PARKERSBURG - A Marietta man has published a book, this one about a weapon that backfires and threatens the existence of the world.
"The Dante Tempest" by Joe Dixon is about an engineered virus by the United States that escapes from the lab. It breaks down calcium, of which cement and people contain calcium and the world is crumbling, he said.
"That's the problem," Dixon said.
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Joe Dixon of Marietta will published a book, “The Dante Tempest,” under the name Thomas Kifton.
Dixon wrote "The Dante Tempest" under the name Thomas Kifton.
"I like the name 'Thomas,'" he said.
Kifton was the name of a character once considered, Professor Kifton, Dixon said. He put the two names together and came up with the nom de plume of Thomas Kifton.
From Dixon's synopsis, "The Dante Tempest" involves a deputy sheriff deputy, operatives from the intelligence agencies of different countries and a lone traveler from Ohio, "each tossed into a blender of how to stop the outbreak for the virus with no cure."
" All the while, the virus serves as a lottery ticket to the winner who can survive and recover the formula for his or her own personal gain," he said.
"The Dante Tempest" will be published soon by Publish America, a self-publishing company. It is about 350 pages.
"The Dante Tempest" is Dixon's third book.
The first was published in 2008. "Gone in the Orange Twilight," available on amazon.com, is about a man who survives a near-fat traffic accident, only to learn his world as he knows it is nearing the end.
"C.A.L.I.B." was published as a sequel in 2009 and is set in the D'Varekom World Dixon created. The heroine, Katie, survives in a world controlled and created by the being C.A.L.I.B.
Dixon said he is a writer and artist and works with the Life Church of Parkersburg located near Foodland on Plum Street in Parkersburg.
The inspiration for his stories come from his imagination and fondness for science and medicine. Dixon credits writers Ray Bradbury and Stephen King and physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking. Bradbury, who wrote "The Martian Chronicles,' "Fahrenheit 451" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes," among many others, died in June.
"As a matter of fact, I give a small 'thank you' at the beginning of this novel to Mr. Bradbury for his inspiration, because he passed while I was finishing 'The Dante Tempest,'" Dixon said.
Besides pounding out stories, Dixon also will make his first appearance in the 2013 West Virginia Toughman Contest on Feb.8-9 at Parkersburg High School. Dixon, 32, will be featured as Joe "The Hulk" Dixon in the heavyweight division, a nickname given to him by the promoters for his 6-foot-6 325-pound frame.
Sparring with friends in college, boxing is a hobby, he said. He's been training, particularly with taking blows, and while he's not worried about getting beaten, Dixon hopes he doesn't embarrass himself or his wife.
He didn't want to be someone who says they could do something, then not do it.
"I may lose a few brain cells along the way," he said.
