Friday, February 29, 2008

My First Radio Show Airs Tonight at AdAstraRadio.com!

Listen to my first radio show--ever--at http://www.adastraradio.com/! It's a show about Science Fiction & Fantasy movies called The Final Cut in Movies (http://www.finalcutinmovies.com/) where we put science fiction & fantasy center stage. We'll be talking about the Spiderwick Chronicles, the Academy Awards, and other science fiction and fantasy news.

Click here from 8:00 to 9:00pm to tune in (and then click the "Listen Live" button on the top right)! If you miss that, tune in from 9:00 to 10:00pm. Oh, and it's Eastern Standard Time.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Freak Out: I Can't Believe I'm Actually Doing This!

I have a confession to make. Are you ready?

I'm scared to death to record myself.

That's right. I'm sitting here with my notebook, notes in hand, my new soundboard, new microphone, new sound editing program, ready to go--and I'm freaking out. Pretty sad, huh? Especially since I'm prerecording tomorrow night's show, so I can re-record everything over as many times as I would like. I can even take out long pauses where I don't know what to say.

My feet are freakin' sweating here.

So, there you have it. My little confession. I can speak in front of gobs of people without worrying, but I'm scared to record my own voice. Don't worry. I'll get over it... I hope.

So visit my new website, The Final Cut, listen to me pretend not to be scared on Ad Astra Radio tomorrow night at http://www.adastraradio.com/.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Events for the Week: February 24th-March 1

Here are my events for the week:

Friday, February 29th: 3:15-5:00: Radio interviews on Praise FM 89.5. I'll probably be recording an interview with Suzy Sky (to be played later), but that's not confirmed yet, and I'll be on the air with Arnie Coones--possibly at 4:30. Once I get the times, I'll let you know. I'll be discussing my new radio show as well as my book signing on Saturday.

Friday, February 29th, 8:00-9:00pm: The Final Cut. My First Radio show! I'll be discussing The Spiderwick Chronicles, the Academy Awards, and the latest science fiction & fantasy movie news. (Davian fans, don't worry. We will be starting an Elysian Chronicles radio program, but we figured it would be easier to get one program off the ground at a time.)

Saturday, March 1st, 10:00am-12:00pm: Book Signing at Barnes & Noble. Catch me at Barnes & Noble (Waterside Shops in Naples) for a good conversation and (of course) to sign A Prophecy Forgotten: Book I of the Elysian Chronicles.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Win a Free Signed Copy of Out of the Shadows!

If you missed my newsletter, The Elysian Chronicle, I am holding a contest, and the winner will receive a free signed copy of Out of the Shadows: Book II of the Elysian Chronicles (once it comes out). All you have to do is read the Out of the Shadows prologue and first two chapters on my website (www.elysianchronicles.com) and take a guess at the following question:

At the end of Chapter Two: Unmasking the Truth, who do you think told Davian, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this?”

E-mail me (mbweston@elysianchronicles.com) with your guess. Those who guess correctly will be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of Out of the Shadows once it is released.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Radio Program Update

Here are a few updates regarding the possible Elysian Chronicles radio program:

Ad Astra Radio has approved my ideas for a movie critique radio program and an Elysian Chronicles radio program. They may even provide male voices, which is an unexpected benefit. I can certainly imitate a male voice, but it just doesn't sound the same, and I'm not sure how Elysian Chronicles fans would take to hearing Davian sound like me talking low. Hmmm.

I've ordered the equipment, which includes a microphone (never knew how expensive one of those could be) a sound mixer, headphones, a microphone desk stand that can double as a murder weapon in Clue, cables to connect everything, and a pair of headphones. Once it comes in, I'll have to figure out how to use it. (It's like giving a three-year-old an electric blender...)

Time table: I don't have a time table as to when the first show will air, yet. Ad Astra and I want to get it started as soon as possible, but I need some prep time. Aside from learning how to use the equipment, I plan to spend the next two weeks:
  • Doing some serious planning, as I have to basically plan out about 200 years of Davian's life and decide what parts I will tell on the radio program and what parts I will save for future novels.
  • Writing scripts. In my case, half-scripts. I'm like George Bush when it comes to speaking--I suck when I get a script. Just let me tell the story, baby....
  • Developing new characters. Can you believe that Marcus doesn't even exist in this part of Davian's life? (Well, he exists, but not as an RSO. He's either still on Earth guarding humans or in LAF waiting for an RSO call up at this point. Wow, Marcus as an LAF-lackey. Now that's funny.) Don't worry, Marcus fans. I'll bring him in eventually. (There's actually this really great back story that tells why Marcus is so loyal to Davian, but you'll have to wait for it--tee hee.) And yes, at this point, Davian and Eric are best friends--I've got to be true to the story, so I don't want any hate mail from anyone. (Think of Eric as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episodes 1-3, except he doesn't whine as much.)
  • Figuring out how to bring in more of the creatures of Heaven's Realm. In A Prophecy Forgotten, I focus on cherubians, unicorns, and mornachts, but I allude to other creatures, such as gnomes, fauns, nymphs, sprites, minotaurs, and dragons. In Out of the Shadows, I develop the dragons and gnomes (and one little tousle with a minotaur), but little else. I'll be bringing in more of the creatures in Heaven's Realm in the radio program.

The Elysian Chronicle: February 2008

Inside Heaven’s Realm: Contest!
It’s time for a little guessing game. If you haven’t read the prologue and first two chapters of Out of the Shadows, read them so you can guess the answer to the following question:

At the end of Chapter Two, who told Davian, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this?”

E-mail me with your guess. Those who guess correctly will be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of Out of the Shadows once it is released.

Last Month’s Contest
Congratulations to Caitlin Hoy, who won last months’ contest. She will be receiving a signed copy of Out of the Shadows once it comes out.

Breaking News

The Elysian Chronicles to Become a Weekly Internet Radio Program!
Elysian Chronicles fans, you’ll soon be able to get your Davian fix regularly! I’ve reached preliminary agreements with the science fiction Internet radio station, Ad Astra Radio to begin broadcasting an Elysian Chronicles radio program that will tell the story of Davian’s life just after he graduated from RSO Training (about 200 years before the beginning of A Prophecy Forgotten). Keep checking my blog, To Elysia & Back Again, and The Elysian Chronicles website for updates as they come in, including starting dates and times.

Out of the Shadows: Book II of the Elysian Chronicles Publication Time Table
Fans of The Elysian Chronicles will be excited to hear that Out of the Shadows is next in line to be edited, and is expected out early in 2008. You can monitor its progress by clicking here.

If you want to receive a postcard, notifying you as soon as it’s released, click here and fill out the form!

Website Updates

Pardon Our Dust!
The new Elysian Chronicles radio program will mean multiple changes to the website, so please be patient if certain pages are closed off for “construction” purposes.

Author Events

February looks pretty slow—a blessing considering I will be spending most of the month writing and preparing for The Elysian Chronicles radio program. I have only two events this month:

Open Mic Night @ Barnes & Noble
Join me at Open Mic Night at Barnes & Noble Naples on the 1st Tuesday night of each month! Bring your writing, your singing voice, or your instrument (or any combination of the 3), and let’s have some fun!

Young Writers of Naples
Join me and other high school students at Barnes & Noble Naples from 10:00-12:00 on the 3rd Saturday of each month.