Newsletter: Back in the Saddle
Hawaiian getaways, Denver Fan Expo, and news for book two
I’m back!
For those who haven’t followed the newsletter for long, I do two of these hiatus things every year, spaced six months apart (one in May and another in November). A hiatus is a funny thing; I can never seem to remember how they work until I’m actually in one. I usually spend the first day thinking of all the stuff I’m going to get done, which is a delightfully obvious contradiction since the whole point of a hiatus is to Do Less.
Fortunately, I had some help this year. My wife and I managed to organize a trip to Hawaii around the beginning of May, which was a load of fun. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you ever want to reset your brain to factory defaults, drinking twenty to thirty Mai Tais on the beach seems to do the trick.
Hawaii is an interesting place. I haven’t been to every state, but I’ve been to a lot of them, and Hawaii makes a strong case for being the most unique star on the flag.
It’s the only state that was once an independent monarchy, and it joins South Dakota and Alaska as one of the few states to recognize multiple official languages. The history is deeply interesting, whether you’re tracing its Polynesian roots, its traditional culture, or its painful journey to US statehood.
It’s also a place to have fun, and it unapologetically presents itself as such. You can eat ube mochi waffles for breakfast, go to a museum before lunch, browse an independent bookstore in the afternoon, walk on the beach at sunset, and drink fruity cocktails with dinner. If you’re nice, they might even let you ride the giant snails.
Mostly, it’s a place where you can be an adult and a kid at the same time—which, I finally remember, is the actual point of a vacation.
Speaking of fun, last week I made the long and weary trek down I-25 for Denver Fan Expo. It was my first non-work convention since (I had to double check this) Ravencon in 2012!? I always say that I’ll do more of these, but between the money, the traffic, the parking, the crowds, and the steady decline of interesting panels, I never seem to make the time.
Of course, I had a really good reason to go to this one.
I wrote last year about how my search for a cover artist led me to Bruce Brenneise, an immensely talented illustrator who’s been in the game for years. Board game enthusiasts will immediately recognize his Slay the Spire box art. Magic: The Gathering fans might know him from one of these cards. He’s also done work for the Forgotten Realms D&D setting, so if you’ve spent any time in Faerûn, you’ve probably seen his stuff.
There were people lined up to meet him when I got there, and another group arrived to meet him while I posed for a photo. Despite the constant crowing of tech bros and AI boosters, it turns out that people still enjoy meeting and talking to their favorite (human) artists.
Go figure.
We chatted a bit about upcoming projects, and I mentioned that I was working on a sequel to the first book, which he was excited to hear more about. Assuming I can keep to my schedule, expect to see more of Bruce’s art in an upcoming announcement early next year!