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NEWS

Parsec Award Nominations

Parsec Awards nominations are open. Remember to nominate your favorite podcast in each category at www.parsecawards.com. Nominations close on May 31st at midnight.

Escape Eludes Us a Little Longer

A little bad news from James Melzer. He announced on twitter that the publishers have pushed the release of Escape out until March 2012. We know James would like to get the book out there so we wish him all the best on the new release date.

Free Limited Time Offer

Brian Rathbone’s Call of the Herald is flying off ebook book vendors shelves. Get your free copy soon, it is a limited offer from www.brainrathbone.com and then you will definitely want to get the rest of the trilogy here for only $2.99. 

New from Alex White

Alex White has just started releasing his new steampunk novel set in The Gearheart universe called Maiden Flight of the Avenger. Check out this cover then go get your subscription started here. Better yet, buy it on Amazon for only $2.99.

Wicked Women Writers

Wicked Women Writers stories are in and the next step is audio for the coming competition.  The WWW Forum is growing all the time. It is a great facebook group of female authors who take the time to support and encourage each other as well as a great group to get information from about everything from editing to podcasting. If you would like to join the group just let Rhonda know on Facebook.

Coming Up on Podioracket.com

Althought we’re busy celebrating our 50th episode, we haven’t slowed down. We have already scheduled interviews with Ian Rutter, two GothHaus authors, Darusha Wehm, Mark Coggins, and Verna Clay.  And while we are out for summer hiatus you’ll still get great author interviews from Podioracket.com. Brain Rathbone brings us a series of interviews from a writers conferences. Lots of great information for authors and readers alike. Brain Rathbone hit Balticon, microphone in hand. We’ll be sure to also gave you an update on Podioracket Presents - Glimpses coming soon to Podiobooks.com.  

Interview

Evo Terra

Evo Terra founded Podiobooks.com in 2004, an audiobook service that uses podcasting technology to distribute serialized versions of novels, non-fiction books, anthologies and short story collections. He is the co-author of Podcasting for Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies.

$4.99 a month

Becoming a Podiobooks.com patron is very simple. Click the button and PayPal will ask you to confirm that you want to give us $4.99 right now, and then again in 30 days. Rinse. Repeat. Over 500 titles. Support Podiobooks by becoming a patron.

Wondering why you should donate to Podiobooks.com? What you should donate and when? Hear the answers in this one-on-one interview with Evo Terra.

Now Releasing

GothHaus by Emerian Rich and M. J. Hahn Audiodrama

Queen of Swords: Riding Toward Sunset by D.C. Wood Historical Fiction

Hijacked: The Creation Story by Mike Hartman Fiction

Released Complete

Great Britain at War by Jeffery Farnol History

I Am Adam by James Twerell Magical Realism

Tripping The Light Fantastic by Davy Ferguson Science Fiction

Now Complete

A Moment In Time by Eric (Erk) Brook Fiction

The Immortal Game by Mark Coggins Thriller

Four Dog Riot by Joe Cottonwood Fiction

Fear not. It’s a general problem and they’re working on the solution.

On Monday, January 17th Evo Terra sent a note to Podiobooks.com authors that said:

Gang,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we’ve totally — and
completely — maxed out our current dedicated webserver. We tried a
hard-drive swap on Sunday, but it didn’t do squat. Further analysis
showed that we’re very, very underpowered for the traffic we’ve been
receiving recently.

So we’re upgrading. We’re getting something stupid like 8x the CPU
power and 4x the RAM on the box. We’re now into some very serious
hardware and hopefully will eliminate the recent issues.

Costs, by the way, have doubled. At this time I have NO PLANS to
change the author compensation structure. Authors will still receive
75% of the donations we receive for their books. My hope is that we’ll
get some additional donations from listeners. We haven’t had any
serious lift there in the last couple of years. I aim to change that.
I may not be successful, but that is my plan.

So thanks for your patience. The new box is schedule to be in place by
Friday. Yes, that’s a very long time to be down. Sorry about that. It
really can’t be helped.

E.

Reassured? Good.

For more updates check out http://community.podiobooks.com/.

And if you’re one of Nathan Lowell’s caffeine-starved fans, like my husband, you can access his feed at http://solarclipper.com/. I understand that Owner’s Share may have been the traffic-straw that broke Podiobooks’s back.

I have lost too many people to believe that silence is polite. It does not bring solace, only a void that could be filled with support, understanding, and a reminder that the world is a caring place.

Please understand, I do not claim any special relationship with Tee.  Many of you may know him personally. I know him through the same Podioracket.com interviews and books as our listeners. But I respect and support him, just like any member of the community, and therefore consider him a friend.

Rhonda would ask you to hold his family in the light, or pray, or do whatever condolence feels appropriate.

I agree, just as she would agree with me in the suggestion that you tweet him. Though it may seem too intrusive, too practical, or simply not polite, I would disagree. After all, the man who wrote All a Twitter can only appreciate notes of support over that same medium.

So whether you tweet, pray, contribute, or simply heave a sigh at the end of this article, thank you for being part of the community.

Evo Terra knows Tee well. Here is what he wrote on Podiobooker:

Tonight I learned that Tee Morris, my friend and co-founder of Podiobooks.com, suffered the loss of his wife, Natalie. Her passing was unexpected, and Tee now faces the unenviable task of rearing his young daughter, Serena, as a single parent.

Tee was the first author to make his book into a serialized audiobook delivered by a podcast. And though others soon followed independent of Tee’s actions, his “Hey Evo, I have an idea…” phone call in late 2004 was the genesis of what would become Podiobooks.com.

Over the last few years, Tee has taken a less active role in Podiobooks.com, focusing on his career, his writing and his family. He’ll need that time more than ever in the coming days, weeks, months and even years. I’m lucky to count him as a friend and wish him the smoothest journey possible through these trouble times.

UPDATE:

Friends of Tee’s have setup a support fund to help with the transition. If you can give, please do:

We at Podioracket wish Tee and his daughter, known to us as Sonic Boom, well.

Heather & Rhonda

Voice talent Jeffrey Kafer, featured in a Raise a Racket interview in Episode 19 and who will appear in a next season BTR-PR show, offered some solid advice for authors planning to record a book with mulitiple characters played by themselves.

“No doubt in your book, you have characters that appear in the beginning and then disappear only to reappear later. So how do you remember the voice you did? Do you try and dig up the chapter where you recorded it to give it a listen? If you do, you should be applauded for making sure you get the same characterization. However, this is a painfully tedious way to do it.

Ok, smart guy, what’s a better way?

When you first record that character, simply copy the dialog into a new audio file. How much you copy is up to you to keep as a reference for later use. Then save the file as the character name “Bob Jones.wav” or whatever. Keep it in your project folder. As the book progresses, you’ll have filenames for every character that you can reference immediately to refresh your memory.

Voila! You’ve saved much time and headache and you’ll keep your characters consistent.”

Evo has one reminder as well. As you plan voices for the characters, remember that some voices are more tiring than others. He says

“Figure out your approach to the character before you start the book. Start with the characters that have the most dialoge and record a sample of them as Jeffery says above. Make sure none of them are much of a challenge for you, since you’ll probably be using that voice a lot.

Then work your way down to the other characters, again, saving each narration file as a refresher for later on. If you have really nifty voice trick you want to try, but it kills your vocal chords, save it for a character who doesn’t talk a lot.”

Hope you enjoyed this little piece of insight into the workings of a podcast novel. Let us know if you’d like more tips.

We have him to thank and blame for so many things!

Tweet him a happy birthday wish @evo_terra.


This week we bring you an interview with J.C. Hutchins. Rhonda sat down with him not so many weeks ago to help J.C. ‘shake his tuckus’. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Listen to the Episode! Or or download the J.C. Interview on Podioracket.com.


Doesn’t it feel good to know that just by listening to this episode you can help J.C. “Sleep the Sleep of the Just” in 2010? Now ask yourself, which slash at J.C. Hutchins.net will you go to?

• J.C’s web site: http://www.jchutchins.net
• Commit yourself to Brinkvale Psychiatric at http://www.jchutchins.net/thebrink
• Learn about Personal Effects Dark Art at http://www.jchutchins.net/personaleffects
• See video endorsements at http://www.jchutchins.net/trailers
• His book is on sale now and climbing the charts to number one! He even has live updates at http://www.jchutchins.net/live

J.C.’s tuckus shaking is so entertaining, we’re giving him another chance to entertain us on our special Podioracket.com J.C Blog Talk Extension on June 11 at 6:00pm PST/9:00 Pm EST.  And remember, call into the live show and you can be a winner. We’re giving away two free autographed copies of Personal Effects: Dark Art.


 Are you committed? Rhonda is! If you are like her you don’t want to miss one part of this thrilling interactive novel experience. J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Wiesman have outdone themselves. This amazing concept has you interacting online, by phone, fax and email. The bonus prequel novella Dark Art Sword of Blood and the novel itself included tangible artifacts inside the front cover!

Episode 2: Philippa Ballantine & Patrick McLean

SHOW NOTES – Supporting links & details

Philippa Ballantine Weather Child Interview 

Philippa Ballantine discusses her newest novel Weather Child just released on Podiobooks.com.

Listen to the promo:

Or download the Weather Child Promo. 

Contests

Philippa Ballantine‘s exciting Weather Child  contest requests that you listen to the book and give it a review. Send Philippa an email at pip@pjballantine.com and you will be entered to win a signed copy of Chasing the Bard, Digital Magic and a ‘hamper of New Zealand goodies!”

If you haven’t entered yet don’t miss Drew Beatty’s one of a kind contest for Lost Gods, James Melzer’s blurb The Zombie Chronicles  and the Mark of a Druid 2009 contest series. 

Patrick McLean How to Succeed in Evil Interview

Patrick McLean, podcaster of The Seanachai, discusses his newest Podiobooks.com release How to Succeed in Evil: The Novel.

 Listen to the promo:

Or download the How to Succeed in Evil Promo. 

The News

 . . .or at the very least trying to make it into the news; this plan is just crazy enough to work! Melzer is at it again. Find out about Operation @thehour on his website and help Zombie Boy get the attention of his favorite nightly news/talk show The Hour, a CBC Canada show. Melzer is a big fan and wants to be on the show talking about podcasting, writing, social media and of course his book The Zombie Chronicles. How can we help him make another dream come true? Check out his site to find out. It could be a tweet thing to do!

Did you know Evo Terra was doing Emergency Intervention? About a month ago I received a message from Evo Terra about a new group called Social Media Triage (SMT). I was interested as I’m involved in a number of social media sites and, lets face it, I always wanted to pick Evo’s brain. He has engaged in social media networking from the beginning of the concept. Do your marketing plan a favor and join Evo Terra at Ustream.TV  Saturday mornings at 9:00 am MST. Join the SMT Facebook Group so that you can get the updates. Tell him Podioracket sent you!

See how podcasted novels are changing the face of education. Collin Earl, author of The House of Grey, has something to say about helping students learn English.

 Completed works

Here are a few newly completed works you can now get in full.

• Intercast Season One By Edward G Talbot
• Nephilm Push by Brain Holtz
• Jabez Conceived in Pain, Delivered in Victory by Bob Rench
• Nameless by D.C Woods

 New Releases

All of these titles are also linked in the blog roll (alphabetically) for your convenience.

• Marker Stone 3-11-09 by Paul J. Joseph
• Blood Witness 3-18-09 by Dave Hitt 
• The Takeover 3-23-09  by Mur Lafferty
• Nina Kimberly the Merciless by Christiana Ellis is a re-mastered podiobook released 3-25-09 for its upcoming print release on 5-15-09. [Note: Nina Kimberly's unreasonable demands will not be met by Podioracket.com and we will continue our opposition of her takeover of the internet.]
• Wild Animals I Have Known 3-31-09: Public domain written by Ernest Thompson Seton. Performed and produced by David Grizzly Smith.

 In the next show!

We will have an interview with Michael McGee author of Theater of the Midnight Sun; an audio article from David Grizzly Smith on Public Domain; plus tips from Edward G. Talbot and Michael McGee.

Join us on Twitter!