The message is clear: you can’t keep an Ilyassai down. Imaro is back, bigger and badder than ever. The third volume of his larger-than-life adventures – “Imaro: The Trail of Bohu” – is now available at www.lulu.com. You can read an excerpt from it in the Discussions section of the Sword and Soul group on this site.I have two people to thank for helping me to keep Imaro in print after the setback the series suffered in 2007. The first is Brother Uraeus, who started the publishing company, Sword & Soul Media, that will be bringing out Imaro’s fourth and fifth volumes later this year. Also forthcoming is a collection of Imaro short stories, under the title “The Warrior’s Way.” Uraeus was the one who suggested going to the print-on-demand format, which we began in April 2007, with the publication of “Dossouye.” Bringing his superb editing and design skills to the fore, Uraeus has made this book – and “Dossouye” – the best-produced volumes they can possibly be. Thanks for your hard work, Brother Uraeus. We’re gonna keep on keepin’ on.The other person to whom I am grateful is artist extraordinaire Mshindo Kuumba, who created the covers for both this edition of “Imaro: The Trail of Bohu” and “Dossouye,” and will be doing cover art for the rest of the books in the series. At the time I first started writing Imaro stories, my dream was to have his books come out with covers by the legendary Frank Frazetta, whose Conan cover art made both him and the character iconic. That never happened, and I was left with a longing that was unfulfilled. But when Uraeus introduced me to Mshindo’s art, the first thought that came into my mind was: “Forget Frazetta! Who needs him?” And that was before Mshindo came up with his renditions of Dossouye, then Imaro. I am so glad that Mshindo has decided to associate his creative vision with mine.Any creative endeavor is a risk. Artists, writers, musicians … we all put ourselves on the line when we offer the results of our inspiration and perspiration to the public. It’s not an easy path we follow. But when our books, our paintings, our songs come out of ourselves and are out there for people to see and hear – nothing, not even critics, can take away that fulfillment.Let me close by saying that the first two Imaro volumes – “Imaro” and “Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush” – have not gone out of print. They are still available from Amazon.com, or directly from their publisher, www.nightshadebooks.com.Sword-and-Soul is on the move. People get ready … there’s an Ilyassai coming.
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