Two Noras and Best Selling Author Sean Ryan

The podcast becomes a family affair as Nora and Nora welcome Nora's little brother, New York Times Best Selling Author, Sean Ryan! Sean pops by the pod to talking about his new graphic novel, "Xanar & Mr. Tuxedo"! A robot boy who’s relentlessly upbeat and a grumpy old penguin should not be able to exist in the same story without everything falling apart, yet somehow it works and it’s hilarious and heartfelt. Sean unpacks how his middle grade graphic novel 'Xanar & Mr. Tuxedo" went from an idea he first played with years ago to a fully built, wildly visual adventure you can actually hold in your hands.

We talk about the real mechanics of the creative process: why “blank page” fear is normal, how smart constraints make writing easier, and how worldbuilding problems can become story solutions. Sean shares the key breakthrough that made the book click, letting his characters come from different worlds, plus why he chose a Jane Austen inspired setting as a mirror for the theme of partnership and teamwork. If you love graphic novels, comics, children’s books, or storytelling craft, there’s a lot here to steal for your own work.

Sean also pulls back the curtain on how you write a graphic novel script, panel-by-panel directions, dialogue, expressions, pacing, and how much trust it takes to collaborate with an illustrator. And yes, we get the origin story of his Marvel internship, including the infamous Spider-Man Frosted Flakes box resume.

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Transcript

Camo Camo And Mother’s Day

SPEAKER_03 0:06

Hi, thanks for joining us today. It's Nora. And Nora, how are ya? I'm doing great. And I have to thank Olive Tree people. Remember last week I was saying I was getting a cold and then I was like double dosing the IO1. The camo camo. Camo camo. Good to go. I never got a cold. I had a sore throat for a couple days. A little bit of like a kind of a runny nose, but no full-fledged cold. So you think it's the camo camel? Yes. We gotta get Carly Joe back on the pod, our olive tree ready to share more. Yeah. It's glad. Yeah, because I was like, I don't have time for a cold. And I never got one. So it's great news. Yeah. How was your mother's day? My mother's day was lovely. Thank you. Got the whole fam. There were 16 of us out for brunch. It was really really nice. Wasn't that nice to get everybody together? Yeah, it was good. Yours was busy. Ours was busy. We had a mother-daughter soccer mass in the morning and a couple things. I thought you were gonna say mother-daughter soccer match. Oh gosh, no. Do tell. That is the mother's gay day gifts no one wants. It's like I would have come to see that. And then we had a couple games in the middle. Mike went to hit some balls. Elle did some stuff. Everybody's kind of in different directions in the afternoon. Ryan and I just sat in the backyard, visited with a friend, and opened up a bottle of bubbles. Which is not, yeah, not a normal Sunday happening. And then he put dinner on the grill, and I think we were all in bed by 8:30. Amazing. I know that's your jam. My kind of night. Yeah. Oh, because we got to spend the night. Oh, no, you shouldn't say. Oh, hello. Hello. Not that kind of podcast. Not those kind of Nora's.

Broadway Night And Show Memories

SPEAKER_03 1:53

We went out Saturday night. Oh, yeah. Hello. Oh my gosh. Nora, I true, I felt like I won a contest. I was so glad. And we should probably tell our listeners. We will tell everyone what it was. On Saturday night, someone who Ryan works with also happens to be a Broadway producer, invited us to a friends and family showing of Mama. I'm a big girl now. Mama, I'm a big girl now, which was the three leads from Hairspray back in the day. Yes. Because he was one of the producers on Hairspray. And I'm glad that they said this in the performance, but Hairspray in 2003, I guess it would 2002, 2003, was Hamilton. And that's exactly how you described it. And to hear them describe it that way was hilarious. It was such a huge deal. It was a huge show. Like those, and just an incredibly talented cast. And I was lucky I got to see it a few times on Broadway because of where I was working at the time. And these three women, I mean, I knew they were talented, but just to see them concentrated, like the three of them together, and to have so much fun and how they kind of interwoven their stories together and put other Broadway songs in there and the photos that they showed. I hope I wasn't too obnoxious. No, they were able to tell their life stories through musical theater. Yeah. Through mu through music from other shows. And they made it so personal because they had pictures of their own lives. And then they were able to tie a big bow on it and wrap their stories together. Yeah. And go out with a bang. And they were intermingling with us. Oh my gosh, it was so fun. Yeah, we had a dessert reception. And I want the outfit that girl and Laura Bell Bonnie. And you got to ask a question. I did get to ask a question. She had on a sequins blazer and pants with a pink blouse. I was like, I would wear that. Yes, you would. You would have a great pink blazer. I do it. Well, you you and Al made it so much more fun. It was a blast. Ryan and I really enjoyed the show, but to have you filling us in on the little details. And making you listen to show tunes on the movie. The whole way there to get prepped. Yeah, we had a fun dinner and jail. Oh, dinner was great. It was really nice to hang out with you and Ryan. Like it was like a dream night. It was like for me. I was like my friends and Broadway. And it was in a small space. Yeah. 200 people. I know. It was incredible. Good times. It was it was something I will never forget. Good times. It was a really better company. Oh. Speaking of good company, yeah. We had an incredible conversation with Sean Ryan, authority and brother Extraordinaire. Yes. His new book comes out this summer. Yeah. And we were lucky enough to sit down with him. Shall we let our listeners take a listen? Yeah. Here's our conversation with Sean. Enjoy.

