I Was On Jeopardy!

And it was amazing!

Hello, friends! What a week this has been! My episode of Jeopardy! aired and, if the reception both from friends and strangers has been anything to go by, was as entertaining as I’d expected. My main aim going up there was to not embarrass myself, and I think I managed that and more! Both of my opponents, reigning champion Scott Riccardi and medical student Andrew Wang were extremely strong competitors and just absolutely lovely people. It was a real shoot-out, as host Ken Jennings described it later, as Andrew and I did our best to conquer a real monster on the buzzer. Alas, Scott vanquished us both but we certainly made him work for it!

If you watch the end credits, you can see that Andrew and I make the world’s dorkiest attempt at a high five at the end of the episode, because Ken is saying how we’re both strong contenders for the Second Chance tournament. I certainly hope so, as I’d love to go back! I know that I’ve stated in prior newsletters that I had the best experience with J! in California, and that has certainly continued as the show aired. It’s not just the tremendous feedback I’ve gotten from viewers but also the amazing relationships I’ve fostered from this. I have a talent for friendship — to the surprise of no one but my sister — so not only used the experience as a way to make new, dear friends, but also to get my old friends back together again for my watch party! We had it at Franklin Hall DC, and while my Asian background still feels that 40-something people is a small party, everyone had a good time and hopefully made and reestablished connections. I also got so much love from my far-flung friends around the country. You can see some of this at the Jeopardy! highlights reel I have on Instagram.

And because this is a Books & Games newsletter, here’s my personal favorite of those highlights:

I am never beating the Rogue/Bard allegations, y’all. Relatedly, I’ve recently had enough people assure me that I was giving wholesome in my episode that I’ve had a small identity crisis. Managed to bolster myself up by remembering that, like Sonya Falsworth in Secret Invasion (as played by Olivia Colman):

Coincidentally, it has been really weird seeing all the AI or otherwise bizarrely generated articles about me that have come out since my J! appearance. My siblings and I have definitely been giggling over some of the wilder (to us) details, none of which I will publicly correct in order to preserve my air of mystery/”wholesomeness”. It was nice to see my tabletop role-playing games get a shout-out tho.

Speaking of games and shout-outs, it’s my turn to shout-out a friend and publisher of mine, Long Tail Games, who have just launched the Kickstarter for the very cool Astra Del Rey retro comic book RPG! They essentially provide you with your choice of format for an old-fashioned graphic novel: pre-colored or uncolored, physical or digital. In the pre-colored version, you create the story by filling out the word bubbles, with dice-based prompts at the back of the book to help you create your story. In the uncolored version, you get to do your part to bring the illustrations to life, too! It’s a fabulous game for lovers of pulp sci-fi and space operas, so do check it out!

Again, I’ve been bad at keeping up with my book reading this week, partly due to finally getting started on my Hugo reading. The deadline is in less than a week, lolsob! I’ve made my votes for the Short Story category, and have read all of the Poetry barring Oliver K Langmead’s novel-in-verse Calypso, which I’m in the middle of now.

Speaking of verse, I did really enjoy Justin Colón and Kaly Quarles’ The Zombees this week, as did my youngest child! The excellent poetry reminded me of Roald Dahl, and the illustrations enhanced the text perfectly. It might seem a little early for a Halloween story, but who doesn’t need a little mental respite from the oppressive weather outside?

Alright, I have, as usual, a ton of reading and writing to catch up on, so see you in seven, friends!

Currently Playing (Music): Beethoven’s Symphony #2 in D Major; my Declan Rice and 2025 Energy playlists; Chappel Roan’s Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess; Stela Cole’s I Die Where You Begin; Soundgarden’s Superunknown; Sabrina Carpenter’s Manchild; Bob Vylan’s Humble As The Sun.

Currently Playing (Games): The Light In The Mist puzzletale, The Wild Beyond The Witchlight, Metazooa by Trainwreck Labs, Learned League trivia, NYT Connections, Your Friend In Witchcraft by Kay Marlow Allen; The Wolves Of Langston by Obvious Mimic.

Currently Reading/Writing (Games): Ghosts Of Saltmarsh.

Currently Reading or Just Read (Books): The Zombees by Justin Colón & Kaly Quarles; This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs; Hourglass by Barbara Mozzi; Hugo Short Stories and Poetry nominees.