Liner Notes #9: Canon Events
Image description: A header featuring Miguel O'Hara from Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, with comic speech bubbles saying, "Liner notes...number 9!!"
Once again, it has been a couple of months since the last Liner Notes has gone out! I keep thinking about things I want to say and putting a pin in them, and then forgetting about them altogether when the newest must-immediately-address situation pops up. I've been quiet in the newsletter because I've spent a month of my summer traveling and the other month recovering from the travel and the hecticness of debuting.
Still, the theme of this issue of Liner Notes is "canon events." If you've seen Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, you'll know that canon events are major events that must happen in a character's story to shape them into the character they are. Without giving much away, Peter Parker's canon event is always Uncle Ben dying. In every single Spider-Person's story, someone close to them has died, thus making them understand the adage "With great power comes great responsibility."
I'm not a Spider-Person (and I hope never to be one because comic book characters are tragedy magnets), but I feel I've had multiple canon events happen this year, all thanks to debut. I remain humbled and grateful for all that's happened, like going on my first book tour, going to my first conventions as a guest, meeting titans of the science fiction and fantasy genre, making new friends, and even getting my first revise and resubmits.
Selling out my first print run in nine days: canon event.
Going to Awesomecon, meeting my new friend Carrie, meeting a bunch of cool authors, selling out of books, holding a conversation with Terry fucking Brooks, getting Rob Paulsen's autograph on my carefully preserved Animaniacs Variety Pack CD: canon events.
Going to the Columbus Book Festival as a featured guest author, meeting more cool authors, especially RaeChell Garrett (we met and immediately went to go taste-test hot sauces), selling out of my books: canon events.
Going to San Diego Comic Con, meeting up with friends new and less new, walking the convention floor and buying a moogle plushie and meeting Steven Gordon (character designer for X-Men: Evolution) and getting a Rogue and Gambit print signed and also meeting Chris Sanders (I told myself "don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out"), meeting authors like Jacqueline Carey, Olivie Blake (who I accidentally ran over in my race to introduce myself to Jacqueline and for which I am eternally sorry for being a jerk), and especially my treasured buddies Brent Lambert, Emma Mieko Candon, Ken Bebelle (COUSIN!), Julia Vee, and Jen Dawson: canon events.
Going back to San Diego to be Jacqueline Carey's conversation partner for the release of Cassiel's Servant and having her compliment ME on my writing and magic system: CANON EVENT. (We did have a small adventure after the signing, but that's a story you'll only get from me if you meet me in person.) (I got my signed Kushiel trilogy in the mail yesterday and I have already been rereading, of course.) (I need, more than ever, a bigger bookshelf.)
This year has been full! This year has had plenty! And I still have more events to do; this Saturday is Bookstore Romance Day, so I'll be on a panel for that, and on the 22nd, I'll be chatting with SL Huang for the release of The Water Outlaws (which is fantastic and you all should buy a copy), and I'll also be signing at DragonCon on Sunday, September 3rd with Andrea Stewart.
Honestly? Pinch me.
And I'm also back out on sub again with the revision of KEY & VALE, which I hope finds a home, but, since this is publishing, it may not. I may drop an excerpt of it here; I was going to do the first chapter, but I write chonky bois and that might be a bit too much for this current newsletter.
Of course, the important question is what I'm listening to. I haven't been doing much more than listening to the Key & Vale playlist over and over, but I think I'm very listened-out on that. If it ever gets picked up, I'll drop the list. You should, regardless, go listen to a bunch of Blackalachia - Amythyst Kiah, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leyla McCalla, Dom Flemons, Kaia Kater, Rhiannon Giddons, Adia Victoria. In the meanwhile, since Hozier's new album drops in a few days, it's been nonstop Hozier here. I have to prepare, you see.
I did say I was gonna drop a small playlist of songs I consider ending credit songs, so here they are. These are all songs perfect for the end scroll, for driving away into the horizon, for panning out and fading to black.
- Metric, "Formentera" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01rfm5Hs8vc
- Saintseneca, "Pillar of Na" (a repeat namedrop, but it happens to be what I imagine K&V's ending credits song to be) https://youtu.be/CowqWKS5TlM
- Toulouse, "San Junipero" (why wasn't this used in Black Mirror?) https://youtu.be/Brcwn8e-Rv4
- Guster, "Ruby Falls" https://youtu.be/TYNLm2wZyT8
- Hozier, "All Things End" https://youtu.be/potq6EfzFTI
- Susanne Sundfør, "Fade Away" https://youtu.be/PS9xLhn-1vw
- Phox, "Noble Heart" (this one's a bit iffy because it can also serve as a midpoint needle drop for a fancy indie film) https://youtu.be/prnmJzkEatU
Until next time. See you on the B-side.