June is bustin' out all over

All over the meadow and the hill!

Okay, confession from this musical theater nerd: I have never seen Carousel, and from what I know of it I don’t particularly want to. But how could I use anything else for a subject line on June 1st?

Anyway, thanks for signing up for my newsletter! I plan on sending out a regular life/writing update on the first of every month. I’ll also be mirroring my blogposts here, so stay tuned for longer pieces on comics, writing craft, and whatever else comes to mind. The plan is for those to be biweekly, but that frequency may change if I have lots of thoughts to share…or, as is more likely, if I fall off the blogging wagon after a few months and all you get is radio silence. I have big plans but I am also an Aries, so my plans are always significantly more ambitious than my reality.

However, reasonably achievable plans for this month include finishing up the second draft of a YA novel, getting into the plotting weeds on a new adult novel (that’s an adult novel that is new to me, not New Adult the category), and visiting family, all of which I’m very much looking forward to. I hope you have exciting things planned for June as well! I hear buds’re bustin’ out of bushes, so, you know. Big things this month!

What’s New?

In honor of AAPI Month, I wrote about the so-called Filipino Invasion of Comics over at Book Riot. And my good friends at Superhero Ethics had me on the podcast to talk about the Women in Refrigerators trope.

What I’m Reading

Books: I read a lot of good books in May, but my pick for the month is Going Overboard by my buddy Caroline Huntoon, a delightful middle grade romp about a nonbinary tween who decides to reverse-Parent Trap zir mom and her new girlfriend. Caroline writes about middle schoolers in all their messy complexity with such deftness and care, and their latest is no exception. Run don’t walk!

Comics: There are a lot of books I’m loving right now, but I’m most excited about the new Supergirl series by Sophie Campbell and Tamra Bonvillain. Supergirl is my favorite character, and unfortunately I have spent many years watching her being written as a) angry and miserable by b) men who c) haven’t read any appearances of hers except maybe that time she died in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not this book. Campbell does a beautiful job mashing up elements of the Silver Age, post-Crisis, the TV show, and even the Peter David (may his memory be a blessing) series in a way that really celebrates the character’s rich—albeit convoluted and contradictory—history. I love the way she draws Kara, and Bonvillain’s cheery, sunshine-y colors always make my heart sing, especially when she’s working in a bright, Silver Age-y milieu like she is here. What a joy this book is to read.

What I’m Watching

Okay, I literally never go to the movies or watch TV, but I actually went and saw Thunderbolts and it was super fun! As my BFF Becky said, it’s refreshing to see a Marvel movie that’s actually about something again. And don’t be intimidated by the homework they’re trying to make you do to see this movie—if you fell off the Marvel wagon sometime around Avengers: Endgame, you’ll be able to follow the plot just fine.

What I’m Knitting

Okay, I can’t actually tell you because it’s a gift and therefore a surprise. But it’s very cute, and almost done and gifted, so hopefully I can share a photo next month!

That’s it from me. Stay turned for a comics-focused installment on Wednesday, and be good!

<3

Jessica