“Timothy’s Demon” is a fantasy action comedy with just a bit of romance in it, a first-person coming of age story intended to be inspirational for young men who may have stalled out in their 20s.

What is your book all about?

Timothy Kovak just found out he comes from a long line of evil wizards, dating back to the late middle ages. Whenever a young male of this bloodline has the potential to use magic, they get a visit from a six-hundred-year-old succubus named Lydia, who helps them train to be supervillains, and sends them out on missions to kill for her Master.

Timothy lives in the year 2058, in a dystopian near future where corporations have replaced the government and superheroes basically work as indentured servants, while their corporate sponsors collect money from their media rights.

This world is still recovering from the death of Captain Cobalt, my stand-in for Superman, a pure, perfect hero who had been protecting the world since World War 2. But these days, half the public believes he was a secret assassin for the CIA, and modern superheroes are really just in it for the money.

Timothy is a lonely, naïve guy who still wants to believe in heroes, but now this demon is telling him he’s destined to be one of the bad guys.

Timothy has to get with the program and start training to be a supervillain, or get ready to fight an army of demons, armed with nothing but his sense of humor, and a fork.

What inspired you to write the book?

I started writing this book in March of 2000 and I gave up twice, before finally taking one more swing at it in July 2023. I had given up on fiction and dedicated my life to being a columnist and news editor for twenty years, until some friends convinced me to take one last shot at my novel, and my life.

This book is very special to me, because it was meant to be inspirational, and going back to it after all this time reminded me of who I wanted to be. The process of rewriting it inspired me and gave me the energy to tackle some serious health problems and resume physical therapy after essentially being confined to a wheelchair for five years.

Since then, I’ve lost fifty pounds and gained a good bit of my mobility back. My chronic pain is gone, and I’m able to function again, after the doctors basically told me I would have this pain for the rest of my life.

Writing this book lifted my depression and suddenly turned my emotions back on, good and bad, as I suddenly realized how isolated and hopeless my life had become. I got myself in regular therapy, reconnected with a bunch of old friends, started taking care of myself, and finished a third draft of my novel over the course of about six months. I still have a long way to go, but I’ve finally taken control of my life, and I owe most of that to this book, even if it never makes a dime.

What is your target audience for the book?

This book is meant to have a very broad appeal, hopefully enjoyable for men and women, but it’s primarily intended for young men in college, or for young men who have dropped out of college and are trying to find their way in the adult world.

What do you hope readers could get out from your book?

I hope this doesn’t sound grandiose, but I want young men to read this book and come out of it ready to fight demons, in every sense of that word.

What are your future goals/plans for the book?

Oh, I want what every author wants, I suppose. I dream about getting a movie or a TV series, but I would be happy with a first-class audiobook, which I have planned for some time next year. I’m going to spend the money to do it right, with duet narration and a real studio. I can’t wait to hear my characters come to life. And man, I really hope the jokes work.

And something more about yourself.

I was born with a variety of medical conditions that are too sad and tedious to list here, but today I feel like a man coming out of a coma, reengaging with the world and trying to be a better person, just like the characters I created twenty years ago.

And I’ll close with a fun fact. Most of the injuries my main character suffers are things that have actually happened to me in the course of my life, although I have not suffered frostbite or been burned alive, yet.

Contact

Timothy’s Demon is available on Amazon at www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVDSCB9S/

I have a placeholder web page at www.michaelduff.net

I make announcements and talk to my friends on Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelbduff And I have a safe, boring Twitter account here: twitter.com/michaelbduff2

Also, special thanks to Authors’ Lounge for giving me a chance to tell the story. It’s nice to have a place where I can talk more about Timothy’s Demon and a bit about myself. You guys are great!