Daring to sidle out from underneath his protective Cancer shell and expose himself (!) to my blog readers, here's Mark Barry :) Mark is, in my opinion, one of the best 'indie' authors out there. I've read four of his books (at the time of writing); you can read my reviews of them HERE (ps, they're all 99p/99c until October, I thought I'd just slip that in!). Under his Green Wizard guise, he also does author interviews with a difference... more later!
Tell us about your semi-Cancerian self, Mark...
Mark on the left, his son on the right.
"An old boss of mine was a part time tarot reader and astrologist and, thus, I picked up a ton from her about astrology without ever fully assimilating its doctrine.
Cancers are by nature crabs. Diamond hard on the outside and soft as melted butter on the inside. Once you penetrate the shell, a Cancer is yours, but breaking through it isn’t easy."
The Cancerian moon smiles warily at the twins...
"Yet, Geminis are the opposite. Assess the negatives and weep. Shallow, scheming, feckless, duplicitous, slutty, unrealistic, boastful, Janus-faced, bi-polar – the playful twins offer a disorienting contrast to the stolid, dependable, loyal, faithful, honest, depression-prone crab.
According to my old boss this combo was always going to make my life very difficult. One half of me wants to party like it's 1999 and the other half of me wants to lock the doors and tell everyone to, er, go away. That’s me in a nutshell. Trapped in a circadian parabola oscillating from manic party animal to despairing recluse almost by the day."
...okay, then, have your own sign!
"Potential partners? If you’re an Aries, your zodiacmates have already mashed my swede in twice, so keep me in the friendzone thank you very much, but if you’re a Pisces, a Scorpio or a Capricorn, we tend to get on alright. I also blend with other Cancers but, as you can imagine, that is a mind-blowingly intense combination – and no apologies for the adverb; it’s appropriate."
"My writing? Cancers suffer in a private hell of their own making and Geminis are the ultimate dancing communicators so what else can a man afflicted by both do but write or teach?
Do I believe in this stuff? I’ll leave that to you to work out :-D"
Actually, Marky Mark, I have to tell you that up and down moods are also very much a feature of moon ruled Cancer... if you would like to know more about the Green Wizard's cauldron, you can give it a stir HERE and follow Mark on Twitter; you won't recognise him, by the way, as he changes his profile picture on a weekly basis, and it's rarely him. He may think this is the mercurial, changing face of Gemini; I think it's the hideaway Cancerian :)
Would Mark like to share a beer with these two fellow crabs ~ under their respective carapaces, perhaps?
A chap who knew a thing or two about human nature... George Orwell..
...and the original gonzo journalist, who was known to have
an up and down mood or two, himself... Hunter S Thompson :)
Up next ~ An amusingly analytical Virgo, followed by a decidedly off-beat Aquarius!
Previous Posts:
Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Proofreader Julia
Leo: Anne Goodwin,
Gemini: Shelley Wilson
Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black
Sagittarius: Katrina Mountfort
Very insightful, Mark, and very honest! (As an Aries, I think it's best we stay friends though!)
ReplyDeleteAye, you cardinal signs!!!
DeleteJulia, I'm always honest! Perhaps too much so. I daren't look any further down to see if I've upset any Geminis :-) Incidentally, the tracts I've read suggest Cancerian Man/Aries Woman is down there in the most unstable segment of the recommended relationship section, so yeh, lets skip the Tinder stage :-D
DeleteSeriously, thanks for responding and best of luck, Marky x
Excellent. I live with a crab, have a crab daughter and have many crab friends, and can't really see with the 'stolid, dependable, loyal' part...not with any of mine anyway. Sensitive yes, hiding under a mask, yes, but I would add mercurial and unpredictable and chameleons all. I wonder if Mark recognises these too 😄
ReplyDeleteI sometimes find Cancerians to be ruled by their moods and totally self indulgent, but I like the June ones as they are a bit 'fascinating Gemini' too - like Mark. Two of my best real life male friends are thus - as is my father!
