Among the People By Keith Rommel A Sunbury Press New Release

Among the People

By Keith Rommel

A Sunbury Press New Release 

Synopsis:

After breaking one of Belial's laws, Sardurvial, a fallen angel, discovers the terrible truth behind one of hell's many secrets. He flees the false paradise and murderous companions, finding himself at the mercy of the people he once sought to destroy.

Kathy, injured and grieving, is approached separately by two mysterious people and is presented with a warning and a choice: save the injured man or let him die. Her decision to aid or ignore a stranger determines the course of her own fate.

Rommel weaves the super natural struggles seamlessly with the human, internal struggles of loss and remorse, beautifully crafting the thrilling story of a demon, fallen from hell, who seeks shelter and redemption Among the People.

Author:

Keith Rommel  is an award winning author and retail manager. He's enjoyed collecting comic books since he was a child (a hobby inspired by a teacher in grade school to help overcome a reading comprehension disability) and is a total nerd. 

Keith authored the critically acclaimed dark suspense Thanatology Series which has been called, "Horror for the curious mind" and includes the titles The Cursed Man, The Lurking Man and The Sinful Man. Keith has dabbled in psychological crime with the fast-paced You Killed My Brother and is now enjoying his new supernatural release Among the People. Keith is he co screenplay writer for The Cursed Man movie being filmed in Los Angeles, California as a major motion picture under the same title (and he still doesn't believe it's true - but it is and someone needs to slap him!).

Keith is a native of Long Island, New York and currently lives with his family in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Rommel is a retail manager and has enjoyed collecting comic books since he was a child (a hobby inspired by a teacher in grade school to help overcome a reading comprehension disability).

Keith enjoys offering his experiences to other authors, writing several articles about writing and publishing, and is currently fast at work on the third novel in the Thanatology series entitled "The Valley" which is scheduled for a winter 2013 release.

He also has several other novels in the works. Besides writing, he also enjoys watching the New York Giants, scary stories, and spending time with family.For more information on Rommel, or his writing, go to http://keithrommel.weebly.com

Links:

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Facebook
–  Author Website

A day in the life of a writer: Keith Rommel

With multiple books under his belt and a movie currently being filmed based off of one of his novels, what does a day in the life of a writer look like for Keith Rommel? We've had a chance to talk to him and this is what he had to say:

For most writers, being able to write full time is part of the dream of being published and recognized as an accomplished writer. But as with most artists and art forms, passion doesn't pay the bills and real life obstacles get in the way, creating a unique challenge of balancing a job, a family, and a hobby. This is true for me.

Having been in retail management for most of my professional career, I am no stranger to long hours and the need to give in to my exhaustion. Sixty hours plus are a typical week in the workplace leaving me with little energy to contend with a four year old son, a six year old daughter and a wife that needs a break too. If I'm lucky enough to be home on time to have dinner with the family, the children look at me as their own personal jungle-gym. Teaching them baseball, taking them to parks or riding bikes, coloring and reading them books is a typical night before we settle down in front of the television and watch an episode of Judge Judy or Americas Funniest Videos before everyone turns in for bed. That is, everyone but me.

When the lights go out and everyone is sleeping, I'll dedic

ate about an hour or two almost every night to writing my next novel or promoting the ones that have already been released. My mood and energy level dictates whether or not I'm writing something new, outlining, editing or simply typing in corrections.

Often times within that hour plus dedicated to writing, I'll take a break and read a comic book, watch one of my favorite shows such as Ghost Adventures, The Walking Dead or even Survivorman to help clear my mind. I struggle on a daily basis with PTSD and find myself in battle with high level anxiety attacks that sometimes interfere with my concentration and routine. But I've been writing for years now and the habits are there. So I deal with the demands of my job, my duties as a father and husband, my hobbies and the distraction of having acute anxiety all in attempt to fulfill a passion that can never be satisfied.

Doubt - it's part of the game

You already have the skill or are working on developing it. So how do you know when you're ready to take that step from being a writer to a published author?

I'm not going to attempt to answer that question for you because each person’s journey, skill level and dedication will bring them down different paths. But what I can speak about is my experience and tell you how my opportunity came and the tools I used along the way.

It is my hope as I share my experience how I honed my craft (and continue to do so) that ultimately brought me to multiple publications and a movie deal, that you understand I continue to struggle with doubt on whether or not my work is good enough. Some days that doubt is downright heavy and defeating. But as a writer, we learn to peel that off of us and find the inspiration to move on. How? When something is a passion quitting is not an option. We have a story to tell and want someone to listen.

