Hi everyone!

Sending out a quick and jet-lagged email to let you know about some huge news that happened late last week:

SECRET IDENTITY WINS BIG

My crime novel, Secret Identity, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category!

It was such an absolute thrill to hear my name called from the stage on Friday, kicking off the weekend's LA Times Festival of the Book festivities. Not only was my novel nominated alongside some stellar novels, I was also humbled to see my name next to so many great authors (and friends), like Rachel Howzell Hall, Laurie R. King, Tracey Lien, and Peng Shepherd. Please do yourself a favor and check out all their work, because it will improve your life. Forever grateful to the Festival, the judges (Paula L. Woods, SJ Rozan, and Oline Cogdill) , my editor Zack Wagman, my agent Josh Getzler, artist Sandy Jarrell - who helped create the comic book sequences in the novel, letterer Taylor Esposito, everyone at Flatiron Books and HG Literary, and the many readers, bookstores, and reviewers who supported this novel from the beginning. I've never had such an honored bestowed upon me and I'm still flying high.

If you haven't read Secret Identity, you still can! It came out in paperback in February from Flatiron! I also just turned in a draft of the follow-up, Alter Ego, to my editor. 🤞

In other news, the rest of the Festival was a blast - I had a wonderful panel with friends SJ Rozan, Cory Doctorow, and Margot Douaihy discussing our books and the accidental/unexpected detectives that star in them. I love panels that leave you thinking - and this was definitely that kind of event.

Thanks to all the readers, authors, and Festival staff and volunteers who helped make this event one for the books!

Onto some comic book news!

GIVING SINESTRO SOME KNIGHT TERRORS

This news broke late last week, but I didn't get the chance to share it here: I'm writing a two-part Sinestro story in GREEN LANTERN: KNIGHT TERRORS #1 with the super-talented Mario Foccillo on art! Very thankful for the chance to play a small part in this huge event - it's been a blast to collaborate with GL writer Jeremy Adams and our esteemed editor, Paul Kaminski. Let your retailer know you want a copy! Hitting in July from DC Comics.

IT'S A TRAP - OR IS IT?

Some other big news! I'm writing a 40-page Star Wars one-shot or Marvel! STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI – THE REBELLION #1 features stunning art from Matt Horak and spotlights some of my all-time favorite SW characters, like the one and only Ackbar! Also, it was a lot of fun to write Poe Dameron's parents, Kes and Shara, again - albeit much younger versions. And hey, if you were really looking for a soft prequel to my novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall, this is the comic for you! Also out in July via Marvel Comics. Don't forget to pre-order it!

ALSO!!! Araña/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow hits next week!

Don't forget to order it! I'll be doing a launch at the Atlantic Ave Barnes & Noble with the wonderful Zoraida Cordova on release day, a virtual chat with Chantel Acevedo the day after at Miami's Books & Books, and an in-person Queens launch with fellow Marvel prose author Neil Kleid (timed to the release of The Phoenix Chase!) and my bro-for-life, Ryan Penagos/Agent M at Kew & Willow! Hope to see you!

That's all for now - but hey, that's a lot!

Talk soon,

Alex