"Cancer and the Pen" by John Enright

John Righten’s perspective on facing cancer.

‘It’s cancer.’ The words that you never want to hear, but they say one in two of us will. I received the grim news on the morning of my birthday bash. It was also the night I was to give my final Rogues’ talk (I’m the author) in the Grand Central in Brighton, in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). It is a cause dear to my heart, if you’ve read my autobiography The Benevolence of Rogues.

Strolling towards Brighton Pier, the insurmountable questions landed. ‘How do I tell my family?’, ‘Should I go ahead with the fund-raiser tonight?’, ‘Did a seagull fly over my cappuccino when I wasn’t looking?’ and ‘What now, for me?’

I decided not to tell my wife or children, for now, to ensure that they, and the audience, who were travelling from far and wide, had an enjoyable evening, besides raising as much as possible for the essential support to families the charity provides. Thankfully, I retain the rare gifts of no sense, no feeling, so it was head down and crack on.

The evening was a great success. The venue was heaving. Everyone had a crib sheet containing a humorous taster of the roguish characters who had ably assisted me on my medical aid convoys over the past thirty years. I conducted missions that delivered aid to Romania after the fall of the Iron Curtain, when the world was appalled to discover the plight of its orphans. I also assisted hospitals caught in the Bosnian War and delivered medical supplies across South America. The missions and characters I met - the good and the evil - became the parchment on which I penned my ten Rogues’ thrillers.

Laughter, and awe, greeted my stories of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things. Tom the Bomb, the late, debonaire East End boxer/professional forger’s encounter with an electioneering US senator, lunched the roof into orbit. Since Covid, we’re an increasingly cashless society, but that night three hundred pounds landed in the bucket by the door. Word spread, and I’ve been asked to revive the night for the Brighton Fringe.

But now, ‘How do I tell my family?’ I drove them to the coastal town of Hastings the next day. The seafront car park was full, so my family headed to the beach, and I waited for a car to pull out. Minutes later, a woman returned to her car, and pointed me to her space. As she pulled away, and I steered in, a jeep shot into the car park and seized it. Sighing, I walked over and smiled at the driver. ‘Sorry (I am English after all), but I was pulling in here.’ The window wound down and the hulk driving beamed me a smile. ‘There’s three of us, mate,’ raising four fingers. Though the characters in my novels are not pacifists, I’m not a man of violence. I’m a Rogue, I use guile. Tilting my head towards the future city accountant and his sniggering passengers, I said: ‘You three may be able to take me. But my sons,’ I grimaced, shaking my head, ‘will be here any minute.’ I stepped back as the jeep shot off and ploughed onto the main road. True enough, my sons arrived, hand in hand, with their mother proudly behind them. My eldest is not yet ten, and my youngest toddled along in his nappy. There are some advantages to late fatherhood.

While the boys built sandcastles, I broke the news to my wife, Kate. Tears were selfishly welcomed, as a shrug and “Oh, look, cheesecake!” would have hurt. But we talked it through. I told her that with chemo and radiotherapy, there was hope. ‘I’ve been bombed, stabbed and shot at. This is just another challenge. We’ll beat it together.’

‘What now for me?’

The episode in the car park reminded me that I still had my wits. But even if I could write a final novel, would I have time? I had informed my readers that my latest thriller, The Englander, was my last novel. For the last two years, I’ve been a minor cog trying to help aid workers deliver aid into the Ukraine, following Putin’s brutal invasion, and more recently, Gaza. But the conflicts continue. Was all this too raw to base a thriller on? Am I being parasitical? No. I’m an author whose work is based on my thoughts and experiences.

I’m one month into my treatment, and I’ve written the first draft of The Englander- Death Sentence (I look upon insomnia as a bonus, in my case). The lead character, Connor Pierce, the Englander, has received a diagnosis of terminal cancer, but someone is targeting his sister, Lenka’s medical aid convoys into war-torn Ukraine. Pierce embarks on one final aid mission to find out who has a vendetta against Lenka, stop them, and get the medicine through. As with all my Rogues novels, it will be a no-holds-barred, frantically fast-paced thriller. But it’s about survival, resilience, and the desire of those caught in the bloodshed to lead a fulfilling, prosperous life and be free to speak and laugh freely. Is that too much to ask? Sadly, in a surreal world of mindless violence, brutality, and demigods, it is. History teaches us one lesson, and that is that we never learn. But peace will come: it must.

‘Will I survive the dark tunnel I’ve entered?