DeleteHiya Val, I'm too sensitive for my own good and can be a right "git", but most of the traits I''ve mentioned are pretty much me. As Terry said, it could be the duality of the Cancerian sign, but if you ask me, if you try and pin it down, I am probably more Gemini than Cancer - for better or for worse :-) What star sign are you, btw? Forgive me if I missed it. Thanks for commenting and best of luck. Mark x
DeleteTerry, before Matt I would agree with you - part of the reason I used that photo - but I definitely got less moody and self indulgent after Matt was born. Definitely moody though, overall, but that could be a Gemini thing. Marky x
DeleteVal is a Taurean, Mark, coming later this month! Aye - well, when we meet in November I shall give my Gemican verdict, but you come across as more Cancerian to moi so far! :)
DeleteAh Mark, the sensitivity side is also the creative side! As you might have gathered, I kinda love crabs, but I think that's because with their overwhelming predominance in my life I know them better than I know myself! I don't know any real June ones though. The earliest in my group is 30 June. The rest are in July. And yes, I'm a Taurean. Despite being nearly Gemini, I'm a bull through and through...but of course I don't believe any of this stuff....haha :)
DeleteBrilliantly entertaining for a Monday morning! Insightful and so interesting how things change when you are on the cusp of a new sign as well - I shall have to check this out when I do mine.
ReplyDeleteTis also to do with what planets the rest of your chart is in, it has to be said; I am right in the middle of my sign, but am a bit Virgoan in a Leo sort of way, too, because I have 4 planets in Virgo - but then this makes it all much more complicated, never mind!!
DeleteThanks, G :-D In touch with my feminine side on this one. I'm sitting with Phil in the Office and debating the "traits" we're talking about. I can definitely see Virgo and (to a lesser extent) Leo in you. As Terry says, its a lot more complicated than it looks. Thanks for commenting, G :-) Mx
DeleteLovely to read more about our favourite Wizard. My eldest son and my daughter are crabs and they are my best buddies, but I do have to parent them differently from my other son who is an Aquarius - what fun we have in our house!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh yes - I understand that, having grown up with a Cancerian father and an Aquarian mother - I had to 'child' them differently, too!
DeleteShelley, I posted a reply, but I think I fell off the Net. I will give it a few hours and then if I get "published" fair enough. Otherwise, I'll reply again! Thanks - and lovely to meet you :-D Mark x
DeleteI feel a bond! I'm June 24th so share the same schizoid tendencies, (not easy!)
ReplyDeleteAh, I was wondering what you were, June, for your New Romantics post at the end of Nov! I knew what Lizzie and Adrienne were. :)
DeleteJune, we''re datemates! You'll understand those twin forces, then! And it isn't easy - lots of self control needed :-D I think I'd rather be a simpler sign, overall :-D Thanks, June. Markx
DeleteI am a crab too! I hope I can still join in....perhaps you'll be able to fit in another Cancerian after a few months?? if you say no I may cry for a bit, then go and hide in my safe place of home, then blame myself for years to come until the guilt gnaws away at me until suddenly I'm ok again! (No pressure then! ;-) )
ReplyDeleteEmma, I'm posting 3 times a week and have 2 more Cancerians, no limit (though I really don't need any more Scorpios and Geminis!) - I am looking at December now, and have 6 empty spaces there so do please get a piece to me whenever you like! Ha ha - love the Cancerian outburst!!!
DeleteThank you! I'll get on it very shortly to hopefully make one of your December slots!
DeleteWow! 3 posts a week and all booked out until December, no wonder you're busy.
ReplyDeleteI've recently realised that it's not just the writing of the posts, Rosie ~ it's the promotion of them, the keeping the contributors up to date... and these ones, with all their pictures, etc, take a bit of fishing around.... I am surprised YOU get any SLEEP!!!
DeleteI was kind of hoping to start the next novel next month, too... and get more of the to-read list ticked off in Sept!!
Another entertaining read - really enjoying these!
ReplyDeleteTONS more to come, Kat...!
Delete