As I write this and reflect why we as writers have a natural doubt, I wonder if it is merely a side effect of our own attempts to achieve perfection. Might that be true? I know it is for me. Measured by sales or reviewers, and all the sweat and tears forgotten about as we move on to the next project, hoping for acceptance and our big break. But there are so many obstacles we must overcome as writers. So where can we draw inspiration from, even when doubt has us down?

The most valuable tool I use is the website The Critique Circle. It is a point building website where you crit other writers works of your choosing and in turn, you earn points to be able to put your own work up for others to comment on. The most important feature of this interactive community is that it isn't friends and family members telling you how wonderful your work is. Rather, it is other likeminded people that are looking to give honest to god feedback that you can use to learn and grow and aren't worried about your feelings in the process. Don't get me wrong, I've never had a rude critter, but some that were brutally honest and I believe those were the ones I learned the most from. This website and community will give you something tangible to take away and apply to your writing and best of all it's free. Of course with any such sites, you'll have to figure out what is a good crit and what is not. How do you do that? You'll just know. I used the CC site for years as I honed my debut novel and continue to use the site to this day.

I've also devoured a book entitled Self Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Brown & David King. This book is packed with tips on style including showing vs tell, , point of view, proportion, passive voice and a bunch more. I often revisit the book, picking up more tips and tricks along the way, sometimes getting my nose into it as a refresher.

As a writer, I think it is important to keep your expectations real. You can dream big but if you're expecting instant success, it's highly unlikely and unrealistic. That is, unless you appear on television regularly in some reality show. Keep your focus on improving your craft whether through the examples mentioned above or some other way, and always keep writing. Even if your doubt is heavy like mine, tell your story and enjoy what you do. And remember, writing the novel is only a part of the process. The gruelling work starts when it's time to promote your work.

So as I bring this article to a close, I still ask myself as I so often do whether my bodies of work are worthy of someone's time and money where they don't feel cheated. I'll keep applying the principals above, keep writing the stories I love to tell, and allow my readers to decide for themselves.

The Query Letter

Over the years, I have scoured the Internet for information on how to write a query letter. I have found hundreds of articles that provided an outline explaining what a writer should do and not showing. I’m going to show you by breaking down a query letter. I am going to comment on each entry to try and give you some insight as to the reasons why I chose certain wording.

First, let’s take a look at the query without notes:

Dear Agent/Publisher,

How far would you go to make someone pay for hurting a loved one?

Rainer is a successful doctor and father of two. He’s a celebrated member of the community for his exceptional care and charity work. Brick is a local street thug that can’t keep his nose clean. When fate brings the two together through tragedy, the life of Rainer is changed dramatically, setting into motion events that change communities.

Glenn is a seasoned cop and Rainer’s younger brother. Trusting the justice system, he keeps his desire for revenge in check as Brick is brought to trial. But when the jury hands Brick a lean sentence, Glenn sets out to avenge his family’s suffering. But what he forgets in his rage is that for every action, there is a reaction.

You Killed My Brother is a novel of crime and suspense where the rich collides with a local street gang. At around 55,000 words, it is paced for a quick-and-easy read. This the first book in the Cultures Collide series.

Best Regards,

Keith Rommel

Now, let’s break down the query into parts:

Dear Agent/Publisher,

Your greeting to the agent or publisher should be specific. It is important to familiarize yourself with any agent or publisher you’re considering for representation and or publication before you submit to them. All too often writers don’t pinpoint appropriate agents or publishers that are proper for their work, thus increasing their rejections. Rejections are going to happen, but if you do your homework, you will avoid some of those “no thanks” responses and receive a positive response.

How far would you go to make someone pay for hurting a loved one?

This is the hook. It is a fast logline about the story that is intended to pique the agent/publisher’s interest right away. Most times you will only have one sentence to do it, so make it sharp.

Rainer is a successful doctor and father of two. He’s a celebrated member of the community for his exceptional care and charity work.

The second and third sentences deliver facts about the protagonist. I intentionally keep the sentence short and sharp.

Brick is a local street thug that can’t keep his nose clean.

Here is where I explain the antagonist.

When fate brings the two together through tragedy, the life of Rainer is changed dramatically, setting into motion events that change communities.

This is where I reveal the tension of the plot and intend on building the tension again, bringing the targeted agent/publisher on a mini rollercoaster ride. What I have done thus far is provide the details of the plot with minimal word usage.

