Author stops at nothing to get his book noticed BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent COURTESY OF JASON MITCHINER Brick resident Jason Mitchiner has gone to great lengths to get his self-published book noticed. He posed with a copy of "Full Moon Rising" at a recent book signing. Fledgling author Jason W. Mitchiner and his Speedo are turning up in some unlikely places lately. Over the past month, Mitchiner, 30, has donned his blue bathing suit in New York City's Times Square and at a book signing at a local bookstore. He even plans to wear his Speedo in the New York City Marathon in November. For Mitchiner, 30, the Speedo and his moniker "the Naked Author" are part of his tireless self-promotion for his first full-length novel, "Full Moon Rising: Based on a True Story." "I have to do something to brand myself, to make myself become unforgettable," said Mitchiner, who lives in Brick with his wife and their 22-month-old son, Donovan Jason. "I put everything mentally into writing my book, and I want to show everyone I'll put everything physically in promoting it." "Full Moon Rising" is published by PublishAmerica, a Maryland-based company that specializes in unknown authors and utilizes digital printing technology, which allows a single copy of a book to be printed. The promotion for the book, however, falls squarely on the author. "I'm competing against the big time," Mitchiner said. "I have less than a 0.1-percent chance of making it in the mainstream book world. It's a true David and Goliath story." But Mitchiner is up for the challenge because he's faced adversity before. Born in Fayetteville, N.C., his parents divorced when he was five. He spent the next 10 years moving around the United States and Germany, living in motor homes and motels. At 14, his mother abandoned him in Germany, and by 16 he was a ward of the state of New Jersey. He ended up in foster care. "Everything I've experienced my whole life, I pour back into my characters when I'm writing," Mitchiner said. "This allows me to make my characters more complex, have more depth and become more interesting. I should thank my parents for giving me my thoughts and ideas." It was Mitchiner's father who gave him the idea for "Full Moon Rising." He spoke to his son for the first time in 10 years, when Mitchiner was 26, about the family's genealogy. From there, Mitchiner spent the next two years writing the novel, a fictional account of Thomas William Mitchiner's life during the San Francisco Gold Rush and Civil War eras. He sent his manuscript to every literary agent and major publishing house he could think of, but met with no success. "It was returned unopened or they'd read one paragraph on the first page and send it back," Mitchiner said. So he knew he would have to find another way to get some attention. The Speedo and the "Naked Author" nickname were born. "I'm not naked because I walk around Times Square in a bathing suit," Mitchiner said. "I'm naked in the literary sense because I have no literary agent and without a large publisher to market my book and have it displayed in bookstores throughout the nation." Mitchiner is hard at work promoting his novel. He's lined up three more book signings in the next few months. He's also training for the New York City Marathon, which he plans to run with a copy of his book in his hand. He's also working on his second novel, "Red Sea Divided," which is the prequel to "Full Moon Rising." That novel will be based on the story of Thomas William Mitchiner's grandfather, who fought in the Revolutionary War. A third novel, which would be the first in the trilogy, is also in the works. "Finding the time to write is the most difficult," said Mitchiner, who now uses a tape recorder to develop his characters during his commute to his job at nj.com in Jersey City. But for Mitchiner, it's just another challenge to overcome and an important lesson for his son. "I want him to know that I put every ounce of my soul in what I believed in," Mitchiner said. "If you believe in something, be passionate about it and follow through with it." "Full Moon Rising" is currently available at Barnes & Noble, Brick. For more information on Jason W. Mitchiner, visit nakedauthor.com.