Buy "The Fixer" (and now "The Invoker") <-- I actually know this author!
 

Update 11/09/04
Since the publisher wouldn't continue the series, Jon took things into his own hands and launched his own publishing company, MAELSTROM BOOKS. He's going to publish his OWN hardcover for the FIFTH of the Lawson Books, THE KENSEI in July 2005 that comes with a bunch of extras. I think he has a link to his free KENSEI e-serial on his website http://www.zrem.com ... (Full post below)

Update 10/16/03
Jon's FOURTH book (and currently the last in the series unless extended), <BR>The Syndicate
has been released and is available at Amazon :)

Update 2/28/03

Jon's THIRD book, The Destructor
has been released and is available at Amazon :)

Update 9/25/02

Jon's second book, The Invoker
was just released and is available at Amazon :)



My girlfriend's brother, who has been freelancing for some time (short stories, articles, etc), has finally had his first book published. In fact, he was able to secure a 4-book deal (rarely done for first time authors, which may grow into 6 books or more in the future), and the first book of his series just came out:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786015004

It's called <B><FONT COLOR="RED">THE FIXER</FONT></B> by <I>Jon F. Merz</I>... Although it's officially listed as horror (since the main characters are vampires), it's more of an action/noir book. I read it pretty quickly, since it was easy to get absorbed into the story, and I've already been telling Jon that I can't wait for the next book in the series (publishing in October).

If you're looking for a good book to read, please consider buying this one. It's in paperback only, so it's not very expensive. Obviously, I'm not getting anything out of this, but I am helping out my girlfriend's family by spreading the word. If you buy the book and enjoy it, please spread the word also!

Thanks!
Darq

Sure you're not getting anything out of this, wink wink, nudge nudge.

I read The Fixer by Bernard Malamud. Great book. Made into a very good movie too.

Oh, not that one?

Nice ratings from readers on Amazon. I work at a library and I'm going to see if I can get this book from Ingram on Monday. I'll spread the word and recommend to everyone in town if I like it.

I can't believe the word of mouth I've heard on this book. Jon is on another message board I post at and has been hyping his book for a long time now. Crazy. Maybe fate's telling me to read this.

No offense...but out of the reviews I've read, this book seems oddly similar to Blade. I would read it, but I'm not much of one for action/horror stuff...however, I will suggest it to some friends that are really into all that horror/vampire/cult kind of stuff. When they are done I'll tell you how it went with them.

Aghama - no, i'm not getting any monetary kickbacks... what are you referring to? heh

Fallow - Actually, i believe Jon wrote this book (before it was ever published) long before Blade ever came out in the theaters. (Apparently, it takes THAT long for a new author to get a foot in the door). While there may be very slight similarities between The Fixer and Blade, the movie is actually about one guy versus a whole legion of bad vampires. In The Fixer, there's actually a society of vampires (who aren't undead in the traditional sense.. they've evolved differently as a separate branch of humanity) that are trying to keep their existence secret, with one rogue villain intent on killing, causing mayhem, and carrying out some diabolical plan.

Anyways, thanks for giving this book a shot. Let me know what you think, and I'll send Jon a link to this thread! :)

Darq

P.S. Movielib.. i didn't realize Malamud's book was turned into a movie. I wonder what Jon's movie would be called if it got picked up?

Thanks for the interest!
 

Howdy folks - Darq emailed me about this thread so I thought I'd jump out and answer any questions you all might have. (And also hopefully get you to buy a few copies, heh heh)

As for similarities to Blade, there are very few. THE FIXER is much more of a hard-boiled espionage thriller than it is a horror novel, although there are supernatural elements throughout this book and the rest of the series. My take on vampires is different in that in my world, they are a separately evolving line of humanoids that broke off from "humans" upwards of 14,000 years ago. They ingest blood the way early humans drank the blood of animals to gain their powers. Over time, that ingestion of human blood has enabled vampires to extract the life force from those they "borrow" from and thereby extend their lives, gain super strength, etc. etc.

Book 1 is being received very well. Creature Feature Tomb called it "one of the coolest action/adventure/horror novels to appear in a long time." Best-selling author Douglas Clegg writes that "Jon Merz's novels move at a break-neck pace, twisting through a landscape of thrills and terror." And WBZ Radio 1030-AM's Jordan Rich of The Jordan Rich Show says, "Jon Merz has created a great new character with the wit of Spenser, the toughness of Mike Hammer, the sex appeal of James Bond and oh yes, fangs! As a vampire story fan, I loved this new approach and look forward to the next in 'The Lawson Vampire' series."

