Ever since Daniel Grimm can remember, people have whispered that death follows him everywhere. Some even call him The Grimm Reaper. But after the harrowing tragedy that shattered his family, all Daniel wants is peace. Then on the ten-year anniversary of the Grimms’ tragedy, Dr. Miguel Mortiz–Daniel’s estranged godfather–reappears in his life after a long absence. Miguel is one of the few people alive who can bear Daniel’s grief. After all, no one understands pain better than a healer.
Under the cloak of charisma and familial warmth, Miguel seems to have a shadow. Aunt Cass even urges Daniel to stay away from him. But against all warnings, he peels back the layers of grief and mystery until he discovers the dark, unthinkable secret about his godfather. Not only does this unlock the truth about the Grimms’ untimely demise; it changes everything Daniel knows about life, death, fantasy, and reality. He may get everything he ever wanted. But there’s a cost to holding the key, and some secrets should probably stay in the graveyard.
Welcome to the tale of Danny Grimm! Long after I finished his story, this dude and his godfather are still haunting me. They really latched onto my brain, as did Aunt Cass and everyone Daniel crosses paths with in this story.
I’ve been asked for comp titles, and I’ve dreaded this question a little bit. XD I’ll be curious to see what the readers say! For now, just know that it IS a retelling from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, that I watched a lot of Modern Family while writing this, and that I also listened to a lot of sad, dark music. So imagine a sitcom with like, Guillermo Del Toro vibes? Maybe that’s a step in the right direction…
Today I’m so proud to present the front cover, designed with care by the talented Molly Phipps!
The name of the game is Candles. I keep staring at this one and the way the wax melts around the design–almost seems to sculpt the rest of it. That’s important. 🙂
Godfather Death, M.D. is now available for preorder wherever you find your ebooks: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, you name it. It will also be available in paperback and hardcover (a first for me)! This will make it a volume worthy of adding to Miguel’s mysterious library! Amazon is giving me a bit of grief setting up the hardcover, so if that’s the format you’re interested in, I recommend going through Barnes and Noble online for this one. At least for now. 🙂
Finally, if you want to read it before anyone else, and for FREE, please consider signing up for an ARC on Booksprout. If you’re unfamiliar with ARCs, this stands for Advanced Readers Copies, meaning Booksprout sends you a free eBook in exchange for an honest review! Reviews in the first few days of release can really help a book find an audience, and all it costs is the time it will take you to read!
Oh, and you can also add it to your Goodreads list!
This will launch on January 9, 2024!
Let me know what you think! I’ve been dying to hear the reactions to this one!
THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES comes out this month, and while I didn’t really like the book, I DO love The Hunger Games movies. In fact, I remember liking the movies better than ALL the books, which is rare…
Also, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this month, and I need to keep my writing chops going somehow, so behold, a 3-act, 8-sequence structure analysis of the first Hunger Games movie! I tend to watch a lot of movies through this lens, and that’s my curse. If a sequence goes on too long, I feel it. But when a movie fits fairly neatly into 8 sequences, it’s the most satisfying thing in the world! The Hunger Games comes pretty darn close. There are clear, clean breaks almost every 15 minutes, and each drives the plot forward in a meaningful way.
In an ideal world, Sequences 1-3 fit into the first act, 4-6 fit into Act II, and 7-8 fit into Act III. I’m ALL for a little experimenting and deviating, but this is the standard as I learned it! So, let’s take a look at how it plays out in the first movie:
Sequence 1: In the first fifteen minutes, we meet just about all the key players we need to know in this story. Relationships are established, as is the purpose and tradition of The Hunger Games. Katniss, Gale, and Prim are growing up in impoverished District 12, forced to hunt for food. They all attend the Reaping, where Katniss volunteers to play the games in her sister’s place. There can only be one winner, and the odds are not ever in District 12’s favor.
Sequence 2: Katniss says goodbye to Gale and her family, then begins the train ride to The Capitol. We meet Haymitch the mentor, who becomes a sort of window to help us see the contrast between Katniss and Peeta. She’s tough, but guarded and frankly unlikeable. He’s soft and mellow, but knows how to win people over with his charm. Likeability is the key to gaining sponsors and winning the game. We arrive at The Capitol right around the 30-minute mark.
Sequence 3: Big unforgettable set piece, as tends to be the standard for Seq. 3. Big amazing Capitol city with fancy meals and rooms. The district tributes ride in on chariots and wear wild, lavish costumes. Stanley Tucci has a big personality and even bigger blue hair. Katniss and Peeta on fire and holding hands while President Snow watches curiously from the stands. Katniss glares back, establishing the central conflict for the series. During training, Cato emerges as the arrogant asshole of the group, and Rue emerges as the underdog we want to root for. Peeta’s cake skills are totally transferable and he can become a tree. Around the 45-minute mark, Katniss shoots the apple at the sponsors, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. *drop the curtain* (Side note: I never noticed Jack Quaid was in this movie! He was so smol!)
Act I of The Hunger Games is structurally perfect. The central conflicts, characters, and tone are established, as well as the stakes, and there’s a nice “kabam!” moment at the 45-minute mark. We get the characters “up the tree,” and we totally care that they might never get to come down.
