They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Chris Cannon, whose latest, Demon Bound, was released earlier this year from Entangled Teen!
What does Chris Cannon love when she’s not writing about literal summer jobs from hell? Spoiler alert: a show that’s the perfect blend of horror, comedy, and teenaged angst; a monster-hunting team that’s been around for fifteen years, and the supernatural show that started it all. Intrigued? Read on to learn more (and beware: if you don’t watch these television shows, you will be spoiled for them)!
What are my favorite things? That is an interesting question. I just finished the latest season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina while walking on the damn treadmill and yes, that is its official name. I can’t wait for the next installment. This show expertly mixes horror and comedy and teen angst. I love the way they flipped the use of heaven and hell in the characters’ dialogue as in, “What the heaven is going on here?”. It’s such a small thing but it’s brilliant. And the show is unpredictable. The first time Zelda killed her sister Hilda and buried her in the yard my jaw dropped. Then there was the Feast of Feasts episode where one lucky witch is pampered and then eaten by her coven. Yes. You read that correctly. And Batibat who haunts people’s dreams is truly creepy. I love how the show randomly slips in music like It’s Tricky for the cheerleading scene or Masquerade for the fake coronation scene and somehow it works. This show definitely pushes the limits of making the viewer suspend disbelief but that’s one of the things I enjoy about it.
Supernatural is my favorite series still on television. The hunt for the yellow-eyed demon was so complex. The sacrifice that John Winchester made for his sons and then the sacrifice Dean made to bring Sam back…and when Sam jumped into the pit to save the world… I’ve never felt such strong emotions for a show. And not just because Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are so much fun to look at. I swear they’ve grown more handsome with age. Maybe it’s because I’ve aged with them. Fifteen years is a long time to spend with characters. While the writers for the show sometimes veer off course (I don’t care for the Chuck is a manipulative sociopath storyline), I do love when they come back to Sam and Dean chasing monsters and solving cases and making the viewers laugh. The comic moments in every episode save the show from being too dark or sad because let’s face it Sam and Dean have not had a lot go right in their lives.
My all-time favorite show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon is a freaking genius. The snarky banter between Buffy and her friends is perfection. And the twist when Buffy sleeps with Angel and he turns evil…that’s a moment I’ll never forget. When Angelus changed back to Angel and Buffy had to kill him anyway…that gutted me. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard over a television show. Not even for Sam and Dean. Over the summer I watched Buffy on Netflix while walking on the damn treadmill, and I was happy to see that it held up.
All three of these shows influenced my latest book, Demon Bound, where a bookworm ends up with the summer job from hell…literally. She’s forced to work as a soul collector for a crossroads demon. Mayhem and snarky humor ensue.
Chris Cannon is a speech therapist by day and the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series, the Boyfriend Chronicles, the Dating Dilemma series, and The Crossroads Chronicles by night. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts.She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing urban fantasies or sweet snarky romantic comedies. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.
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Supernatural!! And BUFFY…. Chris, we’re kindred spirits. I’ve got Demon Bound on my Kindle, cued up to read ASAP!