Straight from the Mouth of Western Fantasy Author Thomas Rottinghaus

I worked on Graywullf for a very long time, ironing out the kinks, streamlining the action, working on dialogue and making certain my characters developed throughout the story. Then I began searching for an agent, which proved to be an exercise in futility. It seems agents want established authors, which is ironic since an established author has no need for an agent. So I tried the thoroughly frustrating option of trying to find a traditional publisher on my own, which of course also proved to be futile. Enter the world of self publishing.

   Don’t get me wrong, self publishing has it’s place, if all you really want is an actual physical book to prove that you did publish. However, the self publishing companies marketing programs seem to be designed to separate authors from their money, nothing more.  And once you get started they circle like sharks in the water. Spend just a few dollars and it’s like a blood trail leading to a feeding frenzy with the author as the main course. After an investment of only a few thousand dollars…or five…or ten? The author has nothing but a published book. If you’re lucky it will be a quality book at least. But there is a reason self publishing companies were called vanity presses. People who have no business publishing a grocery list suddenly can call themselves a published author.
   It seems to be a no win situation. Current technology makes it possible for anyone to publish, and anyone and everyone does, inundating the market with such a huge pile of garbage the consumer can’t wade through it to find a decent book.

ABOUT THE BOOK


 Title:  Graywullf
Genre: Western / Fantasy
Author: Thomas Rottinghaus
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Purchase on Amazon
About the Book:
The Dark Wizard Lynch had lived several ages of men being loyal only to himself. But when he was accidentally rescued from certain death by the Warrior Lorn Graywullf, he found himself in the unfamiliar position of being indebted to another. To repay that debt, Lynch offers to help the Warriors reverse a spell that would wreak havoc on their World. Of course, he neglected to mention that action would serve his own interests as well. In the process, Lynch discovers much to his chagrin that he does still have a soul and a conscience.
He also discovers that the Warriors are fighting a battle they can’t win against a common enemy, a Wizard named Timon Backhelm. Only Lynch knows his complicated history with Timon, and the real reason he has sworn to kill him or be killed trying. But when Lynch realizes the extent of Timon’s power, he knows the only way to win is to initiate the creation of the Dragonspawn, a magical, physical blend of the strengths of a Dragon and an ultimate Warrior. The question is, will the Dragonspawn be loyal to those who created him, or will he simply destroy them all?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas Rottinghaus has been an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, as well as a student of the written Word, since becoming enamored with J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" as a freshman in high school. Drawing from influences as varied as Tolkien, Stephen King, and Isaac Asimov, he wrote his first foray into the publishing world, "Graywullf: Book One of the Dragonspawn Trilogy" Thomas studied literature and journalism at Colorado Mesa University before pursuing other interests. He resides in beautiful Western Colorado with his wife, Lisa, a herd of barn cats and their friend Scout, a shepherd and Labrador mix.

Twitter: Graywullf1





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