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Polish Dragon Stories
The Lineage Sword follows the Polish Dragon P.I. on a case that leads him into the realm of the Waiting Warriors. What inspired you to write this story?
Over the last several years a few of my Tai Chi students had asked me why I haven’t written a mystery about Tai Chi and I really had no idea about where to begin. Then I came across some martial arts stories about how the leadership of a school is passed down in the more traditional schools. The master when he is ready to retire or is near death will appoint his most senior student to take over and generally that turns out to be the oldest son. The Waiting Warriors came into play when I came up with the idea that, what if, when the last emperor of China fell that there was a secretly formed alliance of all of the old guards with one specific purpose. That purpose was to continue to train and wait for the fall of the Nationalist government of China and they could then re-instate the emperor. In the years that followed the alliance became worldwide and they continue to train and pass the training down through their families, still hoping for the return of the emperor. So, this story is dedicated to my Tai Chi students and martial artists everywhere.
I enjoyed the brevity of the story but because I love diving into Polish Dragon stories, I wanted there to be more. What inspired you to write a short story?
I like writing shorter stories so that people can read them in one sitting or one day. Some people have mentioned how they wish they could finish a story while riding the train or taking the bus to work. They don’t like to have to keep going back to the story and then they feel like they lose interest. If they could start a book and finish it in a short time they almost get the full sense of the story without, what some call, the mundane details. I want to give my readers the best parts of the story in a short amount of time. Plus, all of the Polish Dragon stories are linked together in some way.
I enjoyed the exotic location of the story. Do you have any personal experience in these places?
No, I have no personal experiences with these places as of yet. I do have them on my bucket list and hope to reach them soon. The Taiwan location came from my stepson and daughter-in-law’s blog, Nom_Life, and they gave me permission to use the descriptions and pictures for the book. When reading their post, I fell in love with the descriptions and the views that they shared. It was as if I was there and I could see and feel and hear all that was going on. I also did some research on the locations to add more to the storyline and there was quite a lot to learn about Jiufen. Mainland China was basically my idea of what the area might be like although the mountain range was real and I came to find out that Dreamworks used the famous mountain in their movie Kung Fu Panda.
What is the next Polish Dragon P. I. adventure that you are working on and when will it be available?
Our dim sum loving P. I. has been hired to investigate the death of two employees from a material handling company who have died from an overdose of heroin. The coroner rules them as death by misadventure but the president of the company feels that is something more sinister going on in his company. The Polish Dragon is referred to him by FBI agent Jalowiec and he must now go undercover as an employee to discover what might be happening there if anything at all. I am planning on having it finished mid to late summer, so stay tuned.
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Polish Dragon P. I. (The Lineage Sword) – Book Trailer
A young man whose family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan disappears right after his father’s death. He was to inherit his father’s martial arts school as is the tradition and the lineage sword was to be passed on to him. It to has disappeared and the Polish Dragon P. I. is called in to help find them both. It will not be an easy task as his investigation takes him to Taiwan and into the realm of the Guard Corp who were the protectors of the Chinese Emperor. As of now known only as the Waiting Warriors.
Polish Dragon P. I. (The Lineage Sword)
Cindy’s brother was missing, along with the intricately forged sword that had been handed down through their family for generations. Carved into the hilt of this sword is a dragon with eyes that seem alive. So when she read about Tom Sipowicz, a P.I. nicknamed the Polish Dragon, it seemed only natural to hire him for the case. Tom soon finds out that there’s more adventure to be had here than he usually finds in his line of work. He ends up chasing leads to Taiwan and back while unearthing a wealth of knowledge about the culture, history, traditions, and superstitions of Cindy’s family and people.
Polish Dragon P.I. (The Lineage Sword) by Steve Zimcosky is a fast paced mystery filled with exotic locales that all seem infused with a sense of the supernatural. Zimcosky wastes no time getting to the meat of the story, introducing Cindy, the lineage sword, Tom, and a hint at his own background within the first few pages. From there the action is consistent, and Tom uses all his tricks to try and find the missing man. Paul is a law student reluctant to continue in the family’s martial arts business after the death of his and Cindy’s father. Tom calls in some favors from old friends in high places. Eventually, a letter from Paul himself helps guide the way, but not before a trip to Taiwan and visits to many of Cindy and Paul’s family friends. This provides readers with ample opportunity to meet intriguing characters as we wind through this short but well crafted mystery.
The Lineage Sword has a fascinating story that is layered and full of potential. I would have really loved this story to be a full novel so that we had time to explore different plot points, and give more breadth to events and interactions that feel only briefly explored here.
Polish Dragon P.I.- The Lineage Sword combines a curious mystery with an imaginative supernatural element that holds promise and will surely capture the attention of amateur sleuths looking for a quick but engaging read.