Meet Sean Ryan And New Book

SPEAKER_03 4:54

And here we are back with Sean Ryan himself. Welcome. Hello. Hi, Sean.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Hello.

SPEAKER_03 5:00

Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

My pleasure.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

Do you know this guy? I've known him. Like I honestly can say I've known him his whole life. His whole actual life. And it's been a it's been a joy to be his sister.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

You're very nice.

SPEAKER_03 5:14

He's always been amazing and talented and creative. And he used to make well, first of all, we should say that you're a New York Times best-selling author. You are my brother, and you have a brand new book coming out this summer.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

July 7th.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Yes. Called Xanar and Mr. Tuxedo. Do people pre-order it?

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 5:33

Do you have to wait until the seventh?

SPEAKER_02 5:34

No, no. You can order it now.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

I've already ordered my. Oh, you have? And where is it available?

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Amazon, bardzanoble.com, or you know, you can just Google. It's a I'm lucky, it's a very Google, uh Google title. You just type it in.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

You just type it in and I would think as soon as you type in Xanar, X-A-N-A-R.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Yeah. And you know, you can go to the company website who paper cuts that publishes it. Any, but yeah, anywhere you can pre-order books. You can also go to Sean Ryan.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

Also, if you don't want to wait till July 7th, you can read The Amazing Spider-Man, right? Yeah. Some of your other books.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

Well, yeah, I have other comic stuff like Suicide Squad and assorted Spider-Man things here and there, Nova or other things.

SPEAKER_03 6:17

Yeah. But even when Sean was little, my dad used to bring home these little blocks of paper and he would draw little cartoons on them and flip books.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

I would draw the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

Oh, like the little like flipbook that you draw.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

I would do like a D like, oh, this is when they're on the B, this is when they're fighting the scorpion. So it's always Or I would draw Bill and Ted comics as well.

SPEAKER_03 6:39

And your characters would always have big green arrows. They would kind of like this book.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:45

Which is when I was like, oh, it's a thing. It's your signature. So you went to NYU for film.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Yes, correct.

SPEAKER_03 6:53

But did you always know you wanted to write, or did you Yeah. Like I would say so. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:58

I feel like there was a school project in fourth or fifth grade where you had to get assignments. And I was like, oh, I'll want to be on the writing part of it.

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Oh, like a group.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

It's like pick your pick your job in the group. Pick the job in the group. Yeah. Yeah. I always like writing things.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

When though you went, these were one of those questions where I was like, I should have probably asked him this years ago when you were at NYU. But did you ever consider a different side of entertainment or like movie making? Or you were always writing? It was always writing stuff.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

I actually like writing stuff.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Yeah. That's the part of it. It's the cre most creative part to me, and you're coming up with stuff and you don't have to worry about how it gets done or doing the like any of the other technical stuff. So it's just fun to do writing stuff.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

It's daunting to look at an actual book and think that somebody sat there and wrote that out of the thin air. Out of no like, what is the process of something like that? Like do you just sit down at your kitchen table with a number two pencil?

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Well, it's very long. I mean, if you want to go into how this book came about, I'm happy to.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

Yes. Yeah, please.

How Xanar Was Born

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Because these are characters I came up with in 2000. So a long time ago. Characters I always really liked. They were a little different back ends than everyone.

SPEAKER_03 8:10

So it was a school assignment?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

No. No. It was just having some fun.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

Oh, you're amazing.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

I came up with it while I was working at the county, I remember. I didn't have much to do, so don't name the county file.

SPEAKER_03 8:22

I'm certifying people's divorce judgments. Sean's writing future best-selling papers. Right sometimes. And I'm filing paper at the car dealership papers.

SPEAKER_02 8:31

So it was a little different. He was a person. Xana was in the book as it is now. Xanor's a robot and Mr. Tuxedo is a penguin. And when I first came up with it, Xana was a person. He was sort of based off my friend Mike Holzman. So the idea was that he's annoying and Mr. Tuxedo's old. And they're two characters that this spy space organization wants to get rid of. So they're like, we don't like either of these two. Let's send them out on missions to get rid of.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

And then that's how it started. And then over the years, it evolved a little bit to where Zanar became a robot because his personality changed just being very positive. And it was like, well, he doesn't is a person, it doesn't make sense that a person would be really like that. So it's like, oh, well, maybe he's a robot. And then it was like, oh, that makes more sense.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

Oh my gosh. This is fascinating.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

So then that was like 2007. And then years and years I would think about it every now and then because I just liked these two characters so much. Because it's there's Xana who's like positive and upbeat, and then Mr. Jackson, who's old and kind of crumpy, but they're friends, so I always liked them together. But it never made sense to me how they existed in the same world. Sure. Because you're like, if you have a world where there's a robot, and then you also have this penguin who's alive and sentient and stuff, you're like, it was too cumbersome of how they both exist within the same world. So it was always I would always come up with stuff for them, and then I would bump into that of like, this world's too complicated. So the big breakthrough happened five years ago when I was like, well, how do they exist in the same world? And then I was like, well, what if they don't exist in the same world and they come from different worlds? And then I was like, oh, that's great. So then they can each come from their specific worlds, they can be very special in their own worlds, and then they can come together, and then we can go to then we can jump to other worlds, and then blah blah blah blah. So that's when it really like the actual core of the idea happened. And I thought, oh no, this is something I could actually pitch to somebody.

SPEAKER_03 10:27

So every time you had a little thought or like the plot moved forward or you had an idea, would you write it down somewhere?

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Or did it just live in your head?

SPEAKER_02 10:38

Like there'd be some would live like it would live in the head a little bit, but then every now and then I'd write stuff down. Like there's a ton of stuff I've written down of like old rejected ones where it's like they would be part of like a like I said early on, they were part of like a space spy organization and go on missions and stuff. So that's all written down, but then discarded.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

Are you like me and you get ideas when you're

Building Worlds That Actually Work

SPEAKER_03 10:59

driving and in the shower?

SPEAKER_02 11:00

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:01

That's usually I do a lot of choreography in the shower.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Or going to bed.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

Or in the car, too.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Yeah. Your mind just wanders.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

But also keeping in mind the safety of uh being on the road.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

And washing your pets.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

I won't I won't write down while driving.

SPEAKER_03 11:17

Because as much as I've talked to you about your book, I was really excited when I got to read it because the different I didn't know that they were from different worlds.

SPEAKER_04 11:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:26

So as the readers could probably imagine, when you read the book, when you see the Xanar like robot boy world, and then all of a sudden you turn the page, and then you're in the you know, Mr. Tuxedo talking animal world, it was like, oh my gosh, I liked this world. And I like that the walrus had pearls on.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Oh yeah, she's in charge.

SPEAKER_03 11:47

There you go. And so then that was like such a surprise. And then when the two of them travel to like Jane Austen time.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Jane Austen land.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Jane Austen land, I was like, oh my gosh. So that had me wondering, are you as big a history buff as your sister? Because when I saw that world, I immediately thought of Nora.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

I do like history a lot. I picked the Jane Austen one just because it was it Bridgerton related. No, it's because when you're saying writing things and how do you come up with stuff? Because I always think of people a lot of times will be like, oh, writing's like, oh, the Blake Page, what do you do? Whereas I think it's it's more like you can do anything, it's about narrowing down what you can do. Because when it was like, oh, they can jump to all these different worlds, it was like, well, they could jump anywhere. But you're like, well, where should they go? And if this first story is about the two of them coming together as a partnership and like learning how to be a partnership together, they should go somewhere where the genre is about coming together and being a partnership. So it's like, oh, would it be like a rom-com or maybe it's like a Jane Austen love story thing? It's like, oh, that makes more sense because it also looks Jane Austen. I picked Jane Austen because it's more contained, they're in a manor house, and also because it just looked visually more different than where they're from. But it was like, oh, it's where they go should mirror what the story is also about. So then it can work better that way.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

All your ideas translated so nicely onto this. Isn't it? Yes. And kudos to your artist, Julia. How do you pronounce her last name?

