Blog Post

Family Don’t End With Blood: Review of a Book and a Party

  • By randomfandomlife
  • 13 May, 2017
A few days ago I went to the book release party in Los Angeles for Lynn S. Zubernis’s new book Family Don’t End With Blood. It is a collection of essays from cast and fans on how the television show Supernatural has changed lives.

First, a little background on me…

Unlike much of the existing fan base, I am relatively new. I got sick this last February and binge-watched the first eleven seasons on Netflix through a fevered haze. I scrambled to DVR the currently running Season 12, and then scoured websites for information and YouTube for interviews and convention videos, trying to absorb every last molecule of this new, amazing obsession of mine. I was drawn in by these two handsome brothers looking for their dad and ended up riding the roller coaster of how they tried time again to save the world and each other from seemingly inevitable ruin. I was captivated by the love and loyalty and sacrifice.

Finding the magic in real life…

Imagine my shock when I discovered that the themes of the show carried over into the fandom and were fostered and nurtured by the cast themselves. For over a decade, the machine known as the SPN Family has been churning away under the mainstream radar. The motto of the Winchesters is ‘Saving people. Hunting things. The family business.’, but in reality, the fandom conducts itself in a similar vein. This isn’t just a group of people that love a show and fawn over the actors that make it. This isn’t just fans screaming on the sidelines while the celebrities smile and wave and go about their lives.
This isn’t so much a fandom as it is a family.
The cast and crew interact with fans on an almost constant basis in life and on social media, fostering relationships and interactions that have spawned movements that have saved lives and improved situations for people around the world. The SPN Family is a force for good in this world made that much stronger by the fact that it’s real. The actors love their jobs and their fans and they put themselves out there more than any others I have ever seen. The fans coordinate and support in ways that move mountains, hold Guinness World Records, and find organ donors for dying people.

Lightning in a bottle, in book form…

In an effort to capture some of that magic and memorialize it in writing, Zubernis’s book, Family Don’t End With Blood has essays from cast and fans about how the show and the fandom have changed their lives. I don’t want to spoil it or give anything away, but bring tissue. If you have ever felt like you didn’t belong, you should read this book. If you have ever felt lost or alone or like you had no idea why you should keep going, then you should read this book. Even if you have never seen the show, you should read this book , because this isn’t just about entertainment, it’s about how a simple thing, well loved, can grow to help millions of people live better lives individually and together. Read it. Seriously.

Celebrating awesome…

The book release was held at The Study in Los Angeles. It is an amazing venue and was perfect for this event. Covered in old books and typewriters, the architecture and high ceilings are reminiscent of the bunker where Sam and Dean Winchester currently live on the show. I wish I had pictures, but I’m terrible at remembering that kind of thing. I went with my friend Amanda and, due to my severe paranoia of being late, we showed up two hours early. We found the place and Amanda tried the door while I stood back and hissed at her not to do that. We were WAY early and there was probably no one in there. Even if there was, they weren’t going to let us in.
Luckily for us, Amanda has no fear in some circumstances, because she yanked on that locked door. Someone inside walked up, opened the door, and Amanda just walked in like she belonged there, so I followed. We were there before anyone else except the employees of The Study. When Lynn and her entourage showed for setup I feared we would be booted. We weren’t supposed to be there. I started having mental images ranging from polite requests to vacate all the way up to being forcibly removed when I inevitably froze in horror at being caught somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be and then needed to be moved like a department store mannequin.
Again, luckily for us, these ladies were incredibly kind and they welcomed us with smiles and conversation. Amanda and I got to meet some really talented ladies that night: Krista (whose last name and official affiliation totally escapes me right now, but she’s amazing and Rob Benedict is a big fan, so you can’t go wrong there), Kim Prior (who has a chapter in FDEWB and is an astonishing photographer), Laurena Aker (who has a chapter in FDEWB and is also the editor and contributor for Fan Phenomena: The Twilight Saga ), Chris Griffin (the stunningly talented artist who illustrated the cover of FDEWB ), and the incomparable Lynn S. Zubernis herself. There were a few others as well that I cannot fully recall because I am terrible with names and I was so excited that I forgot my own name a few times.
In no time the venue was crowded with fans and cast from the show. I even got to meet Jim Beaver face-to-face, though I lost my ability to form coherent sentences when I got in front of him. I think I told him a story, but I don’t recall. He was incredibly gracious and patient while I held his hand for what I realize now might have been an awkward amount of time. Amanda had to go up and get my book autographed by him later because I had forgotten during my bout of “vocabulary dysentery” and was too embarrassed to face him again. I am capable of being a perfectly intelligent and well spoken individual as long as I’m not meeting a celebrity for the first time. Sorry Jim, next time I’ll be less weird. Maybe.
It was great to get to see how the cast just wandered through the crowd and people greeted them with waves and hugs like they were all friends. I think it’s because they are all friends. There is no screaming and ridiculousness. It’s just people with a common love gathering to celebrate, and that is what Supernatural and the SPN Family is about: making a safe place for people to belong and grow and be amazing.
You can purchase Family Don’t End With Blood on Amazon HERE
Random pictures that managed to get taken: Me (Kearson) lounging on the couch, Rob Benedict, Ruth Connell, Gil McKinney, Jim Beaver, and me and Amanda.
By Kearson Winchester December 7, 2018

