FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A "TAIL" OF TWO BATTLEFIELDS

The struggle between ambition and dreams results in a the publication of a novel by a college student. 

"College football at the division I level is a never-ending battle," said the senior who attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "if you ask anyone who's played, they'll tell you straight up: it's war."

Simba Wiltz, from Orlando, FL, joined the team in 1998 and found that it was more than he expected. Two-a-day practices, time consuming position meetings, and nights of study hall added to an already heavy load.

"Exceptionally difficult," Wiltz said, "I think a lot of high schoolers come into college wanting to do it all, and I was no different. But there are limits. It's hard for anyone to run into them."

It didn't take long for him to find those limits. He came with the intention of going to Pharmacy School at Chapel Hill, a goal that would require more time than playing college football would allow. Faced with the daunting task list, Simba had to make the most difficult decision of his college career.

"I had to give it up," he says, "and I hated it. I hated having to choose between my sport and my mind, but it would not have been possible to do both to the best of my ability."
It was the first time in 13-some years that he would not be associated with organized football. For Simba, it was like the end of an era.

"I was very depressed about it for a while," Wiltz admits. "I still feel a little longing anytime I hear the roar of the crowd, but I had to move on."

Freed from his athletic burden, Simba turned to his second love to get through the tough time: writing.

"I fell in love with [writing] around the 5th grade, when my teacher had us do creative stories. I've always been fascinated with the prospect of creating new worlds."

With time on his hands, Simba embarked on his most ambitious project yet, one that didn't turn out quite like he expected.

"It was just a short story based on a character that represented my take on the world of athletics. I tried to put all the angst and drive and drama of being an athlete into this one character. But," he says, chuckling, "somewhere along the line, it changed."

And how. What was once a short story exploded into a novel series based on an imaginary world created from the ground up. The first novel in the series, entitled MainFrame- Beginnings (Xlibris, $19.54), was just published this December.

"I didn't anticipate how interesting it would turn out," Wiltz said. "First it was a custom, then a society, then a history, and so on and so forth until one day I realized how massive it was becoming."

Simba's world, the planet Pellicia, has another unusual twist that makes it different.
"The entire world is comprised of anthropomorphic animals."

These anthropomorphic animals, called 'fursons', are like human versions of animals found on earth, though some fursons are not based on earth animals. So what is it that these fursons do on their planet? That is where the story gets interesting.

"Based on my experiences with athletics, it seemed only fitting to write about heavy conflict." Wiltz said.

In his novel, terrorism has gotten far out of hand. So far, in fact, that it is threatening to destabilize the entire planet's social and political structure.  Given recent world events such as 9/11 and hostilities abroad, the project has much deeper undertones.

"This book was in the publication process prior to September 11th," Wiltz said. "When I found out about the attacks, it filled me with an inexpressible horror. I'd watched this kind of situation develop on Pellicia long before it happened in real life and . . . what was once just an interesting story turned into something far more."

Unlike our world, the terrorists are gaining the upper hand in Pellicia. And that is where the team known as MainFrame comes in.

"MainFrame's sole purpose in existing is fighting this terrorism in their world."

Wiltz relied on many experiences to create this team.

"MainFrame draws on so many themes of today," Wiltz said, "teamwork, survival, terrorism beliefs, and others. But the focus is still on the camaraderie and friendship that develops between the characters. Watching these characters develop was an amazing journey for me."

Simba says that there is already a sequel to this novel in the works, and several more planned for the future. Not bad for an ex-football player, especially since he's in his second year of Pharmacy School.  He has high ambitions for the project, but is happy to have made it this far.

"Of course, I'd love for MainFrame to make it big in the world at large," he says with a smile, "but just making the story is a real victory for me."

More information on the story and world can be found at www.wiltzworks.com/mainframe. You can order MainFrame- Beginnings from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble online (www.bn.com), and Borders.com.  You can also find it at the bookstore on Xlibris.com.  

Contact:
business@wiltzworks.com
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