The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy

Happy Third Anniversary, Survivalists! Three years of advice, interviews, rants, and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Moments. What an amazing ride that is far from over! Forging ahead, I’m taking a look at Social Media on the web. This is a new avenue for authors, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into.

I’m also calling out the Survivalists to show support for an independent bookstore in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. They have been there for me and for Dragon Moon Press…

Now it is time to pay it forward!

REMEMBER: E-mail’s, blog comments, mp3’s, and Voice Mail 703.791.1701 — sound off, Troops, and let the Sarge know what’s on your mind!

00:00 — Creatures ‘n’ Crooks

1:47 — Opening

• Three years ago, the first Survival Guide posted! (“Episode #1: First Impressions”)
• Creatures ‘n’ Crooks of Richmond, VA — show the love!

9:48 — Show #41: Social Media Butterfly

• Defining Web 2.0 and Social Media
  • Blogging
  • Podcasting
  • Social Media sites (that I use)
  • Other popular Social Media offerings
• The trappings of Social Media
• What isn’t working for me…
  • MySpace
  • Digg and PopCurrent
  • Facebook (MySpace 2.0

37:25 — Promos: Dead Robots Society, Vita the Otagal

40:43 — Show #41: Social Media Butterfly (continued)

• Shout-out to Vita the Otagal who helped make AnimeUSA 2008 a fun trip!
• No plans for 2008, and interesting developments for 2009
• Concerning Social Media: What is working for me?
  • Podcasting
  • Blogging
  • Twitter
• Why are you involved in Social Media?

1:06:44 — The WTF Moment

• A “Number One” author embraces Social Media…and I ain’t impressed!
• The claims of this “Social Media Innovator” claims to be…
• Mega-props to Scott Sigler, by the way, who keeps a perspective on things.
• SMI’s web presence: cutting edge…back in the 90’s.
• How “SM Innovator” really pisses me off…

1:16:22 — Closing

• Interviews and Appearances — if it is happening anywhere it is online
  • Murder at Avedon Hill (P.G. Holyfield)
  • Codename: Starkeeper (Indiana Jim)
  • Erotica ala carte (Pip Ballantine)
  • The TeeMorris.com “TeeMonster” Feed
• Where can you keep tabs on The Sarge and sound off
  • TeeMonster’s Flickr account (Most of my DT photos are up there…)
  • Twitter (Tee’s personal slant or Imagine That!)
  • Facebook
  • The Imagine That! Studios blog
  • The newly re-launched TeeMorris.com
• Where to find Tee Morris’ titles?
  • Creatures ‘n’ Crooks (Richmond, VA area)
  • Constellation Books (Baltimore/Resiterstown area)
  • Moravian Bookshoppe (Bethlehem, PA area)
  • Amazon.com — check out the right-hand sidebar at TeeMorris.com
  • Podiobooks.com
  • Dragon Moon Press.com: Going through a face-lift/redesign. Until the dust settles, swing through the Amazon links.

1:21:55 — Outro

Related Sites

• Whispers at the Edge
• Jared Axelrod
  
• EUReKA’s SARAH on Twitter
• Evo Terra’s Fun Anymore
• Twhirl
• Twitterific
• TwitBin

 

 Show 41: Social Media Butterfly: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1994)

While traveling north on Interstate 95, The Sarge and Captain Kiwi look back on the epic-sized promotion that was Double Trouble. Beginning with the promotion of 08.08.08, giving a few nods to the oddball billboards roadside, and expressing opinions made and lessons learned, Tee and Pip pass the time in their return to Virginia with their look back on THE 2008 EDITION of Double Trouble…

 

 The Double Trouble Wrap Up: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2090)

00:00 — Intro

• The Sarge is back, and ready to get cooking again with the podcasting!
• A quick review of The Survival Guide and why I’m running with this for Show #40
• Current read: Digital Magic (and a cracking good read at that!)
• Recorded live from the road…

04:15 — Phase One: The Amazon Run

• Full results of the 08.08.08 rush can be found here.
• So how does someone get Boing-Boinged?
• Note #1 for Double Trouble 2009: Wear Lower-Cut Blouses (Pip) and Tighter Jeans (Tee)
• Lessons learned in the promotion push
• Shout-out to Mur Lafferty for her Playing for Keeps promotion!
• Pip’s lesson on what doesn’t work in audio…
• Special thanks to Dragon Moon Press for making this all work!

