🗣️ You can listen to the audio version of this newsletter above
Well 2023 certainly started off with a bang.1
And by bang, I mean I got COVID.
I had managed to go three years without catching Miss Rona, but alas, she got me in the end. Thankfully I am double-vaxxed and double-boosted, so my bout was fairly mild, but I’m bad at being sick in general. I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m sick (not to mention the dogs don’t understand why their stay-at-home human won’t take them to the dog park or on long walks), and that restlessness was made worse by my social media...hiatus? Restrictions? Diet? Whatever you want to call it, my normal time-wasting avenue was gone, leaving me floundering for ways to occupy my brain. Well, one of my 2023 intentions was to allow myself to get bored but I didn’t think I would have to put myself to the test so early in the year.
In this newsletter
Lexical Gap: 답정너
The Morning Realms Dispatch
What you might have missed
What I’ve been reading
What I’ve been watching
Other notable things to read or watch
🧩 lexical gap: 답정너
lit. answer-set-you. Short for 답은 정해져 있고 너는 대답만 하면 돼, or “The answer is already set in stone; all you have to do is give me that answer.”
This is a neologism; if German is known for compound nouns, then modern Korean is starting to create new words by taking the first syllable of a phrase in a kind of acronym/portmanteau. This recently created Korean word is defined as a situation in which someone asks a question but has already decided the answer they want to hear. It’s not the same thing as a rhetorical question in English, which is a device employed for dramatic effect, or to make a point. A 답정너 is much more mundane. For example, my mother might ask if I’ve remembered to get her anything for her birthday. That is a 답정너; there is only one right answer.
🌞 the morning realms dispatch
First pass pages for ZHARA have come and they are STUNNING.
First pass is the last chance for me to go through my manuscript with a fine-toothed comb, edit awkward phrases, prune out crutch words (it’s “suddenly” for ZHARA), make sure minor details remain consistent, and also, ahem, correct a few small things to make things easier for future JJ as she drafts GUARDIANS 2.
Unfortunately, because I’m at the point where I’ve read this book more times than I can count, I’ve now lost all perspective on whether or not the book is good. I don't mean award-winning or full of literary merit; I mean whether or not I can even English good. ㅠㅠ
But! When you receive first pass pages, it usually means one thing: ARCs are not far behind. 👀 I will definitely be giving some away when I receive them, so stay tuned for updates!
The Morning Realms Dispatch no. 4: A brief history. A letter to my readers about why it took so long to publish between books.
The Guardians Gazette no. 1: Course-correction. Artistic wounds, fears, and trollish impulses. For my 절친 only.
✨ what you might have missed
Obscure arts: The lowest common denominator. Cultural capitalism, the Algorithm, or the MCU-ification of art.
Creative alchemy no. 1: Art. What is the meaning of art? What is content? Wherein lies the difference?
Creative alchemy: After Hours no. 1: Craft. The meritocracy lie. For my 절친 only.
Want access to more exclusive content, like an entire unpublished novel, journal prompts, one extra podcast episode per month, access to a Discord server, and more behind-the-scenes publishing secrets? Then why not become one of my 절친?
📖 reading
Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson. This is technically an end of December read, but I do thoroughly enjoy the Stevie Bell books.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. I’ve never really thought of myself as much of a mystery reader, but I’d forgotten how much I really enjoy a good whodunnit. Between Agatha Christie, Maureen Johnson, and Glass Onion (see below), I’ve definitely been on a kick.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black. Oak is everything. Protect him at all costs.
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I really enjoyed Ninth House when I first read it, and I enjoyed it just as much when I reread it in preparation for the sequel. Hell Bent was also a thrill.
Saga vol. 10 by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan. UGH, so after the emotional trauma that was Vol. 9, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue the series, but honestly...I do love it. There is something in every trade that just makes me clutch my heart and tear up, not necessarily because it’s sad, but because the characters in these stories are just so human (even though they are aliens, winged people, horned people, TV-headed people, etc.). Ugh, ugh, ugh.
📺 watching
I’m in the midst of a lot...signing (more secrets for my 절친 to keep) at the moment, so I’ve been doing a lot of watching as well.
Glass Onion. This was technically an end of December watch, but this was such a thoroughly enjoyable time that I watched it again in January. It did put me in the mood for some good mysteries, which is why there is Agatha Christie on this month’s reading.
Inside Man. This was...not good. I clicked on it because of David Tennant and Stanley Tucci, but I should have known better when I saw Steven Moffat’s name in the credits. I really wish people would stop giving Moffat opportunities because the man cannot write. He wrote a 50 minute extended therapist/the rapist joke in the first episode. Please. Please. He somehow tricked us into thinking he was clever with 2.5 good Doctor Who episodes during the Russell T. Davies era and somehow not even the dreadfulness of Sherlock can strip him of that reputation.
Severance. I am a little late to this party, but to be fair, I held out on a AppleTV+ subscription because I could not, in good conscience, add yet another subscription service. And yet...here I am, suckered in because of a free three-month trial my cell phone provider gave me. It’s early yet, but Severance might be the best show I’ve seen all year. I love everything about it: the writing, the storytelling, the visuals, the acting. The last time I was this engrossed was when I binged Dark, and Dark is probably the best TV show I’ve seen in my life.
Dragon Age: Absolution. This was...fine. I just kept comparing it to another animated videogame show, Arcane, which was just phenomenal in every aspect. Truthfully, Dragon Age: Absolution has more in common with The Dragon Prince than with the games themselves, and while I like The Dragon Prince quite a bit, it’s also just...fine.
The Witcher: Blood Origins. Dreadful. Utter dreck. It’s not bad (okay, it’s bad) so much as boring. Not even my queen, my mother, Michelle Yeoh, can save this.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rewatching this put into stark contrast just how bad modern fantasy is. God, these movies are so good. Not to sound old, but they don’t make films like this anymore. The cast, the chemistry, the writing, the editing, the MUSIC. Does no one compose for screen anymore? What is the last film score anyone can remember?
The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House. This show was just so pure and so wholesome I actually cried several times while watching. This is a perfect slice-of-life drama, although I would hesitate to call it a “drama” by Western standards. There is tension, there are stakes, but everything is so gentle and intimate and wonderful. This feels like being wrapped up in a comforter and eating your favorite snacks on a rainy afternoon. Ugh. So good.
💾 other notable things to read or watch
Smith, Grady. “This TikTok Girl Band Ruined My Life,” Grady Smith, YouTube.
Vega, Edward. “Why we all need subtitles now,” Vox Media, YouTube.
Vega, Edward. “It’s not you - movies are getting darker.” Vox Media, YouTube.
Despite the rocky start to the new year, I do feel as though 2023 is going to be a good one. I feel hopeful, and I don’t mean that in an “opposite of despair” sort of way, but in a...spirit of optimism sort of way. Here’s hoping I don’t jinx it.
건강하게 지나자,
This is not a reference to the mass shooting in Monterey Park, CA on Lunar New Year, which I would rather not discuss. That shooting was a little too close to home for me — quite literally, as I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley.
Your voice is so nice! It’s almost calming to listen to. 💖