Notes from the Dungeon

TDT: You wanna help?

2009-08-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

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.

A Productive Monday...WTF?

2009-06-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

So, yours truly was quite productive today. This morning I obtained coffee in a timely manner and immediately set to work...and was then ordered to put on real clothes and make myself presentable...but then I got right back to work.

First thing I did was create promotional things to put up on the website for TDT. I created a US letter sized poster and 4-up fliers both in black and white and in color. These are so I can get other people to print them out and put them in conspicuous places where others might see them. Cuz, well, it ain't enough to just pimp yourself these days. I need everybody to pimp me too. Well, not really me, per se, but definitely the book/podcast.

LOL. I am now thinking of offering official PIMP buttons as rewards for those who distribute my propaganda. Relax, Jamie. There can be only one Pimp Extraordinaire...erm, unless you count your stand-ins (Charlie, Shauna, Cani, etc. lol). Anyway, you're not losing your job. :P

I also am close to revealing another podcaster who will be lending his voice. I am 90% sure he is on board, but until I hear a definitive yes, I shall have to keep it under wraps.

Along with working on that bit, I also sent off a few other relevant emails and re-re-recorded the promo for TDT. There were some bits still nagging at me and at J as well, so we collectively decided to fix it. We are both rather picky about things, so we agree a lot when stuff isn't quite right. Then again, we do tend to bicker like siblings as well. People laugh at us. But that's cool. I am not beyond sarcastically teasing someone in a wheelchair. Especially when he starts it. Ya did too! :P

And lastly, the website is in the process of another update. We're (I mean I'm telling, Web Monkey Scott is doing) changing it to reflect the cover art color scheme as well as updating the content as well. Hopefully these changes will go live tonight. But as Web Monkey just bought a new 15" MacBook Pro today, he is transferring all his data to new awesomeness. So, it may or may not go up tonight. The new toy always trumps the real work.

Anywho, that is all for the moment.

Cover Art FTW!

2009-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Okies, so, I am SUPER excited right now.

After hemming and hawing over asking someone to create the cover art for The Dreamer's Thread, I sat down last night in a fit of inspiration and started drawing.

Yes, you read that right. I drew something.

Haven't really put pencil to paper since circa fall '06 when I took Perspective and Drawing I from Art Institute Online. I thought then maybe I was okay at it, but any other passing attempts since then deflated the small bit of confidence I had there.

So imagine my overwhelming feeling of WIN when I churned out a bit of hand-drawn awesome in about an hour and a half or so last night. I scanned the awesome, worked my digital design magic and just finished what I think might be something good enough to call the official cover art of The Dreamer's Thread Podcast.

Okay, so there's folks out there that will take a look at this and go "uh, it's fine I guess", but to them I say "so show me something better ***hole". LOL. Well, maybe not quite that way, but if you think you can do better I challenge thee! If you are full of more awesome than I am, by all means feel free to one-up me.

Without further ado, I hereby present to you...

THE OFFICIAL ARTWORK FOR THE DREAMER'S THREAD PODCAST!

Alright, you may now bow down in the pressence of my awesome and bask in the glow of my WIN.

And did I mention... SQUUUUEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Off topic, but...

2009-06-12T16:38:00.001-07:00

I've been asked for my song list by the twitter folks who listen to my shows that aren't in Second Life to get this, so I am posting this list of tunes here as I can't think of any other place for it to go at the moment. You can get me on Skype or Twitter during my shows and put in a request if you like. Here it is...*takes a deep breath*

