Title: Taken Liberty
Author: Steven H. Wilson
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 31 March 2006 – 25 May 2006
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: Podcast and Dead Tree
Rating: R for sexual situations and some violence
Occasionally, I listen to a podcast for no apparent reason. This is one of those times. After having listened to the first couple of eps, I was interested enough to continue with it, but I’m not sure who recommended this story to me. If YOU did, please let me know and I’ll be sure to give you credit.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Aer’La only wants to be free…
The Confederated Worlds are unparalleled as a society of free people, yet, somehow, slavery still manages to exist. Aer’La, a non-human, was bred to serve as a pleasure slave. Years ago, she escaped her masters and masqueraded as a human, joining the Confederate Navy, where she worked her way up to ship’s Bos’n under the heroic Captain Jan Atal. Now, Aer’La’s secret has been discovered by Atal’s superiors, the media, and the world at large. Branded a sociopath, she learns that even a free society isn’t willing to grant freedom – or justice – to all.
Production: The production on this story was really well done and I was fine with the results. I know that production really seems to get the least knocks from me, but the reason is that as long as the production doesn’t interfere, or really enhance, I can give it a pass. So, again, the production for Taken Liberty was well done, but nothing extraordinary.
Cast: The story was a straight read by the author, Steven H. Wilson. He does a nice job and does a good bit of differentiating the voices both with modulating his tone and inflection. Well done indeed when you figure a good number of his characters are women.
Story: The story is actually quite a bit different from what I was expecting after the first episode. In that first episode, you meet the crew of the Titan, flagship of the Confederation. I was expecting a space fairing tale of daring do. What I got was a future version of JAG. Kind of.
More of that in the verdict.
The thing you should know coming into this story, which I didn’t, is that the Arbiter Chronicles seems to be a series of stories prodcast from Prometheus Radio. I really don’t anything about Prometheus Radio and am neither recommending or suggesting you avoid them. However, Taken Liberty, is a novel taken from season 2 of their series. I was still able to follow easily enough, but you definitely got the feeling that there was a depth to the characters that somehow you were missing. I also can’t recommend you listen to season one, as I have not. So, are you feeling brave?
Verdict: Taken Liberty was a very interesting story for most of the story. I can say I enjoyed it. I can’t say the big reveal was really as unexpected as I would have hoped. I love a twist. I felt this was more of a speed bump.
So, do I recommend it. No. Not really. Do I suggest you avoid it. Again no. I did find it interesting, and it is a rather short novel, so if you feel like giving it a chance, it really isn’t a huge investment of your time. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t find anything that really frustrated me, I just didn’t finish it and think “good story”, either. So, if you’re a fan of space law, you might find this interesting. If you give it a shot (or all ready have), let me know what you think!
Disclosure: I do not believe I know Mr. Wilson, or follow him on Twitter (you can’t always be sure). I can say, for sure, that I was not asked to write this review, or offered anything in return for it.
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Title: Clear Heart
Author: Joe Cottonwood
Genre: General Fiction
Released: 3 October 2007 – 7 January 2008
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: Podcast only
Rating: R for Language, sexual situations, some violence
As I’ve mentioned before, I quite often am looking for new podcasts. It isn’t that I have nothing to listen to, I do. However, most of the things I listen to are currently in production, and I need to broaden my listening horizons. I also have listened to many podcasts that I’ve never reviewed. However, if I’m going to review a “legacy” podcast, I often like to listen to something that is out of my regular routine. A week or so ago, I asked Twitter for suggestions and I’ve got a whole slate full of podcasts now. One of the suggestions I got was from Laura “GreenGlam” Church, and that suggestion was Clear Heart by Joe Cottonwood.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Carpenters and craft, friendship and rivalry: Wally is building a mansion for a dot-com multimillionaire in the Silicon Valley of California. As the dot-com’s stock keeps rising, the size of the house – and the owner’s ego – keep growing. Wally and his colorful crew may be into something that’s over their heads. When little guys work for bigshots, who gets nailed?
From bungling to burglary, from demolishing concrete to racing beltsanders, from love of tools to falling in love, everyone will encounter Wally’s Laws of Construction – or are they Laws of Life? Each house, it seems, is a miracle.
Production: The production of Clear Heart is clean and simple, like a well built house. I love clean and simple, and I can honestly say the production of Clear Heart is easy to enjoy. Song at the beginning. Same song at the end. Clean audio. No TSSF (it is hosted on Podiobooks and through Podiobooks on iTunes).
Cast: The cast is simply Joe Cottonwood doing all of the male voices and Susan Walker doing all of the female voices. The voicework duo is not like The Gearheart duo. Mr. Cottonwood does an admirable job of voicing a wide variety of characters, but for the most part, you can always recognize the voices as belonging to the same man. Ms. Walker’s female voices aren’t even intoned differently. However, it doesn’t matter at all. The story is easily told and flows naturally.
Story: This is a rare listen for me. I tend to be a reader and listener of speculative fiction. I am drawn to it for some reason. I do, occasionally stray from this pattern and read some nonfiction or general fiction, but not often. I guess I have enough “real life” to not need to read about other peoples. Clear Heart, however, is done well in the fact that the characters really come to life. Good or bad (and there are both).
Verdict: Let’s talk about those characters. I can’t say I liked any of them to be truthful. They all have major character defects. Just like I do.
Yes.
To be honest, these characters are very life like. Often, to their detriment. The upside is that they are interesting. That is what kept me listening all the way to the end.
In the end this is a story of people living. Changing. Growing. Life. It has plenty of profanity, and way too much rated r sexual content (I now know about things I didn’t know before, and would have NEVER been unhappy to know about — yes, I’ve lived a sheltered life, LOL).
