Author to Speak About 'out of body' Experiences

Friday, October 20, 2006
From the Metro News Newspaper/Boston Metro West Edition

Tatnuck Booksellers will host novelist Jonathan Womack, author of the action-adventure, "A Cry For a Hero," on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.

Womack will present a free, one-hour lecture called "Out-of-Body," followed by a booksigning.

In "A Cry for a Hero," Womack introduces the character "Ram," a superhero with a twist. Every man Jack Ramsey has the ability to leave his body and exist as a disembodied soul. In this state he is gifted with fantastic powers and soon evolves into the superhero Ram. When Ram learns of a cataclysmic plot to cripple the United States, he must choose between the love of a woman, and the fate of a nation.

Womack writes what he knows, for he has experienced what some call strange, and others call a miracle. His own out-of-body experiences began as a child and he has incorporated some of them into his novel. The story is a way of raising awareness about this phenomenon.

Womack maintains an active lecture series where he shares his astral adventures and makes the claim that surviving physical death is automatic. He wrote his novel shortly before 9/11, which fell on his birthday, adding prophetic irony.

Tatnuck is located at 18 Lyman St., Westborough, MA.

Norton Author to Discuss Book, Sign Books

Friday, October 20, 2006
From the Patriot Ledger Newspaper, Boston Metro South

B. Dalton's of Braintree welcomes Norton novelist Jonathan Womack, author of the action-adventure, "A Cry For A Hero." In this classic tale of good vs. evil, Womack introduces the character "Ram," a superhero with a twist. Every man Jack Ramsey has the ability to leave his body and exist as a disembodied soul. In this state he is gifted with fantastic powers and soon evolves into the superhero Ram. When Ram learns of a cataclysmic plot to cripple the United States, he must choose between the love of a woman, and the fate of a nation.

Womack writes what he knows, for he has experienced what some call strange, and others call a miracle. His own out-of-body experiences began as a child and he has incorporated some of them into his novel. The story is a way of raising awareness about this phenomenon. Womack maintains an active lecture series where he shares his astral adventures and makes the claim that surviving physical death is automatic. He wrote his novel shortly before 9/11, which fell on his birthday, adding prophetic irony.

Womack will discuss and sign copies of his book on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at B. Dalton Booksellers, South Shore Mall, 250 Granite St., Braintree, 781-848-4200

A one-hour "Out-of-Body" lecture is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. at Tatnuck Booksellers, 18 Lyman St., Westboro, 508-366-4959. A book signing will follow. Admission to both events is free.

Author's Experiences Inform Superheroic Tale

By ASHLEY LOPES Features Writer, Taunton Gazette
10/02/2006

NORTON - Local novelist Jonathan Womack writes what he knows, and he knows some pretty astonishing things.

Primarily a reader of action/adventure/romance, he writes how he likes to read - the cliff-hanging, can't-put-it-down, I-think-I'll-stay-in-this-Saturday-night-and-read book - and his "A Cry for a Hero," rereleased in June, is an eyebrow-raising suspense novel.

