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Welcome back to the Hangar Z Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Valor Plus. We are on our first stop of the 2026 Blades of Valor Tour. This is our third annual tour, and we are excited to be in the great state of Florida. Today we are with Lt Pilot Drew Nicoletti and Pilot Ron Bloezer from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit. Both are military veterans who bring that experience to one of the most versatile aviation units in the country. We'll take a deep dive into the Bell 429 and why it's such an outstanding platform for the wide range of missions this unit must be ready to handle. The conversation also covers how the aviation unit works closely with specialized teams including SWAT, K9, and Marine units, the extensive training cycle required to stay sharp across so many skill sets, and what emergency preparedness in Florida really looks like-from daily operations to major natural disasters. This is a great discussion on mission readiness, teamwork, aviation done right, so let's get started.Thank you to our sponsors Robinson Helicopter, Rotorcraft Support and Spectrolab.
Yuen Wo Ping and Jet Li are back. It's 1994 again and we're talking about Fists of Legend.---
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms. Films: How To Make A Killing, Wide Release EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, In Select IMAX Theaters|Expands February 27 Redux Redux, In Select Theaters I Can Only Imagine 2, In Select Theaters This Is Not a Test, In Select Theaters Threshold, Streaming on Peacock One Mile: Chapter One & Chapter Two, Two films available simultaneously on digital Blades of the Guardians, In Select Theaters The Dreadful, In Select Theaters Diabolic, Available on Digital and On Demand
In this episode Pemberton is still missing, there's a rooftop chase and a new character is introduced...Reza- LenaThe Magnificent Figaro- Danny DelucaGamemaster- Jared WitkofskyAl Key- Chris FrenchPerberton- Andrew Collins-AndersonKevin- Morgan JustTony 'The Toe' Tito- Chris ThielFeaturing music by Pressure Highway, Jordan Fickel, Danny Deluca and Motoshi Kosako This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Send a textWith the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics wrapping up soon, Shawn and Colin have set our sights on figure skating, with the 2000s comedy classic 'Blades Of Glory'. We discuss all those important things like the physicality of the stars, what would be clear violations in real figure skating competition, heightened realities, great supporting cast, and so very much more. Is this the best figure skating movie ever made? What did we think? Tune in to find out!5 Star reviews help drive us up the charts. Please take a minute and review us.If you would like to contact or donate to us: iusedtolikethisone@gmail.comwww.patreon.com/iusedtolikethisoneWebsite: www.iusedtolikethisone.comInstagram: @iusedtolikethisoneTwitter: @iused2likethis1Facebook: I Used To Like This OneBluesky: @iusedtolikethisone.bsky.socialCreated/Produced/Hosted by: Shawn Wells and Colin StewartEdited by: Shawn WellsOriginal Music by: Lindon Carter (look for his band 'Carter & the Capitals' on all music streaming platforms)Official Substitute Co-hosts: Aaron Knowles (@ShortBoxHero), Chris Goffredo. Sponsorship Corner sponsored by movieposters.com *****With over 100,000 titles to choose from, movieposters.com is the #1 destination for posters from your favorite films + stars. Use LIKETHISONE at checkout for 15% off your purchase. *****Special Thanks To: Tracy Sheremeta, Lindon Carter, David Son, Aaron Knowles, Chris Goffredo, Kris Wells and Graham Wells for their contributions to the show.Hear more content from Shawn with his other podcast 'In Front Of The Yellow Line'.Buy friend and sometimes co-host Aaron's Book! 'The Algorithmic Frontier: Exploring the Power of AI in Social Media and Content Creation' https://a.co/d/1gIpsgQ©️2026 And Sometimes Why? Productions.
Hoy nos acompaña Sech, que llega con su nuevo EP “ESA NOCHE TERMINÓ DE DÍA”, ocho canciones que recorren una madrugada completa —de la 1:00 AM a las 9:00 AM— entre reggaetón, dancehall y afrobeat, con colaboraciones junto a Danny Ocean, Myke Towers y Los Avengers. Hablamos de su presentación este 19 de febrero en Premio Lo Nuestro con “Novio No” y del homenaje a Arcángel. También recordó la noche histórica como primer invitado internacional en la residencia “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” de Bad Bunny. Pero la conversación fue más profunda: habló de cómo perdió peso y transformó su salud, opinó sobre el retiro de Rubén Blades, si alguna vez consideraría la política, cómo fue su llegada a Rimas Entertainment, y reaccionó a lo que dijo Farruko sobre los artistas que quieren copiar a Bad Bunny. Una entrevista honesta sobre evolución, mentalidad y la nueva etapa de Sech cuando sale el sol. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
'A spirited swashbuckling fantasy about family, revenge and the price of justice' - Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican GothicTwo sisters: divided by tragedy, united by steel. The incredible new novel in the Court of Shadows series by the bestselling author of TRAITOR'S BLADE and THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN!Blood Week may have been banned in Rijou, but the streets still run red - and now murder is being sanctioned by the courts. Only a reckless fool would believe they can beat the system. But then, the Greatcoats have always been more than a little reckless . . .Rijou's notorious Court of Blades is as corrupt as it is cutthroat, destroying lives with impunity. Now the city's all-powerful Ascendant Houses have started buying and selling verdicts to enslave and even execute those who oppose them.Into this depraved world of licensed death comes a mysterious duellist who dares to foil the intrigues of the city's elite. They call her Lady Consequence, but years ago she had a different name, until her family was slaughtered and she was consigned to the hellish prison known as the House of Tears.Lady Consequence means to rescue her idealistic younger brother, restore their House and wreak vengeance upon those who betrayed them. But a far more dangerous game is unfolding in the shadows, one which threatens the freedom of the entire nation.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This interview originally aired in January 2023, and we've updated it with a fresh opening and "One Quick Thing." Comedian Gianmarco Soresi is brutally honest with us this week: he deeply relates to Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham!) in Milos Forman's 1984 classical classic, Amadeus. But while Gianmarco can own his Salieri-like insecurities, he can't let it keep him from pursuing virtuosity.Then, Jordan has one quick thing about an exciting new action film from master Yuen Woo-Ping, Blades of the Guardians.Gianmarco's latest special is Thief of Joy. Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.Need more Feeling Seen? Keep up with the show on Instagram and Bluesky.
Tempers flare as the team discusses the outcome of their qualifier and exactly what Eloise was up to outside of Yona. Later, Carmen digs into the mysteries of Persephone Protocol's finances, and Cedar looks for some extra spending money. CW: Police Sirens, police encounter. Check out the Blades '68 Backerkit from our Sponsors, Evil Hat Productions! For Transcripts, our Tip Jar, merch, and the official Discord Server: https://bloomandblight.com/ Be sure to stick around after our credits for a word from friends of the show, The Heart is a Dungeon! Theme Song: "PRESS/LEAD" and "Seconds Rising Star (Reprise)" by Harper S.K. Songs featured courtesy Epidemic Sound: "Black Hawks" by Akibakid, "Electromagic" by Akibakid, "Arcane Sun" by Max Anson, "Blah Blah" by Heyson, and "You're a Believer (Instrumental Version)" by Stonekeepers.
Chris Wilder is BACK at Sheffield United… but is this a masterstroke — or a step backwards?After the Ruben Selles experiment fell apart and a nightmare start to the season, the Blades have turned to a familiar face. But can Wilder really fix things, or are United stuck looking backwards while the game moves on?In this heated Steel City football debate, a Sheffield Wednesday fan puts a Sheffield United supporter under pressure — questioning expectations, identity, and whether the Wilder era still has magic left in it.
¿Vale la pena Styx: Blades of Greed? No es un videojuego de sigilo perfecto, pero tiene cosas que sí me han gustado de él -Estudia el máster en diseño y desarrollo de videojuegos de UNIR: https://www.unir.net/diseno/master-diseno-videojuegos/Compra Los Secretos de Shadow Moses: https://amzn.to/4rbhiKB
Nick and Connor are joined by former Steel City Derby hero Carl Asaba, who reflects on that unforgettable day in 2001, shares his thoughts on the present-day fixture, and discusses his lasting affinity with the Blades and Sheffield football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The dead aren't finished with them yet.At the edge of the ruined chapel, steel finally meets bone. Ghouls charge from the darkness, skeletons scatter across the grounds, and the party is forced into a brutal, chaotic fight where every second matters. Stakes fly. Blades bite. Eldritch energy tears through rotting bodies as the rain slicks the battlefield beneath their feet.
Don't call it the Olympics! Emma & Katie talk about the early 00's Will Ferrel sports comedy Blades of Glory, which almost sortakinda has a romantic subplot with Pam Beasley and Napoleon Dynamite??
