Bringing in the New Year with John Reinhard Dizon

First featured author of the New Year is John R. Dizon. I have had the pleasure now of reading two of this author's novels, Tiara and Wolf Man, and wasn't disappointed in either. Each book was uniquely different but his writing style apparent with his smooth flow of words, descriptions, plot and action. 

Tiara by John R. Dizon packs an explosive punch that ensues from beginning to end. The plot centers around peace talks in Northern Ireland as the beautiful princess Jennifer is negotiating at the forefront. It is Jennifer's pressure for peace that has her kidnapped by a group of surly men who are in far above their heads, every agency has a hand in the pot and wants her either rescued or dead.

A fantastic action story also has a vested yet elusive love interest, and for Jennifer it is a ruggedly handsome, Bruce Willis or Matt Damon, whom she falls for hook, line, and sinker. The feelings between them are mutual and a couple sweltering love scenes heat up the pages of this exciting novel.

The Author's use of character depictions and dialogue brings every personality to life giving them depth. One may find themselves loving, hating and even feeling sorry for some of the dimmer witted fellows as they fight for their misguided beliefs. His illustrations portrayed give it a three dimensional quality and place the reader inside the action as bullets are fired, helicopters are downed, and bombs explode.

Reader's beware this cliffhanger flows unhinged from the first moment to last making this book a must read.
Tiara in Kindle

Wolf Man by John R. Dizon is a pulse pounding action adventure novella with a supernatural twist. The scene is set in New York although frequently reverts to past events and legends in Europe within the Serbia area. Steve Lurgan is an attractive international photojournalist whom returned to the states after an episode in the Accursed Mountains while researching a human organ smuggling ring. In New York he makes friends with the beautiful Mirjana, a Serbian who fled to America becoming a model/ actress. Steve finds his past crashing into his present and Mirjana as a damsel in distress.

This novella has it all; a magnetic attraction begging for romance, a horrifying bloodthirsty beast, and a cornucopia of action. Character names such as Evilenko, Darko and Mirjana assist in giving a surreal quality to the story.The plot flows smoothly and is guided by the varying twists and turns which culminate into an explosive ending.

An awesome read that invites a sequel!

Wolf Man in Kindle

Interview with John R. Dizon

John's Bio:

John Reinhard Dizon was born and raised in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn, NY. He participated in local and high school sports at Bishop Loughlin MHS, excelling in wrestling, hockey and football. The lead vocalist of the Spoiler and the Ducky Boys, he was a key figure on the Brooklyn rock scene during the Punk Revolution of the 70's. Relocating to San Antonio TX in the 80's, he moonlighted as a pro wrestler while working as a legal assistant. He successfully pursued a BA at UTSA and degrees in Korean martial arts during the 90's. He currently lives in KC MO where he is studying for his MA in English at UMKC. Mr. Dizon has been writing suspense and thriller works for over twenty-five years.

Elle: What is your latest writing accomplishment?

John: Tiara is a unique novel on Northern Ireland based on the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. It takes a dark turn into the shadowy world of terrorism that brings us right alongside modern day headlines. Its politics, its characters and its storyline are controversial and intriguing, turning this into a first-rate page-turner.
Princess Jennifer is a widowed member of British royalty who pursues a vision quest in attending the negotiations at Stormont leading to the GFA in NI of 1998. She becomes a fantasy object to Berlin Mansfield, a terrorist who finagles his way into the peace talks to meet the Princess. Unknown to both of them, she is also the target of the Ulster Defense Association, a loyalist gang intent on holding her hostage to stop the negotiations. She is kidnapped by the UDA, and Mansfield offers his services to the rival IRA to try and rescue the Princess. CIA agents Jon Stevens and Slash Scimitar are in NI on a mission and end up helping the British track down both Mansfield and the kidnappers.

Elle: Tell us a little about any other works you have published or will be publishing.

John: My next book due in January through Black Rose Writing, Nightcrawler, is about the heiress of a chemical manufacturing company who becomes a vigilante, trying to keep her deceased father's company alive while pursuing her own dreams of law enforcement. She's a churchgoing woman with a strong spirit and charming personality who is greatly challenged by both the manufacturing industry and the streets of New York, as well as a terrorist group threatening to annihilate NYC with WMD's.

Elle:  How long have you been writing and how did you fall into it?

John: I started writing dialogue for my stick-figure cartoons before I attended grade school. I've always loved telling stories and my abnormally-wide range of interests have provided for what is now termed cross-genre works throughout my life.

Elle: Please tell us a little about your writing process.

John: It's all about having a compelling subject, which is why most of my work is historical fiction. From there you have to have to have a charismatic protagonist, and an equally charming love interest. From there, unless your major protagonist is an anti-hero, you can afford to have a exquisitely evil villain. From there you have to have a powerful finish. Without there elements I won't even start a story. Once I get the first chapter down, I then build a chapter outline to get from beginning to end. You also have to have the final conflict, the confrontation that brings you to your climax. I think I'm building a reputation for corny endings, with the hero and the girl riding off into the sunset. After the hell they go through to get there, I think most of my readers are probably good with it.

Elle: As a fiction writer, are any of your novels based on events in your life?

John: Most of the characters in my book are based on people I know Like they say, life is stranger than fiction. Many of the backdrops in the stories are based on places I've lived in or visited. I also tend to write about the things that have impacted my life. You'll see a lot of references to NYC, rock and roll, martial arts, Christianity, Irish history and women's issues in my stories. Like I said, I've got a strangely diversified background.

Elle: What was the greatest challenge you faced with publishing your work?

John: Before the Internet, it was marketing the book. If it wasn't for e-mail, I would've never got published. Back in the day, the cost of mailing samples or even finding publishers was impossible. In this day and age, it's marketing. Most publishers will print quality work but leave it to the author to sell the book. I think a publisher with a hot product owes it to themselves and the author to seek out a major label or movie producer to sell the rights to. There's nothing to lose and everything to gain. I do more than my share in publicizing the book and attracting readers, it's a full day's work at this point in time.

Elle: Do you have a favorite author or book?

John: Franz Kafka has been my greatest influence as a postmodernist writer. When I was a child, I read all of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. As a young man, Robert E. Howard's series on Conan the Barbarian taught me a lot about descriptive narrative, particularly action scenes.

Elle: Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

John: Write, write, write, and never throw anything away. Most of the work I've recently published and am currently working on is over twenty years old. You never know when a new twist on an old idea will come out with a fresh new perspective.

Elle: What genre or genres do you write and why?

John: I'm always looking for a new challenge and try to avoid getting pigeonholed. Right now I tend towards action/adventure though my horror novels are selling well. I have The Fury available through Netherworld Books and Wolf Man with Damnation Books, and Transplant is expected to appear early next year through Assent Publishing. Just pull up John Reinhard Dizon in Books at Amazon, there's something there for everyone!

Click here for John's books and Bio on Amazon