View from Valhalla

Category: Soapbox

  • 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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  • 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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  • International Podcaster Appreciation Month

    I realized recently that while I might want to be a producer, at this point in my life I am a consumer (sigh), and one of the things that I consume most voraciously is podcast fiction.

    As far as I know, there is no month/week/day set aside to those that give us the fruit of their time and efforts so generously, so I would like to take a moment to say thanks, and maybe encourage others to do the same. I am proclaiming December to be IPAM. Are you with me?

    If you have listened to an author’s podcast and enjoyed it, maybe you could see if they have a print version available. I am sure there is nothing that most authors would appreciate more.

    If that isn’t possible, perhaps they have an ebook version available. I know Brand Gamblin’s Tumbler is currently available here in multiple e-formats. Phil Rossi is selling autographed copies of Crescent and limited edition soundtracks here.

    If any type of purchasing is not feasible, perhaps you could go to podiobooks, iTunes or the authors site a leave a comment. From the podcasters I’ve talked to, this can greatly help others choose to listen.

    Of course, if you happen to live near a podcaster, you could always bake them cookies or take them out to dinner. Unfortunately, this probably wouldn’t work for most of us.

    Of course in the end it is up to you how, and even if, you do it. I think I’ll take my own advice and start my thank you list now.

    Cheers!

    update: If you read the comments, you’ll have noticed that Orion commented that he likes to provide feedback in the form of “listener lines” that many podcasters provide for that exact purpose. Also, somehow I forgot to include that you can also provide financial remuneration for that favored author via podiobooks.com.

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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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  • #justsaying

    If you’re not following me on Twitter, that is okay. In fact, while I love Twitter and am an admitted tweet addict, I would prefer you not follow me if you’re not going to tweet me up.

    You see, for me Twitter is all about the conversation. (The social in social media if you please) If you’re following me, you are going to see a heck of alot of tweeting going on. Maybe too much. In fact, you might drop me. However, if you choose to put up with my babble, eventually I should say something that interests you. When that happens, ENGAGE me!

    You see, I have a protected account. If I find someone through mutual follows that interests me, I will follow them. Most of the time though, I wait for people that follow me to chat me up. If they do it a couple of times, and they engage me in a conversation, (can be either something I mention, or just ask me a question) I’ll THEN follow them back. Why? Well, because I talk to every single person I follow. Individually. I try to get to know them personally. My best friends are now all in virtual space (and no, I really don’t think that is “sad”, although I would like them all to move nearer, LOL).

    I know this is radically different from the way most people run their Twitter accounts. That is okay. I’ve always been known to be a bit different. I’ve been doing it this way for most of a year now, and it works for me.

    If somehow you’ve stumble across this blog, (and read it all the way through) and you are NOT on Twitter, I recommend you find a copy of the book All a Twitter by Tee Morris. It is exceedingly simple, yet very well done and an enjoyable read. There is an accompanying blog and podcast available here.

    Remember, play nice, share, bring enough for everyone! Now #getoffmylawn!

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  • “If you can’t say something nice….”

    I don’t know how many of you have seen the Disney cartoon Bambi to the point where you can recall Thumper being prompted by his mom to recite the above title. I can. I can vividly see the little bunny looking quite contrite repeating something that he had (obviously) been told over and over again.

    What has happened to our society? Were most of us not taught this same mantra? Don’t we teach something along those same lines to our kids? Then what makes it “OK” for us as adults to say some of the most off the cuff hurtful things these days?

    “Your too fat.” “Your too thin.” “Your hair is too thin.” “You have bony shoulders.” “Your feet are too big.” “Don’t you think you should….”

    I have to wonder where we’ve lost our sense of shame. What makes it okay to vivisect those around us? Maybe it would be better to change that little mantra from “If you can’t say something nice…”, to “If you can’t say something kind…”

    What’s the difference? Maybe nothing. Maybe it is just semantics. However, to me, I often think that perhaps people are trying to be nice by pointing out another’s shortcomings (as if their target wasn’t aware and probably even self  conscious of these same issues). On the other hand, I don’t think anyone would say these constant reminders are kind.

