View from Valhalla

Category: Random Thoughts

  • Tea

    For many years I was a hard core coffee drinker. For a time I even considered buying a commercial roaster so I could buy, mix and roast my own blends.

    Somewhere, somehow, about 2 years ago, I randomly decided to have a cup of tea instead. While I enjoy the flavors of the different coffees, something about tea piqued my interest like it never had before. And down the rabbit hole I went.

    First I had to find a supplier of “good” tea. I knew from the beginning boxed bags of tea that had sat on a shelf for who knows how long wasn’t going to cut it. An author friend (Nathan Lowell, some of the best books I’ve ever read came from his mind) pointed me to Adagio.

    I knew that if I was going to replace coffee, I was going to need an alternative caffeine fix. I generally prefer black teas, though I do enjoy green as well. Rooibos and Pu erh ….. well, let’s just say I’m still trying to find one I like. Matcha, well, I want to like it.. I love the idea.. I keep buying it, but so far I keep dumping it.

    So, what’s in my tea cabinet? A lot. Lol. If you like a good camp fire, I highly recommend Lapsang Souchong. It’s my go to and the tea I’ve probably drank the most of. I also have an apricot/ginger black tea blend that I picked up at a spice store in San Antonio that I’ve really been enjoying. It’s in my mug today.

    I’d always loved the smell of earl gray, but something about the bergamot always upset my stomach. Again, I found (for me) it was all about the quality. A good loose leaf earl gray is amazing and I drink a lot of Adagio’s Bella Luna (yes, its a gimmick, but its a great tea) that is only sold on the day of the fool moon.

    I also have a good apple blend black tea that reminds of me of apples and oats. It’s lovely.

    Lastly, I’d be sadly lacking if I didn’t have a good jasmine tea. It’s my favorite of the greens. If you’ve never tried jasmine iced, I’d highly recommend it.

    Finally, if I’m on the road (which work requires) and looking for a short cut to taking my own infusers or bags I fill myself, I usually take some sachets of Harney & Sons that I’ve picked up from one of the stores in the area. Target usually has my favorite (Hot Cinnamon Sunset) in stock. This is an amazing tea, especially since it’s a mass produced tea. Naturally sweet, and very, very full of cinnamon. It is my favorite tea to turn into a latte.

    Do you have a favorite tea? How did your tea journey begin?

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  • Like a phoenix reborn…

    As the ashes of  the previous View from Valhalla blog come to a rest around my ankles, I can only hope that a phoenix is about to be reborn.

    I’ve moved over most of my old reviews from the days when I covered podcast fiction, and I remember how much fun it was waiting for the next episode of some of my favorite stories to drop.

    Well, as they say, all good things are likely to come to an end, and the era of podcast fiction looks to have died. Not saying there isn’t some still out there (Scott Sigler immediately comes to mind), but the community that I was once a part of does not exist as it once did.

    Why did the age of the free fiction podcast end? Who knows. Maybe it was the surging popularity of Audible and professionally produced audiobooks. Maybe it was Podiobooks changing it’s format to Scribl. Maybe a majority of the authors figured out that the free model didn’t work for them and didn’t bring the contracts they were hoping for. Maybe the call of Patreon was too hard to resist. I personally believe it was Nathan Lowell’s decision to focus on writing so he could actual make a living and provide for his family, and in doing so would no longer be able to spend time recording his own work. I could be wrong. But as Randy Newman would harmonize.. but I don’t think so. (Say it with me, Monk post.)

    Regardless of the reason for the end of podcast fiction, I would like to take a few minutes talking about it heir apparent. The audiobook.

    Yes, audiobook’s have been around forever. I remember as a kid shelving Books on Tape where I worked at the local library. Later, I saw the CD version when I would go buy paperbacks at Barnes and Noble. But it wasn’t until they started becoming available as a download that I saw the market explode around me. (I have done no research on this, and I am being purely anecdotal. Your mileage may vary.) Audible changed the game.

    For almost everyone but me.