SPEAKER_02 13:24

You give it a shot.

SPEAKER_03 13:25

Giacomino. Sounds great. Oh my god, so I'm going with that.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

She's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

She's incredible and did a beautiful job capturing these three very different worlds.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Very difficult. I asked a lot.

SPEAKER_03 13:39

Did your vision match what she created?

SPEAKER_02 13:43

For the most part, I mean, the I would say Mr. Tuxedo looks different than I always pictured him, or I would always draw him. And so, but so when she first turned in the sketch, it was like, oh, that's different than what I thought. But at

Choosing Jane Austen Land

SPEAKER_02 13:55

the same time, I was like, it's still great. And it she it's it still looks like what he should look like. So when you're ever writing comics, you kind of have to be flexible on what you picture it to be, but also letting them express what they're what they think it should be and not be so like, but I wanted it exactly like this, and it's gotta be like this, because otherwise the artist is gonna be like, bye.

SPEAKER_03 14:19

I talked to my children about this a lot, and actually with my musical kids recently too. And I was like, you cannot be in the arts and not know how to collaborate.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Right.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

I was like, there is so much and take in the arts where you're like, oh, well, that's not how I saw it. This is how you see it. It's different. It doesn't make it better or worse. But this your idea you know, just how it's like.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

If something messes up the story part of it, then that's one thing. It's so there'd be I can't remember off the top of my head, but there were a couple things where it's like, oh, let's not that needs to shift because if that's or like certain facial expressions she would have him do where it's like he shouldn't be that agitated because that's not his character. Or so if it's character story things, but if it's like, oh, I thought that image he would be smaller in it, you gotta change it. Otherwise, the yeah, like I said, the artists will be like, I don't like you.

SPEAKER_01 15:13

This is brutal.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

How did you guys connect?

SPEAKER_02 15:16

When I was looking to pitch it, I was looking for artists because I wasn't sure if I needed one to pitch it or not. And I wanted the move or I wanted the book to look like an animated movie. So as much as it can. So I've I looked certain comic publishers publish like Disney comics, stuff like that. So I looked up Disney comics, current ones, and who's drawing those. And she was drawing a Lilo and Stitch one. I was like, oh, her artwork's great. And she I know she can draw whatever she needs to on those, and then looked up her other work and it was had great energy and character stuff. So I was like, oh, she's great. And then when we were looking for an artist, when I got approved to do it at the publisher, they had some idea that I was like, what about this person?

SPEAKER_03 16:03

Oh, fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

And so they then

Collaborating With The Illustrator

SPEAKER_02 16:05

reached out to her and she luckily was available to do it.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

Will your book get translated into Italian?

SPEAKER_02 16:11

I don't know. I hope so.

SPEAKER_03 16:12

Yeah. Because where were mom and dad once and they saw one of your comics? In Germany. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Because that's like, but that was like a DC thing. So there's more deals in place. But so I don't know what this publishing company's international reach is.

SPEAKER_03 16:25

But can you talk? Because this is one of the things that is overwhelming to me. To write a graphic novel, you think like, oh, it's pictures, but not only do you have to write the words, but you can't what they say, like the dialogue. Yeah, not even not just the dialogue, but you have to the panels. So like per page, you have to write panel, like the stage directions, essentially, and like even down to like off-panel. So we hear, we see we read the words, but we don't see the person. Like the amount of detail. Where did and you learned how to do that part in school?

SPEAKER_02 16:57

No, I learned that from like I used to be an editor at Marvel in DC and stuff. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:03

Can you tell Nora how you got your first job at Marvel? Because I was telling how I got my first job at the league. Oh, yeah. Oh my gosh. I knew I know that's right.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

I got an internship at Marvel and they didn't I didn't want to do this, but they said you should we had a Frosted Flakes box that was like had a Spider-Man toy in it or something, and like you should put your resume in this Spider-Man, like this Frosted Flakes box and send it that way. I was like, that's horrible.

