Podcasts about Book one

Send us a textWelcome to Hunger Games Summer, nerds!

We board the Infinity Train — not just a mysterious locomotive, but a powerful metaphor for emotional healing and spiritual growth.

A new series where we will dive head first into Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's amazing graphic novel series Gideon Falls! We'll talk about the Twin Peaks/ David Lynch influences and the overall Horror of the first arc. We stay spoiler-free on this first episode of the Black Barn Chronicles, so if you haven't read Gideon Falls but think you want to, join us on our journey!Check out the visual episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wTHDDZfTznICheck out The Horror Vision on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehorrorvision/Join our exclusive Facebook Horror Fan Community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18LsUmWw5n/Check out our merch! https://the-horror-vision.creator-spring.com

For Episode 223 of our award-winning podcast⁠ for writers, we're a little all over the place. It was a week.Reminder: Serving Salvation Book Two will be released on May 14. Book One got very nice reviews, and the B1 ebook is available for 99 cents on the major platforms. Check out our Books page.Happy Mother's Day not only to mothers, but to those who step up and be a mother in times of need. And to the dads who ran out to the store at the last minute for their kids.Here's a story all writers can relate to. We were blessed with a visit from the grandkids on Saturday, and our youngest mentioned they were taking a school field trip to Virginia City, Nevada (they live in Sparks). When CC mentioned she wrote a book about Virginia City, the grandkid said, “But you're retired.”Context: they are the child of a New York Times bestselling author, and the grandchild of two full-time authors, so they intuitively understand at ten years old that writing is hard work. We wish everyone was so intelligent (objectively speaking).Aside from that, we spent most of the week editing, editing, and editing. CC tells of her challenges this week getting her book back to Red Adept under the deadline.The other significant event was the May 7 kickoff of the Nevada Authors network, our partnership with the Sierra Arts Foundation to highlight a local writer every week. We will interview Mariposa Cruz for the May 14 broadcast. You can check out those podcasts on our main site at Two Moore Books.Also mentioned in this podcast:Leo XIV, the Deep Dish Pope, and being Culturally CatholicTeri CaseDr. Marissa and The Parent DoctorSusan at The Garden Answer (Andrews Seed Company)Being DeafCheck us out and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!Our Website: ⁠www.carsonhume.com⁠Who We are: ⁠https://carsonhume.com/about/⁠Our Books: ⁠https://carsonhume.com/books-2/⁠Our bookstore: https://carsonhume.square.site/Our Business: ⁠https://twomoorebooks.com/⁠ ⁠please buy us coffee!⁠For those who listen on the way to work, we are on these fine podcast platforms: ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Pocket Casts⁠ ⁠Radio Public⁠Note: Two Moore Books, LLC does not receive financial compensation for promoting third-party businesses and websites. We are speaking to our specific experiences. Your mileage may vary.

This week's featured story comes from the How to Be Super: The Violet Crown (Book One)collection. It's called "Part One: The Welcome Wall." In which we are introduced to Dante and his single mother and learn that on the morning of his twelfth birthday, he experiences something incredible: he is struck by lightning. He is fine, but it begins a series of events that leads him to the neighborhood welcome wall where he receives a message that changes everything. If you enjoyed that story, there are hundreds and hundreds more where that came from. Try a Sparkle subscription now - for free. Go to www.sparklestories.com and click the button at the top that says “Start Free Trial,” then you can listen to our giant library as much as you like, anytime you like.  Each week on the Sparkle Stories Podcast, we share a free story from one of our original story series! For many many many more stories like this one, visit the Sparkle website: www.sparklestories.com Questions?  Ideas?  Requests? Email us!  info@sparklestories.com Enjoy!

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!What do a flooded house, a nine-month (and still going) renovation, and a debut novel have in common? Angelika Morini.In this episode, Angelika shares what it actually looked like to finish her first novel, Do You See Me Now?—while living in chaos (read: house stripped to the studs). We talk about why character development can feel a lot like falling in love with someone mysterious and how launching a book is less of a finish line and more like Mile One of a marathon you didn't know you signed up for.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:The (not so) glamorous reality of writing and editing during a home renovation from hellWhy marketing Book One while dreaming up Book Two can feel like a  bit of a tightrope actThe decision to write in English (even though she's German) Weaving the complexities of post-reunification Germany into her novelThe way she allowed her characters to show up and surprise her (no outline, no problem!) Awesome Email Templates for AuthorsFrom communicating with your launch team to building relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal readers.

On this week's Friday LIVE Extra podcast, Tosca Lee tells us about more "One Book, One Nebraska" events.

Welcome to The Cozy Mystery Book Club! Join our discussion of A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery Book One) by Dianne Freeman with Angela Maria Hart and Eliza Luce

Where did the Bible come from? We'll unpack the origin, formation, and trustworthiness of Scripture, giving you confidence in how God preserved His Word through history. In a world full of shifting opinions and uncertainty, the Bible remains unchanging, reliable, and authoritative. Don't miss this powerful message as we continue building a firm foundation for your faith! Here at CCC, we're committed to helping people move forward in faith, freedom, purpose, and impact.

We have the Eclipse, mercury goes retrograde, and our lives are about to change direction in an unexpected (yet well directed) way. It's our time to learn, earn, burn, and turn. Are you ready for the new contracts? They're calling you

I was for sure going to make this episode (originally) going over our Eclipse in Virgo- but then, I got into the transits, and I realized leading up to our Full Moon Eclipse on the 14th is already A LOT of stuff going on! So, let's talk about the portal days leading up to our eclipse, what we can expect, and our World is Shifting! Congratulations on your graduation

The New Moon in Pisces ushers in Eclipse Season, Mercury enters Aries, Venus goes retrograde, AND there's a Saturn and Mercury Conjunction. It's about to be a week where we walk at the top of a mountain. Enjoy the view, kick a rock or two, and prepare what Spirit is going to ask of you- that's what the top of the Mountain is supposed to do

Have you ever wished for a quick, no-pressure strategy session to get unstuck in your dietitian business? Well, now's your chance! In this episode of The Dietitian Success Podcast, I'm sharing why I'm offering free 20-minute business strategy calls for dietitians - and why talking to people for free is actually the most valuable use of my time.I'll break down:What these calls are and why I'm doing themHow relationship-building is the currency of business (and how you can apply this in your own biz)How you can book a session today (spots are limited!)What kinds of challenges we can tackle in just 20 minutes - niching, pricing, offers, marketing, and more!Why these calls are different from sales or discovery calls (they're pitch-optional!)My personal goal of completing 25 sessions in March - so let's make it happen together!Links: Book your FREE Business Strategy Call today (open to starting, growing or scaling dietitian business owners)Plus, big news!

Jacob's Linktree - Jacob Licklider | Instagram | LinktreeJoey's Linktree - jomoblooddonut | Twitter | LinktreeBuy the book on Amazon! - Preacher 1: Ennis, Garth, Dillon, Steve: 0001401240453: Amazon.com: BooksOur next reading - Amazon.com: Batgirl 1: The Darkest Reflection: 9781401238148: Simone, Gail, Syaf, Ardian, Cifuentes, Vincente, Arroeola, Ulises, Sharpe, Dave: BooksAmazon.com: Batgirl 2: Knightfall Descends: 9781401238179: Simone, Gail, Syaf, Ardian, Benes, Ed, Martinez, Alitha, Cifuentes, Vicente: Books

