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!

As I mentioned in a previous post, there will be a blooper reel chalk full of outtakes being released within the next 24 hours or so of this post going live. Listening to past recordings was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I think you’ll get a good chuckle out of what you’ll hear, pending you don’t mind a little cursing here and there. LOL

Last time I mentioned a bit about what I’m working on for my next project. Of course I’m still plugging away at the tedium that is final edits for TDT, for those of you that want print copies of the novel. I’m also working on this for an eBook version, as it would be silly of me to ignore the growing popularity of that medium. Whichever way you choose to consume the written word, The Dreamer’s Thread will be available shortly.

If you weren’t following me as I worked through National Novel Writing Month, you might not be familiar with my current Work In Progress. I’ve mentioned before that it’s a completely different story, set in a Steampunk world. After much deliberation, I put the TDT sequel on hold for the time being. A bit of time away from that universe and in another one entirely will surely make for a better experience for everyone. Here is the teaser for my next big project: Antigone’s Wrath

Captain Rachel Sterling commands the ship that rules the sea and air, but when a chance encounter ends with a strange ring in her posession and a secretive order known only as The Brotherhood out for her blood, her carefree life takes a very different turn. What is the purpose of this ring and what dangerous magic will she face? Join the crew of the Antigone’s Wrath as they sail the waters and navigate the skies to find the information they desperately need before it’s too late…

I hope that little trailer has enticed you. I’ve been wanting to delve deeper into Steampunk for awhile now and it’s proving both challenging and exciting. The tale I’m weaving is quite different from TDT, but I think folks will enjoy it even more than Aura’s adventure. It’s still up in the air whether or not I’ll go full cast production again. There are new voices I’ve heard since TDT casting, and others that I’d like to use to a greater extent next time around if they’ll agree to it, but there’s no guarantee on anything yet. There are some great characters in Antigone’s Wrath. No talking mice (well, not yet anyway lol), but with a story full of pirates and gearheads it won’t be boring! If I do decide to go full cast, it will be a bigger and better podcast than TDT, most certainly.

Now that you know a bit more about where my creative pursuits are headed, I think I shall leave you with that to ponder. Have a good laugh at the blooper reel, and I’ll catch you later with project updates and the like.

Pleasant dreams!

x

I must admit though, I’m a little sad. This small project of mine has been one incredible adventure for me. I can’t quanitfy how much I’ve learned from this experience, both as a podcaster and a writer, but I’d like to share a bit of it.

As this was my first ever podcast, it’s safe to say that I learned the most in this respect. I started from zero and progressed far enough that I was able (with massive help from Jamie Jordan) to put together a full cast audiobook. I’m not going to thank all the people that helped me out in this post, but be sure that’s coming. TDT was truly a learning experience. Every week I felt like I discovered a new little audio trick or something that helped make each episode a tiny bit better or easier to put together. And because of the nature of a full cast production, there’s a whole other side to podcasting that I might never have discovered. The amout of people I had to network with and get to know and discover in search of the “right voice” or for promotional help is probably much greater than it would have been than were TDT a standard audiobook with a single narrator. A full cast production is an insane amount of work, but I can’t imagine this story any other way. I love my cast and the folks I’ve gotten to meet as a result of throwing myself at the mercy of voice talent. Okay, perhaps that’s a bit melodramatic. There was very little begging and/or pleading involved because everyone I contacted was just so damn helpful. You will never find a nicer community of folks than the podcast community and its supporters. Anywhere.

As a writer I’ve grown as well. Just the exposure to other writers in the podosphere opened my eyes to things I never knew. I have also learned the immense value of reading your work aloud. It’s amazing what you miss in silent reading compared to what you hear when you speak the words. So very many times during recording I’d read a sentence only to realize how innane/repetitive/nonsensicle it was, even though it had been read by several sets of eyes and judged totally worthy. Your writing flows better as a result of this process. Words that seemed fine when you wrote them can sound incredibly pretentious when spoken, so this helps in making the story that much more believable. If people identify with an author’s “voice”, this only serves to bring them further into the world that’s been created for their entertainment. Or, maybe I’m way off base on that one, but it feels true anyway.

So what’s next for myself and TDT? Well, as for TDT, it’s going through another round of edits. Those of you following me on Twitter will know all about my headaches with this process. It’s yet another side effect to podcasting the book. Parts I hated I can now go back and fix with much more confidence than I could have before it went out into the world. Hopefully I’ll be finished with all of that this month and a print and/or eBook copy of The Dreamer’s Thread will be released shortly after the last episode goes out.

Make sure you stay subscribed to the podcast after episode 23 is released. There will be one last bonus content episode released after that, and I’m sure it will bring much laughter into the world. That’s right. There will be a TDT blooper reel featuring some of the greatest worst moments of audio Jamie can find. Take heed, however. The content of that episode will probably not be safe for little ears. You’ve been warned.

As for me, I have a few other projects in the works. First, I’ll be a guest chef for the adult-only podcast Erotica a la Carte in March. The menu for the as-yet-to-be-written short story can be found here, but please only visit if you’re 18+. I have two other novels in progress as well. Of course there’s a follow up to TDT, but the one I’m furthest along on is a steampunk story. I’ve no idea which will see the light of day first, but both WIPs promise to be even better than TDT. Writer’s evolve. I like to think I’ve grown at least a little since the first words of TDT were written in November 2007. Hopefully, you’ll agree.

That’s where things stand as of this moment. One chapter is coming to a close, but others are just beginning. I’m excited for the months ahead. There are lots of good things coming down. Consider this your invitation to join me in experiencing all of them.

x

Carmen Fowle wrote the piece for a creative writing class she was taking. Before she did so, she asked me for permission, of course. At the time, The Dreamer’s Thread wasn’t even half way completed, if I remember correctly, and I was doubtful I’d even finish it, let alone that it would become what it is today. Carmen is one of my Second Life NaNoWriMo partners in crime and was privvy to my whole process. She was one of the folks that would get sections of my book every few days and would send me little corrections for the typos. Consequently, Sirahal happens to be the name of her Second Life avatar. As you might guess, Squiddy Geiger was/is/who knows with those two her SL significant other. When I said in my opening lines of episode one that some of my friends even had their names and personalities plundered for my story, I wasn’t joking. After reading my sections featuring Sira and Squiddy, the two had quite the time turning their avatars into mermaids and sending me several photographs of the result. Hilarity ensued.

When I read her little back story for Sira, not only was I incredibly flattered (how many people get fan fiction for incomplete works? lol) but I knew then that I would want to include it in whatever form it took when it was finished. In fact, it made me think about all the other stories I wouldn’t be able to tell within the confines of The Dreamer’s Thread. Being as it told from the first-person perspective, it isn’t always possible to answer all those questions about a character’s past. Especially if there isn’t time for the stories to be told or if the protagonist simply doesn’t think to ask a question regarding said story.

So, for NaNoWriMo last year, when I completed TDT and still had words to go in my goal of 50k in a month, I began working on a “short story” involving Cyrus and Dedric. I made my 50k, but didn’t finish the story. I got stuck in a section and have yet to go back and finish it. If there’s any interest in it, I may go back and tweak it (or, you know, finish it) then record it for release somewhere down the line. It wouldn’t come out until much later as I think it contains some spoilers for the main story. As it was, I was hesitant to release The Ship’s Cook for another week as it would have been nice to have the “a-ha” Squiddy moment(if you’ve listened, you know what this is) come from me, but I don’t think it detracts from the story.

I’m currently seeing if I can get a similar short story out of Squiddy’s real life counterpart, but with him it’s difficult to get much beyond “Roses are red, violets are blue/I’m thining of a story/Of Squiddy and you” (via Twitter courtesy of @tweetyiscool a.k.a. Carmen). He’s a much better writer than he gives himself credit for, but I know several folks with the same problem in that regard…lack of motivation or confidence to do anything about it. Maybe if I harass him enough write me a story just to shut me up. Might need Carmen’s help with that one though.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy The Ship’s Cook. Make sure you send a tweet out to @tweetyiscool if you’re on Twitter and let her know what you thought, or just leave a comment on this blog post. I will be sure to direct her to it.

X

My friend Jon first told me about NaNoWriMo several years ago, but I’d forget about it or put it off until the following year for one reason or another. When I finally decided to make 2007 “THE year”, it was a few weeks before the start of November. I’d tried writing a novel before, but it wasn’t very good and I didn’t have a passion for the story, so I immediately tossed the idea of working on that plot straight out the window. I was left then with the big question: What do I write about?

The beauty of NaNoWriMo is that you can write about anything and everything you want. The only rule is that it has to be written in the month of November. The goal is 50,000 words of fresh fiction or non-fiction, which seemed very doable to me. So I thought.

And I thought.

I knew I wanted to write fantasy. That was easy. So I looked to some of my favorite movies for inspiration. I’m still introducing my kids to the best movies I remember from growing up, and one particular night it happened to be time for Labyrinth. While David Bowie’s tights in that movie never did sit right with me, I still love the story, characters, and magic. It was with that in my head that I tucked my kids in that night and headed off to take my shower.

Isn’t it funny how we, as human beings, seem to find inspiration while doing water-based activites? There’s a well-known myth that Archimedes coined the term “eureka” whilest in the bath (I’m disregarding the fact that this is probably not even true ). It was during my shower that I thought of what was the initial title of TDT. Originally, I had thought to call it The Dream King. The problem with giving a book a title before its written is that the title may not apply anymore once the story takes its course. So was the case with The Dreamer’s Thread, but that’s neither here nor there. The intitial inspiration is what we’re talking about.

I am not an organized writer. Half the thrill of writing, for me, is seeing where the plot will go. I get to find out what happens next just as the characters do.

Granted, not all writers can work like that. Many of them craft notes and storyboards and word webs and lots of other organizational things before they put the first word on paper. I can’t write under those kinds of constraints. Even in high school I preferred to just start writing the paper and skip all those intermediate steps the teacher would insist on us turning in to prove we did the research. Just always seemed like two or three times the work for the same result in the end.

But enough about my writing habits. On to November 2007 and my first NaNoWriMo.

When November 1st kicked off, I was unable to join in. Three days later, I sat down at my computer and began typing furiously. I was behind the curve already, and I had to finish early. My husband was deployed at the time, somewhere in the middle of the ocean somewhere, and I knew approximately what date I needed to finish so it wouldn’t interfere with family time upon his return. So yeah, typing furiously.

I was coasting along nicely, passing 5k, then 8k after a few days. Then, I got stuck. I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and to help me come up with names. I was sort of stuck at home with my two young kids, so going to a local write-in was out. I would never get anything done if I brought them with me. I discovered NaNoWriMo had an IRC chatroom, so I tried that route first. Took me all of 10 minutes to get fed up with the elitism and holier-than-thou attitude of the folks in there. This was only my first NaNoWriMo, and the chatroom was filled with veterans who only wanted to talk to other veterans. I was irritated. Surely somewhere there was an online community I could interact with where I wouldn’t feel snubbed and uncomfortable.

I then remembered the little game I had played a bit that summer, called Second Life. With all the creative folks there, surely there was a group of people doing NaNoWriMo, or at least other writers I could commiserate with. So, I logged in.

The setting for 2007 NNWM write ins in SL

What I found was an UH-MAZ-ING group of individuals that not only were trying their hand at this November madness, but they were super friendly and unparalleled in their willingness to help. There was one group in particular that held regular meetings several times a week where we’d discuss our progress, and then hold a word war during the last half.

A what? A word war. This is where you have a set amount of time and everyone writes as many words as they possibly can in that time period. The winner doesn’t get anything really, save for bragging rights and another chunk towards their 50k words. For those of us with a competitive streak (ok, guilty as charged), it’s quite the rush. And it forces you to just write without editing everything you type. Editing is for December. LOL.