SPEAKER_03 17:28

Even college, like you know, it wasn't a thing yet, but like cringy. Like, uh I was like, that's horrible.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

But they convinced me to do it, and it was funny because then the woman the intern coordinator, when I got hired to do it, she was like, Oh, and like the thing you did with the box, like I wouldn't do that again.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

Oh, she did.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

But I said, well, I'm here, aren't I?

unknown 17:47

You're like, but it works.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

It works.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

You're like, I don't need to do it again. Right, but done and done.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

So yeah, I I interned at Marvel for like a year while I was in school and then work. But yeah, so with writing comics for this way, there's different ways to do it, but for this, it's yeah, every specific panel, it gets broken down. I go, page one, panel one, this is what's happening in this panel. This is his expression, this is what the idea is. And sometimes you are specific of like, let's do a close-up of his face, let's do this, or sometimes you're vague of like they're standing there, blah, blah, blah. You know, do it how you want. But each one you break it down and then you say in each one what they're saying.

SPEAKER_03 18:27

That's insane. What okay. What's the difference then between a graphic novel and a comic book?

SPEAKER_02 18:32

Just trying to sound fancy. Or length. I mean, I guess in the technical term, if a comic book would just be like the loose, like the more floppy 20-page one you get at a comic book store. Whereas you could argue a graphic novel is the ones that are like larger books. But I also think graphic novel was a term they invented in the like 80s or something to be like, these are real books. Yeah, well.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

So you can use them interchangeably? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:58

You could call this a comic book. It's fine.

SPEAKER_03 18:59

Well it's like movie and film to me.

SPEAKER_02 19:02

That's how that's how I feel about it. I don't know if other people agree, but what do you

Writing A Graphic Novel Script

SPEAKER_02 19:08

the age range? I would say the age range is like second grade through seventh or eighth.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

Second and up.

SPEAKER_02 19:16

Yeah. But I think I mean, I'm biased. I think anyone would.

SPEAKER_03 19:19

You can't put a cap. I know I agree. I I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

But that's the way the publisher looks at it is middle grade, they call it.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

Because I've been telling all my friends.

SPEAKER_02 19:28

Middle grade people.

SPEAKER_03 19:30

Okay, so at the end of the book, it really kind of lends itself to a second one. Yeah. And that was very cleverly done.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

Well, I would hope we could do another one.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Have you started thinking?

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Oh, yeah. I know. I mean, they haven't said it can do another one. I have no idea if we'll be able to do another one, but I certainly have the idea of what the second one is, and then a loose for the third, and then the fourth. And then hopefully there would be four.

SPEAKER_03 19:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

Is the is the dream, is there would be four of them.

SPEAKER_03 19:56

That would be amazing. So originally then, is this your original idea like stretched out, or was this the original idea and you found ways to add to it?

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Well, the idea lends itself to sequels because they jump around to different places. It's it's um it kind of lends itself to be like, oh, well they're gonna go to different places, and they have to find these different in the book. The bad guy The crystal spoiler, like the bad guy gets killed in like the first 50 pages, but he almost sends his soul out in these gem, and they're separated and it's a different world, so they have to go hunt down his different parts of himself.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Okay, and speaking of he in characters. Can we talk about how Roy Higgins sounds like the name of a guy who grew up on the South Side of Chicago?

SPEAKER_04 20:44

That's funny.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

I wondered how you came up with his name and how you came up with names for your other characters. Because it doesn't sound like a villain named. No, it's like really like it. Because they're like, it's Roy Higgins. I'm like, he's terrifying. Wait, he's not a nice man.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

The bad guy ever since 2000 was always named Roy. Okay. And they were originally started the jerk kid who doesn't like them, who's like son, or he's the son of the general who ran the like space spy organization was named Roy. Because I just think it's like a jerky sounding name.

SPEAKER_04 21:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

But then when I came up with the villain, then for what it is, he's you know, for the if you can tell, he's a very Harry Potter-esque character. He's like a grown-up Harry Potter whose bad guy won't go away, so it drives him crazy. So I was like, well, Roy still works, and then like you want to just think of like, well, what's a not Harry Potter, but like what's a Harry Potter-ish sounding name, Higgins. So then it just became Roy Higgins.

SPEAKER_03 21:40

I think it's great. Because it's also kind of like one of those names where you have to say the first name and the

Marvel Internship And Comics Career

SPEAKER_03 21:45

last name. Yeah, Roy Higgins.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

A lot of times you're coming up with names, you just want it to like have a good rhythm to it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

Yeah, Roy Higgins. Roy Higgins has a nice rhythm to it. There's also some really lovely lessons because Xanar, like you said, is just so sweet and positive. And it reminded me a lot of like a a child who was in fifth or sixth grade who is kind of at that turning point of still very sweet and but then also kind of like hey guys, what's going on? Like, wait, why are you doing this? Yeah, wait, why don't we like these people? Why did it and I feel like you captured that really well. And there's some lovely little lessons I think hitting to the story. Which is one you hope that kids absorb the most?

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Well, the I mean, the being positive part, I mean, that's kind of the overarching thing, hopefully, we can do in the four is the positivity versus negativity and trying to stay positive when because as the story goes on, more bad things will happen. And if you notice right at the end, he has to take in the like soul part of Roy Higgins into the gem. It's very small, but it's it's subtle, and we'll hopefully get to it where he goes, like, no, no, no, it like hurts a little. Oh, and so it might like physically. It might be the more he col the more he collects, the more it might cloud his own thing. So it's about how do you fight back against How do you keep that like security?

SPEAKER_03 23:10

Yes. Like that's that child like sweetness.

SPEAKER_02 23:13

But how do you at least try to? So at least in this one, the big story is just like that, like I said before, like partnership and becoming a team. Like they come together and be a team somewhat easily because they both really like each other, but Xanar has to learn the thing where he leaves Mr. Tuxedo outside. Yeah. Then the big thing is they kind of teach the two other characters, Tom and Catherine, about because they're both not sure if they want to be part of a team because she doesn't want to be silenced as her basic thing, and then he's very anxious and nervous about doing the wrong thing.

SPEAKER_03 23:49

And that was another great name, Catherine Swan, right?

SPEAKER_02 23:52

Like That's because sh they're both what's the is it Pride and Prejudice or sentence? I always forget which is which. There's the Kira Knightley.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

That's Pride and Prejudice.

SPEAKER_02 24:01

Pride and Prejudice. So her Oh, Swan is from Swan is from Fire to the Caracas. Oh, yeah, her last name is Swan in that one. And then I named him Tom because the guy who plays the guy in Pride and Prejudice name is Tom on Succession.

SPEAKER_03 24:16

Oh. Because I was like, you know it's Mr. Darcy, right?

SPEAKER_02 24:21

Yeah, but he's called Tom in this, and his assistant is called Greg because of Succession as well.

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Oh, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 24:28

So and I mean names are tough because you're like, I just they need names, but so you don't want to like overthink it, but you're like, okay, Tom, that works.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

One time when Aiden and Rory were like three and four years old, you wrote, was it Suicide Squad and you put their names in the middle of the side. Oh, did I? That's fine. Yeah. As a I think they were Amanda Waller's kids.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Oh, funny.

SPEAKER_03 24:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Which was really they were like You gotta come up with names somehow. Thanks. And so you're trying to make it easier. But I forget, oh, just yeah, their lesson of coming together. And one of the things I liked when I was like, oh, they go to this Jane Austen thing, but then I liked is Roy's essence is in the house. Because the idea is that he will always go to the place that people want the most or what they're looking for the most. So the house is the most important place in this Jane Austen world. Because I feel like in those Jane Austen stories, it's always like well, house or who's gonna take care of us or who's gonna take over the house?

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Oh, our cousin has the house because women don't inherit it.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

If it was a pirate thing, he'd be where the treasure is or whatever. So in this it's the house, but since he's in the house, I would I was happy because then it's like, oh, then the genre can change within it,

Themes Of Positivity And Teamwork

SPEAKER_02 25:30

because then it can become a haunted house thing. And then this and then it's nice because then what they're afraid of can come out like she's afraid to be silenced, basically. So then in the story, her drawings aren't working, like she tries to draw, but nothing comes up, and then she can't talk. And then he thinks he's comfortable under the sheets, but then it turns out it's suffocating. So it's like, oh, I think I'm being safe by avoiding everything, but it's actually suffocating.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

There's so many lessons buried in here. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:00