08:50 — Phase Three: The Pennsylvania-Maryland Micro-Tour
(Yes, we told this out of order…we get to Phase Two a little later…)

• First Stop: Watch the Skies
• Note #2 for Double Trouble 2009: Do not drive and perform sound checks!
• Good times in Camp Hill
• Good times in Bethlehem…more for the company than for the sales at Moravian Bookshop.
• Note #3 for Double Trouble 2009: Find Ruder Americans
• Pitching ourselves to Sheer Brick
• Constellation Books: A rousing success for Dragon Moon Press
• Constellation loves the podcast authors!

17:02 — Phase Two: The 2008 New Media Expo

• “So this is what our books look like!”
• Note #4 for Double Trouble 2009: Avoid marking books (Tee) while liberally marking books. (Pip)
• Meet-up’s at the New Media Expo
• Note #5 for Double Trouble 2009: Stop Making Promises You Can’t Keep (Tee).
• Note #6 for Double Trouble 2009: Avoiding the “Explicit” Tag is a real pain!
• Positive things from the New Media Expo
• Distracting road signs
• How was Las Vegas?
  • Star Trek: The Experience & Quark’s Bar
    • The interactive trip into Roddenberry’s world
    • Warp Core Breaches…nom!
    • Geek Nirvana
  • The Rat Pack is Back
  • Zumanity
• Wasn’t there a new media expo happening there, too?
• Note #7 for Double Trouble 2009: Stock up on water when in the desert.
• Opinions on the new direction of the NME
• Note #8 for Double Trouble 2009: The ass-riding begins in October.

40:20 — Phase Four: Dragon*Con

• Driving down in a convoy and taking a break with Poison
• The nice thing about not having a booth at Dragon*Con
• A few problems with panel scheduling and Tee’s blood sugar…
• The Parties
  • Pimps & Hos II: The Wrath of Bone
    • Hosted by Scott Sigler’s cousin, Soupbone
    • Mur, Pip, and Christiana being objectified…but working it.

46:54 — Promo

• Starkeeper
• The Pieces Podcast

49:48 — Phase Four: Dragon*Con (continued)

• Guest Bumper: The Dead Robots Society
• A word from The Sarge: This isn’t the last Double Trouble to be had…
• Continuing from the D*C 2008 Parties…
  • Pimps & Hos II: The Wrath of Bone
    • Mur, Pip, and Christiana being objectified…but working it.
    • Note #9 for Double Trouble 2009: Just say “No” to flasks.
  • Books & Blackwell I
    • A joint art show and book signing with Pip, yours truly, and J.R. Blackwell
    • A good night for Captain Rafton, even with Macha giving him attitude.
    • When things turned uncomfortable at Books & Blackwell…
• The people we met at Dragon*Con
• Note #10 for Double Trouble 2009: Steampunk. That is all.
• The 2008 Parsec Awards
  • A good time, even with some of the last-minute SNAFUs
  • The Case of The Singing Sword makes a surprise win!
  • Captain Kiwi pays the Sarge…a compliment?!
  • Even KrakenThief made an appearance…
  • Missed the Parsecs? You should be on Twitter!
• Losing track of the time and space at Dragon*Con…
• The Podcast UN
• The Brigadoon Effect of Dragon*Con
• Random flashbacks and opinions on the visit to Atlanta over New Zealand sweets…
• Make sure you track with Dragon-pod.com in order to support and develop the Podcast/New Media track.

