Writer's Digest 22nd Annual Self-Published Book Awards Judges' Commentary: THE MAYHEM WRANGLER by D.R. Schervish: "Fantastic cover A truly arresting image. The back material is well-done, also. I love the sardonic humor (the opening scene). The language is rough and real -- truly infectious. Excellent moments of laughter among the intensity. Your dialogues are whip-smart and entertaining. The combination of the tough-guy act and the spidey-sense psychic is great. I love the way he gets into deep philosophical discussions but never seems to be taking himself (or anyone else) all that seriously. I like the use of the military alphabet in your chaptering system; every novel needs something like that. Love the addition of the Coyote story. You have an especial skill for dispensing with backstories quickly. You would not be surprised how rare that is. Love the artful digressions (the Liberator story). You are ruthlessly devoted to plot twists, which is pretty wonderful. You have come up with a book that is completely original, and your writing is downright addictive. Sometimes I even find myself thinking, 'This character is off his rocker, but I can't wait to hear what he's got to say next.' Excellent job "
About THE MAYHEM WRANGLER Former military remote viewer Bobby Doucette has tried like hell to forget his past, including his supernatural gifts - but nothing ever quite works out as planned and he just put another bullet through the second TV in a month. When spree killer Jack Mumford summons the darkest of forces to crush everything Bobby cares about and threatens the lives of innocents, Bobby knows he can no longer sustain his haunted existence, or worse, become a man on the run. With Mumford on the loose after escaping from maximum security and his ex-lover wasting away as a junkie dominatrix, Bobby is faced with his greatest test that will either deliver him from evil or put redemption out of reach for good.
A powerful vortex building in the desert sets in motion a time-space continuum that unites Bobby's animal spirit guides, Coyote and Crow, and a band of unlikely confederates, including John Red Truck, a desert-dwelling PTSD healer who deprograms veterans through sweats and vision quests; Hanna Pennrie, who began reading cards as a sick child and turned her gifts into covert information to aid Allied Forces in WWII; Trooper Markus Chen and hitchhiker Clay Schroeder whose random encounter is anything but coincidental; and a team of FBI special agents who at once loathe and petition Bobby's spooky gifts to wrangle the mayhem they cannot imagine.
Heading to the Nevada desert that serves as ground zero for a metaphysical battle that entangles unsuspecting souls along the way, Bobby does everything in his power to clear and ground himself through conjuring and meditation. He knows the only real difference between himself and Mumford is intention: Will he match Mumford's brutal force or find a truer nature? In this journey of the sages, Bobby discovers what it means to be The Mayhem Wrangler.
(BRAVO - ) "In the Book of Runes under the rune Raido is a simple prayer for a soul's journey: 'I will to will thy will.'"
Don't edit the source; take it how it comes. Adapt your will to it, not the other way around. A human understanding will never be able to encompass infinity. Not one person who has ever lived knows enough to be a pessimist. Jung's collective unconscious and synchronicity is close, but it's just a part of it. The model of the Akashic Record is more complete: All things ever known or ever to be known on this plane of existence and others are yours to know if you can just find the right way to listen. - THE MAYHEM WRANGLER"