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Boston Thriller Author Jon F. Merz Launches Holiday Charity Drive for Homeless Children

Boston, MA (PRWEB) December 13, 2007 -- For Boston author Jon F. Merz, there's nothing worse than the thought of children not having a happy holiday season. Worse still, the author knows there are plenty of children in the city that have a hard enough time finding a roof over their heads, let alone having a nice new toy to play with. To help out, Jon has launched "Read a Novel for Charity," a new drive that he hopes will lead to substantial donations for one Boston-based charity, Horizons for Homeless Children.

The program is exceptionally simple: people are invited to visit Jon's website located at http://www.jonfmerz.com and there they will find a link to one of his unpublished thriller novels, PARALLAX (direct link: http://www.jonfmerz.com/parallax.pdf) in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. Visitors are encouraged to download the novel, read it, and then make a donation by sending the author at least one dollar via Paypal (author's Paypal address is: zrem@earthlink.net). All proceeds collected by Jon (minus fees and expenses) will be donated to Horizons for Homeless Children.

Jon, the author of over a dozen published novels and two non-fiction books, admits the effort could falter, but he's hopeful that the more people who see the project, the more folks will donate. "We're asking for at least one dollar," he says. "But anyone can donate as much as they want. We'd love to be able to present the folks at Horizons with a check for $100,000."

Jon is also asking people to help spread the word about the initiative by telling friends, family, co-workers, and online venues about it. "The more exposure we have, the better. The program is simple and fun. Take some time for yourself during the hectic rush of the holidays, read a fun book, and then make a donation. It's that easy."

The author has set up a special group page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6668928378

and there is news about the project on the author's Myspace page located at http://www.myspace.com/jonfmerz

PARALLAX, the novel Jon is offering, is the tale of two professional assassins - one a hitman for the Mafia, and the other a former German terrorist - who develop a mental link enabling them to see into each other's life. When the German assassin agrees to undertake one final assignment, he unknowingly steps onto the other's turf, and the ensuing cat-and-mouse game involves bioterrorism, old vendettas, and the desperate love of a woman and child.

Horizons for Homeless Children was founded in 1988 as an independent organization dedicated exclusively to serving homeless children and their families. Horizons for Homeless Children touches the lives of more than 2,000 homeless children each week in Massachusetts through Playspaces (educational and recreational spaces) in shelters and 175 children through its three Community Children's Centers, Boston's only comprehensive, full-time early education and childcare centers specifically for homeless children. In addition to direct service, they advocate on behalf of homeless children and their families with policy makers and provide training and technical assistance to related service providers.

About Jon F. Merz: Massachusetts author Jon F. Merz has written over a dozen thrillers, including five in his Boston-based hard-boiled Lawson Vampire series, several standalone thrillers including 2004's Danger-Close, and is one of the writers on the bestselling Rogue Angel adventure series from Gold Eagle publishers. His two non-fiction books, Learning Later, Living Greater (co-authored with his mother Nancy Merz Nordstrom) and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Ultimate Fighting (co-authored with former UFC middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin) have both received critical acclaim. The author lives with his wife and two sons in suburban Boston.

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