Hey Folks,
Had a new appearance confirmation come through the other day, so I figured I should update the schedule. As of today, my current appearance schedule (for the next month or so, at least) is as follows:
Monday, September 26, 2011, 11:30 PM: Radio Interview on WCUM, 91.3 FM, in Worcester, MA. Interview will be taped at 11:30PM Central Time ... not sure when it will actually be on the air ... will post actual air time/date when it becomes available.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 6:30 PM: Will be doing a Q&A, as well as participating in some other activities, at the CostumeCon event at the Richardson Public Library. This is basically an evening of anime/manga, costumes/cosplay, and other assorted uber-awesome stuff. So come join us if you are in the area. Address for the event is 900 Civic Center Drive, Richardson, TX 75080
Saturday, October 22, 2011, 2:00 PM: Will be giving a presentation on The Mythology of Supernatural, followed by a book signing, at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Amarillo, TX. Address for the event is 2415 Soncy Road, Amarillo, TX 79124
Thursday, October 27, 2011, 7:30 PM: Will be giving a presentation on The Mythology of Supernatural, followed by book sales & signing, at the Richardson Public Library. Address for the event is 900 Civic Center Drive, Richardson, TX 75080
And remember folks, if you would like to have me come speak and/or hold a book signing at a library, bookstore (FYI - Barnes & Noble makes these very easy), or some other event/venue in your area, please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to arrange something. However, please keep in mind that October is often a crazy month for me when it comes to promo events (as one might imagine, since most of what I write about is related to the paranormal) ... so the sooner you get in touch with me, the sooner I can get the date reserved.
Unfortunately, it is looking as if I may not be able to post a reader response this week. I will definitely try, but I just can't make any promises. I have recently had some unexpected personal issues come up that I need to deal with right now. Nothing to worry about, though ... and I should be back to my semi-normal self by next week.
As always, thanks to all of you for your support!
Nathan
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Mythology of Supernatural: Reader Question Response #3
This week's response comes from an anonymous, would-be reader from a forum post:
"In the Hammer of the Gods episode they joke about Ragnarok, but one of the signs of it is Loki getting out of his prison, and Odin totally thought Gabriel was Loki, so...what's up with that? Did you even cover that in the book."
Simply put ... yes.
As I was writing the book, I quickly relaized that Gabriel was going to have to be covered in two different sections that would have to be located in two separate chapters. I discuss the angelology of Gabriel in the Angels chapter of the book. Then, later, I explain his role as Loki in a chapter that is devoted entirely to pre/non-Judeo-Christian concepts of Apocalypse ... a chapter which also pays very special attention to the characters portrayed in the "Hammer of the Gods" Supernatural episode.
I don't want to go into uber-spoiler detail here by summarizing everything in the book, but I can at least let you know what I do cover in the book when it comes to this subject.
The book goes into detail on the whole Ragnarok thing, and explains the mythology of Loki (as well as a little speculation on how/why the writers may have tried to match him up as Gabriel's alias). It also explains the mythological "who & what" of all the gods that were involved in the "Hammer of the Gods" episode: Odin, Baldur, Mercury, Kali, Baron Samedi, Zao Shen, etc. I also discuss the apocalyptic myth/lore (if present) that is associated with each of these gods.
Well, I think that's about all the detail I can give, without taking stuff right out of the book. And I am pretty sure the publisher would kill me for that, ;-P
Please keep the questions coming, folks. Only a few reader response questions are left in my queue. I will only post these responses for as long as there are questions for me to answer.
All my best!
Nathan
"In the Hammer of the Gods episode they joke about Ragnarok, but one of the signs of it is Loki getting out of his prison, and Odin totally thought Gabriel was Loki, so...what's up with that? Did you even cover that in the book."
Simply put ... yes.
As I was writing the book, I quickly relaized that Gabriel was going to have to be covered in two different sections that would have to be located in two separate chapters. I discuss the angelology of Gabriel in the Angels chapter of the book. Then, later, I explain his role as Loki in a chapter that is devoted entirely to pre/non-Judeo-Christian concepts of Apocalypse ... a chapter which also pays very special attention to the characters portrayed in the "Hammer of the Gods" Supernatural episode.
