Rustic Canyon resident Jim Jennewein has been writing screenplays with his partner Tom Parker for nearly 20 years, but ‘RuneWarriors: Dane the Defiant’ is their first novel. The pair will sign copies and answer questions this Sunday, October 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. ‘RuneWarriors’ chronicles the exploits of Dane, son of the Viking village chief Voldar, who embarks on a heroic quest to end the reign of terror of the tyrant Thidrek the Terrifying. During his travels, he encounters dangerous creatures, trash-talking trolls and 20-ft.-tall frost giants. The novel has become an unlikely hit with female readers, who related to the character Astrid, one of the book’s most powerful forces. The authors admit that women do all of the difficult and important things in life. Jennewein and Parker, a Topanga resident, have several movies to their credit including ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘Richie Rich,’ and ‘Getting Even With Dad.’ Their latest movie, ‘Mr. Personality,’ was optioned by an independent producer last month, but Jennewein is quick to point out ‘there is nothing quite like the satisfaction that comes from writing fiction. It’s the ultimate author experience.’ The pair has spent three years perfecting ‘RuneWarriors.’ ‘I had always dreamed of writing fiction, but had been too busy writing scripts, until 9/11,’ Jennewein e-mails the Palisadian-Post. ‘Like many people, the sudden tragedy of that day spurred me into an awareness that life is short and that I should get to work immediately on that which mattered most to me.’ The authors plan to write a trilogy, and ‘RuneWarriors: Dane the Defiant’ (Harper Collins; $16.95) is the first of the series. Jennewein spent time in Norway visiting Viking museums and steeping himself in the Norse mythology. ‘It’s been an interesting journey,’ he continues about writing the novel. ‘Part of the benefit is learning about history.’ The ‘RuneWarriors’ books are meant for middle-school readers, but Jennewein says, ‘It is written to be equally appealing for adults as it is to kids.’ ‘It’s a coming-of-age story that takes place before the spread of Christianity. It’s about vice and virtue, which makes the book timeless and universal,’ Jennewein said. ‘We tried to infuse it with good values, so not only is it entertaining and uplifting, but it nourishes the soul as well.’ Jennewein is familiar with the middle-school literature and the audience because his son, Jake, is a seventh grader at Paul Revere. ‘My son is 12 now, and I’ve been reading to him for more than a decade,’ Jennewein says. ‘It’s taught me so much. It’s almost been a master class in great literature. And reading to our children has definitely helped us write a book that adults will enjoy reading to their kids.’ Parker has a 24-year-old daughter who lives in Redondo Beach and attends Antioch College. Jennewein, who grew up in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, is married to Allison Robbins, who has her own wine brokerage business (Allison Robbins Wines). She represents about 20 boutique West Coast wineries. When Jennewein is not writing, he’s drawing cartoons, hiking Temescal Canyon, reading or watching Marx Brothers movies.
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