April 2020 Updates - #Creators4Comics & LOTJ
So... uh... how's it going?
I hope everyone reading this (and everyone not) is doing well enough under the circumstances. These are tough times, strange times, uncertain times. Bleah. It blows. There's plenty of advice out there, baking recipes, how-tos, whatever, but if I have one piece of my own about dealing with all of this: give yourself things to look forward to. Say "this weekend I'll... plant that garden/start that game I've heard about/make a brand new cocktail/call an old friend." Make a plan for at least five days out. It's like a gift you give to yourself, and it works wonders. It's something you can be certain about, and that's handy.
I couldn't write much for most of March, which was a drag because the deadlines didn't stop. I've found my groove again, though, and in the last week, I've finished the television pilot for the adaptation of my latest novel ANYONE, polished a breakdown for the film adaptation of my comic series UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY with Scott Snyder and Giuseppe Camuncoli (read the first issue free here), and started setting up some new projects. Are things great? No, absolutely not - but writing has always been a sanctuary for me, and it's nice to be able to get back to it. Many more cool bits of news below, and I promise to focus on good stuff... read on, friends!
#Creators4Comics
If you read comics and use Twitter, you probably saw the #Creators4Comics hashtag everywhere between April 15-20. It was a huge campaign to raise money for comic shops facing tough times because of COVID-19, and it was inspiring to see how comics creators of all levels came together to host auctions for cool collectibles, original art, signed books, online classes, etc etc. It happened in coordination with the BINC foundation, a fantastic charity with a mission to help independent bookstores - they're organizing disbursements of funds to comic shops and indie bookstores across the US hit hard by the pandemic. The New York Times even ran a piece on it!
I tried to do my part, and set up two auctions, both related to Star Wars. The first was for an appearance and in-depth interview on a Star Wars-related podcast - I get a lot of invites for those (which I'm grateful for!) but I don't really have time to do them, so have to turn almost all requests down. The second was for a signed first-print copy of RISE OF KYLO REN #1 and a 500 word non-canon, unofficial Kylo Ren or Ben Solo story. And holy wow what happened next.
Dedicated, amazing Star Wars fans set up GoFundMes for both, and tons of people started to donate. I added "stretch goals," like answering questions I know I shouldn't on the podcast, and making the Ben/Kylo story longer and adding art from the RoKR artist Will Sliney.
When it all settled down, the auctions generated $15,625 for the charity. I'm stunned and gratified and so happy we all came together to help. I'll start working on the story soon, and the podcast will be the fantastic What The Force, who does some really interesting things with philosophy and lore in the SW universe. I'm excited for it.
Light Of The Jedi / The High Republic
It's been an exciting few months on the Project Luminous front, now revealed as an interconnected set of amazing stories set in the High Republic era, a few hundred years before The Phantom Menace. (As an aside, it's weird to think that the Luminous crew were all in LA and Disneyland to announce the initiative just before Coronavirus. We were some of the last people allowed to visit Galaxy's Edge, for example. So glad we managed to do that - it was a special day.)
Anyway, some additional cool news has dropped since then. For example, Starwars.com recently spotlighted some of the High Republic's key players, including some characters appearing in my upcoming novel that kicks off the whole damn initiative: LIGHT OF THE JEDI.
Speaking of LIGHT OF THE JEDI, pre-orders for that book have been excellent! It hit the top ten of all books on Amazon the week it was announced, and it's remained really strong since. Thank you to everyone who's pre-ordered so far! If you haven't, and you want to see how the whole High Republic era starts, order your copy here. I'm currently working on edits to the manuscript, and I'm really happy with it. It's a book about what it's called - the light of the Jedi.
See some cool concept pieces below - but be aware that it's concept art, and some of the specific details might change for final (lightsaber colors, etc.) That's the feel, though - a bit more ornate, a bit shinier - the High Republic is an optimistic time in the galaxy.
No Cons? No Problem.
Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be any comic conventions for awhile (or conventions of any kind, really), and my appearances calendar over on charlessoule.com is now... woefully out of date. In the grand scheme, there are worse problems facing the world, but I know many of us love cons for all sorts of reasons. I had a particularly robust schedule this year, with trips planned to New Zealand, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Mexico, etc. Hopefully that will all start up again, but for the moment, I've been trying to replicate the experience in small ways.
I did a virtual Comicon panel for the Armageddon Expo folks (the New Zealand show I was supposed to attend) with Dan Slott, Gail Simone, Ron Marz and Nick Dragotta - it was great, and you can watch it here.
In addition, if you have any comics you'd like me to sign, email my assistant Tommy souleassistant@gmail.com and he'll tell you how to get that done. We're working on CGC and so on too, if that's something you'd like.
If you want to cut out the middle man and give my assistant slightly less work to do, head to my store where you can find a ton of books already signed by me, from my novels to my comics, including some rare stuff. For the next month, exclusively for you newsletter folks, use the code GOODVIBES10 for 10% off anything in the shop!
So... What Now?
Friends, this ain't great. I know that. It's a time of loss, struggle, uncertainty and change, mostly for the worse. But I remind myself that something magical is happening too. We are coming together - as a world, as a species - to help each other. Not just that, but to help our most vulnerable populations. COVID-19 can get anyone of any age - but it has a disproportionate effect on the elderly, weak and ill.
As a people, we all just stood up and said no. Screw that. Let's save some goddamn lives. We're doing it, and we'll continue to do it. Not so bad, humanity. (Though it took you long enough.)
See you next month!