Rainbow Rowell's Blog, page 2
July 31, 2021
ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS — SIMON’S PLAYLIST, PART 1
Music is a really important part of my writing process. I always build playlists for the characters as I’m writing, and I use specific songs to help me stay in the right frame of mind or perspective.
I have more playlists for Any Way the Wind Blows than for any other book — maybe because it’s my longest book, with three different adventures happening at the same time and three different love stories unfolding. I’m not sure I’m going to annotate every AWTWB playlist, but I wanted to share what I was thinking for Baz and Simon.
Simon’s playlist is the longest this time — 27 songs! (I guess I had a lot of Simon feelings…) This is just half of his playlist, and it aligns with the first half of the book. If you haven’t read Any Way the Wind Blows, DO NOT READ ANY FARTHER. This whole post is full of spoilers!
A few more caveats and links:
I never worry too much about what the lyrics actually mean when I choose a song. First of all, I usually can’t figure out what they mean! And secondly, I’m very much using these songs to support my own emotional state and help me through the story I’m writing. My apologies to the songwriters, who would probably be dismayed by my interpretations.
I annotated my Wayward Son playlist here. And my first annotated playlists were for Eleanor & Park.
You can listen to all my book playlists on my Spotify profile. You can listen to Simon’s Any Way the Wind Blows playlist here.
“GOING INVISIBLE 2”
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
Well, for starters, this song is from the album In League with Dragons…
At the beginning of Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon is ready to finish tearing down his life. He feels like he’s lost almost everything, so he might as well ruin the rest. And then he can start clean. Start fresh.
Every single lyric of this song screams Simon to me. This part especially reminds me of the way Simon exploded into the World of Mages and was destructive from the very beginning:
“Reckon the remnants when they land at last,
The shattered aftermath of the blast,
Look for me everywhere the burn marks form,
Trying to find a place to keep warm”
The song is called “Going Invisible,” and that’s what Simon wants. That’s what Simon is planning.
My favorite part of the song is when John Darnielle sings the chorus a bit higher and more emphatically, at the very end:
“I'm gonna burn it all down today, down today, okay,
I'm gonna burn it all down today,
And sweep all the ashes away”
“SOUTH”
HIPPO CAMPUS
If you haven’t read Any Way the Wind Blows, you really should stop reading this post now, because we are headed deep into spoiler territory.
This song always makes me think of Simon. I don’t really know what it’s about, but I think it’s about someone who’s hit bottom. All he’s got left is a “chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars.” That’s Simon’s eight-word bio.
And doesn’t this line evoke the tender mess that is Simon Snow — “Three leagues down, the soft side of where you left my gold rose crown…” Simon is all soft sides and gold rose crowns.
But the part that always puts me in a Simon frame of mind is:
“Streetlights talk the same way my mother told me,
I walk the same way my father told me,
Back straight and chest out, just like a soldier”
I see Simon walking down the street in his new neighborhood after saying good-bye to Penny and leaving a note for Baz — trying to keep his head up, walking with his shoulders square just like a soldier's, because it's the only way he knows how to walk.
“Chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars...”
“THESE DAYS”
JACKSON BROWNE
This is a grieving song for me. It's about the time after you've lost someone, before you've moved on. In those days when you can't move on. You're just walking with your sadness and grief.
"These days I seem to think a lot,
About the things that I forgot to do for you...
And all the times I had the chance to"
Simon blames himself fully for losing Baz, and he's so comfortable blaming himself. He's accepted the blame for everything that's happened so far, and it's hard for him to imagine a better way tomorrow.
"Now, if I seem to be afraid,
To live the life that I have made in song,
Well, it's just that I've been losin' for so long...”
This is another walking-down-the-street-feeling-lonely song. When I hear it, I can imagine Simon coming home to his new apartment and eating takeout by himself on the living room floor.
“CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME”
BLIND FAITH
Look. I had to spend months with Simon feeling lost and desperate, so I needed a lot of lost and desperate songs. This one, as Simon would say, does what it says on the tin.
“Come down off your throne and leave your body alone,
Somebody must change…”
At the beginning of Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon is ready to finally walk away from it all: being the Chosen One, the World of Mages, even his dragon parts. He’s ready to come down off his throne. He doesn’t feel like it was ever his to begin with.
“You are the reason I’ve been waiting all these years…”
He’s only been trying to make it work because he loves Baz so much.
“Well, I’m near the end,
And I just ain't got the time,
And I'm wasted, and I can't find my way home”
I never thought of Simon as suicidal — not that sort of “end” — but I do think he’s ready to leave the world as he knows it. Because he doesn’t fit in. He can’t make it work. He can’t find his way home. Magic isn’t home anymore.
I often find myself listening to ‘70s rock and folk music when I’m writing Simon. There’s an earthiness to this music that feels right for him.
“DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE TO DO IT”
CASS ELLIOT AND THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL
Simon has to break up with Baz. And he doesn’t want to.
I think that Simon has been hoping Baz would get so disgusted and disappointed with him that Baz would be the one to do it.
This song isn’t quite perfect because the lyrics imply the person singing maybe isn’t as invested as the other person. But Cass Elliot’s voice is so beautiful and haunting. My heart would break every time I heard her sing, “No, I didn't wanna have to be the one to say ‘the end,’ ‘the end,’ ‘the end’…”
“THIS LOVE”
THE MAGIC NUMBERS
You really shouldn’t be reading this playlist if you haven’t read the book…
But if you have read the book, you know that Simon has a change of heart. He realizes that there might be a flaw in his thinking. Maybe he doesn’t have to lose Baz. Maybe he didn’t try hard enough to keep him.
I chose this song because it feels like a change of heart. It starts out slow and quiet and sort of sad. And then this gorgeous violin solo comes in and changes everything. (Baz is the gorgeous violin solo.)
The music builds itself up from there. I imagine Simon building himself up — and allowing himself to consider a new future with Baz. Allowing himself to be vulnerable, to take the risk.
“This love,
This heart,
This is waking up,
This love,
This heart,
This is waking up”
“A CASE OF YOU”
JONI MITCHELL
I played with putting two different versions of the same songs on each of Simon and Baz’s playlists, and then exploring how the song felt differently from each of their perspectives.
I gave Simon Joni Mitchell’s original version of “A Case of You” because this is my favorite era of music to associate with Simon — and because Mitchell’s “Little Green” has always been a Simon song for me.
At this point in the book, Simon comes to Baz’s door and tries to speak his truth: I love you. I want to try.
Joni’s Mitchell’s bell-clear voice seems just right for Simon’s feelings in this scene. There’s no adornment or disguise.
For Baz’s scenes, I dwelled on the melancholy and loss in this song. But for Simon – a strong person who loves another strong person, and who desperately wants them to be strong together – I stayed in this feeling: “I could drink a case of you, darling, and still I’d be on my feet.”
“RICHES AND WONDERS”
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
Okay, so this is a Mountain Goats song, so I know that there’s a terrible edge to it and a sense of unease, and that it’s probably about a very dysfunctional, unsustainable love affair…
But I’m going to set most of that aside — because the lyrics also capture some really beautiful things about love and especially about being young and in love. When I was listening to it, I’d mentally turn the dysfunction down from 11 to about 3.
I chose this song for the scene when Simon and Baz topple into each other’s arms again – that moment when they give in to how much they love each other and how rare and special it feels.
“We are strong, we are faithful,
We are guardians of a rare thing”
And:
“We show great loyalty
To the hard times we've been through”
I think that lyric is probably about people who are clinging to their trauma and bonding over it, which is certainly part of Simon and Baz’s connection. But it always makes me think of my closest relationships, the ones that have weathered the most trouble. I think of Simon and Baz and the bond they have, the history, the memories…
“We are filled with riches and wonders,
Our love keeps the things it finds”
Again, I’m sure these lines are meant to be dark, but they’re so beautiful to me. And so true of good love. The way you realize how much love is worth, how dazzling it is, and how you want to hold onto the good things you find.
“You felt shelter somewhere in me,
I find great comfort in you.
I keep you safe from harm,
You hold me in your arms”
(Sincerely hope John Darnielle never finds this and sees how severely I’ve twisted his song for my own purposes.)
“GIANTS”
BEAR HANDS
This was the peak Simon song for me and one that I often listened to to get into his head. (Looks like I listened to it 70 times while I was writing.)
I love how aggressive it is. Like, this song wakes up and immediately chooses violence.
“Two words!
Rock! Chalk! Shot a Jayhawk!
Never been in jail 'cause I never get caught!”
But what it is it being aggressive about? LOVE.
Even at his lowest, Simon is certain of his love for Baz. (This is a guy who will slaughter a vampire army for you, and then try to break up with you.) He knows that what he feels his real, even if he can’t manage it.
“I've been awake for days in the dusk and the dawn,
And you're loving me whether you want to or not,
But I want you for sure, I am loving you more”
Throughout the book, Simon struggles to stay present in love. He can hardly tolerate it, physically. At one point, he thinks, “Christ, he makes me feel warmed through. It’s so good, I can hardly stand it. It makes me want to bash my head into a wall, just for the distraction.”
This song is the soundtrack to bashing your head into a wall.
“What! No! No right from the start!
Go sell that shit somewhere farther from the heart,
Running, and running, and running, and stop,
Come on, we both knew this thing would be hard”
I can’t tell instruments apart, so I don’t know what instrument it is – maybe guitar? — but there’s something that comes in right after the singer says, “I am loving you more” every time. It’s this really pretty, spiralling groove. It reminds me of the way Simon fights himself and fights Baz and fights everyone, but then ends up kissing Baz against the back of a convertible or on his aunt’s couch. There’s a part of him that can’t resist tenderness, even though he doesn’t know how to stand it.
“CHASING PAVEMENTS”
ADELE
I listened to this song while writing Simon’s perspective on the rat hunt. I like that you can hear Adele’s accent as she sings. And I like how emotional she is, even though it’s a very soothing song. This song feels like a turning point. And that rat-hunting date is a turning point.
“BETWEEN THE WARS”
BILLY BRAGG
Again, I like it when I can hear the singer’s accent. I’m drawn to Billy Bragg songs when I write Simon, because Bragg writes about fighting for the rights of working people and of poor people. Simon genuinely wants to fight for something just. He doesn’t want power and wealth, not really, but he wants a noble cause. Billy Bragg has a very earnest, sometimes strident, way of singing that fits Simon for me. Especially Simon’s thoughts. His inner monologue.
This song is, I think, about regular people trying to get by between the wars in 20th Century Great Britain. It’s about how people really want to work. They want purpose and fair compensation. They want a government that values them apart from waging wars.
“Call up the craftsmen,
Bring me the draftsmen,
Build me a path from cradle to grave,
And I'll give my consent,
To any government,
That does not deny a man a living wage”
Simon is very much between the wars. His whole identity is tied to fighting and having a cause, and he doesn’t really know what to do with himself without the Mage and without magic. Billy Bragg is so plaintive in this song – take care of us, give us a banner, don’t leave us alone.
“Go find the young men never to fight again,
Bring up the banners from the days gone by,
Sweet moderation,
Heart of this nation,
Desert us not, we are
Between the wars”
It just really feels like Simon to me.
“HELPLESSNESS BLUES”
FLEET FOXES
That same feeling of wanting to be of service and wanting purpose becomes even more desperate here. More plaintive. More earnest.
This is the song that plays on a loop in Simon’s head. Tell me who I am, tell me why I’m here. Give me something to fight for. Tell me I’m useful, I need to be useful. I need to know that I have worth.
“What's my name, what's my station?
Oh, just tell me what I should do,
I don't need to be kind to the armies of night,
That would do such injustice to you,
Or bow down and be grateful,
And say, ‘Sure, take all that you see,’
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls and determine my future for me”
That’s the Mage. That’s his men. That’s the Coven. The whole World of Mages. Simon wants to be useful, but he’s tired of being used.
I love the way “Helplessness Blues” starts out calm and narrative:
“I was raised up believing I was somehow unique,
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see”
And then eventually it breaks into full-throated supplication:
“If I had an orchard,
I'd work 'til I'm raw,
If I had an orchard,
I'd work 'til I'm sore”
What would Simon work for? What can he still believe in?
Love. Baz.
“Gold hair in the sunlight, my light in the dawn”
The part of the song that wrecks me, when I think about Simon, is the very last line. He still aspires to be a hero. To be what he’s supposed to be.
“Someday I'll be like the man on the screen...”
“BIKE DREAM”
ROSTAM
For me, this song is about Simon giving in to love and wanting to be good for Baz.
I read an interview with Rostam where he talked about this song, and how it’s about wanting to be two different kinds of people when you’re in a relationship. Even as you’re avoiding intimacy – pulling away, lying, leaving – you’re imagining the version of yourself who is brave enough to stay and have happiness.
“Two boys,
One to kiss your neck,
And one to bring you breakfast,
Get you out of bed when,
You're sore from the night before,
From knocking on my door”
Rostam talks in that interview about how he writes lyrics, and it really resonated with me as storyteller:
“So at once there's a very specific set of associations that I carry, and then I'm trying to communicate something, but it's not specifically one story that I want to tell. I don't need people to hear it only one way. I don't want people to hear it only one way.”
July 1, 2021
Join me for a virtual celebration of the Simon Snow Trilogy!
I’m doing only ONE event for Any Way the Wind Blows — I’ll be talking to Vitor Martins, who wrote one of my favorite books from the last year, Here the Whole Time. (Read it! It’s a really sweet gay love story set in Brazil.)
We’re framing this as a conversation about the whole Simon Snow Trilogy. Every ticket includes a copy of the Barnes & Noble special edition of Any Way the Wind Blows, with a signed Watford bookplate. (The B&N special edition is available here. But the signed bookplates are just for this event.)
For me, this will be sort of a farewell party for these characters — I’m letting go of them for the first time in years. I’m feeling very emotional about it!!
This event is open to people in the United States, including Puerto Rico; Canada; and Australia.
June 5, 2021
Meet the CARRY ON Bookshelf Edition!
I am thrilled to share this — my publisher has put together a hardcover edition of Carry On to match the other hardcovers in the Simon Snow Trilogy.
When Carry On first came out in hardcover, we wanted the cover to be very modern and bold, to signal that this wasn’t a straightforward Chosen One story. Olga Grlic at Wednesday Books designed that cover — and even illustrated it herself. I still love it. It reminds me of a French New Wave movie poster.
But after Carry On came out, we realized that people didn’t get that the book was a fantasy. And lots of people still weren’t sure what to make of it. Was this some sort of elaborate prank? Had I written Fangirl fanfiction? We wanted the paperback cover to better communicate what the book was — an actual fantasy novel, a passionate romance, and very much its own story.
We sought out one of my favorite illustrators, Kevin Wada, and asked him to help us do something completely different from the hardcover. What I love about Kevin’s style, aside from how gorgeous it is, is that it feels vital and electric. In Kevin’s hands and with Olga still designing, Simon and Baz looked like they were going to charge right off the page.
For the first time, Carry On looked like itself.
When I decided to keep Simon and Baz’s story going with Wayward Son and Any Way the Wind Blows, everyone on the team knew we wanted Kevin to illustrate the covers. But we also knew how frustrating that would be for matching-book purists!
My editor, Sara Goodman, and I have been hoping for a matching edition ever since.
AND HERE IT IS.
We call it the Bookshelf Edition — because it looks good on the shelf next to its siblings. But this isn’t just a new dustjacket. The whole book got shined up. Check out the silver embossed stamp on the cover:
This coat-of-arms style logo was designed by my friends at Oxide Design in Omaha. Oxide also designed a more formal Watford crest. This one is the sports logo, like the one that would show up on Baz’s football shirt. (There are no filters on these photos, so the colors are pretty accurate, but you can’t quite see the silver.)
These new endpapers were illustrated by my husband, Kai. This was a map he drew for me in pencil when we were publishing the first edition. We needed to give something to Jim Tierney — who does all of the interior illustrations in the trilogy — to show him how Watford was laid out.
For that first edition, we really wanted a modern map. Carry On takes place in the modern world. The magicians don’t wear robes. They don’t use quills. We didn’t want that book to look whimsical; it needed to feel like a new and different world.
Now I feel like readers understand Simon and his world, and we can afford a little whimsy.
Look at that! There’s a “1” on the spine! It makes me happy to see Carry On take its place in the trilogy — and to think about how it was the start of something totally new for me, as an author.
The Bookshelf Edition, with all of its different artists and pieces, was brilliantly put together by designer Devan Norman at Wednesday Books.
It will be available in stores July 6, 2021, the same day that Any Way the Wind Blows comes out.
PREORDER FROM MY LOCAL BOOKSTORE BY JUNE 11, AND GET A SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED COPY.
May 5, 2021
Preorder ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS at an indie bookshop!
Your local bookstore might be offering a special incentive for preordering Any Way the Wind Blows — this really cool Watford enamel pin!
Below is the list of participating bookstores. I’ll keep the list updated. If you don’t see your bookstore, feel free to ask the store about it.
If you preordered a signed copy from the Bookworm in Omaha, you’re already covered!
Adventure Bound Books
Morganton, NC
https://www.adventureboundbooks.com/
Raven Bookstore
Lawrence, KS
https://www.ravenbookstore.com/
Bards Alley
Vienna, VA
Beach Books
Seaside, OR
https://beachbooks37.indielite.org/
Belmont Books
Belmont, MA
Bright Side Bookshop
Flagstaff, AZ
https://www.brightsidebookshop.com/
The Book Beat
Oak Park, MI
Book Cellar
Chicago, IL
https://www.bookcellarinc.com/
Book Revue
Huntington, NY
Book Seller
Grass Valley, CA
https://www.thebookseller.biz/
Bookhampton
Madison, CT
Books Around the Corner
Gresham, OR
https://www.booksaroundthecorner.com/
Books Inc
San Francisco, CA
Books of Wonder
New York, NY
Books on the Common
Ridgefield, CT
Bookshop Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA
Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI
Briar Patch
Bangor, ME
https://briarpatchbooks.square.site/
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
Copper Dog Books
Beverly, MA
Copperfield’s Books
Sebastopol, CA
https://www.copperfieldsbooks.com/sebastopol
Ferguson Books
Grand Forks, ND
East Bay Booksellers
Oakland, CA
Eight Cousins
Falmouth, MA
Shakespeare & Co. UES
New York, NY
Fireside Books
Palmer, AK
Flashlight Books
Walnut Creek, CA
Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC
Gallery Bookshop
Mendocino,CA
Gibson’s Bookstore
Concord, NH
Towne Book Center
Collegeville, PA
Main Street Books
Saint Charles, MO
http://www.mainstreetbooks.net/
Kismet Books
Verona, WI
The Doylestown Bookshop
Doylestown, PA
Left Bank Books
St Louis, MO
Face in a Book
El Dorado, Hills, CA
https://www.getyourfaceinabook.com/
Country Bookshelf
Bozeman, MT
https://www.countrybookshelf.com/
Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Asheville, NC
Bank Square Books
Mystic, CT
https://www.banksquarebooks.com/
The Dog Eared Book
Palmyra, NY
Old Town Books
Alexandria, VA
Powerhouse Arena
Brooklyn, NY
Powerhouse on 8th
Brooklyn, NY
Quail Ridge Books
Raleigh, NC
RJ Julia Booksellers
Madison, CT
Rainy Day Books
Fairway, KS
Books With a Past
Mount Airy, MD
RJ Julia at Wesleyan
Middletown, CT
Savoy Bookshop & Cafe
Westerly, RI
https://www.banksquarebooks.com/
Scrawl Books
Reston, VA
Sherman’s Books & Stationery
Boothbay Harbor, ME
South Main Book Company
Salisbury, NC
Subterranean Books
Saint Louis, MO
Page 158 Books
Wake Forest, NC
Talking Leaves Books
Buffalo, NY
The Astoria Bookshop
Astoria, NY
The Book Nook
Brenham, TX
The Novel Neighbor
Saint Louis, MO
Titcomb’s Bookshop
East Sandwich, MA
Skylark Bookshop
Columbia, MO
https://www.skylarkbookshop.com/
Watermark Books
Wichita, KS
Waucoma Bookstore
Hood River, OR
Winchester Book Gallery
Winchester, VA
March 31, 2020
Fangirl -- THE MANGA -- coming in October!
