Author Archives: C. A. Sanders

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About C. A. Sanders

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

Why I’m Choosing to Self Publish

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After months of contemplation, I decided to self-publish my historical-fantasy series, The Watchmage of Old New York. This is a huge sea change for me. My first novel, Song of Simon, was published by Damnation Books. It’s always been my dream to be a published novelist, and I’ve been very resistant to self publishing. But a wise man isn’t afraid to rethink his views, and I’ve come around. I’ll explain more below.

Some of you know Watchmage from JukePop Serials, where it was and is one of the most popular serials on the site. This is completely different…well, not completely, but not the same.

What I am planning is to take each story arc from the serial (there are three) and expand each one into it’s own novel, complete with added subplots and new characters. The first story arc in the serial was 90 pages. The novelized version is 275 pages. So it’s not the same old story, rather a retelling and expansion.

I’m almost done with the first draft of the second novel, and I’m aiming for an April or May launch for the first one.

But there’s so much shiny…

Why I Switched to Self-Publishing

I’m not a “do it yourself” kind of guy. The idea of having to create (or hire people to do) every aspect of a novel is intimidating. I only know two things: writing, and teaching writing.

So why am I switching? Creative Control. I realized that there’s nothing a publisher can do (outside of the Big Six) that I can’t do on my own. I can hire an editor, layout artist, cover artist, etc. It’s a big financial investment, but it allows me to be master of my own destiny. Damnation Books has been good to me (don’t believe the negative hype. It’s not a favorable contract, but they aren’t scam artists, and they produce excellent fiction), but I’m not willing to sign a long term contract for a series. Since Watchmage isn’t appropriate for DB anyway, I’d have to find a new publisher.

Traditional publishing and self publishing are both headaches. The traditional route offers free editing, layout, and cover art. Great, but you lose control over those aspects, along with pricing. You also have to wait a long time, as many publishers don’t accept simultaneous submissions. The submission process kills me. I’m tired of waiting.

Self publishing gives you more power, but with great power comes great responsibility. If you mess up, you have no one to blame. And there are plenty of places to mess up. With such a heavy financial investment, there’s a lot on the line. There’s also a lack of gravitas with self publishing, though this is starting to fade.

I will never disagree with Neil Gaiman

I suppose the real reason I resisted is because of my own ego. I started writing professionally about 15 years ago. There was no self publishing beyond Xerox copies stapled together. There was barely an Internet. The dream was to sign on with a publisher, and that’s the dream I stuck with. I achieved that dream, but it wasn’t as sweet as I expected. There’s no marketing from small publishers beyond the first few months, and even the Big Six only market the books that people show interest in. Either way, the author has to do most of the promotion. If I have to do the heavy lifting, I’m gonna keep all the control.

Yeah, I’m terrified. This is a huge endeavor, and it would be so much easier to just lay back and let a publisher do all the work. It’s still very tempting, and if Tor or Del Rey sent me a letter right now that they wanted to look at a draft, I’d send it out right away. But that’s not going to happen.

I’m already a published author, so my fragile ego and desperate need for approval is intact. Times change and dreams change. So can I.

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

And Now…CATS IN HATS!! More Cat Memes

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Yes, it’s Caturday, and today’s installment of “Craig’s ridiculous cat pics” is Cats Wearing Hats. Can you stand the adorablosity? Probably not. You might need someone to clean up your brains after they explode.

cat wearing graph paper
It’s not exactly a hat, but it’s ridiculous. I promise, the other ones are all hats.


Olde timey banker cat will foreclose on your farm.

Please sir, I want some more…

Professor McGonagall thinks you should be in Potions Class.

Ewok Cat fights The Empire with a crappy spear and the power of Cute.

Frat Cats live on mouse-flavored Ramen.

Hippity Hoppity Hell

Hakuna Matata my ass!

The rare cat-turtle hybrid. Normal Habitat: little league fields.

Santa Cat leaves a lump of poop in your stocking.

So…a kitty dressed as Hello Kitty is still a kitty, right?

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

Marvel vs Attack on Titan is Here!

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Marvel’s been using the term “titanic team up” for decades, but nothing like this.

News about a Marvel and Attack on Titan has been circling for a weeks, and now it’s HERE. Actually, it’s over here. Below is the first page, a little squeezed together to protect Marvel’s copyright.

Page 1

It’s shorter than I wanted it, but it’s pretty good. It’s got Spider-Man trying to psyche out Titans with trash talk (good luck with that), banter between Hawkeye and Black Widow, and Captain America being Captain America. There’s a pretty cool “ending,” but i’d hardly call it an ending. Really, it’s every superhero playing their bare bones character archetype instead of going into depth. I want more than just 8 pages, no, I DEMAND it.

