Celebrate Fandom with OTP The Show!

The cast of OTP the Show
The cast of OTP the Show

The Supernatural fandom has been enduring Hellatus for a while now, so we thought we’d post some feel-good things to keep us all going until Show returns in two weeks.

We’ve written four books on why people become fans and why that’s a good and healthy thing. When we started out in fandom more than a decade ago, there was still a great deal of shame around being a fan – especially being a fangirl. When we fell head over heels for Supernatural, most of the people in our lives shook their heads in confusion (and perhaps a little dismay). What had happened to us? Our parents, our children, our partners, our colleagues – everybody seemed to be judging us for engaging in something so frivolous. Why write fanfiction when we could be publishing textbooks or novels? Why spend good money to fly across the country to go to a fan convention? What was this Supernatural show anyway??

Things have changed a little – it’s cooler now to be a geek. Everyone is allowed to like Star Wars (even if most of the merchandise is still missing the main character…). It’s probably even okay to spend money you don’t really have going to the Big Apple to see Hamilton the Musical. But going to a Supernatural convention? Hyperventilating a little over Jensen in single layer or Jared’s gorgeous hair or Misha still looking like an adorable teenager? And reading (or god forbid, writing) fanfiction about the Show? Still as likely to garner “grow up, young lady!” as it is to garner either an understanding nod or maybe even a positive comment on your writing.

That’s what makes this show so important. OTP The Show is about many things, not just fandom – but it’s written by a fangirl, from a fangirl point of view. It doesn’t shy away from portraying fans as passionate or talking about fanfic or shipping or Tumblr. It’s witty and funny and sometimes poignant. And it’s different. I mean, it’s called OTP – something most fans recognize from the fannish lexicon.

Graphic @sweetyhigh
Graphic @sweetyhigh

I had the pleasure of chatting with creator and star Laura Jordan – who also happens to be best friends with Supernatural’s own Kim Rhodes. So, by proxy, SPN Family. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon – chatting with a fellow fangirl!

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Taking the East Coast by Storm: Jared, Jensen and Misha at NJCon

NJ Con 2 105

After the 12 hour flight to VanCon a few weeks ago, we were ecstatic to be able to actually DRIVE to NJCon – and the East Coast was ecstatic to have a con to call their own. Jared always asks how many people are con virgins and we’re always blown away by the hands that go up and the screams of joy that accompany them. There haven’t been many Supernatural cons on the East coast, so a whole new group of fans were treated to the awesomeness that is the SPN cast at a con.

The success of a convention depends on every guest there, and on the ability of Emcee Richard Speight Jr. and house band Louden Swain to keep the energy level up, and they came through with flying colors at NJCon. But the con’s success also rides heavily on the shoulders of Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins (and some very fine shoulders they are…) All three were in fine form this con, and I do mean that in every way possible.

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Fangasm Comes to Comic Con – With Supernatural Giveaways!

Photo by Chris Schmelke
Photo by Chris Schmelke

We’re so excited to be returning to Comic Con this year – and this time, we’re bringing our books! Our adventures at Comic Con are part of the story of Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls, from the endless hours of waiting in line, the meticulous scheming and the mad dash to get into the hall one year, to feeling like the luckiest fangirls in the world the next, behind the scenes at the WB booth with Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble (and surprise Jensen Ackles).

So it’s especially fitting that we’ll be bringing Fangasm to Comic Con, along with Cinequest. Come by and pick up your copy!

And that’s not all! We’re welcoming Supernatural back to Comic Con (is it really for the tenth time??) with the book launch for our new book, Fan Phenomena: Supernatural! This will be our first time offering Fan Phenomena for sale at a venue instead of online, and we’re ridiculously excited about it. Stop by the Cinequest booth on the Comic Con floor and join our celebration!

And what’s a celebration without some free Supernatural swag?! To celebrate the release of Fan Phenomena, we’re giving away signed copies of our books — autographed by Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Richard Speight Jr. and lots more of your favorite Supernatural actors. You can enter by scanning your badge at the Cinequest booth.

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A Supernatural Fangasm Thank You – and Giveaway!

Jared and Jensen read their favorite parts of Fangasm... (Chris Schmelke)
Jared and Jensen read their favorite parts of Fangasm… (photo by Chris Schmelke)

Of course all fandoms feel like theirs is the best (that passion is what makes fandom so unique and wonderful) – but really, the SPN Family is amazing. We heard story after story at VegasCon about how Supernatural changed people’s lives for the better, and we count ourselves among them. We were so touched by everyone who told us that our books had also made a difference, and that you could relate to ‘Fangasm’. We’ve written a lot about the generosity of fandom. What other community is entirely based on a gift economy instead of financial gain? Fans spend so much time and effort creating fan works – taking beautiful photos, writing inspiring fanfiction, making powerful vids, drawing gorgeous fanart, posting con write-ups and thoughtful meta. And instead of expecting anything in return, fans just want to share all this awesome with their fellow fans. For free!

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Some Fangasm Fun

We’d like to share the wonderful review of Fangasm on The Daily Dot. Here is an excerpt:

“One of the side effects of a post-Fifty Shades of Grey world is the demand for pop culture books about fandom. These include Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World and the recently announced Fan Fiction Studies reader, also from the University of Iowa Press. These works approach fandom from the standpoints of academics writing for a possibly mystified public. Most of them collect essays from knowledgeable academics about the basic principles and issues surrounding the fandom phenomenon.

Fangasm is to all those other books what Elle Woods is to Harvard. It unfolds like a nerdgirl answer to Hunter S. Thompson, only San Diego Comic Con has usurped Las Vegas as the desert mecca of the age and euphoria driven by slashfic replaces the drug-addled road trip. The fear and loathing has given way to squee and awe. It’s almost exactly as much of a pop culture manifesto as you’d expect from a book that doubles as a memoir about how two highly educated women with became obsessed with a show that airs on the CW Network.”

Read the entire review here.

We’re also giving away five autographed copies of Fangasm at Goodreads. Click below for details.

Fangasm by Katherine Larsen

Giveaway ends April 11, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.