Works by Eric

Posts showcasing new books, articles, features, etc. by Eric

Breaking Bad’s 10 Greatest Moments

The following is taken from Breaking Down Breaking Bad, available in paperback and for Kindle. The idea of selecting the greatest moments of a show filled with memorable moments is, admittedly, like asking to be slapped around for how absent-minded you are. Such a list can only ever spark a flurry of “how could you forget Moment X?” comments from readers. Still, it’s worth revisiting these scenes not only because it’s fun to roll a mental highlight reel, but because many of them distill the essence of Breaking Bad down to a few memorable minutes. Yes, there are some that were painful to leave off the list – Gale’s murder and Hank’s shootout with the Cousins spring immediately to mind – but you have to cut things off somewhere. Taken as a whole,…
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Whispers of the Old Hag: why Sleep Paralysis is probably behind some of our creepiest myths

This piece originally appeared in the July/August 2008 edition of Weird Tales magazine, issue #350. It once appeared online, but their online archives appear to be gone, so I’m taking it upon myself to post it here for posterity’s sake. Halloween seemed like the perfect day to do it, too. If you’ve ever suffered from sleep paralysis — waking up and being unable to move — you should read this. WHISPERS OF THE OLD HAG by Eric San Juan The thing was made of light and shadow; skeletal, pale, with ribs like talons and deep eager eyes. I did not know the time. Didn’t care to know, really. Midnight; 4 a.m.; whatever. How could I care when it stood there, just outside my bedroom door,…
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The Ghosts of Lakehurst Hangar No. 1: A real life ghost story

Halloween is almost here, so I figured I’d pull this out of the archives. The following is a real life ghost story plucked from my book, Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons. It was initially written for Weird Tales magazine and was penned alongside an essay on sleep paralysis called “Whispers of the Old Hag,” which one reviewer said was about “a real life condition that can be as terrifying as any horror story.” (For some reason, “Whispers” is no longer online at Weird Tales, so I’ve posted it in full right here.) “Ghosts” didn’t make the cut, but that was okay. I repurposed it for my book on the history of Lakehurst, a small Pine Barrens town in New Jersey. It was fun to research and write,…
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Music by Eric – “eight times alone”

How about an airy wall of sound to soothe the savage soul? I’ve previously posted albums from my m2 project, which is walls-of-sound music I record at home. So I figured why not roll it back to 2007 for the second m2 record, eight times alone? It’s hard to believe I recorded it eight years ago. Actually, released it eight years ago. Some tracks were recorded a decade ago. Still can’t wrap my head around that. I like this one. Some wacky sci-fi authors even use it as writing music. If you’re into this sort of thing, maybe you will, too. Songs are all available for download at the links below: 1) Preparing A Resume (6:43) 2) Creative Endeavors Abandoned (10:32) 3) Tea Leaves (4:55)…
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m2 – we finally made it (2014)

I have a big backlog of music right now. Just haven’t had the time or inspiration or whatever to “release” it. Not because I don’t feel like it’s worthy. Hell, I’ve been dying to get some of this out there! I’ve just had stuff going on. Managed to muster up the energy for one here, though. This one is unofficially dedicated to my buddy Cary, a great writer you haven’t heard of yet but will soon enough. Recorded this by accident, listened, liked, refined, and the end result is the longest single piece I’ve ever done. For me, at least, it’s a little bit of audio bliss. Enjoy.   m2 we finally made it 1) We Finally Made It (109:29) all songs (c) Eric San…
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