About a decade ago at the World Fantasy Convention, I shared my idea for a gruesome parasitic monster with my good friend Dr. Rob Furey, a zoology professor. He praised the concept and encouraged me to do something with it, but as I don’t write much horror and this specimen’s extra horrific, I shelved it in a jar labeled “oblimid.” Finally, a couple years ago, I found a warm, squishy home for it in a heroic fantasy setting… as a hero. You can meet it in my novel “Age of Monsters” over at my Litropolis site (www.litropolis.com).