My novel, WOLVES OF VENGEANCE, is part of the Terrify Your Tablet promotional event. It’s FREE on Amazon! Grab it! My newest novel, YEAR OF THE DEMON, is $4.99 on Amazon.
Wolves of Vengeance – FREE – Terrify your Tablet!
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Category Archives: Kindle
Vance “Paladin” Palladian: Warrior, Bodyguard, Legend!
To his Taekwondo students, Vance Palladian is more than just a teacher; he is the Paladin, a man of warrior virtue. Now a widower, and with his finances in disarray, Vance feels disillusioned with his once noble life.
After thwarting a seemingly random robbery, and the kidnapping attempt of a wealthy future heiress, Vance finds himself employed as her bodyguard by the young woman’s father, a mysterious businessman who holds the lineage of the last remaining esoteric school of ancient ninja fighting arts.
Vance is taught the deadly techniques of Japan’s invisible assassins, and finds the mythology behind these dark teachings is just as real, pulling him into a world of crime, deception, seduction, and vice, where nothing is quite as it seems.
Now, he must battle tengu and oni, along with the forces of organized crime and police corruption, to survive the…
YEAR OF THE DEMON
*******
PRAISE FOR YEAR OF THE DEMON
Five Stars – David North-Martino’s Year of the Demon is a gripping martial arts thriller that masterfully blends ancient traditions, mythological intrigue, and contemporary challenges into a captivating tale of redemption and survival. With its richly drawn protagonist and relentless pacing, this novel is a must-read for fans of action-packed, character-driven stories.” – Alan R. Warren, NBC News Talk Radio, award-winning, bestselling true crime author.
Five Stars – Year of the Demon by David North-Martino is a gripping and fast-paced supernatural thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved how it blended martial arts action, dark mythology, and a touch of noir atmosphere—it felt cinematic and intense in the best way. The characters are layered and flawed, and the story strikes a great balance between grounded realism and eerie, otherworldly tension. It’s the kind of book that’s pure fun to sink into, with just enough darkness to keep you on edge. -Kirstyn, Librarian, NetGalley.
Five Stars – This was a thrill to read! It was fast-paced and it was able to hold my interest up for the entire book. I really enjoyed this one! -Kajsa, NetGalley
Four Stars -Tammy P, Reviewer, NetGalley
Three Stars – “Year of the Demon” by David North-Martino is a gripping horror thriller that combines suspense, supernatural elements, and dark intrigue. North-Martino’s writing is tense and immersive, keeping readers on edge with well-paced scares and unexpected twists. It’s a thrilling, fast-moving read for fans of paranormal suspense. – Nichole C, Reviewer, NetGalley
Another Five-Star Review of ‘YEAR OF THE DEMON’ From NetGalley!
Here’s another amazing five-star review of my supernatural martial arts thriller, YEAR OF THE DEMON, from a NetGalley reviewer. https://www.netgalley.com/book/729579/review/142279
Get YEAR OF THE DEMON here: https://a.co/d/7KAnyh4
Description:
To his Taekwondo students, Vance Palladian is more than just a teacher; he is the Paladin, a man of warrior virtue. Now a widower, and with his finances in disarray, Vance feels disillusioned with his once noble life.
After thwarting a seemingly random robbery and the kidnapping attempt of a wealthy future heiress, Vance finds himself employed as her bodyguard by the young woman’s father, a mysterious businessman who holds the lineage of the last remaining esoteric school of ancient Japanese ninja fighting arts.
Vance is taught the deadly techniques of Japan’s invisible assassins, and finds the mythology behind these dark teachings is just as real, pulling him into a world of crime, deception, seduction, and vice, where nothing is quite as it seems.
Now, he must battle tengu and oni, along with the forces of organized crime and police corruption, to survive the…
YEAR OF THE DEMON
Get YEAR OF THE DEMON here: https://a.co/d/8R29F6a
Review – Discord:The Ripper of Buchenwald by Robert W. Walker
YEAR OF THE DEMON: Now Open for Reviews on NetGalley
My novel, YEAR OF THE DEMON, is now available on NetGalley for reviewers for a limited time. https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/729579
Year in Review: 2024
Each year I create a list of goals for every area of my life. Throughout the year I work my goals, track my progress, and commit to posting my top accomplishments (and some smaller ones). I hope to inspire others to do the same.
