TDT: You wanna help?

You would think by now I would have the entire story cast, yes?

Well, if you do think so, you'd be very wrong.

The thing is, I worry about all the big parts first, as they are the most difficult to cast. They can be time consuming if the characters appear in every episode, and maybe that person you think has THE perfect voice just doesn't have that kind of time available. It's also finding the right voice that's difficult. I spent many hours listening to other podcasts to find just the right person for a major character. For some it was easy. I knew immediately with Cheyenne Wright and Philippa Ballantine. If either of them had said no I'm not sure what I'd have done. ^^;

But now I'm looking at the scripts for the second half of the book/podcast and I've compiled a list of small parts that I don't know what to do with. Since episode 1 debuted, I've gotten a few requests from folks asking if I had any parts left. So last night, as I portioned out the scripts for episode 19, I started making a list of all those little parts that I could really use filled. These are all in later episodes (think late October on), so there's no rush on time if you can't do it right this second. If you're at all interested with being listed amongst podcasting greats like Tee Morris or Mur Lafferty, here's your opportunity. As they say in theater, there are no small parts, only small players. Here's your chance to show us what you got! And you never know, if I really like you, you may get called back for another story...or even a sequel! Well, that doesn't sound at all egotistical. LOL at myself. :P

So take a look at the following list and see if anything strikes you. Remember, these parts will only appear in 1 or 2 episodes. Only a few lines unless otherwise noted.


Vigo - A small (sometimes large) golden dragon very reminiscent of Sir Didymus in Labyrinth. You know, the little terrier that rides around on the shaggy dog? Fake accents totally acceptable. Over the top welcome! His part spans two episodes and has more lines than the others listed here.

Wan - A nature spirit. Looks like a little hippy gnome. I'm interested in hearing what folks think he sounds like. LOL

Lichshire Elder - Your basic grumpy old man. The "get off my lawn" type.

Old, one-eyed woman - Could be grandmotherly with a "get off my lawn" streak.

Dremblaat - council member representing the swamplands. He's kinda gross. Has a burbling voice. Might do some voice filters on him if needed.

General Krom - Centaur general. Deep and manly, maybe growly. Up for interpretation.

General Mu - Air calvary general. Hey, guess what! He's a talking crow. Can you sound like a crow?

General Gertz - Nervous man with great tactical skills. Makes me think of the king's go-to guy in Disney's Cinderella movie.

General Cross - a round, blustery man with mutton chops. A human general.

Mysterious Old Man - He appears only in the last episode. More nice grandfather than "get off my lawn" type. Think Dumbledore crossed with an old Appalachian backwoods guy in a rocking chair. Only without an accent.


I think that's the whole list. Hopefully I haven't botched things and left out a character for episode 6 or something. Would be like me. LOL

Don't limit yourself to just one part if you think you can change your voice enough to do another one or two. There's a lot of male characters on this list, so don't hold back! Like, if you can be a croaky crow AND a get off my lawn geezer AND a blustery general, by all means. The character roles are great for flexing those dramatic muscles. If you want one of these roles, drop me an email at threaded(dot)dreamer(at)gmail(dot)com or DM me on Twitter. Instructions will follow.

One other note, make sure if you play the promo for The Dreamer's Thread you let me know so I can tweet and blog all about it! Episode 6 of Trapping a Duchess over at michbek.com went live this morning and includes a TDT promo! Thanks much, Michele! Cast members get first crack at TDT episode promos, but I am more than happy to play promos for people who pimp me! Hehehe. Everyone wants to be a pimp, right? One hand washes the other, etc etc.

Big thanks again to everyone for making this week INCREDIBLE for me! Stay tuned!

xxx

More breaking news!

Okay, some of you (you know who you are @alruff lol), can't keep your horses in the barn so here's the news you really want to know.

The Dreamer's Thread will be available on iTunes some time today!

LOL. What do you mean, that's not the news you were expecting? I thought it was exciting!

Alright, alright. Here it is.

TEE MORRIS HAS JOINED THE CAST OF THE DREAMER'S THREAD!