In this week's behavior, we discuss how seeking prestige can be dangerous for writers, specifically in the form of MFA degrees and literary agents. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Sword of the Squire, Book #1 in the Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store: SQUIRE50 The coupon code is valid through March 14, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we've got you covered! 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 240 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is February the 20th, 2025, and today we are discussing how to escape the trap of prestige that can sometimes catch writers, specifically in the form of MFA degrees and literary agents. Before we get into greater detail with that, we will start with Coupon of the Week and then an update on my current writing projects and then also a Question of the Week before we get to the main topic.   But first, let's start with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Sword of the Squire, Book One of the Dragonskull series (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills), at my Payhip store. And that coupon code is SQUIRE50. The coupon code is valid through March 14th, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook as we head into spring, we have got you covered.   Now let's have an update on current writing projects. I am 94,000 words into Ghost in the Assembly. I had two 10,000 word days this week, which really moved the needle forward. We'll talk about those a little bit more later. I'm on Chapter 18 of 21, I believe, and if all goes well, I should hopefully finish the rough draft before the end of the month because I would like to get editing on that as soon as possible. For my next book, that will be Shield of Battle and I am 8,000 words into that and I'm hoping that'll come out in April. Ghost in the Assembly will be in March, if all goes well.   In audiobook news, recording for Cloak of Dragonfire (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) is finished and also recording on Orc-Hoard, the fourth book of the Half-Elven Thief series (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward). Both of those should be coming out sometime in March, if all goes well. So that's where I'm at with my current writing projects.   00:01:45 Question of the Week   And now let's move on to Question of the Week. Question of the Week is intended to inspire interesting discussions of enjoyable topics. This week's question, if you have off work or school because of a snow day or extreme cold or other intense weather, what do you do with the day? No wrong answers. We had a number of responses to this.   Surabhi says: Ha, jokes on you! It never snows where I live. We do sometimes bunk school on rainy days, though. What I mostly do then is catching up on homework or listening to the rain.   Justin says: We're having a snow day here; schools and many businesses are closed. So Lord of the Rings Extended Edition movie marathon! Popcorn popped, hot cocoa and cold soda prepped. I have to admit, that seems like a very good idea.   Mary says: Read, write, watch the snow fall, try to exercise inside.   Michael says: That hasn't happened to me since about 1985, but I seem to recall it was on my birthday and boy was I happy to miss school on my birthday! I think I read fantasy books, drank tea, and played video games.   Juana says: curl up with a book and hot chocolate or tea.   John says: Haven't had a snow day since I was a child, but I did either play in the snow or read a book (at that age, Andre Norton, Lester del Rey, or Ben Bova). I'm relocating later this year back to colder climes, but since I now only work remotely and have for the past six years, sadly my days change very little.   Jenny says: Usually shovel snow, make a pot of warm food, more snow removal, watch movies or shows. Bob says: I'm retired now, so probably not much different than any other day, but when I was working, I'd probably be out shoveling snow so I can get to work whenever the roads were clear. Of course, that necessitated more shoveling when the snowplow dumped its load across the end of my driveway and that's why I moved south, where I rarely see snow.   Yes, if you live in a colder climes and you have a driveway, you know that you'll shovel the driveway and then immediately when you're done, these snowplow will come and block up the end of the driveway.   Finally, Dan says: For myself, I enjoy a free day. However, soon the home duties encroach on this free time.   For myself, the answer is clearly that I write 10,000 words on the first snow day and then again on the second day because I just had two days in a row where it was too cold to leave the house. So what I did was stay home and wrote 20,000 words of Ghost in the Assembly.   