BLOGGING WITH BEVERLEY: Meet Kenneth Gordon and His Latest Book

Kenneth Gordon grew up in Milford, NH and still lives in that state. When he isn’t writing scifi-infused horror novels, he plays PC games, electric and acoustic guitars, and drums. He also holds a brown belt in Kung Fu.

Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?

Kenneth: For my first five books, it has been science fiction. I like writing Scifi because of the broad platform from which anything is possible and you can say anything. I just started a fantasy novel. Fantasy has well defined elements of good and evil, which I like as well. There are many parallels between the two and can cross over rather easily. You can describe one thing two different ways. Is it a ward spell or is it a force field?
Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?
Kenneth: It wasn’t any single person, but grew out my sheer enjoyment of it.
Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?
Kenneth: That is a good question. It could be anything, a TV show, a strange event in my life(In My Blood started with my cat scratching me).
Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?
Kenneth: I grew up in the golden age of cartoons; so I have far too many to mention.
Beverley: Who would you love most to meet 'in person' and why?
Kenneth: I’m assuming someone that is living? I’d like to meet Richard Dean Anderson. Both his roles of MacGyver and Jack O’Neil were tremendously diverse, showed his range as an actor, and both I’ve enjoyed very much.
Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do with it?
Kenneth: Very likely, I’d get caught up on gaming.
Beverley: What are you working on now?
Kenneth: My first fantasy story called Bane’s End. I postulate that in ancient times, those with energy sensitivity were the priest or ruling class because they could feel the subtle Earth energies put out by lay lines. That is why we have so many structures that are built over them. This story follows the rise of a wizard to combat the evil Bane, who used to be a wizard, but turned away to subjugate humanity and use them for his own purposes.

Blurb for In My Blood:
There is a plague on an alien world and emissaries have been sent to all inhabited planets to find the Chosen One. It is he that will cure that plague that now afflicts so many.

Thomas Anderson, from New Hampshire, is just about to start his third year of pre-med at Emory University when he meets a strange little man.

Tom is whisked away to the whirlpool galaxy as he starts researching the plague and begins working towards a cure. Little does he know that the cure will cost him everything! He must decide if he is willing to give up his life for a people he doesn’t know on a world that is not his own.

Excerpt from In My Blood:

“This is what we know currently. The disease originated on the second planetary orbit. The Crown Prince and two companions went to the jungle world on an exploratory mission. The Prophet had already told him before he left not to eat from the Faluth tree. After a couple days of exploring, they came upon one of those trees. He was warned again not to eat it by one of his companions, but I suspect his pride overcame his good judgment. I postulate that he may have said ‘I am the Crown Prince, I can do anything I want.’ Thus mocking the words of the Prophet. Six months later, he was dead.

“I don’t understand. How could a fruit kill him?”

“Not only him, but his companions and the royal physician who treated him. Now it has spread to the rest of the province. There are even reports it is in the other provinces as well. If you do not act, our entire species is doomed, along with the other people groups on our world.” The alien lowered his head, closed his eyes and made some sort of humming noise.

“That is our ‘Jick-now,’ funerary song,” Kai explained.

“Again, how can a fruit kill?”

El stopped humming and continued, “We don’t know. He presented with gah-fla symptoms for a couple of days, but seemed to recover. Six months hence, he was at a gathering, took a drink, and dropped to the ground, dead. It was only after we performed a post mortem that we found his heart was completely black.”

“What is the normal color?”

“Red to pink.”

“So, much like us; humans, I mean.”

“Indeed.”

“I really don’t know what exactly I can do. I’m only in my third year of pre med with one infectious disease class under my belt.”

“My son tells me that you are the Chosen One, therefore you will cure this plague. I must confess to you, human, that I have my doubts about you.” Thom stood up and took off his shirt. El-min’s eyes grew wide and his mouth opened wider. “You are indeed the Chosen One. Forgive my doubts.” El-min bowed his head low.

“Nothing to forgive.” Thom said as he put on his shirt, “Truth be told, I’m not sure I can live up to your ideal, but I’ll try my best. Can I get—”

El-min raised his hand. “I just received a message from the ship that we are about to make our first jump. Please sit down and prepare yourselves.”

The three sat down in the chairs.

“Don’t we need seatbelts or something?” Anderson asked.

“Remember the car?” asked Kai-min.

“Yeah.”

“Passive restraints?” the younger alien said.

“Oh, yeah. Ok, same deal.” Thom said as his body stiffened, not knowing what to expect.

“Jump in 3…2…1…JUMP!”

Thom closed his eyes tight and gripped the chair with a white knuckled grip. There was a strange rushing sound. He dared not look, but his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked open one eye. It was as if space itself were passing through the ship and him. He could see stars, constellations, planets; like the ship was invisible, and he was traveling alone in the dark, cold, vastness. Particles passed by him; he felt he could reach out and touch the very fabric of spacetime itself. In an instant it all compressed and whirled past him at incomprehensible speed, yet the ride was as non eventful as sitting on his own couch. Then the wall of the ship came back into view, and the trip continued as if nothing had even happened.

Buy Links for In My Blood:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/My-Blood-Kenneth-Gordon-ebook/dp/B072N8R9YQ/
Paperback Available from the publisher’s website: http://www.classactbooks.com/component/virtuemart/science-fiction/in-my-blood-8102017-06-14-17-19-10-detail?Itemid=0

You can find out more about Ken at: