Author Jim Jennewein will read and sign ‘RuneWarriors: Sword of Doom,’ the second book in his series, on Friday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. Co-written with Tom Parker, ‘Sword of Doom’ is a fantasy-adventure set during the time of the Vikings. Told with humor, the adventure begins when Dane the Defiant is summoned to the fortress of King Eldred to receive the final piece of his father’s legacy: an ancient sword bearing mysterious signs that lead to the treasure of the gods. But the treasure is cursed, and then Dane’s mother is kidnapped. Braving an army of angry trolls and warring frost giants, Dane must decipher cryptic clues and embark on a quest to find the enchanted treasure and save his mother. The ‘RuneWarrior’ series is aimed at middle-school readers, but ‘it is written to be as equally appealing for adults as it is to kids,’ Jennewein says. Surprisingly, the series has become a hit with girls because its female lead, Astrid, is a powerful force. Rustic Canyon resident Jennewein had been writing screenplays with Parker for nearly 20 years before they attempted ‘RuneWarriors: Shield of Odin,’ the first book of the trilogy (released in paperback in December). ’I had always dreamed of writing fiction, but had been too busy writing scripts, until 9/11,’ Jennewein told the Palisadian-Post in 2007. ‘Like many people, the sudden tragedy that day spurred me into an awareness that life was short and that I should get to work immediately on that which mattered most to me.’ Jennewein is familiar with the middle-school literature and the audience because his son, Jake, is an eighth grader at Paul Revere Middle School. Jennewein, who grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Notre Dame, is married to Allison Robbins, who has her own wine brokerage business, Allison Robbins Wines. She represents about 20 boutique wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Oregon and Washington. When Jennewein is not writing, he’s drawing cartoons, hiking Temescal Canyon or watching Marx Brothers movies. Jennewein and Parker, a Topanga resident, have several movies to their credit, including ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘Richie Rich,’ and ‘Getting Even With Dad.’ They currently have Pierce Brosnan attached to a script about Irish gangsters called ‘Thieves’ World’ that they are shopping around. The duo has appeared at schools throughout Southern California with their book. Last spring, they gave a presentation at Palisade Elementary about Viking culture and Norse mythology. They have already completed the third book in the series, which should be released later this year. ‘We still have to do some refinements, but once that is done, we will probably start a new book series,’ Jennewein said, adding that they are also writing a new feature screenplay.
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