Monday, February 7, 2011

Press Release - The Black Wolf

For immediate release -- February, 2011

THE BLACK WOLF - A NEW PULP-INSPIRED HERO from GRANTON CITY PRESS

A noted mechanical engineer has gone missing in Granton City, as has a professor with a past live as an inventor of miraculous machines.

That puts The Black Wolf on the case.

The Wolf is a vigilante with a pair of Colt .45s, and the attitude that the cops in 1920s’ Granton City can too easily be bought, so he has appointed himself sheriff, judge, jury and at times executioner.

But can even a bad attitude and a loaded gun solve the newest mystery before the world is threatened by a diabolical menace?

To find out you will have to read The Black Wolf #1 - Metal Monsters of Doom, the first release from Granton City Press, and Canadian authors Calvin Daniels and Kevin Lee. The book was released in 2010, and has already been followed by Book #2 - The Demon Door.

A third volume of The Black Wolf will appear later this year.

Creator Calvin Daniels said the idea of doing pulp-era novels sort of popped into his head one day while trolling through Facebook.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for the purple clad Phantom from reading his stories in the old Charlton Comics line, and of course The Shadow, and Batman,” said Daniels who has been a journalist for more than 20-years. “But, that interest really never coalesced into wanting to write a pulp book until early last year (2009).”

So Daniels, who has previously published three books with a hockey theme, one fiction the others non-fiction, came up with a broad concept, then went looking for a co-writer.

“I had a basic idea for The Black Wolf,” he said, adding, “I thought it would be fun to share the writing.”

That’s where Kevin Lee came on-board.

“I’ve known Kevin casually for a while, and I had written stories for Yorkton This Week on his fantasy trilogy TRIO, so I thought why not ask him,” said Daniels. “Thankfully he said yes.”

Lee said he decided to take on the project because it was a story quite different from his fantasy world.

“Black Wolf sounded like fun when Calvin first pitched the idea of being a co-writer with him on it, and it was an entirely different universe in comparison with my fantasy trilogy TRIO. Black Wolf is a lot shorter in length as well, which makes the story move along rather quickly. It's been fun and challenging at the same time because Calvin tends to work at a much faster rate than I do!,” he said.

Co-writing The Black Wolf has been a great experience, said Daniels.

“It’s great because we use a pretty simple system, basically taking turns writing chapters,” he said. “It really keeps you focused because you feel obligated to get back to writing every time a chapter comes in.

“It also keeps ideas flowing, because we feed off each other. You never know what the other will do in their chapter. It’s fascinating to watch characters and plots develop.

Lee said he too finds the process an interesting one from a writer’s perspective.

“By working on a pulp style of story instead of a fantasy setting it gets the imagination working on a completely different level because you're not thinking of sword and sorcery but more along the lines of those old crime TV shows, heroes and villains that are from our own world. Not to mention by switching up on the two stories the creative energy gets renewed each time!” he said.

The process has resulted in books the pair are proud of.

“The first book is great! After it was all said and done I found it to be fun romp and now as my third TRIO novel is nearly done my focus is back on Black Wolf #2 and the creative ideas are already beginning to roll! It should be just as fun if not better on the second go around,” said Lee.

“They may not win a Pulitzer, but pulps are supposed to be quick, easy and fun reads, and I think The Black Wolf is all three,” added Daniels.

Metal Monsters of Doom and The Demon Door both have cover art by Daniel Bradford, who is the artist of the indie comic Robot 13 from Blacklist Studios (www.blackliststudios.com).

“I fell in love with his art when reviewing his comic for Yorkton This Week,” said Daniels. “He was a friend on Facebook, so it was a natural to ask him to come on board.

Follow The Black Wolf at http://www.wix.com/grantoncitydesk/togc and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81770083773

-30-

For further information or interviews contact:

Calvin Daniels 306-782-1783

or

email calmardan@sasktel.net

No comments: