Jul 4, 2025
I know you remember. I know everything we shared is threaded through you as it is me.
— Kate Fagan, The Three Lives of Cate Kay (Atria Books, January 7, 2025)
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I know you remember. I know everything we shared is threaded through you as it is me.
— Kate Fagan, The Three Lives of Cate Kay (Atria Books, January 7, 2025)
Kate Fagan - I Don't Want To Be Too Cool, 1981 I use to have a habit of buying 7"s and 45s not knowing who the bands or artists were just because the records were in the cheap/discount bins. I found some great stuff this way. Some of that stuff went on to be the audio version of movie cult classics and could fetch one a pretty penny if one were inclined to sell them off (which, unfortunately, I did somewhere in my 30s for reasons). I knew nothing of who Kate Fagan was and I brought a two song 7" she put out in 1981 somewhere around 1990. The A side was the song, 'Waiting for the Crisis' (whose lyrics are still mostly relevant). The B side is what I'm sharing here. it's a song that I've used on mixes, one as recent as 2012 (or so). 'I Don't Want To Be Too Cool" also remains relevant given that the cycle of "what's cool" seems perpetual and the term "hipster" seems to persist. ...... from bandcamp: Fagan wrote “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” after moving to Chicago from New York in the late 70's. The track is a critique of the emergent “hipster” attitude of the disco crowd and the posturing she was witnessing among her peers in New York. “The idea of ‘cool’ seemed shallow to me, cheap, store-bought, and manipulated. My song responded with a whoop, plucky bass line and a heavy backbeat,” Fagan explains. “The lyrics are meant to poke fun at elements of what was becoming hip in the celebutante era.” ...... I just found out that this "expanded edition" of 'I Don't Want To Be Too Cool' came out in 2023 and, to be honest, the only two songs I knew of Fagan were the songs on that 1981 7" I had. I never sought out any of her other songs and as far as I knew that 7" was the entirety of her output. Glad to find out that my unusual incuriousness led to me being surprised with this personal discovery. FYI: I think the 1981 mix of these songs is better than the mix offered on this "expanded edition" on bandcamp. Not that my subjective preferences matter.
Queer Book Character Tournament Round 1
Río- When the Tides Held the Moon
Rosemary Harper- The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet
Cate Kay- The Three Lives of Cate Kay
Lou Wenzhou- Silent Reading / Mo Du
Character, book, and author names under the cut
May 2026 Deal Announcements
Adult Jessica Plummer‘s THE CONMAN’S GUIDE TO DRAGON SLAYING, pitched as an adult HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON meets HEATED RIVALRY, in which an ambitious young dragon fighter has to team up with a powerless wizard to fake everything, including magic, for a shot at riches, respect, and a better life in the kingdom’s annual dragon games, to John Morgan at Grand Central, at auction, for publication in…
round 1, poll 166
click for better quality & to see the full image. sometimes they get cut off weirdly!
which cover do you like best?
Bodas de Sangre by Federico García Lorca
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
remember, you're voting for the cover, not the author or the book!
so ive mentioned on here before how im not a huge fan of the the whole “the shows a sitcom filmed in front of a live audience with actors” schtick but it got me thinking about who the characters would be as actors if we looked at the show through those lenses:
stan is canonically known to be the character “nicholas vanderbilt” plays. his appearance is very similar to that of seths so i feel like he would be like seth irl too. a very modest, hardworking, popular guy who can have his egotistical moments. just like seth, he lives in a fancy mansion in hollywood and has parties with celebrities and donates to charity. he also doesn’t like the paparazzi.
hayley is also canonically known to be an actress with a name. that name is kate fagan and she is actually a british-american. kate gives off vibes that of rachael, seths sister who plays hayley on the show. i feel like she’d be humble, down to earth, and not one of those snobby actresses. she also cares about the earth, is a vegetarian, and donates to charity. she lives in a nice house on the ocean and has done a handful of movies and shows. she also has a family.
franny is just a younger version of wendy schaal. down to earth, keeps to herself, doesn’t do a ton of acting, and has a family.
jeff fischer is just jeff fischer. doesn’t get anymore deep than that lol.
steve is just a younger version of scott grimes. ‘nough said.
klaus is not a man in a fish suit on a green screen. he’s the same as his later seasons self in the show: a hollywood fratboy. very chill man fish in person. doesn’t like the paparazzi or being in the media. lives alone in a seaside apartment and often carpools to rehearsals and table reads with various cast members.
and my boy roger is also not a person in an alien costume but a real alien. he’s very popular in the hollywood scene and is an icon to many. he lives in a big hollywood mansion where he frequently has private parties with fellow celebrities. just like on the show, he’s an avid drinker, partier, and does every drug known to man. he has an extensive wardrobe just like all his personas on the show. he’s got butlers, limos, the whole schbang! he hates the paparazzi and is a snobby, rich actor. he lets his ego get the best of him sometime. it’s safe to say hollywood has gotten to his head. his done lots of movies, shows, had cameos in commercials and on game shows. he loves going out to expensive brunch places with fellow actor friends (if he’s awake and not passed out somewhere in his mansion lol).
these are the pics for reference of the characters im basing this off of:
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
Queer book published 2025
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK! “This story swept me away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club January ’25 Pick)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.
Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars.
But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.
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