Being prepared
Or not and being okay with it
💻 what I'm up to 💻
Am I prepared for Star Wars Celebration? *insert long laugh-sigh here* No. I’m hosting eight panels between the three main stages and it’s all coming together slowly. I do have all my clothes sorted, however, and I plan to dedicate some serious time to outfit planning and packing the weekend before I leave.
Would I prefer to know all the things and have every question documented and ready and linked from my Celebration spreadsheet? Of course. I’m contracted to host and I want to do the best possible job for the folks putting on the convention and for the fans. But hey, I know Star Wars and I know I’ll get the information I need. And that’s enough. I’m at a kind of peace, albeit a frustrated peace, with it and trusting that it will all work out.
Though I’ve been to theme parks since I’ve been vaxxed and boosted, I haven’t attended a convention and I don’t know what to expect. I’m grateful masks are required, because that adds a layer of comfort in an uncertain environment. I know it will be jarring to have such a large amount of people in one place. That said, I am looking forward to seeing pals and soaking in the joy I always feel at Celebration. Even with a busy hosting schedule, I’ll have time to wander the exhibit hall and I’m already looking forward to it.
A beer at my favorite bar in Columbus, Gemut
Celebration is almost all my brain has had room for this month. But I’ve been visiting my sister this whole week—just two ladies working all day and hanging in the evenings, and it’s been lovely and relaxing and a perfect visit? (Thank you for cleaning up my salmon oil splatter mess, sister). Gonna try to squeeze in a trip to Jeni’s Ice Cream, which started here in Columbus, before I leave this weekend.
I hosted a giveaway recently and if you subscribe to this newsletter, you were automatically entered!
**Giveaway Winners**
Congrats c*****47@yahoo, Dawn T., and Sanctuary M. for winning one of three prizes from my May the 4th giveaway. I’ll be reaching out via email shortly.
📘 my book things 📘
In lieu of any kind of actual book news—except hey, I’m nearly at 14,000 words in my theme park romcom—allow me to share something I wrote with you for my dayjob: an interview with Bruce Horak, who plays the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Also, if you’ll be at Star Wars Celebration and want to get a book signed, I have at least one designated signing. I’ll be at the Rancho Obi-Wan booth on Thursday from 3:30-4:30pm to sign The Jedi Mind (they’ll have stock for sale)—you’re welcome to bring anything you’d like me to sign though! I think I’ll also have a signing for Battles That Changed the Galaxy at DK Publishing’s booth but that timing isn’t locked down. I’m also happy to stop and sign books while I’m not hosting!
Five of the six Star Wars books I’ve worked on came out during the pandemic, so believe me when I say that I cannot wait to deface your copies of my books with my messy signature.
📺 what I'm watching 📺
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Y’all. This show freaking rules. Of the Treks, I’ve watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and Picard and all the movies. Though I have piles of nostalgia for TNG, Strange New Worlds has quickly become my favorite Star Trek. It’s airing now on Paramount+, and I’ve seen the first five episodes courtesy of screeners… screeners I want to watch again, which almost never happens because I have so much other stuff to catch up on. The cast is flawless and inclusive, and Anson Mount is impossibly charismatic. It’s episodic with emotional arcs carrying over between episodes, but it’s not serialized. They visit a planet, they do a thing, they move on. I love it. It’s right up there with Our Flag Means Death in the category of “my favorite things I’ve watched this year.”
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Do you want a tremendously moving, action-packed story starring Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan? Yes, yes you do. This movie just clutched my heart, even in its weirdest moments. See it in a theater while you still can.
📚 what I'm reading 📚
The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
Okay okay okay. The Marvellers is the kind of story you want to melt into. It’s about a magical boarding school and Ella is the first Conjuror to ever attend. She finds herself having to prove her place as she confronts institutional racism, all the while trying to solve some weird happenings. The world, the characters, the magic—it’s all magnificent!
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
This book kicked me right in the shins. It centers on Olga and her brother Prieto as they navigate different paths through representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn. We learn about their dual identities, their radical mother, and how they cope. It's a raw and powerful story.
🐳 something whalesome 🐳
I like wholesome things and the whale emoji is cute so: whalesome!
If you’ve ever wondered what a red carpet event for birds, complete with commentary, would look like, this witty thread is it. Please enjoy.
🍃 creativity corner 🍃
Here I’ll share tips and tricks that are helping me write, imagine, and/or stay productive.
I’ve discovered a new app that is part amazing for imagining and part terrible for productivity. Sometimes it’s like that. Meet the Dream app. You can enter a prompt, say “fantasy castle,” pick an art style, press create, and the app makes it. The art it produces is beautiful and kinda wonderful for bringing spaces in your head to life. I got the above art from choosing “fairy carnival” as the prompt and Ghibli as the style.
📃 quote of the month 📃
“Something will happen.” - one of The Beatles
I kind of want this as a tattoo. It's not a new story about The Beatles but it was new to me when I read it a few months ago. The Beatles were driving from London to Liverpool in a blizzard and their van slid off the road and down an embankment. Paul McCartney shared they were all panicking about how they'd get the van back on the road, how they'd get picked up, and one of them said, "Something will happen."
And that just landed for me. So many things are out of our control but even in those situations, inevitably, something will happen and then you'll know what to do next.
I hope you’re doing okay. Reply and let me know! And if you feel so inclined, buy me a Ko-fi!
Thanks for the Dream App recommendation. Very fun!