Sequence 4: President Snow urges Seneca Crane, the game maker, to contain the balance between hope and fear among the districts. Cesar Flickermann hosts a kickoff show where he interviews the tributes. Peeta draws a huge reaction when he reveals having a crush on Katniss, and she draws a big reaction with her fire dress! Peeta and Katniss are both determined to win the games, but the problem is they can’t both win, and they’re not down for the spectacle of killing other tributes.
Sequence 5: The tributes enter the arena around the 1-hour mark. Twelve tributes die instantly. Katniss grabs some supplies and escapes deep into the area, a woodsy environment reminiscent of her home. She hunts, cooks, and hides while the bloodbath ensues. The game makers don’t like that things are going too well for her, so they orchestrate some conflict to turn her around. A huge fire severely burns her thigh and drives her closer to the jerk tributes, who chase her up a tree. Rue points out a nest of tracker jackers that Katniss is able to drop onto her pursuers. (This was a very LONG sequence–almost 30 minutes, but I didn’t mind it. It is, after all, the meat of the actual games.)
Sequence 6: Katniss forms an alliance with Rue, who took care of her after passing out from some of the wasp venom. They make a plan to blow up the jerk tributes’ food. Katniss succeeds, but in the short amount of time it took for her to carry out the plan, Rue gets caught in a trap. Effing Jack Quaid kills Rue, and Katniss holds a funeral for her. A revolt begins in District 11, where Rue grew up. (This sequence makes an excellent set piece given that there is a big explosion, a touching funeral, and a revolt all in the same fifteen minutes!)
Act II establishes that Katniss is in real danger, but that she has everything it takes to beat the games. It makes us root for her even more, and shows us the depth of the Capitol’s horror. This is also a great example of what a second act should look like: Throw rocks at the character in the tree. In this case, it’s pretty literal!
Sequence 7: Haymitch convinces the game makers to give the audience something to root for: young love! With a new change in the rules allowing two winners from the same district, Katniss tracks Peeta down, and they develop their relationship. The game makers lure all the tributes back together for a final battle at the cornucopia, where Cato is the last tribute to die. Peeta and Katniss are the last tributes standing.
Sequence 8: The Capitol changes the rules again… Apparently only one winner can be crowned. Katniss figures out a loophole and ends the games by fooling the game makers into thinking that they’re both going to eat the poisonous nightlock berries. They both win and get to go home! The Capitol is actively pissed… They lock Seneca Crane in a room full of nightlock, and while the districts celebrate Katniss and Peeta’s victory, President Snow metaphorically twirls his brilliant white mustache…
Act III brings us all the feels, all the action, and closes up the story while driving the series forward. If the story ended here, we’d be satisfied knowing that Katniss and Peeta survived the games. But there’s still the overall problem of The Capitol and its horrible ways, and the denouement teases that it’s only about to get worse.
Yay! Thanks for indulging me. I’m gonna do more of these, because they’re fun, and I learn something every time. 🙂
I get this question a lot, and as a perpetually recovering “imposter,” the first thing I’m tempted to do is laugh and minimize my accomplishments. Only that’s not healthy, and it also lowkey invalidates the person who praised you and wants to learn from you, so let’s not do that. (Like I said, perpetually recovering. :D)
Let’s break this question down to the most basic threads: How do you finish a novel? Most people find it daunting to try and finish one, and I don’t blame them: I’ve done it exactly 10 times now (counting 3 novels I never published), and it’s never become any easier. There are always three major obstacles to conquer:
Finding the Time
Finding the Story
Finding the Motivation
I can offer bits and pieces on all of this, but the first thing I would offer is that you need to know yourself, how you work best, and how you hold yourself accountable.
Gretchen Rubin does amazing work on this, and I’m a big fan of her “Four Tendencies” model. At its core, this model attempts to help you understand how you meet internal and external demands. I like to go over this with my college students because they’re freshly inundated with expectations piling on in every aspect of their lives: school work, and all the aspects of Adulting 101–becoming responsible for the rent and bills, cooking for themselves, making their own health appointments, drinking enough water, managing their social lives, getting enough steps, figuring out what they want to do when they’re NOT in school, and finding like 2 freaking minutes to breathe and find some joy in the middle of it all. Whew.
It helps if you can start by identifying your tendency:
Upholder: You follow the rules and do what’s asked of you, AND you do what you ask of yourself. You meet your deadlines, show up to work, and if you tell yourself you’re going to write 3,000 words this weekend, you are going to treat that as a commitment. Bar any emergencies, you’re going to write 3,000 words.
Obliger: You meet external demands, but it’s harder for you to fulfill your own obligations sometimes. For the record, this is my tendency. If I want to write 3,000 words this weekend, and then my friend asks me to hang out, I’ll probably drop everything and bend my timeline to “oblige” my friend’s request. My own thing feels moveable and therefore less important.
Questioner: You meet your internal demands, but question what’s asked of you. You want to know why you’re doing this and why it’s important. So if those 3,000 words are important to you, you’ll probably make progress there. If your friend wants to hang out, you’re probably gonna ask what we’re gonna do. XD
Rebel: You do whatever feels right in the moment–internal and external demands are not a big thing for you. You may tell yourself you’re gonna write 3,000 words this weekend, but if you don’t feel like it in the end, you won’t stress yourself out about it. You won’t stress yourself out about doing your housework, either. Maybe you’ll just do you and watch Netflix this weekend. No judgement either way. 😉
It’s important to remember none of these are right or wrong–they’re more like guideposts to help you figure out how to accomplish goals, set habits, etc.
