Hi friends,
Hope you’re doing well as we head into - Thanksgiving? Wow. Where has the year gone? I don’t know.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the cycle of the year, and how I react to the holidays for some reason - my friend (and awesome writer), Tini Howard, talks about this, too, in her newsletter. You should subscribe - then tell your retailers you want a copy of Tini’s new Betsy Braddock Captain Britain series.
For me, November is about comfort food - not just in the Thanksgiving sense, but in terms of media consumption, too. I’ve found myself once again rereading Los Bros Hernandez’s seminal i. I’m listening to a lot of Beatles and Taylor Swift. I’m also deep into a few nonfiction books. It’s all nominally research - but I also don’t write that way - like a school assignment. Usually the things I’m obsessing over are the things I end up writing about, so I expect a lot of the threads from these books, songs, and comics will trickle into whatever I’m working on at any given time. As the weather gets colder and we start to see the end of the year, it feels like a good time to do the things you love, reflect a bit, and try to feel some gratitude for the people and things in your life.
Speaking of reflection - I was at Miami Book Fair this past weekend, my first trip to my hometown since the pandemic started. Miami Book Fair has always been my favorite literary event of the year - balmy weather, friends from every walk of life, books…what more do you want? This year felt particularly warm and fuzzy, and it also felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. I ran into teachers from various parts of my life - elementary school, high school, college. It really helped put this whole writing journey into context. It was also a really productive and fun show!
I was on a engaging and jovial noir/craft panel with two awesome authors, Marie Rutkoski and Steve Almond, that got me jazzed to keep working on my next novel, tentatively titled Alter Ego (the Secret Identity sequel). Yes, that’s the first time I’ve mentioned that anywhere! But yes - Miami Book Fair! If you’ve never made it down, do make a point to visit next year.
Right after MBF, I zoomed over to the Union Square Barnes & Noble to help my friend Zoraida Cordova launch her latest (and best) Star Wars novel, Convergence, to a packed room. Zoraida is the best - super-talented, a great member of the community, and just plain fun. Y’all should definitely grab this book - which is out today!
Anyway, lots going on here, to say the least - so let’s get into it?
For the first time ever, a story I (co)wrote is going to be in a Free Comic Book Day book! What does that mean? Well, every year or so, publishers create special comics that are available FREE to customers on a certain day. It’s a huge promotional opportunity and a doorway to many new fans. Publishers print tons of these books. This year, in tandem with good pals Rex Ogle and Joe Eisma, we’ll have a prelude to our upcoming original graphic novel, The Darkness We Brought Back, in the Aftershock Comics FCBD book - Seismic Stories. You will not find this prelude anywhere else, and it really sets the stage for the YA/fantasy/supernatural adventure we’re going to tell. If you ever sat back and wondered what it’d be like to read a mash-up of the Narnia books, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the teen angst of a Claremont comic - this book’s for you. Joe’s doing the work of his career and Rex has been a fun and energetic collaborator. Don’t miss it.
I’m continually blown away by the long tail of my comic book noir novel, Secret Identity, and it continues well into the end of the year - with the book being named to the Best Books of 2022 list for Kirkus Reviews and crime magazine Deadly Pleasures. Earlier this year, Secret Identity was also on NPR’s Best Books of 2022 (So Far) list. Eternally humbled and grateful for the attention and love the book continues to get. Speaking of, here’s a sneak peek at a page from The Lost Adventures of The Legendary Lynx, which artist Sandy Jarrell and I are diligently working on. Coming soon to Zestworld!
Because I didn’t feel like I had enough projects, we announced another one last week! Welcome to the world of Mara Llave - Keeper of Time, a sci-fi/time travel romp created by me and artist Nickolej Villiger for King Features/Comics Kingdom. This is our love letter to the action/adventure newspaper comic strips of yore. We’ll be posting new installments every week or so, and I hope y’all dig it. You can read the first two chapters now.
I’ll be doing two more events this year - both in person! On Dec. 1, I’ll be at my local indie, Kew & Willow Books, for the return of Noir at the Bar: Queens - with a jaw-droopingly good line up that includes Megan Abbott, Alafair Burke, Alison Gaylin, Sarah Weinman, and me! Our MC for the evening will be none other than LitHub/CrimeReads’ Olivia Rutigliano. You can register here, so the bookstore knows how many people to expect. We’ll be reading from our latest books and also chatting and laughing. It promises to be fun!