    A twitter friend, @montine (and a wonderful blogger: http:www.montinesilva.com) made an effort twice this week to only say/post positive things. What a great idea. What would happen if we took it beyond the net and made the effort, maybe just once a week to be kind to those around us. (I know, it will be hard for me too.)

    One of my favorite classic movies contains my favorite quote, perhaps of all time. Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd in the wonderfully touching Harvey stated: “My mother always use to tell me, ‘In this world Elwood, she always called me Elwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I prefer pleasant.”

    Well you know what? I’ve been trying to be smart for many years now, would you like to join me as I try to become more pleasant?

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  • Won’t you be my neighbor?

    One and a half years ago, I past the birthday many of us dread the most. 40. Yup. According to myself and many of the kids I went to school with, I’m ancient. Heck, as a kid, a friend and I swore we’d never live past 35. Guess we were wrong.

    Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s might not have been the Norman Rockwell montage stereotype our parents had, but mine was still pretty ideal.

    I grew up in a small town. We knew all of our neighbors and if anyone moved away, they were written to, and visited if possible. All the kids in the neighborhood would play at the park or at the high school football field on many summer evenings. We were safe and we knew it. We went home when the street lights came on, and not a minute sooner. I remember it was around the time I turned ten that we began locking our doors when we were away from home.

    I spent many nights of my teenage years walking the streets of my small town or sitting on my best friends porch watching some of the other teenagers “cruise”.

    I’m sure many of you had similar childhoods (at least I hope so) and I’m afraid some of you did not.

    Well, we all know times have changed. Today, we would never leave our homes unlocked while we were out, and many of us keep the doors locked in the middle of the afternoon when everyone is home.

    I have lived in the house I currently reside in now for over 8 years. I can’t tell you the last names of either of my next door neighbors. I don’t know their phone numbers. I don’t know their stories.

    Although I’ve tried on several occassions to change this, I’ll take as much resposibility for this as anyone else could. I could have tried harder.

    Recently, my son fell ill. He might have had the swine flu. We’ll find out when the test results come back.

    After I had called my parents, I turned to my friends in the community for solace and reassurance.

    “Wait a minute, I thought you said you don’t feel a sense of community with your neighborhood,” I can hear a few of you thinking. You’re right, the community I’m referring to is twitter.

    You see, I’m a twitterholic. I tweet regularly. In fact, in my twitter neighborhood, I’m probably the village idiot, LOL. At the very least I’m one of the comedians.

    If you’re not part of this kind of social network, you might ask if it is real. Well, it is to me. Maybe my Mac does have multiple personality disorder and all of these “friends” are figments of it’s imagination. If so, at least my Mac has good taste. (If I used a PC, I would probably be stuck following Ashton and his rifraf.) [yes Val, I am expecting a solid rejoinder on that remark. LOL]

    During the past year, these virtual friends have helped me through some tough times. (These are documented in the blog post Perspective.)

    Let me digress a moment here and explain my twitter rationale. For me, friends have never been about the numbers. I have a fairly small number of followers, and a signifcantly smaller group I follow. However, my rules are simple. Talk to me and I’ll follow you. Continue to try to engage me even occassionally, and I’ll continue to follow you. Ignore me when I try to engage you in a conversation, possibly even one you’ve begun, and I’ll forgive you a couple of times. Continue the behavior, and you’re dropped. That is why I no longer follow any celebs.

    As I’ve previously mentioned, my network is small, but there isn’t a single one I wouldn’t like to meet in the meat world and share a cup of coffee and a story with.

    Here’s the role call:
    Tee Morris – @teemonster
    Dude, I had listened to you bring Billi to life in 2006. It was now 2008, I was out of work and heard you give out your twitter address during the wonderful broadcast of Morevi Remastered. You were the first person I followed that I didn’t know. I now call you friend. I regard you as an exemplary author, podcaster, person and father. Twitter is your drug of choice and you’ve got me hooked.