    I have been an avid reader since 1st grade. That aforementioned job at the library? Yeah.. I’d been looking for a job all over town. One day I was in the library and the head librarian came up to me and said, “You’re here all the time, would you like a job.” (Seriously) I love to read. I also love to hear stories when I drive. But the problem for me is, I cannot justify the cost of a subscription where I can buy several books for the price of one audiobook. I tried Audible’s trial period, and even played the game and got several months severely discounted, but being somewhat frugal (read that as extremely cheap), I just couldn’t pay the full price.

    So I started listening to many “regular” podcasts. Nathan’s TOMMW, Crime Junkies, have considered Office Ladies. But nothing has filled the whole left by the books I loved to listen to as I drive.

    And then BookBub sent me an email about Chirp.

    Chirp is a non-subscription based audiobook seller that has a much smaller catalog than audible, but it is still fairly robust. The great thing about Chirp is that they have a constantly rotating section of books that are severely discounted. Some as low as 99¢. Yes, they are in a proprietary format and you do need their player (available for both iOS and android), but to be honest, it would surprise me more if you didn’t.

    I have purchased quite a few books over the last six months or so. Everything from The Bad Seed by March (99¢) to Long Road to Mercy by Baldacci ($4.99).

    I’ve also paid attention and Apple’s Books has a good selection of audiobooks at decent prices (tho you have to look for them).

    So, with a plethora of stories at my back, I am going to try to get back to the reviewing game. I hope to focus on many independent authors. Currently I am completing Lindsay Buroker’s Agent of the Crown Series and will likely start with them.

    I will state now, as previously, that if you are a content creator and want an honest review, let me know. If you can provide me with a copy of what you want reviewed, I will give you my honest opinion. The backlog of my podcast reviews should be a fair example of what you might expect. I will not promise review dates, but will promise anything submitted. Audiobooks will likely be reviewed well before ebooks.

    Outside of creator provided material, I’ll be reviewing whatever I’m currently listening to, and probably more rarely, whatever I’m reading. I hope you’ll join me for the ride!

    odin

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  • Podcast Challenge – Part 2

    Why?

    I am currently celebrating the one year anniversary of View from Valhalla. My, how quickly a year goes, and how much things change. When I first started this blog, I had no idea what I would be doing with it. I knew I had opinions (hence the tagline) and I knew I loved social media. I was also very new to Twitter (well, at least being involved to a large extent) and had no idea that one would help feed the other (strangely, the have helped each other).

    Almost a full year ago, I wrote a post entitled Podcast Challenge, in which I challenged my few number of Twitter followers, and many fewer readers of this blog, to spread the word concerning their favorite podcasts. At the time, I was listening to Weather Child and I really wanted to get the word out on what a wonderful story it was and how much I was enjoying it. I was successful in my part of the challenge and got that podcast 5 new subscribers, but unfortunately, the challenge never bore the fruit I had hoped for, so as an anniversary event, I’ve decided to lay down the challenge again.

    So, here it is:

    Choose your favorite work of podcast fiction. It can be any genre, any style, any cast type. It really doesn’t matter. Pimp that podcast however you choose. Gain five new listeners for it. You can choose more than one podcast if you want, but then you need to gain it an ADDITIONAL five listeners. (Each podcast is independent, five total listeners for five separate podcasts doesn’t count.)

    This year I am changing one rule: it can be ANY work of podcast fiction. Last year, I was asking people to choose something currently in production. In retrospect, this was probably a mistake. Choose any work you want. Burn a couple of eps on a CD. Go crazy with a DVD. USB thumb drives are incredibly cheap these days. Spread the word!

    Accountability

    Now, how do we know how we’re doing? Twitter! Let’s revive the hashtag #podcastchallenge. When you gain a new listener for your favorite podcast, simply post it on Twitter with the aforementioned hashtag. Example: 1 new subscriber for Some Other Scotland!! #podcastchallenge

    Timeframe? Well, we can keep it going forever if you want, but i really would like to see who can get their five by the end of April.