All of Me
Alright, Okay, You Win
As Time Goes By
At Last
Autumn Leaves
Black Coffee
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
Black Velvet
Bubbly
California Dreamin'
Close To You
Come Away With Me
Crazy
Cry Me A River
Dancing in the Street
Daniel
Don't Know Why
Dream a Little Dream of Me
Dust in the Wind
***Endless Miles*** (original tune)
Everywhere (Michelle Branch)
Fields of Gold
Fever
Fly Me To the Moon
Foolish Games
For Sentimental Reasons
God Bless the Child
Have I Told You Lately
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Heat Wave
Heaven (Bryan Adams)
Heaven (Warrant)
I Can See Clearly Now
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
I Can't Make You Love Me
I Dreamed a Dream (from Les Miserables)
I Get a Kick Out of You
I Only Have Eyes For You
I Know You By Heart
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
I Will Survive
I Won't Last a Day
I've Got a Crush on You
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
I've Got to See You Again
In the Wee Small Hours
Isn't It Romantic
It Had to be You
It Will Have to Do (Until the Real Thing Comes Along)
Just One of Those Things
A Kiss to Build a Dream On
Landslide
Let Me Go Lover
Let's Do It
Lonestar
The Long Day is Over
The Longest Time
Love Will Keep Us Together
The Man I Love
Miss Otis Regrets
Mona Lisa
Moon River
My Favorite Mistake
My Old Flame
The Nearness of You
Night and Day
A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square
Old Cape Cod
Over the Rainbow
Perfidia
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
Possession (Sarah MacLachlan)
Rainy Days & Mondays
Rehab
The Rose
Save the Best For Last
Secret Love
Sentimental Journey
September (Earth, Wind, & Fire)
Seven Years
The Shadow of Your Smile
The Shoop Shoop Song
Shoot the Moon
Slow Boat to China
Smile
Someone to Watch Over Me
Standing Still (Jewel)
Stardust
Stay (Lisa Loeb)
Stormy Weather
Straighten Up and Fly Right
The Sunny Side of the Street
Sunrise
Sway
Temptation
Tennessee Waltz
That's Amore
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Til There Was You
Torn
Total Eclipse of the Heart
True Love
Turn Me On
Unchained Melody
Under the Boardwalk
Unforgettable
The Very Thought of You
Wade in the Water
The Way You Look Tonight
Wake Me Up When September Ends
What a Difference a Day Made
What a Wonderful World
What's New
Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)
When I Fall in Love
When You Say Nothing At All
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
A Wink and a Smile
Yesterday Once More
You Belong to Me
You Go to My Head
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
You Were Meant For Me
You've Got a Friend

Okay, I think that's it. Now you can reference this whenever you need to. I should probably put this on my mySpace musician's page too, huh? LOL

Enjoy!

Let the excited squeals begin!

2009-06-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

*ahem*

So yes, I twittered yesterday about the great news I had about TDT, and said I would blog about it today. I hate to be called a liar, so here's my news of WIN:

MIGHTY MUR LAFFERTY HAS JOINED TDT CAST!

Did I say OMG already? Cuz I cannot express that sentiment enough as I restrain myself from running around the room in hysterical circles.

If you are unfamiliar with Mur's work, there's a link to the Murverse on the left side of the page here. I both admire and envy her for what she does every day. Her story-telling and podcasting skills are the stuff of awesome. The first podiobook I ever heard was Mur's Playing For Keeps and it was what sold me on Jamie's idea for The Dreamer's Thread. I couldn't help thinking how fantastic it must be to share your stories with the world, AND get picked up for publishing. I will be happy if people just listen to mine.

One thing that Mur expressed to me yesterday, is the need for solidarity amongst the female podcasters out there. This is mostly due to it being a male-dominated world as far as podcasts are concerned. Just talking to her yesterday was such a huge boost for me, I hope she knows that. Not to sound like a kid with stars in her eyes or anything, but she's kind of my hero. I know she doesn't see herself that way, but she should. Getting the chance to work with someone as uniquely creative and ingenious as Mur Lafferty...well, there are no words to describe how much that really means to me.

She said that she wasn't so sure having heavy hitters involved would make a podcast successful, but that's okay. Just having her on board means more to me than she can know. It makes me feel like I might have a real shot at making this work. It helps me forget the setbacks and outright arrogance of some others I've dealt with. One day, I hope I can help her in the way that she's helped me here. Her name on my podcast won't guarantee success, true, but it sure makes me feel a whole lot better.

But anyway, that is my big news. Scripts are still being portioned out and distributed, and actual production is in a holding pattern. It's time for me to start throwing my promo at people and getting some PR going. I also need to whip some art out in GIMP. *sigh* I miss PhotoShop.

Visible Progress

2009-06-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

First, the biggest news...

