Local author publishes third book
A long-delayed trip to Egypt earlier this year inspired Dr. Daniel Siceloff, a local dentist and author, to write again.
A Lexington native and resident of the Grimes Park neighborhood who has a dental practice in Welcome, Siceloff will release his third book, “I Dream of Egypt,” online on Sept. 4 through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The latest book, as well as the earlier two, are also available at his office at 6595 Old Highway 52.
He has previously published two young adult science fiction books, “Yuri and the Dragon Key” and “Savage Savior,” and will release a third called “Jupiter Rises” in 2024. They are part of a six-book series called the Kon’s Wrath Saga. The books are part of a science fiction subgenre Siceloff has dubbed “Powerpunk,” which include elements of fantasy and power metal music.
The author said the new book, his first work of nonfiction, focuses on experiencing a developing country for the first time, friendships both old and new, loss and recovery and writing and writer's block.
Siceloff didn’t plan to write about the trip he and his wife, Amy Davis Siceloff, took in January of this year, which had been postponed from December 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. In fact, he said he was suffering from writer’s block at the time while working on his third YA book.
His father-in-law, for whom his wife had been caring, died prior to the trip so they were dealing with that sense of loss as well as the loss of “normalcy” when the pandemic kept people at home and isolated. He noted supportive neighbors and friends helped them get through that time.
But he was inspired to write again by the country and people they met on their trip — fellow travelers as well as the Egyptian natives.
“We made new friends on the trip who had similar interests and wanted to go places we had never been before to experience something completely different than elsewhere in the world.”
Siceloff has traveled to Europe, Mexico and Canada but never to Egypt or anywhere else on the African continent. “It’s the first majority Muslim country I’ve ever been to. It’s also a tourist-focused country where tourists come from all over the world. People are very friendly. They seem very community and family oriented.”
Daniel Siceloff wrote a book about his travels in Egypt earlier this year. {Contributed photo}
Siceloff said the trip started in Cairo, then the group of about 30 tourists flew to Aswan, took a Nile River cruise and ended up in Luxor to see a variety of historical sites. “The country is a lot more than three Pyramids.”
Siceloff had wanted to go to Egypt since the sixth grade when his world history teacher told students about her trip. But the country’s political volatility kept him from planning anything until recent years.
The author is planning another travelogue book for a trip to Tanzania, an East African country known for its vast national parks, including the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro and game preserves. “It’s a very different kind of writing than my fiction. It’s me telling it in my own voice — more like a conversation.”
Siceloff has been interested in writing and literature for years. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998 and was an English teacher at West Davidson High School from 2001 to 2006, during which time he wrote short stories, mainly for himself. He stopped writing when he returned to UNC-CH to study for his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, which he earned in 2010. Upon graduation he opened his dental practice in Welcome.
About four years ago, Siceloff began writing his first YA novel and plans to continue with the Kon’s Wrath Saga series. He said being a practicing dentist and writer isn’t that different to him.
“I like helping people and working with my hands,” he said of his dentistry practice. “And the practice gives me time to write and that’s fun. To me, they’re both creative outlets.”
The dentist, who is published as D.S. Siceloff, started his own company, RedBand Publishing, to self-publish his work. Named for one of his favorite characters in the YA series, he said RedBand allows him to create at his own pace and schedule and work with the same graphic artist and editor for his books. “I’ve got a good team of people who have helped me.”