In this week's episode, we take a look at five Instagram tips for writers, and we also discuss recent Facebook ad changes. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store: CAINA25 The coupon code is valid through February 23, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this winter, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 290 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February 13th, 2026, and today we're looking at five tips for Instagram marketing for writers. We will also have Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing and publishing projects. So let's first start with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store, and that code is CAINA25. The coupon code is valid through February the 23rd, 2026 so if you need a new ebook for this winter, we've got you covered. And now on my current writing and publishing projects. I'm currently 91,000 words into Cloak of Summoning, which will be the 14th book in my Cloak Mage urban fantasy series. I am hoping to finish the rough draft in the coming week, and then it's going to need a fair bit of editing because I've decided to change things and move things around to improve it. So if all goes well, I hope that book will be out in the first week of March, assuming nothing comes up before then. I am also 8,000 words into Blade of Wraiths, which will be the fourth book in my Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series, and I am hoping that will be out in April, if all goes well. In audiobook news, Blade of Storms is completely finished and I believe as of right now you can buy it at my Payhip store, Kobo, and Google Play, and it is currently working its way through processing at all the other audiobook stores. Hollis McCarthy has finished recording Cloak of Titans, which is the 11th book in the Cloak Mage urban fantasy series, and if all goes well, my proofer should be able to listen to it this week and then hopefully the audiobook will be available to you sometime in March. So that's where I'm at with my current writing and publishing and audiobook projects. 00:01:51 Thoughts on Facebook Ads Before we get to our main topic, I want to have a brief digression into another part of the Meta empire, specifically Facebook ads and my recent experiences therein. I've mentioned before that I stopped using Facebook ads in October since the Advantage Plus system, which is their AI targeting system, was giving me headaches. For a brief summary of my experience with Facebook ads. I started using them in 2019, did really well with them in 2020, then Facebook randomly started banning accounts during this craziness of summer 2020. I got my account reinstated, used them less frequently more and more until October of 2025 when I stopped using them altogether because Advantage Plus made targeting so hard. Since then, I've relied mostly on Amazon ads and BookBub ads to good results. However, I've also read various blog posts from people who have been struggling with the Advantage Plus system as well, and they've been investigating it thoroughly as internet marketers tend to do, and they've uncovered something interesting that isn't mentioned at all in Facebook's documentation about the new changes, specifically that Advantage Plus uses the text content of your ad to target it. Under the old system, it didn't work that way at all. You would select interests that match your ad, usually popular authors in the fantasy genre (like J.R.R Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and so forth) and then you wrote the text of the ad and supplied an image, which was usually called a creative. The creative was like 80% of a successful Facebook ad. You just needed a good picture, more or less. The Advantage Plus system by contrast targets according to the text in the ad. So while you still need a good creative, you need to be precise in the ad text. So for example, you need to write something like this: "Fans of The Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian, Mistborn, and Game of Thrones will love this free epic fantasy available for Kindle readers." Now, I found the arguments in these blog posts persuasive, so I decided to give it a try. The results are on the better side of okay-ish, I will admit. I didn't lose any money and did make a bit of money. The results were definitely better than I expected, though the ad using Advantage Plus typically only has a shelf life of six to 10 days before it stops working. That said, the old system was still better because the interests were more granular and I could assign them more precisely. I used to be able to advertise Frostborn, Cloak Mage, The Ghosts, and Demonsouled all at the same time because I could target the ads so precisely and granularly. There's absolutely no way I could do that now because the Advantage Plus system is a black box. It basically boils down to "trust us, the AI will figure it out" when it very obviously can't. So for the moment I will have one Facebook ad in the rotation until Meta changes something and everything breaks. There's no way I'll run as many Facebook ads as I did in 2020, when sometimes I had eight different Facebook ads going at once. Apparently in the last three years, Meta spent around 130 billion on AI, give or take, and what they got for that money is an ad targeting system that frequently doesn't work, and when it does work, doesn't work as well as the old system did. Spending unfathomable sums of money to replace a system that worked pretty well with one that intermittently doesn't work, and then when it does function, doesn't work as well as the previous system seems to be a pretty good summary of the "AI revolution" so far. 00:05:05 Main Topic: 5 Tips for Instagram Marketing for Indie Authors Now onto our main topic this week, five tips for Instagram marketing for indie authors. Because I'm looking for new alternatives to Facebook ads for reasons I just discussed, I have just started using Instagram as part of my marketing strategy, and many indie authors, especially in the romance genre, have reported a lot of success marketing through Instagram so I wanted to learn more about it and share what I learned. In today's episode, I'm going to focus on marketing through your author account, not paid Instagram ads, which could be a separate podcast topic in the future. Here are five tips that might help you with running an author Instagram account. #1: Find a strategy beyond book promotion. Like any other form of social media, if all you post is promotion for your books, it'll be hard to gain a following. Before you start posting regularly, you'll have to think about what else you have to offer your audience. Even if you want to keep your posts exclusive to writing, there are other types of posts you can make, like behind the scenes peeks, extra facts about a character, or using the poll/question feature to engage with your followers about the books. Follow other author accounts from writers in your genre to learn about their successes and how they engage with their followers. That said, a warning with that, spending a lot of time looking at posts from engaging with other authors creates a closed loop and doesn't further your goal of getting your books into the hands of your readers. Looking at other author accounts and engaging with them definitely falls into the category of what I've called writing adjacent activities that can easily give you the illusion of progress but not actual progress that I've talked about on this podcast before. Ideally, you should spend most of your time on Instagram with readers, not other authors. It's also important to find the balance between providing personal content to make readers feel more connected to you and having it drift too far into being a personal account. Most of us have seen author accounts and social media accounts that post far too personal of relationship details or various long types of rants on various topics that I find it hard to believe help sell any books. The balance will be different for everyone, but always keep in mind that your primary goal on your author accounts is to be a space for your brand as an author. In that same vein, posting negative reviews of other books or negative comments about other writers is not a smart idea in the long run. At best, it looks like you're attacking someone else to make yourself look better, and at worst, you can end up as part of one of the many Bookstagram dramas that crop up with predictable and tedious frequency and in the process, you may make yourself some enemies for life. Nobody wants that. Spamming your books by promoting them in other author's accounts, comments sections, or worse, DMing them is considered bad form and not even remotely effective in the long run. #2: Your space, your rules. Don't be shy about blocking people or deleting comments, especially from spam accounts. Remember that it's your space, not theirs. The flip side of that is turning off comments altogether will limit your reach on Instagram. Although engagement with other accounts matters on Instagram, not every single comment or DM needs a reply, and it would be a waste of precious writing time to even try. Many authors find a compromise in liking non-spammy, well-intentioned comments instead of replying to each one. Although it's important to post regularly, putting out a public schedule for what you'll post is an invitation for people to get upset when you miss a day. #3: Captions matter. Although Instagram is about images and video, substantial captions are important for helping people to find your content. The algorithm rewards decent size but not overly long captions with good hashtags, even if people don't read them. The more specific you make your hashtags, the more effective they will be. Broad ones like "writing" and "author" won't be as effective as "Arthurian Fantasy" or "Enemies to Lovers Historical Romance." There are also a lot of genre specific abbreviations, especially in romance such as "HEA" (which stands for happily ever after) or the pepper emoji to suggest that the romance is a spicy one (which is a euphemism for saying that it gets explicit). Take the time to learn these by following other authors or accounts in your genre because it'll help others find your posts. #4: Try Instagram Reels. The algorithm for Instagram Reels (the short videos on Instagram) rewards interaction more than videos on TikTok. So it's best to watch videos in your genre, post regularly, and expect that you won't get a lot of views starting out or the views might come much later after the initial post than they would on TikTok. Some authors report that it took months of regular posting before they saw success, or that videos would take off weeks after posting. So keep on posting consistently, even if you're not seeing a lot of followers and engagement at first. Some authors use Reels for off topic things like memes and lighthearted content so their posts remain completely about their writing. Pick a strategy of things you can consistently post Reels about two to three times per week because the algorithm rewards frequent posting of Reels. #5: Don't pay influencers or accounts to promote your content. If someone approaches you to pay for reviews or promotion, it is 99.9% likely that it is a scam. Delete and move on. When in doubt, assume it is a scam. Even if that person or account who wants to be paid to promote you is magically legitimate (which is, as I mentioned, very unlikely) the Bookstagram community is very savvy and distrustful of paid reviews. It's not good strategy. Real reviews from real, unpaid people take time, but the results are far more effective. You could try a raffle giveaway of your book to get reviews instead of paying an influencer or offering a special Smashwords coupon code just on your Instagram account. Above all, Instagram will work if you're authentic, post regularly, and are patient in building up a following. Taking shortcuts like buying followers or spamming other accounts is not an effective strategy. Like so many things, there isn't a magic pill that substitutes for hard work over time, which if there was an overwhelming theme of this podcast over the last 290 episodes, I think that hard work over time is probably the lesson we want to take away here. So that's it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.
