Taco Bell Dreams Come True
Die Más
I was in search of something to write about three years ago. I had finished writing WHERE WOLF but the comic hadn’t been released yet and I hadn’t yet jumped into writing the sequel. I was on one of my daily hikes when I noticed the Taco Bell in my neighborhood - the site of many personal late-night shame-filled fast food runs - was temporarily closed due to renovations. As I continued my neighborhood hike, my mind began to race with the inklings of a new story - one featuring an abandoned Taco Bell that just also happened to be haunted. I came home from the hike and, one overnight writing session later, finished “Die Más.”
I left the story on the cloud for a few months, unsure of what to even do with it. As I started working on THE CURSE OF THE WHERE WOLF, though, I realized that not only could “Die Más” fit within the universe of WHERE WOLF, it actually explored many of the same themes I wanted to dig into in the sequel. Even better - making it a part of WHERE WOLF would mean I’d get to see Debora Lancianese on the art. Three years later and I have just gotten the art back from Debora. Surprising nobody, Deb absolutely nailed the chapter! I’m so excited for folks to see it very soon.
Well, as soon as I can finish this dang sequel.
I love tangents in storytelling. Whether in comic book form in series like THE SANDMAN, BOX OFFICE POISON or STRAY BULLETS or in television (MYSTHIC QUEST has mastered the art of tangental storytelling), I love it when a story pauses to explore some of its themes with new characters and ideas. It gives the narrative a little room to breathe but also helps amplify the concepts the narrative sought to explore in the first place. And - if those tangents can eventually find their way into intersecting with the main storyline - even better.
THE CURSE OF THE WHERE WOLF is going to have more than a few tangents. The book has ended up being a monster. Debora is officially half of the way through the art - that’s 174 pages! That alone is just 120 pages shy of the first book and I have six more chapters to work on with Deb. It’s going to be a bit before I’m ready to be able to share what I’m working on, but I’m very proud of the work we’ve done so far.
In other news, we’re a month away from the year anniversary of when I kicked off my Werewolves Across America book tour and first started selling copies of WHERE WOLF. If you’re reading this newsletter and you still haven’t actually *read* WHERE WOLF … don’t tell me! Just read the book already!
You can pick up a copy of WHERE WOLF at Brazos Bookstore in Houston; Whose Books in Dallas; Barnes and Noble in Houston, College Station and Port Arthur; Amazon; and directly from the publisher. If you know a shop where WHERE WOLF is also being sold, please let me know so I can spread the word.
In addition, WHERE WOLF is available to check out of the Houston Public Library, Texas A&M University’s library, Waco-McLennan County Library, Texas Tech University Libraries, Kenton County Public Library, Sno-Isle Library, and even LIBRIS in Sweden!
And if you *have* read WHERE WOLF, I could use your help in rating or reviewing the book. These ratings help legitimize the book and send it spiraling down the rabbit hole of recommendation algorithms. Or at least that’s what BookTok tells me. Please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or this cool new site I just learned about called The Story Graph.
Finally, I’ll be attending the Ghoulish Book Festival in San Antonio on March 15 - 17. There’s a great line-up of authors attending the event and I’m excited to be a part of the event. You can buy your badge and learn more about the festival here.
Until next time, beware the moon!