I’m thrilled to announce that Fangirl is getting a manga adaptation from Viz Media — with writer Sam Maggs and artist Gabi Nam!
The first of four volumes will be released Oct. 13, 2020. (THIS YEAR!)
I think fans of the novel will really dig this adaptation. Viz is dedicated to keeping the vibe of the book, and I’ve been working closely with Sam on the script. (I got to write some new dialogue, a few new scenes — and even some new Simon Snow stuff!)
I couldn’t have asked for a better team. Sam is a fandom and comics pro. (She literally wrote The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy.) Gabi is a South Korean artist whose attention to detail is going to blow you away. (Just look at the stickers on Cath’s laptop.) I can’t wait until see her Levi.
This gold cover was designed by Adam Grano. Adam put so much thought into how to reflect the spirit of Fangirl over four volumes. They’re going to look gorgeous as a collection.
You can preorder the first volume of the Fangirl manga here.
November 17, 2019
WAYWARD SON -- THE ANNOTATED PLAYLIST
I haven’t done an annotated playlist since Eleanor & Park. But I’ve been wanting to do one for Wayward Son. I make playlists for all my books as I’m writing. It’s part of my process: I don’t really start a scene or a section until I have the right song for it. Choosing the right song isn’t an exact science. Sometimes the lyrics are important, sometimes they aren’t. The feeling is what’s important.
For the purpose of this post, I linked to live recordings when I could find good ones; they’re more interesting to watch. But you can listen to the playlist with my preferred versions on Spotify.
“A PEARL,” MITSKI
This song sums up Simon so completely in Wayward Son that I didn’t add it to the Spotify playlist until after the book came out. It felt like too much of a spoiler. Like, I heard this song and thought, “That’s it. That’s book. Why even write it?”
“You’re growing tired of me
You love me so hard, and I still can’t sleep
You’re growing tired of me
And all the things I don’t talk about…”
For me, this song is about how being in love -- even being in love with someone wonderful — doesn’t fix you. It doesn’t erase all your previous damage. It doesn’t transform you from someone who fights into someone who loves.
“It’s just that I fell in love with a war
And nobody told me it ended
And it left a pearl in my head
And I roll it around every night”
Also, trauma, abuse and neglect kind of train you to keep other people at a safe distance. Just letting someone into your physical space can make you panic. So you can have all these “I love you, don’t touch me” feelings when you’re with someone you love.
As Simon describes it — “that static that I usually feel, like what’s happening between us is a building I have to run out of before it collapses on me.”
As Mitski says:
“Sorry, I don’t want your touch
It’s not that I don’t want you
Sorry, I can’t take your touch…”
Man. This song is so sad. And I’ve listened to it a lot.
“EYES OFF YOU,” BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
There’s a ton of Bombay Bicycle Club on my Carry On playlist, and I especially associate them with Baz’s inner voice and vibe. BBC’s lyrics are kind of obscure, so I just take what I want from them. For me, this song is about loving someone you can’t have.
This is Baz at the beginning of the book, knowing that he’s losing Simon, but not willing to let him go, and still being so glad to have any bit of him. The repetition of “I can’t be sad” and “I can’t take my eyes off you.” But also – “I can’t make you mine.”
“AFRAID OF NOTHING,” SHARON VAN ETTEN
Again, I take what I want from these songs. This is another Baz song for me — though there’s a bit of Penelope in there, too. Both of them looking at Simon and wanting him to let go of all the pain and fear. Because they’re both stuck with Simon. He has to move on, or they have to move on without him. Which they’re so far refusing to do.
“I can't wait
'Til we're afraid
Of nothing
I can't wait
'Til we hide
From nothing
Nothing”
“DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’,” JOURNEY
This is Penelope, sitting on the arm of the couch, trying to enchant some momentum into Simon. AND IT WORKS. (I mean, it really is hard to resist this song.) Early in my writing process, I posted a question on Facebook asking non-Americans what songs remind them of America. This song came up again and again.
“SIM SALA BIM,” FLEET FOXES
“Sim sala bim” is a phrase like “abracadabra.” Magic words for stage magicians. I like how melancholy this song is, and I like its blurry magickal feeling. This is another Baz song for me. (You’ll see that I was in a very Baz place throughout this book.) This is Baz on the plane to America, looking at Simon and wanting so badly to know what he’s thinking and where he’s gone.
“What makes me love you despite the reservations?
What do I see in your eyes?
Besides my reflection hanging high…”
The last line has a reference to Samson and Delilah.
“Remember when you had me cut your hair?
Call me Delilah then, I wouldn't care”
And it makes me think of Baz looking at Simon and thinking, “Remember when you made yourself so vulnerable to me? Where are you now?”
