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.

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.

The submissions policy for the Parsecs can be found here. I am not recommending that you nominate anyone, I am just wanting to try to help everyone know who is eligible.

Following are a list of the categories with eligible podcast in each category. If you’re curious on what makes a podcast eligible in that division, you can find that information here.

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form)

Release Me by Tee Morris
Breakers by Paul Elard Cooley
Mountain Home by John Mierau
Destruction by Katharina Maimer
Disappearance by Mick Bordet

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Novella Form)

Tumbler by Brand Gamblin
Some Other Scotland by Mick Bordet
Tattoo by Paul Elard Cooley
Last Man Home by John Mierau

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form)

GalaxyBillies by Mike Plested
The Gearheart by Alex White

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form)

Dagger of the Mind by Tee Morris

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)

Down from Ten by J. Daniel Sawyer

The Dreamer’s Thread by Starla Huchton
Weather Child by Philippa J. Ballantine

Best Speculative Fiction Video Story

Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast

Erotica a la Carte by Philippa J. Ballantine
Every Photo Tells by Katharina Maimer and Mick Bordet

Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team

Tumbler by Brand Gamblin
Every Photo Tells by Mick Bordet and Katharina Maimer
The Gearheart by Alex White

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (Specific)

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (General) (Audio or Video)

Get Published hosted by Mike Plested

Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation (Audio or Video)

Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast (Audio or Video)

Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast (Audio or Video)

GalaxyBillies by Mike Plested

Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast (Audio or Video)

Wander Radio

I would also like to remind everyone of the following statement taken directly from the Parsec Awards website: Each podcast only needs to submitted once. The Parsec Awards are not a popularity contest and duplicate submissions will be combined with any existing submission for a podcast. If you wish to second a nomination for a podcast please do so by adding a comment to the submission page.

One final disclaimer: I am posting what I am told is eligible and make no claims of eligibility myself. Please be sure you check for yourself where your favorite podcast belongs.

Good luck to all podcasters. I wish you could all win.

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?

When it comes to short stories, I usually just have an idea and go along with it – the finer details usually then come to me while I am writing. For example – my first „Every Photo Tells…“ story – I knew I wanted someone to be on the run. Then I went ahead to ask myself why he was on the run – because he was chased. I thought it was more interesting that a man was chased by a woman. After that, the feeling of a new life, starting all over came out, so i asked myself, what his old and new life were like… and so on.

For my book, I didn‘t start with an outline. I knew, what the idea behind the story would be like, and the general motivations of the characters. Then I started to write and think about how long it should be. Maybe I am a bit of an obsessive planner, but I had in mind a rough length of chapters and a number of those. With Scrivener and folders it was easy to make a folder for each chapter – and since my book is very timeline- driven, assign a rough date to it. With every new idea, new twist that came into my mind, I was already able to put it in it‘s place in the timeline. But I also use the research function for random ideas, that just came to my head but I don‘t want to use just yet – or it would distract me from the chapter at hand.

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 have no routine whatsoever. For EPT I have some kind of deadline where a story has to be finished and recorded, but that‘s about it. Whenever I send in stories to other podcasts with timelines, I am not too proud to NOT send in a story, even though I originally intended to. As far as the book is concerned, I realize that I have no time pressure on it whatsoever, so I write a Chapter or two whenever I am in the mood, or have nothing else more pressing or inspiring to write at that moment.

My issue is with short stories, that WHEN I am inspired, I can write down a few thousand words in one take. Then I am writing no matter when and where. Having a MacBook Air, that I carry around almost everywhere I go helps with that matter a lot. But when I HAVE to write a story, need to tell it, I have also gone ahead and either written it on a piece of paper or recorded my thoughts on my iPhone in audio.

3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer etc.) How has this evolved/ changed?

Since I have been seen to write in the weirdest (or most inappropriate?) situations, I have every and no writing environment. If I take the time to sit down and write, it‘s usually on the couch, with my small laptop table that fits just perfectly – nice combination of comfort and writing ease. I don‘t usually write in the study on the office desk – that has always been more a work/study thing for me. I also quite enjoy the laptop support from IKEA, that perfectly fits on one‘s lap and enables me to write in my rocking chair or in bed without overheating the Air.

And I always listen to music, at work, on the road, etc. Same is true for writing. If I can, I have music running – preferably something that fits the mood of what I am writing.

My writing environment as well as my writing schedule has changed and evolved with the amount that I am writing, as well as the life changes that I went through. When writing becomes a bigger part of your life and you have the support at home to live this hobby, this naturally changes your routine.

4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a large audience)

There is only one piece of writing that, with full intent, no one has read so far. It is not intended to be shared with a larger audience in the future, but it will be shared with a handful of people. Other than that, there are pieces of writing, recently a poem for example, that only one other person has read. (And another one will WANT to read after I have sent him this file )…

Sometimes it happens, that I am not confident enough about a piece of writing to share it – but there are always 1 or 2 people who I force to read every post-it note and grocery list that I write.