    Keep a running total letting us know how it is going. Are you an author? Pimp your own book! Spread the word! Don’t worry about giving credit to VFV, I’m really not worried about it. However, if you’re up for a little extra accountability (like me asking how you’re doing), feel free to leave a comment here stating which podcast(s) you’re going to be promoting.

    Good luck!

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  • Just the facts…

    An interesting article was brought to my attention earlier by a link shared on Twitter. Being interested, I clicked the link and read this article in which the author describes the overall service Podiobooks.com provides with general accuracy. She then seems to disparage the authors that would be content to give away content for free.

    Being myself, and always willing to state my opinions, I decided to write a comment showing a few inaccuracies in the report. Unfortunately, comments are not allowed.

    So, I present said opinion to you here. I realize it is quite likely it will never be read by the intended audience, but I hope that someone will benefit from the facts that I provide here. And again, I say thank you to all of those that give so unselfishly.

    “Interesting report. Not entirely accurate, but very interesting. Podiobooks is indeed a portal for books that were released in a serial fashion. And most of the books on the site have not yet, and never will be, picked up by a large publisher.

    Some of the author’s on the site however, have been, and are currently published by large houses.

    Tracy Hickman, author of many book – including the Dragonlance series – and published by Harper Collins and others is a Podiobook author. He released the immortals, a book also available in print form, for free on the site.

    Scott Sigler, NYT best selling author of Infected and Contagious, released his books on Podiobooks first, and was picked up by Crown Publishers. Both of these books are available on Podiobooks.com as well.

    J.C. Hutchins, author of the 7th Son trilogy, published by St. Martins Press has all three books available on Podiobooks.com.

    Philippa Jane Ballantine has stated that releasing her novels in podcast form was instrumental in receiving a contract with Ace books.

    Finally, Nathan Lowell, who is indeed one of the most popular authors on Podiobooks has recently received a contract from a small house publisher, Ridan Publishing, to publish all eight of his novels.

    These are just a random sampling and I know I have missed some.

    I agree. Not every novel on Podiobooks.com will see print. Nor should they. However, for some authors, it has been part of a strategy to get their works into the masses, which in turn has helped them achieve larger goals.

    I hope the pile of books near your bed doesn’t topple and harm you before you’ve had a chance to hear some of these wonderful stories. I’ve read all of the titles in that stack that you mentioned. None of them are superior to the best Podiobooks.com has to offer.

    Thank you for your time.”

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  • Podcast Review: Why I do it

    Last week, Scott Roche (whose Archangel story was reviewed just this week in Podcast Review #15) asked something along the lines of “Are people not criticizing each others writing in this group on Twitter because we genuinely care for each other and don’t want to hurt each others feelings?

    What transpired was a really interesting conversation with fans, authors and me all chiming in (it’s my blog, I get to be my own group). There was a consensus from many that they wouldn’t be hurt if someone said they didn’t care for the authors work, as long as they could be constructive with it. A few didn’t care whether it was stated constructively or not. I thought it interesting (but a very good thing) that not a single author said “I’d rather not hear anything negative from a fan about my work”.

    If any author’s out there read this,  I would like to say, I’d be happy to critique your work anytime you’re interested. I have no problems telling anyone what I like or dislike, and I think I am generally a pretty positive person, so you can count on not just getting trashed. Two items though: 1) I won’t do it on the general feed on Twitter. 2) I won’t do it here.

    Why, you might ask? (Seriously, if you’re not curious you might as well skip the next two paragraphs.) Well, I won’t answer on Twitter, because what I might find great and/or annoying might be the opposite of someone else. That is fair, but if I’m offering you my perspective on your work, I don’t want to stir up controversy on Twitter. That isn’t why I’m on Twitter, and I know myself well enough to know I wouldn’t back down because I’m in a minority. In fact, that question was asked during the discussion. “If 99 people liked a story, would you be able to say you didn’t?” (paraphrased, i don’t remember the EXACT wording) Yes, yes I would.