Knowing I’m an obliger, I work best when I create an external system of accountability. This was really convenient when I was signed with a traditional publisher, who created a calendar for every step of my publishing journey. Your first draft is due on X date. You have two months for round 1 edits. You have two weeks for proofreading. Turn in your cover ideas on X date. I wasn’t about to let them down or blow my chance, so I met every demand and then some. As an indie author, I had to create my own system to replicate this, that way it feels external:
A bullet journal can work wonders here, or an Outlook calendar. After work, I might get a notification that tells me to write 500 words, and it feels wrong to ignore it. After all, it’s a system “commanding” me to follow through!
When I’m deep enough into a project that I know I’m not gonna turn back, I start scheduling edits, formatting, and cover art with my partners. For Godfather Death, M.D., my editor received each of the three acts individually with about 3 months in between. Sometimes, I wasn’t even done writing the act when I scheduled with her. But suddenly, I was on a timeline that I paid for, and I couldn’t let her down. Same with the cover art. We scheduled back in February, and I knew I’d want to have everything ready to go for her by November. Given that my artist’s schedule fills up fast and far in advance, and that this is her livelihood, I totally don’t want to miss my window!
NaNoWriMo gives you the opportunity to set a goal (or in November, it just GIVES you a goal of 50,000 words), then rewards you for meeting it. I want my daily fire emoji badges, so I want to update my word count every day! This is another external system of accountability.
Having a critique partner is great, in whatever way that works for you. I wouldn’t work well having someone ask me every day if I’ve written. But when my betas become emotionally invested in the work, and I become invested in their feedback, I have to finish!
Now if you’re a rebel: just remember your why. That’s a huge key to all of this. Why do you write? Do you dream of seeing your paperback on a bookstore shelf? Do you just need an outlet for your imagination? Do you want to leave something behind for your kids? Is it purely for the joy of it? Do you want to be a millionaire? (I don’t recommend this as a good why, but if it motivates you, dream big and do the work! Godspeed.)
Start there. Write it down. Come back to it when your schedule and motivation feel tight.
This month, A THOUSAND DREADFUL CURSES celebrates its second birthday!
While the official publication is October 1, 2021, I celebrate this one on National Coming Out Day–not to soften the impact of a day that we need, but hopefully to highlight the importance of such a day.
A Thousand Dreadful Curses doesn’t fly off the shelves. I don’t think I’ve ever sold out of it at an event. In fact, it’s amazing if I sell more than 4 or 5 copies. There’s such a small population that would even be drawn to this book–at a very specific time of year, no less–and from there, the funnel just gets narrower: Who buys it? Then, who finishes it? And, who relates to it? So I’m always excited when a reader comes back to me and we can have a wonderful conversation about it. At a certain point, a book takes on a life of its own. Yes, it’s an extension of the writer, but it also becomes an extension of its readers. It becomes a conversation, and this is exactly what I hoped could happen with Curses.
Anyway, Curses isn’t my coming out story. It’s not necessarily a coming out story at all, but I hope there are pieces that people can relate to. In honor of Prince Jack’s birthday and National Coming Out Day, I thought I’d highlight a few of those pieces and why they spoke to me as the writer:
Prince Jack’s arranged marriage: I am not a royal, nor have I ever been betrothed to anyone. But I remember (and I know there are people who will relate) a time when I felt like I was suffocating on heteronormative standards–like all the world cared about was who I was going to fall in love with one day, how many kids we would have, and feeling like I’d just have to play along and make it work like some sort of royal arrangement. At the beginning of the book, Jack is forced into something just like this, and he can’t fully articulate why this doesn’t work for him. A lot of us can’t. But over time he begins to understand his feelings. And once he lets that out to someone who gets it, he can breathe. He can thrive.
The Vegas Thunderlings: Early celebrity crushes, y’all… In the book, it’s a band. (I definitely had The Killers in mind.) For me, I remember an awkward conversation with my father when I was younger… He told me that one day, I’d start watching movies purely because of the beautiful women in the cast. And let’s just say he was kind of gross about such conversations, so I was like, nah, I’m pretty sure I won’t, and he was like, trust me you definitely will, and we went back and forth on it for probably like an hour at minimum. I can’t help but chuckle now when I think about my taste in shows and movies, and how sometimes, I don’t understand the action movies I’m watching, or Westworld, but I know I enjoy them anyway! (He probably wouldn’t find this funny, but I do!)
“Peeling back the curtain”: Out of all the lines in the book, this is the one that comes directly from ME. I didn’t have a big “coming out moment”, and there are two reasons for that. First, coming out is a continuous, lifelong thing. Second, the labels always feel so nice and neat, but identities don’t always fit in one box. I’ve been asked, “Which letter of the alphabet soup describes you?” And that answer starts with a chuckle. For a while, B made sense to me, but over time I understood it was more of a G, but not necessarily in the ways most people experience attraction… so maybe it was more of an A or a D? You can see why I don’t go around starting this conversation even in spaces where I know it’s welcome. Everyone wants the simplest answer possible, and the best I can do is, “When Ben Barnes returns my calls, you’ll hear all about it.” 😀
Isaac’s friendships and family: I’m trying not to spoil the ending, but it IS a middle grade book, so you know there’s a whole message about love and kindness in there. And the through-line of the book isn’t the romantic subplot. It’s the fact that Isaac and Jack experience different kinds of love in their community. They each have the people who accept them, and this takes different forms. I know who these people are for me–some of them are even named throughout the book!