5. How has social media played a role in your writing?

I got back into writing after I started podcasting a few years ago. Social Media has given me the inspiration – through Social Media I found my inspiration again. Up until about 9 months ago, there had been an 8-year gap, where I didn‘t write much at all. There was the odd poem, but nothing more elaborate or inspiring than papers for university.

Getting into podcasting and the community around it, that consists of many people that are writing, prompted me to start on my book. I put it down for a while, when I got into writing short stories again. But yes, Social Media provided me with the inspiration I needed – or provided me with the means to find my inspiration.

Podcasting Questions 1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux? Mac? Win? What are your machine’s specs?

I started off podcasting on a PC. I admit it. I will never go back to Windows and I regret not having switched earlier every time I have to touch this §=$()“§? at work. Anyway, having said that, the answer is Mac. Snow Leopard. I am writing on my MacBook Air, 2.13 GHz, with the SSD.

2. Would you please describe your current studio? How has this changed? (What did you start with?)

I started off with a 10 buck Logitec mic. *sigh* Good times! At one point I got myself a small Behringer mixer and a regular mic – I have recorded with those ever since. There will be a studio change in the close future, but I have to admit that I have been looking into new mixers and mics for a long time now – but there is always the money issue between what you want and if you need the money for more important things. But luckily, there will be an automatic upgrade as far as my studio is concerned once I move.

3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include? Be as specific as you wish.

This is a tough question. I would like to dodge it by saying that I have to accord my answer with my studio- mate, but that would be too easy. I mean, I am not going to list what exact model of Mic and mixer I want – Condenser and Firewire are my specs of preference. Since I also don‘t know yet what condenser mic works best with my voice, I can‘t really give you a specific model. And to be honest, there will be enough people providing exact details and specs fo their dream setup.

For me though, what defines my dream studio, is the ability to podcast in peace. Sounds weird, maybe. A quiet room, that is comfy and gives me a non-sterile environment to get creative. This would be a combination of study/library/studio for me. To sum it up, my dream studio is more a feeling than an assortment of gadgets.

4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?

You mean „other than a Mac“, right? I would now start with a USB mic if I could. I am looking into Blue‘s Snowflake for podcasting on the road. I have only heard great things about it.

5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?

Podcasting with co-hosts and podcasting burn out. I suffered under both. It is something, though not necessarily a bad thing, that might occur to you. And as a podcaster, you need to be able to deal with both. Well, maybe not with the first if you podcast on your own, but surely with the second.

Burn out in podcasting has been, for me, the next step after ‘life getting in the way“. No one tells you how to find your balance, how to find your podcasting groove. Apart from the fact that it is different for everyone, it would‘ve been helpful to share experiences with other podcasters in similar situations.

And I am going ahead here and stress again how important support is. Support, or the lack thereof, can make or break a podcaster.

6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?

I think I have, at one point, made every mistake one can make in podcasting. I have podcasted for too long, have had too many podcasts not to have made numerous mistakes myself.

It‘s hard to think of something particular – maybe that people take on too much as far as podcasting is concerned. For a newbie, a weekly 30 min podcast might be too hard to pull off. Especially if you have little to no experience in editing. Not to ask for help – the podcasting community is always ready and willing to lend a hand or an ear, give advice, and are more than happy to share at least a few of their podcasting secrets with the world. It would be stupid not to make use of this – and find friends along the way.

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)

Podcasting a story of 30 minutes is very different to podcasting 30 minutes of an unscripted entertainment podcast. To put together a 30 min story, given that I have already written it, takes me first of all, about 45min to record. I have gotten into a routine of recording scripted podcasts, that helps me to edit later. Whenever I make a mistake, I click my tongue and then repeat the sentence or part. Like that I have a visual aid when it comes to editing later – I can literally see the pikes where I have to edit. I got that tip from the ‘Podcasting for Dummies“ podcast btw.

Casting Questions (answer if you can) 1. What is the hardest part of putting together a casted podcast?

To balance out what and who would work best for a story, the voice / accent I need with my favourite voices out there. But to be honest, I go with the voices I prefer, the people I like to listen to most. It‘s my party, after all…

2. Do you provide the entire chapter to your talent, or just their lines?

Depends on the story – with short stories I usually send over the whole story, as to give an idea of what is going on. But it has also happened, especially with busy people, that I only send over a single line.

3. Is instruction given to your talent on how you prefer the line to be read?

Most of the time when it comes to single lines or two lines, I get provided with 2 or 3 versions of the line. With longer texts I give suggestions only when I feel it‘s necessary – which it rarely ever is. This is the big advantage to record with people who know how you ‘tick“.

4. What do you do with all of that unused audio?

I sometimes store the cool stuff for outtakes, but it also happens that I throw away the original raw recordings when the editing is finished. Depends largely on the content.

5. What is the hardest part of putting together a “straight read” podcast?

The writing of the script.

6. As far as cast goes, what would you like to try, but haven’t so far?

I have stuff in mind, because I like to challenge myself, my writing, my podcasts and my cast. Therefore I am not going to say what it is, just that I always have something planned – I would just like to try it first, before I announce it and fail.

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)

That‘s a tough question… Are you trying to put together a list of fees of all the podcasters out there? Or have you written something and want someone to podcast it for you and now comparing prices?

Well… if it‘s just me to record it, and I am going to assume an episode to be 30min approx… I would say about 50-100USD per episode? Then again, if you add that together, it would be a lot. But I think that might be what my podcasting time is worth considering how long it would take me to put together a 30min podcast, and what hourly rate that would be.

And yes, I differentiate what kind of skill set is required. Would be a difference, if I provide 30 min of voice work, or 30min of editing, 30min of translating something or 30min of legal advice.

2. Do you podcast as part of a larger plan, or because getting your content out in some manner IS your plan?

I always have a plan. At least I claim I do. My plan is to continue to enjoy podcasting. To be quite frank, I have rarely seen a hobby, that so many people wanted to turn into a stream of income than podcasting. For me, it is still that. A way to spend my free time that i thoroughly enjoy.

3. What is the nicest compliment you’ve been paid or what keeps you coming back?

There is no greater compliment than to be loved for the things you are passionate about.

4. How important are numbers of downloads/subscribers to you? Do you keep track?

I do look at them, I am happy if they increase, I think about why some episodes have more listeners than others, but I don‘t keep a thorough track of it. I get much more kick out of feedback. If one listener tells me that he enjoyed an episode, then it was all the appreciation I needed. That doesn‘t mean I wouldn‘t have recorded it without that feedback – I just mean that I get a kick out of anyone telling me they like what I do.

5. How important are reviews left on Podiobooks/iTunes/other venues to you?

Again, like above, I appreciate them, but I get much more out of personal feedback – of it‘s on Twitter, or a comment on the blog, or an email.

6. If not answered previously, how do you read your manuscript while recording (hard copy, teleprompter, etc)?

If it‘s just me recording, I usually read it off the screen – thanks to two-finger-scrolling and the multi touch trackpad, it makes no noise whatsoever to “flip the page“. But it happens that I print a copy of the text out – not too often though.

I am currently celebrating the one year anniversary of View from Valhalla. My, how quickly a year goes, and how much things change. When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I would be doing with it. I knew I had opinions (hence the tagline) and I knew I loved social media. I was also very new to Twitter (well, at least being involved to a large extent) and had no idea that one would help feed the other (strangely, the have helped each other).

Almost a full year ago, I wrote a post entitled Podcast Challenge, in which I challenged my few number of Twitter followers, and many fewer readers of this blog, to spread the word concerning their favorite podcasts. At the time, I was listening to Weather Child and I really wanted to get the word out on what a wonderful story it was and how much I was enjoying it. I was successful in my part of the challenge and got that podcast 5 new subscribers, but unfortunately, the challenge never bore the fruit I had hoped for, so as an anniversary event, I’ve decided to lay down the challenge again.

So, here it is:

Choose your favorite work of podcast fiction. It can be any genre, any style, any cast type. It really doesn’t matter. Pimp that podcast however you choose. Gain five new listeners for it. You can choose more than one podcast if you want, but then you need to gain it an ADDITIONAL five listeners. (Each podcast is independent, five total listeners for five separate podcasts doesn’t count.)

This year I am changing one rule: it can be ANY work of podcast fiction. Last year, I was asking people to choose something currently in production. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake. Choose any work you want. Burn a couple of eps on a CD. Go crazy with a DVD. USB thumb drives are incredibly cheap these days. Spread the word!

Accountability

Now, how do we know how we’re doing? Twitter! Let’s revive the hashtag #podcastchallenge. When you gain a new listener for your favorite podcast, simply post it on Twitter with the aforementioned hashtag. Example: 1 new subscriber for Some Other Scotland!! #podcastchallenge

Timeframe? Well, we can keep it going forever if you want, but i really would like to see who can get their five by the end of April.

Keep a running total letting us know how it is going. Are you an author? Pimp your own book! Spread the word! Don’t worry about giving credit to VFV, I’m really not worried about it. However, if you’re up for a little extra accountability (like me asking how you’re doing), feel free to leave a comment here stating which podcast(s) you’re going to be promoting.

Good luck!

After spending (many) years completing their first novel, New World Orders, in early 2008 they decided to podcast it after failing to find a publisher or agent for it. The positive response motivated them to release a podcast collection of short stories, and to complete a second novel late in 2009. They are currently shopping that novel and working on several other projects, including likely ebooks and podcasts later in 2010.

