Magic of Eyri has been nominated for two Parsec Awards!

• Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team
• Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast

The Parsec Awards are,

“Dedicated to rewarding excellence in various aspects of Speculative Fiction Podcasting.”

This is a great honor, but–I have to wait and hear if I’m a finalist. That should be next month. I had to turn in a sample containing three segments I thought best showcased the areas I was nominated in. Those segments could only come from the first season (my first year of eligibility).

Winners are picked from the finalists, and the awards are given out at Dragon*Con in September. Winners don’t have to be present to win, and I don’t think they let the winners know ahead of time, so if (if) I were a finalist, I would have to head down there and hope for the best (and I probably would, if I could swing it financially/time off wise).

But even being a finalist would be amazing!

July Break!

There will not be any episodes released during July because I am moving and it could be awhile before I get settled and have Internet again. I decided to play it safe and also to give myself a break. I earned it. After this week’s episode, the next episode will be available August 4th.

If you are hurting for something to listen to in July, check out my other podcast, LansingNext. It is a weekly talk show.

Here’s what the schedule will be for the next three weeks (starting this Weds.)

• 05.05.10 – “Adapting Your Novel to a Podcast” with Mary Robinette Kowal. Run time: around 55 minutes
• 05.12.10 – “Humor in Science Fiction and Fantasy” with Jim C. Hines and Brian Briggs. Run time: around 50 minutes.
• 05.19.10 – Magic of Eyri episode 024 “Flight of the Griffin”

I’ll record short intros for the panels and make them sound nice in GarageBand before putting them online. We’ll be back to our regular schedule on 06.02.10 with Episode 025. I decided I wanted to get the audio from these panels online ASAP while they are still fresh, and each of them are a fun listen.

Here’s a tentative run down of the panels I’ll be on, as like any convention, my schedule is subject to change. Penguicon is Apr. 30th thru May 2nd.

We Made It to the Oscars!
2009 had an unprecedented number of sci-fi films nominated for Academy Awards. Does this mean sci-fi is going mainstream?

Saturday 11AM
Daniel J. Hogan (m), Doselle Young, Catherine Shaffer

I’m looking forward to this one and it looks like I’m the moderator. It should be a fun chat and hopefully all in good fun. I like that they are listing moderators ahead of time. Since I’m modding this one, I had better come up with some questions or notes ahead of time.

Humor in Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Science Fiction is about Serious Things. Fantasy is about Causes and Quests. Wait, you mean they can be funny too? Puns, jokes, and running gags abound on this panel that pokes fun at works that take themselves a tad too seriously.

Saturday 2PM
Daniel J. Hogan, Jim C. Hines, Brian Briggs (m)

Jim, Brian and I were on this same panel last year and it was a hoot. I’m very much looking forward to this one as well. I think this would be the third time Jim and I have been on a panel focusing on humor in sci-fi and fantasy.

Publicity 101
You have a book coming out and a shoestring to promote it on. What’s an author to do?
Saturday 5PM
Daniel J. Hogan, Cherie Priest, Patrick Rothfuss (m), Brian Briggs

I certainly know a lot about this. The Internet and social media has made it easy and affordable to market yourself and your work.

Adapting a Novel to a Podcast
With our constantly-on-the-go culture, why not make your work even more available (and safe!) for our commuter-based society! Two veterans of aural performance help you get started.
Sunday 9AM
Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel J. Hogan

I like that I’m described as a veteran of aural performance. That made my day right there. But, I guess with over 20 podcast episodes under my belt, that is an honest description. Heck, how many dozens of character voices have I done? Too many. But I love it. I was on a few panels with Mary last year and I’m looking forward to chatting with her again.

I’m only on four panels this time around (unless something changes) but that’s fine by me. I tend to over do it at some conventions and it’ll be nice to have time to relax (and I don’t have to worry about rushing down there on Friday either). Plus, I’ll have a girlfriend in tow and it wouldn’t be much fun for her if I was on panels all day and night.

