I have recently learnt what sort of geek I am. And frankly it was staring me in the face the whole time. Yeah, I am a gadget geek, a sci fi geek- but most of all I am a history geek.
Not surprisingly- I have two historical fantasy novel out! But I only realised this when I was putting together a google map for my podcast novel, Weather Child. I had so much fun making this map, and putting links to images from the past to go with it.
Wellington has a great little history, dark, violent and set in one of the most beautiful little cities in the world.
So check out the map, and follow along. As I drop episodes I will add more locations.
Far away into the silent land…
Forgive me as I sway towards melancoly.
Today is April 1st and you will find a number of podcasters remembering Joe Murphy on this date, because two years ago he passed beyond the Veil. Yet he is not forgotten.
I never got the chance to meet Joe in person. I was preparing for my first trip to DragonCon in 2007, and was looking forward to meeting someone whose insight and charm I had enjoyed on shows like Slice of Sci Fi and Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas. I never got the chance- something I regret deeply. He touched the lives of a lot of people, some who had met him, many that had not. That is the beauty and power of podcasting.
Have a listen to the tribute show here and think about someone you lost today. We all have, and like it or not we all will pass that way too.
Then go hug someone you care about; a friend, a lover, a family member. Tell them how much they mean to you. One day you will not have the chance to.
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Living on the Edge
It’s been one of those months- everything seems to be hanging on a knife edge, and it is not my preferred method of living I can tell you.
- Digital Magic (best novel- adult) and the podcast version of Chasing the Bard (best fan production) are up for Sir Julius Vogel Awards this year. This NZ version of the Hugos, just keeps getting bigger and better, so it really is an honour to be nominated.
- My wonderful agent Laurie is pitching Geist. This is the novel I am most proud of, with a main character I love and very much want to continue writing. It’s wide open to being a fun, exciting series. It’s on the desks of people I only ever dreamed of getting my stuff in front of. I am trying not to think about it or I might just chew my own fingernails off.
- The first of my guest chefs at Erotica a la Carte has landed. Susan Z’s A Heart of Hammered Brass is just wonderful. But the only problem is, listening to it *I* want to get back to writing for this series. I am thinking about pulling the whole thing together into a collection for podiobooks. I may also put my stories (or with permission the other chef’s stories) into some sort of e or print versions. For a project that I started just as a bit of fun, something to get me over my inability to write ‘saucy’ scenes, EalC has really developed a life of its own. The numbers are starting to match Chasing the Bard!
- Books and Braun is coming on a pace. It should be done by the end of April. I am very much enjoying writing Eliza D Braun, secret agent from the Colonies (Yes, New Zealand)
- I am in the tentative acceptance stage of getting an technical editing job. This would mean I can make up some of the money I sacrificed by doing one day a week less at my corporate librarian job, but will make use of the skills I developed there.
Someone who knows about living on the edge is friend and fellow podcaster JC Hutchins. He has two books coming out this year and the first one Personal Effect: Dark Art is an combination of novel and ARG. Looks spooky and well worth checking out. The video is pretty kick-ass too.
Touch my cheek…
…or alternatively touch the bard and the dark goddess. There is something extra cool about seeing your work on the new shiny devices. (I admit I am a gadget-head)
Digital Magic should be the next month or so, but until then, get the bard and the dark goddess in your pocket. Purchase Chasing the Bard for the iphone or the ipod touch.
I’m going to build a room that echoes
When I started out working on Erotica a la Carte and thinking how I would manage it I knew there was one issue. Weather Child.
A lot of podcasters make the mistake of working too damn hard- or piling their plates too high. So after doing Chasing the Bard I knew approximately how much work is involved in producing a podiobook on time. It’s hard. And even though Weather Child is a smaller production (mostly due to the lack of lots of kiwi accents) I knew it was going to take a lot of effort.
And yet I am loving doing EalC- so I came up with the idea of having guest chefs in the kitchen. Susan Z of Steampunk Spectacular, J D Sawyer of Antithesis and my main collaborator, Tee Morris, have all offered their talents to me.
This three month break away from EalC means I can concentrate on Weather Child, but also means that other people will have a shot at the fun I’ve been having.
Susan has already got the results from her post, but go to Erotica a la Carte and vote on Dan’s. I love so many parts of this community, and am very excited to be sharing EalC with some of the brightest, best people in it.