Well, Here Goes
Kicking Off Worlds and Music
You gotta start somewhere, right?
This is much better than laying out a notebook and pen on the merch table at band gigs and hoping people will sign up for your band’s mailing list so the next time you visit East Liverpool, Ohio, you can send them a reminder.
First - thank you for signing up. This will not be daily, probably not weekly. Shooting for the 1st and 15th, sound reasonable?
Second - I’m going to be including updates on a variety of things. Though THE BLACK SKY was just released, I do have something interesting goodies to share in the coming weeks and months from the book. There are a number of deleted and rewritten scenes, as well as the original screenplay that kicked off the idea, though in a much different form, for THE BLACK SKY. Plus, there is the online easter egg hunt I created. Perhaps I can drop some clues here.
Third - I’ve started outlining and writing the follow-up in the “Perseverantia Trilogy” - THE RED SKY. My goal is to have the first draft done by the summer of 2021. As I’m writing, I’ll be sharing a variety of things, including one of my writing aids - music. Some writers prefer quiet when they write, but I find cinematic, orchestral, and electronic instrumental music allows me to focus and get into a certain creative space. Like I did with THE BLACK SKY, I’ve created a Spotify playlist for THE RED SKY that I’ll continue updating with new music throughout the writing process.
Fourth - Also like THE BLACK SKY, I will be composing a chapter-by-chapter album of original music for THE RED SKY. Besides the fact I enjoy making music, it’s also cathartic and helps when I’m in a particular rut or trouble spot to shift gears creatively. I may post works in progress, sneak peeks, outtakes, etc.
Lastly - Besides writing the Perseverantia books and making the music, there are a number of other things I’m interested in or doing - Dig Me Out Podcast, my non-fiction Columbus, Ohio music history book and blog Down To High Street, the other weird music I make, baking, gardening, etc. Some of that stuff might pop up from time to time as well.
Ok, so I actually am going to give a clue on the easter eggs for THE BLACK SKY. Assuming you have the book, on the last page is an advertisement for the company Solear Industries, obviously an important aspect. It includes a link to the corporate website for Solear Industries. I built this website, it’s full of very authentic corporate-speak, promotional videos, lots of bells and whistles to dig through. On the front page is this very generic looking photo of the sky and electrical towers, which makes sense since Solear is in the energy business.
You’ll notice towards the center/bottom of the page, it says “Chapel Hill, N.C. 97521.” If you Google “Chapel Hill zip codes,” you’ll be shocked to discover that is actually the zip code for Chapell Hill, North Carolina. But if you zoom in…
…you’ll notice something - the numbers are listed as 9.7.5.21. Weird, huh? What’s with the periods? And wasn’t 975 a number in the book? Oh yeah, 975 Perseverantia is the name of the planetoid yada yada yada. And here it is again. So what happens when you add 9+7+5? You get 21, which happens to be the first clue in the easter egg hunt. 21 is the number of easter eggs hidden on the Solear Industries website, and websites connected to it.
Thanks for checking out the newsletter, I’ll leave you with a couple of things:
Currently Reading - The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
Currently Watching - Cobra Kai on Netflix, The 100 on Hulu, The Boys on Amazon
Recently Listening To - Sun Racket by Throwing Muses, Cabin Fever Chronicle Vol. One by The Sheila Divine, Even In Exile by James Dean Bradfield
What are you watching, reading, listening to at the moment?
Stay safe!
Tim