This is a hard story for me to provide a verdict for. I didn’t like it in many ways. In other ways it was very interesting and drew me in. So, I’ll do the best I can. If you like fiction, non-speculative fiction, with well developed characters and an ability to describe construction in a way to make the art come through, while at the same time you aren’t put off by the aforementioned sexual content, you will probably like Clear Heart.
Disclosure: To my knowledge, Mr. Cottonwood isn’t on Twitter. If he is, I’ve never seen his name, or at least am unaware if I did. I was neither offered nor did I receive anything for writing this review.
Title: The Immortals
Author: Tracy Hickman
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 22 May 2006 – 18 April 2007
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: Podcast, Dead Tree, ebook
Rating: PG13 for adult language and situations including holocaust type treatment
So, I’m sure many of you have heard of Tracy Hickman. When I started listening to podfiction, so had I. However, I, like maybe some of you, started perusing the Podiobooks and iTunes libraries for an author that I recognized. I did find some from the public domain, but the only current work or author that I ran into was The Immortals by Tracy Hickman.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: The future story of United States Internment Camps … of the dreams of the pre-deceased … and of triumph beyond oblivion.
It’s 2020, and an attempted cure for AIDS has mutated into a deadlier disease, V-CIDS. The U.S., under martial law, has set up “quarantine centers” in the Southwest. Searching for his gay son, Jon, media mogul Michael Barris smuggles himself into one of centers only to discover that it and the other centers are actually extermination camps. With a strange assortment of allies, including the leader of the camp’s gay barracks, an army officer and a local cowboy, Barris precipitates an inmates’ rebellion that promises the unraveling of the death-camp system and the overthrow of the government that established it.
Production: Mr. Hickman did a pretty good job of a straight read. The one sound effect that sticks with me several years after my initial listening to this podcast is the sound of the wind. Having grown up in an area that is quite wind swept, the sound of this same wind evokes a sense of desolation and loneliness that is perfect for this story. There isn’t a lot of production, but it is done very well and is completely adequate.
Cast: The cast for The Immortals is a cast of two. All parts are read by either Mr. Hickman or his wife, Laura. There are actually quite a few parts, so they have their plates full, but overall do a nice job. I really had no problem with the voice work for this podcast.
Story: The Immortals is not truly a science fiction story. In fact, in my opinion it isn’t even really a story. It is a social and political statement about the way AIDS victims are treated. Or were treated as the story is over 10 years old. Which being the case leads me to the verdict….
Verdict: If The Immortals had simply been a story, I probably would have enjoyed it. Most people that commented at Podiobooks seemed to like it. Those that didn’t seemed to have disliked it mostly because of the terribly in depth characterizations. Well, you all know me, I love characterizations, so that never really bothered me. In fact I really enjoyed it. Almost all of the major characters were fully fleshed out and given a great deal of empathy and feeling. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now though that I didn’t like it. Not at all.
You see, I simply got tired of being beat over the head with the idea that we need to change as a society. Guess what? I agree. I really do. I just don’t need to have it thrown at me for hours on end.
Now hold on, you might disagree with me. Some of our greatest authors have written pieces that were social commentary. What would a survey of English Literature be without the likes of A Modest Proposal? There are way too many examples of this done right to point them all out now.
However, this is the problem. This wasn’t subtle or abstract. I literally felt like I was being beaten with the author’s belief system, which seems to be becoming more acceptable. If you can’t hide your commentary behind a good story, write a non fiction treatise for heaven’s sake. (Terry Goodkind, are you listening?)
Surely some of you must disagree with me. Maybe I can be persuaded. Did I miss something? Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Hickman was able to pull some strings even when I knew he was trying to do this, but rather than making his point, he just aggravated me. SO, if you like thinly veiled commentary instead of story, by all means, listen. However, if you feel like you should be able to enjoy the story, whether you agree with the author OR NOT, ant tha
Disclosure: I have no idea if Mr. Hickman is on Twitter. I have never talked to him through any media.
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Title: Dead Mech
Author: Jake Bible
Genre: Science Fiction/Horror
Released: 26 September 2009 – 27 June 2010
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast, Dead Tree version coming soon
Rating: R for intense violence and gore, strong sexual content and pervasive profanity
A while back you might remember I made a concerted effort to fill the void created in these reviews by the lack of horror. I believe I mentioned at the time that it is probably my least favorite of the speculative fiction categories, and it remains so. As I was looking for a good story or two to review I was amazed to find how popular zombie fiction had become. (I know, sometimes I’m a bit slow on the uptake.) I don’t remember who recommended Jake Bible’s Dead Mech to me, or even if it was one I stumbled upon on my own, but I just finished listening to the last ep and had been holding this review until that episode dropped. Thank goodness for author’s that release on schedule (even a Sunday release schedule… Sunday? Really?).
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: After the zombie apocalypse decimates the world, human civilization tries to put itself back together again. Their secret weapon: the Mechs. But what happens when a mech pilot dies in his mech and becomes a zombie? Hell on earth is unleashed… (Minor quibble.. authors, you put A LOT of work into your stories and then the podcasting of them. Consider providing a synopsis that, even if it is brief, give me a very good idea about what your story is about. I’m more likely to listen.) (Stolen from podiobooks.com)
Production: Mr. Bible bills his story as the world’s first “drabble” novel. Don’t know what that is? Don’t feel bad, neither did I. In a nutshell, a drabble is a 100 word story. Exactly 100 words. So, Mr. Bible has written a novel that is broken into 100 word bites. Not chapters necessarily, but scenes, characters point of view, etc. What does this have to do with production? Simply that at the end of each drabble, the story pauses. No music, no sound effect, just nothing. for an obscene amount of time. Like at least a minute. Well, not really probably more like five seconds. Still, it seemed much longer.
Mr. Bible did one other thing in his production that I really have to admit I would not recommend. Author “metadata” (all those things that author’s share with us that might or might not have anything to do with the story) is really fun and I usually subscribe to the iTunes or author’s site versions so as to be able to listen in on it. However, if you are going to place it at the beginning of the ep, I believe it should be kept relatively concise and keep on tract. Several of Mr. Bible’s intro’s approach the 10 minute mark. Yes, I know that I could have subscribed to the Podiobooks version and then I would not have this complaint. And of course, that is a very valid argument. And truthfully, now that this story is complete, I would suggest you do. (Well, it should be complete at Podiobooks before you get that far anyway.)
Cast: Mr. Bible does a straight read on his Dead Mech but does provide a good amount of inflection. He really doesn’t do much in the way of voice characterization, but it really doesn’t need it and the story stands up quite well.
Story: Dead Mech is a horror story. It really is. But it is a horror story in the vein of Aliens where it is very dependent on the science fiction element. Mr. Bible does a very good job on blending the two. Mr. Bible also provides a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode letting the listener know this story is really intended for adult audiences. Believe him. I have never heard this much profanity in a podcast before. (It came to me as I was mowing the yard while listening to an ep that I can imagine Mr. Bible counting the words of the latest paragraph and finding himself at 98, so why not throw two 2 more f-bombs in to [that is meant as a light hearted musing only folks] wrap it up nice and tidy. If that in itself is a stopping point for you, don’t bother. There are also detailed scenes of gore and sexual violence, violence and cannibalism. Seriously. And we’re not talking zombies munching of humans either. However, this is a story that I’ve never heard before in any variation. I love the idea of his Mechs and the specialized duty they are capable of.
Verdict: I didn’t love Dead Mech, but I sure didn’t hate it either. I liked it. And it is telling that it is one of the podcasts that I wait for every week to listen to. For horror (and me) that is really saying a lot. I would recommend it if you are a horror fan and you don’t mind frequent and considerable profanities. It isn’t Shakespeare or Dostoyevsky, but what is? It is a good story, read moderately well that will keep you entertained. If this was a movie, I’d call it a summer popcorn flick, and there is definitely a need for that.
Disclosure: I don’t follow Mr. Bible on Twitter but will probably be correcting that sooner or later. To my knowledge, he doesn’t follow me either and I don’t remember every exchanging Tweets with him.
Title: Assam and Darjeeling
Author: T.M. Camp
Genre: Genre bending dark fairy tale
Released: 23 September 2007 – 7 August 2008
Located: iTunes,
Formats Available: Podcast, Dead Tree, Ebook
Rating: PG13 for disturbing images dealing with children
Have you ever had a podcast that you’ve been meaning to listen to for ages, but somehow it just keeps skipping from your mind? Maybe supernatural forces are tampering with your memories. Or maybe the author just doesn’t pimp his/her stuff hard enough (at least in your hearing). Or maybe, the title has unusual words that, though you know them, seem out of place as a book title. Or maybe it is your Twitter groups fault for not bringing this story up, like ever. Or perhaps, just maybe, it is all of the above. Nah… it is just my own fault. I kept meaning to, I just kept forgetting somehow.
Well, somehow I slipped the evil forces that were trying to get my to forget about Assam and Darjeeling, and wow, am I glad I did.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: When their mother is lost in a terrible car crash, two children set out to bring her back from the Underworld — a nightmare place populated by remnants from old mythologies, defunct pantheons, and forgotten folklore. Along the way, the children discover that they cannot rescue their mother without rescuing themselves first.
Sometimes frightening, sometimes funny, and often heartbreaking, Assam & Darjeeling is the story of a brother and sister who have to go through hell together in order to learn the true meaning of family.
Production: T. M. Camp does a great job at keeping it simple. Assam and Darjeeling production is akin to something the Master Nathan Lowell might inspire. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Mr. Camp has a repetitive chime intro and outro (and yes, it is a bit too repetitive) and then without any meta discussion or trailers jumps right into the story. At the end, he humorously threatens us with copyright violation punishments too dire to retell, and he’s gone. I like that. I really really do. However, all is not joy in Mudville. Mr. Camp writes some very short chapters. That in itself is no big deal. I like short chapters. However, when each chapter is an episode, your content should not be shorter than your combined intro and outro. The intro is about 50 seconds, the outro about 2 minutes 20 seconds. When the entire ep is at or under 6 minutes, the repetitiveness of the cycle can be a bit, well, redundant. I would suggest to content providers, if your content isn’t at least 4 times as long as the intro/outro, maybe you should combine it with the next bit of content. Yes, I do mean that if you are going to intro me at 1o minutes, I want 40 minutes of content. Maybe I’m being a bit too greedy here, but if so, tell me what you think is fair.
Cast: Mr. Camp does a straight read, and he does a stellar job at it. I have a feeling he has spent many an hour sitting beside a child’s bed and has probably heard, “No daddy, say it like you did LAST time.” He doesn’t go crazy with voices, but he does do a good job and I once again find myself luxuriating in a straight read well done.
Story: Assam and Darjeeling is a unique story in that it is hard to qualify as to audience. I think back now to the original Jurassic Park movie (can it really have been 17 years ago??). People saw the amazing dinosaur effects (still hold up well) and for some reason chose to think, “Hey honey, I wonder if they’ll only be showing us vegisaurs munching leaves for two hours. Yeah, I’m sure that will make a great summer blockbuster! Load up the kids and let’s go!” Yeah, not all movies/books starring kids are written FOR kids.
Verdict: Let me restate that, just to make sure. Assam and Darjeeling is a book about kids that really is written for adults in many ways. Think about Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. Perhaps another consideration would be Pan’s Labyrinth. These comparison’s easily come to mind when I listen to Assam and Darjeeling. However, another reason for the comparison comes to mind as well. Both are great stories, but I really wouldn’t allow my children to see either of them for years yet. Assam and Darjeeling touched me in a way NO OTHER work of podfiction to date has. I admit, I’m a softy when it comes to family. This story reached inside me and played my “daddy” strings the way a master luthier might be able too play a mandolin. I am so glad I finally remembered to listen to this story, and I highly recommend you take the time to give it a try too.