If you’re going to do something so awesome, don’t skimp on the awesomeness. I’m hoping that this is just a tease. I won’t be satisfied until the last titan takes a shot to the back of the neck.

Meanwhile, a clever AoT fan took the Attack on Buffalo (with lots of snow) and recreated a classic scene from the series. You can check that out here.

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

Five Powerful Ways Abusive Narcissists Get Inside Your Head

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This is a fantastic article. I know more than I few people that fit this diagnosis, but thankfully I’ve never dated one. I know many people that have, and it’s a terrible thing to witness. Be aware.

selfcarehaven's avatarSelf-Care Haven by Shahida Arabi

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In popular culture, the term “narcissistic” is thrown about quite loosely, usually referring to vanity and self-absorption. This reduces narcissism to a common quality that everyone possesses and downplays the symptoms demonstrated by people with the actual disorder. While narcissism does exist on a spectrum, narcissism as a full-fledged personality disorder is quite different.

People who meet the criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder or those who have traits of Antisocial Personality Disorder  can operate in extremely manipulative ways within the context of intimate relationships due to their deceitfulness, lack of empathy and their tendency to be interpersonally exploitative. Although I will be focusing on narcissistic abusers in this post, due to the overlap of symptoms in these two disorders, this post can potentially apply to interactions with those who have ASPD to an extent.

It’s important in any kind of relationship that we learn to identify the red flags when interacting with people who display malignant narcissism and/or…

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NaNoWriMo: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

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It’s National Novel Writing Month, and the devotees are in full swing. Although I don’t do NaNo (for reasons I’ll explain below) I admire those that try. It’s a tremendous endeavor, and an admirable one. It’s not for everyone though. The caveat: there’s a very specific group of people that I think it works for, and for others it’s not appropriate.

I recently had a Facebook round table with my writer friends–some in favor of NaNoWriMo, some against–and I’m going to attempt to show all opinions, complete with quotes from the discussion. I hope that you enjoy our take on National Novel Writing Month.

Rhinos have worse grammar than kittehs

NaNoWriMo:The Good

NaNoWriMo has a fantastic support community around it. It’s really quite beautiful to see established writers helping newbies, and everyone boosting and cheering on each other. The team philosophy is perfect for all writers. Writing is a very lonely life: You sit in a room by yourself with only your imagination (or if you’re like me, cat memes). It’s a life of rejection, poverty, and shame. No wonder so many writers burn out or turn to drink and drugs. Yet with NaNo, you have so much support. I wish that I had that when I first started, maybe I wouldn’t be the jackass I am now.

It’s also a great motivator for those that have never tried it. Some people need to be challenged to get off their butts and do something. I don’t need this (which is why I don’t do it) but there’s nothing wrong with a kick in the pants. Even if you’re not trying to “win,” just releasing that creative energy is something special. Author Catherine Kovach says something similar: I like the idea of just getting out of my own head because I’m traditionally a picky writer. I celebrate creativity wherever it comes from even if it ends with a bunch of words and no “winning”. At least people are trying!

legen…dary

T.E. Ridener–perhaps the most prolific author I know–attributes some of her success to NaNoWriMo: I discovered NaNo in 2009 and they helped me write ‘THE END’ for the first time in my life. I’d never finished a story before finding them, so I’m grateful I stumbled upon their website!

Where I think it’s best is as a jump start for experienced writers to take their productivity to the next level. Thomm Quackenbush, whose NaNoWriMo novel, Artificial Gods, was published by Double Dragon Publishing in 2013, explains how it improved his work: My first novel, We Shadows, took me about six years to write from start to finish because I was overly concerned with getting things “right,” which I realize now meant that I was trying to be overly flowery. I have been reliably informed that the parts I wrote to get the story told are better than those I labored over.

Thomm also helps writers prepare for NaNoWriMo, and has been involved since 2006. Here is a recent interview he did about NaNo.

Author Jennifer Rose says something similar: Whether you do Nano or not, I think it’s valuable for every writer to fast draft at least one novel. Even if you change the goal to 30k in a month, or spread it to two months, I think everyone can have the benefit of getting out of your head.

NaNoWriMo: The Bad

I don’t do NaNoWriMo, and I encourage my students not to do it either. The reason I don’t do it is because I’m already on a set schedule. I write 1000 words a day, every day. It’s not fast, but it’s steady, and if you keep at this pace, you should have an 80k draft in less than 3 months. Mine usually take longer because life gets in the way (and because I go back and edit every 10 chapters or so to keep my plot lines straight), but I can still write a solid first draft in 4-5 months.

The reason I discourage my students not to is because they’re just not ready. Writing a novel is a huge undertaking. Writing a short story is a huge undertaking. There’s a lot of tools, techniques, and theory that goes into writing fiction, and they should focus on that first. NaNo downplays the importance of things like structure (their slogan is “No Plot, No Problem!).