    I also won’t write about it here, because I have set up these reviews for a specific reason. Those reasons do not include becoming my rant/rave platform on random things that I love/hate. If that is what you want, there are lots of other blogs out there that can help. Good blogs. Blogs that I read weekly.

    My reason for doing these reviews is with the hope of trying to help YOU my readers (however few you might be, LOL) find a story you can hopefully love. As I stated on Twitter, I’m not doing these for the author’s (although most seem to appreciate and a few seem to ignore) and I’m really not even doing it for me. I am trying to give a guide that will help people find content they want to give a shot. Now, when I review a podcast I love, I will tell you that, and will tell you why. When I review a podcast that didn’t do it for me, I will tell you that. And I will tell you why. BUT, it will STILL be in the vein of trying to help someone find that story that might like it. *SPOILER ALERT One of those is coming next week (oh no, something Odin didn’t like? Whatever could it be? hmmm… I wonder where you could find out?) And guess what? Yeah, I’m definitely one of the 1 out of 100 that didn’t care for it.

    Does any of this make me an authority on anything? Yup. I am an authority on what I like, AND on what I’m trying to do here. I really only have three rules for stories that will be reviewed here. One, they have to be podio fiction. I don’t do magazines or compilations. Two, they have to be complete. Three, I won’t accept any kind of incentive or compensation.

    Do I have to like them? Nope. Is that going to keep me from suggesting them? Nope, because I sincerely hope someone does. But I will be truthful in the reviews, as I always have.

    For those of you that have commented in the past that you found something you liked? Well, let me thank you. You keep me looking for new podcasts to listen to, and yes, finish, whether I like them or not. LOL.

    Thank you.

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  • thirteen cents

    If you are reading this, there is a fair chance you follow me on Twitter, or have been reading my series of Podcast Reviews. If either of those are true, thank you.

    However, if either of those are true, you’ve also more than likely heard of the tragedy that has struck one of the founders of podio fiction.

    Tee Morris, author of the Morevi and Billibub Baddings series, as well as the non fiction Podcasting for Dummies, Advanced Podcasting for Dummies, All a Twitter, and Teach Yourself Twitter in Ten Minutes lost his wife this week, leaving Tee to be the sole provider for his 5 year old daughter, affectionately known as Sonic Boom.

    In an effort to alleviate some of the financial strain, the podcasting community has come together in an effort to not only take care of short term expenses but to set up a trust for Sonic Boom.

    Tee never asked for a thing, and I would not at all be surprised if he had been asked before hand, he would have declined the help. Tee is just that kind of guy. Tee helps. I’ve never met a less selfish man.

    WIthin 24 hours of the tragedy being known, Tee’s good friend and co-author, Philippa Ballantine created a Chip In option for people to donate to these expenses. The response has been extensive. Within the first 36 hours, the total had exceeded  10,000. That amount has continued to grow. An internet auction is now being setup to take place at the end of Feburary with the proceeds to be put in the trust being created for Sonic Boom.

    All of the aforementioned information you probably seen before. 

    I have been keeping up on the total being collected at the ChipIn site. I am very excited and overwhelmed by the love and support that has been being shown here, and I seriously hope it doesn’t end anytime soon. However, as I’ve repetitively clicked refresh, one thing has been interesting to notice.

    Someone donated in the amount of $x.13. Thirteen cents? Why would anyone donate thirteen cents? 

    This gave me pause for a bit, and it has been something that has been in the back of my mine since I noticed.

    And this is what has come of that rumination.

    No one donates thirteen cents that doesn’t have to. There is no reason to. Most would automatically give a dollar amount, and most of us would even give an even dollar amount ending in a 5 or a 10. So, for a person to donate $x.13, this person had to have been giving what they could, not just what they wanted to, but everything they could. 

    When I thought of it this way, it choked me up. It is easy to take of our families and those that are near to us. It is also easy to make cyber-friends that you can “drop” or “unfollow”. What isn’t easy is to give what you can. 