This response to “How I do it” was written by the Ed Parrot half of the duo, and he can be found on twitter at @egtalbot

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?
That’s a good question. Mostly I let it evolve, but I do usually start with some sort of outline. The outline is usually just a few one line bullet points, though. I add to it as I go, because a lot of times when I’m writing I will think of things that I want/need to happen later on and I don’t want to lose the idea. Interestingly, I am currently working on what I expect will be a 30,000 word novella and after writing two short chapters, I suddenly came up with a lot of the details about where it will go, so I started writing an outline. I now have about 4000 word outline for the 30,000 word novella. I’ll be interested to see how well it works.

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.
Well, I don’t consider writing a for-profit venture at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I want to sell my work, and I have some plans to make that happen. But I’m a realist – the odds are against making a living from it, even if I were willing to give up sleep, exercise, my fairly high-powered job, or spending time with my family. Which I am not. That leaves me roughly 1-3 hours a day for writing, recording, marketing, etc. I can write 1000 words an hour generally, so if I write an hour every other day, that’s almost two rough draft novels a year. I mostly allocate that time in the mornings, though I occasionally will write from 8-9PM. I don’t force myself to write very often, but once or twice a year I pick a month where I write at least 30,000 words and generally I will write at least 600 words on all but one or two days of that month. Otherwise, I just sort of go with it when it comes to writing.

3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer etc.) How has this evolved/changed?
I do most of my writing sitting at my computer in my office (I work on the computer from the house for my day job). I almost never play music when I’m writing, although it doesn’t seem to affect me one way or the other when I do. I have two other places where I write. One is lying in bed before I go to sleep. I sometimes take out a notebook and write for 20-45 minutes before going to sleep. I find this can be good if I am struggling to make the time earlier, it can help break blocks. The other place I write is on airplanes. I used to travel half a dozen times a year, but now it’s more like once or twice. I usually can write very effectively for about two hours on a plane.

4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a large audience)
Hmm, I have written two poems and one prose poem that I haven’t shared. The two poems basically just aren’t very good, so that’s the reason I haven’t shared them. The prose poem I shared with one family member and I do think it is good, but it also is recent and about a death in the family. I will share it at some point, but it doesn’t feel right at the moment. Aside from that, I like to share everything.

5. How has social media played a role in your writing?
Social media has played a big role in corresponding with fans and fellow writers. Last year, podcaster James Melzer started a 1K a day writing challenge on Twitter for one month, and I jumped on it with him. It’s safe to say that I would not have written 37,000 words during the month without social media. I am not the most prolific of tweeters or facebook enthusiasts, but I do especially enjoy the interaction on Twitter.

Podcasting Questions

1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux? Mac? Win? What are your machine’s specs?
Heh, I am a windows programmer for my day job, so I used Windows. I have an early 2009 Dell laptop, nothing special, but it’s more than enough to do recording and editing.

2. Would you please describe your current studio? How has this changed? (What did you start with?)
My current studio is basically the same as what I started with in terms of equipment. Now, before I started, I experimented with just a USB condenser microphone, but I could never get good sound. J.C. Hutchins gave me the suggestions that led to my current setup, and he credited them to Mur Lafferty. I have an MXL 990 mike, a Behringer Xenyx mixer and a Behringer digital converter to go from the mixer to the computer. My studio is actually just a room with a large bed with pillows and blankets piled high like a moat around myself and the microphone. That gets rid of a lot of the echo – I did some trial and error, and am always tweaking things a little bit. My computer goes outside the door of the room to avoid fan noise. Oh, and I use Audacity for software.

3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include?
Can’t answer this one, I don’t have a dream studio.

4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?
I would recommend the three pieces of hardware that I have. I don’t believe you can get an adequate recording with just a USB mike – I’m sure there are a few exceptions to prove me wrong, but why make it hard on yourself?

5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?
A tough question. A lot of what I’ve learned has come from advice from other podcasters. So I mostly didn’t have to learn a lot of key things, just a lot of little things. I guess the biggest thing that no one specifically warned me about was to stay away from using various software techniques to improve sound quality. Filtering, normalization, etc. They mostly don’t work. The key is to get clean source audio by setting up a decent enough system for recording, then the amount of post-recording cleanup is limited to just editing basically.

6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?
The biggest beginner mistake I hear is simply accepting less than decent sound or performance. Everyone is in a hurry to get started, but I’ve heard a bunch of different samples from people who thought they had it, and they simply didn’t. Put on a good pair of headphones and listen critically to your own stuff. I pulled my hair out for weeks and weeks with trial and error when I was literally ready to pull the trigger except that my sound wasn’t good enough. I am very glad I persisted until I figured it out. Plenty of people have better sound than me, but there’s a certain level with solid reading and little or no background hiss that I think most people can reach of they shoot for it.

