The Farewell Scene: An Introduction

I wish I had some profound story behind the title I write under. 

I know it was sometime in 2008. I had gotten my own apartment which was too big for my own needs. It was sparsely decorated but also probably the best set up I've ever had anywhere I've lived. At one point I had a dining room table but since I was the only one there I purchased a huge desk and set up a writing station with a white board and everything. This was my command center. 

Like every writer out there, I would grab inspiration from everything around me. I was sitting at this desk while skimming through my iPod because iPods were still a thing at this point. Among the thousands of songs I never listened to was a complete discography of John Williams, the guy behind the Star Wars music. One random film soundtrack in there had a track labelled The Farewell Scene. For a movie, the purpose of the track was obvious. The title spoke to me, and has stuck around ever since. Thanks John. 

As a wanna-be edgy twenty-something youth, I attributed it to a type of Scene. Like Grunge, or Punk. I'm part of the Farewell Scene, always moving from place to place. Anywhere I hang myself is home and all that lovely sentiment. It's cool to be leaving. Luckily I grew out of that phase. I still move around a lot. You know what you learn when you move around so much? Books are heavy. 

Around 2009, maybe closer to 2010, I was involved in a conversation with Eddie Soto who used to be the Vice President of Disney Imagineering. He designed Main Street USA for Disneyland Paris among many other things. The whole conversation was amazing but what stuck out was about how the Theme Park experience was all about Escapism. 

Books are a form of Escapism. No matter where you are in the world, a book can take you to some far away place. You bid farewell to your mundane life and end up somewhere spectacular. With literature, I've always been part of the Farewell Scene. 

The purpose of my review site and everything I plan to do under The Farewell Scene banner is threefold. First, I would love to encourage new readers and also recommend things that they may not have tried otherwise. Secondly, to promote new Authors. We all love the classics and I can't tell you how many times someone recommends The First Law or Game of Thrones to me. There are so many unheard voices who have great stories and those are the ones I want to focus on most of all. Sure, I'll talk about other books that everyone knows already but the new blood are definitely worth it. Lastly, there seems to be no big book culture where I currently live. Everything book related happens in New York. I would love, somehow, to be a part of something here in Florida and maybe my reviews and conversations will help build something. 

Without much else to say, I thank you all for stopping by and welcome you to The Farewell Scene.