I don't want to go into uber-spoiler detail here by summarizing everything in the book, but I can at least let you know what I do cover in the book when it comes to this subject.
The book goes into detail on the whole Ragnarok thing, and explains the mythology of Loki (as well as a little speculation on how/why the writers may have tried to match him up as Gabriel's alias). It also explains the mythological "who & what" of all the gods that were involved in the "Hammer of the Gods" episode: Odin, Baldur, Mercury, Kali, Baron Samedi, Zao Shen, etc. I also discuss the apocalyptic myth/lore (if present) that is associated with each of these gods.
Well, I think that's about all the detail I can give, without taking stuff right out of the book. And I am pretty sure the publisher would kill me for that, ;-P
Please keep the questions coming, folks. Only a few reader response questions are left in my queue. I will only post these responses for as long as there are questions for me to answer.
All my best!
Nathan
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Typo of the Day (sort of) 9/13/11
Okay, so this one is not exactly a "typo" ... in fact, it does not even come from a written source. HOWEVER, I think this is WAY funnier than what I'd originally planned to post today. So, as is my wont (finally! I found an opportunity to use the word "wont" in a sentence!), we're going with this.
Below is a conversation that took place between two younger gents (both whom shall be henceforth referred to as "Dude #1" & "Dude #2"), and which I could not help but overhear while I was standing in line behind them at a convenience store earlier today:
Dude #1: “I want to ask her out, but you know how bad I suck at talking to girls.”
Dude #2: “I shall go to her at your behead, my friend.”
Dude #1: “What?”
Dude #2: “I shall go to her at your behead.”
Dude #1: “Dude … I think the word you are looking for is vehemently.”
Ummmmm … what?
I don't even know where to begin.
Dude #1: The word you were looking for was behest
Dude #2: You are NOT helping! Seriously, Dude #2 ... vehemently? How could that word ever work within the framework of what Dude #1 originally said? I mean, did you even take a few seconds to listen in your head to how that sentence would sound before you gave Dude #1 this absolutely dreadful vocabulary suggestion?! Stop sniffing the glue!
However, perhaps I am being too quick to judge Dude #2's suggestion ... Hm ... Okay, let's give it a try:
"I shall go to her at your vehemently."
Nope. Still makes no sense. I swear, sometimes I am not sure whether i want to laugh or cry at stuff like this.
Well, that's my post for today. Later this week I will have another Reader Response Question for The Mythology of Supernatural.
WAIT! I forgot something!
FYI - I had an appearance recently that did not quite go as planned. Long story short, this means that I actually have a TON of paranormal/Supernatural merch still on hand. So, later this month, I will be putting some of my handmade and signed Slayer Kits, Mojo bags, and stakes on auction via ebay. Will post the details, links, etc. on these auctions once they beocme available.
Until then ... try not to vehemently behead any girls that you want to ask out. Because that's probably not going to end well for anyone.
Below is a conversation that took place between two younger gents (both whom shall be henceforth referred to as "Dude #1" & "Dude #2"), and which I could not help but overhear while I was standing in line behind them at a convenience store earlier today:
Dude #1: “I want to ask her out, but you know how bad I suck at talking to girls.”
Dude #2: “I shall go to her at your behead, my friend.”
Dude #1: “What?”
Dude #2: “I shall go to her at your behead.”
Dude #1: “Dude … I think the word you are looking for is vehemently.”
Ummmmm … what?
I don't even know where to begin.
Dude #1: The word you were looking for was behest
Dude #2: You are NOT helping! Seriously, Dude #2 ... vehemently? How could that word ever work within the framework of what Dude #1 originally said? I mean, did you even take a few seconds to listen in your head to how that sentence would sound before you gave Dude #1 this absolutely dreadful vocabulary suggestion?! Stop sniffing the glue!
However, perhaps I am being too quick to judge Dude #2's suggestion ... Hm ... Okay, let's give it a try:
"I shall go to her at your vehemently."
Nope. Still makes no sense. I swear, sometimes I am not sure whether i want to laugh or cry at stuff like this.
Well, that's my post for today. Later this week I will have another Reader Response Question for The Mythology of Supernatural.
WAIT! I forgot something!
FYI - I had an appearance recently that did not quite go as planned. Long story short, this means that I actually have a TON of paranormal/Supernatural merch still on hand. So, later this month, I will be putting some of my handmade and signed Slayer Kits, Mojo bags, and stakes on auction via ebay. Will post the details, links, etc. on these auctions once they beocme available.
Until then ... try not to vehemently behead any girls that you want to ask out. Because that's probably not going to end well for anyone.
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Mythology of Supernatural: Reader Question Response #2
Okay folks,
So the reader response for this week does not come from any one particular person or reader, because several people have asked the same general thing in a variety of different ways. More or less, their questions came down to the length of the book.
Some people have asked (or complained) about the book being "too short."
Some people have asked (or complained) about the book being "a bit long."
And still other people have asked about the method(s) I used to make the length of the book "just right."
I swear ... I feel like I'm in some weird writer's version of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.
Anyway ... instead of answering any specific one of the above three questions, I figured I should just explain how I went about deciding the length of the book in general.
First of all, obviously there are certain constraints set down by the publisher as to how long a book should be. They don't want it to be too short/brief ... but they don't want it to feel as though it drags on needlessly. I more or less hit right in the middle of the set word count/page range given to me by the publisher.
I realize that some people want a book like this to go into uber-serious detail, while others just want the basics. I can tell you that I went into this project knowing that I was not going to be able to please either group. If I got too wordy or unnecessarily detailed, hitting the max allowed word/page count, then I felt as though I was going to lose a good chunk of my mainstream readers. If I made it too brief/short, at the lower end of the minimum word/page count, then I knew that people were going to feel (for lack of a better description) "ripped off."
So ... what was my genius strategy for hitting the middle ground? Simple, I would first write a section/chapter ... then come back and read it a few days later (as well as let some colleagues and my editor read it). If I (or a rough majority of my test readers) got bored before reaching the end of a particular section/chapter, I did not go any further with it. If, however, I (or, again, any of my test readers) reached the end of a chapter or section with that sensation of "Aw, man ... is it over, already?" ... then I would continue researching and writing until that feeling went away.
Okay ... so this is not exactly "genius" ... but it was the best method I could think up. To be honest, I think that sometimes people put too much emphasis on length. For example, I'd rather learn everything I want/need to know from 100 well written pages than to be bored to tears by covering the same amount of information in 300 unecessarily wordy/detailed pages. And, in my experience, I have found that most readers feel the same way.
And besides ... I know very well, as most writers do (or, at least, should) that no book I ever write or publish is going to please everyone. In the words of Chuck Shurley (which, by the way, are also quoted in the book):
"You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There are always gonna be holes."
And you know what? I am cool with that. It's just part of the job.
So, long story short ... if you felt that The Mythology of Supernatural was too short, I am sorry for that ... if you felt that The Mythology of Supernatural was too long, I am sorry for that ... if you felt that it was just right ... um ... thanks?
Okay, now that I am back from the trip I will continue posting one response a week for as long as I keep receiving questions.
FYI - I got the intial sales numbers from the publisher today. They were VERY good. As always, my most sincere thanks to everyone in the Supernatural fandom-family for all the support!
So the reader response for this week does not come from any one particular person or reader, because several people have asked the same general thing in a variety of different ways. More or less, their questions came down to the length of the book.
Some people have asked (or complained) about the book being "too short."
Some people have asked (or complained) about the book being "a bit long."
And still other people have asked about the method(s) I used to make the length of the book "just right."
I swear ... I feel like I'm in some weird writer's version of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.
Anyway ... instead of answering any specific one of the above three questions, I figured I should just explain how I went about deciding the length of the book in general.
First of all, obviously there are certain constraints set down by the publisher as to how long a book should be. They don't want it to be too short/brief ... but they don't want it to feel as though it drags on needlessly. I more or less hit right in the middle of the set word count/page range given to me by the publisher.