“CHICAGO,” SUFJAN STEVENS
I’ve never made sense of a single Sufjan Stevens song. But I’m pretty sure this one is about being young and taking a road trip and messing up. I chose this song because it feels right for the gang leaving Chicago, all of them confused and feeling big things. This is Penelope, crying in the back seat, thinking about how certain she was about all the wrong things:
“We had our minds set (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes)
You had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)”
Bonus: Sufjan Stevens performs this song IN WINGS.
“A HORSE WITH NO NAME,” AMERICA
Well, this song perfectly captures the feeling of driving across Iowa and Nebraska. Long stretches with nothing to look at. I find this song really gentle and soothing now, but I hated it when I was a kid. The lyrics drove me crazy. So Simon is soothed by it. And Baz is driven mad.
“SONSICK,” SAN FERMIN
Is this song about being sunsick? No. It is not. But what if it was? I like this song. And I love the chorus. Which seems to be about keeping your head up and holding on tight to your composure, even when life isn’t giving you what you really want. (One of my favorite things in the world is when people sing as high as they possibly can, and then try to sing higher. That’s the kind of ambition and desperation I can really connect with!)
I think of Baz, genuinely sunsick, looking at Simon and thinking, “I found me a hopeless case, and resolved to love.”
“MIDDLE CYCLONE,” NEKO CASE
This song is mostly Simon’s, with a dash of Penelope (and also every character I’ve ever written). I think it’s about desperately needing love and not being at all equipped to ask for it or receive it.
“I can't give up actin' tough.
It's all that I'm made of.
Can't scrape together quite enough,
To ride the bus,
To the outskirts,
Of the fact that I need love”
If that isn’t Simon, I don’t know what is. Also, the absolute poetry of that last line. “To ride the bus to the outskirts of the fact that I need love;” I will never ever be over it. This is Simon in the back of Shep’s truck, saying, “I’d give him all that I am. I’d give him all that I was. I’d open up a vein. I’d tie our hearts together, chamber by chamber.”
“I would trade you my empire for ashes.
But I choke it back —
How much I need love.”
“GET OUT THE MAP,” INDIGO GIRLS
There are moments in Wayward Son when Simon and Baz are genuinely happy. (Moments!) This song is for the two of them driving out of Omaha, high on their Ren Faire victory. “Get Out the Map” is such a happy road trip song for me. I listen to it over and over (and over) again in my car.
“I’m gonna clear my head!
I’m gonna drink that sun!”
The Indigo Girls were some of the very first openly queer people I encountered in culture. (And in life, honestly.) (I saw them seven times in concert in my early 20s.) The fact that they were women singing love songs about other women just blew my mind. It gave every song this extra layer of honesty and courage. I love them. And I love this line. I practically shout it every time it comes around:
“I’m gonna love you good and strong while our love is good and young!”
“IT’S ALRIGHT NOW,” BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB
Back to Bombay Bicycle Club, back to Baz. I have no idea what this song is really about. (NONE.) But it’s melancholy and yearning, and it makes me think of someone who isn’t getting what they need from a relationship. But they’re still begging, “Let me be your fortress.” And they keep saying, “It’s all right now.” Even though it probably isn’t.
Baz isn’t getting what he needs or wants. But he’s afraid to lose everything he has.
“Made a plan to be someone,
Mess it up when the moment comes,
Step away, step away, stay numb”
“SUN SHY,” DRESSES
I think this song actually IS about hiding from the sun. Baz and I approve! And maybe it’s also about hiding from the truth:
“Light, it never done much for me,
But lead me down a lonely road,
Hit the lights,
So I can see”
This song is Baz in Utah, just wanting to have a few moments with Simon without dealing with what comes next.
“WATCH ME,” LABI SIFFRE
I think this is the only straightforward love song on this playlist. For me, this is the song for Simon and Baz at their best, in those moments when they can actually cut through their damage and anxiety to be present for each other.
“Watch me when you call my name.
See me sparkle, see me flame.
Sing a song, play a game.
Oh, I'm sooooo…
Glad you came.”
(Labi Siffre is a wonderful songwriter who has been openly gay throughout his career. His songs are so tender and earnest. Here is another of my favorites.)
“SINNERMAN,” NINA SIMONE
I have a really hard time writing suspenseful scenes. This song makes me feel hunted and tense. (Which makes sense — it’s about a sinner hiding from God!) I used it to help me write the scenes after Las Vegas. It’s an especially excellent writing song because the mood of it is intense and sustained. That piano just climbs right up my spine.
“THE PARTISAN,” LEONARD COHEN
Okay, so this song and “Sinnerman” are on this playlist because I think Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a perfect movie, and I wanted the chase scenes in Wayward Son to have the same emotional texture as the chase scenes in that film. This song for me is Penelope and Simon marching up the sand dune, certain they’re walking into a trap.
“NOW, NOW,” ST. VINCENT
A rare Agatha song! This is Agatha saying, “I’m not any of the things you want me to be, and maybe I’m not anything good.” This is Agatha in the back seat of the vampire SUV, so tired of everyone using her for their own purposes and ready to set the whole world on fire.
“I'm not
The pawn to your king.
I'm not
Your world on a string.
I'm not
Anyone you'll beat.
I'm not
Any, any, any, any, any, any, any, anything.”
“LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY,” WARREN ZEVON
I use this song every time I need to write a scene where the shit hits the fan. VAMPIRE MELEE!
“GIVE OUT,” SHARON VAN ETTEN
This song feels like the end of the book to me, with Simon and Baz both knowing they’ve hitched their hearts to each other. And being afraid of what comes next.
“In my way,
I say,
You're the reason why I'll move to the city,
You’re why I'll need to leave.”
“HOW SHALL I LOVE THEE,” ROSE POLENZANI
I’m not sure what this song is about. I take the lyrics literally: How will you love someone after they leave you? I really like that phrasing — because you do keep loving someone even after they’re gone. The act of loving them changes when they go, but it doesn’t stop. And you know that. You know that, even as they’re leaving.
This is the song for Simon and Baz on the beach, on the precipice of something devastating.
“Pretend you never laid me down,
Pretend you never kinged my crown,
Pretend you never left this town.”
“CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME,” ELLEN MCILWAINE
I open and close this playlist with Simon songs. Simon is so lost and tired at the end of this book, and this song feels so lost and tired — and plaintive.
“But I'm near the end,
And I just ain't got the time.
And I'm wasted,
And I can't find my way home.”
“CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON,” KANSAS
As soon as I decided to write a sequel to Carry On, I started joking about calling it “Wayward Son.” And the more that I said “Wayward Son” out loud, the more it seemed ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. “Carry On” came from such a British place — “Keep Calm and Carry On” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But the sequel is so American -- and what is more American than Kansas? (Also, this song an excellent thematic fit: The book is about two young men who have lost their mothers, two young men who are hopelessly lost, literally and figuratively. Has anyone ever been more wayward?)
I ended the playlist and the book, knowing that I’d left Simon and Baz and everyone who loves them in a very hard place. This song is saying – it’s not over. Carry on, carry on.
August 12, 2019
Pre-order Wayward Son at an indie bookshop!
Your local bookstore might be offering a special incentive for preordering Wayward Son — this really cool “CHOSEN ONE” patch!
Below is the list of participating bookstores. I’ll keep the list updated. If you don’t see your bookstore, feel free to ask the store about it.
If you preordered a signed copy from the Bookworm in Omaha, you’re already covered!
An Unlikely Story, Inc
Plainville, MA
https://www.anunlikelystory.com/
Anderson's Bookshop
Naperville, IL
https://www.andersonsbookshop.com/
Battenkill Books
Cambridge, NY
https://www.battenkillbooks.com/
Belmont Books
Belmont, MA
Split Rock Books
Cold Spring, NY
The Book Seller
Grass Valley, CA
https://www.thebookseller.biz/
BookBar
Denver, CO
https://www.bookbardenver.com/
Bookies
Denver, CO
Boswell Book Company
Milwaukee, WI
Boulder Book Store
Boulder, CO
https://www.boulderbookstore.net/
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
https://www.brooklinebooksmith.com/
Chapter One Book Store
Hamilton, MT
https://www.chapter1bookstore.com/
Eight Cousins Inc
Falmouth, MA
Fireside Books
Palmer, AK
https://www.goodbooksbadcoffee.com/
Gibson's Bookstore
Concord, NH
https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/
Towne Book Center
Collegeville, PA
The Book Rack
Newburyport, MA
https://www.hugobookstores.com/bookrack
Itinerant Literate Books
North Charleston, SC
https://www.itinerantliteratebooks.com/
Jabberwocky
Newburyport, MA
https://www.jabberwockybookshop.com/
Doylestown Books
Doylestown, PA
https://www.doylestownbookshop.com/
Books & Co
Oconoomowoc, WI
Lowry's Books
Three Rivers, MI
Loyalty Books
Washington, DC
https://www.loyaltybookstores.com/
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café
Asheville, NC
Maria's Bookshop
Durango, CO
https://www.mariasbookshop.com/
Newtonville Books
Newton Center, MA
https://www.newtonvillebooks.com/cms/
Oblong Books & Music
Millerton, NY
Porter Square Books
Cambridge, MA
https://www.portersquarebooks.com/
R.J. Julia Booksellers
Madison, CT
Bartleby’s Books
Wilmington, VT
https://www.myvermontbookstore.com/
Rediscovered Bookshop
Boise, ID
Riverstone Books
Pittsburgh, PA
https://riverstonebookstore.indielite.org/welcome-riverstone-books
R.J. Julia at Wesleyan
Middletown, CT
https://www.wesleyanrjjulia.com/
Schuler Books & Music
Grand Rapids, MI
Scrawl Books
Reston, VA
Silver Unicorn Bookstore
Acton, MA
https://silverunicornbooks.com/
Page 158 Books
Wake Forest, NC
Talking Leaves Books
Buffalo, NY
https://www.facebook.com/talkingleavesbooks/
Wordsmith Bookshoppe
Galesburg, IL
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Independent-Bookstore/Wordsmith-Bookshoppe-2301479029928311/
The Bookloft
Great Barrington, MA
The Novel Neighbor
St. Louis, MO
Toadstool
Peterborough, NH
https://www.toadbooks.com/welcome
Women & Children First
Chicago, IL
https://www.womenandchildrenfirst.com/
Red Balloon Bookshop
St. Paul, MN
https://www.redballoonbookshop.com/
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
July 12, 2019
Let's read Carry On together!
