CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A cancer diagnosis can do the strangest things. When he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2004, Brian Malloy had finished a first draft of his latest novel, Brendan Wolf. The darkly funny story of a shapeshifting daydreamer caught up in a doomed crime plot, Wolf received an infusion of compassion in the aftermath of Malloy's diagnosis. "I've become much more passionate about things that bother merudeness, hypocrisy, the state of the environment, and the need for human connection, he says. During revisions, I added elements of these things. The deep desire to connect with a family was highlighted much more.
Wolf is the noirish story of Brendan, an isolated gay man struggling to hold on to what few connections he has left. After being fired from yet another dead-end job, Brendan spins out any number of new identities: the caretaker of a December lover, the radical pro-life activist, the good brother, the good boyfriend. Ultimately unsustainable, Brendan's web of selves begins to unravel, leading inexorably to a literally explosive finish.
This isn't the first time cancer has played a role in Malloy's life as a writer. In 1997, Malloy's brother was diagnosed with fatal brain cancer. We had a conversation about dreams deferred, he recalls. I had always wanted to be a writer, and he said, 'If you're going to do it, do it now.' So Malloy quit his day job and wrote The Year of Ice. Improbably plucked from the slush pile by an assistant at St. Martin's Press, the book was published to wide critical acclaim.
Malloy's cancer is of the kind much in the news these days, treatable but not curable, he says wryly. He is responding well to treatment, and continues to write, including a young adult novel due out later this year. Still, the cancer has tempered his sense of urgency. I used to think I had to write, he says. Now I see that I don't have to write at the expense of family and friends.
Wolf is the noirish story of Brendan, an isolated gay man struggling to hold on to what few connections he has left. After being fired from yet another dead-end job, Brendan spins out any number of new identities: the caretaker of a December lover, the radical pro-life activist, the good brother, the good boyfriend. Ultimately unsustainable, Brendan's web of selves begins to unravel, leading inexorably to a literally explosive finish.
This isn't the first time cancer has played a role in Malloy's life as a writer. In 1997, Malloy's brother was diagnosed with fatal brain cancer. We had a conversation about dreams deferred, he recalls. I had always wanted to be a writer, and he said, 'If you're going to do it, do it now.' So Malloy quit his day job and wrote The Year of Ice. Improbably plucked from the slush pile by an assistant at St. Martin's Press, the book was published to wide critical acclaim.
Malloy's cancer is of the kind much in the news these days, treatable but not curable, he says wryly. He is responding well to treatment, and continues to write, including a young adult novel due out later this year. Still, the cancer has tempered his sense of urgency. I used to think I had to write, he says. Now I see that I don't have to write at the expense of family and friends.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
39 male celebs who did full frontal scenes
June 05 2024 9:37 AM
38 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
July 23 2024 2:33 PM
28 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
May 22 2024 5:21 PM
These pics prove that Maluma is still our supreme thirst trap king
May 22 2024 6:29 PM
26 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
July 03 2024 4:21 PM
18 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
June 21 2024 2:58 PM
15 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
July 09 2024 11:33 AM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
45 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
June 18 2024 4:45 PM
Here's how long each Pit Crew hunk has been on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
February 09 2024 2:16 PM
Latest Stories
A queer artist's journey from ballet to photography
July 24 2024 7:30 PM
10 of 'Love Island's most notable LGBTQ+ islanders
July 24 2024 3:37 PM
July 24, 2024
July 24 2024 10:53 AM
Matthew Macfadyen learned lots of colorful phrases from 'Deadpool & Wolverine'
July 24 2024 10:41 AM
'Deadpool & Wolverine' is foul mouthed fun—but how gay is it?
July 24 2024 10:24 AM
Give Benedict a male love interest in 'Bridgerton' season 4, you cowards!
July 23 2024 4:52 PM
All the 'Drag Race' queens on OnlyFans (& what they're showing)
July 23 2024 4:19 PM
MUNA's Katie Gavin is officially in her solo era, releases first single
July 23 2024 1:28 PM
Want to see Tessa's Testicles? 'Global All Stars' queen is now on OF
July 23 2024 11:23 AM
87 LGBTQ+ athletes we'll be rooting for at the 2024 Olympics
July 23 2024 11:01 AM