1:20:39 — What is coming up for Philippa Ballantine?

• Erotica ala Carte
• Weather Child

1:25:00 — The Big Finale: SOUTH OF THE BORDER!

• Shopping chatchka
• Hustle in the parking lot from the 20-something redneck and Black Snake Moan

1:28:27 — Was Double Trouble 2008 worth the trip?

• Note #11 for Double Trouble 2009: Do not take Pip to see Equus, even if it does star Radcliffe.

1:29:54 — The Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Moment

• The Podcast Peer Awards: What Were They Thinking?
• An award for podcasters, by podcasters, and ORGANIZED by podcasters
• What happened?
  • A-U-D-I-O is the correct spelling of “audio”
  • PowerPoint presentation for the nominees and presentation, I get…but why create the slides in Photoshop?
  • C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N-A is the correct spelling of ONE OF YOUR WINNERS!
  • M-O-R-E-V-I is pronounced “More-AY-vee” but if you wanted to crack the joke Rob Sawyer made in 2002, it’s “More 6″ not “More 4″!
• Take a moment to seriously review the details. It separates the wanna-be’s from the pros.

1:36:54 — Closing

Related Links

• Technorama
• Ambrosia Software
• Grailwolf’s Geek Life
• The ADD Cast
• Into the Blender
• Geek Radio Daily
• The Scotchcas
• Mad Scientist University: The Game

So if you find yourself at Dragon*Con…

Pip and I are ending this incredible ride of Double Trouble with a party. Come dressed as your favorite podiobook character, enjoy the works of artist-author-performer J.R. Blackwell, and celebrate with us the launch of The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic.

Costumes are optional. CLOTHING IS MANDATORY! And we hope to see you there.

 Invitation to Books & Blackwell: Download (4136)

The Sarge faces his greatest adversary in the Podosphere — the podcaster that makes the FDO quake, gives John Alpha the shakes, and even makes Matt F’n Wallace freeze in his tracks. It is the Grand Dame of Podcasting, Mur Lafferty! Come on in and have a listen to a sit-down with the Grand Dame of Podcasting as they talk about what makes Mur “Mur”, zombies, superheroes, and all things creative in podcasting.

TEN HUT, TROOPS: TODAY, THE MIGHTY MUR IS MAKING HER RUN ON AMAZON.COM! CLICK HERE AND SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR ALTERNATIVE SUPERHEROES AND THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS MUR LAFFERTY!!! Order your copies of Playing for Keeps, and let your friends know that a new breed of superheroes have flown into town…and you can pick them up at the airport when they give you a call form the tarmac. They don’t have capes, they don’t have the unitards, and they don’t work out of a hall of justice. They are here, though, to save the world.

This episode is going up with very little editing and no breaks. With the touring, a few technical glitches with the MacPro, and finally Mur’s magic date upon us, I wanted to get this puppy out there. And yes, Troops, following Dragon*Con, there will be lots of talk about Double Trouble, intense summer touring, and what’s coming down the pike for the remainder of the year.

That is all.

 

 Mur Lafferty Is Playing for Keeps!: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1705)

Captain Kiwi and The Sarge are making the final push for 08.08.08; and with less than 24 hours until the order comes to charge, the interviews are coming in!  Featured here on the Survival Guide is one of The Sarge’s heroes, a name most familiar to the Troops. It’s the Grand Dame of Podcasting herself, Mur Lafferty, and her Parsec-winning podcast I Should Be Writing.