So it's it's but what helps is when you come up, when you know what the story's about. I always think, like I said, it's like once I know what's about, then that helps your decision-making process because you're like, well, it's about this. So what has to happen has to be revolve around that.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

There's a there's been a cardinal on my desk. Well, I'll go watch on this this whole time. And we always see that. That's my papa. Oh nice. I'll cut that out. If you just left, well, I ruined it because I told you, but I'm like, I felt like I was getting distracted. Um he's been like, that was kind of cool. That's really neat. Yeah. Thanks, Papa, for listening. Do you have a favorite book or story? I mean, uh besides Xana or Mr. Tuxedo, because I'm sure that's your favorite. No. Do you have a favorite comic book storyline or arc that you've done?

SPEAKER_00 26:43

Oh, that I've done? Yes. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Not just like in general.

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Oh, I thought you meant in general.

SPEAKER_03 26:49

That's like when people ask me my favorite musical. I'm like, I don't know. It depends on the day. But no, that you've written.

SPEAKER_02 26:54

I'm pretty proud of that, specifically the third part of that COVID nurses comic idea.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

This is amazing, Sean.

SPEAKER_02 27:01

The poem one at the end. I like it.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

Can you describe it? I don't know if you knew about this. I don't know about this. And I don't think our listeners do either. So they share it.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Uh long story short, during COVID, a health network in Pennsylvania called the Allegheny Health Network reached out to Marvel for help because they wanted to have a comic to give to their nurses to thank them for all they had done during COVID. I knew the guy who at Marvel like worked in that department that they're called custom comics when outside people asked, like, we need a comic, so then Marvel will make them for him. So he hired me to write, it was like I forget how many pages it was, but write like a comic with three separate stories, like honoring nurses who did co like were involved with COVID. And the the third one I really, really liked. It was like a poem about a patient and how much she appreciated.

SPEAKER_03 27:50

It was a poem, didn't it?

SPEAKER_02 27:51

Well, there were three separate stories, and the first two weren't. Oh, right. And then the third one was, and it was about like a patient is a nurse, who he's the nurse with the smiling eyes, because that's all he could see was her eyes and just sort of how she helped him and how alone he was, and blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

So I would say maybe that. I think that's that was amazing.

SPEAKER_03 28:08

It's a meaningful project show.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

The note, the Allegheny Help, they were like, why is it Ryan? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:15

You stick to doctoring, and we will make it. So I would say You were you were on CNN, the interview just.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

That was live too, which is crazy. I'm on live TV.

SPEAKER_03 28:26

I bet you were great live.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

You're very kind.

SPEAKER_03 28:29

Um he's great right now. Because Sean used to do a podcast too.

SPEAKER_01 28:34

Uh yeah. With Carrie.

SPEAKER_02 28:35

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Years and decades.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

That's where I got this microphone from. Yeah. Okay. And you're gonna be on another podcast too.

SPEAKER_02 28:41

Yes, in a month.

SPEAKER_03 28:43

So we're on the circuit.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

We're on the

Where To Preorder And Stay Updated

SPEAKER_02 28:45

case.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

I guess you're on the circuit. All right, so tell our listeners where can they go to stay updated about your books and get information and stay in the loot.

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Uh Xanar MrTuxedo.com is a place you can go. There's also an Instagram setup. Xanar Mr. Texedo. Loves it. Social media.

SPEAKER_03 29:05

I'm like, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

I don't like it at all.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Okay, all of us then like, Sean, you have to have that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 29:12

But like, honestly, all you need to know is it comes out July 7th.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 29:17

It comes out July 7th.

SPEAKER_03 29:19

Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 29:20

It's pre-order now. That's all you really need to know. There's no there's no other updates.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

What you need to know is Sean Ryan is a genie. I think it's a good idea. No, you're very audience kind of all. You guys are an unbelievable family. The funniest family I know and very talented. Great conversation. Oh, wow. Thanks. Thanks for joining us today.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

My pleasure. I just hope people I like I said, hopefully people enough people get it and they let me do another one.

SPEAKER_03 29:44

Yes. Yeah, so I got my copy. Mark your calendars. Will you sign up for me when I come in?

SPEAKER_02 29:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 29:49

Oh, thanks, Sean. All right. Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

My pleasure.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Bye. Bye.