Disclosure: I’ve followed Mr. Camp on Twitter for quite a while now. He is very unassuming and I really did mean it when I said I don’t feel he pimps his work enough. We both have baby daughters and I’ve enjoyed watching him Tweet about his Sophie while I make comparisons to my little princess (who is three months today [proud daddy moment]). In one of those surprisingly coincidental twists of fate, I had started listening to this story a couple of weeks ago. I started on a Monday. On Wednesday of that week, Mr. Camp got old. Well, older. He ran a contest on Twitter and I won a copy of one of his books. He didn’t state what it would be and it wasn’t open to request. Imagine my surprise this week when a signed copy of Assam and Darjeeling arrived in the mail. I couldn’t have been more excited and I will definitely be suggesting my wife read it. However, that being said, I have never discussed this work with Mr. Camp, and he had no knowledge of this review and has never requested it. Seriously gang, this was a good one.
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General Writing Questions
1. Before you begin writing, do you script out the general outline of plot and characters, or do you let these situations evolve as you write?
It really depends on how the inspiration strikes me. I don’t have any hard and fast rule as to how I plot out the story. For instance, Codename: Starkeeper was one of those where I wrote it in script format from start to finish. It was a true explorative writing experience. With The Last Guardians, it developed over a decade of trying different things and developing my craft, and the final version is nothing like that first version, but ultimately, it follows a similar plot outline as the beginning, as far as the big picture. I have another novel series that I plotted out as I wrote the character sketches.
2. I’ve heard repetitively that writers should deal with writing as any other job. Do you have a scheduled or structured writing routine? Please detail.
I wish I did. It really varies depending on the day, and of course I am easily distracted. It’s certainly sound advice, though. I will get more done if I set aside a specific time to do it. I’ve also discovered that now, as I’ve been writing for a while, I’m so full of different ideas that if I sit down, something will get on paper (or screen). I have also learned that it’s not so frightening to sit down and force yourself to work on a project. There really is no such thing as writer’s block if you’re serious about the writing. For me, it’s simply letting stuff get in my way: my brain, my emotions, my preconceptions, my self-doubts–all of that crap–once you’re serious about the writing, all that stuff will fade away because you know you have to get it done. It’s become a priority in your life.
3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer etc.) How has this evolved/changed?
Depends on my mood. I used to, occasionally, get off the computer and write on a yellow legal pad, especially on lunches and breaks in a work environment. As far as music is concerened, sometimes I want it, sometimes I want silence. My cat’s always around, but she just lays on the bed. I don’t take any great measures to “get in the mood” to write or anything like that. Focus too much on music or lighting, or “finding the right environment,” and you’ll become dependent. The less you do, the more capable you will be of writing in any environment, and I think once you’ve made writing a priority, you need to be prepared to write no matter where you are, or what’s going on around you.
4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a large audience)
Not any more. When I first really got the writing bug in college, a lot of it was just putting ideas on paper because they were there. I got started online in the role play chatrooms, and it was usually all fantasy-oriented, so I put myself into the whole Aragorn persona, and plot ideas just developed out of that. Eventually I started working on stories, and different things would inspire novel ideas, for example, the track listing of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, believe it or not, inspired the plot of The Last Guardians way back when. Now, when I conceive an idea, I immediately begin thinking about how it will be received, and how to make it worthy of public consumption.
5. How has social media played a role in your writing?
Not so much the writing, but certainly the promotion of it. I’ve just simply tried to make a network of friends, rather than “contacts.” Because a friend will invest themselves in what you do, if you invest yourself in the things they do. Someone who only wants you as a “contact” that they can take advantage of, really has little concern with your own projects, but simply how they can leverage their support in your return of that support. It sounds like the same thing, but if you support people without expecting something in return, people can see whether you’re sincere, or just out to get reciprocation.
I’ve made a lot of friends using Twitter, simply finding like-minded people in the podcasting community, and then having gone to Balticon just once, made so many more friends. Once you’ve met people face to face, the friendship becomes that much stronger. I’ve developed relationships with Tee Morris, Chris Lester, P.G. Holyfield and Christiana Ellis, just as an example, and at times we can bounce ideas off of each other, and just learn from what each other is doing.
Podcasting Questions
1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux? Mac? Win? What are your machine’s specs?
I would *prefer* a Mac and ProTools, but that’s only in my dreams. Finances necessitate a PC with as much free software as possible. It’s just a Dell 3Ghz processor with 1GB of Ram and a 250GB Free Agent HDD for all my project files.
2. Would you please describe your current studio? How has this changed? (What did you start with?)
I have a cheap desk in my bedroom. I have a down blanket hung on the wall behind the monitor, with a little bit of eggshell foam on a dresser beside the desk. A TAPCO (by Mackie) Mix.60 mixer, an MXL 990 microphone and a pop filter.
3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include? Be as specific as you wish.
Again, a Mac with ProTools first, a compressor/limiter/gate, an EQ, a Heil PR/40 with the desk boom, a suitably insulated and soundproofed room, and most especially, a soundproofed computer. Also an off-board recorder.
The Heil PR40 is something I’ve discovered of late, and it’s a dynamic mic as opposed to a condenser. Basically that means it doesn’t require Phantom Power, but the other part of that is that condenser mics take in a lot more background noise. The Heil PR40 has a tight sound field so that it almost can’t pick you up if you move your mouth six inches in one direction. It’s an expensive mic at $325 retail, but it’s probably the absolute best microphone for recording voice.
4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?
