Picture: Simon Troth, Lorraine Wratten and Craig Mulhall at Relay for Life 2019
Bundaberg medical oncologist Craig Mulhall has penned a novel, The King of Rhye, inspired by his love of rock band Queen.
Moving to the Bundaberg Region six years ago, Craig’s passion for Queen and the lead singer Freddie Mercury has made an appearance in the community a couple of times now, including when he dressed the part in the 2019 Relay for Life.
Along with helping people at Cancer Care Clinic at Bundaberg Hospital, Craig spends his time writing tales of fantasy and proceeds from his first upcoming novel, King of Rhye, will go to the Mercury-Phoenix Trust.
“I'm a huge Queen fan! One of my biggest gestures was dressing as Freddie for a cancer fundraiser Relay for Life in 2019,” Craig said.
“The premise of the story is to bring to life fragmented story elements within some classic old songs by Queen.
“The story itself is original and includes a number of original songs – two of which are published on Spotify.”
Craig said shortly after Freddie Mercury's death, surviving band members founded the Mercury-Phoenix Trust, to raise money and awareness in the fight against AIDS.
“The MPT has now been operating for almost thirty years, though its mission remains as vital as ever,” he said.
“I want to direct earnings from this book to the MPT as my own way of contributing to this cause, but also as a way of giving back to the band and the fan community.”
Craig said since he was a child, he had often put pen to paper, but The King of Rhye was his first published novel.
“I have been writing stories since childhood but started my early attempts at a legitimate full-length novel around twenty years ago. This is the first effort I have managed to complete,” he said.
“I was inspired essentially by my love for Queen music, a fascination with the lore within their early work, and an admiration for the creative mind of Freddie Mercury.”
The King of Rhye is the tale of a forsaken land, doomed to destruction, and the adventure of a band of friends, embroiled in the efforts to save it. It is currently in the pre-publication print run and a release date is due early next year.
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