I realize that some people want a book like this to go into uber-serious detail, while others just want the basics. I can tell you that I went into this project knowing that I was not going to be able to please either group. If I got too wordy or unnecessarily detailed, hitting the max allowed word/page count, then I felt as though I was going to lose a good chunk of my mainstream readers. If I made it too brief/short, at the lower end of the minimum word/page count, then I knew that people were going to feel (for lack of a better description) "ripped off."
So ... what was my genius strategy for hitting the middle ground? Simple, I would first write a section/chapter ... then come back and read it a few days later (as well as let some colleagues and my editor read it). If I (or a rough majority of my test readers) got bored before reaching the end of a particular section/chapter, I did not go any further with it. If, however, I (or, again, any of my test readers) reached the end of a chapter or section with that sensation of "Aw, man ... is it over, already?" ... then I would continue researching and writing until that feeling went away.
Okay ... so this is not exactly "genius" ... but it was the best method I could think up. To be honest, I think that sometimes people put too much emphasis on length. For example, I'd rather learn everything I want/need to know from 100 well written pages than to be bored to tears by covering the same amount of information in 300 unecessarily wordy/detailed pages. And, in my experience, I have found that most readers feel the same way.
And besides ... I know very well, as most writers do (or, at least, should) that no book I ever write or publish is going to please everyone. In the words of Chuck Shurley (which, by the way, are also quoted in the book):
"You try to tie up every loose end, but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There are always gonna be holes."
And you know what? I am cool with that. It's just part of the job.
So, long story short ... if you felt that The Mythology of Supernatural was too short, I am sorry for that ... if you felt that The Mythology of Supernatural was too long, I am sorry for that ... if you felt that it was just right ... um ... thanks?
Okay, now that I am back from the trip I will continue posting one response a week for as long as I keep receiving questions.
FYI - I got the intial sales numbers from the publisher today. They were VERY good. As always, my most sincere thanks to everyone in the Supernatural fandom-family for all the support!
Friday, August 26, 2011
The Mythology of Supernatural: Reader Question Response #1
My first reader question comes from Scott (no last name given), and he asks:
"In Season 3, episode 12, Jus In Bello, Sam and Dean reveal tattoos on the left side of their chests as a way of protection from being possessed. Did you decide to research the symbol? Can you give any information about it?"
Yes, Scott. I did research the origins of this symbol. Due to certain writing constraints regarding the use of images, however, it was not included in the book. However, I am more than happy to share that research here on the blog.
I looked for weeks before I found this (which, for me, is a really long time to look for something) in an excellent reference source, The Dictonary of Symbols by Carl G. Liungman (I've had this on my shelves for years, and it comes in handy far more often than one might expect).
The book offers a very similar (though, admittedly, not identical) symbol to the protection tattoo Sam and Dean have. Here is an image of that symbol:
Linguistically, the symbol is supposed to mean Sesa woruban, which generally translates as "Change in life" or, more personally, "I change/transform my own life."
Now, please understand that there is no way to prove that the creators of Supernatural had this symbol in mind when they created the design of the protective tattoo used on the show. And I want to make it clear that I am making no such claim here. This is simply the most similar symbol that I was able to track down in my research.
Well, that's one response down. I will continue to do these once a week until I run out of questions. So, if you have a question related to The Mythology of Supernatural, send it to me in the comments here on the blog.
I'll also accept questions on the discussion board of my Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Robert-Brown/e/B002OIHVIK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Lastly, feel free to Tweet questions to me on my Twitter account: NatRBrown
Thanks for the question, Scott.
And thanks to all the Supernatural fans and readers who have helped to make The Mythology of Supernatural a success.
All my best,
Nathan
"In Season 3, episode 12, Jus In Bello, Sam and Dean reveal tattoos on the left side of their chests as a way of protection from being possessed. Did you decide to research the symbol? Can you give any information about it?"
Yes, Scott. I did research the origins of this symbol. Due to certain writing constraints regarding the use of images, however, it was not included in the book. However, I am more than happy to share that research here on the blog.
I looked for weeks before I found this (which, for me, is a really long time to look for something) in an excellent reference source, The Dictonary of Symbols by Carl G. Liungman (I've had this on my shelves for years, and it comes in handy far more often than one might expect).