Writing Goals
Novels/Novelas
- YEAR OF THE DEMON went up for Preorder this year in ebook and print from Crossroad Press! Audio coming soon! A mixture of horror, martial arts action, and urban fantasy, it’s sure to thrill and delight! ARCs are available for reviewers.
- BLADE OF THE VAGABOND: HEAVEN, EARTH, & WOMAN now available for Kindle! Read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! Originally published as a Kindle Vella novella, with the program ending, I decided to put it up on Kindle as an ebook. A paperback edition is a possibility! An historical epic fantasy set in an alternate Warring States period Japan, this novella is filled with magic, Asian mythology, and martial arts. Get your copy today!
- Submitted opening of crime novel to Black Spring’s Big Bang Prize judged by Lee Child for best opening of a crime book.
- Submitted Supernatural Thriller to the Berkley Open Submission Program.
- Published Blade of the Vagabond on Kindle Vella.
- Entered the Kindle Vella Vellys Contest.
- Received Vella Bonus.
- Year of the Demon: Read through and made edits. Approved final edits from publisher, Approved formatting for all editions. Approved cover. Sent information for audiobook narration audition. Began marketing.
- Wolves of Vengeance continues to sell and be read on Kindle Unlimited eleven years after its publication! It also received another 4-star review this year! I’m considering creating a revised and expanded edition. Would you be interested? https://a.co/d/aMXwq1f
Short Stories
- Sent a short story pitch to a top magazine.
- Had a short story shortlisted for an upcoming anthology.
- Submitted to 12 short story markets.
- Wrote one new short story.
- Edited all short stories before sending out.
Sharpen the Saw
- Attended Thrills and Chills: Writing and Selling Horror: A Masterclass with Jonathan Maberry. A fantastic class!
- Live Editing Session # 3 with Tom Bromley Reedsy’s Head of Learning.
Martial Arts
Crushing my martial arts goals in the Year of the Dragon!
Seminars
- Attended Coach Jeff Burger’s Trapping & Wooden Dummy (Mook Jong) Seminar at K.I.C.K. Karate in Salem, MA.
- Attended Drowning in Jeet Kune Do Intermediate & Advanced Training at DAMA.
- Attended Drowning in Kali Intermediate & Advanced Training at DAMA.
Ranking
- Earned Kali Level One at Derderian Academy of Martial Arts
- Earned Kali Level Two at DAMA after earning Level Two in JKD. Yes, I took two tests during the same night! A martial arts teacher I know thought I was crazy for doing two tests in one night. I am, and I was!
- Earned Jeet Kune Do (JKD) Level Two at DAMA.
Training 2024
- Another year of training complete. Hard work but still a great time with great people. I’ve found my tribe!
- Home solo training included Mook Jong, Bas Thai Boxing workouts, shadow boxing and drills, and free-weights.
- Celebrated 37 years of martial arts training!
Broadcasting & Podcasting
- Co-Hosted 50 episodes of the House of Mystery Radio Show (also on Podcast).
- Since 2021, I’ve co-hosted 398 episodes of the House of Mystery Radio Show (as heard on NBC News Radio).
- GoodPods awarded us #1 Best Crime Fiction Podcast of All-Time!
- Received IMDb credits for all podcast episodes. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm16649941/
Acting
- I was part of an ensemble cast where I played Van Helsing in Dracula: Vamped Out! on the Fun Classic Reads Episode Number 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cooBMdlRZYo&t=192s
Youtube and Social Media
Martial Arts Main Channel
I didn’t do as much with my channel this year. Between writing and martial arts training I was full out! https://www.youtube.com/@davidnorth-martino
- 26 short videos main channel.
- 6 long videos main channel.
- 37.7K Views.
- 206.1 Watch time (hours).
- +125 Subscribers.
HDaveMI https://www.youtube.com/@hdavemi6667/videos
- 5 long videos.
- 1 short video.
- 2.2k views.