Pages: 85 | ASIN: B08VF7ZZ99
Become More Whole
The Ark of Healers finds the Polish Dragon P.I. pulled into a missing women’s case from the holistic health field that he must solve while avoiding the police. What was the inspiration behind the mystery at the core of this book?
The inspiration came from watching some re-runs of Ancient Aliens on Netflix. There were some episodes that discussed how people felt they were abducted by aliens and studied and probed while being on this alien ship. I thought to myself what if there was an alien race that watched over us and felt that we needed to be better as humans. Abducting different people and giving them each a task of gathering a certain group of people to be taken to another planet similar to earth and starting all over again. People who were in certain professions like the medical field, agriculture and teachers.
This book touches on different kinds of holistic medicine. What inspired this aspect of the story?
I myself am involved in the holistic health field as a massage therapist, hypnotist and Reiki Master. More and more people are beginning to see that the field of holistic medicine can help them without all of the side affects you get from drugs and surgery. That is not to say that those are not necessary but I think that in many instances they complement each other. For example, if I was in a car accident I wouldn’t want to be taken to an acupuncturist right away, I would prefer the emergency room. Once I have been treated there then I could go to the acupuncturist to help with my recovery. There are so many forms of holistic therapy that can help people to become more whole.
What was one of hardest scenes for you to write in the book?
For me, one of the hardest scenes to write was where the women who disappeared would be held. I wanted to make it where it would have to be somewhere safe but also where it would be very difficult to find them. After some thought and a long walk in the park I came up with the idea of them being held nearly in plain sight but you had to dig for the clues as to their real location.
What is the next mystery you have planned for the Polish Dragon P.I.?
I am working on a book called “Polish Dragon P. I. The Lineage Sword”. It is about the disappearance of a young man who is to inherit from his father the leadership of a martial arts system. A sword that has been in the family for generations which signifies the leader of the school has also disappeared. Are the disappearances connected and what does that mean for the future of this particular martial arts system? The journey takes the Polish Dragon to the island of Taiwan as part of his investigation.
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Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers)
![Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers) by [Steve Zimcosky]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41wgPmXf37L.jpg)
Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers) is a crime thriller novella written by an award-winning author Steve Zimcosky. This novella follows a private investigator, Tom Sipowicz, as he investigates the mysterious case involving multiple women in Northeast, Ohio that are disappearing. He is hired by one of the missing victims daughter, and he must work this case while not interfering with the police and FBI.
The mystery in this noir style novel was very intriguing as, at first, the disappearances seem to be random, but it soon grows exponentially, involving holistic healing and high-level authorities coming into view. This story fits well into the teen and young adult fiction genre perfectly with a strong focus on the puzzling mystery, campy dialogue and a lack of explicit violence and themes. Another great aspect was the relationship between Tom and his police detective friend, Gary. These two had an interesting conflict that sprinkled the entire book with funny dialogue.
While I certainly lost myself in the story, some parts of the investigation feels like the reader is simply told what happened, almost like reading a Wikipedia page when I felt that it could have been shown. The characters in the story were intriguing and well developed, but I would have liked to know more about the famous Polish Dragon P.I. and other characters, like the Assistant County Prosecutor Adriana Charveaux.
Overall, Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers) is a fun read that people of all ages will certainly enjoy. Author Steve Zimcosky has a knack for planting the seeds to a mystery early on that grows more and more compelling as the novel progresses. Sleuth’s or crime fiction fans looking for a short and satisfying read will find plenty to enjoy with Steve Zimcosky’s latest entry in the Polish Dragon P.I. series.
Pages: 85 | ASIN: B08LQGK58T
Polish Dragon P. I.
How did the idea for Death of a Bully start and change as you wrote?
It started from my previous book the “Disappearance of Marty McRory” which introduces the Polish Dragon P. I. into the story. I thought how it would be a great idea to perhaps do a series with a private investigator and to create different story lines. As I was coming up with the idea I thought how it might feel to investigate the death of an old schoolmate. Especially one who had issues in his younger years and was able to turn his life around. I had to do some research as to how private investigators work so I could make the story as believable as possible. The story line changed at the last minute when I thought how families have a hard time dealing with a member who has dementia.
What was the most interesting scene for you to write in the short story?
For me the most interesting thing was writing about the bullying that went on in the elementary school years of the characters. That I wrote from experience as I remember being bullied somewhat as a child. I could introduce martial arts training as a way to combat bullying and there are many martial arts schools that have such programs, like the Karate Institute of Cleveland. My martial arts training was later in life and I thought how that would have helped me in my younger days to defend myself.
Why did you go with the short story format instead of fleshing this out into a full novel?
