DJO February Newsletter!
Welcome back!
A month into the new year and it still feels like the air is full of new beginnings, the great unknown, that magical, dizzying, sometimes weightless sense of wonder about what will happen next. The potential for anything and everything to manifest and all the chaos that implies. Kinda vague, I know, but that’s the best way I can describe how I’m feeling about the year so far.
Been thinking a lot about futility, which is less depressing than it sounds. One of my mentors once told me that the medicine for futility is gratitude. I was a little dubious at the time —I’m a Capricorn, it’s what we do — but I was feeling like I had been just spinning my wheels pointlessly on something recently so I made a concerted effort to redirect my thoughts toward things I’m grateful for. Lo and behold — well, first of all, there are so many things! Second of all, lo and behold! It really did feel like the clouds cleared from in front of my vision and in the midst of that redirect, I found clarity about where to turn my focus in light of the futility I was facing. And having that new sense of focus, that direction on what to do (again, Capricorn) …that was magic. Medicine for real.
I know minds are slippery things, and they don’t often do as they’re told — it’s not like the sense of futility just vanished from my life once and for all, never to be seen again. Not how anything works.
The reemergence of negative thoughts doesn't mean we failed, it means we're human. And that, even though it doesn't always feel like it, is something to be grateful for.
That small event, that exercise, it was transformative in its own tremendous way. I say that, and immediately remind myself that our bodies can grow used to medicine if we overuse it, and all that means is we must be imaginative and ferocious in how we deploy these remedies. Which is to say: when something’s not working, switch it up!
Last thing on futility: I’ve been watching my son, a wee and wise toddler who absolutely adores making up impossible games, and damn — this kid gets a true kick out of futility. It’s not just that he’s undaunted by it. It cracks him up. Some of that has gotta be because right now he’s fully hardwired to learn, learn, learn, just soak in every possible lesson of life, gravity, language, etc. And what better way to learn than to have to do something over and over and over until you get it right, right? So by that angle, futility is a blessing, really. A method. And Tito is having a field day with it. I’m just trying to get like him, man.
Speaking of all things futile: Twitter. *Seinfeld voice* what’s up with that app, you know??
Yeah, I’m going on a social media break pretty soon (I might even be on it already when this comes out!) so this newsletter will be the best way to keep up with random thoughts, ramblings, and releases for the duration.
My trusty sidekick Sage will be updating my socials with posts in the meantime.
No big reason or special logic behind the break — sometimes it’s just time to step away, and I try to listen when those moments come. I’m (pretty) sure I’ll be back!
Anyway, let’s catch up on what's happened since the last time we were all here.
Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Issue #2 was released and the love has been received. The Dank Graks—my chaotic group of baddies for this run—were introduced in full. Issue #3 has been delayed till the 15th of next month, so until then, here’s a little refresh on Maz Kanata’s rivals!
The Dank Graks are a criminal group made up of irritable rejects from various Force cults around the Galaxy. They’re all Force users but most of them aren’t that great at it, primarily due to lack of discipline (who needs to meditate when you’re a Grak?!) Non-Jedi/non-Sith Force users can be hard to come by in the GFFA, so it’s been really cool getting to explore that rarity in Phase II of the High Republic as a whole and especially with this gang of losers who I love. And make no mistake — tho they be but wack at the Force, they are fierce.
Arkik Von — Geonosian leader of the Dank Graks. His sworn enemy is Maz Kanata, and he will do anything to destroy her! Apparently, Maz conned him out and he lost the ENTIRE PLANET of Takodana to her a years ago, and he has not gotten over it.
Lavalox Verzen — our trigger happy gun woman. She loves to blast everything she sees… but she’s not that great at it. I described her to the artists as a female Cosian Bill the Cat. But more colorful!
Saya Keem — my Zabraki Wednesday Addams! She’s a wildly intelligent teenager with a mean streak. She also has a really cool backstory we’ll get to learn about later on…
Last but not least is Drrn, the tallest of the team. Just look how he has to crouch in his starship!
LAST CANTO COVER REVEAL
In other news, the cover for my upcoming YA novel Last Canto of the Dead was revealed. Thank you to the brilliant Daniel Dos Santos for this stunning work!
In anticipation for the release, I’m doing a giveaway! To win an autographed ARC of Last Canto of the Dead, make sure you are subscribed to this newsletter AND have added Last Canto on Goodreads. There is NO PURCHASE REQUIRED! — winners will be pulled from this newsletter’s subscriber list.
SHOP REOPENING
Stay tuned for the reopening of my shop coming later this month. I’ve got some new stuff as well as some returning merchandise. I will have a limited number of SIGNED Pink a la Mode exclusive THRA #1 variant covers in stock. There are only 1500 issues of this variant in print and before now, none of them have been signed. Subscribers to this newsletter will get first access so make sure you share with all of your comic-collecting friends.
THRA PHASE 1 OMNIBUS!
The High Republic Adventures (2021) omnibus will be released on August 15th. There were some confusing misdirects about this, so keep an eye out for the official announcement from Star Wars; but also know that it is extremely complete, including the most delicious issue. One thing that won’t be in it though: The THRA Annual with stories by the five Luminous authors of Phase I will be collected in a different volume.
We are nearing the release of two of my most anticipated books of the year written by two brilliant women. Pre-order That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams and The Mimicking of Known Success by Malka Older! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Also check out There Goes The Neighborhood, by Jade Aida — one of the only books I’ve blurbed recently — still on blurb hiatus but this one slipped through and I’m SO glad it did! It’s absolutely incredible. Fun, enraging, hilarious, full of love and disaster and a terrific murder mystery to boot! Preorder here.
Lots of fun things to talk about in March so see you all then!
—D