THE DREAMER'S THREAD PROMO IS LIVE!

That's right, the first ever promo is hot and ready for your consumption on the novel website. Grab it, play it, share it, make everyone you know listen to it.

And in more news still, I mentioned before something being in the works, and well, here it is. The Dreamer's Thread is on its way to becoming a full cast production! Among the awesome people you will hear are Cheyenne Wright with his buttery man voice (lol) and Chris Snelgrove from the House of Grey podcast. Can I just say how holy (expletive deleted) amazing and exciting that is? It's all I can do to keep from running around the room in crazy circles giggling my dang fool head off. There are still some parts that need filing, so if anyone out there wants to have some geek fun and be part of a great story, hit me up and we'll talk.

Well, I've got more scripts to set up so go check out the website!

Frazzled nerves

2009-06-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

One bad thing about being a procrastinating overachiever is that your ideas often are much, much larger than what you are actually capable of doing. This is especially true when you have grand ideas of a collaborative project that requires the compliance of other people. The hardest thing to do is ask someone who knows nothing about you for help in furthering your dreams. More so when those strangers are already leagues ahead of you on the road to success. You want their name attached to your project to help promote it, but since you're nobody, it's very very hard to convince them they should acquiesce to your request. Thus, you end up feeling like it's a very private club that they won't let you in. Sort of like high school, only actually important.

Another problem with trying to get these folks to help is that they tend to be very busy, and simply cannot, even if they want to. Being a newcomer, it is also very easy to make a social gaff and feel hugely embarrassed when they call you out on it. And then there are those who will help, but the price for that assistance is much higher than you are willing to pay...especially when there is no guarantee for payoff for you.

This is a tricky game, especially when no one tells you the rules. It's like trying to tunnel through rock with a very small hammer and chisel, and there's miles of stone between you and your goal. Even if the others would just chip at the rock a tiny bit with you, that would further you along, even if just by the tiniest bit.

So, what to do? Nothing for it but to keep trying I guess. It's been a slightly discouraging day, but it's not all bad. I did decide on music for TDT. The song I found is beautiful and perfectly suited to my tale. I'm not going to spoil the surprise of which one it is right now, but I think people will agree with me when they hear it.

Anyway, now I wait for email replies and hope for the best. Finding just the right voice isn't easy, especially when you can so clearly hear a character in your head. And it isn't as though I can get some voices and not others. The male characters are proving the most difficult.I can pull off a gay man easily enough with a little voice filtering, but that's about the extent of my talent there. Doesn't help that moving a lot also means my pool of nearby friends is very very limiting as each time you move, you're just less enthused about having to make friends all over again. Thus, my options for using my friends voices on my equipment is probably a harder thing to accomplish since most of my friends are nowhere near me. At least other podcasters have the right equipment for recording audio.

Maybe I should just throw a kegger and make people audition at the door. Then I can just plop them in front of my mic, give them their lines, and be done with it. LOL

This could be a really fun project. I just wish more people wanted to have geek fun with me. *sigh*

What are YOU listening to?

2009-06-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another doc visit, another prescription. The Cold That Wouldn't Die continues to...well, not die.

But enough about my health FAIL. Today I would like to talk about some of the authors that I like to listen to. Maybe give you all some recommendations. The first one I have to mention is Mur Lafferty's Playing for Keeps. This was the first podiobook I ever heard and is officially responsible for getting me hooked on podiobooks. I downloaded it on the advice of Jamie Jordan, as he wanted me to hear what he wanted to do with my book. If you have even the slightest interest in superheroes or comedy or just a damn good story, this is a book you must listen to.

Another that recently impressed me was Morevi: Remastered written by Tee Morris and Lisa Lee. And while the story and writing are nothing to sniff at, what really blew me out of the water was the audio production of the podcast. The sound effects, the guest voices, the soundtrack...it was just flawless. I am obsessively thinking about having some folks record speaking lines for TDT, but it might be a bit tough to do on my schedule this time around. I especially have to give a great big hats off to Philippa Ballantine for her portrayal of Askana Moldarin, the female protagonist. Simply brilliant. If you want to hear podcasting at its finest, Morevi is a can't miss example of audio mastery.

