Interview With Author Jay Brandy

 

1. What exactly is Expensive Sugar about — and who is it written for?

Expensive Sugar is a compendium of short stories and essays covering the college experience of its two authors, childhood friends who started at separate schools, and came together their sophomore year. Essentially a how-to survival guide to college, through the lens of 1990s technology, pop culture (lots of pop culture!) and constant commentary on themselves and each other. The book follows their exploits in trying to fit in, meet girls, navigate moving away from their childhood, managing their academic, social, and moral compasses, and generally learning who they want to be as adults.  To be honest, we wrote it for ourselves, but with the hope that our contemporary Gen X'ers would find a lot of the same things as funny as we do.  But we also hope that anyone who has gone to college, whether 80 years ago or 5 years ago, or next year, can find these stories entertaining, if not hilarious and relatable.  

2. What inspired you to write this book? 

Law school, life, the corporate world - all have conspired to suck the creativity we both had out of us; we were hoping that by telling many of the stories that literally make us laugh to this day with a broader audience, we could accomplish several things:

- Flex that dormant creative muscle 

- Make people laugh

- Help people realize that those old stories that helped define us, and still resonate, are really important.  Legitimizing those memories and reinforcing that these stories are relatable

- Share some of the thoughts and opinions we hold dear (and find amusing or even hilarious) to others, likely seeking validation that we're not the only ones who feel this way about things.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading Expensive Sugar?

Three things: 

1. Aside from laughter and being able to relate, thinking about times in their lives that helped form who they are morally, ethically, and where they have changed over time.   

2. That humor can be found in so many places. 

3. Being 18-22 is a special time in our lives, where many of us have to start thinking about things differently, and exploring concepts and placing ourselves in situations that are the opposite of "comfortable;" and that how we collectively react (and remember) those times can be very rewarding and oftentimes, hilarious. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

We thought a lot about the title for a while.  We were well into writing the book, and were kicking around several ideas but had not committed to any one title.  We knew we wanted "Musings and Rantings" as part of it.  We realized we probably needed a catchy title with a relatively detailed sub-title so people could actually understand what the book was about.  As I was writing the chapter about our junior-year roommate, who was...well, really interesting (and bizarre), there was a story about how he would prepare his custom Kool Aid with "Expensive Sugar" and it just hit me.  As a literal term, and thereafter as an effective euphemism for seeking out how to survive the myriad ups and downs and challenges of college.   

As for the cover, we wanted something that was pretty literal and explained what the book was ab0ut, so the idea of two people/hands coming together (from different schools - my co-author started at University of Delaware, and transferred to SUNY Buffalo sophomore year), intertwined with a mosaic or camera-role of the many things/issues/pop-culture iconography that we talk about in the book, to be grabbing the reader's attention.  

5. What is it about one’s college days that stick with us decades later?

I read an interview with musician Billy Joel years ago that the ages of 18-22 are a huge mixed bag; in that we collectively are still very young and very naive, but old enough to go out on our own and try to learn to be adults (to some extent, and I'm paraphrasing.)  Its a time when we do and say ridiculous things because we can and because we are really trying to figure out who we are as people.  But in doing so, at least for me, I feel like I developed a deep sense of ethical boundaries and truly right and wrong.  And those core ethical guidelines have been encoded in my decision-making ever since.   

Plus, college can be a time where the right professor, or class, or friendship, or even a single evening, can have a profound impact.  For us, all of the above were true, and we absolutely still talk about and make reference (mostly very inside jokes) to many of those experiences daily.  It is just ingrained on our souls.  

6. Your stories cover a lot of aspects of college life. Did things seem as funny to you then as they do now upon your reflections?

Absolutely. Whether it was realizing someone we had known was just incredibly different than we were (related to the whole "upstate vs downstate" polemic in the book), or witnessing some truly amusing moments, our inner 19-year old remain a key part of our humor and general disposition - adulting hasn't fully soured me (or my co-author) on everyday humor.  That being said, and this was absolutely something we consciously did, reflecting on some things we said or did are also quite sobering, and were real learning experiences and opportunities to do better in the future.  But most of it - yeah, still funny! 

7. What was it about college in the 1990s that so many people have a fondness for?

I think the GenX crew is really at a cross-roads at the moment. We are now likely having to care for our elderly Baby Boomer parents; if we have kids, they are likely in High School or college, and career-wise, probably at or near the peak of how far we are going to get.  That is both gratifying (for some) and terrifying (for others).  All with a "wow, that went by FAST" undercurrent that I certainly feel.  For me, it really is Einstein's theory of Relativity - in my head, it is hard to fathom that the 1990's were THIRTY YEARS ago, and yet, a huge part of my pop-culture knowledge, and my conversational base, are rooted in 1990's (and adjacent) things; Seinfeld, music, - its not even that the 1990's were so great, its that as children of the 1980's we were much more cognizant of what was truly awesome (and what was not) by the time the 1990s came around.   

It was also a true mix of "analog" and "digital" - we had computers, we had (early stages) the internet, but.cell phones were not ubiquitous, Uber/ride sharing wasn't a thing (it was called "Hitchhiking" or "bumming a ride"), you had to watch content the old fashioned way - hope it was "on TV," and so in many ways, the 90s were like a bridge between "old school" and the current world as it sits. And thus, those of us who are truly Generation X have a key bit of context. 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

I'd say some of my personal key influences (all are "writers" in one sense or another) include Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Simmons, Ralph Wiley, Howard Stern, Aaron Karo, Dave Barry, David Sedaris, with some classic brilliant social commentators like Mark Twain, Jonathan Swift, the Bard (Shakespeare) all had a deep impact on how I wanted to get my thoughts and points of view across.  

In terms of books - Puddin'head Wilson by Twain; The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons, Hamlet by Shakespeare (among many); Miss America by Howard Stern, all have a permanent spot in my brain for "that's what I wanted to say!" in various parts. 

The notion of holding people accountable for their personal and unique oddball/insane/bizarre behavior, or moreover, GROUPS of people, was not something I was consciously doing, but it turned out to be exactly what my co-author and I were doing quite often in the book.    

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

Three things: 

1. Taking two different people who had both the same and different experiences and combining those stories into a readable, digestible account was difficult.  

2. Finding the right balance between keeping the two main characters/authors likeable and relatable vs. social commentator/keyboard warriors who came off as just obnoxious.  

3. Which stories to tell and which stories were deemed less funny/appropriate/icky.   

That last one was truly challenging - we argued a lot, and to this day don't fully agree on certain things.  In the end, it was a compromise. 

I'll also note that a story one of found particularly amusing may not have played well with a broader audience; there was concern that too many inside jokes would remain just that, and turn off the reader.   

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

We honestly believe there isn't anything out there (book-wise), either now or historically, that captures the college experience that most of us (who went to college) actually had.  For those looking for a full-on belly laugh, or a nostalgic and humorous walk through a "average joe" college experience that provides common ground scenarios (NOT the crazy fraternity parties, NOT balancing academics with playing on a national championship-caliber football or basketball team, NOT a fictional (or real life) adventure or relationship with a professor.) 

We are both confident and hopeful that others also find deep satisfaction in finding hilarity in the mundane and everyday things that we took for granted in college.  Having to learn how to live with roommates, trying to be or look or act a certain way to hopefully meet someone; being a proverbial fish out of water, or learning who you really are at that critical age between 18-22 - it is all hopefully relatable and fresh and above all, humorous, but never before presented in this format and in this way.   

And the stories are told through the lens of two best friends, who absolutely stick it to each other, both as a Chorus to each chapter, and within the stories themselves, is also a novel and unique writing style. 

About The Author: Jay should have been a writer by trade who got lost in the malaise of the corporate world and had to be rescued to show his true talent – writing comedy.  He attempts to bring a razor-sharp observational bent to the daily grind and can find humor in any situation.  When not writing with his best friend, Jay fills his time as a devoted husband and father of three teenage boys. He is a religious devotee of the Iron Temple and enjoys several hobbies, including tinkering with his sports cars and motorcycle, skiing, sailing, and watching silly movies with his beloved dog. He and his family reside in Westchester, NY.  For more information, please see: https://x.com/JaySimonCorp/status/1943315295155667227 and Instagram: @jayandsimonprods.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum