Why Ya?

by Philip E. Carroll

I’m fifty-one years old. I have three children aged 7 to 25. I have two grandchildren. By day I’m a mild mannered certified orthotist.

“A what?” You ask.

An orthotist. I got my training in the army. They taught me how to shoot a rifle, sew and use a band saw. I make braces. I’ll brace anything but teeth.

Before the day job, during lunch and in the evenings I try to be a writer, and my preferred genre is teen/young adult urban fantasy.

When Rhonda asked me why I write YA fiction, I had to admit I didn’t have a clue. I’d never really thought about it. So I thought about it.

I got my start writing through the Great Hites podcast. It was a almost weekly prompt based writing contest. Each week I would take the prompt, sit down with it, and just start writing. It was very organic and unplanned. Consistently, my characters turned out to be in their teens or early twenties.

Stephen King says in his book on writing, “On Writing”, that we write because we enjoy it. Very few will succeed at making a living through writing fiction. So the rest of us must find a reason to keep doing it.

I’ve always enjoyed telling stories. My twin brother and I would put on puppet show and try to get neighborhood kids to pay to see them.

We had bunk beds, and at night we would lie in our beds and make up stories. We each had out cadre of characters complete with voices and attitudes. We would spend hours telling freeform stories, usually an offshoot of a movie, tv show or book. Even when we went through an uncomfortable phase of hating each other in 7th through 9th grades, we still told our stories.

Perhaps my story telling stayed at that point, with Roger and our gang of teenage characters living the lives and experiencing the adventures we couldn’t.

One of those hip pocket rules about writing is, “write what you know.”

I remember those teenage years better than any point in my life. I remember the frustration of being skinny, unpopular and shy. I remember the bullies who chased me from English to Science every day in seventh grade. I remember the awkward fascination with girls, the painful desire to experience, but the nauseating fear of communication.

The teenage years are filled with adventure, growth, experience, potential and excitement.

I’ve lived a lot. I’ve been to Africa, Mexico and Hawaii. I’ve seen the wealthy and the destitute. I’ve been in the Army and on the tops of mountains. Married for thirty years, I’ve raised a daughter to adulthood and have two children with special needs who joined our family through adoption.

Life has been an adventure. But nothing I’ve seen or done has ever compared to the stories Roger and I told as we lay in our respective beds.

–

THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP is family friendly teen/ya urban fantasy.
Download the free, serialized podcast at Podiobooks.com.
Find out more at www.thepriceoffriendship.blogspot.com
Follow Philip on Twitter @PhilipCarroll

About the author:

I began writing in October of 2008 with my entry in The 100 Word Weekly challenge #129. Since, I have written 172 consecutive drabbles for the weekly challenge, six novels, including four Nanowrimos, and countless short stories, some for benefit anthologies. THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP is my first published novel.

Community Service Volunteers will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. The author recalls his experiences as a volunteer in the early days of the organization, working at a halfway house for ex-prisoners in Rutland and a closed unit for teen offenders in Bristol. Following his volunteer experience, the author worked for a charitable organization at a halfway house for the mentally ill in Kent.

A Hole Without Sides explores what happens when an individual steps off the conventional path, ignores all ‘sensible’ advice and embarks on a voyage of self-discovery. A book for those who believe that they can and should micromanage their futures.

A Hole Without Sides is available in paperback, Kindle, Nook and ePub formats at a number of online websites including Amazon.com (including Amazon UK), Barnesandnoble.com and Goodreads.com.

Murdo Morrison is a writer who lives in southern New Jersey, USA. His previous book, Roses of Winter, an historical novel set in World War 2 Glasgow, Scotland was released in September, 2011.

Listen now

download the episode or subscribe to our feed.

In Summary

Rathbone dropped technical tips, shared links to freeware that he’s used to publish, and shared his experiences.

Listen to the entire Fireside podcast at Fireside Writer’s Workshop but be warned, it’s 2.5 hours long. You can also visit Brian at his New Fantasy Fiction web page and while you’re there download The Dawning of Power Trilogy and The Balance of Power Trilogy.

Brian Rathbone has just released Regent! Regent, Book One of The Balance of Power Trilogy, is the much anticipated continuation of the World of Godsland fantasy series, which began with The Dawning of Power Trilogy. Buy Regent now from Amazon.

Brian’s Link List:

Twitter Anyone? Follow Brian: http://twitter.com/brianrathbone

His Website: http://brianrathbone.com/fantasy-fiction-regent.html

EPub Editor: http://code.google.com/p/sigil/

EPub Manager: http://calibre-ebook.com/

Auto Recorder and Editor: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (use BETA 1.3.12 or later)

Spoken Word Normalizer (sorta) Evens out voices at different volume levels
http://www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator

Transfer Files to Webservers: http://filezilla-project.org/

Can’t Afford Photoshop? Try gimp: http://www.gimp.org/

Record Skype Audio Calls: http://scribie.com/free-skype-recorder MP3 Converter

Run Report to see how well you target terms. Run one free report a day or $80.00 Month
http://www.seomoz.org/

Brian uses the free Rank Checker and SEO for Firefox add-ons. Track search rank, page rank, backlinks, etc from within Firefox. http://www.seobook.com/

Track usage of your website and blogs. More powerful and useful that you might imagine
http://www.google.com/analytics/

Shorten links for Twitter with the added benefit of tracking how many clicks the link gets
http://bit.ly/

Get his Ebooks on Amazon the first two free and the conclusion for only .99 cents.

What if Heaven turned out to be just as dangerous as Hell?

That’s part of the premise of STRING OF PEARLS, a new 3-volume ebook series that takes us on a world-shattering adventure through the Afterlife—revealing Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory in a way never before dared. 

Overview:

A troubled adventurer, Dayson Snow, who’s taken much of his life for granted, dies in a mysterious accident, only to awaken in an Afterlife that’s even more of a mess than the world he left behind. Desperate to return to his old life and his one true love, he descends into Hell to find answers to a crisis that has the Afterlife reeling—a crisis in which the existence of every soul that’s ever lived now hangs by a thread.

A Word from the Author:

So what is STRING OF PEARLS? Well, it’s a confection of myth, philosophy, and adventure. A thriller. A mystery. A work of literary fiction. A Brave New World set in an Afterlife unlike any ever imagined.

I wrote the story because the subject seemed overripe for literary treatment. Little had been done regarding the Afterlife as a whole since Dante and the 14th century, and with an open field like that, it gives you plenty of room to work with. After all, just what would Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory be like, given who we are? And considering our psychology, quirks, and failings… how might we affect it? STRING OF PEARLS is an attempt to answer those questions in an epic, and hopefully profound, way. And with any luck, an exciting way, too. (Check out the audio promo on this page for a better idea of the story.) The books use Dante’s traditional structure of the Afterlife in a brand new fashion, taking the Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory framework and revealing its raw spots, blind alleys, and inherent contradictions. But it’s the more human aspects of the story—the romance of it, the longing, the hope—revolving around that “troubled adventurer” mentioned above, that hopefully ground the tale and make it more memorable.

In some ways, the books could be seen as “It’s a Wonderful Life” meets Indiana Jones… in Hell.

All 3 volumes of STRING OF PEARLS are now available as ebooks at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com (in pretty much every ebook format out there), along with other novels and stories of mine. A much more comprehensive synopsis of the series can be found at the page for Volume 1 of STRING OF PEARLS on Amazon.

About the Author:

Michael McGee is an award-winning San Francisco area writer who’s been lucky enough to travel the world and work with elephants in the jungles of Thailand, live with the Bedouin in the deserts of Arabia, and dance with Geishas in Japan. His work has appeared in various books, magazines, and newspapers. He’s also the host and author of two audio podcasts, “The Theater of the Midnight Sun,” featuring full-cast radio-play productions of his sci-fi/fantasy stories (some of which have aired on radio stations in Canada and the US), and “The Great Big Bungalow,” a travel story podcast showcasing cultural tales like those mentioned above.

Listen to the Promo here:

An Alibi Jones Spin-Off
http://glowinthedarkradio.com/

Mike Luoma appeared on Podioracket.com before when we interviewed him for is Podiobooks.com novels, including Synthetic Marmalade and Alibi Jones. He is, perhaps, best known for his Vatican Assassin Trilogy. He also contributed a short story to our Podioracket Presents-Visionaries anthology. Most recently, he created a guest post entitled Why Give Your Shorts Away.

This episode is unusual in that it is an adaptation of Mike Luoma’s comic book. Turning a comic into audio is a tricky process. We’d love to hear what you think of it.

Here is the audio short story “Alibi Jones: Blind Eye”.

Podioracket Presents-Glimpses is now available on Podiobooks.com.

Previous stories:

Katharina Maimers short story is “The Siege” is from the universe of Wiener Blut and is episode #9.


Emerian Rich’s short story “Holy Rites” is from the universe of Night’s Knights and is episode #8.


“Blind Curve” relates to Dave Donelson’s Podiobooks.com novel Heart of Diamonds and is episode #7.

Listen to Episode 53

or download the episode or subscribe to Podioracket.com’s summer feed.

INTERVIEWS

Murdo Morrison

Roses of Winter

Bio: Murdo Morrison was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1950, spending his early years in a tenement room and kitchen near the shipyards similar to those described in his historical novel, Roses of Winter. His family has many links to the industrial history of Glasgow, particularly related to ships and shipbuilding. Several relatives worked in shipyards or served on ships during and after World War 2. In 1973 he moved to the United States with his wife Susan and lives in southern New Jersey near the city of Philadelphia. The website for his book www.rosesofwinter.com will be live very soon, until then please use his personal website.

Website: http://www.murdomorrison.com

Email: murdom6 (at) comcast.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/murdo.morrison

Brain Holtz

Doris & the Ankh (Family Friendly)

Brian Holtz is the author of Handbook for the Criminally Insane, Collapse at Hiddenverse Three-Three-Two, and Nephilim Push.

Brian is one of the editors for the Podioracket Presents anthologies.

Website: http://darksidesally.com/

NEWS

J Daniel Sawyer Releases Train Time

Description: Have you ever seen that well-dressed man at the airport, or the station, who stands patiently by as if he has all the time in the world? Have you wondered who he was waiting for, and how long he’d stay? Have you ever been that man, stuck in the hours between delay and disappointment, with no way to know if the person you’re waiting for will show?…

Get it here.

Shadowmagic by John Lenahan now on sale

The top rated Podiobooks.com novel of all time is on sale for $.99. We highly recommend this one.

http://www.podiobooks.com/charts.php

Get it here.

NEW AND COMPLETE

Now Releasing

Testing the Prisoner by Phil Giunta Horror/Dark Fantasy
Tio Jorge by Vincent Meis Fiction
The World of Unicellular by Oleg Seriy and MaRiCaBo Mystery
Remarkable Incidents and Modern Miracles Through Prayer and Faith by G. C. Bevington Spirituality FAMILY FRIENDLY: Safe for family listening

Now Complete

Doris and the Ankh by Brian Holtz Fantasy FAMILY FRIENDLY: Safe for family listening

Released Complete

The Little Dragons by Rowan Starsmith Fantasy

Listen now

download the episode or subscribe to our feed.

The promo:

Grimmer than Grimm  is a free podcast taking classic children’s Grimm fairy tales and turning them on to their heads horror style. . .  or maybe Wicked Woman Writer style. Check out the promo and give her some feedback.  The story “Handsome and Regrettal” is premiering now at www.comproom.co.uk/ourplace. Find out more at http://www.micheleroger.com/ or on Facebook: micheleroger.

Interview details:

11:11 Countdown to 2012 By Verna Clay
www.vernaclay.com
vernaclay@vernaclay.comBuy

Links
Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/vc-2012-smash
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/vc-2012-Kindle
Kindle UK: http://tinyurl.com/vc-2012-KindleUK
Barnes & Noble http://tinyurl.com/vc-2012-Nook
OmniLit: http://tinyurl.com/vc-2012-omni

Interview:

Eternity by Casey Townsend

Website: www.eternitynovel.com

Twitter: @caseysamuel

Facebook: Casey Samuel Townsend.

Bio: Casey S Townsend is a young author from southern North Carolina and studied music at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has been married since 2007 to his wife who is also named Casey Townsend. They have home studio where they record podcasts, audiobooks, music along with video and photography.

Roses of Winter

Roses of Winter is a story I felt compelled to write. It was inspired in part by the real-life experiences of several family members who lived in Glasgow, Scotland and served in the British merchant navy during World War 2. More importantly, I wanted to document a time, place and people that have not received the literary attention they deserve. As someone who grew up in that culture in the 1950s and 1960s I felt that I could bring a personal background and perpective to the story that would make it a rich and satisfying account.

I wanted Roses of Winter to function as an engaging story. The detailed research conducted for the book had to enhance the tale, be woven in to create a sense of place and culture without being intrusive. My goal was to create the effect of total immersion in the story. The most rewarding comment I have received thus far came from an individual who lived through the time period and served in the merchant navy. He told me my scenes of everyday life brought tears to his eyes. There can be no more satisfying thing for a writer to hear.

Roses of Winter, available as an audiobook at Podiobooks.com, has been
released as an ebook at Amazon.com. The ebook includes information about the
author, Murdo Morrison, a list of Scottish words used in the book, and the
real history behind the story. For more information on both versions visit
Rosesofwinter.com

About the author: Murdo Morrison was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1950, spending his early years in a tenement room and kitchen near the shipyards similar to those described in his historical novel, Roses of Winter. His family has many links to the industrial history of Glasgow, particularly related to ships and shipbuilding. Several relatives worked in shipyards or served on ships during and after World War 2. In 1973 he moved to the United States with his wife Susan and lives in southern New Jersey near the city of Philadelphia. The website for his book is www.rosesofwinter.com.

download the episode or subscribe to our feed.

Interviews

GothHaus by Emerian Rich and M. J. Hahn Audiodrama

Website: http://www.horrroraddicts.net

Website: http://gothhaus.wordpress.com/

Emerian Rich is the author of Night’s Knights and host of the Horror Addicts podcast. M. J. Hahn produced the Parsec award nominated supernatural-fiction audiodrama The Bellefaire Podcast, as well as the current sequel, The Isis Heart Podcast.

Mark Coggins

The Immortal Game by Mark Coggins Thriller

Website – http://www.markcoggins.com

Blog – http://riordansdesk.markcoggins.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/mark.coggins

Mark Coggins’ work has been nominated for the Shamus and the Barry crime fiction awards and selected for best of the year lists compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Detroit Free Press and Amazon.com, among others. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Linda. And is now releasing his 3rd Podiobook.com project Candy from Strangers.

NEWS

Death Match

Death Match is under way. Keith Hughes, a Podioracket Presents- Glimpses author, and Scott Roche have turned the concept of going head to head sideways. No, it is not about how many of their own books they can sell by June 20th, 2011 — its about how many they can sell of each other’s books.

Get it at Amazon or get it on Smashwords. A horror anthology that will keep you up nights.

Giveaway

J.J. Hebert is doing it again! He is giving away: $25 Amazon.com gift card + $25 B&N gift card. Simply LIKE the June 6, 2011 post on the Mindstir Media fan page (http://www.facebook.com/mindstirmedia) and once the page reaches 800 “likes”, one “liker” will win a $25 Amazon.com gift card AND a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card. Spread the word by posting this link to your wall: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=167445713318421&ref=share

Sigler’s Infected

Scott Sigler’s novel INFECTED just went on sale for 99 cents for Kindle and the free Kindle eReaders (eReaders available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Mac and PC). The 99-cent price is apparently a limited-time thing, so get it while the gettin’ is good: Get it here

Kindle Collection

Christmas Trees and Monkeys by Daniel G. Keohane is a collection of Necon Contemporary Horror and is now available on Kindle for only $2.99. The collection  includes four original stories and a brief introduction to each tale. Plus, 100 percent of all author royalties earned from the sale of this collection are being donated to the New England Multiple Sclerosis Society, in honor of his sister Anne.

NEW AND COMPLETED RELEASES

New Releases

Eternity by Casey S Townsend Science Fiction
Garaaga’s Children – Volume 1 by Paul Elard Cooley Horror/Dark Fantasy
Candy from Strangers by Mark Coggins Thriller

Now Complete

The Faltese Malcom by Peter E. Abresch Mystery
Enemy Lines by John Mierau Science Fiction
Hijacked: The Creation Story by Mike Hartman Fiction

Released Complete

 


Roses of Winter by Murdo Morrison Historical Fiction
Spirit Blade, The Novel by Paeter Frandsen Science Fiction