If you use Skype at all, I’d recommend a second sound card. But for everyone, I’d suggest a Zoom H2 or later, or some sort of portable recorder that gives you .wav or .mp3 capability. It’s the aforementioned off-board recorder. What I mean by that is something that is not plugged into everything else. This is something I’ve learned sort of by experience. When I first started podcasting, I discovered that if my laptop were plugged in, there was a lot of noise on the recording, but on the battery, it was quiet. So when the laptop HDD went bad and we lucked into a couple desktops, I found that there is always a latent hum. If you can get a power conditioner, that might eliminate most of it, but a battery-powered recorder gives you a lot of versatility. Also, if you don’t have your signal bouncing back in through your mixer into the PC, it’s a lot easier to get clean recordings. When doing panel discussions or Skype interviews, anything requiring multiple voices, it becomes easier to manage the unity gain of your output signal. If you’re just recording your voice, then you’ll have a clean .wav or .mp3 of your voice you can dump down into Audacity or whatever and edit away.
5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?
To go with “The Adventures of Indiana Jim” as my show title when I first thought of it. I initially thought it was pretentious so I didn’t use it at first. Really, it’s the branding. You have to have a plan, and you have to know who you are. When I started out I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and over time, I have developed a groove for it I suppose.
6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?
Oh gosh, a lot of things.
#1, a failure to have an appealing website. It’s so cheap and so easy, especially for my generation being so tech savvy, to look at other podcast websites and find a clean, inviting format for your website. A .net domain you can buy for like $10 a year, and hosting for about $3 a month, and WordPress is free. I am fortunate to be hosted by Farpoint Media, but you can buy a 100MB per month Libsyn account for file storage for $5 a month. So for $8 a month and $10 a year, you can put up a website as nice as any other you can think of. Take the time to learn a little CSS, and you can make that puppy sing.
#2, a failure to USE RSS. I see so many beginners, believe it or not, or people who just haven’t taken the time to care, to have an RSS feed for their products, and still expect people to download things manually. It’s so simple to set it up, so people can subscribe in iTunes or any feed reader. You’re simply serving your audience by doing it. In one place, with one application, I can download my favorite stuff. I sounds so simple.
#3, a failure to use social media. I have friends with Twitter accounts who simply forget to announce when a new project comes out. When I mention this, I’m met with “well it was all over my website.” Look, if you expect your friends and colleagues to casually browse by your website every so often and “discover” that you have a new product out, you’re doing them a disservice, and ultimately yourself. The idea is to be heard, and you, as the creator, must do the work, not demand it of your audience. If you aren’t using every tool at your disposal, you’re not doing enough. Now that’s not to say you need to be on every social network under the sun, but if you are on Twitter and Facebook, and you’re not doing the simple thing of just posting a link saying, “here’s my new thing,” then what’s the point?
#4, a horrible sound. Sometimes beginners use whatever it is they have at their disposal, and I guess that’s fine when starting out, but people really need to be more conscious of how they sound. Soundproofing is the very first thing one can do, and Nathan Lowell is a good example. When he started podcasting his novels, he recorded them in his car. A car interior provides quite a bit of soundproofing and isolation, and that worked wonders, despite having a cheap microphone. Another example of using the things at your disposal is Scott Sigler. He recorded a lot of his stuff in his closet, because he cared about his sound.
If someone is serious about podcasting, then they need to be serious about what they’re putting into people’s ears. It takes maybe $130 in mic and mixer to get a decent sound, maybe $35 for a cheap mic stand and a pop filter. It’s not a ton of investment if you’re serious. Also, paying attention to distance from the mic, clipping, and simple public speaking. These little things make a huge difference when starting out.
7. How much time does it take, once you have all the elements, for YOU to put together a 30 minute podcast? (please describe your production technique)
I would love to record “live to tape” as it were, but I lack the equipment to do it right. So what I do is insert my intro file, then do the requisite recording, whatever that entails. Most of the time I’ll record 10 minutes of whatever I want to talk about at first, then I stop to add the bumper for my little news headline segment, then when that section is done, I’ll usually aim for that 13 minute mark to hit the break for the promo. I’ll take my bump-out file and match it up with wherever I break the talking, then paste the promo, then paste the bump-in file, and record from there. I will record to the end and stop. Before I put in the outro, I do the editing. I run noise reduction, then compression. I usually record with my levels hovering around the -12 mark to leave headroom so I don’t clip. That usually ensures I get a nice clean sound after compression. I’ll edit certain flubs and long uhmms to make sure I don’t sound too much like an idiot. Sometimes I leave a flub or uhmm in if it will make the audio sound chopped up and unnatural. I’ll match the outro up with the finished voice and then export to MP3. That whole process may take a couple hours if everything goes smoothly. I think for the ratio of finished recording to production time, 1:4 is probably a safe estimate.
Casting Questions (answer if you can)
1. What is the hardest part of putting together a casted podcast?
I think the first thing is making sure the actors get their voices in on time. It’s unavoidable, but you will always get delays from someone in your cast. Real life always strikes in the middle of a production, and I guess the hardest part for me is having to tell a cast member you have to move on with another actor.
It’s the nature of what we do to use volunteer voice actors, and no one wants to be “that guy” who “fired” a volunteer from a project. You have to believe strongly enough in your project and your own schedule to take that step if it’s not working out. You have to be very nice and gracious about it, and usually the other person understands. They are, after all, the one to whom life is happening. It’s still difficult, especially if you know their voice would be great.
The second hardest part is the differences you have in actor audio. They’re all using different mics in different rooms, and sometimes it’s difficult to make sure they all go together. I usually have a particular sound I like, so I’ll EQ or do noise reduction to get each one as close to the same as possible. Sometimes I’ll run a low pass or high pass filter to get certain frequency ranges out of a particularly bassy or hissy sound.