Are you rereading CARRY ON to get ready for WAYWARD SON? Let’s read it together!
My English language publishers — Wednesday Books in the U.S. and Macmillan Children’s Books in the UK — are hosting a WORLDWIDE READALONG later this month, culminating in a Twitter book club with me!
You can join in by using the hashtag #CarryOnReading on Instagram and Twitter — and by replying to other people’s posts. I’ll be participating, too. Here’s the rough discussion schedule, but you can read and post whenever you like!
July 29 — Begin reading
Aug. 1 — Discuss Chapters 1-21
Aug. 4 — Discuss Chapters 22-44
Aug. 8 — Discuss Chapters 45-64
Aug. 11 — The rest of the book!
Aug. 11 at at 1 p.m. CST — Twitter Book Club with me!
June 28, 2019
It's a book, it's real book! PUMPKINHEADS!
Today I got my first copies of Pumpkinheads, the graphic novel I made with artist Faith Erin Hicks. Ah! It’s even more beautiful than I expected!
Pumpkinheads is about two teen pumpkin patch employees making the most of their last night at the patch. It’s probably the most joyous thing I’ve ever written, and Faith’s art is so expressive and lovable. I really hope you’ll like it.
It comes out Aug. 27th in both hardcover and paperback:
There’s no content difference between the hard and soft covers. The softcover has French flaps, as you can see below. (You can also get a sneak preview of the pumpkin patch in the book!)
Sarah Stern did the colors for the book, and they are lush and Octoberrific:
Will you like Pumpkinheads? I don’t know! Do you like great puns, bad goats and snacks???
You can read the first few pages of Pumpkinheads and find out about my tour with Faith here.
You can preorder a signed and personalized copy from my local indie bookseller, The Bookworm, here.
No matter where you preorder, enter your receipt here and get an adorable signed Pumpkinheads print signed by Faith and me. You’ll also be entered into a contest to win a trip!
The print looks like this:
We’re all so proud of this book. I hope you’ll give it a shot! If you have any questions, hit me up on Twitter.
June 26, 2019
GUIDE TO ‘WAYWARD SON’ EDITIONS
So I thought I’d put everything I know about Wayward Son editions, special editions and translations all in one place! I’ll update this page as I know more about release dates and covers in specific countries. Right now I only have information about English-language editions. If you’d like to order an edition from a different country, make note of the ISBN number and then try an online bookstore like Book Depository.
Also! In the next week or so, I’ll have information about a fun preorder incentive for independent bookstores. (Don’t worry: If you’ve already preordered through the Bookworm in Omaha, you’ll be eligible.)
Standard U.S. Edition
This is the hardcover edition you’ll find in most American bookstores and online at Amazon. It features a cover illustrated by Kevin Wada, plus beautiful endpaper and interior illustrations by Jim Tierney, and a foil stamp on the case (the hard board of the book).
Publisher: Wednesday Books
ISBN: 9781250146076
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Signed Copies:
The Bookworm in Omaha, Nebraska
This my local indie bookshop. It’s the only place to order signed and personalized books (where I write your name in them). The Bookworm will ship internationally, but it can be expensive.
DFTBA
I’m working with DFTBA to make signed copies available online. The advantage will be that DFTBA offers affordable international shipping. This option should be live in August.
Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Powell’s | Book Depository | Amazon
Books-A-Million Signed U.S. Edition
Same as the standard edition, with the addition of a Jim Tierney-illustrated page, signed by me.
Publisher: Wednesday Books
ISBN: 9781250618313
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Available exclusively at Books-A-Million
(No international shipping.)
Barnes & Noble Moon Special Edition
This is a hardcover edition offered exclusively by Barnes & Noble. It will have the standard interior illustrations by Jim Tierney, plus full-color illustrated endpapers by my Runaways partner Kris Anka. (The Sun and Moon Editions each have different sets of endpapers. I’ve seen them; they’re so gorgeous.) Plus! This dustjacket will have silver foil, and the case (the hard board of the book) will be stamped with foil artwork. This edition also has a chapter annotated by me.
Publisher: Wednesday Books
ISBN: 9781250618740
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Available exclusively at Barnes & Noble
(Some international shipping offered.)
Indigo Sun Special Edition
This is a hardcover edition offered exclusively by Indigo in Canada. It will have the standard interior illustrations by Jim Tierney, plus full-color illustrated endpapers by my Runaways partner Kris Anka. (The Sun and Moon Editions each have different sets of endpapers.) Plus! This dustjacket will have metallic gold ink, and the case (the hard board of the book) will be stamped with artwork. This edition features a letter from me. (I don’t know what it says. I haven’t written it yet.)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250618757
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Available exclusively at Indigo
(Some international shipping offered.)
Standard UK Edition
This is the standard hardcover edition you’ll find in bookstores in the United Kingdom. (That’s a brand new illustration by Kevin Wada!) I think there will be a signed version available, but I don’t have info yet.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Release Date: October 3, 2019
ISBN: 9781509896882