Anyway, everyone’s story is different, so I hope CURSES will continue to speak to others throughout the years.
For Jack’s birthday, he’d like you to treat yo’ self: Enjoy a pumpkin spice anything, listen to your favorite band, eat pizza, break a curse, hug your friends, get hyped for Halloween, and be proud of who you are!
Have you ever had a book that just sort of fell into your lap at the right time? Maybe you connected with a particular character, their personality, or their plight? Maybe you were bored out of your mind, and then some book with a kick-ass, fast-moving plot came along and spurred you into action. Maybe it was just vibes… that’s a thing.
For the writers following along, I wonder if you ever find yourself WRITING the book you need. I think that’s consistently been happening to me, but in ways I didn’t intend. Only in hindsight do I see that I’ve been making meaning of different eras of my life.
This summer, THE CARVER turned 8 years old, which is wild. I have to confess I a weird, strangled sort of relationship with this series now. It will always have my heart because of the doors it opened for me. It guided me to my first publisher, who mentored me, saw my potential, and revealed a whole world I otherwise may never have found. When I travel to conventions and book signings, THE CARVER consistently sells out, and it’s always the first book to leave the table. This makes my heart soar, but then privately, I sigh and wish the first-time readers would have grabbed something else–something that has a little more of my heart and skill.
The thing I want people to know about THE CARVER is that it represents a time in my life when I had infinite optimism, and when writing was purely about joy and escapism. It was the lovechild of my PERCY JACKSON obsession, ONCE UPON A TIME phase, and grad school ennui. It’s not particularly deep, which more so disappoints the people who went to school with me and expected to see my thesis, but it was never supposed to be profound. It was supposed to be fun, because that was what I needed in 2015. I hope people find that same sense of adventure and escapism when they pick it up. 🙂
ROSES IN THE DRAGON’S DEN was an unexpected surprise for me. I had finished my trilogy and thought, “What if that’s it? What if I can never write another thing again? That was my dream, and now it’s just . . . over?” I started to learn how to pull threads together from everyday spaces. My love of family. My niece had been born around that time. I was deep into the UNCHARTED video games and thirsting to write a Nathan Drake sort of character. I was on the couch with a dumb fever one day, and I saw Bear Grylls on Man Vs. Wild. My mom said, “This is always so dramatic. Like they’re actually gonna let ANYTHING happen to him.” And my fever brain concocted a scenario where Bear doesn’t know what he’s doing. (“Like what if a fire breathing dragon just showed up and he just had to deal with it? LOL.”)
ROSES will always have another giant wedge of my heart. If a Netflix producer approached me and said, “Pick any one of your books to become a show,” I’d point them to ROSES. Diego, Charlie, Karina, Zid, Niraya Storm, and James will forever be among my favorite characters to write. The story is the kind of fun, snappy adventure I wanted to watch with popcorn growing up, and heck, I STILL do. And around that time, I was also writing for my niece, for myself, and for my community. I was writing about making the most of bad luck, about the magic of familia, and about Oreos.
A THOUSAND DREADFUL CURSES was another surprise for me. No joke: I wrote the whole first draft in about two weeks. There had been threads in my head–an Italian folktale and a Halloween aesthetic–but that was all I had until I dreamed of Prince Jack. Once I found him, everything fell out of my head and onto paper. And I needed that, too, because we were on lock-down. CURSES was my pandemic escapism and joy, but it was also all I knew how to say about love in 55,000 words. It became my love letter to things that made me happy: pizza, The Killers (who get an alias in CURSES because copyright and stuff), fall, ice cream, nice families, and happiness for gay characters. It’s not widely read, mostly because of the seasonal appeal, but I LOVE this one.
This brings me to GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. This one’s going to my editor in a few weeks, to design shortly after that, and to shelves next year. Some of you will find it too broody for my name and my happy-go-lucky brand. I expect this, and that’s ok! This one’s NOT about pizza or The Killers. It’s literally about Death, both capital and lowercase. It’s not about the act of dying, gore, or anything that would give me nightmares. It’s more about everything that follows, which is complex and messy–letting go, hanging on, moving forward, looking back, wondering “What if,” and so on.
So, why this one, and why now? That’s difficult to answer… I’m not really dealing with any sort of fresh grief right now, but this story weighed heavily on my mind on my 33rd birthday. (Don’t get me wrong, it was a great day, and I know I’m still young. It didn’t hit in a “death is looming” sort of way. Sometimes birthdays just ache around the fringes. I still don’t quite know how to articulate it, but I’ve seen some good articles that capture it well.) There’s a pretty big cast in GODFATHER DEATH, and the characters all have different vibes. I hope everyone has a friend like one of Danny’s, or a family member. I thought a LOT about the Grimm siblings recently, and I thought about the five senses. Scents can really pack a punch, especially when it comes to memory. That’s a big part of the book too. So, if and when you pick it up, know this: It will ache around the fringes, but ultimately, it’s also there to hold up simple pleasures and joys. 🙂
Also, is anyone getting into ONE PIECE lately? Because I had never read a manga before this, but it was totally the book and TV show I needed right now! Obsessed.