2. Do you provide the entire chapter to your talent, or just their lines?
I will usually leave in a paragraph or two around the part in order for the actor to get a feel for the scene, but I provide the scene only. Enough to let them see the dialogue and work with it, but not so much they get distracted. My belief is that even with my leads, it’s fun to keep things hidden from them. I find that if after the recording they get to listen to it along with the general audience, it will make them that much more excited about the work. They will get just as much into the story, and they’ll want to see how their character fits into the story.
3. Is instruction given to your talent on how you prefer the line to be read?
In most cases, yes. Each actor is different, though. For instance, I did not do a very good job telling Mae Breakall how to play a certain character, and so she read it one way when I had intended it differently. Once I was clear, she delivered some of the best audio I’ve ever received, and Chris Lester can attest to that with her work on Metamor City. As a director, you have to make sure you are clear on exactly what you want, because you can’t expect people to read your mind. Of course, in some cases you simply give the lines and the actor knows what you want. I have that kind of synergy with a few people, such as Philippa Ballantine, P.G. Holyfield, Sarah Gilbertson and Joe Harrison.
4. What do you do with all of that unused audio?
I still have all the original files from Codename: Starkeeper, and I don’t really want to delete them. I plan on going back and pulling outtakes for a blooper reel, but that’s going to take a lot of time. What I’ve taken to doing now is pulling the outtakes out as I go through each individual part to get the best takes. I’ll go through each part and find the best takes, then do the noise reduction and compression then, so that all I have to do later is cut and paste into the final project file.
With Codename Starkeeper, I’m keeping the sound effects files that Joe Harrison made so I can pull from those whenever I do another Star Wars piece. The music files I’m keeping later perhaps to show how I edited different musical pieces from different films together in certain scenes.
Title: Transistor Rodeo
Author: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
Genre: Science Fiction/Cowboy Punk
Released: 8 April 2008 – 17 April 2009
Located: Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast only
Rating: PG for robotic violence. This is a family friendly podcast.
In April of 2008 I had way more time on my hands than I would have hoped for and was rabidly searching for podfiction. Although at this point I was on Twitter, I was more of a by stander than a part of the community (slow learner I guess). Rather than ask for opinions I simply browsed Podiobooks.com and listened to anything that caught my attention. Some were great, some were much the other end of the spectrum. I had never heard of Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff but had found an assassin story (Number One with a Bullet) that I had enjoyed so was willing to take a chance on him again (a policy I will probably always adhere to).
Transistor Rodeo was billed as a family friendly podcast, which truly I don’t know if I’d run into before this point, but I have always been a fan of rodeo (hey, I did grow up in Wyoming after all) and enjoy animatronic AI’s as much as the next guy. I also have an 11 year old son that I was looking for something I could share with.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: When a bunch of robotic cowboys and robotic animals from a big-budget spectacular mechanical traveling show go haywire and escape into the city of Los Angeles, it’s up to one broken down ex-rodeo star and his son to round them all up before something terrible happens.(stolen from the author’s site) [I would like to humbly recommend to author's that the provided synopsis is an example of "inadequate". I really like to know as much as I can before subscribing. I'll take a chance occasionally, but a good synopsis is the hook.]
Production: Mr. Nemcoff is a professional in this area I believe. The production on his podcasts are very good. At least those that I have listened to. I will say that Transistor Rodeo is almost too slick at times. I also have never enjoyed the use of the author asking the audience questions as a tool to try to get them to make guesses of future episodes. Foreshadowing should be provided to accomplish this, or simply surprise me.
Cast: Mr. Nemcoff does a straight read in that he voices all of the characters. He isn’t a Sigler or a Hutchins, but he does a more than adequate job of bringing the characters to life.
Story: This is an interesting mixture of the western genre mixed with Jurassic Park and Westworld (you know, the one with Yul). I have never heard anything like it. It definitely captured my attention and I did enjoy it. The episodes are relatively short and at 24 episodes, I’d consider this one almost a novella, although I have no idea of word count. Some of the characters became annoying after a while, but that is a good thing. At least for me.
Unfortunately, the release schedule was ridiculous. It began fairly regularly, but fell apart at the end. It was two months between the release of episodes 22 and 23, and a huge eight months between episodes 23 and the finale episode 24. I truthfully gave up before it was released, but later came back and picked it up.
Verdict: I will recommend this story, though I know it isn’t for everyone. It is candy. Not filling, but fun. Especially if you have teen or preteen boys (and/or were raised on John Wayne movies). I will say that at times Mr. Nemcoff’s style of continually trying to keep the action at a breakneck pace was a little tiring, but overall, he did do a good job of it. If you have never heard a story quite like the one described here, I recommend you give it an episode or four to see what you think.
Disclosure: I have no idea if Mr. Nemcoff is even on Twitter. I have not heard his worked ever discussed in the group that I follow, though I seem to remember him doing a voice guest appearance on something I was listening too. I was neither offered or received anything for writing this review.
Tags:
Title: Half Share
Author: Nathan Lowell
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 29 April 2007 – 2o May 2007
Located: Podibooks, iTunes, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast only (soon to be dead tree from Ridan Publishing)
Rating: PG/R There is much in the way of sexual innuendo and some sensuality.
As many of you are aware, Mr. Nathan Lowell recently had the first of the Golden Clipper series books, namely Quarter Share, released by Ridan Publishing in a variety of formats. (I hope you have made your purchase all ready.) I purchased it and slowly read through it over the last week. Well, okay, three days. BUT, I can guarantee you that I made myself ration it out because it was just as good in print as it was with Mr. Lowell reading it. And if you have ever purchased one of your favorite podcast turned dead tree, you know how large that satisfaction can be. (Of course, if you have had the alternate experience, you know why this satisfaction is so, well, satisfying.)