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)About 2 hours. The recording itself will be about 40-45 minutes. Then I need to listen through the whole thing and edit it as I go. Then I run it through the levelator, then mix in intro/outro/promos. Then one last listen to double-check, usually done while I am preparing show notes and stuff to actually get it in my feed.

Casting Questions

1. What is the hardest part of putting together a casted podcast?
My podcasts have basically only had three voices – myself, my co-author, and my wife. We did have one or two guest voices, but those were very minor. The hardest part is simply the time consuming process of mixing in all the track so they sound good together. I can imagine that if I had to wait on people for audio, that would be the hardest part!

2. Do you provide the entire chapter to your talent, or just their lines?
All three of us read the whole thing, with lines highlighted.

3. Is instruction given to your talent on how you prefer the line to be read?
Not applicable.

4. What do you do with all of that unused audio?
Not applicable

5. What is the hardest part of putting together a “straight read” podcast?
Keeping different voices consistent. I might be able to get a Russian accent if I practice, but keeping it the same as I switch from voice to voice can be tough. To solve this, I sometimes will record all of one character’s voice in a row.

6. As far as cast goes, what would you like to try, but haven’t so far?
I think an audio drama, like Mur Lafferty’s The Takeover, would be fun to both write and produce. A HUGE amount of work, though, so I don’t have one planned at the moment.

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)
Ooh, that’s a tough question. If I were to gain nothing from it at all besides the salary – no cross-promotion or anything – I’d have to bill for 30-40 hours of actual work. I would probably do it for about half of my hourly rate at my day job because I’d enjoy it. But I might be less inclined to do it for a book I didn’t like. I should also note that I am usually more than happy to read parts for other podcasters – I’m assuming your question relates to someone I don’t know who has not podcasted a book before asking me to take on the whole thing.

2. Do you podcast as part of a larger plan, or because getting your content out in some manner IS your plan?
The answer is both. I podcast because I think it’s a great way to get people exposed to my work. If that leads to some sort of income in the future, great, but even if it doesn’t, I like the idea of sharing my work.

3. What is the nicest compliment you’ve been paid or what keeps you coming back?
Nicest compliment I guess was a gushing five star blog review on the Time Well Wasted blog when New World Orders first came out. What keeps me coming back? A lot of things – it’s nice being part of the “community” and it just feels right to release my work in this manner.

4. How important are numbers of downloads/subscribers to you? Do you keep track?
I definitely keep track of downloads. The “subscriber” numbers are almost useless (a complex discussion best left for another time). I check my downloads a couple days after releasing a new episode and maybe once or twice a month aside from that.

5. How important are reviews left on Podiobooks/iTunes/other venues to you?
Reviews are extremely important. I’m not sure listeners realize this. I don’t even care if they are BAD reviews as long as the reviewer explains why he/she didn’t like it. It’s not about ego, it’s about knowing how my work impacts people. It’s a connection of sorts between author and consumer. Not incidentally, it will also help my writing/podcasting be better in the future.

6. If not answered previously, how do you read your manuscript while recording (hard copy, teleprompter, etc)?
I read a hard-copy when recording, but I think I will bite the bullet and get an e-reader soon, so that may work better in the future.

1. All A Twitter was released roughly 10 months ago. Many new Twitter clients have been released since then. What are the ones we should be aware of and what platforms are they being made for?

Many of the new Twitter clients I have seen since the release of All a Twitter have been more web-based as opposed to AIR-based. Their interfaces have been less about the aesthetics and more about performance and stability. While I admire that, they tend to be no more than an extension of the sparse Twitter homepage only with the ability to harvest new tweets automatically.

However…

Only a few weeks ago I have been clocking in time with Hootsuite (http://www.hootsuite.com) and I have been VERY impressed with its capabilities. You can use it in Real Time or pre-schedule tweets in case you need to tend to other deadlines and priorities. Hootsuite is also available for the iPhone and other portable devices, so keep a sharp eye on this application. If you are managing multiple accounts, have tweets already composed, and are using Twitter more as a conversation starter or newswire, I recommend that you look into Hootsuite.

2. You’ve mentioned that you were proud of some of the more oblique cultural references you were able to keep in AAT. What, if any, were cut? Alternatively, what reference would you have loved to have found a use for?

I think this is one (of many) reasons why I love All a Twitter more than my other Twitter title, Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes. I found that Que allowed me to be “me” in All a Twitter so I was able to get in a lot of pop culture references. They gave me so much freedom, in fact, that all of my geeky references made it through, one in particular being a Young Frankenstein quote.

If I could have made any other references, I think I would have said in response to the variety of phishing scams that infect people’s DM streams “They’re in the FRAKKIN’ SHIP!” (Col. Tigh from BSG) or if I was writing a section on my latest discovery (Hootsuite) I could have said “When you’re a spy, the opposition needs to think you’re somewhere you’re not. This is why Hootsuite is an essential tool as you can load it up with tweets and schedule them to go live. As the opposition think you’re at the computer, you are – in fact – somewhere else.” (Michael Westin from Burn Notice).

That last one would have been WIN. (Ed. Yes, yes it would have been.)

3. Since AAT was released, Twitter has continued to grow and evolve. What are your favorite areas of growth, and areas that you wish weren’t being explored?

I’m watching educators use Twitter more and more, and I feel that Twitter – and Social Media, on a whole – is the underused tool that should be utilized. There is so much that can be done with these various outlets – Twitter, FB, podcasting, etc.. I think educators need to explore the possibilities. Resource exchanges. Quick communication. Reference checks. If you are into education, you can reach an audience wide and diverse with Twitter.

As for where and how Twitter is evolving, I find that the Social Media Experts (a/k/a Evangelists, Mavens, Enthusiasts, Oracles, etc. a/k/a Social Media Douchebags a/k/a SMDs) are becoming less and less tolerated. Some of these self-proclaimed Twitter Messiahs are preaching their gospel to a flock in the hundreds of thousands, but tend to follow back less than a thousand or even less than a hundred.

What’s up with that?

I’m just going to call it like I see it: Everybody wants to be Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan)(respectful [ding]) but so few are achieving the balance between pro and personal. Chris isn’t perfect, but he is maintaining the genuine while managing the massive numbers. (One of many reasons I got that trust agent to write the AAT Foreword.) There are others like Jeff Sass (@sass) and CC Chapman (@cc_chapman) who are putting forward that effort to stay honest on Twitter. Between 2008-2009 there were SMDs left and right who nurtured the numbers and then stopped participating in their feeds. Oh sure, they would preach how they used Twitter to “connect” but look at their feeds and it would be RTs, quotes, and questions that linked back to their own site.

The tolerance for the Social Media Snake Oil Salesmen is dropping, I see. That is a beautiful thing.

4. If you could point Twitter development in a certain direction, what would it be?

I think Twitter needs to start taking _themselves_ more seriously.

For example, did you know there is an account you can follow that will keep you in the know of Twitter scams, viruses, and other hazards? It’s @safety. I had NO IDEA this account existed until Twitter “got hacked” back in February only to find it a false alarm (http://www.idguardian.com/phishing-attack-twitter/). @safety was one of the best kept and least publicized accounts in Twitter’s arsenal, and I’d like to know why? Sadly, @safety is managed by Del Harvey (@delbius) where she…retweets @safety. So who should you follow? One? Both? Beats me.

Twitter is still running itself like a “Wow-Ain’t-This-Keen” business and they need to get on the ball, straighten up, and fly right. Otherwise they will never be taken as the communication revolution TIME Magazine called them in June 2009.

5. How do you see Google’s Wave and Buzz products as competitors to Twitter?

I see Wave, Buzz, and Facebook as trying to be more like Twitter but they tend to twist your arm to make you volunteer information, including information you really don’t want to volunteer. What makes Twitter  the choice for me in Social Media communication and networking tools is that Twitter surrenders control to you. Nowhere are you asked to fill in information and reveal said information without consent. You’re in control. There are third-party add-on’s that are built on that sharing principal but unless you say clearly “No, don’t share that…” these applications share, share, share.

Twitter is about user control and what you want to share. That’s why I like it. in the end, I have the final word.

6. When asked why Tweet, what would you respond?

Actually, I ask people that question: Why are you on Twitter? If they say “To sell stuff” or “To make money” I find a majority of those people have short lifespans on the perch. To get into Twitter you need to either have a desire to communicate across a vast network, or you have a need to circulate resources and contacts ala LinkedIn. Twitter is about connection and participation. If you don’t want to do either, people will tune you out.

7. Bird House Rules is a fantastic companion for AAT. I’m unaware of any other non-fiction book with a podcast tie-in to keep it pertinent. Are you aware of any other?

Yes, it was me and “Podcasting for Dummies: The Companion Podcast” for Podcasting for Dummies from Wiley Publishing.  ;^)  We went for two seasons, but time and resources didn’t keep up with us. Still, it was a fantastic run. I’m hoping one of my partners in Season Two, Chuck Tomasi (@ctomasi)(courtesy [ding]), decides to do a companion podcast for his own Sams Teach Yourself WordPress in 10 Minutes (with Kreg Steppe, @steppek(courtesy [ding])). I’ll lean on him about that.

7b. Was it a hard sell with your publisher?

Not at all. Que has loved the idea and thinks the podcast and companion blog is yet another avenue for promoting both titles. Listenership has been steadily climbing and I’m hoping it will continue to do so. The challenge of keeping the podcast under ten minutes has been just that – a challenge – but BHR has really become a labor of love for me. My favorite episode so far has been the oh-so-hard-to-produce “TweetDeck Update” episode, complete with video companion. Good fun!

