Hi, everyone. I am a semi-established writer of fiction and non-fiction. I live in Rockland County, NY, where I ply my trade and occasionally get paid for it. You can see my full website, with links to published work and my blog, at www.casanders.net
Note: There are minor spoilers in this post. Not about plot things, but about characterization. I don’t think it will ruin the movie for you, but if you want to be extra careful, don’t read this until you see The Force Awakens
I saw The Force Awakens Thursday night, but I wanted to wait until the weekend passed until I posted about it. First, it was magnificent. I want to shake JJ Abrams’s hand for revitalizing the franchise. Second, Disney can go to hell for declaring most of the expanded universe books non-canon (though they still plan to incorporate some of it). They were great. In my mind, I’ll always consider them an alternate reality, like DC’s Earth-2. Those books are too good to be forgotten.
Now for what I really want to talk about: The Dark Side.
Psst. My novel, The Watchmage of Old New York, is only 99 cents until New Year’s Day. The reviews are incredible so far, and if the popularity of the serial version says anything, it’s that you’ll love it. Spend a dollar, find your new favorite book.
It’s the holidays and I’m a giving kinda guy, so I put The Watchmage of Old New Yorkup for only 99 cents on Amazon (on other sites it’s still $2.99). This’ll only be until New Years, so pick your copy up today.
Obviously this is only for the e-book. Amazon won’t let you sell the paper version for that cheap. If you want a signed paperback, with your own special dedication, contact me and I’ll make it happen.
Seriously, buy my book…do I have to bust out Jon Lovitz again?
Ok, so you don’t ACTUALLY have to buy my book. Honestly, I hate shilling like this. But if you like this blog, you’ll probably like my novels too.
That’s right, the long-awaited reboot of my award-winning serial, The Watchmage of Old New York, is here! Click here for the Amazon buy site, or buy on Barnes & Noble, iBooks, or Kobo. Don’t miss out on this, old fans and new will love what I’ve done with the story.
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You’ve probably figured this out, but I read a lot. Books, comics, the backs of shampoo bottles, if it has words, I will consume its soul, therefore gaining its powers.
This is a metaphor, but apt.
A few months ago, I wrote about how Inside Out explored human emotions by personifying them. Instead of being something abstract, suddenly Joy was a character, a joyful one, but with significant flaws. Sadness was a pariah, but with a hidden virtue. Anger, Fear, Disgust, all given life. This is how the mind works…
Before I started writing novels, I was a music journalist. One of my gigs was writing a series on the stories behind famous songs. Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought you might enjoy the story behind “The Thanksgiving dinner that couldn’t be beat.”
Tomorrow would’ve been Val’s 38th birthday. It’s still her birthday, even though she’s not around to celebrate it anymore.
It’s been a while since I talked about her. It’s still hard.
Valerie was my girlfriend, serious enough that we both knew marriage was our future. She died suddenly on Jan 24th 2013, due to complications from medicine. I was the one that found her. I was planning to propose that night.
Some time ago, I wrote this article about how The Watchmage of Old New York came together. It was a long, strange trip from short story to serial to series of novels. Check it out, you might enjoy it.
A new article from my New York History series. It discusses the origins of our modern version of Santa Claus, and how it popularized the rarely celebrated Christ (yes, there was a time when no one celebrated it). I think you’ll be surprised by what you learn.
I hate the Myers-Briggs test. I especially hate when people try to describe themselves by their M-B profile. “I’m an ENTJ” or “I’m an INFP, and that means this that and blah blah blah.”
You are not an archetype. You are not an alignment (alignments are a tool, not a straitjacket. It said so right the D&D 2nd Edition Handbook). You are an amorphous blob of loves, hates, repulsions, delusions, and experiences. You are not a box. You are an oil spill reflecting swirled rainbows, and you cannot be contained.
Like many of my fellow weirdos, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Whether it’s watching horror/comedies (the best horror movie genre), going to a party with a homemade costume (my “Missing Link” costume–Link from Legend of Zelda with a ‘have you seen me? sign on my chest– kicked ass this year), or reliving my teenage years at a showing of Rocky Horror, I love it all. But there’s something else I love, something that is so connected to Halloween, but somehow reviled by many halloweeners (halloweenies?)
Candy Corn.
I found this article on Deadspin today, and it made me so very, very sad. People don’t appreciate Candy Corn the way that I do, how it’s subtle flavors and intricate colors reflect the changing of the season, our slide from the joys of summer to the bitter chill of winter. Or something like that…
Deadspin isn’t the first to come out against the corn-shaped deliciousness. One of my favorite comedy routines is of Lewis Black railing against Candy Corn. That doesn’t bother me, because Black hates everything.
I don’t care, I love the stuff. I love how you can’t define what it tastes like–it’s sweet, but not too sweet…is that fruit flavor? no. Is it corn flavor? No. It kinda tastes like honey, but not really. What the hell is it?
And why is it waxy? Is food supposed to feel like wax? Nothing that feels like that could possibly be healthy…WHAT ARE YOU, CANDY CORN!?
When I was young, people (usually very old people) would actually give Candy Corn to trick or treaters. Most of my friends were disappointed when they heard the corn syrup and wax abomination clang inside their plastic pumpkin basket, but not I. Instead, I thought “at least they’re not Tootsie Rolls…”
That’s what makes Candy Corn so quintessentially Halloweenie (I settled on halloweenie…yes, i have the sense of humor or a 12 year old). It’s the mystery (what is it), the suspense (will this be awful), and the horror (oh my god, am I gonna die), of it. Candy Corn is the great unknown, the confectionery beast under your bed, waiting to tear your apart with it’s orange, yellow, and white fangs. Just like the approaching winter, Candy Corn is waiting for you, it’s coming, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Embrace it. EMBRACE THE CANDY CORN! EAT IT! I SWEAR IT DOESN’T SUCK!!!
(you can also press them into your teeth like tasty fangs. Try it, it’s fun)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!
If you like fantasy, history, and some pretty extreme weirdness in your fiction, click the graphic below to buy The Watchmage of Old New York on Amazon. It’s flippin awesome. 4.8 stars on Amazon so far (23 reviews)!
casandersdotnet 