After reading Quarter Share, I of course had to listen to the whole Golden Clipper series again. Come on, how many of you did the same? Be brave, fess up. Naturally, that led me to fall in love with Mr. Lowell’s universe all over again and I couldn’t refrain from providing this long over due review of Half Share.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: After Ishmael Wang is promoted to the environmental section, he’s caught in a swirl of mystery, doubt, belief, lust and a really nice fitting pair of jeans. He has to come to grips with what it means to be a spacer while he’s still trying to figure out what it means to be a man. Join Ishmael, Brillo, Pip, and the rest of the crew of the Lois McKendrick as they help the newest member of the crew adjust to life in the Deep Dark.Half Share is the sequel to Quarter Share, also available at Podiobooks.com.Note: Some scenes in Half Share involve adult themes, nudity, sex and references to religions not based on Judeo-Christian traditions. Listen at your own risk. (stolen from Podiobooks site)
Production: I must reiterate from my review of Quarter Share, Mr. Lowell is a master of less is more when it comes to production. No one, and I do mean no one, does a narrated, straight read story better. For this style, this is as good as it gets. Very simply, a brief piece of music provides an introduction to the story, Mr. Lowell provides the chapter title, which tells us where Ishmael is, and the story commences. So simple. Such Genius.
Cast: Mr. Lowell has proven his narration skills time and time again. I introduced (yes, I take the credit whether deserved or not) one of my Twitter circle to Mr. Lowell in Ravenwood. Being a self proclaimed voice snob, she validated my proclamation of Mr. Lowell’s abilities (Yes, K, I do mean you).
Story: As is par for Mr. Lowell’s Golden Clipper stories, there really is no conflict in Half Share. It is more a process of self discovery on the part of Ishmael. I’ve never been fond of this type of story, but it works for Mr. Lowell, and it works in such a way as to leave no doubt that he shouldn’t change a thing. I must also say that until reading my copy of Quarter Share, I can honestly say I never even noticed the stories were written in 1st person narrative. I hate 1st person narrative. Except when Mr. Lowell writes it (okay, a few other exceptions, but I can guarantee, they are very few). Again, I wouldn’t want him to change a thing.
Verdict: Half Share is my least favorite of the Golden Clipper stories. Yes, you can flame and hate me now. In fact, please do. I love discussion. That being said, it is still one of the best ten podcasts I’ve ever listened to, and the Golden Clipper is in the top two series ever. I’d even put it up against Lord of the Rings in my list, and if you know me, that says a lot. But you see, if you listen to more than one story (or read for that matter) by an author you by nature most likely prefer one to the other. It doesn’t mean they’re not both good, just one isn’t your favorite. This was Half Share for me. I loved it, just not as much as the others. Why? Well, I’ve never been called a prude or a Puritan, oh wait…. I have. And that is your answer. However, even with that fact, all the adult situations in Half Share go to providing a good background for making Ish the man he is/will become, so I’m happy to have been allowed to see it. In closing, let me state now, I’ve all ready got my order in for the signed hardback (by which I mean I will sign up as soon as it becomes available.).
Disclosure: I currently follow Mr. Lowell on Twitter. He will always answer questions and is very affable. I was not asked to write this review and received nothing in the way of compensation. He is one of my very top favorite authors and I am thrilled to be able to buy his books in dead tree form.
Arlene Radasky is the author of The Fox as well as short stories and poetry. She is also a proud grandmother of new baby boy!
General Writing Questions
1. Before you begin writing, do you script out the general outline of plot and characters, or do you let these situations evolve as you write?
Before writing I do not outline. I “see” the story in my head, and then write it. The written scene evolves around the scene in my head.
2. I’ve heard repetitively that writers should deal with writing as any other job. Do you have a scheduled or structured writing routine? Please detail.
Writing for me is not a job. I do not need nor wish to create a money stream from it.(Although, I would not refuse any $$!) It is much more a love, a need to follow the thoughts in my head. I am new to this so I am still experimenting. My life is in a state of change right now, so the bit of regular writing time is not available as easily, but I hope to create a niche for it soon. However, when a thought strikes me for a short story or a poem, I can get it done very quickly. It is the researched novel that is time consuming.
3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer etc.) How has this evolved/changed?
I write in a comfortable chair and in a comfortable room surrounded by cats and coffee. I do have a laptop and at times, especially when working on my novel, I take my computer out on my front porch where I can see the mountains, or in my car to the beach and watch the waves.
4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a large audience)
I wrote a notebook filled with my thoughts and what was happening around me when my father was killed in a car accident. I have not shared that with anyone. I also have notebooks filled with events around the disasters I worked on when I was with the Red Cross. I have not shared those.
5. How has social media played a role in your writing?
Social media has been important in my writing. I was a member of a writers’ forum while writing The Fox and enjoyed the support, critiques and support. I suppose I would have found that available, especially through my local library, however, to be able to do critiques and respond to them on my own time was valuable to me. Now, the media is my connection to the huge writing and recording community of the world.
Podcasting Questions
1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux? Mac? Win? What are your machine’s specs?
I have recorded everything I in GarageBand on a MacBookPro, now with 500 Gs of memory as recording takes up so space until done.
2. Would you please describe your current studio? How has this changed? (What did you start with?)
Studio? LOL I worked in a corner of a bedroom with beds around me and carpet on the floor. I am thinking of making a screen of cardboard lined with egg-crate foam, but have as yet to do it.
3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include? Be as specific as you wish.
Since I am a rank amateur, I would have to have some else design and build a dream studio.
4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?
I recommend a good USB mic, mine is a Blue Snowball.
5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?
I use levelator. I know some pros hate it, but for me, it works. I wish I known how to use it in the beginning. I also wish I had rerecorded the first 5 chapters before I released them, but it the product was not horrible so even though I did rerecord and release them, I was not too embarrassed by the first attempt.
6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?
Editing while recording is very easy in GarageBand. I was able to go back and record over my mistakes. I have talked to those using Audacity and it is not as easy. I hear left in mistakes and duplicated sentences, at times even swear words left in because they were not identified in the editing process. One author has told me that she snaps her fingers or makes a cluck with her tongue to make a spiked wave so she can find her mistakes. Others don’t do this. I smile at the mistakes but there are some books with several in each chapter or episode and it gets old.