8. How hard was it let your editor have the last word in AAT (or did you)?

The editorial staff, from the Technical (@PhilippaJane)(courtesy [ding]) to the line editors, were all professionals. They kept me honest and they kept me on my toes. It is one reason I am crossing my fingers that somewhere down the road, I’m asked to do a second edition (or another book) for Que. I really, really enjoyed working with them, and it has been a positive experience since AAT’s release last summer.

9. What can we expect from Tee Morris in the remainder of 2010?

You can expect more episodes of Bird House Rules, hopefully with a few interviews of my own from Twitter users. I’m also trying to get a video series with Que started, but with the start of the year being as it was (and you can read teemorris.com [ding] for more on that), it’s hard to say when I will be ready. BHR has gotten me to turn my attention back to podcasting, something I genuinely missed, and I look forward to blogging and podcasting from birdhouserules.com [ding]. Finally, there is Twitter itself. Currently I am managing both my @TeeMonster [ding]and @ITStudios[ding] accounts, along with @IDGuardian[ding] (my day job)[ding] and @createsouth[ding] (a volunteer gig in support of a fantastic one-day creative think tank happening every April in Myrtle Beach, SC). You have many ways of keeping up with me and what I do with Twitter, both from a corporate, non-profit, and simply personal point-of-view.

2010 offers many possibilities for me, and I hope you follow me on Twitter to keep up with them.

–

There ends the interview. I would like to thank Tee again for making himself available and putting in some serious thought on answering those questions. The [ding]‘s were added by the editor (me), and if you’re unaware of the reference, find a audio interview of Tee’s. It will then all make sense.

You can find Ms. Ballantine’s first book Chasing the Bard and the even better sequel (imho) Digital Magic on their website located at http://www.dragonmoonpress.com . Dragon Moon also publishes the wonderful books of Tee Morris (both the amazing Billibub Baddings and the superlative Morevi series) and the, as yet unread (but sure to be enjoyed), Valerie Griswold-Ford’s Horseman series and the soon to be released Crescent by Phil Rossi (truly the best space/horror I’ve heard in an eon).

But back to Weather Child. As a short recap, Weather Child is an amazing novel set during the first third of the twentieth century in Wellington, New Zealand. It involves more than a fair amount of history, combined with a wonderful fantasy element unlike anything I’ve ever read, or heard, before. Currently Weather Child is available ONLY as a podcast. You can download it directly from the author’s website at http://weatherchild.com, from iTunes, or from Podiobooks and I strongly suggest you do so. (Really, just go do it. Now. I’ll wait.)

Why don’t I just go purchase a copy of Weather Child and quit writing about it? Simple. I can’t. As in, others have taken that decision out of my hands. Ms. Ballantine has stated previously that she had shopped Weather Child to some large house publishers here in the U.S. and was refused on the basis that the story took place in New Zealand, AND that most American citizens are so closed minded that they would find a story taking place in such an unknown locale uninteresting (well, maybe it wasn’t stated exactly like that).

Fortunately, good things do indeed come to those that persevere. Last week Ms. Ballantine was awarded a contract for two books with Ace publishing, a subsidiary of Penguin Books. The first book contracted for is the highly anticipated Geist, and the second will be the sequel to the same. There is the possibility of more books with Ace if the first two sale well. You can read more about this wonderful turn of events on the author’s website at http://www.pjballantine.com.

Now, what does this have to do with Weather Child? (As if you haven’t guessed.) I am simply hoping that perhaps the third book for Ace might be Weather Child. I am more than confident that Geist will be a big enough seller for Ace to continue their partnership with Ms. Ballantine, but lets all make sure this happens.

Here we have another of the authors that have been so generous in providing us with free fiction over the years. It really does seem like publishers are starting to take notice of this “podcasting thing”. Although not confirmed, Ms. Ballantine (paraphrased from a recent tweeted conversation) does believe that the fan base she has developed through podcasting helped in gaining the notice of Ace. Let’s make sure we return the favor, and in so doing enable her to keep writing the stories we love to hear and read. Keep subscribing to the authors you love. Numbers help. Keep working on driving up those numbers for the ‘cast you’ve decided to champion at #podcastchallenge (how are you doing on the challenge?). AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, buy the books if and when they’re published. Heck, buy several, give them as gifts.

I really believe that if we do this, I’ll get my wish of Weather Child on my nightstand. And you do want to make the Allfather happy, don’t you?

You see, I am a huge fan of technology. I love the iPod. Including my iPhone, I have five. I discovered, and fell in love with, podcasts about six years ago. My how the market has grown during that time.

I also have a daily commute that leaves me alone in the car for a minimum of an hour a day. Due to all of these factors, I have become a huge fan of serialized fiction.