I have a serious problem with that. I’d rather my students start with writing quality short stories of 2-3k and build their skills before moving on to a challenge like NaNoWriMo. It’s the equivalent of going to the gym for the first time and trying to bench press 350 pounds. You’re most likely going to fail, get discouraged and quit.

I like the tie

In order to write 50k words in a month, you need to write 1,667 words a day, every day. That’s a breakneck speed, and one that most often leads to quitting. I would rather a student write a hundred words a day, every day for the rest of their lives then try to tackle 1,667 for a month and never write again. Writing should be a habit, something you do everyday, not just for a 1 month challenge. That’s why I like it for an experienced writer, not for a beginner.

As author and perennial quote machine Justin Osborne says: Writing is like a fart, if you force it, you’re gonna end up with shit.

Author Pauline Ramsey takes a more moderate view: If something I am working on is meant to be written, it WILL be written. But like Justin also said, forcing it will only give me line upon line of crap. In my own saga I am currently working on, I am weaving this intricate spiderweb of plot, action, and dialogue. If I were to try and pound out 50k worth of words in a month’s span, I would end up with a web all right, but not one I would be able to untangle and make coherent.

Multigenre author Y.Correa recently wrote about NaNoWriMo on her own website. You can read the entire article there, where she covers her own personal views why she doesn’t compete in NaNoWriMo. It’s an excellent read.

NaNoWriMo:The Ugly

The ugly side of the NaNoWriMo debate is the predictable, but no less aggravating, flame wars that sprout up every November. People using Twitter are the worst offenders (South Park was right when they parodied it as “Shitter”) and this week alone I’ve witness some horrible trolling over it. The writers mentioned above and below all have different opinions, but one thing we all agreed on is that the fighting has to stop. Pro and Con sides keep going at it like it’s GamerGate. We’re all writers, whether you’re a beginner or a veteran. We all have something to say, the difference is how we say it.

Perhaps Nick Bryan, author of the serial Hobson & Choi, said it best: NaNoWriMo is a great thing if you’re comfortable with what it is and what you want from it. If you’re okay with a very scrappy first draft, or just want to test-drive an idea, or even don’t care that much about the writing and just want to meet other like-minded folk, it can be great. Like almost anything, expecting it to single-handedly make you a writer won’t work, but it’s a useful tool if you’re smart about it.

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

CM Punk to Write for Marvel!

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CM Punk is going to write Thor Annual #1 for Marvel, and I’m about to leap out of my chair with joy. My geek worlds are colliding in this explosion of Awesomeness. Now if only he finds a way to work D&D into the storyline (Thor: Volstagg, thou must save versus Will. Thy DC is 16).

Check out his interview at Marvel.com for more information.

This is the bees knees, the tops, jolly good, and other olde timey phrases. After Punk quit the WWE, I wondered what he was going to do next. Would he come back to the WWE or maybe Ring of Honor? Would he marry his girlfriend, wrestler AJ Lee? (he did). Would he go on tour with Rancid (Valerie would’ve smiled down from heaven for that). I knew that he was a comicbook fan (He once worked at a comic shop, and “it’s clobbin’ time” has been one of his catch phrases for a long time). He’s also a very intelligent, creative person, which you can see in his promos and interviews. Despite that, it never occurred to me that he might write a comic, let alone a Marvel icon.

Apparently it’s been something he’s wanted to do for years. He’s been studying scripts and the Marvel Method. Putting on tights and performing stuntman fights in front of 30k people a night has got to be great preparation for the world of comics.

Tell it again…

Thor is going through a lot of changes right now. Last month he lost his arm in a fight with Malekith, and an unnamed (so far) woman now wields Mjolnir. It’ll be interesting to see where CM Punk goes with it. “Best in the world?” We’ll find out soon.

Damn, he still looks badass.

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

“Too Many Cooks” Just Ate My Soul

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I woke up this morning, and of course the first thing I did was check Facebook. Yes, I have a problem. This masterpiece from last night’s Adult Swim was all over my feed like a bored housewife on a romantic-comedy.

This is pure genius, a send up of every crappy tv show genre ever. It’s hilarious for about three minutes, and then it gets very weird and very dark, then it comes back to hilarious like a brilliant jazz solo. It’s a spiral of entropy into the cockles, subcockles, and colon of your soul. I can’t get that freakin’ theme song out of my head.

“It’s a lot to make a stewww…”

Make it stop. PLEASE make it stop.

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

Gamergate and the New (Old) Rules

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I realize that I’m a little late to the game with Gamergate. Because I was traveling, I had to read from my phone as the Internet exploded. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have something to say. I know that it’s a little odd for me to write a serious post. I hope you bear with me.

While this is a post that appears to be about Gamergate, it’s about something much bigger than that. Read on to see.