7. How much time does it take, once you have all the elements, for YOU to put together a 30 minute podcast? (please describe your production technique)For a 30 min, straight read recording, no sound effects ++ To set up the mic, music stand to hold my material and computer, to get the program ready to use, record for about 60 to 90 mins., listen through and make corrections two times, turn into AIFF and levelate, add intros and music, listen, turn into mp3 and listen one more time, takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Casting Questions
I have done only a bit of one or two short stories, casted. I also put a short promo together. Whew, talk about time consuming and intense! I have to decide what read sounds the best where, find it and then insert it. Add 2 hours on to the process, at least for a short story! I do like the outcome, however. So far I have kept the outtakes along with the stories. However, they also take up memory space.
General Questions
1. If someone approached you with THEIR book, and asked you to podcast it for them for a fee, what would you consider a reasonable rate per episode? (The way YOU do it)
How much to charge for doing a podcast for someone else? Whew, that is tough. It takes so much time that I would be severely limited in the time I would have for my projects. I do volunteer to do recording for free for some shorts but I don’t know if I would do a novel for someone. I would have to think deeply about the fee and why I would even think of doing it.
2. Do you podcast as part of a larger plan, or because getting your content out in some manner IS your plan?
Getting my story out and read/listened to was and is the larger plan. I started by distributing it for free on sites that allowed free PDFs and then ventured into recording. Podiobooks.com is the vehicle that allowed me access the listening audience. I always plan on writing and recording my content and there are many ways to get it out to the world in these forms.
3. What is the nicest compliment you’ve been paid or what keeps you coming back?
I have two that stand out in the flood of compliments. I get them often. The first is that the reader/listener cried and the second is that my research shows and is accurate. I get many more compliments but my heart beats a bit faster with these.
4. How important are numbers of downloads/subscribers to you? Do you keep track?
I do keep track of how many downloads I have. I think it is a bit of a pat on the back. I know many others are doing it to attract offers from publishers, however, since my book is free in most places, I do it for myself. And I like to know where it is being seen.
5. How important are reviews left on Podiobooks/iTunes/other venues to you?
Reviews are the authors pat on the back or a kick in the butt, which ever way they go. We all like to know our work is being enjoyed and need to know if there is a problem. Reviews are very important to me.
6. If not answered previously, how do you read your manuscript while recording (hard copy, teleprompter, etc)?
I have a music stand to prop my large-font printed pages on to read from and stop recording as I move or drop a page.
Title: The Red Panda – Season One
Author: Gregg Taylor
Genre: Super Hero Crime Fantasy
Released: 15 October 2005 – 10 June 2006
Located: iTunes, Author’s Site
Formats Available: podcast only at this time
Rating: G for mild old time radio type violence and a good ol’ “Yes boss!” adventure
During the spring of 2007 I was desperate to be entertained and had subscribed to a number of Old Time Radio shows. I love the old shows. I’d listened to The Shadow, Gunsmoke, Fort Laramie, The Six Shooter (Jimmy Stewart radio is not to be missed), The Green Hornet and numerous others.
Of course by this time I had also discovered podiofiction and had subscribed to many podiobooks. Still, I was craving a self contained story that also had a greater story arch. I missed that and after a bit of looking on iTunes I discovered Decoder Ring Theatre.
Now, some of you might think I’m stretching my own rules a bit. You may be right, but I think it is very close to the line, and hey, it’s my blog. Decoder Ring is built around two hallmark series. The Red Panda and Blackjack Justice. Each are released in turn in two week intervals with The Red Panda in the spring, Blackjack Justice in the fall and something unique in the summer. For the purposes of this review, we will be looking at season one of The Red Panda.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: In the desperate days of the Great Depression, one man brought justice to the dark alleys and gas-lit streets of Toronto. Secretly one of the city’s wealthiest men, he lives a dual life as a masked man of mystery. Only his trusty driver, Kit Baxter, who joins him in his quest in the guise of The Flying Squirrel, knows who wears the mask of The Red Panda! (stolen from Podiobooks website, though now I can’t seem to find the page)
Production: Decoder Ring Theatre is very much a professional operation. Mr. Taylor, the writer of all of DRT’s standard stories, I believe is also the director and producer of the eps. However, this may be incorrect. Regardless, each episode is a fully produced extravaganza and and auditory masterpiece.
Cast: The Red Panda is a full cast audiodrama modeled very obviously after old time radio dramas. The cast members are all top quality professional voice actors and deserve to be recognized for their contributions. Unfortunately, I really don’t have the time to do that here. Instead I am providing a link to the cast page available at the DST wikipedia article. Two actors that have to be mentioned though would be the aforementioned Gregg Taylor, who plays the title character of the Red Panda, and his wife, Clarissa Der Nederlanden Taylor in the role of the Flying Squirrel. Both due a superb job and it is one of those voice duo’s that when you find out they are married just makes you more happy for some reason. Their chemistry just clicks.
Story: As previously mentioned, each episode is a self contained story. There are times when, for one reason or another, this is exactly what I need. Season one introduces several other recurring characters (including several villains) and really allows you to get to know the two lead characters pretty well. In this first season, most of the baddies the intrepid duo faces is in the guise of gangster types and supervillains. This is a great show, but the characters have such a chemistry about them that you just can’t get enough.
Verdict: Seriously gang, they just don’t get much better than this. If you have not subscribed yet, and you have ever enjoyed a good story well told, this really should be one you subscribe to. Now.
Disclosure: I do follow the @Decoder_Ring on Twitter, but I have never tweeted with them or had any conversation in any other manner. I was not offered anything in recompense for this review.
Title: Taken Liberty