Oh yes, the godfather of podcasting (he literally wrote the book) has made me a happy woman in deed. Granted, you folks won't hear him until the end of October according to my release schedule, but that's more greatness you have to look forward to. Also in that same episode, Philippa Ballantine will make her debut performance in TDT. I've already heard that audio, and let me tell you guys, you are in for a SERIOUS treat. Tee and Philippa are a fantastic one-two combo that can knock your audio socks off with their mad voice acting skillz.

Speaking of audio, I am listening to the final draft of episode three and SQUEE! This is the first time you'll get to hear Mur Lafferty in TDT, but not the last. Also, a fan favorite character makes his small, but powerful, entrance. That's all I'm saying for now. Apparently Jamie got some great outtake material from him. It will be another week and a half before you get to hear all this awesome though. Try to contain yourselves.

So that's your newsflash for today. You may commence your celebrations.

xxx

The day after launch day

All things said and done, I am very pleased with the way the big launch went for The Dreamer's Thread. I've gotten some great comments on the narration, production, and cast. That makes me happy. :)

There was a comment last post about the length of the first episode and I promise, no, SWEAR to you all that episode 1 is the longest episode in the entire podcast. All other episodes will be around 45 minutes in length. Give or take a minute or two.

My reason for making episode 1 longer is simple. I wanted to do all the character building in one episode. I felt splitting it in two might bore folks a little, so I opted for a longer debut, rather than 2 consecutive weeks of Aura's "everyday" life. Either way, it was going to be a tough sell. I, and the audio producer, Jamie Jordan, both agreed it was the way to go.

Beginning next week, The Dreamer's Thread will dive head first into pure fantasy. As a teaser, here is the introduction for episode 2.

"With today’s chapters, reality is no longer real. You are about to enter the realm of the magical. The land of the impossible. The place where fairytales are born. We are leaving behind the dingy and mundane routines of the everyday and entering the place that every child knows to be real.

For those of you that still want to believe in wishing on stars, true love, or once upon a times, you are among your kindred. For those of you that do not, I invite you to put aside your logic and get swept away to a never was. Stop questioning. Cast off the bonds of doubt. Do not keep your feet on the ground. If you do, you can never hope to see the adventure around the next corner, the twist of fate to your left, the out of place something that lurks in your periferal vision, or the chance encounter tapping you on the shoulder. All these things can be, but only if you let them find you."

So with that, I'll leave you all to digest episode one, if you haven't already, and to eagerly await the second installment of The Dreamer's Thread. You've helped make "launch day" a memorable one for me, and I hope the podcast continues to entertain you.

xxx

And we are LIVE!

It's time! OMG it's finally time!

It feels like this day has been forever in the making, but at last I can proudly present episode one of The Dreamer's Thread!

That's right! We are finally LIVE! OMG! OMG! OMG!

My only hope is that everyone enjoys it. If it seems like it gets off to a slow start, be patient. It will be worth it in the end, I promise. Well, at least I hope it is.

My baby goes out into the world today, with any luck to be well-received. Episode 1 is a little long, but I felt it had to be. After week 1, all the rest will be closer to 45 minutes, give or take.

I cannot express enough gratitude to everyone that's put time into this project. Without all these people, well, it wouldn't be the same. I think what you will hear is some great talent. Some of them are old friends, some are new. Either way, I hope to continue these relationships as further projects develop and bring you new adventures with just as much voice talent.

Anyway, don't just sit there reading me yak on about nothing! Go listen to episode one! And PLEASE, drop me some comments! I'd love to hear what you all think, both the good and the bad! Now git gone! LOL

xxx

Cast updates and such

Wow. What a great week! I added myself to Brian Rathbone's Twitter Fantasy List (which includes writers, podcasters, etc) and discovered a whole new group of uh-mazing folks. I started following several of them and got a great shoutout from Mr. Rathbone himself. Thanks to his list, I have two new additions to the cast of The Dreamer's Thread and a lot of stress taken off my mind!

So, big welcomes to both John Mierau and Jennifer Hudock! Both of them seem super excited to get involved and it's always great to have folks on your team that are excited about the project. It makes everything work smoother. Mr. Mierau has taken on not one, but TWO voices, with the possibility of one-line cameos later. Ms. Hudock is the grand Regent of the Mermaids, and I think she'll bring exactly the right amount of dignity to the role. Slighting, yet respectable. What a lovely character combo. Er, the mermaid, not Jennifer. She's very nice. ^^;

On another note, I've finished portioning out the episode sections, and it looks like there will be 21 story episodes. This does not include any extra content or commentary that may be podcasted. That's roughly five months worth of episodes. Wow. Just re-reading that figure puts it in a whole new light. Five months! *faint*

Anyway, after Jennifer and John's parts, I'm still left with some odds and ends that need taken care of. I'm currently on the lookout for two older men to voice a grumpy village elder and a grumpy dead wizard. To top that off, I completely forgot about these flashback scenes I'd written that involve a few other voices. I'll update more on that later this week as I make up the character scripts, but it could be as many as five more voices. Apparently, I really like to make up a lot of male characters as at least three of them are. One is for sure female (who has all of one or two lines), another could be either as it's an adolescent and not quite defined as boy/girl. Either way, it means I can't relax yet because I still have more recruiting to do. *headdesk*

And so I am at this point on this Sunday night, ready to kick off another week that will bring me one step closer to launch. One of my top priorities (aside from recruiting) is begging people to play the promo for TDT on their podcasts so I can generate a little buzz. I think I might even pounce some of my Second Life contacts to see if they can put up posters or plug the podcast in other ways too. The last week of July I will be hitting up comic book stores, libraries, gaming HQs, and book stores in order to plaster flyers anywhere they'll let me. If anyone wants to aid me in this endeavor, head over to the CroWS section of the novel website and snag the 4-ups and posters available for DL there. I have but 2 hands, and my brain sometimes imagines I have more, so if you want to volunteer to be an extra appendage for me, I shall welcome you with open arms...unless I might drop something in which case you'll have to settle for verbal gratitude only. :P

For those you who will be attending any upcoming cons, I highly enourage you to plaster flyers anywhere there is a blank inch of wall. My travel options are a bit limited at the moment, and ComiCon sold out ages ago. (Still pissed about that one let me tell you.) The long and short of it is that I can't be everywhere, but maybe my ads can!

On that note, I think it's time to call it a night. There's more work to be done in the a.m. and no one but me is going to do it. Where's a good house elf when you need one?

X

Splice and Dice

Today marks another milestone for TDT. Audio production on episode one officially began today! While recording has been proceeding on several ends, today we finally had all the necessary clips from all the voices from episode 1 to begin putting it all together. YAY! This means that the very first episode should be good to go by the end of the week at the very latest! We are, however, holding off release until we've got a few episodes in the can. Most of the audio is sitting in files waiting to be stuck together with superglue, but there are a few bits missing from further episodes that have me biting my nails hoping that they show up in my inbox in the next few days.

And speaking of missing bits, I've still got a few small parts that require voicing, so if you're a guy and have a mic and will work for free and want to be a part of this project, take a look at the list below and hollah if you'd like to get in on the action!

I still need:

The friend of a mercenary
A pirate captain (arrrr!)
A gnarly inkeeper
A grouchy elder
The ghost of a wizard

So, any takers? Know anyone who's up for the challenge? These are speaking lines only and most only appear in one episode, so it's not an extended commitment.

I also have one female role that I could use a voice for. Ever wanted to be a mermaid princess? How about a royal rule-maker? You can be both if you want! All you need to do is step up and say I DO!

So that's your news for today! Launch day is getting close folks!

Death by Happiness

I'm so excited right now I'm not even sure where to begin!

I sent two emails yesterday, in hopes of recruiting two more folks for TDT voices. When I got an unofficial yes from one I was thrilled. I woke up this morning to TWO official yes responses! And so, it is my extreme pleasure to announce to you that...

