The Pageturning Report: December 2024
MY NEW BOOK: The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones. Also, reviews of Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more!
Greetings! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Just one more issue of The Pageturning Report to close out the year. Let’s get to it, shall we?
The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones
Christmas came early to the Salerno household this year! Fifty advance copied of my debut children’s book arrived on December 20. The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is an illustrated biography of Blessed Nicolas Steno — a seventeenth-century anatomist and Catholic convert whose innovative research on fossil shark’s teeth laid the groundwork (pun intended) for the sciences of geology and paleontology.
Journey into the exciting life of blessed Nicolas Steno, the father of geology!
His scientific curiosity led to a groundbreaking discovery about fossils, while a passion for truth brought him to an unexpected decision: becoming Catholic, joining the priesthood, and eventually becoming a bishop!
I wrote this book especially for a middle-grade audience (ages 8 to 12-ish) but I think anyone interested in history or fascinated by the wonders of the natural world would enjoy reading it. Get your copy of The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones in February 2025 from Word on Fire Votive.
The design team at WOF did a stupendous job! I absolutely love that the book resembles a beat up old geological field journal. The sketchbook-style illustrations by the artist Dillon Wheelock are superb! I’ll be perpetually grateful to my wonderful editor
who took a chance on my little book and shepherded the manuscript to completion.This moment is the culmination of my lifelong dream to be a published author! There were many days over the past year or so when the publication date of Tongue-Stones felt like a surreal illusion, a mirage that would vanish the moment it was in reach. Only now, when I can hold the finished book in my own two hands, is the reality of this accomplishment, aided my so many amazing friends and collaborators, truly starting to sink in.
The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones has been a labor of love and I can’t wait for it to be in the hands of kids everywhere! Writing this book also helped me rediscover a long-buried passion for children’s literature. Really, I could never have brough Nicolas Steno’s amazing story to life without one very important person—my mom—who kept insisting (despite my vociferous protestations to the contrary) that I had the talent to write a kids’ book.
The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones is lovingly dedicated to my mother, Patricia, who encouraged my insatiable boyhood enthusiasm for fossils and natural history, and who always believed I would one day write a book. Thanks, Mom, for everything.
— T.S.
Works in progress
While I have an entire google doc full of ideas for more children’s books, I’m also eager to keep expanding my writing horizons into new genres and styles. Fiction writing has become my new favorite hobby. Whether or not these stories see future publication in any tangible form is beside the point. I’m having fun writing these tales and I’m learning a lot about the writing process, story structure, character development, and so much more.
Field Station Delta
You’ll probably remember that over this past summer I wrote a paranormal sci-fi thriller. In all honesty, Field Station Delta was a book that I never planned to write. It started out as a short story collaboration with my good friend
but the tale soon developed a life of its own and burst at the seams to novella-length. All kinds of things I had stored in my imagination during my teens and twenties came pouring out on the page: Michael Crichton technothrillers, paperback spec-ops novels, The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, and old episodes of Unsolved Mysteries and Leonard Nimoy's In Search of…. I never thought any of it would resurface in my stories. One thing this experience has taught me is that the Muse works in ways we don’t fully understand.Earlier this month my copyeditor returned the manuscript of Field Station Delta with her comments and suggestions. I’ve begun revising a chapter-by-chapter revision which I’ll be sharing with a biweekly critique group hosted by the Catholic writers’ forum LegendFiction.
You can read an unedited excerpt from Chapter 2 by clicking the link below:
“The Nordingham Incident”
After I finish revising Field Station Delta I plan to begin drafting a sequel, provisionally titled “The Nordingham Incident.” The plot is loosely based on the real-world Rendlesham Forest UFO encounter. (There’s a terrific book about this subject that I used for research: Encounter at Rendlesham Forest.) The manuscript will probably end up being a novella of similar length to Delta (25,000 words, give or take). Stay tuned!
New articles
Word on Fire
St. Charles de Foucauld’s Spiritual Freedom in the ‘Hidden Life’
Until this autumn, I knew next to nothing about Charles de Foucauld. I happened to be auditing a course called “Twentieth-Century Holiness” at St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry. After devouring a short book of Foucauld’s selected writings as background reading for the class, I was deeply impressed. Despite all the vicissitudes of his eventful life, Foucauld found peace by surrendering his plans and projects completely to the will of Christ. I found myself burning for the kind of peace that Foucauld had found. Not that I was called to flee into the desert and live in solitude as he did! But I did sense that I was meant to encounter Foucauld’s spiritual wisdom during this season of my life. I can only compare the experience to the first time I read St. Augustine.
The Holy Father has given us a special Advent mission: to accompany our neighbors and friends in hope. Do you know someone paralyzed by fear, mistrust, anxiety, or despair? Reach out! Invite him or her to become a fellow pilgrim of hope. Become a messenger of peace. Share the ways that Christ is transforming your life. Give an “accounting for the hope that is in you” (see 1 Pet. 3:15). Let us all set out in haste to share the Good News that our God is Emmanuel (“God with us”): the God who never disappoints.
Podcast life
Mythic Mind
I was pleased to join
and “Master Samwise” on the Mythic Mind show to discuss the new Lord of the Rings anime adaptation War of the Rohirrim. Our differing perspectives and opinions fueled a very engaging and respectful conversation.Secrets of Middle-Earth
Forth Eorlingas! I joined the panel to explore the rich history and culture of Rohan including its founding, the Oath of Friendship with Gondor, and the pivotal role the Horse Lords play in the War of the Ring. We also shared our predictions and hopes for the War of the Rohirrim animated movie.
At long last, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim has hit cinema screens! The panel and I reviewed the new film, discussed Rohan’s legendary history, analyzed the epic character arcs of Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Hera, and revealed how this anime adaptation honors J.R.R. Tolkien’s deep and timeless Middle-earth lore.
Secrets of Star Wars
Yo ho, me hearties! Set sail with the panel as we explore the rogues gallery of the Star Wars galaxy’s scoundrels and pirates! From Han Solo to Hondo Ohnaka, we discuss what makes these characters so appealing, and chart a course towards more piratical adventures in the new Disney Plus series Skeleton Crew.
In my first Skeleton Crew review with the panel, I joined the speculation about Jod's mysterious past and the hidden secrets of the mystery planet At Attin. With pirate-inspired adventures and Star Wars lore, we uncovered thrilling twists and deeper meanings in that galaxy far, far away!
Secrets of Movies & TV Shows
Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Christmas dad? I was delighted to join my friends
and to unwrap the chaos, comedy, and heartfelt themes of the Jingle All the Way. From hero archetypes to themes of fatherhood and redemption, we explore what makes this '90s classic a seasonal favorite.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 of my readers and followers. I can’t thank you guys enough!
Until next time, take care, God bless, and happy reading!
What a cornucopia of projects! Congratulations on everything so far, Thomas! It's amazing how you've been able to share your creative gifts.