Before last year, I had no idea so much awesome existed on this planet, let alone that I’d find myself sitting on panels there and espousing various bits of knowledge (some more helpful than others). That fact alone blows my mind. Me! On a panel! And people actually showed up to listen! *faint*

So yeah, that was quite the experience. But the best part about the whole weekend was getting to meet people that, up until May 28, were only screennames on Twitter, or mythical author figures whom I assumed must exist, but could no sooner contemplate their awesome than I could the entirety of the universe. Was I nervous stepping off the plane and into their midst? Hell yes I was.

My biggest “OMGSQUEE!” moment was meeting people whose work I admired but never had direct contact with, and finding out that THEY KNEW WHO I WAS. Me? Really? I also had random people I’d never heard of come up to me and tell me how big a fan of mine they were. Yes, I did look behind me to see who they were talking about. Again, “OMGSQUEE!”.

I met a ton of TDT cast members, and each was just as fantastic as I thought. Some names you might recognize: Tee Morris, Philippa Ballantine, Mur Lafferty, Paul Elard Cooley, Michael Bekemeyer, Michele Bekemeyer, Dave Sobkowiak, Christiana Ellis, Kate Sherrod, and Nobilis Reed. I’m almost afraid to try and list all the non-cast members I met, because if I forget anyone I’ll feel like an idiot. That, and I’m incredibly awful with names as it is and I’m bound to blank on many of them.

As I mentioned before, this was the first time I’ve ever spoken on panels at a convention. To be completely honest, I’d never even GONE to a panel before. Convention, yes. Panel, no. Was always way too occupied with dealer rooms and such to bother. I felt woefully unprepared for what I was in for. Fortunately, I had excellent guidance from Nathan Lowell and Tee Morris and they got me through it relatively unharmed.

I am compelled to talk about another experience I had this weekend. I had the great pleasure of sitting in on a reading by James Durham (of the FETIDUS podcast). Before that, I never really knew what kind of writer I wanted to be. Now I do. I want to be the kind of writer that inspires others to create the way I was inspired at that reading. If you saw me last weekend, you’re probably sick of hearing me gush about James Durham, but I had to put it out there one last time. Truly incredible. I came away with the burning desire to get back to writing; to harness the magic of that moment and turn it into something special. Not only is the man inspiring, but he’s very interesting to talk to as well. Reminds me, we never did finish that conversation…

There was much hilarity over the course of the convention. A few stories will remain in Baltimore, as sometimes you just have to keep the best ones to yourself (and the subject of the story might not appreciate their less-than-shining moments retold). There were great moments of personal connection, new friendships sparked, and discoveries that made some of us go “WHAT THE WHAT?”. For instance, did you know that J. Daniel Sawyer sings? Uh, yeah. Like an angel. WTF? Who knew?

There isn’t room enough in this post for all the amazing things I learned, people I met, and great times I had at Balticon. It really was a life-changing experience and I hope I’ll get to return again next year, maybe to plug a new project! But for now, onwards and upwards. Let’s get to work!

x

P.S. – If you’d like to see some of the photos from the weekend, there’s a flickr pool you can check out!

The last time I put out a post updating the cast, I told you all about Tee Morris lending his voice to this project. What I didn’t tell you about was some of the other folks that have signed on as well. Tee gets SO much attention, I didn’t want him overshadowing some of these other peeps that are just as awesome.

You may have noticed the new additions in the cast list, but if not, here are the new additions in the last week.

Alexander White of The Gearheart podcast. There’s a new episode coming out tonight, so head over and check it out! Good stuff!

Next up is Holy Cannoli. You may see her around twitter or on one of the blogs she participate in. You can find her personal blog here.

This next one had me all in SQUEE!s for a little bit too. Mr. James Melzer of The Zombie Chronicles. His deal with Permuted Press has evolved into a deal with Simon and Schuster’s Pocket Books. His podcast will leave you craving braaaaiiiinnnnssss.

And of course, this list of new cast members would not be complete without meantioning the very naughty Nobilis Reed. When he’s not busy writing and recording “colorful” stories, you can hear him give voice to a part in The Dreamer’s Thread.

I’ve still got a few parts left if you want to get in on the all the fun these people are having doing character parts for TDT. If you want to know what I’m still in need of, you can check out the list in this post.

And, on the off chance you locked yourself in the closet for the past 24 hours, episode 2 is now live and available right here on the TDT site. It should be up on iTunes as well, but one never knows with them.

I mentioned before that episode 2 is where the fantasy starts. And it does. Be prepared to meet some fun characters in the future! It will be an interesting ride! As always, I LIVE for your comments, so critique away! Try not to crush my fantasy of beig made of awesome into too many pieces though, k?

xxx

The Dreamer’s Thread will be available on iTunes some time today!