Readers and writers: Tell me about a book that fell into your life at the right time, and why it sticks with you!
As I work on GODFATHER DEATH, M.D., I’ve been looking to the media to fill the creative well. There was a time when this project seemed so daunting to me–not because of the subject matter, but because I wondered if we’ve told too many stories about Death. At one point I thought, we’ve had the same skeletal, hooded, scythe-swinging Grim Reaper since the 14th century. It’s that trap we all fall into as writers: “Hasn’t this been done a million times before?”
Well, here’s the thing: There’s nothing brand new under the sun, and if you’re ever worried about telling a story that’s already been told, you need to remember that it’s never been told by YOU before. So, to kick off what will probably be an ongoing list, I’ve honed in on FIVE different depictions of Death in the media… a few movies, a comic book, and a novel! Let’s dive in:
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
Man, what wouldn’t I give to watch this movie for the first time again?
I associate the first movie with a deep sense of nostalgia. When it hit theaters, I was 12 going on 13. It was summer, and I was free. I was excited to start middle school. I think I saw the movie twice–once with my mom, and a second time with my father. It was the ultimate popcorn flick, and it later became one of my first DVDs as the VHS transitioned out of favor. A few years later, Kingdom Hearts II would also feature this movie as one of the worlds you could play in, complete with music and a sweet-ass Keyblade! 😀
My fascination with this movie is threefold: Orlando Bloom’s handsomeness, the swashbuckling action, and the plight of the damned. I still remember the iconic line and how they featured it in the trailer:
“You’d best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You’re in one!”
Death features in the movie by showing us what would happen if he/she/they took a holiday. The crew on the Black Pearl can’t die, and I love how this movie explores that. They turn into skeletons in the moonlight… food doesn’t taste as pleasurable as it should… and then there’s the look on Captain Barbossa’s face before he’s allowed to take his “final” rest, when he tells Jack Sparrow, “I feel… cold…” (When I first watched the second movie, I remember gasping and cheering when Barbossa returned at the end. Today, I find that cheap. The first movie was perfect and should’ve been allowed to stand alone! *end rant*)
I associate pirates with reckless bravery–cannons blazing and swords swinging because they have no fear of Death. But this movie suggests that maybe there is something to fear in immortality… in Death abandoning the damned. A fascinating concept.
2. FINAL DESTINATION(2000)
Gather round, children. There was a time when I was cool. Or at least, I liked horror movies. No amount of blood could scare me away. I’d sneak into the R-rated ones with my friends, and we’d LAUGH in the face of horror. Muahaha.
I don’t have the same stomach anymore, and it’s rare for me to sit through a movie/show that’s deliberately intended to disturb the viewer. I do enjoy “elevated horror” if the conditions are right. If it’s, like, Jordan Peele making some deep commentary on society, and it’s 9AM and I have the rest of the daylight hours to scrub my mind, let’s do it! (Oh and I like SCREAM, because it’s basically just Scooby-Doo for grown-ups. You can’t change my mind. Others have tried.)
Final Destination, though… absolutely disgusting. Traumatic, even. I struggle with roller coasters, freeways, and elevators to some extent because of those movies. The concept, though, is brilliant: survivors of massive freak accidents band together to cheat death, only to find that it’s determined to hunt them down. I wish I had thought of that!
In these movies (at least the first three… I stopped being cool sometime before the 4th came out) they almost always refer to Death as some sentient being, almost like a god. But if it’s an actual force or sentient being, he’s never shown. All you see are the freak accidents (in vivid, disgusting detail) and the slightest whisper of something supernatural–a gust of wind or a shadow of a hook. But it ALWAYS has a sort of personality to it. It’s petty, vengeful, and calculated. The idea that it all follows a predictable design is a little bit terrifying.
3. THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman (1989-1996)
Now for something a little less awful: a comic book! (But let’s be real, this one gets a little bit gross as well.)
Oddly, though, the most beautiful and meditative scenes in Neil Gaiman’s comic series are the ones where Death is heavily featured. In this one, Death is actually personified, and she’s a cool goth chick. I think I remember reading an interview where Gaiman mentioned she was inspired by a woman he met at a diner…
Death is one of a handful of siblings, each personifying a different concept: Dream, Destiny, Delirium, Desire, Destruction, and Despair. To be fair, Death does have some heartbreaking scenes, but I would argue that out of all the Endless, she’s one of the most rational and level-headed. She’s not necessarily spooky. She doesn’t have any sort of Grim Reaper aura. She’s warm, compassionate, and pensive. I thought this was an interesting way to personify her…
(Then, there’s the character who refuses to die, and he checks in with Dream every century. Dream expects him to give up after he loses everyone he loves, but the guy just keeps on going. I love that guy.)
4. THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera
This book is almost like Final Destination lite… a YA novel that made me sob.
In this one, an app developer has figured out an algorithm that can predict the exact day you’re going to die. That morning, you get a phone call that tells you it’s your “death day.” The book follows two characters who received the call, then decide to spend their last day together.
Death isn’t personified in this one, but it’s heavily explored on every page. If today were going to be your last day, would you want to know? Can you do anything about it? How will you spend it and cherish your last meals, conversations, and everyday moments?
And no, it does not pull any punches at the end. But it IS very beautifully done. The prequel, THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END, is equally wonderful and heartbreaking.