I’m a gamer. At this point, I’m a pretty old gamer. I started with an Atari 2600. I plunked quarters into Pac Man and Pole Position. I remember the robot that came with the original NES. And yet, I still prefer card and tabletop games to video games, especially DnD. You can say that I’m a well-rounded nerd. That’s why Gamergate hurts so much. It’s a failure of the community that I’ve belonged to all of my life. You might even say that my generation was the founder of the gamer community. So what have we become?

Why?

The Evolution of Gamergate

I think by now most of us understand what Gamergate is, was, and has become. Although the background around it comes from the portrayal of women in games, it sparked with a rumor about an affair between a female game designer and a video game journalist (I’m not going to use names, because they’ve had their names dragged through the Net enough, and it’s not important to my argument).

Let’s just say that it’s true. This could have been a great chance to discuss ethics in journalism within the gamer industry. I’m a former music journalist, and I know that the relationship between artist and reporter can be muddled. Free tickets, free albums, and free swag. You sometimes become friends with the artists. It’s hard to stay unbiased. It’s a big part of the reason I left. I refer you to the movie Almost Famous for a more visual example.

It could have been that, but it morphed into something very ugly. Death threats, rape(!) threats, accounts hacked and personal information spread across the Net like trash on an interstate. There was even a terrorist threat of a school massacre if a certain female journalist (again, no names), spoke. Yes, threatening violence to stop someone from speaking is terrorism. It might be a perfect example of terrorism.

A great, misogynistic beast broke loose from its chains like Donkey Kong and laid waste to the Internet. It may only be a small group, but that group has become representative of the entire community. And there I was, watching without voice as the gamer community decomposes.

What really gets me are the rape threats tossed around like they mean nothing. There is nothing more disgusting than threatening someone with rape, especially when they’ve been doxxed. Rape is the lowest common denominator; apparently death and torture aren’t intense enough threats. Worse, it’s the kind of threat made specifically toward women. It’s the trump card of misogyny, the “I’m going to hurt you and demean you in a way that shows the dominance of my gender.”

The Symptom, not the Cause

As bad as Gamergate is, it’s a symptom of a larger problem. There’s a lack of empathy within the Internet. People attack each other as if they’re only blips on a screen, Koopas to be squashed or Space Invaders to be shot down. I read one tweet that said (and I’m paraphrasing here) the way people respond to the other side of Gamergate is like in Double Dragon, where the entire town wants to fight you.

People say things on the Internet that no decent person would ever say, and certainly wouldn’t say face to face. It’s the distance between. It creates the illusion of anonymity, and that unleashes the beast.

I know all about this. As a teen, I went to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday night. If you’ve never been, you won’t understand. The audience–all in the dark–shout some of the foulest things you’ll ever hear at the screen. The darkness and anonymity equals freedom. I shouted things I’d never say in the light of day. But we never tried to hurt anyone, and that’s the difference.

This doesn’t even include my love for Cards Against Humanity, which should never be played in public.

Meet the New Rules…Same as the Old Rules

I think we need, as a community, review the rules of discourse. The Internet is still a brave new world, and without reeling in the vitriol, we’ll poison ourselves.

If you only remember one thing from this blog, it’s this.

1) Don’t post anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t say in person: This includes certain jokes, naked pics, and sharing too much information.

2) Don’t say anything on the Internet that would get you punched in the face at a bar: This includes insults, Net Muscles, and threats of violence.

3) Before you say something on the Internet, ask yourself “what if someone said this to one of my loved ones?” If the answer is “smash their balls with a hammer,” don’t say it.

4) Don’t hack or doxx anyone, no matter how much they deserve it: That’s not going to get your point across. What it will do is bring governments down on the Net. Is that what you want?

5) Don’t feed the trolls: If someone trolls, don’t take the bait. No one wins an argument on the Net, and it makes everyone looks bad. If it gets threatening, report it, but don’t feed the troll. Remember, what you say on the Internet stays there FOREVER.

FOR-FREAKIN-EVER

Like my posts? Follow my website or “Like” my facebook fan page and/or follow me on Twitter. You can also purchase my debut novel, Song of Simon, at any online bookstore or a real one (they both exist). Song of Simon currently has a 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon, so it’s pretty damn good. If you’re looking for something FREE, you can read my serial (soon to be an expanded series of novels) The Watchmage of Old New York. Though it ended in February, it remains one of the most popular serials on JukePop OF ALL TIME!

Back in the New York Groove

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I am officially off hiatus. I’m back in New York after a two week trip to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. No, I don’t have Ebola

Apparently the Geekiverse exploded while I was gone. Between Gamergate, The new comic-based tv shows, and Marvel’s movie schedule, I’m overwhelmed with stuff to blog about.

You can be sure that I have some things to say about Gamergate.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I have a lot of writing to catch up on.

–Craiggers