How many pages a day? Plus, a special Tempest Breaker preview, writing uniforms and your next horror fix!
Questions, interviews and the importance of Jaxxon T. Tumperakki!
Hello there!
It's a packed newsletter this week with answers to more of your questions, a preview of Tempest Breaker and a new book recommendation!
Here's what we have:
- LISTEN TO A SNEAK PEEK OF STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC - TEMPEST BREAKER
- OUT THIS WEEK - NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS #2
- NEW INTERVIEWS
- Q&As: DAILY WORD COUNTS, FEEDING THE TROLLS, CHOOSING BETWEEN COMICS, NOVELS & SCRIPTS, AND WRITING UNIFORMS
- BOOK RECOMMENDATION - THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS
LISTEN TO A SNEAK PEEK OF STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC - TEMPEST BREAKER!
Lucasfilm has published a sneak peek of the first 13 minutes of my next audio drama, Star Wars: The High Republic - Tempest Breaker, as part of their Holiday Gift Guide!
Follow this link and then scroll down to hear Lourna Dee in all her sassy, sharp-toothed glory!
Star Wars: The High Republic - Tempest Breaker is out December 3rd!
OUT THIS WEEK: NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS #2
Issue two of my love letter to 80s and 90s slasher movies has hit from Magma Comix. Do you dare dive in?
Writer: Cavan Scott | Art: Paul Fry | Colours: Paul Fry | Letters: Shawn Lee | Cover art: Paul Fry | Variant cover: Ario Anindito
Face the righteous fury of THE HOLY TERROR! Survive the creeping horror of THE NIGHT MAYOR! Escape the twisted justice of A KILLER COP!
Trapped in a town out for blood. At each other’s throats. Scared half to death. The body count goes up as the sun goes down!
Gore! Guts! Homicidal Grandmothers!
Not rated! Viewer discretion advised!
NEW INTERVIEW - TALKING THE HIGH REPUBLIC & NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS WITH 50 SHADES OF TAY
I recently had great fun chatting to Taylor Anthony Gonzales for their YouTube channel. We talked about:
- the creation of the High Republic,
- the experience of visiting Skywalker Ranch,
- the fan response to the initiative,
- writing for Young Jedi Adventures, and,
- horror influences in my work, especially Night of the Slashers.
You can check out the entire conversation below:
WHY JAXXON IS SO IMPORTANT TO STAR WARS!
This next video isn't an interview, although archive footage of me does appear as Star Wars Explained tackles the all-important subject of Star Wars' resident green bunny!
It also gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling! Thanks Alex!
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS!
I promised you more answers, so let's do it!
HOW MANY PAGES?
First up is Sienna who contacted me via my Ask Me Anything form:
I am strangely fascinated by your regular tallies of how many pages you’ve written each month. On average, how many comic pages do you think you write a day? What is the norm for you?
Hey Sienna! Thanks for the question!
On average, I write 10 pages a day: five in the morning, five in the afternoon.
I can push myself more when needed. For example, I recently managed 30 pages in a day to make up for lost time when another project overran. But that level of output isn't sustainable. Not only does the work produced in such marathon sessions require more polishing, but my productivity tends to plummet the following day!
10 pages a day is my sweet spot; enough to keep things moving forward without burning out!
FEEDING THE TROLLS?
Martin emailed me to say:
I was surprised you answered the question about the High Republic being cancelled in your last newsletter. Surely that was sent by someone trying to get a rise from you? Don’t feed the trolls!
Hi Martin!
I hear what you’re saying, and I thought long and hard about answering that question last week. So why did I?
There’s every chance the question was just meant to provoke me. Like many writers these days, I get a LOT of that online, which I mostly try to ignore. But this newsletter is different. It’s a space I control, where I can clear things up if I feel it’s necessary. Setting the record straight is oddly cathartic. It’s incredibly frustrating when content creators can say whatever they want about you, and you have no right to reply. The last thing you should do is head to their comment section or take to social media--your response will either get lost in the general noise or fuel even more rage.
Here, I’m speaking directly to the people who matter most to me: you, my subscribers, who support both me and my work. This is where you can hear the truth, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. And I always appreciate you taking the time to read these updates and respond with such kindness.
Do I always get these things right? No, of course not. But I try my best to be as transparent as possible!
COMICS, SCRIPTS OR NOVELS?
Aaron asked on Bluesky:
Between novels, comics, audio dramas, short stories, and teleplays, which is your favourite format to write?
I think the answer always has to be comics, Aaron – primarily because I get to work so closely with an artist. Script work, in general, is more collaborative than prose, as you’re part of a team, and I love that, although I do have big plans for novels next year!
WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO WRITE?
Emma Riley asked via my website:
Do you have a ‘writing uniform,’ or are you a pyjamas-all-day kind of writer?
Oh Lordy, Emma, I’d never get any work done if I stayed in my pyjamas all day!
Not that my ‘work uniform’ is particularly smart – jeans, a geeky tee, and either a shirt or hoodie. But the cosy winter woollies will definitely be making an appearance soon!
More questions next week, but in the meantime, don’t forget you can ask me your questions by replying to this mail, leaving your query in the comments or using my ASK ME ANYTHING form.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION - THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS BY CHUCK WENDIG
A new Chuck Wendig novel is always a treat, and The Staircase in the Woods is no exception.
Chuck’s new page-turner centres around a group of friends who, long ago, lost someone close to him when he climbed a mysterious staircase in the middle of the woods and instantly vanished. Now, after years of being apart, they find a similar staircase in hidden away in the trees. Will they climb the impossible stairs to find their long-lost friend? The answer is yes, and the result is a wonderfully unsettling twist on a haunted house which, like the Overlook hotel, is the true antagonist of the novel.
Regrets abound, and even though none of the characters are particularly likeable, you still find yourself compelled to read on, if only to find out if they’ll survive or not. That's the mark of a master, right there.
I think Chuck has another winner on his hands here. It doesn’t quite top Black River Orchard in my opinion, but, as that was one of my favourite novels of the last 10 years, that would have been a tall order! Definitely work picking up when it’s published in April next year.
That's all folks!
See you next week for more questions and answers!
Until next time, look after yourself and each other,
