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

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.

Cover Art FTW!

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!!!!!

Let the excited squeals begin!

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.

Frazzled nerves

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*

Website Work

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!