Once upon a time, I Should Be Writing was a “Fiction Writing Podcast for Wanna-Be Fiction Writers, by a Wanna-Be Fiction Writer” but all that is about to change on 08.25.08 when Playing for Keeps is released on Amazon.com. While you can expect more about that in The Survival Guide, Mur opens up her podcast for a round table discussion with us about working together in promotion, working together as writers, and what were planning for the future…

And yes, because The Sarge is in the presence of The Grand Dame of Podcasting and Captain Kiwi, I remain very quiet…and in my box…

 

 From the Front Lines: Double Trouble on I Should Be Writing: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1867)

Do you write Urban Fantasy? There’s a new podcast in town that is custom made for you then; but regardless of what you write, Kimi Alexandre brings to the podosphere a terrific offering for writers on the road to publication: Tale Chasing.

Show Number 18 is where Kimi — after many, many technical challenges — sits down with The Sarge and Captain Kiwi and talk about Double Trouble, the podcasting community, and what is planned for the Troublesome Two and their upcoming months of 2008 (and even 2009)!

There is also the obligatory “Let’s test the limits of the Uber-Nemesis…” which has apparently become a favorite segment on these numerous interviews.

REMEMBER: 08.08.08 is less than two days away!!! Show your support for podcast authors, The Sarge, and Captain Kiwi as we make a run up the Amazon.com charts with The Case of The Pitcher’s Pendant and Digital Magic. Be part of an Amazon first where two authors are working together to make magic happen!

That is all.

 

 From the Front Lines: Double Trouble on Tale Chasing: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1584)

Troops, welcome to the podosphere Lucas…a 15-year old high school student out of San Diego.

Lucas’ original plan was to launch Schoolbus Cast this Friday for his fellow teens returning to the hallowed halls of education. However, on hearing about Double Trouble and being the fan of podcast fiction, he decided to break in his gear (Literally, it was minutes out of the box and set up on his Mac before talking to us!) and launch his podcast with Captain Kiwi and myself. We were his first show ans his first interview.

In our assessment, he did great. I look forward to watching this podcaster grow with his show and with his audience. Have a listen (direct from the website on account of Mevio’s approach to podcasting…meh…), and enjoy, Troops.

Remember: we are at T-minus FIVE DAYS until Double Trouble! Mark your calendars and get ready to show your support on Amazon.com!

That is all.

Three hours.

This podcast is three — hours — long.

What else can I say? This is a super-sized audio experience of epic podcasting proportions…and in the words of Tony Mast: “132MB of sweet, sweet nectar that you will drink up and want more when you are done.”

Here you go, Troops. Dig in, and enjoy…

 

 From the Front Lines: Double Trouble on Backseat Producers: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1674)

I think I’ve got a new topic to talk about on The Survival Guide: Setbacks.

Seemingly overnight, without warming, my mixer is giving off a nasty hum. I don’t know how it happened, but there it is…

Lovely. Just lovely.

I’m currently trying to come up with a workaround (that workaround being a new mixer out of BSWUSA.com…). The mixer going south, though, does not prevent me from pounding the promotion trail with Captain Kiwi! Here is a terrific interview with the brew-mistress and host of the NaNoEdMo podcast, Jenn Baker, and Creative Adventures, found at YourCre8tivity.com. More on the nuts and bolts of putting together a story; and going into the importance of podcasting and production of original works, Pip and I take closer looks at the outlets we choose to pursue…and how The Sarge doesn’t really care about personal space.

 

 From the Front Lines: Double Trouble on Creative Adventures: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1533)

Enjoy the interview, and then hopefully we will be back into the production swing in a few days.

That is all.

After getting in more than a mouthful on the movie podcasts (and yes, expect some very passionate opinions abotu the Summer box office here), The Sarge is schooled on a podcast coming out of the Southern Hemisphere. (Good thing he knows the “Bruce” sketch by heart, otherwise, he would be completely sunk!) Tee and Pip enjoy some quality time on Erk Pod’s Round Table where the chat is lively and quite geeky! Enjoy the banter between siblings (Australia and New Zealand) while Tee does his best to uphold the reputation of the average obnoxious American…

…and somewhere in there, they do talk a bit about Double Trouble!

 

 Double Trouble Interview: Erk Pod: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1741)

Show Post Mortum can be found here.