Sponsor Break Buick SUV Deals

SPEAKER_03 29:55

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Post Interview Takeaways On Creativity

SPEAKER_03 30:58

brother. He's very talented. He's pretty amazing. And it's been interesting, you know, just obviously knowing him his whole life. And there'll be times, you know, when he's had projects where they're like, yeah, they just wanted me to come up with a couple ideas about XYZ. And he's like, so yeah. Where he can just the way his brain works, it's just remarkable that he can create all of this original, beautiful material and to be able to write it out and then so well that this artist in Italy can put his ideas into pictures. And it's we're so our whole family is just hyperactive. He's very chill, and the rest of us are like losing our minds. What really struck me was when he talked about how instead of having a blank slate in front of him, he had a slate with all the words that he just had to navigate. It's like that's not how I would think about writing. See, I I can relate to that a little bit. I think when I do the musical, I think about like, you kind of have to give yourself the parameters of like, what are my kind of like limitations or what are my what are the things I have to achieve in this? So then, because yeah, to just flip over and have a blank page is terrible. And terrifying. Yes. So you need you need those parameters. You kind of need the it's like when you play a game. It's like you need the rules for a game. Otherwise, you know, like if there were no rules in football, you'd be like, well, what's the point? You could just be like, I win. Like, what do you mean? It's like, well, no one said any different. But super excited. He's also doing a signing at the comic book store in Lagrange on July 11th. Yeah, so if you're in the area, stop by the Lagrange comic shop and July there. I'll be there too. Oh, like two Noras. Two Noras on a comic book. That's why the mic.

Highs And Lows Irish Dance Win

SPEAKER_03 32:50

No, really. Let's actually have the highs and lows, though. Okay. Uh, where are you at? No real low. You know, just like normal, annoying stuff. But nothing. Nothing worth mentioning. My low is I lost my credit card. Oh, should I say that? Out loud. No. Remember, I lost my driver's license the other week and I found it. Where do you find it? In my coat pocket. Oh, my driver's or my credit card is probably not in your card. It's not in my coat pocket. No. Okay. Should are have you given up hope? Have you reported up hope? You know, but like have you reported? No, I'll say a couple more prayers to St. Anthony. Okay. Before he threw on the towel. All right. Well, good luck. Thank you. And my high was Mother's Day. Oh. That's nice. My high, besides the contest that I won to go out to dinner with you and Ryan and go see that show was Rose had her very first Irish dancing fashion off. And so she and I went up Friday night to Milwaukee. She was just so excited to be in a hotel. And then we went out to dinner. She and I went out to dinner and she's great. She's like, Do you want to share something? Like she likes to share, and she's the best eater. So that was really fun. And then we went to the fesh, and I was really proud of her because I had never been to a fesh before. She had never been. And we walked in and it was overwhelming. It was in this gigantic indoor sports complex, a lot of girls and makeup and wigs. And she's not at that point yet. We're still just fresh faced and straight hair. But she we registered and then she pulled me to the side and I could just see her eyes well up. I was like, Are you nervous and overwhelmed? She was like, Yeah. I'm like, Do you want to cry? She's like, Yeah, I'm like, go for it.

unknown 34:33

Like, she was crying.

SPEAKER_03 34:34

I'm like, don't hold it in, let it out. And she was like, it's so so, and then she calmed down, we talked about it, we saw her teacher, and she won three medals. Good for her. Did she feel so proud of herself? She was so proud and like she got her little bag of medals, and they make a big deal when it's your first fish. They gave her an additional medal for that, and a little tote bag and a teddy bear. She got a lot of hardware. She got five medals. This is maybe lower the fesh fee. I got on the medals. No, I was just I was really proud of her because she's she's only eight. But when you see your kid just handle the stress, and and I was like, you know,

Wrap Up And Next Week Tease

SPEAKER_03 35:18

you wanted to do this, so if you want to do it, let's do it. You know, and then because in that moment, I think you you see your child, you're like, well, just leave. Don't do it. We'll just go. Or get out there, just go. Yeah. So I was like, but no, you need to stay, because you need to do this, because you wanted to. And it's that like so it all worked out well, and I was really well I'm happy for her. So I'm happy for Rose. She had a little moment. But well, this was a lovely, this was a great time with Sean and with you. Likewise. All right, we should do it again soon too. Next week. Yeah, let's try. Join us next week. We're gonna try this podcast thing again. Bye.