Nick reacts to the Blades beating Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Blades ’68 is an official 450-page expansion for the TTRPG Blades in the Dark. This supplement advances the timeline 100 years to the “Swinging Sixties” in the city of Doskvol, an age of electroplasmic fusion and “Bluetime” spy games. The expansion introduces new playbooks, crews, and a revamped setting, alongside new rules for Harm, Resistance, Keys, Deadlocks, and an adapted Trouble Engine. The campaign has been overwhelmingly funded, with an expected delivery date of August 2026. Paizo, the publisher of Pathfinder, announced the new Pathfinder Beginner Box: Secrets of the Unlit Star, an all-inclusive entry point to Pathfinder Second Edition set for release on May 6th, 2026. The box set features a solo adventure, a 72-page Hero’s Handbook, an 88-page Game Master’s Guide, and updated rules for character options and adventure scenarios. Additionally, Paizo confirmed its commitment to the Pathfinder 2E Remaster with the release of Dark Archive Remastered and the announcement of Season of Ghosts Remastered. The company also partnered with One Page Rules to launch Paizo Printables, a new line of 3D printable wargaming miniature STLs compatible with the Age of Fantasy system, starting in Spring 2026. Maestro Media unveiled Avatar: Pandora's Power, a two-player asymmetric lane-battling card game based on the Avatar films. The game pits the resource-extractive RDA against the adaptive, land-rooted Na'vi factions, with the goal of reaching 30 points to decide Pandora’s fate. CEO Javon Frazier emphasized that the core experience is the asymmetry, with each faction playing a distinctly different game. Designed for ages 12 and up, the game plays in approximately 20-45 minutes and includes 170 Faction Cards, 18 Location Cards, and various tokens. Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks touted the company’s AI integration as a “clear success” during a recent earnings call, though he primarily referred to its deployment in non-creative, operational workflows such as financial planning, supply chains, and general productivity. Cocks stated that AI, in partnership with platforms like Google Gemini and OpenAI, is expected to free up over 1 million hours of lower-value work within the year. While he maintains a “human-centric creator-led approach,” Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has an explicit policy prohibiting its artists and writers from using generative AI for final D&D products, a stance that aligns with a user survey indicating over 60% of consumers would not buy D&D products made with AI. #blades68 #pathfinder #paizo #hasbro Blades ‘68 on Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/evil-hat/blades-68 40-page Preview on DTRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/ja/product/553040/blades-68-preview?affiliate_id=2081746 Empire of Bones on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thepaintedwastelands/empire-of-bones Preview: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/554430?affiliate_id=2081746 Call of Cthulhu Bundle: https://humblebundleinc.sjv.io/Xmz13G Warmachine on MyMiniFactory: https://mmf.io/upturned Mantic Companion App: https://companion.manticgames.com/ Use our Referral code: MCTXEE Support us by Shopping at Miniature Market (afilliate link): https://miniature-market.sjv.io/K0yj7n Support Us by Shopping on DTRPG (afilliate link): https://www.drivethrurpg.com?affiliate_id=2081746 Matt’s DriveThruRPG Publications: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?author=Matthew%20Robinson https://substack.com/@matthewrobinson3 Chris on social media: https://hyvemynd.itch.io/ Jeremy's Links: http://www.abusecartoons.com/ http://www.rcharvey.com Support Us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/upturnedtable Give us a tip on our livestream: https://streamlabs.com/upturnedtabletop/tip Donate or give us a tip on Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/2754JZFW2QZU4 Intro song is “Chips” by KokoroNoMe https://kokoronome.bandcamp.com/
Where's Pemberton?Reza- LenaThe Magnificent Figaro- Danny DelucaGamemaster- Jared WitkofskyAl Key- Chris FrenchPerberton- Andrew Collins-AndersonKevin- Morgan JustTony 'The Toe' Tito- Chris ThielFeaturing music by Pressure Highway, Jordan Fickel, Danny Deluca and Motoshi Kosako This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Hugh and Freddie break down a busy deadline day at Fratton Park, giving the full lowdown on Pompey's new signings and what they bring to the squad. The lads also review the Preston game, discuss the injury crisis, and preview game against Sheffield United.
Nick gives his reaction to a Blades defeat, live from Bramall Lane as Sheffield United lose to Middlesbrough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mark and Tommy Radio react to Joey Porter's comments about Big Ben on Cam Heyward's podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark and Tommy Radio react to Joey Porter's comments about Big Ben on Cam Heyward's podcast
Doug Marcaida of Forged in Fire on the History Channel brings the Filipino Martial art of Kali to the world of comics in Lineage. Estranged Brothers Miguel and Virgil are reunited by the death of their father and the trauma of a mysterious cult that has haunted them since they were children. Miguel and Virgil must remember the training given to to them by their father as the Blades passed down by generation are very distinct to their culture. The story not only brings the action you would expect from a martial arts comic, but the studies and philosophies built in the foundation of Kali and the idea of Legacy and Mentorship in the reunion of Family. Arriving 2/16 on KickstarterConcept/Story by Doug MarcaidaWritten by Justin Quizon & Earl BaylonArtwork by Felix MoralesColors by Raymund LeeLetters by PatricioGinelsaSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-faqs-project-hosted-by-james-grandmaster-faqs-boyce/donations
Following a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough, United's hopes for a run into the playoffs are likely toast. We discuss what Blades fans can look forward to now. Pompey preview on the back half of the pod. Red Half of SheffieldTwitter/x - @redsheffieldBlueSky - @redsheffieldFacebook - @redhalfofsheffieldYoutube- @redhalfofsheffieldNoah SnyderTwitter/x and BlueSky- @nessman930Insta - @sunpuckChad JarvisTwitter/x/Insta - @Cjarvis_13 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One Great Teaching: Overcoming the Divided Mind with Cortney McDermott In this episode of Learn From People Who Lived It, hosts Mathew Blades and Cortney McDermott dive into the power of decision and the exhaustion caused by a divided mind, inspired by the wisdom of James 1:8. Cortney McDermott shares her practical techniques for quieting internal conflict, emphasizing the importance of relaxation, trust over hope, and playful dialogue with a higher intelligence. The conversation addresses why we often resist slowing down and how small pattern shifts like pausing instead of pushing through can help us access clarity and inner guidance. Listeners are guided through a calming meditation designed to foster self-trust and open the door to inspired choices. If you've ever felt pulled in different directions, this episode offers gentle strategies to find stability in both mind and life. To get in touch with our podcast, email INFO@Learnfrompeoplewholivedit.com Visit our Guests: Mathew Blades - MathewBlades.com Dr. Anna Marie Frank - https://drannamarie.com Cortney McDermott - https://www.cortneymcdermott.com Dr. Dave - https://www.drdaveaz.com/ Jill McMahon - Jillmcmahoncounseling.com To grab a copy of our 6-Week Wellness course, which is video-led, visit https://a.co/d/0ihE1vaw If you want to use Streamyard to create a podcast like this, use this link: https://streamyard.com/pal/c/4656111098003456
Sean is the Director of Projects at Evil Hat Productions, a game developer and TTRPG enthusiast who has played more games than almost anyone we know. He's been part of the design team for great titles like Agon, Apocalypse Galactica, Blades in the Dark, Dead World, and Stone Dragon Mountain. He adds a refreshing energy and commitment to the world of TTRPG's—he's been doing it for decades. In today's episode, we break down different gameplay styles and the realities of various mechanics, how they affect the flow of play, and how players interact with the world. It's a deep dive into how game hacking and open-source development work, and it's great for homebrewers and developers alike. Sean discusses what makes for a robust mechanical structure and how best to integrate a game's structure and story into an evocative product. He explores how to deliver mechanics to your audience, how to tell more enticing stories, red and green flags in game-making, and details his awesome experiences in the field over This conversation was a blast, running nearly two hours. A true deep dive, there's a lot to learn here.Check out Sean's websiteVisit the amazing titles sold by Evil Hat ProductionsTitles and subjects we reference: OSR MothershipPBTA Forged in the DarkCall of Cthulu KnaveMythic BastionlandWhite Hack & Black HackScum and VillainyProject PERSEUSBand of BladesSpell and BladeDraw SteelApocalypse WorldTiān Dēng: Tales of the Immortal God ShipOutgunnedShadows of TruthTomb RaiderBlades in the Dark Apocalypse KeysWork CleanLittle OraclesShadowdarkPluribusTed Lasso************************************Support the show for as little as $1 a month: Add this to the end of your link on DriveThruRPG to support the show: ?affiliate_id=1044145Example: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397612/Court-of-Blades--Scandal-Forged-in-the-Dark?affiliate_id=1044145Check out our live-streaming content on Twitch Don't miss our RPG Actual Plays, tutorials, and gaming content on YouTube Listen to an excellent board game podcast Go to the Writer's Room for 7th Sea Adventures!Check out the great games from A Couple of Drakes:Listen to Tales of the ManticoreFollow us on Facebook, Follow on BlueSky
In this episode, we look at how the classic black & white Universal movie monsters tap into universal fears, and how you can use that to create compelling villains in your book. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Shield of the Knight, Book #2 in the Dragonskull series, (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: GARETH50 The coupon code is valid through February 16, 2026. So if you need a new audiobook this winter, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 289 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February 6, 2026, and today we are discussing how you can use the Universal monsters to write interesting villains. Before we get into that, we will have Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing and publishing projects. First up is Coupon of the Week and this week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Shield of the Knight, Book #2 of my Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store. And that code is GARETH50. And as always, the coupon code and the link to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through February 16th, 2026, so if you need a new audiobook to get you through the middle of February, we have got you covered. Now let's see where I'm at with my current writing and publishing projects. As of this recording, I am 63,000 words into Cloak of Summoning and I am almost but not quite halfway through my outline. So this is definitely going to be a long book and it's probably going to come out in the first part of March because it's long enough that it will take me a while to finish writing it and then to edit and proof it and everything else. So I'm making good progress on it. It was a very productive week, but I am still not even halfway through, so I think it's probably going to be March. I am also 5,000 words into Blade of Wraiths. That will be the fourth book of my epic fantasy Blades of Ruin series, and that will probably be in April, if all goes well. In audiobook news, Blade of Shadows (as narrated by Brad Wills) is done and it is slowly starting to roll out to the various platforms. I think as of this recording, the only place it is live right now is my Payhip store and Google Play, but hopefully by the time I record the next episode, it will be available at even more stores than that. Hollis McCarthy is working on Cloak of Titans and I think she's about halfway or two thirds of the way through recording, so we should be able to get that to you before too much longer. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and publishing and audiobook projects. 00:02:13 Main Topic: Universal Monsters, Universal Fears, and Creating Villains Now our main topic, which is the Universal monsters and the universal fears and how you can use that to create villains. One idea a writer can use to create compelling villains is to tap into some of the universal fears, and in some ways, those universal fears are embodied by the classic Universal monster movies. I mentioned before that in Halloween of 2025, I saw that a bunch of the old black and white Universal monster movies were on Prime Video. So I watched them for the first time since I was a kid, and I was pleased to see that they held up pretty well for movies that are nearly a century old, especially considering these were some of the very first movies ever made with sound and the filmmakers were kind of figuring it out as they went along. Dracula is a bit uneven because they tried to cram the stage play version of the book into a 70 minute movie, which really doesn't work, though Bela Lugosi's performance as Dracula and Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing really carried the movie and helped define the characters in the public eye, but the others are all good and Bride of Frankenstein is legitimately a great movie, but why have these particular movies lasted so long in the public consciousness? For that matter, why do people keep coming back to new versions and new stories of Dracula and Frankenstein's Creature and all the others? Partly it's because these characters are in the public domain and you can use them without getting sued. True, but there's a lot of stuff in the public domain that doesn't see the light of day nearly as often as these classic monsters. I think it's because the classic monsters tap into the universal (small U) fears or classic archetypes of the things that people fear in real life. It's interesting to note that most of the classic Universal monsters were either originally humans who became monstrous or creations by humans that turn monstrous. Essentially, the monsters tap into archetypal fears and are exaggerated versions of villains and monsters we might actually encounter on a day-to-day basis. What do I mean? Let's expound. First up, Dracula. Count Dracula is in some ways the easiest metaphor to explain. He's an aristocratic vampire that feeds upon people and gives them nothing but evil in return. Perhaps he will pass on his own immortality to some of his victims, but it's a cursed and hellish form of immortality and any vampires that he creates are essentially his slaves, sometimes his mindless slaves. Dracula is the fear of the Evil Elite. This of course, takes many different forms in the modern era, but it is very much alive and well. The various conspiracy theories that the elite of society might be devil worshippers or engaged in sinister cults are definitely Dracula adjacent (and based on recent news reports, it indeed appears at least some of these conspiracy theories turned out to be accurate). More prosaically, "rent seeking behavior" is often characterized as vampirism. Rent seeking behavior is defined as finding ways to extract profit without adding value by manipulating the legal or regulatory environment. The landlord who raises rent by $500 a month for no reason. A software developer who reduces features while raising the subscription price or a financier who manipulates the regulations for an industry while investing in it are good examples of rent seeking behavior that is metaphorically vampiric. For that matter, it can be downright mundane. The middle manager who bullies his employees and then takes all the credit for their work is a very boring and unpleasant, but nonetheless, an all too common example of the vampire metaphor in real life. Frankenstein's monster is a much easier metaphor to explain now than it would've been before ChatGPT went mainstream. There is always a fear that we will be destroyed by the works of our own hands, especially in the last a hundred years since the creation of nuclear technology and gene editing. Probably most famous examples of that in science fiction are The Terminator and The Matrix movies series. However, these days the metaphor for Frankenstein's monster is almost ridiculously easy. We have generative AI to fulfill the metaphor of Frankenstein's monster for us. Karl Marx famously said that history repeats twice, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. Nuclear weapons as a metaphor for Frankenstein's monster was a tragedy but generative AI is a farce. The tech bros sold it as this omniscient mind that could solve all problems and eliminate all jobs. What we've actually gotten is an imbecilic chatbot that makes a lot of mistakes, can't remember anything, can't actually do anything right, inflicts widespread damage to the economy, drives up electricity costs, and makes existing products like Windows 11 and Google search much worse. It's like as if Frankenstein's monster was really, really stupid and wanted you to add glue to your pizza to keep the cheese from sliding off. The Wolf Man, of course, is a metaphor for the potentially bestial nature of man. We all know, of course, or are eventually forced to learn that human beings have a dark side that can come out in times of anger and stress. Civilization is sometimes a thin veneer over the animalistic side of humans. Sometimes the veneer grows even thinner and the dark side comes raging out in riots and wars and mass slaughter. For Larry Talbot, the original Wolf Man in the movie, his situation is even more terrifying. He's a rational man who believes in science and psychology and doesn't believe in things like werewolves. Yet when he is bitten, he nonetheless loses control and transforms into the Wolf Man. He doesn't want to transform and attack people, but he has lost control of himself to the werewolf curse, and so he does. In a sense, all humans are werewolves in that we have a monstrous side that can come out under the right or the wrong conditions. The worst of us embrace that fact, just as in medieval legends, sometimes people would make pacts with the devil to become werewolves. The Invisible Man was originally a science fiction story, which means that the Invisible Man represents a new fear created by science. "Transhumanism" is an idea that eventually humans will merge with machines and evolve and become something new. Naturally, many people think this is a bad idea, and so a new idea has emerged: "posthumans" or humans that have been so modified by science that they are no longer recognizably human. So far, this has remained mostly science fiction, but you can see the glimmers of it beginning in biology and medical science. There's a reason performance enhancing drugs are banned in most sports. Genetic engineering opens up the possibility that corporations could create their own custom humans, essentially their own posthumans. The possibilities for abuse in such situations are sadly endless. So the Invisible Man, like Frankenstein's Creature, taps into the fear of science or more accurately the fear of what horrors science might create. On the surface, the Creature from the Black Lagoon is a monster story about a creature that carries off a pretty girl. I think it taps into a deeper fear, however, namely that the world is older and stranger and more alien and incomprehensible than we can possibly know. Like hardcore creationists say that the earth is 6,000 years old or so, and the traditional scientific view is that the earth has been around for four and a half billion years or so, and both groups have detailed charts explaining why their theories are correct, but what if they're both wrong? Oceanographers say that we don't fully understand the oceans. And a common theory among UFO people is that UFOs emerged from hidden bases at the bottom of the ocean, inaccessible by any human. There are other theories that there have been entire civilizations such as Atlantis that have vanished without a trace and were more advanced than our own, or that all of human civilization is a cycle that constantly destroys itself and restarts without a memory of its previous failures, or that aliens have influenced and controlled human history or that aliens created the earth and this is all some sort of elaborate science experiment. Of course, all these theories are likely bunk. Probably. I think it is true to say that not only is the world stranger than we know, it is stranger than the human mind is actually capable of comprehending. And depending on how far that goes, that could be a terrifying thought. So the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the idea that some race of fishmen lurks beneath the waves that we don't know about, taps into that fear. Like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Mummy on the surface is another story about the monster who wants the girl since Imhotep waits 3,000 years for his love to be reincarnated. But I think this taps into a deeper fear, namely that we can't escape history, that no matter what we do or how hard we try, history will catch up to us (whether our own personal history or national history). Political philosopher Francis Fukuyama famously wrote a book called The End of History and The Last Man in 1992, arguing that with the collapse of Communism, liberal democracy was the final form of government achieved by mankind and it would have no serious competitors in the future. This was a nice dream, but I think it's fair to say that the last 34 years since 1992 have proven that thesis profoundly wrong. History is definitely not over and in every domestic or international political crisis of the last 34 years, you can trace its roots back for decades or even centuries. It took 3,000 years for the dead hand of Imhotep to affect the present, but it usually doesn't take nearly that long for history to have negative effects in the present world. The Phantom of the Opera is considered one of the Universal monsters, but I don't think he really taps into a deeper fear, maybe just to be wary of a creepy guy who lives in a theater basement and is unhealthily obsessed with the leading actress. Honestly, that just seems like good common sense. Maybe poor Christine Daae just needs some pepper spray or a good solid shotgun. In conclusion, I think each of these Universal monsters remains popular because they tap into a deeper, more profound fear. So if you're a writer looking to create a memorable villain, you could do worse than to follow those universal fears. You don't even explicitly have to write horror, science fiction, or fantasy to do it. In a mystery novel, you could have a Dracula type villain in the form of a slumlord who traps his tenants with restrictive lease agreements to bleed them dry financially or an Invisible Man villain in the form of a scientist who is illegally injecting college athletes with an experimental drug without their knowledge. The Wolf Man appears quite often in detective and thriller fiction as a serial killer or some other kind of violent criminal. Naturally we cannot escape history, so the Mummy can appear as a conflict that had its roots in events that happened decades ago. Of course, the range for universal fear villains in science fiction and fantasy is much greater. Then you don't even have to be metaphorical. So hopefully this look at the Universal monsters and the universal fears they tap into will give you some good tips and ideas for writing villains in your book. So that's it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes in https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.
Welcome to The Knife Junkie Podcast, Episode 654. This week, Bob DeMarco sits down with John Curran of Curran Blades, a custom knife maker from Vero Beach, Florida, who builds bold, one-of-a-kind tactical folders and fixed blades.John began making knives about 20 years ago after he could not find a specific hunting knife in stores. That first rough blade, built with a torch and motor oil, sparked a passion that eventually became a full-time career. Three years ago, John caught what he calls 'the bug' for building folders, and it has become an obsession driven by the search for perfection.In this conversation, John discusses the technical challenges of building custom folders, why attention to detail matters most, and how he creates knives that look bold yet remain rooted in real-world function. He shares his thoughts on building a sustainable knife-making business without trying to become the next big production company, and why repeat customers mean more to him than anything else.You will also hear about the materials John works with, including CPM-154 steel and high-carbon options like 1095 and O1. Plus, John reveals his dream project: a big, beautiful Damascus Bowie knife that he plans to build when the time is right.Check out the full episode at TheKnifeJunkie.com/654.Find John Curran and Curran Blades at CurranBlades.com, on Instagram @curran_blades, and on Facebook.Be sure to support The Knife Junkie and get in on the perks of being a patron, including early access to the podcast and exclusive bonus content. Visit https://www.theknifejunkie.com/patreon for details.You can also support The Knife Junkie channel with your next knife purchase. Find our affiliate links at https://theknifejunkie.com/knives.Let us know what you thought about this episode and leave a rating and/or a review. Your feedback is appreciated. You can also email theknifejunkie@gmail.com with any comments, feedback, or suggestions.To watch or listen to past episodes of the podcast, visit https://theknifejunkie.com/listen. And for professional podcast hosting, use our podcast platform of choice: https://theknifejunkie.com/podhost.
In this Episode Permberton sounds awful Cast- Reza- LenaThe Magnificent Figaro- Danny DelucaGamemaster- Jared WitkofskyAl Key- Chris FrenchPerberton- Andrew Collins-AndersonKevin- Morgan JustTony 'The Toe' Tito- Chris ThielFeaturing music by Pressure Highway, Jordan Fickel, Danny Deluca and Motoshi Kosako This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Golf Coach Virgil Herring on 3HL - Blades Brown's AscensionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this second part of our TMNT Redux Kickstarter retrospective, we take a deeper look at the books that were ultimately the main focus of the project. Our primary focus here is on the first book, its content, its art, and its ultimate value to us and our gaming tables (and collections!). We've got a full stack of all four variant editions, and a whole lot to say about them! Drop us a line! You can follow us (sporadically) on Facebook, and we'd love to see you on our Discord Channel too. And let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on iTunes or any other podcast aggregate sites. For even more info and options, check out our main website or our low-bandwidth alternative feed site. Links of Note: TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux Edition at the Palladium Books store TMNT Transdimensional Adventures Redux Editon at the Palladium Books Store A Cloak of Blades, by Isaac Sher Credits: Hosts: NPC, Just Jacob, and Matt Buckley Music: Opening is "8-Bit bass & lead" by Furbyguy, Closing is "Caravana" by Phillip Gross Episode Length (We support chapters!): 56:24 Glitter Boys, Rifts, the Megaverse, and all other such topics are the property of Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books. Please buy all their stuff and help keep them in print and making more games! You can order directly at palladiumbooks.com, and their entire catalog is available digitally at Drive-Thru RPG as well. We release all of our public episodes simultaneously on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuc8KbdMqx8ajWfm2OUTs7A Audio RSS: https://breakfastpuppies.com/feed/glitterbois Want to help us pay for hosting? We have a few options: Drop us a one-time donation or a recurring membership at our Ko-Fi page Follow this link to our Pinecast Tip Jar We've got a merch store if you're looking for some sweet Glitterbois swag. Check out our affiliate store and buy some of the various products we endorse. Support The Glitterbois by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-glitterbois Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/the-glitterbois/5fc9234b-9459-4dec-9007-2bea871f8718 This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-66e5ee for 40% off for 4 months, and support The Glitterbois.
Golf Coach Virgil Herring on 3HL - Blades Brown's AscensionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's the first Friday of February which means it's our monthly trivia show. Our special guest today is Ted Blades.
Oli and Andrew preview Sheffield United vs Middlesbrough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's Persephone Protocol vs Team Intergalactic! With only one spot left in the Hades Cup, it's all on the line. Will Persephone Protocol take the victory, or will the team get more than they bargained for... CW: Simulated sci-fi combat sounds, fireworks/explosions Check out the Blades '68 Backerkit from our Sponsors, Evil Hat Productions! For Transcripts, our Tip Jar, and the official Discord Server: https://bloomandblight.com/ Be sure to stick around after our credits for a word from friends of the show, Game Master Monday!Theme Song: "PRESS/LEAD" and "Seconds Rising Star (Reprise)" by Harper S.K. Songs featured courtesy Epidemic Sound: "Black Hawks" by Akibakid, "Electromagic" by Akibakid, "Arcane Sun" by Max Anson, "Blah Blah" by Heyson, and "You're a Believer (Instrumental Version)" by Stonekeepers.
Live from Bramall Lane, Nick reacts to the Blades' professional win at home to Oxford United. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You can support this show on Patreon!In this episode, I talk to Tim Denee, a Wellington-based graphic designer, illustrator, and game designer. His graphic design work has been recognised by the Best Awards, Tokyo Design Week and the International Society of Typographic Designers. He's also the co-author of We Are Here: An Atlas of Aotearoa, which was shortlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards. Through Old Dog Games, he's published free RPG products like a hack of Band of Blades for playing in the Warhammer old world and last year, a hack for Twilight 2000 to play Andor. And recently, he's partnered with Evil Hat to release Deathmatch Island, a battle royale adaptation of Agon, and crowdfunding now, Blades '68, an expansion for the seminal Blades in the Dark. Tim's personal website: https://timdenee.com/ Old Dog Games: https://www.olddog.games/ Blades ‘68 crowdfunding: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/c7788a1e-2f1c-4525-bc66-2a99b84ebae9/landing Show Notes:Austin PowersMad Men (TV Show)Games MentionedDeathloopDishonoredMythic BastionlandIf you liked this podcast, check out the weekly Indie RPG NewsletterMusic: "eastern" provided by mobygratis.