"I love suspense," said Womack, who says he has been compared to suspense authors such as Dean Koontz. "'A Cry for a Hero' is one of those books where you get to the end of the chapter and you just have to keep going."
A classic tale of good against evil, "A Cry for a Hero" has a main character, Ram, who is a hero with a twist: He has the ability to leave his body and exist as a disembodied soul.
In this state, he has fantastic powers and evolves into a superhero. When he stumbles upon a terrorist plot to destroy America, it is up to him to save the country.
Womack began writing the novel shortly before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The storyline was inspired by his childhood love for Superman. He rereleased the 2004 novel to coincide with the release of the recent "Superman" movie.
While the premise of the story - the character's out-of body-experience - may seem like a stretch of the imagination, it is actually another way Womack writes what he knows.
Womack maintains an active lecture series in which he shares his own out-of-body experience.
"There is so much of me in this book," Womack said. "Writing is a good way to express myself and to share my experiences with others."
For Womack, in fact, this is more than just a book; it is a way to raise awareness about out-of-body experiences and answer questions about the unconventional subject.
"So many people have a tough time thinking about the afterlife, but it does exist," Womack said. "I became a writer because I had a desire to share this secret."
The book is published by Charles RIver Press Inc., primarily a producer of books meant for downloading over the Internet, but Womack's book is also available in paperback. It sells at 50 Barnes & Noble stores around New England and beyond, Womack said, as well as through online stores such as Amazon.com.
While the book has no Amazon ranking that would indicate how well it sells - Womack would say only that the book sells "pretty well" - nine reviews have given "A Cry for a Hero" a cumulative five out of five stars, and Womack says fans come to his book signings and readings from throughout the region.
Womack said that he loves writing because it comes to him naturally.
"I have a knack for it, and writing comes easy for me," Womack said. "I was writing the first book and already had the next six books in my head. It's what I'm supposed to be doing, it's my calling."
His second book, which is near completion and will be coming out next year, is titled "The Dogman Cometh."
Womack is a multimedia technician at Harvard University, but keeps his pen to the paper in hopes of turning writing into a full-time career.
"My goal is to see it on the big screen one day," said Womack, who hopes his book goes the way of blockbusters such as Spiderman and Superman. "I keep working toward that goal. I want to blow people away."

The Art of Telling Tales
By Lori Hein 10/03
correspondent
Article from the Mansfield News, Norton Mirror, and Easton Journal

When Al Queda struck America on September 11, Norton resident Jonathan Womack had already written two thirds of his first novel, a thriller about a terrorist plot to destroy an entire American city. But when the book's imaginary premise became a very real and frightening possibility, he shelved the project indefinitely.
Once healing took root, Womack went back to his keyboard, added references to the now real war on terrorism, and finished his manuscript.
"A Cry For A Hero" (Charles River Press) is a fast paced thriller about Jack Ramsey, an ordinary guy who discovers he has an extraordinary power that is both awesome and frightening. The story marries science fiction and the paranormal with action and suspense, and every man Jack becomes a hero, risking his life to save America from a horrific plan to bring down the country and all that it stands for.
"It's not a story about terrorism," notes Womack. "It's about average Americans rising to the challenge. It's about tragedy and triumph, and the hero that lies within all of us."
Womack came to the Boston area from his native Indiana twenty years ago and has been working as a multimedia technician. He's lived in Norton for four years and is kicking off his book tour with a signing at Norton Public Library on September 27th from 10 am to noon. A second signing is scheduled for Oct. 2nd from 6 pm to 8 pm at Book Ends in Mansfield.
Womack is thrilled to have his work recognized in his own community first and hopes success will "spread out in ripples from there."
"Right now I'm just Jon from Norton. A year from now, I'd like to be 'the author Jonathan Womack,'" he said with a laugh.
Does the future include bringing Jack Ramsey, the super-powered, ordinary hero to the big screen? In his laid-back tone, Womack mused about his story's potential as a movie thriller, "It would be a Spielberg blockbuster..."
Apart from being a suspense novel with villains, spies, satellites, and average guys dealing with extreme circumstances, "A Cry For A Hero" is also a personal tale. Jack Ramsey's unique power is the ability to exist outside his physical body as an "energy self" or "soul body."
Of his main character, Womack said, "The experiences are mine. The hero is my alter ego."
When he was eight, Womack had the first of what he calls "out of body experiences." Through his book, Womack says he's "mainstreaming unusual subject matter."
When Norton's head librarian, Elaine Jackson, told Womack the Norton Book Club would read and discuss his book in September, she invited him to come and introduce himself to club members.
"I thought I'd be there for ten minutes, but they were so fascinated (by the out of body discussion) that I ended up talking for two hours. This is the deepest, most personal part of me. I don't share it with many people. But here I was opening up to these 15 or 16 people."
He'll take a bestseller and a Spielberg blockbuster, but Womack would also like to spur discussion of the spiritual world and paranormal experiences.
"The book is my way of reaching out and educating people on this subject," he said. "This is my roundabout way of introducing the subject, instead of just coming out and talking about it. If I write a thriller, I present it in that way."
In the future though, he hopes to be talking about it.
"In five years, I'd like to be speaking to large groups of people. There's a real need. People have questions. I have a few answers. I want to influence people in a positive way. I'm a very positive person."
When asked if he now writes full time, Womack, who was talking via cell phone from a fishing trip, said, "I fish full time."
His buddy, who'd just caught one, laughed in the background and called Womack "a fisherman with a writing problem."
Womack is already at work on his second novel.
In "A Cry For A Hero," Jack Ramsey's buddies, who are just regular guys with no special powers, help him fight the terrorist plot.
Says Womack, "They put their lives on the line. I'd like to think that my buddies and I would do the same."
He and his friends have talked about what they'd do if faced with an extreme situation. "I'm a liberty minded person and a patriot. I'd go down swinging," said Womack.
For information on where to purchase the book, visit acryforahero.com. The website also contains a synopsis, the book's first three chapters, as well as an author bio and contact information.
Jonathan Womack will sign copies of the book on Sept. 27 from 10 am to noon at Norton Public Library, 68 E. Main St. and on Oct. 2 from 6 to 8 pm at Book Ends, 100 N. Main St. in Mansfield.