It's the 1 year anniversary of the incorporation of Random Fandom Life, Inc. I can’t believe it’s already been a year. As I look back on the journey, my heart is warmed by the persistence and love that has gone into breathing life into a small idea that began to take shape in the early months of 2017.

The Supernatural fandom has led me to meet some really incredible people. Three of those people became my fellow founding members of Random Fandom Life: Brandy Melin, Jenny Hendrix, and Jaime Fitzpatrick. Coming from varied backgrounds and experiences, we all bring our own talents and perspectives to the mix. None of us had ever started anything like this before, but despite that, we dug in and pushed hard to make it happen.

Countless hours of online conversation led to the drafting of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. We’ve been talking to each other every day for close to a year and a half at this point. Every day is something new.

By Kearson Winchester June 30, 2018
RFL is giving away 10 items from the David Haydn-Jones <3=LOVE Campaign
By Kearson Winchester May 21, 2018
RFL is giving away 38 copies of Family Don't End With Blood
By Kearson Winchester March 8, 2018
Random Fandom Life has officially launched its first campaign: This I Can Do.

What's it all about?
RFL's first campaign is about something very fundamental: inclusion and encouragement.

We want everyone to know that no matter your fandom affiliation, or any other defining categorizations, if you want to do better, be better, and help make the world better, we have just one thing to say to you:

Welcome home.

Your actions, big or small, are all important in the tapestry of existence, and we want to celebrate them with you.

The world can be a discouraging place, and sometimes it's hard to find reasons to 'fight the good fight'. 

Don't let the world or even your own doubts tell you that you can't do something.

Find one thing, no matter how small, and start there. Tell yourself "This I Can Do" and know that it is enough,  you are enough, and hang on to that thing until you can move on to the next thing, and the next.

Be fearless. Be the change. One more step.

We want this message to spread far and wide, and in the process, we are going to raise money to help a great organization do monumental things.

Where's all the money going?
100% of the net proceeds from this campaign will go to Random Acts  to help support the events, projects, and programs they organize to get others involved in making the world a better place.  Random Fandom Life will charge no administrative fee for this campaign. (Check out our Transparency Policy for details.)

Where do I get go to get mine?
Visit the "This I Can Do" campaign on Represent CLICK HERE

Please note that the storefront only shows T's and hoodies in black and white, but if you click the T-shirt, then you can select other items from the drop down like different shirt cuts and tank tops. Sizes vary from XS-5XL depending on the item. We clicked all the buttons so you would have the most choices for item type.

How do I donate an item to someone in need?
Send USD through PayPal to ThisICanDoItemDonation@RandomFandomLife.org
$25.00 USD (for a domestically shipped donated item)
$35.00 USD (for an internationally shipped donated item)
Any amount donated through PayPal to this address will be applied toward a donated item,
so if you do not have the entire amount listed above, but still want to help, you can do so in any amount.
 
I don't have the money for an item right now! What do I do?
Enter your information on the "This I Can Do" event page HERE
If funds are available from donors, then an item will be shipped to you. Random Fandom Life will never share your contact info with anyone but the distributor of the merchandise for the campaign (and only to place the order for your item.)
Please enter your information only once. Multiple submissions from the same requester will be deleted and will not increase your chances of obtaining an item.

How can I be more involved in this campaign?
So glad you asked! Spread the word on social media so that we can reach as many people as possible (see below).

Still not enough?

Well, we would also love to hear your stories. Tell us about the things you can do.

Tell us about a time you saw something that moved you to action to fix the situation.

Tell us about a time you helped someone, even if it was yourself.

Tell us about something you wish you could do or plan to do, and then tell us the first small step you can take to make it happen.

Tweet us with #ThisICanDoStoryTime, post a message on our Facebook Page , send us something on Instagram  with #ThisICanDoStoryTime or send us an email at ThisICanDoStoryTime@RandomFandomLife.org with the subject line "This I Can Do Story Time". And if your story is fandom related, add #RFLBecause so that we can see how fandom has helped you in your life.