5. CLICK (2006)
I think about this movie ALL the time, and now that I’m looking it up, WHY does it have a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes?! This movie was great! Sean Astin is in it! Kate Beckinsale is in it! Even The Cranberries are in it!
It’s been a little while and it merits a rewatch soon, but it’s a true favorite for me. Maybe it’s nostalgia again, because I vividly remember NOT watching this one in the theater. My mom bought it for me on DVD before any of us had every seen it, and a bunch of us crowded around a small TV in her room and ate snacks while we watched it. I’m fairly certain it was also Christmas. 😀
I had been expecting to laugh my ass off. To be fair, that happened, but I had no idea I was also going to cry hysterically. That’s not supposed to happen in Adam Sandler movies. They’re supposed to be stupid and good for a mindless day.
Adam Sandler is a workaholic who gets frustrated by life and too many remote control devices. So he buys a “universal remote” from some guy named Morty (Christopher Walken!) Things escalate quickly as he “remote controls his universe,” changing the tint, doing a picture-in-picture, and fast forwarding through meetings he doesn’t want to listen to.
But, like, what the hell? He forwards to his dad’s death? Then to the night when he’s about to die in front of The Cranberries? (When I explain it, it DOES sound like a 36% Rotten Tomatoes movie. But I swear it’s amazing.) And all along, the guy who sold him the remote was… THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!
I did not see that coming, ever. Death is a goofy, eccentric inventor who sells remote controls at Bed, Bath, and Beyond? And this remote control teaches Adam Sandler a lesson about life? IT’S SO DEEP. WATCH IT, Y’ALL.
In Conclusion:
There are some pretty fascinating depictions of Death in the media. Even when Death isn’t portrayed in a human form, there are all kinds of interesting ways creators have signed it a personality. These are just five of them, and Death isn’t even kind of the same in any two. So, will we ever run out of ideas to tell original stories about The End and what comes after? I really don’t think so. In fact, I can’t wait to explore more of them and add to this list!
What if Death wears a mortal body and walks among us?
What if Death is your college professor, the cute barista at your local cafe’, or even a family doctor?
What if Death is your godfather? Would you resent him for everything you’ve lost?
I’m so excited that my serial project, GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. is now a thing in the world! It makes me a little bit nervous because it’s not yet a finished product, or a medium I’ve tried before, but it feels like the right move. It’s organic this way. There’s a a bit of wiggle room to have a conversation with the readers. Ironically, it’s more alive this way. It’s also a bit like a strange TV show… part drama, part sitcom, part quest… and I promise all will be resolved in the end. I have created my map to the ending!
People whisper that death follows Daniel Grimm everywhere. They even call him The Grimm Reaper. Then on the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy that shattered Daniel’s family, Dr. Miguel Mortiz–his estranged godfather–reappears. Miguel is one of the few people alive who can understand Daniel’s grief. After all, no one grasps pain better than a healer. So why does Aunt Cass warn him to stay away from Miguel? He longs to understand, but some secrets are probably better off left in the graveyard.
You can read the first three episodes for free, and then the following episodes will become unlockable every Monday through Kindle Vella’s token system. You can even claim 200 tokens for free if it’s your first Vella story! 200 will buy you roughly 8 chapters, and pretty much the rest of Act I. (Of course, I’m not pulling any punches–I’ll be trying to hook you so you’ll come back for Act II!) The cool thing is that this format makes the story even more accessible to new audiences. When it’s all done, I’ll wait a bit, take it down, and bind it into a paperback. (Maybe even a hardcover, too? Idk… I’m pretty darn proud of this one!) Like I said, you can get the weekly streaming experience, or the binge-it-in-a-day-and-put-it-on-your-shelf experience!
There are a couple of things you can do that will really help me out:
Give each chapter a “thumbs up.” This is part of how royalties, “favorites,” and visibility play out on Vella!
Hit the “Follow This Story” button.
Share the link with someone who might enjoy this!
Reminder: Read with care. Death can be a touchy subject, and this is purely my way of exploring grief, loss, and mortality in a way that feels healthy and meaningful for me. With that said, my beliefs and experiences are my own, and I do not attempt to speak for everyone.I can hope, however, that it might bring someone some solidarity, or maybe even comfort. Danny Grimm, Aunt Cass, Miguel, and The Grimms have shared a LOT with me in the last 7 months, and they continue to do so!
Gather ’round, friends. It’s June. It’s hot out. Come enjoy the A.C. for a minute, and let’s catch up.
If you know me in my “real life,” outside the pages and the cons and the social media posts, you know what summer means to me. It’s a happy, meaningful, transformative time, and it’s a very busy time! Last year, summer had a rocky start when I went to table at Phoenix Fan Fusion and came back with a positive COVID test. I missed a week of training my staff, leaving them scrambling to execute “Plan B”. I fell deeply behind on a massive to-do list, personally and professionally. Writing didn’t happen at all. The brain fog, the guilt, and the fatigue gnawed at me all summer long while I tried to facilitate a perfect summer in every way.