There was a time or two the group leader couldn’t make a meeting and I volunteered to step in and take her place. I ended up spending a lot of time in Second Life that month. Word Wars can be slightly addictive and if you’re not careful you start to rely on them for reaching your word goal.

A spontaneous write-in in SL 2007

I found that it wasn’t just the word wars I like, however. In Second Life you find avatars of all shapes, sizes, and species, and truly original names and personalities. Admittedly, I took advantage of this and stole names and avatar description (always with permission people!) for my own story. Ina, Dedric, Sirahal, Squiddy…just a few of my writing buddies that ended up as character fodder. But that’s what writers do, isn’t it? They pull from the real and transform it into art.

Write in NNWM 08

One of the greatest benefits to doing NNWM in Second Life is that pajamas are perfectly acceptable attire. Showers not required. There are generally folks available 24 hours a day in one part of the world or another ready and willing to battle it out in a word war or lend a hand if you get stuck in a plothole. It’s incredibly convenient, and the people are super duper friendly and always get my Monty Python/Douglas Adams references. Somewhere around here I have an in-world snapshot of myself and two of my cohorts motivating ourselves with guillotines and nooses and a rack or something. If I find it, I’ll post it. (Found it! See below!) Good clean fun, that. LOL.

We give up! (or do we?)

I’m really excited for November again this year. I have a few projects I can work on (a TDT sequel or short stories or an unrelated steam punk story) and I can’t wait to have a reason to throw myself into those ideas, whichever one I choose to work on. I plan on organizing meetings again this year, but I will have considerably less time to devote to it as I am enrolled in college again and have the podcast I’m working on. If you’d like to lend a hand or just join up with us, shoot me a notecard or IM in world. Just search for PhoebeAnn Theas and you’ve found your girl! I’m not around too much these days, but I will definitely get back with you as soon as I can.

I think that’s about enough for this long-winded post. I could probably write a novel just about why I love the NaNoWriMo and SecondLife combination. Maybe I’ll use that idea this fall…hmmm…

X

Episode 3 won’t be out until tomorrow, so instead of torturing myself with its awesomeness, I spent some of the evening reviewing the rough cut of episode 4.

I’m still silently SQUEEing over Chris Snelgrove’s Dedric. Trying to be silent anyway. Once you get to know this character, I think you’ll understand why I’m so damned impressed with his voice acting skillz. While you would think Cheyenne Wright’s Cyrus or Philippa Ballantine’s Rose would be my favorite (and amazing they both truly are), Dedric has stolen the writer’s heart in me wholly. I had no idea when I wrote him he would become my favorite, but authors can’t always tell who their favorite is until the project is done. Being as The Dreamer’s Thread was written in the first person point of view, it was hard to step back from Aura and see the characters through my own eyes while writing them. I guess once I started editing and then casting for the podcast, I began feeling more protective of some characters than others. The scenes with Dedric were always fun to write, but reading them, and then hearing them brought to life by Chris, well, I just love them to bits. The relationship Aura and Dedric have is very much like many relationships I’ve had in the past, and also currently. I have many Dedrics in my life. They know who they are. I shall refrain from calling them out here.

So this is what you folks have to look forward to, as though the pending awesome of episode 3 hanging over us wasn’t enough. For a listen to what Mr. Snelgrove is capable of (and this is quite a lot), check out the House of Grey podcast. It’s nearing the last episode (two or three eps left, I think), so you’ve got plenty to listen to in between episode releases of The Dreamer’s Thread.

Until tomorrow, my lovelies. Only 24 hours to go before episode 3 goes live!

xxx

Total Word Count Today….

(drum roll please)

94,016!!!!!

Hoo!

*collapses into an exhausted heap*

LOL

Total word count as of this moment: 91.659 words.

But at least I’m writing! LOL

Total Word count as of today: 88,479.