    Philippa Ballantine – @philippajane
    Your voicing Askana led me to your own podcast novel, Chasing the Bard. I purchased both halves of Double Trouble and was astounded by the most original sequel I’d EVER read. This encouraged me to send you a tweet, and I discovered that, not only are you one of my favorite authors ever, you’re one of my favorite people. You’re witty, snarky, intelligent and kind hearted to a fault. And you wrote Weather Child just for me (I know I wasn’t supposed to tell, but I couldn’t keep it quiet any longer). Just a reminder everyone- I AM WC’s biggest fan, I claimed it. It’s mine.

    Val Griswold-Ford (she has an author site, but this is where she lives) – @vg_ford
    You’re a newer addition to my list, but one of the best. I love your books, Not Your Father’s Horsemen and Dark Moon Seasons, but even more so, I appreciate your easy going but sincere approach to life. I’m a fan, but I am your friend. Thank you so much for your encouragement with my silly little stories. Go Sox! (Now, if I could just talk you into buying a Mac, you would be so very happy!)

    Alex White – @alruff
    You’re the first, and to this point, only one that has approached me from having read something on this blog. That means a lot to me. You are extremely talented in many areas. You have my envy and admiration. The Gearheart is rocking and sure to be a hit. I have enjoyed our communications to this point and look forward to many, many more. Thank you. I look forward to the day when I’ll be telling my boys, “I knew Alex when…” Big things are coming for you, I believe it.

    Charlie – @quonundrum
    One of my most recent additions to the list. Your sincerity and comraderie put you on this list automatically. I look forward to getting to know you better.

    @urgentcoffeenow
    Finding an old friend in a new environment has been exceedingly cool.

    @emilyofnewmoon
    She doesn’t really tweet, and I think I’m her only follower. (and she’ll probably have me remove her from this list) She is also the most beautiful woman in the world, the most wonderful mother in the world and the person I respect most in the world. Just don’t tell my wife, okay?

    If you’re not mentioned here, but I follow you, you’re still an important part of my day. Thank you.

    And thank you all for being my neighbors!

    (This was typed on my iPhone in it’s entirety between 11:00 and midnight. Links, spelling and grammer will be updated tomorrow.)

    [Links applied, but still not sure about the spelling and grammer, lol]

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  • top 5’s

    After laying in bed for the better part of the last two days, physically I am feeling much better. I guess the doctor knew what he was talking about and rest really was all that was needed.

    While lying there however, I started thinking about some of my favorite things (If you really want to, yes, you can break into song) and decided to create a post listing some of them. SO, here they are…

    Classic Movies
    1. Philadelphia Story
    2. Harvey
    3. Rear Window
    4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
    5. Casablanca

    New Classic Movies
    1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Sorry, they are just one long movie in my opinion)
    2. Jaws!
    3. Alien
    4. The Matrix
    5. Return to Me (if you haven’t seen it, it is worth the watch. Was the first of the “Our” movies, so is special)

    Books
    1. Lord of the Rings (again treating as one)
    2. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
    3. Original Shanara trilogy by Terry Brooks
    4. Morevi series by Tee Morris
    5. Digital Magic by P.J. Ballantine

    Podcasts
    1. Weather Child by P.J. Ballantine
    2. Morevi Remastered by Tee Morris
    3. Murder at Avedon Hill by P.G. Holyfield
    4. Nocturnal by Scott Sigler
    5. Eden by Phil Rossi

    Music is very hard. These are just the ones that came to mind at this moment. These could easily change second by second.
    1. Bowling For Soup
    2. U2
    3. Matchbox 20
    4. Van Halen
    5. Meat Loaf

    Technology- no models, it’s tech! They just keep getting better!
    1. Macs
    2. iPod
    3. iPhone
    4. Digital SLR (I like Nikon)
    5. HD TV (don’t have one yet)