And I finally learned what I should’ve learned a long time ago: perfect is simply not going to happen. This was a difficult place for me to get to as an “Achiever”/Type-A personality, and I’m not going to pretend I’ve fully let go of perfectionism. But my outlook right now has been kind of liberating. “If I pour 150% into X, I will drain myself. X might fail anyway, and then there will not be enough of myself to show up and revise it. But if I pour 100% into me, X will be as awesome as it can be, and I’ll be a stronger and healthier leader when I do need to revise it.” This is just an epiphany that I wanted to share with you. 🙂
I did make a few sacrifices at the start of this summer, including Fan Fusion. I can’t pretend it didn’t make my heart sore, but it was a great opportunity to practice pouring 100% into my wellness when I couldn’t be everywhere at once. So here are some of the things I’m thinking about this summer:
I’m beginning to release Godfather Death, M.D. on Kindle Vella. This is my first serial, and because it’s not even 100% finished yet, I really have to lean into this “it won’t be perfect” thing. The comfort I take is that it’s still malleable while it’s a serial, and it’s a story that I love deeply. It’s challenged my emotions more than once by now… I cried in a Barnes and Noble writing a particular scene. I cried again writing a graveyard scene, and then I cried again editing both those scenes. Rest assured that every reaction was cathartic and healing. I hope they’ll resonate in beautiful ways whenever you get there. And I thank my friend Avon Van Hassel for her beta reads and work on the Vella cover! (Also shout-out to Silva Curry, who is editing this thing piece by piece and putting the icing on top.)
I made a summer reading list! I know very well that I won’t get through the whole thing, and “getting through it” isn’t the goal. Enjoying it is the goal. I have a growing stack of unread comic books from Heroes and Villains, including a few volumes of Saga, and Superman: Son of Kal-El (who is an LGBTQ+ icon, making it a perfect Pride Month read!) I’m following V.E. Schwab’s read-along of her Darker Shade of Magic series, and I’m excited to continue learning from her prose, her world-building, and her insights. I’m finding that these books are even better the second time around. If I manage to finish re-reading those, I can’t wait to dive into In The Lives of Puppets and Tress of the Emerald Sea. Sometimes on a long day, it’s comforting just to have a book in the backpack or next to the bed, ready to portal me into a new world for just a few minutes.
I also have a watch list… Around this time of year, it’s tradition for me to rewatch 500 Days of Summer, and I think I’ll gather a few other movies worth another go… I am also shamelessly enjoying Perfect Match right now. After watching Love is Blind and The Circle, seeing these reality stars come together is like watching a petty, low-stakes MCU, and I’m fascinated.
OH! I wanted to show you these stickers:
This has been a fun representation of the characters in my head: A badass pirate, a dashing adventurer, a gay pumpkin prince, and Death himself, M.D. I didn’t print very many of these to start, but I will start giving one to anyone who orders a book from me directly, and I will bring them to events as well. I hope my characters can “stick” with you the way they always stick with me!
Ok: Life calls. I’m wishing you all a wonderful Pride Month, and I hope you’ll join me later in June for the Vella launch of Godfather Death, M.D. I can’t wait for y’all to meet Danny Grimm, his coffee shop auntie, and his mysterious godfather!
What are you reading, watching, or doing for your wellness this summer?
I feel like there are two different kinds of people.
The first person binge-watches the newest season of STRANGER THINGS in a single weekend. There are snacks involved. On a scale of 1-10, you gave the experience an Eleven.
The second person watched THE LAST OF US every Sunday night for nine weeks. You realized that this was a magical time in your life. The Sunday blues fell away. You were untouchable on Sunday. You talked about it with your buddies on Monday and Tuesday. Then on Friday and Saturday, you were like “OMG, it’s almost Sunday.”
I grew up in the 90’s, so the plot twist is that I am both people.
That’s why I’m attempting to go all serial on my next project! Join me, won’t you?
GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. is my return to YA after a long detour through the Middle Grade realm. (IMPORTANT: This is firmly rooted in the YA camp. It doesn’t even straddle the middle grade line, like The Carver occasionally did. Content warnings include strong language, mention of death/dying, and the emotional realities of grief. You’ll know within about 2-3 chapters if it won’t work for you. I’m not here to do “shock value” or ruin your day for no reason, and, given the subject matter, I still recommend reading with care.) I’m not giving up on Middle Grade, just as I never gave up on YA! Again, I am both people.
People whisper that death follows Daniel Grimm everywhere. They even call him The Grimm Reaper.
Then on the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy that shattered Daniel’s family, Dr. Miguel Mortiz–his estranged godfather–reappears. Miguel is one of the few people alive who can understand Daniel’s grief. After all, no one grasps pain better than a healer. So why does Aunt Cass warn him to stay away from Miguel?
He longs to understand, but some secrets are probably better off left in the graveyard.
I chose Kindle Vella as the first home for this because there are pieces of this story that flowed more like TV in my head. This will be told in 3 “arcs.” The first feels like a family drama with a hint of mystery. The second part feels like a sitcom slowly going up in flames. The third… well, by the time you get there, you’ll know. 😉 So a serial format is perfect for the vibe! Beginning this summer, you’ll be able to find weekly installments of GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. on Kindle Vella. Some weeks I may post one chapter. Some weeks, I may post 2 or 3. But you’ll never go hungry. 70% of the story has already been written, and I’ll probably be finished by the time I finish posting the first third!
But, if you’re Person #1–the one who binges the entire experience, then wants to collect a hard copy and display it on the shelf, I’ve got you covered! I do need to wait until the full novel has been living on Vella for at least 30 days, but there are already winter plans in place with a cover artist and formatter–the magical Molly Phipps of “We’ve Got You Covered”!
