Once upon a time in 2006, at a science fiction convention in New York, author Catherynne M. Valente (the Fairyland series, Space Opera, Deathless) introduced herself to unsuspecting songwriter S. J. Tucker.

Soon after, they hit the road as fast friends to share combined book launch-concert performances across North America. These shared shows often combined art auctions and guest dancers or circus arts acts with live music from Sooj & readings from Cat, and they ran from October 2006 to October 2013, across road maps, train tracks, and many a narrative arc.