LOL. What do you mean, that’s not the news you were expecting? I thought it was exciting!

Alright, alright. Here it is.

TEE MORRIS HAS JOINED THE CAST OF THE DREAMER’S THREAD!

Oh yes, the godfather of podcasting (he literally wrote the book) has made me a happy woman in deed. Granted, you folks won’t hear him until the end of October according to my release schedule, but that’s more greatness you have to look forward to. Also in that same episode, Philippa Ballantine will make her debut performance in TDT. I’ve already heard that audio, and let me tell you guys, you are in for a SERIOUS treat. Tee and Philippa are a fantastic one-two combo that can knock your audio socks off with their mad voice acting skillz.

Speaking of audio, I am listening to the final draft of episode three and SQUEE! This is the first time you’ll get to hear Mur Lafferty in TDT, but not the last. Also, a fan favorite character makes his small, but powerful, entrance. That’s all I’m saying for now. Apparently Jamie got some great outtake material from him. It will be another week and a half before you get to hear all this awesome though. Try to contain yourselves.

So that’s your newsflash for today. You may commence your celebrations.

xxx

So, big welcomes to both John Mierau and Jennifer Hudock! Both of them seem super excited to get involved and it’s always great to have folks on your team that are excited about the project. It makes everything work smoother. Mr. Mierau has taken on not one, but TWO voices, with the possibility of one-line cameos later. Ms. Hudock is the grand Regent of the Mermaids, and I think she’ll bring exactly the right amount of dignity to the role. Slighting, yet respectable. What a lovely character combo. Er, the mermaid, not Jennifer. She’s very nice. ^^;

On another note, I’ve finished portioning out the episode sections, and it looks like there will be 21 story episodes. This does not include any extra content or commentary that may be podcasted. That’s roughly five months worth of episodes. Wow. Just re-reading that figure puts it in a whole new light. Five months! *faint*

Anyway, after Jennifer and John’s parts, I’m still left with some odds and ends that need taken care of. I’m currently on the lookout for two older men to voice a grumpy village elder and a grumpy dead wizard. To top that off, I completely forgot about these flashback scenes I’d written that involve a few other voices. I’ll update more on that later this week as I make up the character scripts, but it could be as many as five more voices. Apparently, I really like to make up a lot of male characters as at least three of them are. One is for sure female (who has all of one or two lines), another could be either as it’s an adolescent and not quite defined as boy/girl. Either way, it means I can’t relax yet because I still have more recruiting to do. *headdesk*

And so I am at this point on this Sunday night, ready to kick off another week that will bring me one step closer to launch. One of my top priorities (aside from recruiting) is begging people to play the promo for TDT on their podcasts so I can generate a little buzz. I think I might even pounce some of my Second Life contacts to see if they can put up posters or plug the podcast in other ways too. The last week of July I will be hitting up comic book stores, libraries, gaming HQs, and book stores in order to plaster flyers anywhere they’ll let me. If anyone wants to aid me in this endeavor, head over to the CroWS section of the novel website and snag the 4-ups and posters available for DL there. I have but 2 hands, and my brain sometimes imagines I have more, so if you want to volunteer to be an extra appendage for me, I shall welcome you with open arms…unless I might drop something in which case you’ll have to settle for verbal gratitude only.

For those you who will be attending any upcoming cons, I highly enourage you to plaster flyers anywhere there is a blank inch of wall. My travel options are a bit limited at the moment, and ComiCon sold out ages ago. (Still pissed about that one let me tell you.) The long and short of it is that I can’t be everywhere, but maybe my ads can!

On that note, I think it’s time to call it a night. There’s more work to be done in the a.m. and no one but me is going to do it. Where’s a good house elf when you need one?

X

I sent two emails yesterday, in hopes of recruiting two more folks for TDT voices. When I got an unofficial yes from one I was thrilled. I woke up this morning to TWO official yes responses! And so, it is my extreme pleasure to announce to you that…

The uber-talented Christiana Ellis and Philippa Ballantine have added themselves to the cast of The Dreamer’s Thread Podcast!

HOLY CRAP how excited am I? I’ve been completely enamored with Ms. Ballantine’s voice since I heard her voicing Askana in Tee Morris’ Morevi:Remastered. That was the podcast that first made me want to do a full cast production. Having her on board is amazing!

And then there’s Christiana Ellis. She was also in Morevi, but it was her Shallow Thoughts podcast that really sold me. Hilarious. You may know her from Space Casey or her newly published Nina Kimberly the Merciless, but however you know her, you know how very talented she is.

