I have some exciting news. But first, a confession. Upon returning to the States early last month after wintering in Antarctica, I discovered I have developed a severe allergy to heat and humidity. It’s tragic, really, but I’ll spare you the details of how I stretched out wan and lethargic on my friends’ couch for two weeks until I realized I was only a plane ticket away from relief.

A really neat professional opportunity presented itself in arctic Norway and I was bound for the northern reaches faster than you can “Snakker du engelsk?” which is one of about seven things I can say in Norwegian. It’s been a great adventure but I’m getting ready to return to Milwaukee for the launch of Plaguewalker and a few other fun things.

Check it out:

Reading and Book Signing, 7 p.m. Friday, October 26 at Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee: This is it, folks, the official worldwide, dare I say galactic launch of Plaguewalker thanks to the fine folks at Boswell, who have been so supportive of local authors. As someone who is only slightly less introverted than Marcus, I am kind of dreading the actual public part of this, but I promise to drink too much coffee and be entertaining in a wild, rambly kind of way.

Tag Team of Terror Reading, 2 p.m. Saturday, October 27 at the Wauwatosa Public Library, 7635 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa: I’ll be doing another reading, another over-caffeinated ramble and signing any copies of Plaguewalker thrust in my direction, but this time I’ll be sharing billing with award-winning author Paul McComas, who penned Unforgettable, Planet of the Dates and Unplugged. Paul was an early supporter of Plaguewalker and has been a great mentor. His writing is an addictive blend of sci-fi, horror and comedy, with his native Wisconsin often featuring as both place and character.

I will also be migrating my travel and adventure blog Stories That Are True to here. Look for posts on my Norwegian Adventure shortly, including approximately 74,375 photos of dark mountains looming over fjords. For fans of STAT, don’t worry, all the old posts will still be there, and I may occasionally add a text-only post if warranted.

A few of you are dedicated followed of both blogs, as well as Plaguewalker’s official site, and for that I say thank you but also hey, I’ve simplified things for you by focusing on this blog and reducing the number of post updates you get in your inbox.

Stay tuned for those fjord photos and until then, thanks for reading! Please say hello at one of the events later this month if you’re in the greater Milwaukee area.