I’ve scaled way back on how I do conventions vs. one and especially two years ago. I’m not even bringing any books this time. It is just isn’t cost effective any more and I feel I’m better off burning a bunch of podcast CDs and giving those out. I typically get a few online sales after any convention I’m a guest at, so I’m hoping that trend continues. I’ll confess that I’m always a bit nervous about being on panels with well-known writers and I kind of feel out of place at times, but typically everyone is very friendly and my worries are for not.

I really enjoy conventions. They are a great recharge to the creative batteries and I get to meet folks who have bought my book and/or listen to the podcast in person. Nothing in the world tops a stranger stopping you in a hotel lobby and saying how much they loved your book. Nothing.

I’m taking December off, and I think I’ve earned it. Fear not, episode 016 will be ready to go on the 6th–see you in 2010!

New, free episodes of the Magic of Eyri Podcast are available every other Wednesday, starting January 6th 2010.

Need to catch up or are new to the podcast? Check out the Episodes page.

Looking for a great gift this holiday season (pick your holiday of choice)? Why not buy a copy of the original Magic of Eyri novel?  Available through Lulu and Amazon.

In our last episode: Zeroth and Uncle Shameless’ fight continued. Steve learns that not everything in Eyri obeys the laws of science. A member of The Five betrays the band and the raven twins show up to make matters worse.

To Listen: click on the gray play button below.

To Download the MP3: Right Click on the Download link, choose Save Target As or Save Link As from the menu and then choose where to save the .MP3 on your hard drive.

Listen to the First Episode :: Episode List

Get podcast updates in your email!

-Support this Free Podcast-

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon :: Download a .PDF :: Donate

Technical Notes: Some sound effects courtesy of Freesound.org (User Attribution list). Other sound effects and music by GarageBand.

For more information on the story, please visit the About and Characters pages. These sections will be updated as episodes are put online since I don’t want to spoil too much ahead of time.

Cast:
Daniel J. Hogan
(Host, Narrator, Characters)

Robin Hudson
(Eira the pelican)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (01.06.10): Packing It In Note the date! There will not be any episodes released in December.  I’m taking the month “off” to build up a stockpile of episodes.  Even though I won’t be releasing episodes, I will still be working on them. Make sure to come back in January.

Ramblings: Yes, it is true: I’m not releasing any episodes in December.  This is to give myself a bit of a break and to help create some breathing room between working on episodes.  Plus, I know I’ll be busy because of the holidays and not having to worry about releasing episodes on top of everything will be nice. This was a bittersweet episode to make, as it means the last time a couple of characters will appear.

Rate This Podcast on iTunes :: Vote on Podcast Alley

Facebook Fan Page

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

-The Magic of Eyri Podcast is best experienced with headphones-

I’m curious to see if releasing an episode in the middle of the week will make much of a difference in my own traffic.  Considering I only release stuff every other week, this is probably a good idea–as not too many people check websites on Sundays.

This also gives me the whole weekend to finish an episode if I don’t have it done in time.  Come back on Wednesday!

#

In writing news, I am now the Lansing Restaurant Examiner for Examiner.com.  I do reviews of restaurants around town.  I’m enjoying it so far.  I also started doing a weekly fantasy hockey column for IllegalCurve.com.

I see it as a fun way to expand the Magic of Eyri universe a bit.  Can’t promise frequent updates, but you never know.  I have my own account (@danieljhogan) that I update a few times a day however, and it appears in the side bar of the website (and my personal website).

I may do a page here with Steve’s Twitter updates.

Speaking of page updates, I updated the Cast page — and I’m pleased as punch to announce Robin Hudson (of Angel Between the Lines and other podcasts) as our newest cast member.  Robin will be providing the voice of Eira the pelican, starting with Episode 010, “Are You a Pelican or a Pelican’t.”

Read all about in my blog post.

Remember: I’m giving out free CDs with the first three episodes of The Magic of Eyri–and episode 003 doesn’t go oline until after Penguicon (5.10), so you’ll get a sneak peek.  If you can’t find a free CD in any of the freebie areas (tables, etc) just ask me for a copy. I’m bringing an extra spindle of blank CDs in case I run out, they won’t have printed labels but you’ll still get the episodes.

Also, an article I wrote is now online, read it at Lansing Capital Gains.