Norton's Womack Publishes Debut Novel
Article from the Norton Buzz 9/03

In the fall of 1999, when the name Osama Bin Laden was all but unheard of, local resident Jonathan Womack acted upon a long time dream to write a novel. Womack holds no degrees in English, but this simple fact is quickly forgotten upon opening his book. An exceptional talent for storytelling is clearly apparent in his debut novel, "A Cry For A Hero", a thrilling blend of action, suspense, and romance, with a pinch of science fiction and the paranormal.
Womack exhibits an easy, yet relentless style that draws the reader in from the get go, then takes them for an emotionally charged ride aboard the runaway train of his imagination.
Womack is formerly a multimedia tech whose clients include Harvard and MIT. When asked what made him decide to undertake his 124,000 word adventure, this unassuming author explains that friends who had read his short stories urged him on.
Instead of beginning with an outline, Womack chose a `what if' premise and essentially let the story tell itself. The scenario came to him one night while watching a "Big Dig" segment on the local news.
"I remembered there was an earthquake fault running under Boston. Much of the city is built on landfill and I wondered what would happen if a group of terrorists buried a nuclear bomb under the city large enough to trigger a major earthquake."
Unlike his terrorist villain, Womack's every man hero, Jack Ramsey, a Rocky Mountain farmer who stumbles upon the plot, was conceived of in the late eighties, at a time when writing a novel was little more than a daydream.
"I liked the idea of this average guy who is forced into extreme circumstances, and has a `do or die' opportunity to save his country."
Then, in September of 2001, after tickling his ivory keyboard for nearly two years in his spare time, Womack's premise took a sudden and disturbing turn.
"I was two thirds of the way into it when 9/11 hit. My imaginary terrorist plot to destroy America's cradle of freedom became a very real and frightening possibility. The fact that it was my birthday made it all the more prophetic. Needless to say, I shelved the manuscript indefinitely."
Once time had marched its course, Womack decided his story had to be told, as it is foremost a tribute to the spirit of Lexington and Concord.
"I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. It has terrorists in the story, but it's not a story about terrorism. It's about average Americans rising to the challenge, their tragedy and triumph, and the hero that lies within all of us."
Originally from Indiana, Womack moved to the Boston area in 1983 and has since settled in Norton. He wanted to begin his book signing tour here at the Norton library.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I want every suspense fan in Norton to read my book. For me, being recognized by the people of my own community would be high reward."
For information on where to purchase "A Cry For A Hero", visit www.acryforahero.com. The story synopsis and first three chapters can be previewed. The site also includes an author bio and contact information. Mr. Womack writes part time and is currently at work on his second novel, "The Dogman Cometh".
Jonathan Womack kicks off his book signing tour at the Norton library Sept. 27th, from 10 am to noon.