Later next month, on Dec. 17, I’ll have a table at the Big Apple Comic Con, a one-day NYC event that promises to be loads of fun. Find me seated next to pal Erica Schultz and probably pestering good friend Jamal Igle. I’ll have copies of Secret Identity, Black Ghost, and more for sale, and might even have a few Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow galleys if you’re nice!
As I noted last time, it seems like Twitter is in a prolonged, painful death spiral. The best place to follow me is here, in terms of keeping up to date on what I’m working on. But engagement is a little more complicated, I guess. Though, I'm told you can now leave comments on this here newsletter!
I’m gonna linger with Twitter for a bit, but I’ve also set up accounts at Hive and Mastodon - I’m “alexsegura” at both places.
The thing I love most about Twitter is the ability to share tips on books, shows, music, etc. that we love - so I’m going to try and bring some of that energy here, to hopefully point you to something you may have missed. Here we go -
I already mentioned Love and Rockets - which I’ve read a thousand times already, but still come back to, finding new things to marvel over each time. I’m in the midst of rereading Jaime Hernandez’s Locas stories, but out of order - I started backwards, revisiting Tonta, Is This How You See Me?, and The Love Bunglers before hopping back to The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S. Rereading “The Death of Speedy Ortiz” was a revelation, and seeing how far Jaime has unfurled this saga is truly something special. Probably my favorite comic book run ever. You know they’re celebrating the series’ 40th anniversary, right? Here, read this profile by my friend Abe Riesman at GQ. And then watch the PBS documentary about Los Bros Hernandez. Thank me later. (And yes, I realize this image is the t-shirt version of the iconic cover - so what? :P)
In terms of new comics, I am utterly hooked by Chip Zdarsky's Public Domain. I read the first bunch of pages back when Chip was serializing them on his Substack, but I am now reading the print editions put out by Image and I'm in love with the series all over again. Back when Secret Identity came out, I mentioned to Chip that it felt like our books - both about comics and the inherent heartbreak that comes from working on them - were in conversation, and I feel that all the more now. Chip never responded to me, but I like to think he at least nodded his head as he deleted my email. Friendship is magic! Anyway, Public Domain is heartfelt and powerful - maybe Chip's best yet.
I’ve been in a magic mindset, at least in terms of superhero comics, lately - especially DC. I’ve gone back to revisit 70s titles like The Phantom Stranger (weird, wild, fun) and The Spectre. Those were entertaining enough, but I stumbled into a stone-cold classic when I cracked open J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen’s Doctor Fate mini-series (not collected, but available as print back issues and digitally), which popped up post-Crisis and predated JMD’s long-running series of the same name. It felt like a lost Vertigo series, and something I’d totally watch on TV today. Two super-pros doing some of their best work.
Just a reminder that bestie Kellye Garrett’s Like A Sister lands in the UK next week! If that’s your spot, don’t sleep on this twisty, voice-y thriller.
I used to love “inside the White House” presidential books, but I have to say - I’ve taken a long break from political books since Trump took power, and even now, two years into Biden’s first term, I still hesitate to read anything that gets me too far into that era of bad feeling. Maggie Haberman, who covered Trump for years at NYT, writes a Trump book unlike any other - focusing more in his entire life as opposed to just the politics of it. It paints a scary, fascinating picture of a man who has consistently lied and manipulated the information around him to get himself the best deal, no matter the cost. A quick, well-crafted read.
Two books you need on your radar ASAP, that I was blessed to get early reads: Jordan Harper’s dark and haunting novel, Everybody Knows, and Eli Cranor’s rural noir powerhouse, Ozark Dogs. I’m still sitting here thinking about both of these crime novels - they’re the kind of books that make you, as a writer, want to level up your own game. Pre-order them immediately.
Another book you need to treat yourself to is E.A. Aymar’s No Home For Killers - which feels like a huge leap up for Ed, who was already a talented and generous writer. This is by far his best, which is saying a lot. Engaging, surprising, and featuring the kind of three-dimensional characters writers are always desperate to create, this novel is gonna catch a lot of people by surprise. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
That’s all for now. Have an amazing Thanksgiving if that’s what you’re into. See you soon!
Take care,
Alex