The uber-talented Christiana Ellis and Philippa Ballantine have added themselves to the cast of The Dreamer's Thread Podcast!

HOLY CRAP how excited am I? I've been completely enamored with Ms. Ballantine's voice since I heard her voicing Askana in Tee Morris' Morevi:Remastered. That was the podcast that first made me want to do a full cast production. Having her on board is amazing!

And then there's Christiana Ellis. She was also in Morevi, but it was her Shallow Thoughts podcast that really sold me. Hilarious. You may know her from Space Casey or her newly published Nina Kimberly the Merciless, but however you know her, you know how very talented she is.

Did I mention how completely ecstatic I am right now? If I weren't busy nursing this hot coffee, I would undoubtedly be running in circles screaming OMG OMG OMG OMG! at the top of my lungs right now. But as it stands, coffee takes precedence.

What an awesome start to the day!

Now I'm all pumped to get back to work scripting and recording! Motivation FTW!

Hello from Vacationland!

First of all, Texas is hot. And when I say hot, I don't mean, "man I could really use a nice tall glass of water about now" hot, I mean "it's so hot my face melted as soon as I stepped outside" hot. And everyone knows that when it's ONE HUNDRED AND SIX DEGREES out there, that, of course, is the time when outdoor nature type activity is the best, right?

No? You mean most people stay in the comfort of air conditioning when it's so hot you can fry an egg in the shade? It can't be. That makes WAY too much sense to be true. Here in Texas, we prefer to go look at fossilized dinosaur tracks and splash around in living-thing-infested water. Why? Because we're in Texas. Is there any other reason?

LOL

I may be slightly crispy, but not as deep fried as the rest of my family who went back for a second round of skin-scorching fun in the sun after lunch. Yes, that's right. I was the party pooper sitting in the shade for round 2 of water hole fun. However, now I get to chuckle merrily as I slather my family in aloe and hydrocortisone cream. Also, I shall sleep far better than they as I will not wake up from blinding pain every time I roll on to my back.

Anywho, I can haz audio bitz! Yay! So far, I have recieved recordings from two of the awesome folks in the cast. My hats off to Mur Lafferty and Dr. Priest for getting their segments to me ahead of schedule! You guys rock my socks! And my socks have very high standards.

So, I know that's not much news on the podcast front, but I am on vacation. I'm entitled to slack a little bit. Yeesh. Saturday I have an appointment to lay down some recording with a friend, so wish me luck that I don't get ditched. I've only got one shot to get her. I have threatened to do that voodoo that I do to her if she tries to give me the slip. I only buy that car accident excuse so many times before I take you off my christmas card list. This is the sound of an idle threat. Hear me roar! *mew*

Well, I am off to take my shower and then to bed. I am feeling slightly Denny's-ish, but the sun has drained me of desire to do anything but sleep. Hopefully I will have good things to post about after Saturday. Don't make me use this strangely life-like representation of you, Shauna! *shaking fist*

Schedule Update

Okay, so July first might have been a touch overzealous as a launch date. I knew that when I said it. It might have been doable if it was just me doing the reading, but since it's become a full cast recording, it was inevitable that the schedules of others would not allow for such a close deadline. Right now, the summer con season has artist Cheyenne Wright caught up in commissions, not to mention actual travel, so recording for his lines will not be able to start until the week of July 1st. And since his part is so integral to the story, we are setting the schedule around him. With luck, we can still launch in July, but I'd rather do it right and later than crappy and quickly.

And, all this is fine, as it turns out I'm actually going out of town for a few weeks myself. Hopefully by the time I get back I'l have lots of audio and promo stuff to work on.

So that is how it stands. Things are starting to come together and I am very happy with the progress.

More WIN!

Okay, I can officially officially say it now! Dr. James D. Priest, author and narrator of Kirins: The Spell of No'an is a part of The Dreamer's Thread cast! I have thusly added him to the links list to the left there, under CAST WEBSITES. Some of the folks involved here don't have websites as yet, but when they do, rest assured, they will also be included here.

I am so thankful for the wonderful people who are stepping up to help me out. I sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart.