Soman Chainani's Blog, page 16
July 24, 2020
July 23, 2020
SOMAN’S BLOG: Controversial Opinions, Movie Updates, Corona Summer, TikTok and More!
Hey Evs & Nevs,
It’s been a while, hasn’t it! What a summer we are all living through. And SO MUCH has happened. You know, I’m big on organizing things, so maybe the best way to approach things is in a tidy, organized list.
1. Movie news was announced last month and isn’t it glorious? Netflix will be producing THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD EVIL movie, directed by the brilliant Paul Feig.
For all updates on the movie, check out the latest installment of EVER NEVER TV, either in the School News section or on Youtube (youtube.com/EverneverTV), which features everything you need to know about the upcoming SGE movie.
This is Paul’s ship to run, as he’s a master director with a clear vision, and I’m here solely to get out of the way and let him make a great movie. That said, he’s been wonderful and inclusive, which is further proof of how awesome he is. Our job as the fandom is to keep spreading the word about the series, get people hyped, so that when the movie comes out it explodes — the more successful it is, the more sequels we will get! And we all know we want to see Filip in movie #2, so…. Get talking to your friends about SGE, especially the ones who haven’t read it. You are the Ever Never ambassadors and you are the future of the series, so thank you for all you’ve done and all that you continue to do. A series only lasts as long as its readers care about it, so each one of you is the reason why SGE continues to exist in the world and on people’s bookshelves.
2. Controversial opinion — am I the only one who thinks coronavirus has forced the world to become… better? I feel like pre-pandemic, we were all so caught up in pop culture and materialism and who was trending on TikTok. And the dire despair of this pandemic has forced us all to reexamine our priorities, our values, and work together. Sure, there are exceptions to this general trend — many exceptions, unfortunately — but in general, I feel like this is a big, great challenge we are forced to overcome as a species and there will be ups and downs, but we will come out smarter, more empathetic, and more connected as humans. But in the meantime, there will be a lot of pain and suffering, and each of us should do our best to alleviate this pain in those around us. Whether it’s tipping extra at your local takeout or helping your grandma figure out Zoom… think of the best way to help everyone through all the new challenges that have arisen. And those of you who are in school, whether online or in person… take it easy on your teachers. Thank them too. They’ve been through a lot the past few months.
3. Meanwhile, I’m in the most calm and creatively fruitful period of my life. Maybe because there’s no distractions. I took a social media break after the release of ONE TRUE KING, so I’ll dip into Instagram and Twitter, etc. here and there, but for the most part, I’m totally checked out. The SGE fandom is its own little ecosystem now and thrives in beautiful harmony as I move on to new worlds. During lockdown, my priorities have been getting superfit, because finishing Books 5 and 6 in succession combined with a fluke medical accident that required a serious recovery, meant that I came out of ONE TRUE KING super under-weight and had a lot of work to do to get stronger and back to fighting shape. Writing a series requires so much stamina and brutal focus, so in order to do it well, you need to be in exceedingly sharp fitness, I think, otherwise you end up getting fatigued at the ends of books, which is when you need the most energy. I envy authors like JK Rowling, who had 2-3 years between their books, but that won’t fly these days. So the only option is to get in better and better shape and be more disciplined about writing. (Hence, cutting out most social media). Luckily, I had a great trainer during lockdown and really buckled down. Packed on 20lbs of muscle, worked super hard, and I’m feeling more energetic and fit than ever before. Here’s a pic from my last training session with Alex in Miami —
That was when I was in Florida for 4 months, before I came back to NYC, where I’m happy to be back and seeing my friends and just out every night, walking in parks and laughing with people I haven’t seen in a long time. It all just feeds my creative energy being back in NYC, even though I can feel the ghosts of everything this city has undergone these past few months…
4. Speaking of creatively fruitful… I’m working on a new book. It’ll be out in Fall 2021. Stay tuned to an announcement of what it is in September, along with the books for 2022 and 2023…………
5. ONE TRUE KING is out into the world and doing so well, and I couldn’t be prouder of it. I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I did writing it. Every time I look at the six-book collection on my shelf now, I feel this swell of love, just for the journey I got to go on as an author, and for the books, which I feel like are a family of six children that are out in the world having wild, fun adventures, making new friends everywhere they go. Kids sometimes ask me what I would change if I could change anything, and the truth is, I feel so grateful and so awe-struck that I got to write these books at all — and to write 6 of them!!!! — that anything other than wild, gushing, unconditional love, the kind of love that Hort feels for Sophie would be insane. Whatever I write next, whatever I write until I die, SGE will have the deepest place in my heart because it was such a warm, passionate adventure, and I will forever appreciate every word of it and all of you who picked it up.
6. New contest will be incoming, as well as some movie related special assignments… In the meantime, catch up on Ever Never TV — this week’s episode will be a deep dive into my life, so you get to know a little more about me — and we’ll have some stellar episodes coming out in the next few weeks.
7. If we had an SGE TikTok… what should we post?
But that’s for it for now, because this kid needs to get back to writing 
July 15, 2020
July 3, 2020
June 26, 2020
June 8, 2020
May 28, 2020
May 24, 2020
SOMAN’S BLOG: 10 days left and SO MUCH NEWS — One True King Updates, Movie News, Countdown Videos, and More!
Hey Evs and Nevs,
We’re 10 days away from the release of ONE TRUE KING and I hope you’re as excited as I am! The books have arrived and they are gorgeous. I couldn’t be prouder of them and I cannot wait for you to read them and watch your beautiful little brains explode. Here’s a sneak peek at what they look like:
Alright, so let’s run down everything that’s happening…. because it’s… A LOT!
1. By now, you should have preordered your copy of ONE TRUE KING. You can do this from any retailer in the US — Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Books A Million or Target or Bookshop.org or your local independent bookstore! If you live internationally, you can order from Books of Wonder. All these links to preorder are on the homepage.
2. Once you preorder, you are eligible for the special PREORDER GIFT — an exclusive School for Good & Evil notebook, featuring a handwritten story by yours truly about the witches, called ‘The Pirate King of Blackpool.’ Just upload your preorder receipt to www.onetruekingpreorder.com and you will get your notebook after June 2! You do need a US address to receive it, though, so if you live internationally, get a friend to receive it for you!
Here’s what it looks like:
3. The ONE TRUE KING tour is coming — we’ll be announcing the public virtual events on May 26 and the virtual ‘Golden Ticket’ private events on June 1st. Stay tuned to the website and my Instagram (@somanc) for more.
4. Movie news is coming soon too. Very soon. Like sooner than you or I are ready for.
5. The Countdown to Book 6 has begun with a special video clue each day — you can watch them on EverNeverTV (Youtube.com/EverNeverTV), or on Instagram (@somanc), or on Twitter (@somanchainani), or on FB Watch (EverNeverTV). See if you can decipher what the clues mean!
6. The Recap of Books 1-5 Contest is still up… Make sure to enter to win your signed copy of Book 6!
7. Speaking of signed copies, they are available from Barnes & Noble, which includes a special edition poster with a SGE graduation exam and a color mural of the swans and the school. Supplies are super limited, so order yours before it runs out. We’ll also be posting a list of independent bookstores on Tuesday that are selling signed copies here on the website and on my instagram (@somanc) and on my Twitter (@somanchainani).
Phew.
That is it for now, even though there’s a lot going on! Plus… this bat virus, lol. I’m still in Florida, working on a new book (not SGE, but pretty awesome… you’ll see), working out a lot, and playing tennis, and otherwise very lonely and devoid of a social life, like most of us. But hopefully this time will pass and in the meantime, you’ll have ONE TRUE KING to keep you company, which I’m pretty sure you’ll need to read… several times
