FIRST OFF, my apologies for the lack of posts. I have been very, very busy, but we will have more material soon, starting with the latest in Ken Lacy’s series about NovaCon.
It occurred to me the other day that I haven’t followed up on my post from last April, where I told everyone that I was undergoing chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Soon after that post, I finished my regimen of six treatments. Three months later, I went back for an exam, and the urologist found no cancer.
I went back again six months after chemo, because bladder cancer tends to reoccur. The urologist found two small spots, which he cauterized: basically, he ran a wire through my urethra into my bladder, heated up the end of the wire, and burnt off the growths, which looked like the black mold you get in your shower. (Did it hurt? No. I didn’t feel much of anything)
He scheduled me for another exam in three months, and said that if he found more growths then, he would start me on a different chemotherapy. However, he found no new growths at that exam, which I had in January of this year. I go back again this April, and July, and October. If there are still no new growths by October, he’ll switch to seeing me every six months. We’ll do that for a few years, and if the cancer still hasn’t come back, I’ll go to yearly checkups for the rest of my life.
So, there’s that. Please keep me in your prayers.
Meanwhile, I’m drafting my next fantasy novel, The Scorpion & The Wolf, which I intend to release late this year. S&W is an old-school swords-&-sorcery homage to the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories, as well as the Elric saga, both of which I devoured multiple times as a teenager.
Unlike those books, this one depicts our heroes as young men of 17, at the beginning of their adventuring careers. True to boys that age, they are often clueless about what is going on and what they ought to be doing, but they carry on anyway with youthful energy, and overconfidence brought on by not knowing any better.
“The Scorpion” is a small, intelligent lad from an Arabian-type “desert pharaohdom” many leagues from where the story takes place. Though possessing some skill as a wizard, he has been trained as a deadly assassin, a life he no longer wishes to live.
“The Wolf” is a hulking warrior and shaman from a far-off nation very similar to our world’s pre-Columbian Cherokee. Fearless, fun-loving, and a physical powerhouse, The Wolf has a keen interest in exploring the world. He also helps orient The Scorpion’s moral compass, nudging him to be better than how he was brought up.
I’m really excited about this book because it will feature interior art for each of its planned 15 chapters. I’m working once again with the uber-talented Alyssa Scalia, a young lady who previously did artwork for my novel Stray Cats, as well as my kids’ books Pimmi Makes A Friend, and How The Kangal Got Her Mask.
(And speaking of those books: The Scorpion and the Wolf previously appeared in Stray Cats, and Pimmi the cat continues her adventures with them in this upcoming one)
Before The Scorpion and The Wolf arrives, I’ll be doing many book signings at Awesome Con in Washington, DC; Annapolis Comic Con in Maryland; Stellar Con in Pennsylvania; and Fairfax Comic Con in Virginia, among other locations.
All that, though, is going to wait until after my wife and I get back from Portugal, where we’ll be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary. I’ll be sure to post photos of our trip on my Facebook page and Instagram account, so follow those for more. Tchau!
Kenton Kilgore writes books for kids, young adults, and adults who are still young. Follow Kenton on Facebook for frequent posts on sci-fi, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. You can also catch him on Instagram.
