Housekeeping Notes

I said I would continue to be heard from, and it’s my intention to keep that promise for as long as I can.  Toward that end, from time to time I’ll file short posts (well, short for me) here on this blog to let family, friends and fans know the latest.  In brief, here’s the news over the last few days.

—I appeared on a radio program in Westchester, New York, called “Books and Beer.” The station, WVOX, bills itself as the most influential radio voice in the state.  We spent a quarter hour or so discussing my writing and my determination to get as much done as I can given my medical condition.  You can find the aircheck at this link; my portion of the interview begins at 28:50 in (adjust the slider to go right to it).  Many thanks to Michael Malone, who also writes for Broadcasting and Cable (and is an author in his own right) for his continued interest in my writing efforts.

—My last two columns dealing with my medical condition have appeared on sites associated with the Montgomery County, Maryland Sentinel.  I didn’t realize it would do so, but the Sentinel, which has a print publication, also ran the most recent column in its county newspaper; it appeared there today.  The paper is the oldest continually published newspaper in the county, which is a suburb of Washington, D.C.  I’ve written for just about every platform there is (TV, radio, magazines, books, websites, you name it), but I have to admit that for an old traditionalist like me, there is nothing like the thrill of seeing your name and mug in print—and by that I mean real newsprint that you can hold in your hand and spill coffee on, as God intended it.

—The Kindle version of my first novel, Messages, is on sale this week for 99 cents.  Go here to get the the deal.  If you’ve already read it—please accept my heartfelt thanks.  I hope you enjoyed it; if so, now is the time to gift a copy to a friend!  And if you hated it, gift one to an enemy!  All you need to gift a copy is the recipient’s email address (and, of course, make sure they have a Kindle or a Kindle App; there’s a free one available from Amazon for just about every computer, tablet and smart phone).

—My author’s page on Facebook reached a major milestone a few minutes ago—one thousand “likes.”  If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to like the page.  I usually cross-post my blog entries there and I also post promotions there.  In addition, you can contact me directly through the page and also post comments.

—I finished all aspects of the third novel yesterday and have uploaded the production files.  Unlike the last two books, this time I plan to publish the print and electronic versions simultaneously.  Due the press of time and the uncertainty of my medical prospects, I will not delay publication in order to obtain reviews, but I am exploring the possibility of doing a one-month pre-publication giveaway promotion.  Watch this space for more details.  I'm very excited about this one, I’ll admit.  In addition to some hard science and, of course, good old fashioned sci-fi action (and yes, there are zombies) the spiritual theme in this one is even more pronounced than the last one.  Stay tuned.

—I’ve been uploading the radio skits one at a time, as promised.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my friends and I enjoyed making them.  Watch this blog for more.  You can find the entire collection here.

—I had a colonoscopy on Monday (which, by the way, will be the subject of an upcoming blog post).  The exam confirmed the presence of a tumor or growth that is almost certainly cancer.  I’m awaiting the results of a biopsy to determine whether it’s the same cancer that has appeared where my kidney used to be.  More than likely, it is, which will make my case very rare indeed (which, for some reason, gives me no comfort).  My best guess is that cancer cells escaped when the kidney was removed one year ago, and that those cells then invaded the colon.  The odds just were not with me with on this one.  But on the other hand, thanks to a very skilled surgeon who successfully dealt with an enlarged, cancerous kidney that had wrapped itself around a major blood vessel, I did survive a very dangerous surgical procedure, and had a fabulous year afterwards.  I don’t yet know the treatment options going forward, and hopefully I’ll be learning those soon.  Right now I am suffering some digestive issues but nothing major, and am otherwise asymptomatic at the moment and feeling as mean as ever.

—I’ve now started work on my next book project.  It will be a much smaller book, and will focus on the strange coincidences I’ve been sharing with you on this blog and on my radio show.

Support from friends, family, and fans continues to be overwhelming.  I can’t thank everyone enough.  I appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers.

Check this space often for more updates.

By the way, you may be wondering what the reason is for the cat photo, since it doesn’t seem to match anything referenced in the body of this posting.  There is no reason for it.  I was simply in a cat photo mood.  You’ll find I’ll be doing more stuff like that as my attitude deteriorates.   (Find more like it here).

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Find out more about my writing projects and recent press appearances on my author’s website, www.forrestcarr.com.