Please check out my site at www.zrem.com for more info, cover art, news, and all that jazz or drop me a line or post some questions out here and I'll be glad to answer them.

Thanks for indulging me.
Jon

Jon,

Thanks for droping a note on the DVD Talk Forum. Always nice to have an author post to the book forum :)

- G

Sorry, it was a poorly received joke.

Next LAWSON VAMPIRE book "The Invoker" <-- i STILL know this author! =)
 

Hey all -

My girlfriend's brother's second book in his Lawson Vampire series just came out.. If you read Jon's first book, The Fixer , then please check out the new book:

THE INVOKER found at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/0786015012

Comments from Jon F. Merz, the author, on the previous thread i posted:
I haven't received the book yet myself, but hopefully I'll get it soon!

Thanks,
Darq

I must buy this book!

I read the Fixer and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I happened to meet Jon at the Horrorfind convention in Baltimore, MD where I picked up the book. A great guy!

The Fixer was fantastic as well. I read it in 2 days. I couldn't put the thing down. I probably would have read it in one day, but I was busy meeting and buying at the convention. ;)

I still have to write a review for that book.

I highly recomend The Fixer. I'll be purchasing The Invoker this week!

Thanks for the update! :D

The website is definitely worth checking out.

Chapter downloads and even a free "ebook"....

Giving this a bump as I have recently finished The Invoker and extremely enjoyed it.

Looking forward to The Destructor in March. :thumbsup:

If you haven't read these yet, you should give them a shot. Merz's take on vampires is pretty fascinating.

Hey everyone .. looks like Jon's third book, THE DESTRUCTOR, is finally available (i believe his first printing of the first book sold out!) -- let me know what you think!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786015357

I'd consider giving it a spin.....I just wish it weren't vampires.

I'm pleased to hear it's doing well, though! It's a very tough business.

I would consider the first book more of a mystery/suspense novel then a story about a vampire.

Kind of like boogie nights was a drama, but there happened to be some porn. :D

This actually came out a few weeks ago...

Jon's FOURTH book (and currently the last in the series unless extended), <BR>The Syndicate
has been released and is available at Amazon :)

SWEET!
I really liked the first three. :up:

Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of the Fixer cheap? I can't find it for less than 45.00 and none of the libraries around me ever picked up the title.

WTF? I doubted that price, but sure enough Amazon has it listed for $44.75.
It was a pretty good book, but I didn't realize it had gotten that valuable. In fact, I've never even heard of a paperback becoming valuable like that in such short a time.

Sorry i didn't reply earlier -- didn't really have a place for you to buy the book (outside of eBay)

Anyways, a limited 300-copy hardcover version (with extras) of the first book THE FIXER will be coming out over the summer. Cost will be $45 + shipping. With the paperback going for that much on eBay, i wonder what THIS one will go for! ;)

Preorder it at http://www.revelationpress.net/order.htm

BTW, even though it doesn't have a publisher yet, Jon's in the middle of writing the 5th book in the series, and has a few other projects in the works...

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Invoker? I ordered through Amazon but they held my order and by the time they shipped the book was out of stock.

It's not my auction, but here's something on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4201275630

Since the publisher wouldn't continue the series, Jon took things into his own hands and launched his own publishing company, MAELSTROM BOOKS. He's going to publish his OWN hardcover for the FIFTH of the Lawson Books, THE KENSEI in July 2005 that comes with a bunch of extras. I think he has a link to his free KENSEI e-serial on his website http://www.zrem.com ... If you've never read his books before, this is a good way to find out how fast paced they are -- i believe he sends out a chapter each week.

Hey.. i don't think i ever posted this other info, but since my last post, Jon has had some news about new stories/books:

Borderlands 5 / From the Borderlands - an anthology including stories from a bunch of different authors, including a short story from Jon himself and a NEW story from Stephen King
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446610356

Danger Close - A new book series starring a character name Jake Thunder. It's supposed to be released soon, if it's not already out there...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594142564

Heh.. and Jon was even included in some wall calendar called "12 Scary Guys" including Stephen King and 10 other people.. ;)