This post is partly inspired by a post from P.C. Haring. P.C. has had a very bad September. The theme of his post is “Why do we fall, sir?” The answer, of course, is so we can learn to get back up. But that got me thinking… There are many reasons why we fall. Some trip. Some will leap for greatness and fail to catch themselves. And some… are pushed. [click to continue…]
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If you’ve paid attention on this blog, you’ll know that I’m a big supporter of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences from Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine. I’ve done reviews on Phoenix Rising and The Janus Affair, the two released novels for the Ministry, and I’ve even written, performed, and produced an episode for the Ministry’s podcast Tales from the Archives. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to post about the Ministry Initiative, the Kickstarter project to raise funding for a tabletop Role Playing Game based on the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Part of the Kickstarter was The Ministry Protocol, an anthology of short stories written by authors carefully selected by Tee and Pip. And that is what we’re talking about today… [click to continue…]
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A lot can change in a year, and yet, a year can speed by you so fast, leaving so much undone.
This time last year, I was looking back at what I had done since my last birthday, and making plans for how I was going to move forward over the next year. Looking at it now, it sure seems like a lot of the things I had planned out last year didn’t end up happening. At least, the way things developed certainly was not what I originally planned. Whether that will turn out to be for good or for ill, time will tell. Perhaps I’ll know next year. [click to continue…]
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For podcasters, the Parsec Awards aren’t the only awards around, but they are one of the most prestigious. The Parsecs recognize excellence in speculative fiction podcasting, and include categories for best story in a several formats, best behind the scenes podcast, and best fan podcast. The actual categories vary somewhat each year. Nominations for the Parsec Awards begin each year on April 1st and conclude on Memorial Day, although this year the nominations were extended to June 1st. Eligible podcasts must have been released between May 1st the previous year and April 30th. Anyone can nominate a podcast. And each year, around the end of July, the finalists are announced. These are the top 5 podcasts in each category. The chosen few who will continue on in the competition, one of which will win the Parsec at the Parsec Awards Ceremony at Dragon*Con each year. And today, this year’s Finalists were just announced! [click to continue…]
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Wow. Will you look at that. It’s July now. July. 2013 is half over. Halfway done. I’ve set some ambitious goals for the latter half of the year. Perhaps I should also take some time to take stock of what I’ve done so far. Let’s see how it breaks down… [click to continue…]
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If you’ve been reading along here, you’ve seen me refer to a story that I’ve been writing for Philippa Ballantine and Tee Morris’ Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. I’ve been referring to that story up until now, by the code name “Northern Mists”. Well, no more. Today I can finally reveal the true title, because today the Ministry released Tales from the Archives, Volume 2, Episode 7, “The Cross of Columba”, written and recorded by yours truly, audio editing and sound effects by my lovely wife Keetara, scoring by Tee Morris. And to put the cherry on top, the release date is Kee and my wedding anniversary!
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I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders! The audio for Northern Mist is complete and has been turned over to Tee and Pip for Tales From the Archives. At least our part is done. We don’t have good access to music sources, so Tee is going to be doing the scoring for the story. And, of course, they’re going to put their own stamp on the beginning and end of the story. For now, Northern Mist will stay under the code name. Once I get word from Tee and Pip to reveal the name, or that the story has been released, I’ll let you know the real title. We’re hoping that you really enjoy the story.
So, with that done, priorities are shifting… [click to continue…]
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Great merciful Elisabeth! It’s been three weeks since I’ve had a chance to drop a post over here. That’s way too long in my opinion. Then again, I’m not sure how much I really have to say about what is going on. Our main push is still getting the audio version of “Northern Mist” finished so that we can turn the audio over to Tee and Pip and they can finish it up and release it on Tales from the Archives, and we can stop using the code word “Northern Mist” and start using the real title. But progress has been slow due to health problems, insane schedules, and the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Perhaps I need to adjust my priorities… [click to continue…]
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Things have been progressing slowly of late. If you’ve been listening to me on Galley Table of late, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been talking about the story that I’m doing for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences for quite a long time. In fact, if I’d done the recording right after I’d finished the story, I could have gotten it out in time to qualify for this year’s Parsec Awards. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
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And, in what seems like a blink of an eye, another week is gone.
But it has been productive. Northern Mist went through editing in what seems like a blink of an eye. I must admit that the editing process was vaguely disappointing. I was expecting more feedback. For once I’m experiencing the desire to continue hammering at a story to polish it further. It has been a new experience. That nagging feeling that says, “I can do better.”
But production schedules will not wait for me. So I have to move forward. [click to continue…]
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The Perils of Prague (The Adventures of Crackle and Bang, #1)
