Hiddennode

So, right, the desk. These are a little old, but see previous posts for why they weren’t posted yet.

Let me start off by showing what my desk used to look like.

Note that I used to have a back panel on the desk. Still weird seeing that back wall now.

Okay, so the new desk. I ordered an Ameriwood Work Center-L desk from Amazon back in April. Not too expensive, but I was a little hesitant about ordering from a company I didn’t know. I would come to find out, my instincts were right. (see multiple angry tweets about not getting my instructions… that’s another story).

Fast forward to two weeks later. I have my instructions, and I’ve moved Trish’s desk where mine once was. This first shot is a few steps in and the top is still upside down.

So I start building higher and higher, getting more parts together and keeping cats from grabbing the tiny bits and screws.

Look! It’s standing! I’m so proud.

One wing done.

(Look, a cat distraction!)

And here’s the left wing. FYI, this step is recommended for two people. The manual is not lying. This was a pain in the ass crawling behind and attaching that wing. (Also, I got the top up too)

So, that’s the desk done. It’s a few weeks later and now here’s the current desk:

If you can name a few dozen geeky things in that picture, a cookie for you.

So, desk images delivered. Are you happy now Dakota?

nulloperations

A week later and I’m ready to start spreading some more love to the stories I’ve enjoyed: This week featuring two more of the founding fathers of podcast novels, Tee Morris and JC Hutchins.

Tee Morris

http://teemorris.com/

Stories I’ve Enjoyed:

Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword

The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery

Tee’s not only one of the founding fathers, he’s the ground breaker when he comes top podcasted novel length fiction. Tee’s fiction has a sense of playfulness mixed with fun stories. I’ve also listened to a number of his podcast projects such as his work on The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy and the work he does helping other podcasters get their groove on. Besides what I’ve read and listened to, he also has the novel Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana and the sequel Legacy of Morevi. Sorry to say I haven’t listened to or read these books yet, but given that the Billibub Baddings book are so awesomely win, I’m betting the Morevi series are just as strong. Personally though I’m looking forward to the next Billi story. I’ve loved the first two so far and I really want to know what happens next.

Get Tee’s books if you like a great action story mixed with loveable smartasses guiding you through the adventures. Ah the joy of a fantasy universe dwarf running around 1920’s Chicago.

JC Hutchins

http://jchutchins.net/

Stories I’ve Enjoyed:

The 7^th Son Trilogy

Personal Effects: Dark Art

JC Hutchins is a powerhouse in podcast advertising. My exposure to him came from the barrage of suggests from almost every podcast I listened to in 2007 when I really started to listen to podcasts. I jumped aboard the 7^th son ride and didn’t let go for 3 days as I mainstreamed the series. I’ve looking forward to the published versions coming out later this year. Recently, the novel Personal Effects: Dark Arts came out and forced itself into the mold for a new way to give a story. Augmented realty games and other projects have been out before, but PE:DA wraps this idea into the book and spreads it online.

If you enjoy thrillers that not only keep you guessing but also have familiar feeling characters, go with JC Hutchins’s books.

Okay, that’s it for this week. Both of these authors have really cemented in my love of what podcast authors can bring. They each appear to be on the verge of releasing even more great stories and books in the future. Check them out, buy their books, and spread the love.

nulloperations

I’ve learned a few things over the past few years that I’ve been writing such as the desire of creating, the impulse to write, and what helps spark the two of them. One of the greatest fuels for this spark has been reading. It seems, to my own style, that the more I read the more I write. In the last two years I have become exposed to a new crop of writers that I’ve come to enjoy to help spark my writing fuel. These authors vary in genre and style but all are wonderful reads.

Since I’ve added a number of them to the Amazon merry-go-round, I’m only going to list 2 today. In the coming month, I’ll take the time to do a post about the rest on the wheel.

So this month we look at the writers Scott Sigler and Mur Lafferty.



Mur Lafferty

http://murverse.com/

Stories I’ve enjoyed:

Heaven: Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Playing For Keeps

Various Escape Pod Pieces

Various Micro Projects

I think Mur was the first podcaster I listened to after listening to my first podcasts on NPR. I heard about Pseduopod and from there heard about more of her stuff and more podcasts. I’d eventually find her audio series, Heaven, on Podiobooks and just love them as the first novel or novella (depending if you consider the first two seasons two separate novellas or a single novel) I listened to in podcast format. It’s been an interesting series as it’s slowly grown organically. I look forward to when they are put into the trilogy of books (if they get combined season 1+2, season 3+4, and season 5 as a standalone). Season 5 is actually going on now as of the time of this post so it’s a really good time to jump into the series. The first four seasons go pretty quickly so don’t be intimidated by the number of seasons. Mur’s published novel, Playing for Keeps, is also a great read. There’s been a number of super hero fiction stories later coming into the published world and Playing For Keeps is a good example of the genre. The audio book, like all of Mur works, is available for download.

I recommend Mur’s works if you like a bit of urban fantasy mixed with comedy. There always seems to be a smile behind the character’s faces in Mur’s stories even when the action is rolling.



Scott Sigler

http://www.scottsigler.com/

Stories I’ve enjoyed:

Ancestor

Infected

Contagious

The Rookie

I really enjoy Scott’s works. His science is great, his characters are quirky, and his stories are spooky. I first heard about him from various podcasts from far point media and took the plunge with listening to Ancestor. I seriously loved the listen. I didn’t grab a copy of it at the time of the listen, but it did inspire me to continue listening. The Rookie was the next book I listened to by Scott. Never thought I’d like a book about football, but the way it was presented (and not just because it was a sci fi story) actually made it really interested. Still not into the sport, but now I understand it and the fascination more. I would next try to listen to Infected but as the hard cover was coming out; I bought that instead and read the rest of the story. Just my preference. I like Scott’s readings but I always prefer to read my novel length fiction. When Contagious hit this year, I grabbed it on both Hard Cover and kindle version. Those two books are a wonderful series (if you couldn’t tell, one is the sequel to the other). Again great story, great read, and great characters.

If you like horror with a bit of realty mixed in with Sci-Fi, I recommend Scott Sigler’s works. Listen to his podcasts, buy his books, and get hooked.



There you have it; two great authors from the podcasting world that are just getting better and better as time passes. In the coming weeks, I’ll be looking at a few other podcast authors I’ve enjoyed and maybe along the way I’ll take the time to expose myself to some more.

nulloperations

After a long delay, I’ve finally taken the time to install Google Analytics. Brief overview: GA basically allows folks to get really good reporting on their website. I’ve had it up a few days and I’m already seeing results. Why do I have it installed? Well, a few reasons. Firstly, I can better understand why and how people are coming to my site. I can also see where they go from my site (if they take links to leave the site). It helps with the ad thing and the building up thing.

Hey this site is for my writing business after all and as such I do have to take the time to make it efficient for me.

That said, something else is coming soon as well. I’ve signed up for Amazon and Google Ads. As the theme I make use of is right widget bar only, that’s where things are going to show up. Not sure what Google will show but Amazon will show links to things I talk about in the blog. Yes, that means once I talk about something, it’ll be easier for you to buy it. Makes sense right? A little “pimpage” when talking about something and getting a kickback if you readers buy it. And no, this blog isn’t going to become a big product review site. I’m going to talk about what I use, not what others want me to use. Expect mostly book links and other similar items. There will be no pressure to buy or click links. For one, that’s shady. For two, it’s against the Terms of Service I signed up for with Amazon and Google.

And personally, I don’t want Amazon and Google not liking me.

Jdiehl