00:03:54 Main Topic: Escaping the Trap of Prestige, Part I   Now onto our main topic of the week, Escaping the Trap of Prestige, Part I-as it pertains to MFA (Master of Fine Arts) degrees and agents. I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm not looking to knock anyone who has a MFA or who has a literary agent, especially if it's working out for you and you're happy with it. What I'm trying to do here is warn younger writers who are just starting out about the potential consequences of these things, which can be very severe if you choose wrongly. So that is my goal with this episode, to help writers escape the potentially bad consequences of the prestige trap because newer writers in particular want validation. I mean, we all want validation, but writers especially want validation and new writers are very vulnerable to wanting validation to the point where it's been well known for years that there's a large scam industry of various things that take advantage of newer writers looking for validation such as vanity publishers, scammy agents, and a wide variety of other online publishing scams. This isn't to say that MFAs and literary agents are scams, though some literary agents have committed serious crimes (as we'll discuss later), but again, to warn against the danger of wanting prestige too badly and the bad decisions that can lead you to make. And some of this comes from the idea of success in life, especially in the United States and large parts of the Western world, is hitting certain milestones in a specific order. Like you graduate from college, you get a good job, you get married, you buy a house, you have your first kid, and if you don't do these things in the right order, there's something wrong with you and you have made mistakes in life, which isn't necessarily true, but is something that people can fall fall prey to and use to make destructive decisions. In the writing world, some of those measures of success have until fairly recently been getting a Master of Fine Arts degree, finding an agent, getting traditionally published, and hitting the New York Times list. As of this recording, I have sold well over 2 million books without following that normal route to writing success. In fact, I think it's closer to 2.25 million now, and I mention that not to toot my own horn, but to say that there are routes outside of the potentially dangerous prestige paths I'm talking about. And despite that, many aspiring writers feel they must follow that specific route to writer success, otherwise they aren't real writers. They've got to get the MFA, the agent, traditionally published, and then the New York Times list. The quest for prestige can keep writers from succeeding in two ways that are more significant, getting their work in front of readers who want to read it and deriving income from writing. So today in the first part of this two part episode series, we're going to talk about two of those writing markers of prestige, MFAs and literary agents. Why are they no longer as important? What should you devote your energy and focus to instead?   So number one, the Master of Fine Arts trap. The Master of Fine Arts in writing has often been seen as a marker of writing ability, especially in the world of literary fiction. And I think the big problem, one of the big problems with MFA, first of all is cost. Getting a Master of Fine Arts degree is expensive, especially if you are not fortunate enough to receive scholarships or assistantships and so have to rely on student loans. The average cost of an MFA program is in the mid five figures when all is said and done, not even counting living expenses and textbooks and so forth. If you have to take out student loans to pay for that, that is a considerable loan burden, especially if you already have loans from your undergraduate degree.   Even the people who get their MFA paid for (usually in exchange for teaching introductory writing classes to first year university students), the opportunity cost of taking two to three years to get this degree means you're sacrificing other things in your personal and professional life in order to get this MFA. It's a huge outlay of time and energy, especially if you're moving across the country for a residential program. And what are you getting in exchange for this massive outlay of time, money, and effort?   You probably aren't going to learn the practical non-writing skills that you need in the modern writing world like marketing, data collection and analysis, and publication strategies (all of which I do on a fairly regular basis in addition to writing). All of these skills are important for writers now, even if they are traditionally published. The problem with many MFA programs is that they rarely, if ever teach these skills. It seems that what MFAs train their students to do is to become adjunct faculty professors with semester to semester contracts, which can pay around $2,000 to $4,000 USD per writing or literature course at most small to mid-size colleges and universities in the United States. Being an adjunct professor does not confer any benefits like health insurance or retirement funds.   I was talking about this episode with my podcast transcriptionist and she mentioned once she was at a faculty meeting where an adjunct professor in English with an MFA did the math and realized based on her hourly wage (based on all the actual hours she put into a semester), if she worked at the local gas station chain, she would be making $7 per hour more at the local gas chain and she would be only working 40 hours a week. That can be a very dismaying realization, especially after all the work you have put into getting an MFA and teaching. Many defenders of the MFA degree will say that the real value of the degree is learning how to take criticism and learning to edit. But if you're writing in a genre outside of literary fiction, poetry, and memoirs, you are not likely to find a lot of useful advice. To return to my transcriptionist's tales from her time inside academia, she once told me of meeting a faculty member who confessed that he never read a fantasy book and had no idea how to critique or help these students, and he was a writing professor. He meant well, but he's not even remotely an outlier in terms of MFA instructors and their familiarity with mysteries, romance, and science fiction works and fantasy, which is what most genre fiction is nowadays. Also, the quality of advice and help you receive varies wildly based on the quality of your cohort and instructors and their willingness to help others. It's a steep investment with very, very uncertain returns.   