What’s the Lure of Thanatology? It’s Plagued Humankind Since Inception.
Is this a name for a new radical cult ready to take over the world? Well, if we go by my first impression, I say it sure sounded like one! So what does it mean and how has it helped me to write my novels?
I have to back up to June of 2009. My father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and died some weeks later. After his passing, all of my passions were stifled and I was being haunted daily by unrelenting panic attacks. Suddenly I was an adult and I had come face to face with my own mortality, and quite frankly, being able to see there was an ending for the people I loved and for myself, frightened me.
In this fog of distress I had become immersed in, I began to search for the understanding behind my father’s passing and the meaning behind my own existence.
Unable to sleep, I began to explore what is known about dying on the Internet and read as much about it as I could. Little did I know, this investigation would help me to heal and simultaneously reignite my creative side.
I have to back up to June of 2009. My father had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and died some weeks later. After his passing, all of my passions were stifled and I was being haunted daily by unrelenting panic attacks. Suddenly I was an adult and I had come face to face with my own mortality, and quite frankly, being able to see there was an ending for the people I loved and for myself, frightened me.
In this fog of distress I had become immersed in, I began to search for the understanding behind my father’s passing and the meaning behind my own existence.
Unable to sleep, I began to explore what is known about dying on the Internet and read as much about it as I could. Little did I know, this investigation would help me to heal and simultaneously reignite my creative side.
I entered “death” into the Google search bar, and Wikipedia came up first. I clicked on it and read the article. Towards the bottom there was a “see also” link. Thanatology was
listed among that group. I had never heard of it before so I clicked the link from Wikipedia:
Thanatology is the scientific study of death. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death, such as bodily changes that accompany death and the post-mortem period, as well as wider social aspects related to death.
Now what does that have to do with my writing? Nearly three years previous to my father’s passing, I had been working on a novel entitled The Cursed Man, based on a real-life story told of a family friend. As I continued to explore this interest in Thanatology, I came to realize I could put a fictional spin to this science of death and add it to the book. As I continued writing, I could foresee a series based on this theme. The theme fit the stories I wanted to write perfectly.
In March, 2011 Sunbury Press published The Cursed Man as book 1 in the Thanatology series. I immediately went to work on the second book in the series. I wanted to deal with real life issues in a way that spun Death as a character, creating lasting stories that kept readers spellbound.
Book 2 in the Thanatology series entitled The Lurking Man has been released, and although the book is not a sequel, it is a story that further explores the meaning of death in a very spooky fashion.
My father was always a big advocate for my writing and often asked when I would attempt to get the work published. And a great loss inspired a great dream to come to maturity. As I write this it has been three plus years since his passing and it is bittersweet. The bitter part is still very painful, as most anyone that has lost a loved one knows.
Book three is scheduled for a 2013 release and has been tentatively titled: The Ensnared Man that will feature Death as two different entities. Plans for a fourth book have already begun to take shape.
Death can be one ominous character considering that death itself probably scares people more than just about anything. Being able to offer these novels as a way for others to not only enjoy an old-fashioned suspense story, but to provide material that will challenge their imagination, is something I’ve enjoyed as an author.
About the Thanatology Series:
Rommel’s series is titled due to Thanatology being a study that explores death and dying. Rommel has taken this science to a fictionalized, gothic-style horror level that may leave you breathless and unable to stop your mind from contemplating how you live your own life.
The books are grouped in the series due to the nature of the theme, but each book may be read independently. “Those who read in order will be able to catch glimpses from previous book(s), but it is not dependent upon each individual story,” Rommel said.
The Cursed Man and The Lurking Man are released by Sunbury Press. Book three in the Thanatology series is on schedule for a summer 2013 release. The Cursed Man is currently being considered as a feature film.
My thoughts on The Lurking Man
The premise of this book was totally unexpected...in a good way. When I first started reading, I was struck by how much it reminded me of that old horror film from the 70s, "Tales from the Crypt," where the people are shown where they went wrong in life before they go to their death. I was also oddly reminded of A Christmas Carol...that whole "a look at your past" thing and a chance to right the wrongs you committed, but in a much different way than that story. Rommel gives a unique explanation as to why we might do the evil to others that we do, even if things people might not ordinarily think of as evil (but should), like alcoholism, lies and deceit, emotional abuse, etc. There is one moment in this book that delivered such a sucker punch to my stomach, it took my breath away. The Lurking Man is not a common horror story, but it has a very Gothic feel to it and it's great storytelling.