As a way to thank these authors that give so freely of their efforts, I try to donate to them directly when I can and purchase their books that are in print whenever possible.

However, I’ve been thinking lately that I’d like to do more. Since starting this blog, I’ve found that I have a previously umdiscovered joy, knowing that people are actually reading the thoughts that I’m electronically making available. That thought led me to the obvious realization that listeners are probably what the authors would appreciate most.

So, the challenge…

I want everyone to pick their favorite (or two, or six or however many) podcast(s) and somehow get that podcast five or more new subscribers.

Rules are simple: the podcast should be one that is currently in production. If we want to do one with legacy ‘casts, that would be cool too, but let’s keep them separate. I am going with Weather Child, because as I’m sure you’ve guessed from reading the first ever post on this blog, for some reason I seem to have an emotional investment in this story (Thanks Pip) (Tee, I’m REALLY trying to be patient for Legacy). I’m going to download and burn the first nine episodes to cd and hand them out to people at work, then follow up with them and see if they’re enjoying it. If so, I’ll ask if I can help set them up to subscribe.

Now here’s the catch. Accountability. I created a hashtag on twitter for everyone to keep tally. As you get someone to subscribe just tweet to #podcastchallenge the podcast you’re fighting for and the number of new subscriptions you’ve garnered for it. I would love to see one hundred or more subscriptions, for all ‘casts combined, come out of this.

If you don’t twitter, feel free to post your efforts here and I will tweet them on your behalf. Please feel free to post your comments or lay down your own challenge as well.

You’ve been challenged.

Are you up to it?

The topic of this post is not the Twilight series of books. You probably all ready have your opinion of them anyway. I am going to try to examine, however, an inadequacy (as I see it) in the publishing industry, and I will be using Twilight to try and make the point.

Ms. Meyer’s books have become a world wide phenomenon. There are four books in the series with the first all ready made into a hit movie and the second in production. Great for Ms. Meyer’s and her copious fans.

I am really not trying to lambast Ms. Meyer’s or her work in any way. However, now we’re getting to the meat of the issue. I am not a publisher, nor am I an editor or a literary agent. I am a voracious reader and will get new story content any (legal) way I can. I have long been a subscriber to podiobooks.com (and you should be too) and regularly haunt the literature category over at iTunes. I have heard some great stuff and some not so great stuff. I have many of my new favorite authors due to podcast novels. (Just an aside, but if you have similar patterns, see if your favorite podcasting author has any books in print, possibly from a small publisher, and consider making a purchase. You can also donate over at Podiobooks and you might consider doing so if you can.) I am always anxiously awaiting anything new from Tee Morris (Morevi- also my favorite hardcopy novel right now, you’ve got to read these books- and Billibub Baddings novels), Scott Sigler (Ancestor, Earthcore, The Rookie, Nocturnal, Infected, and Contagious) Phil Rossi (Cresent and Eden), Mur Lafferty (too many to mention, but check out the Heaven series and Playing for Keeps) and Philippa Ballantine (Chasing the Bard, Digital Magic – in print only so far – and, the reason for this posting, Weather Child). Most, if not all, of these authors will be happy to talk to you on twitter.

If I were a publisher, whatever my reasons might have been, Twilight never would have seen the light of day. (And before you ask, yes, I did read it and all of the sequels.) Now, from a publishing standpoint, this would have been a nightmare. These books have caught the attention of a generation of readers whether I appreciated them or not. And more importantly, whether I thought they would have sold or not. If I had passed on these books with the comment to the author along the lines of “There are enough vampire love stories in the world all ready,” I definitely would have missed out on the paycheck of a lifetime.

I have questioned time and again how books I feel are poorly written, have rehashed story lines, weak one and two dimensional characters and holes in the plots large enough for a whole pack of werewolves to trot through end up with publishing deals while works such as Weather Child, which through seven episodes (as of this moment) are deemed as unlikely to be able to garner an American audience as we are too nationalistic to enjoy a tail that takes place in New Zealand. (Yes, that is the reason Ms. Ballantine was given for the manuscript’s rejection.) Why does this happen? Do certain authors “make it” because they have more agressive agents, etc. or do they impress that one publisher that is going to champion their cause? I don’t know.

I seriously have no answers, I just see injustices. Why do I care? Well that’s simple: because it is keeping books like Weather Child from gracing my nightstand.

If you haven’t been listening to Weather Child, I strongly suggest you give it a listen. Ms. Ballantine and her minimal cast are doing a wonderful job keeping me entertained with a wonderfully dark story of magic, possession, intrigue and I sense romance in the first quarter of twentieth century New Zealand. You can find Weather Child at http://www.weatherchild.com,
http://www.pjballantine.com, iTunes or Podiobooks. After the first episode, I bet you’ll be thinking, “Sweet bacon! I need more!”