- 70.4 Watch Time (hours).
- +14 Subscribers.
I also posted shorts on Facebook (Rising Top Creator), Instagram, and TikTok.
Martino Movie Reviews
- Reviewed Eric Shapiro’s Intrusive. https://www.alanrwarren.com/martinomoviereviews/review%3A-intrusive-(2024)?fbclid=IwY2xjawHhPspleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHaqSZ4nJxUtqF8o6VkuzXErYPKsr9_SH0vy72lM_KdJ2M7Whs3fSVtCJpw_aem_vBQ7_ViYIXbwj2mFR-c_FA
- Joined Letterboxd to archive movie reviews. https://letterboxd.com/Dnorthmartino/
Family
- Brought Patty for hand surgery.
- Drove my dad to his surgery appointment.
- Celebrated our birthdays.
- Celebrated our 29th Wedding Anniversary
- Celebrated our 32nd Anniversary of our first date.
- Attended a Pow Wow with my mom and dad and celebrated my mother’s birthday.
- Had dinner with my parents.
- Called my parents twice a week.
- Brought Diesel to all vet appointments.
- Got Diesel a GPS so we could find him when he wants to play adventure cat.
Friends
- Traveled to Flushing Queens New York with martial arts friends to attend the Guro Dan Inosanto weekend seminar. See Travel and Martial Arts.
- Had a great time at the Asia Grill in Lincoln, RI for the annual end-of-year JKD/Kali get-together. We ordered entrées and drinks, shared apps and good conversations.
- Continued a great friendship with Al Warren.
- Built a cat tree for our neighbor’s cat.
- Cat-sat for our neighbor’s cat.
- Celebrated Thanksgiving with Patty. We got meals from Peppercorns Restaurant in Worcester.
- Celebrated Christmas with Patty. I seared NY Strip and filled the house with smoke. Diesel was not impressed. Still, the steak turned out great!
- Had neighbor over for a Christmas get-together.
- Had neighbor over for New Years.
- Kept in contact with my college English professor through email and social media.
- Kept in contact with writer friends.
- Gave feedback to a writer friend on his super secret writing project.
Health
- Annual Physical went well. My labs are stable. My bad cholesterol has improved. My good cholesterol has increased. My triglycerides are about the same.
- Eye doctor Appointments went well.
- Cleanings with hygienist.
- Lost 9 pounds using MacroFactor app.
Travel
- Flushing, Queens, NYC: An amazing time with my DAMA family. The Compass rooftop tiki bar at the top of the Parc Hotel.
- Bar Chuanryu. They had live music.
- New World Mall Food Court.
- Project Ke
- Squid on a stick!
- Jollibee and more!
- Foxwoods Casino day-trip.
Cars
Patty’s Car
- New Battery, front brakes, inspection, wiper blades, recall inspection, replace back camera mount under recall.
My Car
- General maintenance. New battery. Install new sun visor.
House
- Flue Cleaning & Inspection.
- Changed lights in upstairs bathroom.
- Changed lights in downstairs bathroom.
- Assembled catio for Diesel.
- Assembled bookcase for Patty.
- Assembled folding exercises bike for Patty.
- Installed security cameras.
- Installed wine glass rack above sink.
- Built ANOTHER cat tree for Diesel. Diesel rips through one of these per year.
That’s all I can remember for 2024. It’s been a fantastic year of personal and professional accomplishments! See you in 2025! Happy New Year!
Kindle Vellys Submission
I just published the first episode of my #kindleVella fantasy story, BLADE OF THE VAGABOND. I’m entering the #Vellys contest. Likes and follows help! The first ten episodes are free to read. Episode two should be live tomorrow. Unfortunately, the link Amazon isn’t working. If you look me up on Amazon, you should be able to find the story. Thanks!
The Scribe’s Arcanum: Anatomy of an Indie Novel—Wolves of Vengeance Part 2
As an organic writer, I firmly believe in letting the characters dictate the narrative within the plot structure. To that end, I created the first three main characters.