In this week's episode, we look at five business lessons for indie authors from Brandon Sanderson's recent Apple TV deal. Once again it is time for Coupon of the Week! This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Silent Order series at my Payhip store: CALASKAR25 The coupon code is valid through February 9, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this winter, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 288 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is January the 30th, 2026 and today we are discussing five additional business lessons for indie authors from Brandon Sanderson in the aftermath of his recent Apple TV deal. Before we get into that, we will have a Coupon of the Week and an update on my current writing and publishing progress. First up is Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Silent Order series at my Payhip store. And that coupon code is CALASKAR25. And as always, you can get the coupon code and the links to my Payhip store in the show notes of this episode. This coupon code will be valid through February the 9th, 2026. So if you need a new science fiction ebook to read for this winter, we have got you covered. And now for an update on my current writing and publishing projects. Now that Blade of Storms is out and is doing well (thank you all for that), my main project is now Cloak of Summoning, and I am 34,000 words into it as of this recording, which puts me on Chapter 6 of 23 in the outline. I think it's probably going to come out in March because February is a short month and Cloak of Summoning is going to be a long book. So hopefully it should come out early in March. I'm also 1,000 words into Blade of Wraiths, which will be the fourth book in my Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series. That will be my main project once Cloak of Summoning is done. So hopefully that will come out in probably April or thereabouts. In audiobook news, recording is very nearly completed for Blade of Shadows, the second book in the Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series, and that will be narrated by Brad Wills. Hollis McCarthy is currently working on the audiobook of Cloak of Titans, and I think she's about halfway through. So hopefully we should have some new audiobooks for you to listen to before much longer. And that is where I'm at with my current writing and publishing projects. 00:02:04 Main Topic of the Week: 5 Business Lessons For Indie Authors From Brandon Sanderson Now onto our main topic this week, five additional business lessons for indie authors from Brandon Sanderson. And I think it is objectively factual to say that Brandon Sanderson is probably the most successful fantasy author who is currently publishing. Beyond the sheer number of sales, what many find most impressive about what he's achieved is his company, Dragonsteel Entertainment, that he has been able to create. It consists of Kickstarter campaign work, special book editions, a successful convention, merchandising (including an RPG), and a whole slew of other things. Even for authors like me operating on a much smaller scale, there are a few things to learn from his success at publishing and creating a specialized empire. Now what's amusing is the notes for the show were prepared a couple of weeks ago, but a few days ago, the news was announced that Brandon Sanderson entered into a licensing deal with Apple TV to produce adaptations based on his Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series. As the author himself said on Reddit, "The decision to pick Apple was due to two factors. First, the levels of approvals and control. Apple wants to be a true partner with me and they feel like they really get what I want to do. Second, their track record. Apple does fewer things, but higher quality than some other studios. I find virtually everything of theirs I watch is excellent and creator driven." So that and an impressive degree of creative control he wrung out of Apple for this and if you are at all familiar with the history of movie adaptations, you know that the author getting any degree of creative control does not happen all that often. Usually what happens is the studio cranks out the adaptation that butchers the book and then it disappears into obscurity. So this actually happens to tie in quite well with the original theme of today's episode, which is the Five Business Lessons from Brandon Sanderson. He was able to reach this level of success by following these five business lessons consistently over a period of decades. So we will go into that now. #1: Find a way to meet fan demand and find gaps in the market. Sanderson was ahead of traditional publishing when it came to responding to fan requests for high quality letter bound or other enhanced special editions. By focusing on this gap in the market, he was able to meet a need expressed by his most passionate fans and get an additional round of sales from existing customers who already have the mass market paperbacks or ebook versions. Even in an age with ebooks and audiobooks, physical copies are still important to many readers, partly because they can't be deleted off your ereader. This is even more true of special editions being gifted or displayed like decor. He further cemented the respect of his fans by spending a great deal of time and effort adding elaborate details like gilding and full color illustrations to the premium editions. He listened to fan demand and exceeded their expectations without pricing out or alienating fans by only offering the premium versions. It's also been long been a complaint of readers that they can't buy bundles of the physical book, ebook, and audiobook at the same time. There's a wide variety of reasons it's not easy or even possible to bundle these formats together, but Brandon Sanderson found a way to make it work with books from his largest Kickstarter campaign because he was controlling the production of all three formats. He found a gap in the market by addressing this need and made fans feel like they're getting a more complete experience by getting the formats all at once. #2: Take advantage of an opportunity. One of the most surprising parts of Brandon's largest Kickstarter campaign is how one of the Secret Project books, Tress of the Emerald Sea, took off on BookTok and became popular with readers who haven't read other Brandon Sanderson or even fantasy books before. Tress also gave potential readers who are intimidated by how prolific he is and how long and interconnected the books in his series are a chance to try his writing in a less intimidating way. Dragonsteel responded to this development by commissioning special editions of Tress, Mistborn, and The Emperor's Soul in a Sanderson starter pack on the TikTok shop, which did extremely well. Authors who are prolific would do well to think about entry points in a similar way. What are your "starter pack" books? How can people feel more comfortable trying out your work and sampling from your books in your different genres? For myself, one way I do this is making the first book in almost all my series permafree. This gives people a chance to try my work without making a financial commitment, and usually the second book is $0.99, which is a little bit of a financial commitment, but not very much. And if someone has read the first two books in the series, odds are they are probably going to continue on to the full price rest of the series. #3: Be transparent. Brandon uses weekly update videos and his podcast to update readers on his writing and publishing progress as well as new merchandise releases. If there is a delay or an unexpected development, he can use this outlet to explain what happened in more detail. For example, when there was a delay in the printing of the premium hardcover of Tress of the Emerald Sea, he posted to Kickstarter, social media, and his weekly video to explain what happened and what Dragonsteel was doing to address it. For myself, I include writing updates at the beginning of each of my podcast episodes and also post updates to my website and Facebook page on a regular basis. He also posts a State of the Sanderson every year on his website and YouTube channel that summarizes the status of his various projects in a more collected form so more casual fans can catch up on his news there. This level of transparency builds trust with your readers. Some authors hide from failed promises about publishing dates or future books, but it's better to be transparent when something changes than to act like it never happened or keep giving vague answers. For example, very recently, I'd hoped Cloak of Summoning was going to come out in February, but like I explained at the start of the episode, it's a long book, February is a short month and I've got a bunch of stuff to do in February that's not related to writing, so it's probably going to be early March that the book comes out. #4: Keep creative control. One of the reasons that even during the era of peak streaming, we did not see an adaptation of a Brandon Sanderson book (besides Wheel of Time, which doesn't really count because it mostly belongs to Robert Jordan and the series didn't last long enough to get to the final books in the series that Sanderson authored). It was in part because creative control of the work is important to him. He wants to find a production company that respects his work and is at least reasonably faithful to the original books. As anyone who has been disappointed by a show or movie that was created by people unfamiliar with the work or uninterested in following the original plot knows, that is not as simple of a request as you might think. Like of all the books I've read that have had TV or movie adaptations, I think I can think of only three adaptations that were better than the original book: Goldfinger (because Goldfinger's plot in the movie made more sense than it did in the book), The Godfather (because The Godfather movie frankly eliminated some unnecessary and frankly weird subplots from the book), and I think the show adaptation of Wolf Hall (because I've been reading the Wolf Hall books this year and while the books are good, I think the show kind of gets to the point in a better way and avoids some of the long internal monologues that Cromwell has that seem to kind of not be necessary, but that could be a matter of taste). So, but back to the main point, out of all the adaptations I've seen, I think I've only encountered three that were better than the original source material. So you can see how having creative control of the adaptation will be very important for an author. Even though most books will never become movies or shows, keeping as much creative control as possible is extremely important as a writer in general and indie publishing allows you to do that, which I found has been very useful to me in my writing career, especially after I started doing my own audiobooks because then I can move the audiobooks to different stores and make bundles of them as I want without having to fight with the rights holder about that. #5: Find good people you can trust and treat them well. One of the most underrated elements of Sanderson's success is that he has built a strong and loyal team at Dragonsteel headed by his wife, Emily, who is co-president of Dragonsteel Entertainment. The company has over 50 employees that work on merchandise, the podcast, the convention, and all of Sanderson's various projects, which baffles my mind because I don't think I talk to 50 different people in a month, let alone every day. Many of the employees are longtime friends (some going back as far as college) or family members, but Emily says that it's still important that each employee is qualified for their role. Treating employees well is a stated priority of Sanderson. One specific example is how he structures his major annual sale, which is called Light Day, early in November to not take place over the American Thanksgiving holiday, and the Dragonsteel Shop has earlier Christmas holiday ordering deadlines than most online stores do so his employees can have more time off around that holiday. Another example of treating others well is although many people have offered to volunteer at the Dragonsteel Nexus Convention, he hired temp employees instead. I hope that one of the reasons I've been able to keep employees like a cover designer and narrators for so long is that I try to treat people well. I try to act professionally, not make unreasonable quote requests, and pay people promptly. You can get away with a lot if you pay people on time as agreed. I'm not saying this is an excuse to act like a jerk, however, you will find that people are much more patient with you and much more willing to accommodate reasonable requests when they know that you will in fact pay on time when they are done. So finally, although you and I may never manage a media empire like Dragonsteel Entertainment, you and I can still learn from Sanderson's success and take lessons and apply them to our own businesses from what he has done well. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful and interesting. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Kinderdijk Whispers: The Mystery of Missing Windmill Blades Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2026-01-31-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De lucht was grijs en koud, terwijl sneeuw vlokken langzaam naar beneden dwarrelden op Kinderdijk.En: The sky was gray and cold, while snowflakes drifted slowly down on Kinderdijk.Nl: De wind had de gewoonte om over de top van de windmolens te fluisteren, vroeger zo trots, nu vreemd stil.En: The wind had the habit of whispering over the tops of the windmills, once so proud, now strangely silent.Nl: Bram, een enthousiaste gids, keek bezorgd naar een van de windmolens.En: Bram, an enthusiastic guide, looked worriedly at one of the windmills.Nl: De wieken waren verdwenen, een raadsel dat hij moest oplossen.En: The blades were gone, a mystery he had to solve.Nl: Bram voelde dat hij nu zijn kans had om iets belangrijks te doen.En: Bram felt that now was his chance to do something important.Nl: In de stilte van de winter hoorde hij het zachte gekraak van de oude molens.En: In the silence of winter, he heard the soft creaking of the old mills.Nl: "Ik moet dit oplossen," mompelde hij, meer tegen zichzelf dan tegen iemand anders.En: "I must solve this," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.Nl: Hij kende Sanne, een fotograaf met een passie voor het vangen van unieke momenten.En: He knew Sanne, a photographer with a passion for capturing unique moments.Nl: Ze stond altijd klaar met haar camera, klaar voor het perfecte shot dat haar grote doorbraak zou zijn.En: She was always ready with her camera, poised for the perfect shot that would be her big break.Nl: Bram benaderde haar en vroeg: "Kun je me helpen?En: Bram approached her and asked, "Can you help me?Nl: Misschien zie je iets wat ik niet zie."En: Maybe you'll see something I don't."Nl: Sanne lachte.En: Sanne laughed.Nl: "Tuurlijk, ik houd wel van een avontuur," zei ze, de lens van haar camera scherp stellend.En: "Sure, I love an adventure," she said, adjusting the focus on her camera lens.Nl: Samen begonnen ze hun zoektocht langs de besneeuwde paden van Kinderdijk, op zoek naar sporen in de sneeuw.En: Together they began their search along the snowy paths of Kinderdijk, looking for tracks in the snow.Nl: Onderweg kwamen ze Elsa tegen, de voormalige ingenieur met een geheimzinnig verleden bij de molens.En: Along the way, they encountered Elsa, the former engineer with a mysterious past at the mills.Nl: Ze stond daar, het hoofd gebogen, verzonken in gedachten.En: She stood there, head bowed, deep in thought.Nl: Bram merkte op dat ze iets verborg.En: Bram noticed that she was hiding something.Nl: Hij vroeg voorzichtig: "Elsa, we hebben je advies nodig.En: He asked cautiously, "Elsa, we need your advice.Nl: Wat denk je dat er met de wieken gebeurd kan zijn?"En: What do you think happened to the blades?"Nl: Elsa aarzelde, haar ogen verrieden een innerlijke strijd.En: Elsa hesitated, her eyes betraying an inner struggle.Nl: "Er was een ontwerpfout," gaf ze uiteindelijk toe.En: "There was a design flaw," she eventually admitted.Nl: "Ik heb het nooit aangepast.En: "I never corrected it.Nl: Het was een kleine fout, maar het had gevolgen."En: It was a small mistake, but it had consequences."Nl: Sanne was klaar met haar camera, de opname van Elsa's bekentenis nu veilig vastgelegd.En: Sanne was ready with her camera, the recording of Elsa's confession now safely captured.Nl: Tegelijkertijd nam Bram een besluit.En: At the same time, Bram made a decision.Nl: Het ging niet alleen om de verdwenen wieken; het ging om het herstellen van vertrouwen en traditie.En: It wasn't just about the missing blades; it was about restoring trust and tradition.Nl: Met Elsa's bekentenis kon hij verder werken aan een oplossing.En: With Elsa's confession, he could work on a solution.Nl: De wieken werden uiteindelijk teruggevonden, enigszins beschadigd maar nog steeds intact.En: The blades were eventually found, somewhat damaged but still intact.Nl: Elsa voelde zich opgelucht, maar schaamde zich ook.En: Elsa felt relieved, but also ashamed.Nl: Bram besloot een evenement te organiseren om de historische betekenis van de windmolens te vieren.En: Bram decided to organize an event to celebrate the historical significance of the windmills.Nl: Tijdens het evenement vertelde hij over Elsa's bijdragen, inclusief de fouten, want zelfs fouten konden leiden tot groei en verzoening.En: During the event, he spoke about Elsa's contributions, including the mistakes, because even mistakes could lead to growth and reconciliation.Nl: Bram voelde zich eindelijk voldaan.En: Bram finally felt fulfilled.Nl: Hij had niet alleen de wieken teruggevonden, maar ook een brug gebouwd tussen het verleden en de toekomst.En: Not only had he found the blades, but he had also built a bridge between the past and the future.Nl: Terwijl de mensen dansten en hossen voor carnaval, wist Bram dat hij iets waardevols had bereikt.En: As people danced and celebrated for carnaval, Bram knew he had achieved something valuable.Nl: En daar, te midden van de sneeuw en de feestgeluiden, begon een nieuw hoofdstuk voor de historische molens van Kinderdijk.En: And there, amidst the snow and the festive sounds, a new chapter began for the historic mills of Kinderdijk. Vocabulary Words:gray: grijsdrifted: dwarreldenwhispering: fluisterenenthusiastic: enthousiasteworriedly: bezorgdblades: wiekensolve: oplossencreaking: gekraakmuttered: mompeldepassion: passiepoised: klaarconfession: bekenteniscaptured: vastgelegddesign flaw: ontwerpfoutconsequences: gevolgenrestore: herstellentradition: traditiefulfilled: voldaanreconciliation: verzoeningcelebrate: vierensignificance: betekeniscontrition: schaamdeengineer: ingenieurmysterious: geheimzinnigcapturing: vangentracks: sporenencountered: tegenkwamenhesitated: aarzeldeintact: intactsignificance: betekenis
In this episode Pemberton hosts a pancake breakfast.Cast- Reza- LenaThe Magnificent Figaro- Danny DelucaGamemaster- Jared WitkofskyAl Key- Chris FrenchPerberton- Andrew Collins-AndersonKevin- Morgan JustTony 'The Toe' Tito- Chris ThielFeaturing music by Pressure Highway, Jordan Fickel, Danny Deluca and Motoshi Kosako This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Send us a textA teenager shoots 60 on the Nicklaus course and suddenly the game looks younger, faster, and braver. We open with Blades Brown's breakout and the ripple effect of a prodigy who can go low under cameras and crowds, then zoom out to what early crowning means in a sport that remembers both fireworks and flameouts. It's a celebration and a caution: talent draws a spotlight, and pressure keeps the bulb hot.That theme of pressure runs straight into the psychology of mulligans. On the first tee, swagger meets physics, and sometimes the shaft meets a tree. We unpack why golfers love do-overs, how self-handicapping protects the ego, and why charity mulligans sell more hope than strokes. Then we take the idea off-course: the text you wish you unsent, the meeting you dreaded, the decision you delayed. Momentum comes from action, not perfection, which is why Mel Robbins' 5-4-3-2-1 rule becomes a practical tool. Count down, move, and stop negotiating with the couch. If it must be done eventually, do it now.From there, the stakes scale up. College football's NIL era and the transfer portal have scrambled the map, letting new contenders rise fast and forcing legacy programs to adapt. We break down why playoffs feel different, how peak performance compresses into inches, and what we learn from athletes who execute when the clock refuses to wait. Finally, we turn to power, process, and trust around ICE actions and media narratives—because rules only matter if evidence and accountability keep them honest. Sports teach us to accept shared standards; civic life demands the same, or the game doesn't feel fair.Hit play for a ride from fairways to front pages, from do-overs to doing the hard thing. If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one action you'll start in 5-4-3-2-1.Spotify Apple podcastsAmazon Music all other streaming services
This episode is part one of what turned into a two-parter, wherein we look at the Kickstarter for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness Redux, and its deliverings. We start with a brief informal port-mortem on the project, and then dive right into our thoughts on all the many rewards we received from it. We don't go too deeply into the books themselves, though - that's in the next episode. Also, as a bonus for our supporters, there is a special short bonus session on our patron feeds (Ko-Fi and Pinecast) where we look at all the super awesome contents that came in the Ultimate Benefactor box! Drop us a line! You can follow us (sporadically) on Facebook, and we'd love to see you on our Discord Channel too. And let us know your thoughts by leaving a review on iTunes or any other podcast aggregate sites. For even more info and options, check out our main website or our low-bandwidth alternative feed site. Links of Note: TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux Edition at the Palladium Books store TMNT Transdimensional Adventures Redux Editon at the Palladium Books Store A Cloak of Blades, by Isaac Sher Credits: Hosts: NPC, Just Jacob, and Matt Buckley Music: Opening is "8-Bit bass & lead" by Furbyguy, Closing is "Caravana" by Phillip Gross Episode Length (We support chapters!): 37:54 Glitter Boys, Rifts, the Megaverse, and all other such topics are the property of Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books. Please buy all their stuff and help keep them in print and making more games! You can order directly at palladiumbooks.com, and their entire catalog is available digitally at Drive-Thru RPG as well. We release all of our public episodes simultaneously on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuc8KbdMqx8ajWfm2OUTs7A Audio RSS: https://breakfastpuppies.com/feed/glitterbois Want to help us pay for hosting? We have a few options: Drop us a one-time donation or a recurring membership at our Ko-Fi page Follow this link to our Pinecast Tip Jar We've got a merch store if you're looking for some sweet Glitterbois swag. Check out our affiliate store and buy some of the various products we endorse. Support The Glitterbois by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-glitterbois Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/the-glitterbois/e2726a44-a176-4712-aaea-a5025c87a574 This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Try Pinecast for free, forever, no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-66e5ee for 40% off for 4 months, and support The Glitterbois.
