PRESS
RELEASE May 20, 2004
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Klim Catches Fire with Everything
Burns
Christopher Klim has
a knack for seizing attention. In 2002, the novel Jesus
Lives in Trenton drew international praise and launched the literary
career of a former space program physicist. Now, Klim gains renewed praise for Everything
Burns (Hopewell Publications, ISBN 0972690654), the story of a serial
arsonist in Texas and the photojournalist who must track him down.
“Photojournalism is my passion, but pyromania became my obsession,” Klim
revealed in a recent interview. “I dove into the science of fire, interviewing
investigators and psychologists. On book tours, I culled through the local
papers, visiting the scenes of suspicious fires.”
Arson wasn’t the only hot topic on Klim’s agenda. With a title like Jesus
Lives in Trenton, the fledgling author became a target for ridicule.
“The title served as a litmus test. The right wing accused me of blasphemy, and
the left wing feared it was a religious text. In truth, it was neither, but
they pointed fingers and leveled accusations. Overall, working on satellite
launches was a less risky venture.”
“It’s a reflection of the times,” says publisher Karin Seidel. “But thankfully,
people recognized the title was only a metaphor. When the book started selling
overseas, we leapt at the opportunity to sign a rising author.”
Klim’s latest, Everything Burns, is the story of a child arsonist who
goes untreated and terrorizes a Texas desert city as an adult. According to the
National Fire Prevention Association, half of intentionally set fires are lit
by juveniles as low as seven years of age, and the problem only begins there.
There’s a shortage of help for these troubled children.
“Many psychologists refuse to treat young arsonists, mostly out of fear,” Klim
says. “Their parents won’t implicate them either. I met a fire investigator who
was certain of a child arsonist but couldn’t get to him. He’d lit two fires
already, each worse than the next. The future prospects were chilling.”
Klim’s personal fascination with fire and firsthand accounts from arson
investigators combine for his chilling tale. Booklist called Everything
Burns, “absorbing reading,” which quickly made it a library selection.
“We’re considering a second printing after only the first month,” says
publisher Karin Seidel. “The turnaround is a first for us.”
The author is no stranger to garnering appeal. Jesus
Lives in Trenton saw three printings, becoming a cult favorite in the
US, UK, and Australia. His work has been compared to Dashiell Hammett, Raymond
Carver, and John Steinbeck.
"Christopher Klim is that rare talent who brings characters and stories
that resonate with the working class and excite the sensibilities of literary
connoisseurs,” says best-selling author Robert Gover. “Maybe he’s the New
Jersey reincarnation of John Steinbeck. More likely he’s destined to become
someone quite unique in the pantheon of American novelists."
Klim is the senior editor of Writers
Notes Magazine, a new literary publication of stories, essays,
interviews, poetry, and visual arts. He is also authored the popular manual,
Write to Publish.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
contact Hopewell
Publications or visit www.ChristopherKlim.com for a media kit.
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