October 2023 - I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR

We get to celebrate Halloween for an entire month, the leaves begin to change, the air gets crisp and New York Comicon rides in like every horse of the apocalypse in one:

FAMINE: impossible to acquire a proper meal at the ever-cursed Javits
PESTILENCE: con crud at the absolute *minimum*
WAR: you think you'll get that con-exclusive Funko Weird Barbie without a FIGHT???
DEATH: this is something like my 17th NYCC and I don't think I've survived a single one

Scary stuff. But never fear - I have the solution(s) to your terror. In this update, you will learn about (a) a very important new release I have coming out next week specifically designed to aid with this month's challenges; (b) the many amazing surprises I have in store for NYCC (seriously, they're super cool); and (c) more!

STAY TERRIFIED, FRIENDS (or is that FIENDS??) and READ ON!

EVEN JEDI FREAK OUT SOMETIMES...

JEDI BRAVE IN EVERY WAY, the Star Wars young readers picture book I wrote with my daughter Rosemary, with incredibly adorable art by Valerie Valdivia, is out on October 10. Next Tuesday.

And yes, that date is 10/10, which is what you and any younglings you read it to will rate it once you have it in your hands! It's set during the High Republic, and is a CANON STORY of three very young Jedi learners who are trying to overcome their fears and become, you guessed it, Jedi Brave.

My guess - no, my certainty is that the lessons in this book are the perfect antidote to any creepiness you might experience in this most terrifying of all seasons.

Also, a personal request to everyone in New York City and the Tri-state Area! Rosemary and I will be celebrating the launch of the book on October 10th at 5 PM at the gorgeous McNally Jackson books at South Street Seaport in NYC! There's a very accessible subway stop right nearby (Fulton Street).

You can find more information on that by clicking here!

(This is dad stuff, but I'd like Rosemary's first book event to be nice, so if you're around and feel like spending a little time in a beautiful bookstore in a really lovely part of the city next Tuesday, come on out. I'll sign anything you bring for free, too!)

This is Rosemary and me, posing with our brand-new book and looking cool!

Here's a little not so scary preview of the book's interiors.

What is Burryaga's "special medicine?" Is it a nice healthy slug of garrmorl, the truly horrendous-sounding Wookiee liquor made of "dried bone and hide mixed with alcoholic stock?" <shudder>

Probably. As Burryaga would say (in Shyriiwook): "Just drink it. It'll put hair on your chest."

I want to shift over to the NYCC exclusives now, but read on to the end for one more really funny thing about JEDI BRAVE that makes me laugh every time I think about it.

WHERE I'LL BE HAUNTING NEXT...

Before we get to where I'm going, I was recently on the Reading and Writing podcast talking about my new novel, THE ENDLESS VESSEL. You can listen to that by clicking the button below. I'm so proud of this novel, and it's been amazing to see people discovering it over the past few months since its release in June. If you haven't checked it out, find it at your local bookstore or get a signed version from my webstore. (And yes, the companion novel CHRONICLES OF THE LAZARENE is almost here! At the printer now!)

As I also previously mentioned, I'll be at all four days of NYCC next week (10/12-10/15). I'm still finalizing my panel and signing schedules, but the best way to get my most updated schedule is by checking the APPEARANCES page on my site. Click here to check it out! Bookmark it! 

Finally, if you're in the Westchester NY area, on October 28th I'll be at the Harrison Public Library doing a Meet the Authors event. Come hear me chat more about THE ENDLESS VESSEL and get something signed! There will also be other awesome authors talking about their books as well! It's going to be a great time. More info can be found here.

AS PROMISED...

I have that one last quick story about JEDI BRAVE IN EVERY WAY I wanted to share. As readers of Star Wars: The High Republic know, all of the novels, comics, audio dramas etc. are connected - they're all part of the same story. Characters show up all over the place, and it's all one gigantic meta-narrative. JEDI BRAVE is no exception, nor is SHADOWS OF STARLIGHT, the Marvel comics 4-issue miniseries I'm writing that introduces readers to Phase III of the story, after many terrible things have happened and the Jedi Order is at a serious crisis point. SHADOWS OF STARLIGHT #1 (in stores now, with amazing art by Imbraim Roberson) is when we first see the scope of that crisis, and it's when the Jedi Council institutes the Guardian Protocols, which change many things for the Jedi, including the younglings. For example, these younglings:

Recognize those scared little baby Jedi?

Let's hope they took those lessons about being Jedi Brave to heart.

That's it, folks! Replies are on if you have questions or comments! See you next Tuesday at McNally Jackson Seaport for the Jedi Brave launch event, and then all next weekend at NYCC, and then here again next month!

KEEP IT CREEPY!

--Charles