PRESS RELEASE

Aspen Words board member MARK TOMPKINS 

launches debut novel The Last Days of Magic

One of Viking’s most anticipated books of 2016

Aspen, CO (February 19, 2016) –With the March 1st publication of his debut novel, The Last Days of Magic, Mark Tompkins will join the strong literary tradition of authors shaped in Aspen. To celebrate the book launch, Tompkins will host a party at Explore Booksellers on March 3, held in partnership with Aspen Words, the literary non-profit for which he serves as board vice president. The event is free and open to the public, and will include a short reading and discussion with the author, as well as plenty of food and drink from Pyramid Bistro.

Spanning the forests and villages of 14th-century Ireland, the lavish courts of France and England, the Vatican’s inner chambers and present-day mysteries, The Last Days of Magic (Viking) blends historical, fictional, and mythical events to create a richly imagined world and an exhilarating story of adventure and enchantment. A recent review from Publisher’s Weekly gave the following praise: “A heady brew of Celtic and Biblical mythology with late medieval political intrigue and warfare…Tompkins combines deft characterization with treachery, battle, magic, and hints of Dan Brown.”

Tompkins has been involved with Aspen Words since 2011 when he took a fiction workshop at Aspen Summer Words, the literary gathering held annually in June.  A successful entrepreneur and photographer with works in the permanent collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Tompkins turned to writing full time in 2013. He refined an earlier draft of The Last Day of Magic with Aspen Words’ editorial service, the Editing Room. In 2014, Viking vice president and editor at large Carole DeSanti, herself a talented writer who has spoken at Aspen Words events, bought the book on behalf of Viking. A few months prior to the book’s sale, Tompkins founded the Aspen Writers’ Network, an Aspen Words program that provides support and networking opportunities for Roaring Fork Valley writers.

Following the Aspen launch party, Tompkins will travel on a book tour that includes stops in San Francisco, Boston, Houston, and New York, among other locations.

EVENT DETAILS

Thursday, March 3 at 5:30pm 

Pyramid Bistro at Explore Booksellers

221 E Main St, Aspen, CO 81611 

FREE community event with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer.

For more information about The Last Days of Magic, visit marktompkinsbooks.com

Questions or requests for interviews can be directed to: 

Caroline Tory

Program Associate of Marketing & Communications

Aspen Words | The Aspen Institute

[email protected]

Phone: 970-925-3122 ext 3#

Click here to download the press release.

Aspen Words (formerly the Aspen Writers’ Foundation) was founded in Aspen in 1976 as a cutting edge poetry conference and literary magazine. Today Aspen Words (AW) is one of the nation’s leading literary centers and a stage for the world’s most prominent authors. AW programs employ literature as a tool for provoking thought, broadening perspectives, fostering connections, inspiring creativity, and giving voice. Since 2009, AW has partnered with the Aspen Institute, underscoring the highest humanistic ideals of Aspen founder Walter Paepcke: to better understand human challenges by cultivating one’s inner life through the exchange of words, stories, and ideas. AW’s mission is to encourage writers, inspire readers, and connect people through the power of stories.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, CO; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.