Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who have joined in the past month!
I’ll cut to it - last month I announced the first draft of THE RED SKY, the sequel to THE BLACK SKY, is done. WOOHOO!
Now, the better news. First round of beta reader feedback is in, and I will not be ditching the whole thing for a page one rewrite. There is some tweaking, some adding and subtracting, some clarifying and some expanding, but the nuts and bolts are good.
So, without further adieu, as they say, is the trailer for THE RED SKY:
If you are interested in music, and music that an author like me might listen to when writing, you’re in luck. Check out THE RED SKY playlist on Spotify, all the music I listened to during the writing of THE RED SKY.
RECENT READS
THE GEEK FEMINIST REVOLUTION by Kameron Hurley
I’ve read a number of Hurley’s fiction books (full disclosure - I’m her personal assistant) and this is her collection of non-fiction writing. First and foremost, it’s great writing, drilling down into big ideas and heady concepts,
Haven’t finished but also reading A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas and THE ICEMAN: CONFESSIONS OF A MAFIA CONTRACT KILLER by Philip Carlo. Sort of opposite ends of the spectrum.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
THE GREAT (S.2, Hulu) - Stakes raised and still hilarious. One of the best shows on TV at the moment.
THE WHEEL OF TIME (S.1, AMAZON) - Have not read the books but very entertaining.
THE WITCHER (S.1, Netflix) - Gave this a shot a while back, didn’t care for it. Took another shot, enjoyed it, and looking forward to starting season two.
RAISED BY WOLVES (S.1, HBOMax) - I gave up and then went back. It’s weird and not for everyone, but I was intrigued and will check out the upcoming second season.
OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY (Hulu) - Should have been canceled.
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (Disney+) - Entertaining and visually very cool.
MUSIC
Failure is a top 10 all-time band for me who have largely been overlooked during their career. Heavy alternative rock with a dreamy quality, they’re one of the official pioneers of the “space rock” subgenre and have been a significant influence on bands in the 2000s. The new album is exactly them but with new twists and turns.
A few reminders before you go:
READER REVIEWS! If you read and enjoyed THE BLACK SKY (or any of my books for that matter), I would be grateful if you left a positive review or a rating at Amazon or GoodReads. Reviews help other people find the book.
All previous newsletters are archived. Lots of stuff to check out including a link to the original 2011 screenplay of THE BLACK SKY, hints and helps to get started on the real work easter egg hunt teased at the back of the book, and more!
There’s a “music inspired by” soundtrack written specifically for THE BLACK SKY you can listen to at your favorite streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, etc.
For those that have read THE BLACK SKY, you may remember a mention or two of a bar called “The Dank,” the place Tessa worked at in college where she and Bishop met. I created a virtual playlist for this “punk rock bar,” which you can check out on Spotify.
Stay Safe!
Tim
Listen to my 90s music podcast: Dig Me Out