BY KATHY HALL
Correspondent
JERRYWOLKOWITZ staff Russ Scalzo (standing), of Oceanport, and Steven Mamchak, of West Long Branch, have written the first book in a planned Christian fiction series, “Chronicles of the End Times,” about the final years of life on Earth. Can digital signage, Internet marketing and print-on-demand publishing be used to promote biblical prophesy? Absolutely, say Russ Scalzo and Steven Mamchak, authors of “Chronicles of the End Times .”
The new series, which covers the last seven years on Earth as we know it, was written entirely by e-mail, published using print-on-demand technology and will be promoted by high definition videos projected on 50-inch plasma screens.
High tech is just the latest tool for this evangelical duo who met eight years ago at the First Assembly of God of Shrewsbury.
Mamchak, of West Long Branch, a retired English teacher and licensed minister, had come to present his version of the passion play.
“I’ve been involved in the theater since I was small,” Mamchak said. “I had this thought you could spread the Gospel through good drama.”
A former rock musician and songwriter, Scalzo, of Oceanport, was a deacon in the church. He wrote and performed music as part of his ministry.
“We began to talk. Why can’t the word of God be done in a musical? One that is really powerful and that entertains people,” Mamchak said.
Their first collaboration was titled “It’s HIS birthday, Mr. Scrooge!” They have also written a contemporary version of the Faust legend, titled “Faust Incorporated!”
Their harmonious experience writing the first play led to their working on the book series.
Eight years ago at a rehearsal, Scalzo, who teaches adult courses on the Middle East and Bible prophecy, gave Mamchak a 50-page manuscript.
“I said, ‘This is something I’ve had in my hand for a couple of years and haven’t done anything with. Let me know what you think,’ ” Scalzo said. “He called me that night and said, ‘This is amazing; we have to do this thing.’ ”
In creating the series, the two combined their knowledge of biblical prophesy and dramatic talents with an attention to detail.
“We talked to Jewish people who knew what their religion was about; everything you read is accurate,” Mamchak said. “Every single biblical reference can be looked up,” he added.
The pair used the Internet to research everything from state-of-the-art military weaponry to an actual restaurant in Tel Aviv.
“We didn’t want to just sit down and make everything up; then it becomes a zap gun story,” Scalzo said. “We didn’t want to write science fiction.”
“The Chronicles of the End Times” trilogy covers the final seven years of the Earth as we know it, beginning two weeks after millions of people have mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth and ending with the second coming of Christ.
The series is a political thriller that focuses on contemporary world politics as seen through the prism of biblical prophesy. Massive earthquakes, political assassinations and the rise of the anti-Christ in the form of a charismatic European leader are experienced by seven main characters, who appear in all three books.
In Book One, the character of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jerry Westfield is sent to Israel to cover its imminent destruction; there he meets Ruth Cowen, an international banker and his future wife. Aided by his longtime friend, Jacob Klausman, a “retired” member of Israel’s secret service, and Sarah, Klausman’s wife, Jerry uses his journalistic skills to try to uncover the truth about charismatic politician Demetrius Strapollos, a proponent of one world government, who some are calling the Messiah. Strapollos is assisted by Rabbi Michael Eissen, a student of the occult with a slightly supernatural aura, and Ken Mailer, a computer genius, proponent of the cashless society and former college classmate of Westfield’s. The two couples have moved from a secular to a religious understanding of the situation as Book One ends.
“The comment I hear most is that the characters are so real and so deep,” Scalzo added. “Steve is always saying we don’t want paper characters. We want them to be real.”
The series includes a love story, international intrigue and a hint of mystery to keep the reader interested.
“If people aren’t stirred when they are reading something, they are just going to put it down,” Scalzo observed.
In writing the series, the pair always followed the same procedure. Scalzo wrote the first draft of a chapter and e-mailed it to Mamchak. Mamchak added what he felt would move the story along and sent it back.
During the writing process, the pair shared their work with seven readers from a variety of backgrounds who read four or five chapters at a time and provided feedback.
“These were people that we knew who read a lot of books” Scalzo explained. “They were so encouraging and asked, ‘When are you going to write more?’ [The fact that] others were reading it and were interested really helped keep us focused and got us finished.”
The original plan was to produce one long novel. “We came up with a manuscript that was 1,649 pages long,” Mamchak said. “The problem with a manuscript that long is nobody in the world will publish it.”
After seeking professional advice, they divided the story into several books. They also did some research and took an Internet poll and found that people liked a three- to five-book series.
The “Chronicles of the End Times” series is published by AuthorHouse, said to be the world’s largest self-publishing house. Authors submit books as text files. AuthorHouse uses print-on-demand technology to produce as many copies as the authors wish at any time. Paperback versions can be printed and shipped in 48 hours. Books are also available in hard cover or as downloads and may be ordered at more than 25,000 retail outlets worldwide as well as via the Internet.
Book One, “Beginning of Sorrows,” was released on Oct. 1. The pair plan to release “Sorrow’s Spawn” in May and “When Sorrows Cease” in October 2005.
“Print on demand is the key,” said Scalzo. “We can promote the series in the way we want to promote it.”
Although neither has read them, the authors were familiar with the best-selling “Left Behind” series written by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.
“The theme is the same, the coming of the Lord. Because those books are based on the Bible as well, there’s obviously going to be similarities, but the approach is different,” Scalzo said. “Ours is more secular-minded, more Middle East- and Europe-oriented than theirs, which is more centered on those who were ‘left behind.’ ”
To help market their books, the pair are using Panasonic’s new Retail TV to create the Christian Retail Network. Retail TV is a system of high-definition digital signage that transmits audio, video and animated graphics over the Internet onto 42- or 50-inch plasma screens at point of purchase.
“Anything the stores carry can be advertised on video,” Scalzo explained.
The book is also being promoted on radio and via book signings. The promotional video and a list of book signings can be seen on www.chronicleslive.com.
The pair is prepared for some controversy but are optimistic about the series’ ultimate success.
“You know what happened to Mel Gibson,” Mamchak observed, referring to the controversial “The Passion of the Christ” film.
“From what I’ve read, when Tyndale [House Publishers] first published ‘Left Behind,’ it was just another book on the shelf, but it became a ground swell,” Scalzo added.
“It’s going to take some time. I’ve been in music all my life. With music it’s like a rocket ship, up and down; with a book, it’s like a train pulling out of the station. It’s very slow and methodical, but once it gets rolling, it just goes.”