So in short, an MFA takes a huge outlay of time and money with very few tangible benefits, especially with genre writers. In all frankness I would say an MFA is the kind of degree you should not go into debt to get and you should only get if you can have it paid for through scholarships or assistantships or so forth. So what should you do, in my opinion, other than an MFA degree? I think you should write as much as possible. You get better by practicing. You should read extensively. You will learn about writing by reading extensively, ideally in more than one genre. If you read enough and write enough, eventually you get to the moment where you read something and think, hey, I could do a better job than this. This is a major boost in confidence for any writer.   It might be a good idea to join a local or online writing group if you'd like critique from other writers. A warning that writing groups can vary wildly in quality and some of them have a bad case of crab bucket syndrome, so you may have to try more than one group to find one that works for you.   Another thing to do would be to listen to advice from successful writers. I saw a brief video from an author who recently pointed out that many people online giving writing advice aren't current or successful writers. One of the downsides of the Internet is that anyone can brand themselves an expert, whip together a course, and sell it online for a ridiculous fee. And people like this, their successes in creating methods or courses that turn writing into something more complicated to make aspiring writers reliant upon that process. Aspiring writers may end up spinning their wheels following all of these steps instead of getting to the actual work of churning out drafts. They may be spending money they can't afford in order to learn ineffective or even damaging strategies.   Many successful writers offer sensible advice for free, such as Brandon Sanderson posting his writing lectures for free on his YouTube channel. If you're looking for writing advice, you could do a lot worse than watching those lectures. And if you're going to take advice from anyone you read on the internet, it's probably better to take advice from successful writers who have demonstrated that they know what they are doing.   And finally, this may be more general advice, but it's a good idea to be open to learning and observing new experiences. It's probably a good idea to go to museums and cultural events, read about the latest developments in science and history, go on a hike in a new place, and observe the world around you. New writers often ask where writers get their ideas come from, and they very often come from just serendipitous things you can observe in the world around you. And that is also a good way to get out of your own head. If you're worried too much about writing, it's probably time to go for a long walk.   So why are agents potentially dangerous to writers? For a long time (for a couple decades, in fact), from I'd say from maybe the ‘80s and the ‘90s to the rise of the Kindle in the 2010s, the only realistic way to get published for most writers in terms of fiction was to get a literary agent. Publishers did not take unsolicited submissions (most of them did not), and you had to go through an agent to send your manuscript to a publisher. The agents were very selective for a variety of reasons. Because of that, a lot of newer writers still idealize the process of getting agents. You'll see this on Twitter and other social media platforms where new writers will talk constantly about getting agents and what they have to do. And the ones who do get a request from an agent to send in the full manuscript after sending a few query chapters are just besides themselves with joy. And those who do get agents can sometimes sound like they're showing off their new boyfriend or girlfriend, like my agent says they like my book, or my agent says this or that. And as you can probably imagine from my description, this is an arrangement that has a lot of potential danger for the writer.   The traditional first step in this time period I was mentioning after finishing a book has been to get as prestigious of an agent as possible to contact publishers and negotiate deals on their behalf. The agent takes 10 to 20% of what a publisher pays a writer, but in theory can get a writer a better deal and are acting in their best business interests. And as I mentioned before, most significantly, most publishers are not willing to read submissions that are not submitted by an agent. If getting traditionally published is the goal, an agent is the crucial first step. I mean, that's the ideal that we've been talking about. In reality, traditional publishing is as cautious and risk averse as it has ever been. Agents have followed suit. It takes industry connections and/or a significant social media presence to even get an agent to look at your book.   Writing query letters and trying to get an agent also takes away from writing and is a completely separate skillset, as is the networking and social media work that is part of this process. Some people have spent months or even years working on query letters and getting an agent when they could have finished another book or more in the same time. Alright, so that is the practical and logistical reasons it's a bad idea for a writer to seek out an agent, and I frankly think you'd be better off. And now we get to the potentially criminal ones.   