Dr. S. J. Mazzullo's love of rocks began when he was a child and followed him throughout his extensive geological career. He has had the opportunity to work with Cenergy  as a petroleum geological consultant in the midcontinent US Mississippian Lime play. He also taught for 25 years at Wichita State University and published approximately 400 scientific papers and books.

Dr. Mazzullo's multifaceted academic career has taken him on adventures all over the world including many research trips to Belize with geology graduate students. He explains, "As the Maya lived in that area for some 3000 years, it was virtually impossible not to run across evidence of their former presence, and so, I became interested in their culture and history. While on a trip assisting an archaeologist, I had the time to wonder what might happen if a truly monumental discovery were to be made at a Maya archaeological site." That's where the idea to write his first fictional piece was born, and in 2012  resulted in the novel Chac Balam.

Chac Balam is the story of a geologist, Dr. Jim Stewart, and his colleagues who are working in the jungles of Belize at an ancient Maya temple ruin. They soon find themselves being hunted across the globe because of the artifacts they've uncovered. As they run for their lives they decode the artifacts and expose a startling, centuries-old secret that was heavily guarded by powerful people. Mazzullo takes readers on an exciting ride and, though it is a fictional tale, he weaves together a backdrop of history and science to tell a truly thrilling story.

Dr. Mazzullo has retired from the university, but is still active as a petroleum geological consultant. He has enjoyed his experience writing fiction and is currently working on another novel. He reflects, "I had to learn not to be a teacher and scientist in the time it took me to write the novel. It allowed me to expand my imagination which otherwise was restricted by the strict scientific method that is inherent in all scientific writing." Like geology, Dr. Mazzullo has had a love for literature since childhood. He isn't glued to one particular author or genre, but rather, as he says, "I enjoy reading any good story that is well told."

Chac Balam is available through your local bookstore, rosedogbookstore.com, or amazon.com