Two others that I must mention next, and they are two very, very different authors. The first is Collin Earl with his House of Grey podcast. I think I like this story because it is very much like the kinds of stories I myself write. The House of Grey is a beautifully woven tale that speaks of innocence and the belief that magic is real. A tale like this is a fragile thing. You have to be willing to put aside all your jaded, real world thoughts and lose yourself in fantasy and illusion. It's target audience is young adult, but, as J.K. Rowling proved, a good story is just a good story. When you can set aside the ugliness and monotony of the every day, you can take yourself back to that time when anything was possible. High school not quite a bright spot in your memories? The House of Grey can take you back and change the experience to one of beautiful people with lots of money doing mysterious and supernatural things. And while there is a slight sense of cliche in the 10 Things I Hate About You or She's All That kind of way, it's not clear that there will be a happy ending. I picked this one up primarily for listening in the car with little ears present, and ended up with an addictive plotline to boot. I needed it because the next author I'm going to mention is most definitely NOT suitable for children.

And who else could I be referring to if not Mr. Scott Sigler? Okay, perhaps I could have said Matt Wallace or J.C. Hutchins. But no. Today I talk about the self-proclaimed FDO. In particular, I have got to recommend Infected, and it's sequel, Contagious. Mostly this is because the final episode of Contagious posted this past weekend and it's still fresh in my mind. Not only is Mr. Sigler a NY Times Bestselling Author, but he's a rather gifted weaver of tales as well. If you're adversed to blood, violence, and cursing, I'd steer clear, but you'll be missing out. Not only are Sigler's stories engrossing (and sometimes gross), he's also a phenomenal narrator with a head chalk full of science. Part of what makes his brand of horror so disturbing is how plausible facts behind it make it seem. He's got the fine art of military tactics and current arsenal down cold, as well as a solid foothold on biology and chemistry. The key to making all that entertaining to the reader/listener, is that the explanations don't go over your head. He doesn't overwhelm the reader with the minutae of DNA and chemical reactions, instead making it an integral part of the story while giving things such as muscle fibers and microscopic organisms what seem like almost character roles. His insight into the very thoughts of his victims and badies give each character their own unique nuances, so much so that you could believe these people were no less real than you or I. His own brand of voicing brings them to life. Especially creepy is the premier auditory experience of those nasty blue triangles. I could have crawled out of my own skin when the first "No! Kill!" seeped through my speakers. Sigler can truly take you on a thrilling ride.

So now that you have some suggestions, I highly recommend you go and seek out these superior podcasts. You've heard the rest, now hear the best. And tell them I sent you.

*smoochies!*

Website Work

2009-06-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, I'm doing some more work on the website for TDT, which is going to include putting a link to this blog there, instead of creating a whole new one. I've gone through the layout here on blogger and added some stuff like my Twitter feed (follow me!) and a whole ton of links at the bottom of the main page. These links take you to a bunch of other author/podcasters, and, of course, a link to Jamie Jordan's website. Without Jamie, none of this would have happened. The podcast of TDT was his idea after he read the novel, and without his knowledge and experience, this dream would have faded long ago. So please check him out! He does other work with other podcasts including Gaming Uncensored as well as Mur Lafferty's Playing For Keeps. He's all busy with E3 this week (fooey on that!) so he's not been around to bug me about working on stuff. He also pimps me in Second Life for my other part-time job as a live internet radio diva! That's neither here nor there as far as this blog is concerned, but should your curiosity be roused, you can check out that facet of me here.

I also started work yesterday on recording the promo spot for TDT...you know, the thing that you beg other podcasts to play so you can get more listeners? I finally have all my words right, there's just one thing wrong. I am STILL congested. I swear it's the cold that wouldn't die. For over a month I've been either coughing my lungs out, trying to halt a running nose, praying my head would explode to stop the sinus pain/ear infection, or unable to taste, smell, or hear much. It's pretty much been a month of SUCK. This is what I get for quitting smoking? There's incentive for you. X_x

There's a few other things in the works, but I'm keeping those under wraps at the moment until I know for sure if they'll work out or not. So there's more news to come. I am tentatively announcing a launch date of July 1st for TDT podcast, so cross your fingers it doesn't get puched back AGAIN. For now, I'm off to meet my new doc and do a few errands.

*smoochies* to you all!

Word Count today

2008-05-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

Time to celebrate! Yay! It's been a fantastically productive day and I have an incredible word count to post here.

Total Word Count Today....

(drum roll please)

94,016!!!!!

Hoo!

*collapses into an exhausted heap*

LOL

Procrastination: The Enemy

2008-05-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been a bit lacking in the creative department lately, but I am making it a priority to schedule time every day to write. This afternoon I am taking my laptop to the park and I am going to write until it either starts to rain or the battery starts to die. I did do a good chunk of writing the other day but forgot to post my current word count, so here it is:

Total word count as of this moment: 91.659 words.

Word Count Today

2008-05-04T02:34:00.000-07:00

Today's lack luster word count: 89,250 words.

But at least I'm writing! LOL

Slow going

2008-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been quite the slacker in regards to the novel lately, but I have gotten a few things accomplished. Last week I finished the second draft of part 2, but I've not made much headway on part 4. It's not all bad though.

Total Word count as of today: 88,479.

Hitting the Mark

2008-03-25T19:55:00.001-07:00

So, in the last week or so I've accomplished little on the book, however, I am proud to say that I just broke 10k words on Part 4! Officially I have under 14,000 words to write before I hit my goal of 100k, but the end is so near I can almost taste it. But, much to my dismay, I'm finding that the more I write on part 4, the more I feel like there is too much story left for 14k to contain. I'm almost dreading to reach 100k only to be looking at another 25k still to be done. So I've decided that when part 4 is done I will do the editing on part 2 just to give myself a bit of distance from the seemingly endless story I'm weaving. Sometimes it feels like I'm knitting a scarf that will never quite be done; like I just need to add one more row to make it perfect, but that one row turns into 50, and so on and so forth. When I started part 4 it felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, as the saying goes. Now it seems like it was a horrible april fool's joke or something.

But never fear, I will not lose heart. Last time I tried to tackle a huge writing project like this I didn't know what I was getting into and just wasn't in a place (mentally and maturity-wise) where I could go the distance. I'm a bit more informed on the whole process this time and I like to think my writing has improved a bit in the last 10 years. So that gives me hope. Also, I am refusing to quit on this project. Even if the story never sees the flourescent light of a publishers office or an agent's desk, I will know for myself that I can, in fact, write a novel.

Word count to come later tonight.

Word Count Today

2008-03-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

Total word count as of right now is 85,142 words. Lost is on tonight, followed by Eli Stone, so I doubt I'll get much done before bedtime. Heh heh.

Word Count Today

2008-03-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Another day, another thousand words, LOL.

Official Tally: 84,215

Another 15,000 and I'll have the makings of a real novel. ^_^

Word Count Today

2008-03-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a semi-productive weekend. I got a lot of non-writing stuff done, however, that's no concern here. The big news for me is that I finished the first re-write of part 1!!! Woo hoo! So, I am now going to include rewrites in my word count totals!

That being said, without further ado...

Word count as of tonight is...

83,271

So, now that part 1 rewrite is done, I am going to finish part 4. I've sent out part 1 to my team of expert editors (lol) and am anxiously awaiting their comments.

Word Count Today

2008-03-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

Word count today is officially at 82,568. Again, that is not including rewrites.

Distractions, Distractions, and More Distractions

2008-03-03T15:53:00.001-08:00

So the last few days have not been overly productive, writing-wise, but it was not a complete bust. My brother made extensive notes on part one so I spent some time Saturday and Sunday nights tweaking part one a bit. So that makes two people so far that will go on the inside of the book in thanks for their efforts. Of course, that would be pending I finish it and consequently manage somehow to get it published. LOL.

I hope to do some writing tonight, but I fear I wasted what time I had this morning working on a 500 word piece for an online group. Although, I suppose any exercise in writing is not a wasted effort. I guess I can think of it as warm-ups for my real work.

Word Count Today

2008-02-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today was a pretty productive day. Word count before I retire for the evening: 81,812 words.

I just finished writing a half-decent action sequence. I love writing scenes that get my heart pounding and really wind me up. ^_^ Unfortunately, it's hard to stop when you get going like that, but tomorrow I'm journeying up to the great white north...well, just Vancouver, but still Canada nevertheless...so it's early to bed and early to rise for me. Dunno if I'll get to do any writing tomorrow, but I will try. This weekend's looking pretty dismal for me as far as time to dedicate to my novel goes, but I am looking at many months of plenty of time to work so I can make up for it later.

*sigh*

Now to figure out how to make this train of thought take a hiatus...

Slogging through

2008-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

So, in my writing today I had to actually stop and think about a scene before I could write it. Usually I just fly by the seat of my pants, but I found myself staring stupidly at part 4, looking for a way to get myself where I wanted to go. After breakfast, a cup of coffee (a LARGE one, at that), a small snack, lunch, and idly distracting myself on mySpace and Facebook, I finally convinced myself to step back and just think about my next move. It worked, this time, and I was able to push through to the next bit, but it was slow going. I still have trouble figuring out how I managed to write over 50K in roughly 20 days and then only 30K in the last three months. It just flowed so easy in November. I guess that must be because I had no plan when I started and now I have too many things I want to put in. It will be a struggle to fit everything into part four, but with careful editing later, 4 semi-equal parts should be achievable. In my rewrite of the 2nd half of part one I managed to expand it to 28K and some change.

As I was rereading part 1 I started remembering what I loved about the story so much. It was nice to get that feeling back, especially with the improvements I made. I actually got harrangued for staying up too late working on it. LOL. Hey, artists suffer for their art all the time, right?

Anyway, I think I will do a bit more writing before I post an updated word count. I broke the 80K mark, but that is all I will tell you for now.

Oh, just to give you a more tangible idea of what my word counts mean, part one is 60.5 pages in a word document and that is 25,312 words. And yes, that is single spaced. It just cracks me up thinking about how thick a printout of a double-spaced manuscript must be. One of my friends found out the hard way just how much paper that is when he printed it out! LMAO.

So, this is me today. A bit tired and not at all motivated to work on the book, but I'm doing it anyway. I hear tell that other *published* authors go through the same thing but just make themselves do it. I figure if it works for them, why not me too?

Word Count Today

2008-02-26T17:15:00.000-08:00

Total words, as of this moment, including only first drafts of all parts, currently equals 79,052 words.

This total does not reflect my recent reworking of Part 1 (as I've only fixed about half of it) LOL.

I will try to update daily as I write.

Greetings and Salutations

2008-02-26T16:31:00.001-08:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. Here is where I will be recording my progress through my novel.

Begun in November 2007 for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), what started out as a frantic 50,000 word challenge has taken on a life of its own. My current word count is well over 75,000 words, to be updated later with an exact count, and is divided into 4 parts, 3 of which are finished and in rough draft form. The parts are somewhere around 25K words each, but, as I said, they are only rough drafts. The 25K just seemed to be a nice round number with which to end each part. As scattered-brained as I am, I've done a bit of reworking on part one, completely eliminating an entire character, despite the fact that the final part is still only on page 5. It's okay to laugh here. I find it pretty funny myself.

Anyway, I've decided to create this blog to sort of make notes on this project for anyone who might want to follow me down this path of insanity, or maybe even for myself to go back and shake my head sadly at my silly misguided notion that I could actually write a real novel. As things go from completion of rough draft to harrowing rewrite to hair-pulling frustration as my friends and family assist me in perfecting it even further to the inevitable writing of the query letter to publishers and eventual receiving of rejection letters, I will attempt to post all about the smiles and frowns, the ups and downs of this wacky world of noveling.

So can I call myself an author if I haven't been published yet?

I think so, although I feel a bit silly for it. Being an author does not necessarily mean being good at what you do or even being paid for what you do.

All I know is that I'm creating something. It's a story. I like it. So far my friends and family see the potential too. Whether or not the publishing world agrees with me...well, I think that's getting ahead of myself. For now, I need to finish that pesky part four.

But welcome to the dungeon, where I am shackled to my laptop. I'm a prisoner to my art! Come along and join the madness! LOL