    I know there are other explanations. I’ve thought of others myself, in fact some might be more logical. But this isn’t a time for logic. This is a time to feel. To reach out your hand because you can.

    I thank each one of you that have blogged, podcast, and donated to Tee and Sonic Boom this week. What I ask of you is simply this, don’t stop. Do what you can. 

    Do you want to donate to the auction? Submit your proposal to donations@theboomeffect.org.

    Want to view and bid on some of the items? http://theboomeffect.org.

    Want to Chip In? http://teeandserena.chipin.com/tee-and-sonic-boom

    The sense of community I’ve seen on Twitter this week puts to shame my local community, and I am proud to be a part of it. Thank you for all you are doing.

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  • Guilty as charged

    Judgemental people drive me crazy.

    There. I’ve said it. Now, let me explain myself.

    There have been several times in my life that I’ve been confused, hurt, and/or questioning. During these kinds of times, I think it is natural to ask those that care for you for their opinions.

    Now, if you ask me for my opinion, I’m going to give it to you. BUT, I will (hopefully) try to do it in a way that doesn’t belittle you or demean you even if I disagree with you. If I agree with you I will, hopefully, likewise not be a cheerleader, but give the reasons I think your path is the correct one.

    Alternatively, if you don’t ask for my opinion, but just need to talk, to be listened to, to have an empathatic listener, then why would my opinion be necessary?

    Why did I choose to write this today? Because I’ve seen and been the target of too much judgement.

    Who cares if someone did something different than you did? Who cares if you think they’re wrong? Who cares if you think someone is an idiot? Who made your opinion more important than theirs?

    Now obviously there are a few caveats. You probably know that wrong is wrong. That isn’t what i’m talking about, so please understand.

    So now, I am asking for your opinion? If I’m wrong, please let me know.

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  • Summer ends, but where’s my fall?

    Life has been going by so quickly this summer that I find it is often hard to take a second, look around, and take stock.

    Today, that is precisely what I’m going to try to do.

    Whenever summer break begins, I have an almost childlike longing to be free of concerns and responsibilities. I long to be able to pack up the family and head for trails unknown, never looking back and with no regrets.

    Of course, summer ends. As school ramps back up, even though I have no scholastic duties, (per se) it feels like the walls are beginning to close in on me again. I am blessed beyond measure (I know, it is like my mantra). I have a wonderful wife and beautiful kids. I want to take them and run.

    Would I feel different if I was actually content in what I was doing and the area where I live? I don’t know, but I think it would probably make a difference. Who knows?

    This year will be an exciting year with many opportunities and adventures to be shared (and yes, I will be sharing), but today I can’t help but look back a bit.

    This is where you come in. What have you done with your summer? Are you ready for it to end?

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  • MIA

    Yes, it has indeed been a long while since I’ve posted. For that, I apologize. I will be changing that very, very soon. If you follow this blog, please don’t give up, new content will be worth waiting for (I hope)!

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  • Stranger on a plane

    As many if you know, the last week has been a trying time for me and my family.

    Last Wednesday, Bruno, our family chihuahua passed away. He had been with us six years. Not as long as he should have been with us, but long enough for him to have left an indelible mark on my soul. I miss him. He wasn’t a well behaved dog, but he really was a good friend.

    Thursday started my family’s vacation. We have many activities planned. The first of which is a trip to see family in Pennsylvania. We left the house at 4:00 this morning to catch the early flight to Philly.

    The plan was to catch the connecting flight in Houston. As we arrived, a thunderstorm closed down the airport for the next two hours.

    This would have been bad enough, however, the airline had decided to sit us all separately. Luckily, I got them to move the little prince next to his mom, but my older boy and I are each sitting solo on an oversold 737. In fact, I’m sitting in seat B (yes, middle) between to large gentlemen who were unwilling to let a dad sit by his son. Dinks.

    So, yes, although I have stolen the name of this post directly from Tee Morris, I truly do feel like a stranger today.

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