The Pageturning Report: August 2024
Thérèse of Lisieux's "Story of a Soul", LegendHaven 2024, Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories" . . . and more!
Greetings, dear readers! Apologies once again for the lack of bonus posts this month. August was a surprisingly busy time work-wise. My freelance writing and editing commitments proved more time-consuming than I expected. That, plus working at the museum on the weekends, has left little free time to work on this newsletter.
Work-life balance is still a learning process for me. I hope you’ll be patient with me and stick with Pageturning as I figure out how to meet my commitments and still leave time for rest and recuperation. I don’t plan on working myself into a burnout again!
That said, there are many cool projects taking shape right now. I have so much to be thankful for! I have a couple of fun announcements to make today. So, let’s get started!
Story of A Soul (Voyage Classics edition)
As you may know, I have a devotion to “the Little Flower” and Thérèse of Lisieux's celebrated memoir, Story of a Soul is one of my favorite spiritual classics of all time.
Voyage Comics and Publishing just announced a special edition of Story of a Soul as part of their Voyage Classics imprint. I helped with the proofreading and typesetting of this edition. It was such an honor to be a part of this project to re-introduce one of my favorite saints to a new generation!
The book should be ready to ship on October 22. You can pre-order your copy here.
LegendHaven 2024
The LegendFiction Catholic writers’ community is hosting their third annual online convention, LegendHaven 2024 on the weekend of October 18-20. You may remember that I took part in last year’s con. It was a lot of fun, but this year will be very special—This year I will have my own creator’s booth where I will be hosting a special PAGETURNING event just for attendees!
Join me for a special exclusive read-aloud from my work-in-progress sci-fi novella (see below) followed by an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) session. Got questions about science-fiction, “kidlit”, comic books, the publishing process, or anything in between? Ask away!
I’m shooting for sometime on Sunday, Oct. 20 but stay tuned for an official announcement of the date/time. In addition, there are plans in the works for a special StarQuest (SQPN) panel that I’ll be hosting, possibly on Saturday, Oct. 19. Come and hang out with the StarQuest Catholic podcasters! I will keep you posted as the details fall into place.
Works-in-progress
Childrens nonfiction book
I just finished the final round of proofreading for my middle-grade nonfiction book (expected publication: February 2025). The interior layout and the artwork have been finalized and the cover design is almost ready for final approval. I cannot wait to share more details with you and I hope that the publisher makes a formal announcement soon. It’s been almost two years since I began work on the rough draft of this book and it’s been a wild ride—So worth it!
Paranormal sci-fi novella
The novella-length draft of “Field Station Delta”, my collaboration with friend and “weird fiction” author
, is almost complete! The manuscript sits at about 23,000 words now. All that’s left for me to write is the epilogue, which I hope to finish over the next couple of weeks.If you’re a fan of The X-Files, I hope you’ll love this book. Ideally, I’d love to self-publish this novella on Kindle. Perhaps, even before the end of the year . . . In any case, I will keep you updated right here on Substack. In the meantime, check out Paul’s newsletter
for more paranormal stories!Reading life
The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll — As someone who came of age under the shadow of 9/11 and the “forever wars” that followed, this book was an eye-opening exploration of how the war in Iraq began because of misunderstanding, miscalculation, and hubris on both sides.
Poverty: An Essential Element in the Christian Life by Pie-Raymond Régamey O.P.— An enlightening essay into the spiritual and practical meaning of Christian evangelical poverty. I’ve long struggled to commit to living simply in our consumerist age awash in “stuff i need.” I found this book very helpful in making the first few steps in a fresh start.
Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus — I’ve been making my way through the Stoic philosophers and their followers—Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Cicero. Epictetus reads like a breath of fresh air. No-nonsense and practical, he exhorts us to get off the fence and commit to living a life of detachment, rather than just thinking/reading about it.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong by Brian Buccellato, Christian Duce, et al. — This comic is everything I wanted—Big, silly, and fun! No holds barred action! No panel is wasted! My inner 10-year-old who grew up on a steady diet of giant monster movies and the DC superhero cartoons couldn't have been more pleased. This is the kind of crossover that comics were made for!
Dinosaur Sanctuary, Vol. 3 by Itaru Kinoshita — This manga continues to delight my inner child. Reading this comic feels like coming home somehow. Perfect for dinosaur fans of any age. I can’t wait to read Vol. 4.
The Nature of Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien (ed. by Carl Hostetter) — A deep-dive into Tolkien’s later writings as the great author struggled to hammer out a consistent metaphysics for his fantasy universe. The early sections are shockingly dry (charts detailing the precise math of Elvish population growth. . . .) but the later essays are full of interesting material on Elvish “afterlives”, the relationship between body and spirit, and the unfolding “pattern” of creation. A must-own for devoted Tolkien nerds!
Podcast life
Mythic Mind Fellowship Chat
I was honored to once again by invited on the delightful Mythic Mind podcast! I joined philosophy professor Andrew Snyder and author Elisabeth Dawson for a wide-ranging discussion, using J.R.R. Tolkien’s incredible essay “On Fairy-stories” as a jumping-off point.
The Secrets of Middle-Earth
Continuing our exploration of The Silmarillion, the panel and I discuss “The Return of the Noldor” and the themes of victory, loss, leadership, loyalty, kinship, and pride.
On the cusp of The Rings of Power season 2, the panel breaks down the “final” trailer and explores Galadriel's journey, Sauron's manipulations, the potential roles of Elrond, the Dwarves, Númenor, and Tom Bombadil.
The Secrets of Star Wars
A Jedi who became an Inquisitor and then something else. . . I join the panel to discuss Barriss Offee's story, her motivations, her disillusionment with the Jedi, and her path back to peace and the light.
Thanks so much for reading this month’s Pageturning Report. If you’ve just discovered my little corner of Substack, I invite you to subscribe and to share this post with someone, perhaps a fellow writer or podcaster who might be interested in my work. This newsletter only exists with the support and interest of my readers and followers.
And please don’t hesitate to leave a comment! I love chatting with my readers.
Until next time, take care, God bless, and happy reading!
I love the cover for Story of a Soul!
It's always good to see the ways you're sharing your gifts with rest of us, Thomas!