If you’re already intrigued and want to get a feel for the vibe, feel free to poke around my vision board or my Spotify playlist! Both are constantly evolving.
So, are you a binge-reader, or will you be tuning in weekly and savoring the suspense? 😉
Have you played God of War: Ragnarok yet? No spoilers (I’m only about 7 hours in), but there’s a line where Mimir tells Atreus that there are multiple ways to be tired, and that he’ll learn this as he gets older. I feel that in my soul tonight. I’m not just 10pm tired. I’m like, April tired. I’m 30-something tired. I have just enough energy to write this post, then enjoy a little Netflix tonight. But, I don’t have the energy to April Fool you. You can put your guard down now!
I feel I’m due for a catch-up post.
Last year at Phoenix Comic Con, my good friend Katie did my astrological chart.
I wasn’t entirely sure how much I believed in these sorts of things. I do, however, have a vivid memory of a woman named Nora.
Nora was a coworker of mine when I got my first real job at Century Theater. We used to clean theaters together. A core memory is the fact that we used to have to check behind the curtains at 2 a.m. to make sure nobody was sleeping there. (They were.) Anyway, Nora had a gift. The first night I worked with her, she asked me if I was a Virgo. I definitely AM a Virgo, and maybe this is obvious. The thing is, I’m a cusp, and Nora knew that, too. And I was baffled. Virgo is a 1/12 shot. Knowing that I’m Virgo/Libra is a 1/365 shot. I never forgot Nora. (Side note: Century Theater was demolished a few weeks ago. I’m feeling oddly nostalgic about it, and also smug as hell about it.)
Back to Katie: What I remember most about my chart is that she told me I’m supposed to be in front of people… that I do my best work when I’m “public facing,” as long as I have my safe haven to retreat to and can look forward to going home. This was probably one of the realest things anyone has told me about myself. I AM a hardcore introvert, but I do feel that my best work is done when I’m out and about. Writing is fun… when it’s not frustrating. Editing is thrilling… when the pieces come together. Being out and about sharing my stories with others? It’s always priceless. I could do it all day. My 9-5 life? It’s highly social and service-oriented. My least favorite days are the ones where I’m behind a screen all day. BUT, I need to go home, I need to tune everything out, and I need to be a whole turtle in my shell.
I have somewhat of an “introvert hangover” from the electric energy of March.
I had a wonderful time presenting for a very special group at the Tucson Festival of Books. The following weekend, I made four drives between Tucson and Apache Junction for the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which was the best and most productive signing I’ve ever done. And the FOLLOWING weekend, I had a writing deadline. More on that later.
Things are not about to get quieter. I have no free weekends in April.
Then May, June, and July? If you know me, those are the months when it’s REALLY go time. There’s another deadline tucked in there, too.
Somewhere in all this beautiful chaos, my inboxes have exploded. I’ve had to say a lot of no’s, put up some boundaries, and a lot of messages are going unread or unanswered. If this is you, I’m sorry and it’s not personal! Social media in general has started to feel a lot more laborious for me. There was a time when I posted every day and leaned into the mundane aspects of my life. Here’s the Sexy Grilled Cheese I ordered from Sexy Grilled Cheese! Here’s the book I’m reading at the laundromat these days! Here’s my cheesy grin after the gym! But lately, I guess I feel more protective of those simple joys–like if I post them, I minimize the moment I actually have with them. There was a weird study that I saw once, where it was determined that “Instagramming” one’s food actually diminishes the taste. Isn’t that wild?
So, one update is that now when I’m home, I’m FULLY at home. In other words, I’ve scaled back tremendously on my social media time. Maybe you won’t notice the difference. I hope it still feels cozy and relatable on top of what I share about my book stuff. But I’m warding off those “introvert hangovers” and being more selective about what I share. I promise, if I meet the love of my life or discover the sexiest grilled cheese in the world or read something that changes my life (aren’t these all the same thing?), I will not keep it secret. Not forever, at least…
Speaking of social media: Have you watched The Circle? I find it hilarious and entertaining when I need something mindless to watch.
Oh! Back to that deadline… in the middle of the summer, I will begin posting weekly episodes of a fantasy serial called GODFATHER DEATH, M.D. This is based loosely on a lesser known story by the Brothers Grimm, and it’s beyond my comfort zone in a couple of different ways. The serial nature will be different for me. It’s also more dark-and-dreary than it is fun-and-heartwarming. I will be providing content warnings about a few instances of strong language, and about the deep dive into the characters’ experiences with grief. With that said, it will not be entirely off brand for me–just aged up! It will start on Kindle Vella, and it will then be bound into an omnibus at the end of the run. I can’t wait to share more later!
So to recap… social media is draining, and I’m writing a book drenched in grief. You’re probably like, “Are you okay?” Well, thank you for checking in! I’m still going to the gym a few times a week. I’ve spent the past few weeks doing a really difficult Iron Man puzzle and have like 300 red pieces scattered all over the floor. I started watching Ted Lasso recently, because two separate people have told me that I’m Ted, and I’ve decided that was one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received. I finally bought a PS5 after months of planning, saving, and looking around for one. The world is chaos, but hey, I’m still chillin’ and finding comforts and joys. I hope you are, too. 🙂
Jacob Devlin 