Glenn is a seasoned cop and Rainer’s younger brother.

Here I add a new layer to the story by introducing a new character and how he’s connected to the protagonist.

Trusting the justice system, he keeps his desire for revenge in check as Brick is brought to trial. But when the jury hands Brick a lean sentence, Glenn sets out to avenge his family’s suffering. But what he forgets in his rage is that for every action, there is a reaction.

The final portion of the query leaves the entire outline of the story fully explained in a short, concise pitch that begs for more answers.

You Killed My Brother is a novel of crime and suspense where the rich collides with a local street gang. At around 55,000 words, it is paced for a quick-and-easy read This the first book in the Cultures Collide series.

In the closing paragraph, I provide genre and I mention word count. Depending on your publishing history, some agents/publishers will find your word count useful. I also mention this is part of a series, citing intention of a desire to continue with the story.

I often say that selling books is not a race, but a marathon. Go into it with the intention of getting to know humility and working as hard to reach publication as you did to write your novel.

You Killed My Brother

Goodreads

Rainer is a successful doctor and father of two. He’s a celebrated member of the community for his exceptional care and charity work. Brick is a local street thug that can’t keep his nose clean. When fate brings the two together through tragedy, the life of Rainer is changed dramatically.

Glenn is a seasoned cop and Rainer’s younger brother. Trusting the justice system, he keeps his desire for revenge in check as Brick is brought to trial. But when the jury hands Brick a lean sentence, Glenn sets out to avenge his family’s suffering. But what he forgets in his rage is that for every action, there is a reaction.

The Cursed Man

(Thanatology- Volume 2) 

Alister Kunkle believes death is in love with him.  A simple smile from friend or stranger is all it takes to encourage death to kill.

With his family deceased and a path of destruction behind him, Alister sits inside a mental institution, sworn to silence and separated from the rest of the world, haunted by his inability to escape death's preferential treatment.

But when a beautiful psychologist arrives at the institution and starts offering him care, Alister braces himself for more killings.  When none follow, he tries to figure out whether he truly is insane or if death has finally come to him in the form of a woman.

The Lurking Man 

(Thanatology- Volume 2)

Cailean stands beneath a spotlight in a blinding snowstorm. She has no idea where she is or how she got there, but she senses something moving around her in the darkness outside the light.

When the ominous presence calling himself Sariel makes himself known, he declares that he is Death Incarnate. Cailean has died, and now she will be forced to face the sins of her past in exchange for twenty-four hours of life to try to right her wrongs. And what she must do in return for this precious time is unthinkable.

The Sinful Man

(Thanatology- Volume 3)

Headaches. Hunger. Pain.
Leo needs something . . . his stomach growls, but it can wait. That’s not hunger he must feed. He has to get to his next high, but without money he knows he can’t buy what he needs to sate the voice inside telling him to get more, get more.
Voices. Visions. Addiction.
No luck asking his father. His mother is in no position to help. After failing to steal the money he desperately needs, Leo must appeal to his dealer, the dangerous and infamous Saint Nick—despite the inevitable beating he’ll take for showing up empty-handed. Still, anything to keep the voices and flashbacks at bay . . .
Demons. Addiction. Death.
Leo soon learns that everything has a price—not just money for drugs, but that every choice he makes has a repercussion. Suddenly caught between a world where he can see the sins of his past and a new consciousness that he doesn’t fully understand, Leo finds himself not only chasing the dragon, but being chased by demons of a whole different kind. He must learn the finality of being past hope—all while reliving his missed opportunities for second chances—and truly come to understand that he is responsible for his own undoing before he runs out of time. After a lifetime of bad choices, this Sinful Man discovers the consequences to his actions and the mortal responsibility of exercising free will.

Spirit of Independence

Travis Winter, the Spirit of Independence, was viciously murdered in World War II. Soon after his untimely death, he discovers he is a chosen celestial knight—a new breed of Angel destined to fight the age-old war between Heaven and Hell. Yet, confusion reigns for Travis when he is pulled into Hell and is confronted by the Devil himself, somewhat disguised as a saddened creature who begs only to be heard.

Freed by a band of Angels sent to rescue him, Travis rejects the Devil’s plea and begins a fifty-year-long odyssey to uncover the true reasons why Heaven and Hell war.
Now, in this, the present day, Travis comes to you, the reader, to share recent and extraordinary revelations that will no doubt change the way you view the Kingdom of Heaven and Hell. And what is revealed will change your own afterlife in ways you could never imagine!