It wasn’t intentional to do a short story but as I was writing it seemed like it all went together rather quickly and I enjoyed the way it turned out. There was plenty of information to keep the readers guessing and twist and turns to throw them off. My hope is that as I continue to write the stories get longer. They always seem to be shorter on Kindle then they do in a paperback version and I’m not sure why that is. But there have been some great novellas in the past such as: The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, The Man Who Would be King by Rudyard Kipling, and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells. I hope that my readers enjoy the stories and I can continue to write for them and myself.
Do you plan to write more stories about the Polish Dragon P. I.?
Absolutely. I want to make it into a series if I can. I have already started a new story with the Polish Dragon investigating a case of certain women who have disappeared. A lot of my stories take place in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and this one will not be any different. I’m hoping to have it done in time for the holidays.
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Death of a Bully (Polish Dragon P. I.)
![Death of a Bully (Polish Dragon P. I.) by [Steve Zimcosky]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41MJJUzZtVL.jpg)
A reunion is supposed to be fun, right? A lovely time to speak with friends you haven’t seen in far too long. Not this time. In Death Of A Bully, a reunion turns deadly, and everyone is wondering who did it. John is a well-respected attorney and philanthropist who gets murdered. An investigation starts and the search for the killer is on. While trying to locate the real killer, we learn that John was the high school bully. Everyone has a motive so the reader is left wondering who, out of all the possible suspects, could it have been!
Steve Zimcosky has written a page-turner with an unexpected twist that I was not prepared for. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was wrong. I felt sorry for certain characters, particularly Mark and Tom. I felt sorry for Mark because he was wrongly accused of something he didn’t do. I felt sorry for Tom because I liked his character and I empathized with him in certain parts of the book. I was a little surprised that Jack forgave his mother as quickly as he did. It was still an interesting twist added to the story, and I couldn’t put the book down because I was eager to see what would happen next. In the end, I didn’t agree with the reasoning that Emily had, but I know that everyone has their own way that they feel about things, and it didn’t stop me from finishing the book.
Death of a Bully is a short, but thrilling read. The writing style is engaging and the book is easy to follow and alluring. This is more of a suspenseful whodunit novella, Steve Zimcosky is able to deliver a riveting tale in under 100 pages. If you are new to Steve Zimcosky’s work than this is a good starter book for you that will introduce you to his literary style.
Pages: 87 | ASIN: B08DSL6GK8
No Definitive Proof
Steve Zimcosky Author Interview
The Blood of the Nephilim follows a man who’s never been sick and a billionaire that wants to profit off of it. How did the idea for this novel start and change as you wrote?
The idea started as I was researching blood types, as I have the rarest blood type AB-, and I wanted to know where the blood types originated from. What I found out was that the Rh- factor is only found in a very small percentage of the population worldwide. There are theories that it was a mutation somewhere during the evolution of mankind but there is no definitive proof of that. And the one ancient alien theory states that it comes from aliens breeding with humans. The story started out with the young boy never getting sick and how he had a passion for archaeology and eventually searching those sites mentioned by ancient alien theorists. As I began getting into the background I thought how interesting it would be if a billionaire found out about this person and decided he wanted his blood to create a serum for all of the wealthy people so they never have to worry about ever getting sick.
I enjoyed the interplay between science and religion in this book. What were some themes you wanted focus on in this story?
I wanted to focus on themes that are present in society today. One is how people perceive the wealthy as having so much power to do anything that they want by generally using their wealth to influence the laws, property values and politicians and never feeling any repercussions. So I imagined how one wealthy person would use his money and influence to create a serum from a person’s blood so that he would never get sick again. Of course by saying he would help all mankind everyone trusted him.
Another theme I wanted to focus on was the ancient alien theme. If you look back at many of the religious writings many can be interpreted in ways of showing that aliens did come to this planet and interacted with mankind. For example the book of Enoch talks about fallen angels interacting with man and taking wives as well as in the book of Gensis. The Nephilim were known as fallen angels or spirits in the bible and in Arabic they are called Jinn. The offspring of the Nephilim and the human wives they took were said to be giants. Of course this one of many theories about them.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer with this book?
One of my goals was to have people who read the book see that things are not always as they seem. Perhaps the things we read in the ancient texts could have been about aliens who came to help mankind. How did the Rh- negative factor actually come about? There are theories but no definitive proof of how such a small percentage of the population has it. What I want is for people to look at the world and not take what someone says as truth but to do their own research and come to their own conclusion. Many people take what the so called talking heads say as truth when in fact many of them are paid entertainers.
What is the next novel that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have a few ideas that I am working on right now but I believe the next one will be a mystery that revolves around an author. I hope to start outlining it soon and having it down in the fall of this year.
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A scientist investigates archaeological sites that could have been built by aliens. No one knows why he has never been sick a day in his life. A billionaire believes his blood is the secret to perfect health. And, he wants it.
LITERARY TITAN 