Email blog posts?

This is a test, not of the emergency broadcast system, but of the "Renee wants to be able to blog from Africa using email" system.

I'm not in Africa--yet.

I'm still home using my trusty home computer. But I'm hoping to be able to write up what's happening on my trip while I'm gone, and post it here, for anyone interested. The lodges I'm visiting are supposed to have internet access available. Isn't that crazy? Internet capability in the middle of the Serengeti!

So I'm emailing this post so I can see if it'll work.

And if anyone is wondering about episode 24 of Dreaming of Deliverance...

It might not make it up until Saturday. I'm so sorry. It's a combination of me running around going nuts trying to get ready for this last minute trip, and a few technical issues with podiobooks (Evo is out of town) and Libsyn (the server that podiobooks uses).

Please accept my sincere apologies. I've always tried really hard to get the episodes out weekly, and I think I've done pretty well, so far. But there's no team of people here making it happen, it's all me, and sometimes I can't get everything done that I want to get done.

Okay, now to hit send and see if this makes it to my blog! I'm such a dork, but I find this all very exciting!

Even more rushed than usual!

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There's so much I want to tell you! I have a new promo for Dreaming of Deliverance, put together by Kenn Crawford, and it's a huge improvement over my original promo. I can't wait to share it with you. Also, I just reviewed Michele Bekemeyer's podcast novel, Trapping A Duchess, which is terrific. I'd love to explain why, but no time. You can see my podiobooks.com review, however, here.

Why am I so rushed? Several reasons: I am subbing for a 1st/2nd grade class this morning and then I have to finish editing episode 24 of Dreaming of Deliverance. Oh there's also the trivial matter that I need to get ready for a little jaunt to Tanzania!

Yes, really! I'll be there a week from today!

I leave on Saturday and will be gone for two weeks. This all came up last minute but it's such a great opportunity, I can't turn it down. I've always wanted to go on safari!

So there's lots to say and I'll write more before I go, but for now I have to dash!

Episode 23 is Live!

Yay! Better late than never, right? This is a special episode to me both because of the big turning point in the story, and also because of the kitty cameo. My cat Bristle died right around the time I was editing this section of the book, so I modified the description of the cat in the store room to look like her. :o)

Hope you enjoy the episode!

Oh, I almost forgot: The bonus episodes at REChambliss.com are in the works, and I'm going to be unveiling the new Dreaming of Deliverance promo in a day or so. Check back soon!

I'm late!

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With episode 23, that is. Big apologies to anyone waiting. I'm working on it and should have it finished soon. I was all set to have it edited yesterday (I usually audio edit the episodes on the weekends), but as I was working through it, I realized that I'd forgotten to record a whole page of text. Doh!

So I set up the tent this morning and recorded that page before everyone woke up. Have I mentioned that the kids have been off school since Friday the 12th? And Dreaming of Deliverance not being exactly kid friendly, I can't record when they are here and conscious.

But I can't wait to have it up and posted because things are heating up even more for Lindsay and the people of Trae! It'll be worth the wait, I promise.

Also, I'm really going to try to have the bonus episodes back up at www.REChambliss.com this week. I have been a big slacker about that, but after listening to Michele Bekemeyer's fabulous Trapping A Duchess podiobook (more about that soon!), I remembered how nice it is to have that little something extra from the author. My only excuse is that I'm still so ignorant about all the technical aspects of websites and setting up podcast feeds. But I'll figure it all out and get it up and running. Plus it allows me to talk to you all some more, and I love doing that!

Thanks so much for your patience! Now back to editing...

Podiobook Episode Length Disclaimer

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A month or so ago, I became aware that podcast novel listeners prefer the episodes of the novels to which they subscribe to be all approximately the same length: from 20 minutes to 40 minutes. Well, I internalized the 20 to 40 minute part of that, but not the all roughly the same length part.

Dreaming of Deliverance has episodes that range from 12 minutes long to almost 50 minutes.

Whoops!

Now I'm trying to keep them more consistent. But being stubborn, I'm not going to hold so fast to that guideline that I break them up in ways that don't work for the story. When I was editing Episode 18, I realized that the episode I'd planned--which consisted of all of Chapter 21--was going to end up being almost an hour. So I decided to cut it into two episodes, dividing it at a point that seemed both logical and suspenseful, and also happened to be halfway through the chapter.

The episode I just posted is the first part of Chapter 22. It's going to be shorter than the second half, but from a story perspective, its ending point is a more logical (and again, suspenseful) place to put in a break.

Anyway, I'm hoping that from Episode 18 on, the episodes will all be more consistent in length, not perfectly consistent, but better than what's come up to that point.

Huge apologies to anyone who was bugged by the length variety earlier on. What can I say? I'm still learning!

The Boom Effect

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A couple of weeks ago I logged onto Twitter and read some shocking news. Tee Morris's wife Natalie had died unexpectedly. Now I don't know Tee personally, but I certainly know of him. He is the first person to podcast a novel (Morevi). In addition he is one of the founders of Podiobooks.com, and co-wrote (with the other founder, Evo Terra) Podcasting for Dummies, which I've relied on heavily ever since I decided to try my hand at podcasting.

So without Tee Morris, there probably wouldn't be so many novels being podcasted. There certainly wouldn't be a podcast novel version of Dreaming of Deliverance. He's a founding father in the podcast novel world.

But more importantly, he's also a real father: of a 5-year-old girl whom he refers to online as "Sonic Boom."

When you become a mother, you have to face many new fears. One of the biggest I've faced, is the thought of what would happen to my kids if I died. They have many people who love them, and I know that ulitmately they would be okay, but no one wants their children to have to deal with even the smallest hurt. And what could be more devastating to young children than the loss of their mother? I really can't allow my mind to go there and imagine the pain and loss they'd experience. It's too scary.

But Sonic Boom is living that reality. Her mother is gone. And her dad, Tee, is now faced with the prospect of raising her alone.

When the podcasting community learned of this tragic situation, they responded in a big way. You know how when someone you care about is dealing with a big loss, you wish you could do something to make it easier for them? Well the podcasting community is doing something. They set up a "Chip In" account to help Tee with funeral costs, and enough was raised that the excess was placed into a trust fund for Sonic Boom to help with her college expenses someday.

Now Phillipa Ballentine, my favorite podcast novel author, is orchestrating a fundraiser called "The Boom Effect", where lots of great and sometimes one-of-a-kind items will be auctioned off on line on February 27th. The proceeds will go into Sonic Boom's trust fund.

I'm donating a signed copy of the print version of Dreaming of Deliverance. So if you've been listening to the podcasts, and don't want to wait to find out what happens (we're about 1/2-way through with the story now), you can bid on DoD. Or if you were considering ordering a copy anyway, bid on it at the auction. I will pay to ship the book anywhere in the world.

But there's much more available. Definitely go and check out all that everyone has donated. I'm sure you'll find something that you'd love to bid on. It won't give Sonic Boom her mother back, or return Tee's wife to him, but you could end up with something really special, and by participating in the Boom Effect, you will help make things somewhat easier for Tee and his little girl during this terrible time.

Thanks so much.

I'm testing my voice...

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...this week. I recorded every day while the kids were at school. Both for Dead Hunt, and for Dreaming of Deliverance. I think I need to look into the proper way to read aloud, because my voice is feeling a little strained. But I don't think I'll be able to record much next week because Monday is a holiday and I'm subbing Tuesday and Wednesday, so I wanted to get a lot done while I could.

I'm really enjoying narrating Kenn Crawford's novel. And I'm REALLY enjoying only recording, and not having to do the audio editing! He gets to edit out all of the retakes, loud intakes of breath, and lip smacks. You never realize how many extraneous noises you make until you have to listen that closely to yourself. Although, there's something to be said for reading your own words and knowing how to pronounce everything. Dead Hunt takes place in Nova Scotia and the names of the various locations in the story don't exactly trip of the tongue of this west-coaster. I've even been forced to learn how to pronounce a Gaelic phrase. That was interesting!

But I'm still not writing, and that sucks! I've got to figure out how to squeeze it in!

A New Unpublishednotdead is Imminent!

I recorded it in the early morning yesterday by the light of the Christmas tree. :o)



See? That's where I was sitting on the couch. There's the towel on the table sopping up the spilled water. There's my sock-covered microphone and pantyhose pop filter!

What on earth am I talking about? Well, listen and find out! Although I guess I don't explain the pop filter this time: that was in my first UPND. In this one, I'm trying to be little r more than I have before (and I explain what that means). I also talk about my super-conflicted feelings concerning self-publishing and self-promoting and the realization I've finally come to that makes it all easier to handle.

I'll add the link as soon as it's live!

Talk to you soon!

Promo!

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Okay, enough whining! Check out the promo for the DoD podcast.

It's here!

Social Networking Blues

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I haven't blogged in awhile. I think it's because I started tweeting a little over a month ago. That means posting at Twitter.com, if you weren't already familiar with the lingo. It's a good thing for an author to do, apparently, and should help get the word out about me and Dreaming of Deliverance.

But while I have found some good information from others' tweets, and have connected with a few listeners to the podcast novel version of DoD (which is SO fabulous!) for the most part Twitter is completely stressing me out!

There are people who tweet all the time. Funny tweets. Informative tweets. Tweets that promote their work.

I'm trying, but it's hard not to feel like the little awkward girl at a party who jumps up and down in the corner and squeals, "Notice me! Notice me!"

I respond to the tweets that pique my interest or make me laugh. I congratulate people who tweet about their accomplishments. I try to self-promote in a way that will attract potential readers/listeners and not annoy or worse repel them. But often I feel like I'm spinning my wheels and not doing enough.

My calmer, more logical side says these things take time. The majority of the people I follow on Twitter are new to me--podcast novel people mostly. I'm guessing the longer I'm there, the more real connections I'll make. And I have had some great interactions! One of the tweets I responded to last week, led to a new listener, who just wrote a great review a podiobooks.com. (Thanks, Kenn!) I get to communicate with people from all over the world, and gain insights into the minds and experiences of veteran writers and podcasters. All of that is really, really positive.

But still...to me Twitter is a microcosm of the internet as a whole. It can be very useful and entertaining, but it can also be super-stressful and a huge time suck.

And now that I've written about this here, I have to decide: Do I tweet about it? Is this something I want to admit to my 100+ followers?

It's why I haven't blogged lately, because most Twitter users tweet about their blog entries and I'm not sure my blog ramblings are tweet worthy--especially one about Twitter insecurity. I don't even have a "Follow me on Twitter" button here on Pointed Squiggle or at REChambliss.com.

Guess I'd better get going on that! I'll add it to my chronically lengthening to-do list.

But in the meantime, if you want to follow me on Twitter, search for "reneechambliss". I'm there. Trying to get to know people. Trying to connect about reading, writing, podcasting, and independent authordom. I see the value to Twitter, I really do.

So I'll also try to stop jumping up and down in the corner.

Well, duh! Post an excerpt!

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So while perusing information on self-promotion yesterday I came across something so obvious, I can't believe I never thought of it myself.

When you're in a bookstore, or in the library and you see an appealing book, what do you do? You pick it up and open it and see if the writing style and tone appeal to you.

But when you're shopping online you can't do that. So an author with a book for sale online needs to have an excerpt available, so that online shoppers can virtually pick up the book and flip through it. Duh!

So, I've put up Chapters 1-3 on my author web site. You can either read them right there at the site, or download a .pdf version. And I'm hoping to get an excerpt at the Amazon listing too.

I'm slow sometimes, but I can be taught!

(And yes my neck still hurts! I need to find a good masseuse, I think!)

Coming soon to podiobooks.com...

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...this intriguing, compelling novel called Dreaming of Deliverance!!

The whole reason I started this blog way back when was to motivate myself to finish the first draft and now there's an actual physical book that people can buy, Kindle people can download the Kindle version, and starting Monday, October 26, podcast novel listeners can download free audio episodes at podiobooks.com!

Wow!

I'm not very good at pausing and thinking about my goals once they've been achieved--I tend to focus more on whatever I need/want to do next--but today I am going to stop and reflect on all that's been accomplished since this blog began.

I'll say it again...

Wow!

Slacker be me

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So ungrammatic, but so true. (And if you were wondering, "ungrammatic" is apparently not grammatically correct either!)

Actually, to give myself a break, I'm not a slacker in general, just when it comes to updating this blog, because:

Now you can listen to Dreaming of Deliverance, the podcast novel version, episodes 1-4!

Check them out at:

REchambliss.com, click "Hear DOD" and you should find them. If not, let me know!

I'm having a lot of fun recording these. I hope you are enjoying listening to them!

Tranquility Has Been Achieved

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Well, maybe not complete tranquility, but I am much calmer today.

The triathlon was great! I swam, I biked, I ran! And I'm definitely doing it again next year.

As for the website podcast glitch, it appears to be resolved. I still need to figure out how to get the podcast on iTunes, but one thing at a time, right?

So if you want to listen to Episode 1 of Dreaming of Deliverance, the podcast version, click here. Then click on "Dreaming of Deliverance Episode 1 + Bonus", and you should be able to hear it. Let me know if you can't.

And let me know what you think! :o)

Where Renee Freaks Out Again

I'm freaking out! Again! Fitting, I suppose, since I haven't freaked out in awhile and that used to be the theme of this blog way back in the early days. I'd freak out, and blog about it. But then, I stopped freaking out as much and also got sick of writing about it, so that's why there aren't so many entries these days.

But today? Ick! The anxious adrenaline is flowing.

Why?

Two reasons. One is that I just can't get the web site to work as I'd like. The first podcast cuts out half-way through and I have no idea why. So I'm trying to figure that out because some wonderful supportive family members have been getting the word out about Dreaming of Deliverance's availability and I want newcomers to me and my web site to have a good experience, not a frustrating one where things don't work as they should.

The second reason? Tomorrow I'm doing my first triathlon. I just got back from the "1st Timer's Clinic" and now I'm a big nervous mess. It's going to be tough and I don't know how it's going to go.

And I just want the web site to work!

Bleck!

I'm going to give up in a minute and go home and rest up for tomorrow. So for anyone who is checking this blog out for the first time? Please bear with me! I've figured out quite a bit about this independent publishing thing so far, and I'm sure I can figure this out too! Come back in a couple of days when I'll probably be nice and calm again!

I'm out there and I'm LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! (Not really, but I am out there.)

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I'm basically an introvert--not the type of person who likes to be the center of attention. But because I'm independently publishing Dreaming of Deliverance, I need to put myself out there. So I am. And it's a little uncomfortable, but it's also kind of exciting because now Dreaming of Deliverance is available on Amazon! And I have an author web site! And the free podcast version, and the Kindle version should be ready soon!

So feel free to check out my brand-spanking new author web site REChambliss.com. There you will find links where you can order a print copy of Dreaming of Deliverance. And it will also be the place to go to find out when the podcasts will begin--soon, I promise. The podcasts are my next priority now that the website is up and running.

Anyway, I'm out there! There's no getting around it. Tell me what you think. I'm winging a lot of this, so if you have any suggestions for how I could make the site better, let me know!

Return to Squaw

Sometimes it's not a good idea to return to the past.

For example, I probably shouldn't ever look like this again:



Okay, I never really looked like that. I've been playing with Yearbook Yourself 2009. Although, my sister has some pretty scary photos of me from the 80s, the era of big hair, that I'm hoping she burns soon. It wasn't a flattering decade.

Anyway, I'm back at the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, and it's cool, but kind of weird too. I'm not doing the workshop this year and I like that I can attend the panel discussions, and craft talks without the pressure of giving feedback and the worry about my own writing being critiqued.

But at the same time, it's odd to be here, but not one of the participants. In some ways it's exactly the same as it was last year. I see all of the same kinds of people (including my type--horrifying as that is) but I'm looking at it from the outside, instead of experiencing it from within.

Okay, that sounds bizarre. And I don't think it was a mistake to come here, like a mullet and Crue t-shirt would be a mistake. But it is...strange.

I must think more on this!

The Cover!

Check out the cover to Dreaming of Deliverance! I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

We still have a ways to go before the book is available at Amazon, but seeing the cover design is making it seem all the more real. It's going to be an actual book! Very exciting!

Lots to say, little time to say it

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Quick update, you invisible friends of questionable reality.

The print version of Dreaming of Deliverance is underway and should be available in 3 short months!

I recorded a test episode of the podcast version and it went well enough that I'm ready to start recording the book for real. The podcasts should start around the time the print version is available.

There is SO much to learn about all of this. I'm taking it one step at a time, but it gets overwhelming. Next step is to write the back cover copy. Then I take on the intimidating, but oh-so-important task of setting up an author web site, which needs to be up and running once the book and podcasts "go live" (that's podiobook lingo, I think).

Meanwhile, I'm trying to work on my kids' book, I'm subbing an average of a couple of times a week, and doing all the house/kid/wife stuff.

Tired?

Yes.

Stressed?

Yes.

Trying to squeeze too much in?

Probably.

Things should get both easier and harder soon. School is out in less than a month, so no more subbing for a while. But that also means the kids will be home all day every day.

But now at least I can scratch "Update Blog" off my list!

Gotta like validation!

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Hey!

I came across this article this morning. It's more validation that going independent can be a viable option.

And both the podcast novel and the print version of Dreaming of Deliverance are getting closer to completion. I'll try to be better about keeping the blog updated on their progress.

Right now I'm working on the cover design and recording the first five episodes.

Exciting times!

More soon!