I’ll try, and with the professionalism and kindness of National Health Service staff and Macmillan nurses, a smiling family will greet me at the end of my journey. I owe everything to them. The hugs and kisses bring welcoming spears of light to the dark tunnel. Last week, my wonderful oncologist told me that my cancer was ‘curable’. Although, I am an optimist, I will opt for ‘treatable.’ Why? It may be controversial, but as I’m not on the Farage health and fitness diet, so I don’t know what triggered my cancer. If told that, ‘Eureka, the villain has gone,’ the writer in me asks, ‘Yes, but how did it get in?’ If I survive, I will be on guard for the remainder of my life, checking for lumps and signs, (while revelling in the children’s giggles). I owe my family that.

Please, if you can, read the excellent A Beginners Guide to Dying, by the exuberant and inspirational aid worker, Simon Boas, who died of cancer last month. RIP.

‘Has cancer changed me?’

Yes. Everyone reacts differently when the Grim Reaper’s scythe taps you on the shoulder, but I am reappraising my life. Can I be a better father, husband, friend, writer, human being? Whatever time I have left, I will try.

The Englander - Death Sentence will published by Amazon in winter 2025.

John Righten’s first Rogues’ novel, Churchill’s Rogue, was nominated for the inaugural Wilbur Smith awards, The Englander was shortlisted for the Killer Nashville awards and this week was awarded the prestigious ‘Readers’ Favorite’ (US) 5-star seal, and Heartbreak, based on the Bosnian War convoys, won the Page Turner Spectrum award - the narrator, Siobhan Warr as Lenka raises it to a standard that makes authors beam.

If you wish to hear more of John’s aid convoys, click on the link to his interview with the US emergency services for Disasterpodcast Author last year. https://disasterpodcast.com/2022/05/author-john-enright-on-humanitarian-aid-missions-in-wartime/

Heartbreak interview for Book Matters (US)

1.     Please give us a short introduction to what Heartbreak is about.

 An unworldly, but smart young Irish teacher, Lenka Brett, volunteers to join a medical aid convoy, where she meets its assortment of war weary drivers known as the Rogues. Cool headed under pressure, her guile and resilience in the face of tragedy, means that soon she becomes the leader of the convoy. During her many perilous missions Lenka falls in love, but when the Rogues become the target of mercenaries, tragedy follows, and she discovers her lover is not who he appeared to be.

 

2.     What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

 Since the 1990s I have driven medical aid trucks around the world: to orphanages in Romania, to hospitals in war-torn Bosnia, and later across South America. I was inspired to write about the larger-than-life characters – the good and the bad – I met on those missions. I wrote Heartbreak because the fall of the Iron Curtain and how Europe once again found itself torn apart by war is a time rarely written about. It gave me the perfect backdrop for Lenka’s epic story.

 

3.     Why did you pick a war zone as the backdrop for your story?

 It’s a story I lived, and I always wanted to write a thriller based on the aid convoys I drove into war zones.

 

4.     You have driven aid trucks across the globe. How has this influenced your worldview and your writing?

 Many of the novels I’ve read about the wars fought in the last thirty years dwell on the battles and the heroic deeds of those who fought them. My novels take a different, even a unique, perspective and tell the stories of the volunteers who entered the most dangerous hotspots in the world to deliver life-saving medical aid. Has it influenced me? Of course. But in a good way. Readers of the Rogues’ novels are often surprised that after all I’ve witnessed my message, and that of my novels, is one of hope. This is because I have met people who risk everything to help others, without seeking fame or fortune. Their selfless bravery is why I have faith in humanity, and despite the odds, good can prevail.

 

5.     Why did you title this story "Heartbreak"?

 Lenka experiences the tragic loss of a loved one, and it nearly breaks her, hence the title. Several of my Rogues’ novels have twists in the title and Heartbreak is no exception, as the title also refers to Lenka’s weak heart. The theme continues in the sequels, as I believe it requires resilience to survive and recover from loss, and after that a period of reflection, for though life goes on, the memories of lost loved ones always remain with you.

 

6.     You chose to set the story in the 1990s. Why?

 It was a time of tremendous upheaval. The Soviet Union collapsed, along with its grip on its satellite states, and Europe was again thrown into turmoil as once subservient states fought for their independence. Today, we see that fight is still ongoing in Ukraine: a country having to fight to free itself from its former Communist rulers.

 

7.     How much of your own experiences have you written into the book?

 Much of it is based on what I experienced, or have heard of from other convoy drivers.

 

8.     What was your greatest challenge when writing this story?

 The greatest challenge was writing with a woman as the central character. I could easily have rehashed my autobiography, ‘The Benevolence of Rogues’, but instead I focused on the women who drove aid trucks into war zones, as they, in my experience, had a different approach to men. How so? Too often I made mistakes during my convoy days. When faced with force I let ego and testosterone rule my actions, whereas the women I knew on the convoys never lost their focus on the objective – get the aid through, and get the women and children to safety.