    T.V. Series
    1. Chuck
    2. Castle
    3. 24
    4. Burn Notice
    5. Life

    I hate to do this but one Black Jelly Bean category (Biggest disappointments)
    1. Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
    2. Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (due only partly to the fact that will now have to be finished by another)
    3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
    4. Possible cancelation of Chuck (Come on NBC)
    5.  Cancellation of Firefly (Come on FOX)

    There are so many “almost” on this list it is pathetic. In podcasts especially, there are so many good casts you should be listening to. The Singing Sword, Leviathon, Chasing the Bard, The Gearheart, bunches of OTR stuff, Decoder Ring Theatre, the list goes on and on. I can’t even say that these lists won’t need changing tomorrow.

    SO… what are your top 5’s? Give me a couple, whether they’re the same categories or different. Did I miss any? Am I just flat out wrong? Let me know!

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  • What about Weather Child… NOW?

    As any of you that have been following my blog know, since my very first blog post (here), I have been, passionately advocating the publishing of the novel Weather Child by Philippa J. Ballantine, a brilliant “new” author out of New Zealand. New is a relative term considering Ms. Ballantine has previously been published by Dragon Moon Press.

    You can find Ms. Ballantine’s first book Chasing the Bard and the even better sequel (imho) Digital Magic on their website located at http://www.dragonmoonpress.com . Dragon Moon also publishes the wonderful books of Tee Morris (both the amazing Billibub Baddings and the superlative Morevi series) and the, as yet unread (but sure to be enjoyed), Valerie Griswold-Ford’s Horseman series and the soon to be released Crescent by Phil Rossi (truly the best space/horror I’ve heard in an eon).

    But back to Weather Child. As a short recap, Weather Child is an amazing novel set during the first third of the twentieth century in Wellington, New Zealand. It involves more than a fair amount of history, combined with a wonderful fantasy element unlike anything I’ve ever read, or heard, before. Currently Weather Child is available ONLY as a podcast. You can download it directly from the author’s website at http://weatherchild.com, from iTunes, or from Podiobooks and I strongly suggest you do so. (Really, just go do it. Now. I’ll wait.)

    Why don’t I just go purchase a copy of Weather Child and quit writing about it? Simple. I can’t. As in, others have taken that decision out of my hands. Ms. Ballantine has stated previously that she had shopped Weather Child to some large house publishers here in the U.S. and was refused on the basis that the story took place in New Zealand, AND that most American citizens are so closed minded that they would find a story taking place in such an unknown locale uninteresting (well, maybe it wasn’t stated exactly like that).

    Fortunately, good things do indeed come to those that persevere. Last week Ms. Ballantine was awarded a contract for two books with Ace publishing, a subsidiary of Penguin Books. The first book contracted for is the highly anticipated Geist, and the second will be the sequel to the same. There is the possibility of more books with Ace if the first two sale well. You can read more about this wonderful turn of events on the author’s website at http://www.pjballantine.com.

    Now, what does this have to do with Weather Child? (As if you haven’t guessed.) I am simply hoping that perhaps the third book for Ace might be Weather Child. I am more than confident that Geist will be a big enough seller for Ace to continue their partnership with Ms. Ballantine, but lets all make sure this happens.

    Here we have another of the authors that have been so generous in providing us with free fiction over the years. It really does seem like publishers are starting to take notice of this “podcasting thing”. Although not confirmed, Ms. Ballantine (paraphrased from a recent tweeted conversation) does believe that the fan base she has developed through podcasting helped in gaining the notice of Ace. Let’s make sure we return the favor, and in so doing enable her to keep writing the stories we love to hear and read. Keep subscribing to the authors you love. Numbers help. Keep working on driving up those numbers for the ‘cast you’ve decided to champion at #podcastchallenge (how are you doing on the challenge?). AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, buy the books if and when they’re published. Heck, buy several, give them as gifts.

    I really believe that if we do this, I’ll get my wish of Weather Child on my nightstand. And you do want to make the Allfather happy, don’t you?

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