Keith Rommel Shows that Death Has No Mercy in His Second Novel The Lurking Man
What happens after we die? Are we given choices based on how we lived our lives? It’s an age-old question pondered by just about everyone.Author Keith Rommel dared to explore the answer by creating his newest novel The Lurking Man, a story of dark suspense that unmercifully reveals the life of a self-deluded, neglectful mother who caused irreparable damage to her family and ultimately struggles with death as much as life. It’s the second novel in his suspenseful and thrilling Thanatology series that began with the eerie, spine-tingling The Cursed Man.
“Imagine Death knowing your deepest, darkest secrets and all of your private pain,” said Rommel about The Lurking Man. “Now imagine it wants to use what it knows against you so that you bend to its will.”
In The Lurking Man, main character 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 and that Cailean has died. He has taken her to the Aperture, a place between the living and the dead, where he will force her to face the sins of her past in exchange for twenty-four hours of life to try and right her wrongs. But what she must do in return for this precious time is unthinkable.
Rommel’s series is titled due to Thanatology being a study that explores death and dying. Rommel has taken this science to a fictionalized, gothic-style horror level that may leave you breathless and unable to stop your mind from contemplating how you live your own life.
The books are grouped in the series due to the nature of the theme, but each book may be read independently. “Those who read in order will be able to catch glimpses from previous book(s), but it is not dependent upon each individual story,” Rommel said.
The Cursed Man and The Lurking Man are released by Sunbury Press. Book three in the Thanatology series is on schedule for a summer 2013 release. The Cursed Man is currently being considered as a feature film.
Keith Rommel 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). He enjoys watching the New York Giants and writing how-to articles for other authors.
To learn more about Rommel and his books, please visit http://keithrommel.weebly.com
GIVEAWAY!
Keith is giving away one paperback copy of The Lurking Man to one of my readers in the US or Canada. To enter, leave a comment telling us what your favorite Gothic story is and be sure to include your email address in case you win. Last day to enter will be October 31 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!
Pinterest Contest
Get involved in Keith Rommel’s book tour by taking part in his Pinterest contest! If you don’t have Pinterest go to www.pinterest.com to sign-up!
For those of you already pinning, make a board titled something like “Book Contest~The Grim Reaper” or you can make your own title. It doesn’t have to be morbid, just make it fun! Especially with Halloween month upon us, there are all kinds of things out there that will make it fun.
You MUST at least pin the photos with link to The Cursed Man and The Lurking Man, Keith Rommel’s two books in his Thanatology series, and pin the link to his blog tour dates.
You can find the books with links to re-blog on the example board at:
You can find the books with links to re-blog on the example board at:
You can find the blog tour schedule to pin at http://keithrommel.weebly.com
You have until 11:59 p.m. EST the final day of the tour to create your post. Be creative, the best board wins an ARC paperback copy of The Cursed Man, an e-book of The Lurking Man and some cool bookmarks! This is for USA and CANADA only.
You must leave a comment back here that you did the contest with the link and with your email so we can get in touch with you! And if you had a great time and read the book be sure to click "like" on book seller sites and let us know what you think.
Some ideas to get you started:
*Think outside the box!
*Think about all the psychological horror movies relating to cheating Death.
*Think about fun creatives like food or clothing for a book party (for a book launch or book club).
*Think about colors, art, music, visuals that relate to stories of the Grim Reaper.
*It doesn’t have to be morbid, make it fun especially with Halloween parties coming up!
Keith Rommel’s books are about how Death comes in different bodily forms and shapes—sometimes in the shadows…hiding in the darkness, hiding in our minds, making us think back on our lives, yet sometimes in the daylight, haunting and maddening our mental state.
A big thank you to Keith for having me on the tour and for giving me a PDF copy to review. All opinions were my own.
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