 

9. Interesting cover. Please tell us more about how it came to be.

 My friend, Viki, is a designer of the covers of several bestsellers, so I gave her the concepts and asked if she would be interested in designing the covers of the Lenka Trilogy. To my delight, she said yes. I regard the covers she produced for ‘Heartbreak’, ‘Resilience’ and ‘Reflection’ as works of art, with each opening a window to a stage of Lenka’s story.

 

10.  Readers say some of the descriptions of the atrocities of war were quite disturbing. Did you find it hard to write?

 I made a conscious decision not to go into the gory details of what I saw, but rather create real characters that readers would empathise with. I remember a reader telling me of a scene in my first Rogues novel, ‘Churchill’s Rogue’, that was so vivid and disturbing that she would never forget it. However, I did not write the scene she described. Instead, I placed two of my characters at the mercy of the villain and left it to the readers’ imagination to conjure up what happened next.

 

11. When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

 I ask myself, is this a story worth telling and if so, can I do it justice?

 

12. Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

 I write every night between 2am and 4am, so I don’t disturb my family.

 

13. What are you working on right now?

 I’ve just finished ‘The Englander’, a stand-alone Rogues novel based on one of the wildest characters from the Lenka Trilogy. As with all the Rogues novels, it was terrific fun to write but with ‘The Englander’ I’ve mischievously introduced several political figures in their youth that many readers will know today.

 

14. Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

The Rogues website rightensrogues.co.uk, the Rogues Facebook page www.facebook.com/theroguestrilogy, as well as X (formally twitter) #rightensrogues and Instagram @rightensrogues1, where I take questions and share thoughts. I also did an interview on my war convoys for Disaster podcast whose audience are US paramedics, doctors, nurses, firefighters and emergency personnel who are deployed in wars and disasters around the world. The interview offers an insight into my experiences, and stories of the incredibly brave and wonderful people I’ve been fortunate to know.

https://disasterpodcast.com/2022/05/author-john-enright-on-humanitarian-aid-missions-in-wartime/

Disaster Podcast interview with John Righten and his war convoys

〰️Disaster Podcast John Righten

〰️Disaster Podcast John Righten

‘Reflection’ awarded the prestigious 5-star seal, along with this remarkable review by Readers' Favorite

“Fast-paced and filled with intense action, Reflection keeps going and going. The plot is perfectly crafted to be interesting and entertaining at the same time. You usually don’t find many female protagonists in a thriller novel these days. Authors often stereotype their characters rather than genuinely create characters that readers will enjoy. Lenka is one of those rare gems that capture the reader's attention from the get-go. Even though I haven’t read the previous novels in the series, I had no issues with catching up with the story, thanks to John Righten’s writing style and his way of recapping the previous novels. The narrative is fast-paced without being too fast, it is smooth, and the story flows perfectly. Lenka has ample opportunities to grow, reflect upon the hurts of her past and rise above the hurt to become stronger and a better person. Perfect!”

‘HEARTBREAK’ The Lenka Trilogy Part 1

1990. A young teacher volunteers for an aid mission and finds herself in the company of rogues - and the target of mercenaries.

Heartbreak the first novel in The Lenka Trilogy by John Righten.

The Lenka Trilogy completes my trio of trilogies that covers the most tumultuous century in our history. The second novel, Resilience, will be released in November 2020. The last novel in the trilogy, Reflection, will be released in November 2021. My final novel, The Englander, a separate novel based on one of the key characters in The Lenka Trilogy, will be released November 2022.

Rogues chronology:

2012: The Benevolence of Rogues, an outrageous autobiography covering the author’s encounters with numerous roguish characters

The Rogues Trilogy, 1930s pre-war epic adventure thrillers:

2013: Churchill’s Rogue, shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Inaugural Adventure Awards.

2014: The Gathering Storm

2015: The Darkest Hour

 

The Lochran Trilogy, 1960s adventure thrillers:

2016: Churchill’s Assassin

2017: The Last Rogue.

2018: The Alpha Wolves.

The Lenka Trilogy, 1990s adventure thrillers:

2019: Heartbreak

Resilience to be released 2020

Reflection to be released 2021

and the one-off explosive thriller, The Englander, to be released 2022

Oh, and let’s not forget, the cheeky little sibling to the Rogues novels,The ‘Pane’ of Rejection, a short play that takes a wry look at writing and publishing though an acerbic encounter between the author and a critic. Released in 2017.