The book offers a very similar (though, admittedly, not identical) symbol to the protection tattoo Sam and Dean have. Here is an image of that symbol:
Linguistically, the symbol is supposed to mean Sesa woruban, which generally translates as "Change in life" or, more personally, "I change/transform my own life."
Now, please understand that there is no way to prove that the creators of Supernatural had this symbol in mind when they created the design of the protective tattoo used on the show. And I want to make it clear that I am making no such claim here. This is simply the most similar symbol that I was able to track down in my research.
Well, that's one response down. I will continue to do these once a week until I run out of questions. So, if you have a question related to The Mythology of Supernatural, send it to me in the comments here on the blog.
I'll also accept questions on the discussion board of my Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Robert-Brown/e/B002OIHVIK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Lastly, feel free to Tweet questions to me on my Twitter account: NatRBrown
Thanks for the question, Scott.
And thanks to all the Supernatural fans and readers who have helped to make The Mythology of Supernatural a success.
All my best,
Nathan
Friday, August 19, 2011
'The Mythology of Supernatural' Question Responses ARE coming!
Hey Folks,
Please accept my apologies for being unable to start posting my responses to questions this week, as I had originally intended. My life has been uber-nuts the last two weeks, as you can probably imagine, between my daily work and all the additional craziness that comes with having a new book come out. Please know that your questions are certainly NOT forgotten. And I fully intend to start posting responses on Monday (8/22).
My most sincere thanks, as always, to everyone in the Supernatural Family/Fandom for your interest and support!
Nathan Robert Brown
Please accept my apologies for being unable to start posting my responses to questions this week, as I had originally intended. My life has been uber-nuts the last two weeks, as you can probably imagine, between my daily work and all the additional craziness that comes with having a new book come out. Please know that your questions are certainly NOT forgotten. And I fully intend to start posting responses on Monday (8/22).
My most sincere thanks, as always, to everyone in the Supernatural Family/Fandom for your interest and support!
Nathan Robert Brown
Monday, August 8, 2011
Hey Supernatural Fans! Let's talk.
Hey Folks,
So I realized the other day that I should probably give everyone time to actually READ the Mythology of Supernatural book before I expect to you all to start sending me questions.
However, I also realized that now would probably be a good time to send out some prompts.
I want your questions, folks!
If you read the book and are wondering why I did or did not cover a particular topic, I want to hear about it.
Perhaps you have NOT bought/read the book because you are worried that it will just be more of the same? Or maybe you are thinking that it won't tell you anything you don't already know. Well ... ASK me about it, and I will let you know (I should say, I will let you know what topics are at least COVERED in the book, but I have to draw the line at spoilers).
So ... ask away, Supernatural fans! Misha Minions! J2 Disciples! a.k.a. whatever it is you choose to call yourself! I want to hear your questions!
Questions may be submitted here in the comments, or in the "Discussion" sections of my Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Robert-Brown/e/B002OIHVIK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
And, as always, I would like to extend my love, thanks, and gratitude to everyone in the SPN fandom!
Without you, this book would not exist.
And I'm out like a Jefferson Starship,
Nathan
So I realized the other day that I should probably give everyone time to actually READ the Mythology of Supernatural book before I expect to you all to start sending me questions.
However, I also realized that now would probably be a good time to send out some prompts.
I want your questions, folks!
If you read the book and are wondering why I did or did not cover a particular topic, I want to hear about it.
Perhaps you have NOT bought/read the book because you are worried that it will just be more of the same? Or maybe you are thinking that it won't tell you anything you don't already know. Well ... ASK me about it, and I will let you know (I should say, I will let you know what topics are at least COVERED in the book, but I have to draw the line at spoilers).
So ... ask away, Supernatural fans! Misha Minions! J2 Disciples! a.k.a. whatever it is you choose to call yourself! I want to hear your questions!
Questions may be submitted here in the comments, or in the "Discussion" sections of my Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/Nathan-Robert-Brown/e/B002OIHVIK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
And, as always, I would like to extend my love, thanks, and gratitude to everyone in the SPN fandom!
Without you, this book would not exist.
And I'm out like a Jefferson Starship,
Nathan
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