Jack Amon
Jack, much like his real-life counterpart, was a former bully in high school, a drug user, and a problem drinker. Turning his life around, he moves out of the fictional Wellington, Massachusetts, and gets a job in construction in the equally fictional Farmington, MA. When he hears about his old friends dying from wild animal attacks, he remembers the curse Michael Matheson put on all of them. A curse they had laughed off. He returns to Wellington to attend a funeral and to investigate the real reasons his old classmates are dying. Writers often use the name Jack for the quintessential hero, but I also had another reason. As I mentioned in part 1, I received partial inspiration from Flatliners (1988), and Kiefer Sunderland’s character in the film. The TV show 24 made me think of Sunderland as Jack Bauer. I decided Jack would be a good first name. In high school, I loved King Diamond’s horror concept albums and took Jack’s surname from the house (Amon) in the albums, Them and Conspiracy.
Michael Matheson
Michael was bullied which eventually led to him attending Gold’s Tae Kwon Do to protect himself. But Michael had a dark side, dabbling in black magic and the occult. Finding a spell in an old grimoire, he performed a ritual to awaken the Wolves of Vengeance, a corporal curse to attack his bullies. After performing the ritual, nothing happened. Michael chalked it up as a failure. Twenty-something years later the Wolves finally arrive and begin killing their marks. Michael never left Wellington and took over the school when Gold retired. Michael comes from my middle name and Matheson as an homage to Richard Matheson, the author of such works as I am Legend. Like Jack, he’s a composite character, drawn from more than one person, but he’s somewhat based on me.
Katty LaRocque
Katty was an aspiring musician in high school (a guitarist to be exact) and a self-described rocker chick. She, like Jack, has a problem with alcohol. Unlike Jack, she’s a full-blown alcoholic. Her pet name derives from her high school persona (catty) and Andy LaRoche’s (King Diamond guitarist) last name. She’s based on various musicians I knew in high school and a real-life rocker chick from my high school.
Welcome to Hell: A working Guide for the Beginning Writer
I had read Tom Piccirilli’s Welcome to Hell: A Working Guide for the Beginning Writer. Pic suggested newer novelists lightly outline the first half of their novels. I took his advice. Once the outline was complete, I realized the manuscript would only reach novella length. Needing to beef up the manuscript, I asked myself this question:
What characters do I need to tell this story?
Police involvement was a given. Adding a detective made sense.
The only thing I worried about was voluminous research. What experience did I have that I could transfer to the character to make him believable? Turns out, I had more than I thought.
I had worked a decade in private security, part of the criminal justice field. First, as a patrol officer, then as a security manager, and finally as a human resources recruiter. Security work put me in regular contact with police, fire, and EMS. As a security manager, I had performed investigations and later worked for a security and investigations firm, picking up interesting information directly from private investigators.
My dad had also worked in private investigations, safety & security, special police, and fire, along with being one of the first EMTs in Massachusetts. He had been in charge of makeup and effects for emergency response training. When I was a kid he’d sometime practice the makeup effects on me. I grew up with this stuff!
I had also recently visited my local PD to renew a license and got the nickel tour. I used my hometown police station as a model for the one in the book.
The Writer’s Digest Howdunit series filled in many of the gaps.
Police Procedural: a Writers Guide to the Police and how they work
With the research and experience in mind, I set about creating Detective Adrian Callahan. Originally, he was nothing more than a generic Irish cop. My wife would later express an idea that would help flesh out his character. More on that later.
All in all, I consider my detective a success. I had a former law enforcement officer say as much. He felt my detective was accurate and believable. You can’t get much better than that.
With the decision to include a detective, I then decided that the military in some form might also be involved. I thought about adding a grizzled military captain but not wanting to include another generic character, I cast a woman as my military captain. At that moment, Captain Amanda Rann was born.
Next time, I’ll discuss how Callahan’s changes made him a controversial character, and how Rann becomes a driving force in the novel.
Get Wolves of Vengeance here!
The Scribe’s Arcanum: Anatomy of an Indie Novel—Wolves of Vengeance Part 1
Note: Since most people are sheltering in place, I figured I’d make my first novel FREE for as long as Amazon lets me. You can get Wolves of Vengeance here. If you read it, and you’re so inclined, I’d love for you to post a review on Amazon. Just a few sentences and whatever star rating you feel it deserves would be perfect. Thanks!