The thing about literary agents is there's no licensing or requirement or anything of that nature. You can set up a website and call yourself a literary agent. If you consider something like a lawyer, by contrast, I'm sure those of you who are lawyers in the United States will have many complaints and stories about your state bar, which is in charge of licensing lawyers. But the point is that the state bar exists, and if a lawyer is behaving in an unethical or unscrupulous matter, that can be brought as complaint to the state bar. Nothing like that exists for literary agents at all. And because of that, scammy agents are everywhere. Some try to get writers to pay a fee upfront or other made up fees, or they get cuts from scammy book publishers or book packaging services. Or in general, they just try to squeeze every penny possible from aspiring writers. And this is often sadly very easy to do because as we've mentioned, many newer writers still think getting an agent is a major mark of prestige and humans crave prestige. And even if you get a prestigious and seemingly legitimate agent, that can potentially lead to life ruining problems because many of the legitimate agents are very sticky fingered.   Several years ago, the firm of Donadio and Olson, which represented Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, Godfather author Mario Puzo, and Catch 22 author Joseph Heller found out that one of their accountants had been stealing millions from their authors for many years. Although the accountant was sentenced to two years of prison, it's unlikely those authors will receive the money back fully. As Palahniuk put it in a blog post, “the legal process will be long and offers an iffy reward.” Mr. Palahniuk also lost out on money from touring to promote his books because of this crisis and said he was unable to support himself financially as a result of these stolen royalties.   By not filtering your royalties and earning statements through a literary agency that can falsify reports about these documents (as the accountant in question did), you have a full sense of what you are earning and what amounts you should be receiving. Amazon is open to many criticisms because of its decisions, but they pay monthly and they send a very detailed spreadsheet monthly to any Kindle authors of what books sold and what they expect to earn. It's sometimes almost too much data to process. The traditional publishing world would never even consider showing that to writers and agents often keep that from their writers. Palahniuk trusted his agency and accepted the explanations that rampant piracy and financial difficulties in the publishing world were keeping over a million dollars in royalties from him. He even later found out that this accountant was keeping non-financial correspondence from him. Returning to the topic of Brandon Sanderson, I recently saw an interview between him and a podcaster Tim Ferris. He made the interesting point that the power centers in publishing have shifted from traditional publishing agents to the platform holders and the writers, the platform holders being people like Amazon, Apple, and Google who have the platforms that sell the books and the writers who bring the books to those platforms. The power is shifted away from agents and publishers to the platforms and writers. And because of that, in my frank opinion, literary agents are obsolete for those wishing to publish independently.   And my frank opinion is also that you should be independently publishing and not trying to get an agent or go with a traditional publisher. There's no reason to give someone 15% when you can upload the files to a service like KDP yourself. An agent will not be able to get you a better royalty from KDP. Amazon does not negotiate royalty rates at the agent level, and you have to be a writer on the scale of J.K. Rowling or maybe Dean Koontz to get any kind of special deal from Amazon.   So what should you do instead of seeking out an agent? Publish independently or self-publish. Be wary of excuses and explanations that prey upon emotional responses or a sense of loyalty to individuals, such as the case of Chuck Palahniuk, where they preyed on his fears of piracy and the instability of the publishing industry, as well as sympathy for someone who claimed to be taking care of a family member with a terminal disease. That was one of the excuses they used for why the records weren't right. Ask for facts and verify everything regularly. Publishers and agents are not your friends and not your family, and do not accept that approach in your business relationship with them. Learn how to read and interpret any financial statements you receive. Don't trust a third party to do this for you, or if you must do that, make sure they're being audited regularly by a third party, not from just someone else at their firm.   So the conclusion is that in my opinion, the prestige of getting an MFA and an agent are currently not worth the trade-off and there are considerable risks that you take if your main goals are to build a following and sell books. Prestige is not going to put food on the table. And in fact, if you have five figures of student loan debt from an MFA, it may be keeping you from putting food on the table. So if you want to be a writer, I think both seeking out an MFA and seeking out an agent would be a waste of your time and possibly counterproductive.   Next week in Part Two, we'll discuss two more prestige traps in writing: getting traditionally published and hitting the New York Times Bestseller List.   That is 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 backup episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