Three submissions will be chosen at random to receive a free item from the campaign. 

I want to enter for a chance to get a free campaign item, but I don't want my business posted on social media.
We totally understand! If you do not want the contents of your entry to be shared publicly, please send it to the email above and specify that you wish to submit a private entry.

SHENANIGANS!
Random Fandom Life attends many fandom events around the world. If you are wearing a campaign shirt out in the wild at an event we are attending, come find us! We like selfies. And we may even be doing special fan events for folks wearing RFL merch, so stay tuned.

Be fearless. Be the change. One more step.

This I Can Do.

And never forget, welcome home.



The design for "This I Can Do" is by Light & Grace Media 's talented Taylor Hardman.
By Kearson Winchester February 16, 2018
I'm going to start by saying I wish I had taken notes. I'm still new at this blogging thing, so keeping track of everything that happens, and taking pictures too, is foreign to me. If anyone wants to follow me around taking notes and pictures of my adventures, please contact me. The pay sucks, and I'm kind of mean, but I'll drag you to cool places and make you laugh.

Moving on...

Valentine's Day. There are so many things, good or bad,that can be said about this holiday, but this post isn't about any of that.

This post is about a room full of random people in an old brick building reading words that caused a stir.

"Give A Little Love a night of poetry with Rachel Miner" was an event at Rapp's Saloon on Second Street in Santa Monica, CA, benefiting Random Acts and hosted by the folks at The Greater LA GISHWHES group.

I brought my son Isaac along (he'll be 9 in March) because he likes Rachel and because I thought it would be a good experience for him to spend time with cool people and hear some poetry. He didn't want to go, but in fairness, he never wants to go anywhere. Tough noodles, kid, you're getting some culture for Valentine's Day.

We stopped at Target to get a few gift cards to donate at the event. I learned my lesson at the last event about donating large quantities of items and then trying to lug them to the event site after barely finding parking. No weightlifting for me this time, thanks.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this 'open mic' event, but I should have known that it would be casual, because Rachel is just awesome like that. It was very laid back and informal. A few chairs, a few cushions on the floor, a snack table, and a valentine creation station. The idea was to make a valentine and then everyone would get to take one home at the end of the evening.

Well, my son wasn't having any of that. He took one look at all the heart shapes, stamps, stickers, and glittery letters, and it was on. He made one valentine for Rachel, made a second one, and then made a third one before he finally wandered back to sit with me for the readings.
By Kearson Winchester January 27, 2018
Welcome to the Random Fandom Life website!!!

We've taken off the training wheels, so forgive us for a few bumps and bruises here and there. Feel free to poke around and check things out. If you find anything out of sorts, feel free to drop us a line, because if you had something in your teeth, we would tell you. We wouldn't let you hang out on the internet, flashing it to the world. Help us help you help us...or something like that.

Here in the blog section we have a few throwbacks to blogs from the old wordpress site before we went fancy-pantsy and made our own. We aim to fill this section with blogtastic wonder. Stay tuned.

Make sure to check out the bottom of the home page where we have our roster of fandom families. Don't see yours? Let us know! We want to include everyone, so if you contact us, we'll add you. It's an on-going task.

The About RFL section tells you almost everything you need to know about us: where we came from, what we are about, how we work, who we help, and the faces behind the screen bringing amazing things to so many fandoms.

Events & Campaigns is where we list the fun stuff and believe us, we've got some great things ahead, so stay tuned. And, in the near future, you will be able to purchase your very own piece of Random Fandom Life through our Shop section! Patience is a virtue. We don't possess it, but we hear it's nice.

Interested in being a part of the fun? Contact us and let us know! We are always looking for people to help with the vision of making the world a better place through fandom unity.

~ Random Fandom Life
By randomfandomlife September 1, 2017

Random Fandom Life is headed to Texas!

By randomfandomlife June 28, 2017
This blog post is pulled from a Facebook post by Kirby Rosser, founder of the Facebook group WeAreSPNFamily. We found it to be a great analysis of the arc of the character Chuck/God and figured you would enjoy it as well. Thanks, Kirby, for letting us snag your genius!
By randomfandomlife June 24, 2017
I am so bad at keeping up with blogs. My apologies. On the plus side, I make up for my complete lack of communication by sharing the love and giving away cool stuff.
By randomfandomlife June 6, 2017
Cover Art by Chris Griffin

Here at Random Fandom Life, we support all types and genres of fandom. We believe anything that brings people together and inspires them to love each other and make a difference in the world is something to be celebrated. We also believe that anything that helps people to help themselves is something that should be shared.
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