Back in 2006, I abandoned my first novel. I had spent four long years trying to wrangle that mess of a manuscript into a cohesive whole, and by the time I figured out how to save it—I had a big problem. My skill level at the time was no match for the complexity of the story. I stepped away from the project.
I decided to develop an idea originally envisioned as a screenplay.
The seed of that idea came from an incident in high school and the aftermath that would stay with me forever.
The “stranger comes to town” motif of Stephen King’s novels, along with the “man and woman come together to defeat a great evil while healing themselves in the process” motif, often seen in Dean Koontz novels, inspired my approach to this story.
Also, the film Flatliners, where Kiefer Sunderland’s character “flatlines” and has a confrontation with the “ghost” of the child he bullied when he was younger, was very influential.
Here’s some background information:
In 1987, after dealing with bullies in my freshman year, I attended an old school Tae Kwon Do dojang (training hall). Our teacher ran the place like a fight gym. The students were motivated adults, mostly working-class men who liked to beat the crap out of each other for fun. It was a rough tutelage. We maintained military bearing, conditioned ourselves like fighters, and lived for continuous contact sparring practiced every night without safety equipment.
Within a short time, the fierce reputation of the dojang, along with winning a few school fights, ended the bullying.
In my senior year, I slacked off a little with my training. Without the constant need to defend myself, I lost my motivation.
Then providence intervened.
Without going into the details, I had an altercation with a student. We’ll call him Jack. After the encounter, he said he would beat me up after school.
I waited for him in the parking lot, but he never showed. That should have ended it.
Instead, the next day, a female student asked if Jack and I had fought. I told her he never showed. And then, stupidly, I added: “He must have been too scared to fight me.”
My comment didn’t allow Jack to save face. I had just been afflicted by the symptoms of foot-in-mouth disease. My remark made it back to him, and this time he was waiting for me after school.
We had a standoff and a shouting match. The principle broke it up. Although we threw no punches, we both declared victory.
Of course, neither of us wanted to fight and is the reason we ended up in a stalemate. But from that point on, I needed to train just in case we ended up throwing down. I went straight back to hard training at the dojang. Two years later, I would earn a black belt. You can watch the highlights of that test here. Skip to near the end for sparring.
Jack and I never had words again. We ended up at the same party once, not long after high school, but we kept to ourselves.
The last time I saw him, he was walking around the downtown area. I was driving my girlfriend’s (now my wife) brand-new car. We made eye contact. That moment seemed like a little victory.
I never forgot about our skirmish, though. Without a resolution, the incident nestled insidiously in my subconscious.
A few years later, my dad called to tell me Jack had died of a drug overdose.
I began to wonder what would have happened if he had turned his life around. That gave me an idea. I could give him a new life in the screenplay idea I had always meant to write. In that instant, Jack Amon and Wolves of Vengeance were born.
In 2006, I decided to develop that idea into a novel.
Next time, I’ll explain how I expanded the idea into novel form and how I developed the main cast of characters.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Free Kindle Version of Epitaphs!
I hope everyone is doing well during these crazy times. Just wanted to let you know that Epitaphs: The Journal of the New England Horror Writers is free for a limited time on Kindle. This anthology includes my story, “Malfeasance.” Happy Reading!
If you’re interested in how I wrote and sold this story you can read about it here.
Before I go, I want to let you know I’ve been behind on my blog writing. You probably already know that. Haha! But I will be continuing The Scribes of Arcanum: Anatomy of a Sale series. I also want to get back to my NaNoWriMo novel, BLACK MAGIC BULLETS.
On an encouraging note, I just received an acceptance from an award-winning webzine. I’ll have a free story online for you to ready sometime in July.
I’ve been plugging away at the final edits of a 90,000-word horror thriller. Hopefully, I’ll be finished soon and can put it on the market.
The better part of this week was spent rewriting a short story for an anthology open call. I really love the story, but it needed a lot of TLC to bring it up to my current standards.
I also sent out a Lovecraft inspired story to another anthology open call.
That’s it for now. I’ll be back soon. Stay safe out there!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