The streets of Veythrone erupt into violence as a hidden threat finally reveals itself in the open. Blades flash, magic surges, and alliances are tested in a battle that turns the marketplace into a war zone. bit.ly/4mFi3cy Credit: Bloodstone Logo by Tony Stephens Crimson Crown (Bloodstone Theme) by Tony Stephens
Al & Jerry: 1982 MLB All Star program, why is there no innovation in wiper blades, and things you can buy in the store and use as a weapon To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Al & Jerry: 1982 MLB All Star program, why is there no innovation in wiper blades, and things you can buy in the store and use as a weapon--plus warm up To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From 'Al & Jerry's Postgame Podcast' (subscribe here): 1982 MLB All Star program, why is there no innovation in wiper blades, and things you can buy in the store and use as a weapon To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fresh off a full week of broadcasting the American Express on the Golf Channel, Smylie Kaufman joins Charlie Hulme to break down the 20th win of Scottie Scheffler's PGA TOUR career.Smylie and Charlie are then joined by 18-year-old Blades Brown, fresh off an incredible week that saw him nearly shoot 59, and star alongside the world No. 1 in the final group on Sunday.Smylie and Charlie return to wrap remaining AmEx storylines before closing the show with Smylie's first-ever earthquake experience (complete with a stunning Smylie reveal), plus a cameo from producer Jaxon Brown explaining the viral phenomenon of exploding trees in extreme cold.Don't forget to like, comment & subscribe! CHAPTERS:00:00 – Intro / Setting the scene in La Quinta02:40 – Scottie Scheffler wins again: what felt inevitable07:45 – Why Scottie's control under pressure is unmatched12:30 – Comparing Scottie's dominance to recent great runs17:10 – Why the American Express format continues to work22:10 – Early-season trends & players gaining momentum27:05 –
After 5+ years, Lexi aka LexiChuChu on IG returns to the podcast! Lexi's been busy over on their side of the country and we finally had the stars (and schedules) align for their return! We get to catch up a bit before we dive into the realm of Video Games. We kick things off by talking about Hades. Lexi has put in a lot of hours with that game and you'll find out how many hours they've got, plus their favorite weapons for dear ol Zagreus. Plus, we discuss Hades 2 and the different mechanics and gameplay from Hades. Lexi also talks about a game category that we have determined to call Catharsis Games. No, they're not the cozy games you're used to hearing about. Lexi talks about what games are in her catharsis game category and what draws them to those particular games. From there, we're venturing back into Tabletop Roleplaying Games. In Lexi's first episode, this was a topic we had talked about. Now here we are with even more to say. Lexi talks about the multiple Dungeons and Dragons games they play and/or DM in, along with other TTRPG's like Pathfinder, Coyote and Crow, and more. We discuss the gameplay at the table versus online, the storylines that have been created, and the TTRPG systems they'd love to try in the future (here's looking at you, Blades in the Dark!) We then come full circle with more Cosplay. Lexi talks about the past 5 years and what they've been doing in that space, and getting back into building/crafting some cosplay pieces for competition this year. We talk about what they're working on and even more ideas for the future. We also talk about Cosplay Judging, as Lexi has judged for several competitions. We talk about what it's like having seams looked at, techniques being judged, and how to be a good competitor (in skill and respect for others) in cosplay competitions. You can find Lexi at: https://www.instagram.com/lexichuchu/ You can listen to Lexi's first episode here: https://talesfromthefandom.libsyn.com/episode-194-lexichu-cosplay-talks-mmorpgs-book-recommendations-ttrpgs-and-cosplay
This week we arrive just in time to save you from losing all hope. Brad and Eric are here to prove that you don't need a fancy car or a six pack to score high… I mean, to score something. Tune in to find the easiest ways to share a bed. You will be surprised to find out that all this time all you needed to do was take your shoes off… POORHAMMER MERCH! https://orchideight.com/collections/poorhammer PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SolelySingleton YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@thepoorhammerpodcast TWITCH: https://www.twitch.tv/poorhammer Website: https://poorhammer.libsyn.com/ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Hello and Welcome 02:22 Hedonites of Slaanesh 06:16 Nighthaunt 07:46 Nagash 09:13 Blades of Khrone 09:59 Skaven 12:44 Cities of Sigmar 15:45 Sylvaneth 18:10 Seraphon 19:05 Karadron Overlords 20:25 Slaves to Darkness 22:32 Fyreslayers 23:56 Disciples of Tzeentch 25:10 Flesh-eater Courts 26:59 Lumineth Realm-Lords 30:36 Daughters of Khaine 32:05 Maggotkin of Nurgle 34:35 Ogor Mawtribes 35:55 Stormcast Eternals 38:16 Ossiarch Bonereapers 40:00 Sons of Behemat 40:31 Orks 42:56 Helmsmiths of Hashut 43:21 Idoneth Deepkin 45:12 Gloomspite Gitz 46:41 Soulblight Gravelords 51:07 Kragnos 51:50 Outro 51:41 Alright Audio Audience Contact Information: You can interact with Solely Singleton by joining the hosts on discord and Twitter to give input to improve the show. Feel free to email more detailed questions and suggestions to the show's email address. Your Hosts: Brad (DrRuler) & Eric (OnekuoSora) Brad's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/drruler.bsky.social Eric's Bsky: https://bsky.app/profile/onekuosora.bsky.social Show Email: thepoorhammerpodcast@gmail.com Merch Website: http://www.poorhammer.com/ Edited by: Menino Berilio Show Mailing Address: PO Box 70893 Rochester Hills, MI 48307 Licensed Music Used By This Program: "Night Out" by LiQWYD CC BY "Thursday & Snow (Reprise)" by Blank & Kytt CC BY "First Class" by Peyruis CC BY "Funky Souls" by Amaria CC BY
In this episode the 7th Tower crew tries to escape the Hive's auction with their ill gotten goods...Cast- Reza- LenaThe Magnificent Figaro- Danny DelucaGamemaster- Jared WitkofskyAl Key- Chris FrenchPerberton- Andrew Collins-AndersonKevin- Morgan JustTony 'The Toe' Tito- Chris ThielFeaturing music by Pressure Highway, Jordan Fickel, Danny Deluca and Motoshi Kosako This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).