Submitted
Maruszewski
Dave Maruszewski of Carmel continues his Raven, Romda and Ravai Middle Grade (MG) series with Malketh and the Undead. The book is the second of the series where the trio set off on journeys of epic fantasy while dealing with common everyday challenges.
The first book had the three heroes experience an inhuman villain on their first mission beyond the walls of their training. In this second story, the more experienced trio has to take a larger step on their journey. They are pitted against a former mage of the kingdom. After years of exile and being buried in a catastrophic incident, Malketh (the mage) has returned. This time he brings an entire undead army with him.
The first book in the series tended to be traveling adventure, where world building came as a result of what they found through their trek. The second book will be more in depth on the kingdom and lays rich in backstory for not only the Malketh but Raven, Romda and Ravai, as well.
Maruszewski has promised that the book will reveal the first impressions of how certain characters met.
The series overall strives to entertain youth who may not like to read or have a hard time reading. The author hopes that parents will enjoy reading it either with or in parallel with their children. Shorter paragraphs, higher dialogue and engaging interactions are some of the devices that are employed to encourage non-traditional readers.
Whereas many writers rely heavily on description and setting, Maruszewski tends to err on the side of paucity in order to engage the readers’ imagination. He says his intention is to give them just enough information that they will “fill in the blanks.” In this way, he is creating interaction between the story and person reading it, making the book original to each person who reads it.
The book is intended for Middle Graders. It is suggested, but not reserved, for ages 8 to 14. Content includes action, some violence and magic, but avoids profanity, lewdness, mature themes, and morally corrupt protagonists. It is meant to display the virtue of three young people who endeavor to be heroes for the people they serve. Comedy is used to lighten some of the more intense parts.
Maruszewski has this series continuing well into many volumes, although each book will be a self-contained story, that way a newcomer won’t feel lost. He actively is also working a game plan for a host of books to come. In fact, his third volume is in the editing stage already, and he hopes to publish it within the next year.
As a person of a varied background, Maruszewski tries to employ aspects of all his past pursuits in his writing. His experiences include being a detonation physicist, teacher, painter, 3D modeler, animator, video game maker, software engineer, comic book dealer, and engineering analyst. He maintains that all these are useful in writing, at least for a paragraph.
Maruszewski moved to the Carmel area in 2021, and he says is enjoying this great area with his family. He and his wife haven’t regretted it for a minute. He says they like seeing people going out and about, enjoying the weather, and engaging in all the local things to do.
The book’s official launch date is Tuesday, April 18, although the pre-order period has begun. Malketh and the Undead is published by BookBaby. It is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org, Booktopia, Indigo, thriftbooks and BookBaby.
Learn more about the series at RavenRomdaAndRavai.com.