A new Star Wars: The Acolyte comic, plus an exclusive clip of Marc Thompson reading my Weird Tales story
AND, if that's not enough, I reveal the last month's adventures in storytelling!
Hello, hello, hello!
It's June? How is that possible? It was only New Year's Eve yesterday... wasn't it?
This week in the newsletter, I...
- Give my monthly run-down of what I've been working on, plus a look ahead to June.
- Reveal my next Star Wars comic and give a few thoughts about The Acolyte.
- Share an EXCLUSIVE clip of Marc Thompson reading one of my latest stories.
- Shamelessly plug Star Wars: The High Republic #8.
Let's go!
ADVENTURES IN STORYTELLING
June is busy! In fact, busy is an understatement. It's absolutely manic, with huge blocks of writing during the day and meetings in the evenings. A constant supply of tea will be required, and maybe a biscuit or seven.
But busy though the next few weeks will be, a lot of good things are happening. A huge project that George Mann and I have been working on for the last few years took a big step forward in May and we delivered initial takes on two different TV shows.
Meanwhile, Nick Brokenshire and I took a step closer to another creator-owned comic following on from Dead Seas. I also wrote a short project for DC, the last issue of my next Marvel mini-series and the first issue of the soon-to-be-announced original comic I teased last week.
Not a bad month's work. Let's see what difference that's made to this year's work tally...
- Comic series proposals: 2.5 (including a former proposal given a new lease of life!)
- Comic pages written: 325
George and I also attended the UK Games Expo last weekend, which was absolutely rammed, but fun from beginning to end. Both of us left the Expo several pounds poorer, but several sourcebooks and games richer! Plus, we got to pose with another TARDIS because it's impossible to walk past that big blue box!
As for the next few weeks, well, the sheer amount of work is giving me palpitations, but single-tasking will be my saviour. I'm going to have to be really strict with ring-fencing time, so no checking email / slack / social media when writing, no letting one project bleed into another. And that includes the most elusive project of all: rest and relaxation. Burning the candle at both ends will be far too easy, so I'm going to jealously protect what little free time I have this month. Burning out won't help anyone, especially me!
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A WOOKIEE JEDI?
The big news last week was that I am writing a brand new comic starring Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi from Star Wars: The Acolyte, which debuts today on Disney+ here in the UK.
The news was broken on Gizmodo where I provided these quotes:
It’s been so exciting to draw a line from The Acolyte back to The High Republic era we’ve been building in comics, books, audio and animation,” Scott told io9. “Kelnacca is the perfect character to bridge the gap between the time of Leslye Headland’s spectacular series to the age of Starlight Beacon, the threat of Marchion Ro, and the marauding Nihil. In this comic, we will learn more about one of the most intriguing aspects of Kelnacca’s design: the meaning behind those mysterious tattoos. Along the way we’ll see the struggle of a Padawan and a master who is stoic, wise, and, ultimately, a true practitioner of Light and Life.”
You can read the full story here, but in the meantime cast your eyes over the Wookiee-tastic covers:
We'll be sitting down tonight as a family to share the first couple of episodes of the Acolyte together. There's still a part of me that can't get my head around the era I helped create is there on screen. And it all began with a trip to Skywalker Ranch in 2018 and the question I asked in my pitch for what would eventually become Star Wars: The High Republic: 'What scares the Jedi?'
At Skywalker Ranch with Justina Ireland, Claudia Gray, Charles Soule and Daniel José Older, outside the main house and at Lake Ewok. Those white folders included a letter of welcome from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and our mission for the three-day 'All-Star Author Publishing Summit': to create a new corner of a galaxy far, far away. That folder still sits behind me on the bookshelf in my studio, one of my prized possessions.
And here we are, all these years later, with an animated series and a live-action set in the era, alongside, of course, the dozens and dozens of books, comics, and audio dramas that ultimately sprung from that three-day session.
I can honestly say the High Republic has changed my life, both providing my career with a very different trajectory while also giving me friends and memories I will treasure forever.
And now millions of viewers will be introduced to the setting! For Light and Life!
EXCLUSIVE CLIP: LISTEN TO MY WEIRD TALES STORY
A few weeks ago, I talked about my first short story in Weird Tales and how much it meant to me to have written for the cult magazine.
Well, the good news is that the latest issue is also available as an audiobook via Audible!
My story, Sins will find you out – which introduces Brogan and Ash, two new characters you'll be seeing more of in the future – is read by none-other than Marc Thompson who Star Wars fans will know as the narrator of many a Penguin Random House audiobook set in the galaxy far, far away, including my own The Rising Storm!
Daniel, Marc and yours truly pose at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022
I'm so excited to have Mark bringing Brogan and Ash to life. And thanks to Weird Tales, I can offer you a special five-minute preview of Mark's narration. Just click below to listen!
You can find out what happens next by grabbing the audiobook of Weird Tales issue 268, which also includes stories from these amazing authors:
OUT TODAY! STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC #8
We're getting nearer to the end of the current run of Star Wars: The High Republic with issue 8 hitting stores today.
ENTER…BARON BOOLAN!
- TEY SIRREK, LOURNA DEE and SSKEER on a dangerous mission.
- KEEVE TRENNIS and the other JEDI helpless to assist.
- The NIHIL'S mysterious MINISTER OF ADVANCEMENT finally revealed…along with his diabolical experiments.
Have you grabbed your issue yet? Let me know what you think in the comments section! It's like your very own Star Wars: The High Republic letters page!
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
Okay, I need to get back to hammering out the words. Today I start work on writing a brand new middle-grade novel! Wish me luck!
Check back for another Perfect Sunday this weekend, but in the meantime, as always, look after yourself and each other!