Join The Cozy Mystery Book Club for All Sorts of Sleuthing Fun

Here we go, into a downpour of a season. We're going to look back in a month (or two, especially with the upcoming eclipses)- and realize that our life is completely different. Stay grounded, and welcome to the Season of Change.*Edit on timing for previous Mars Retrograde* The previous Mars Retrograde was actively happening in the end months of 2022 (not 2023), and ended January 2023. Apologies for the incorrect spoken information in the podcast. Time really flew by, and I didn't even look up to realize it had been an entire extra year.Notes for the week:18-20 third quarter moon in scorpio/sag19- pisces season startsNeptune, Saturn, north node, mercury, sunSeason of blessings20-22 moon in sagittarius Ruled by Jupiter in gemini- mercury in pisces 23-24 moon in CapricornRuled by Saturn in pisces23- north node and Neptune Conjunct in pisces23rd at 14:01 UTC- mars goes direct in cancer, ruled by moon in Capricorn ❤️Community Organizing & Coven Support❤️https://matrix.to/#/#the-guild-a-coven:matrix.org

This week is not a weak week, it's going to ask that we start to get up even more, take things a bit more seriously, and share with care if (and when) we need to. Lots of unpredictableness is grounding, and there's going to be an incline. So, be ready, and we're going

Send us a textSummaryIn this episode, author Megan Schaulis discusses her YA duology, The Susa Chronicles. Book One, Protector, is inspired by the book of Esther and follows the story of Novalice, a brave heroine who becomes the king's bodyguard. Book Two, Proclaimer, is set to release in April. Megan shares how her faith and personal experiences influenced the writing of the series, emphasizing the importance of our relationship with God and the labels He gives us. She also discusses her love for YA literature and the impact it can have on young adults' journey of self-discovery and faith.Takeaways The Susa Chronicles is a YA duology inspired by the book of Esther, with Book One, Protector, already released and Book Two, Proclaimer, set to release in April.The series explores themes of faith, identity, and the importance of our relationship with God.Megan emphasizes that our faith is our greatest advantage and that our identity is defined by God, not the labels the world gives us.YA literature plays a significant role in helping young adults navigate their journey of self-discovery and faith.Chapters 00:00 Introduction to The Susa Chronicles04:46 The Plot of Protector09:21 The Power of Our Relationship with God13:41 Megan's Journey as an Author15:43 Favorite Books and Impactful Reads21:31 What's Next for Megan23:38 Conclusion Megan Schaulis | Author, Young Adult Christian FictionLet's discover great books together!Follow for more:FB: @bookworthypodcastInstagram: @bookworthy_podcastYouTube: BookWorthy Podcast - YouTubetiktok: @valeriefentress

Venus Retrogrades can sometimes be a bit harsh, and they're always asking us to redefine our worth. So, in preparation for this time of Worth, and grounding with the feminine- here are some helpful tips, notes, and other information for our upcoming Venus retrograde. There's probably going to be some big shifts this summer, and this retrograde of Venus is one of the foundational shifts of preparation for Neptune and Saturn to start their dance in Aries. Here comes the growth, change, and rearrange ❤️ Notes for the week: Venus retrograde time span: March 2 at 12:36 (noon:36) UTC - Venus retrogrades in Aries  April 12 at 13:04 (10:34 am) UTC - Venus goes direct in Pisces Other important dates for other transits: March 27- Dark Moon enters Scorpio March 27- Venus retrograde is going to reenter Pisces April 30- Venus Direct enters aries May 25- Saturn enters Aries ❤️Community Organizing & Coven Support❤️ https://matrix.to/#/#the-guild-a-coven:matrix.org