Did I mention how completely ecstatic I am right now? If I weren’t busy nursing this hot coffee, I would undoubtedly be running in circles screaming OMG OMG OMG OMG! at the top of my lungs right now. But as it stands, coffee takes precedence.

What an awesome start to the day!

Now I’m all pumped to get back to work scripting and recording! Motivation FTW!

I am so thankful for the wonderful people who are stepping up to help me out. I sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

*ahem*

So yes, I twittered yesterday about the great news I had about TDT, and said I would blog about it today. I hate to be called a liar, so here’s my news of WIN:

MIGHTY MUR LAFFERTY HAS JOINED TDT CAST!

Did I say OMG already? Cuz I cannot express that sentiment enough as I restrain myself from running around the room in hysterical circles.

If you are unfamiliar with Mur’s work, there’s a link to the Murverse on the left side of the page here. I both admire and envy her for what she does every day. Her story-telling and podcasting skills are the stuff of awesome. The first podiobook I ever heard was Mur’s Playing For Keeps and it was what sold me on Jamie’s idea for The Dreamer’s Thread. I couldn’t help thinking how fantastic it must be to share your stories with the world, AND get picked up for publishing. I will be happy if people just listen to mine.

One thing that Mur expressed to me yesterday, is the need for solidarity amongst the female podcasters out there. This is mostly due to it being a male-dominated world as far as podcasts are concerned. Just talking to her yesterday was such a huge boost for me, I hope she knows that. Not to sound like a kid with stars in her eyes or anything, but she’s kind of my hero. I know she doesn’t see herself that way, but she should. Getting the chance to work with someone as uniquely creative and ingenious as Mur Lafferty…well, there are no words to describe how much that really means to me.

She said that she wasn’t so sure having heavy hitters involved would make a podcast successful, but that’s okay. Just having her on board means more to me than she can know. It makes me feel like I might have a real shot at making this work. It helps me forget the setbacks and outright arrogance of some others I’ve dealt with. One day, I hope I can help her in the way that she’s helped me here. Her name on my podcast won’t guarantee success, true, but it sure makes me feel a whole lot better.

But anyway, that is my big news. Scripts are still being portioned out and distributed, and actual production is in a holding pattern. It’s time for me to start throwing my promo at people and getting some PR going. I also need to whip some art out in GIMP. *sigh* I miss PhotoShop.

THE DREAMER’S THREAD PROMO IS LIVE!

That’s right, the first ever promo is hot and ready for your consumption on the novel website. Grab it, play it, share it, make everyone you know listen to it.

And in more news still, I mentioned before something being in the works, and well, here it is. The Dreamer’s Thread is on its way to becoming a full cast production! Among the awesome people you will hear are Cheyenne Wright with his buttery man voice (lol) and Chris Snelgrove from the House of Grey podcast. Can I just say how holy (expletive deleted) amazing and exciting that is? It’s all I can do to keep from running around the room in crazy circles giggling my dang fool head off. There are still some parts that need filing, so if anyone out there wants to have some geek fun and be part of a great story, hit me up and we’ll talk.

Well, I’ve got more scripts to set up so go check out the website!

Another problem with trying to get these folks to help is that they tend to be very busy, and simply cannot, even if they want to. Being a newcomer, it is also very easy to make a social gaff and feel hugely embarrassed when they call you out on it. And then there are those who will help, but the price for that assistance is much higher than you are willing to pay…especially when there is no guarantee for payoff for you.

This is a tricky game, especially when no one tells you the rules. It’s like trying to tunnel through rock with a very small hammer and chisel, and there’s miles of stone between you and your goal. Even if the others would just chip at the rock a tiny bit with you, that would further you along, even if just by the tiniest bit.

So, what to do? Nothing for it but to keep trying I guess. It’s been a slightly discouraging day, but it’s not all bad. I did decide on music for TDT. The song I found is beautiful and perfectly suited to my tale. I’m not going to spoil the surprise of which one it is right now, but I think people will agree with me when they hear it.

Anyway, now I wait for email replies and hope for the best. Finding just the right voice isn’t easy, especially when you can so clearly hear a character in your head. And it isn’t as though I can get some voices and not others. The male characters are proving the most difficult.I can pull off a gay man easily enough with a little voice filtering, but that’s about the extent of my talent there. Doesn’t help that moving a lot also means my pool of nearby friends is very very limiting as each time you move, you’re just less enthused about having to make friends all over again. Thus, my options for using my friends voices on my equipment is probably a harder thing to accomplish since most of my friends are nowhere near me. At least other podcasters have the right equipment for recording audio.

Maybe I should just throw a kegger and make people audition at the door. Then I can just plop them in front of my mic, give them their lines, and be done with it. LOL

This could be a really fun project. I just wish more people wanted to have geek fun with me. *sigh*