, Russian Spetsnaz Alpha Teams, Israeli Mossad, German GSG9, French GIGN, etc.). United in a common cause, the men and women operate not only as a sanctioned IFL team but as a rapid reaction force run by senior intelligence officials within the United Nations.

The novels will focus on events both inside and outside the ring, as the team competes for the World Team Championship title and the IFL Championship ring while at the same time carrying on their covert activities. The books will emphasize the unique aspects of the IFL that make it a one of a kind organization, such as:

- The closely coordinated cooperation necessary to bring any particular team to the top
- The international nature of the League
- The excitement of mixed martial arts
- The larger-than-life personalities and personal prowess of the individual fighters

Each book will be crammed full of MMA action as the Marauders face off against the opposing teams in the grueling drive to be the best of the best and claim the IFL title. At the same time, the reader will experience all the suspense and tension of a commercial thriller. For the dedicated IFL fan, the books will represent the best of both worlds.”

The proposal for this new series is currently out on multiple submission. Jon and I have high hopes for it and believe it can be the start of an amazing franchise. Should prove to be an interesting few weeks as the responses come in.