In this episode of The Write Place, I'm joined by award-winning historical crime novelist D.V. Bishop for a deep dive into the craft of storytelling, structure, and writing with confidence.D.V. shares his Wallace & Gromit approach to plotting—laying the tracks just ahead of the train as he writes—and why mystery writers don't always need to know the ending before they begin. We discuss the pressures of writing under contract, the benefits of finishing Book Two before Book One is published, and how to find the balance between planning and discovery.He also reveals the book that changed his life (and career), the unexpected way he researches characters, and why Call the Midwife helped him write a convent full of nuns. If you've ever wrestled with plotting, structure, or self-doubt, this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and plenty of laughs.His latest book is Divine Fury - check it out here.Connect with D.V. Bishop:

There are so many shifts this week. Take care. of yourself out there, the big winds are returning, there's a lot that we're learning- and there's a lot of Elevation near us. If you're feeling a little shaken up, let there be reset energy for you. And, if you've been doing everything you need to do- there's about to be a massive shift in energy. Love you, and I'll talk to you soon

Episode 492 - AJ Whitney - Sovereign, When Your Number is Up - Orphans Face A Dire FateAJ Whitney is a young adult author living in the Kansas City metro with her husband of nearly 20 years and two teenagers. She is also a high school counselor, dubbed as “the punk rock school counselor.” Apart from books, which are her oldest love, she also enjoys making and listening to music, befriending every animal imaginable, playing board games, and getting sucked into D&D campaigns against her will.Book One of AJ's speculative / dystopian series Sovereign is expected in 2025. She also writes horror, thrillers, fantasy, and dark contemporary fiction. When reading an AJ Whitney book, expect a page-turner with twists, cliffhangers, and dark surprises.Book - Soverign - Number 332 is living to be sacrificed.A teen with no name, she'll take part in the Sending alongside nine other orphans after the Festival.They will be left in the Fields and taken by the Sovereign as gifts, and the town will be blessed with a decade of bountiful harvests - same as the past three centuries.But after so long, even the town elders begin questioning the decennial Sending and the very existence of the Sovereign.They've all forgotten about the gray-haired woman who saw everything. The rotten crops. The starvation. The message scrawled in the barren Fields.Every 10 years.https://a.co/d/7yPiuGNhttps://ajwhitneybooks.com/Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

In this week's episode, we take a look at five ways to use short stories to market your books. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Half-Elven Thief, Book #1 in the Half-Elven Thief series, (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward) at my Payhip store: HALF50 The coupon code is valid through February 14, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for the January/February doldrums, we've got you covered! 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 236 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is January the 24th, 2025. Today we are discussing how to use short stories for marketing. Before we get into that, we'll start with Coupon of the Week. I have an update on my current writing projects and then do Question of the Week.   So let's start off with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Half-Elven Thief, Book One in the Half-Elven Thief series, (as excellently narrated by Leanne Woodward) at my Payhip store. That code is HALF50. You can find the link and the coupon code in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code will be valid through February the 14th, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for the January/February doldrums, we have got you covered. Now on to an update on my current writing projects. As of this recording, I am 56% of the way through the first round of edits on Shield of Deception. I am still hoping to have the book out early in February, if all goes well. Once that is out, my main project will be Ghost in the Assembly. I am 16,000 words into that. So that is good news there.   In audiobook news, as I mentioned in the previous show, the audiobook of Ghost Armor Omnibus One (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) has come out and you can get that at Audible, Apple, and Amazon. Cloak of Masks should be coming soon and a recording for Cloak of Dragonfire is almost done, so we should have some more audiobook news coming pretty soon.   00:01:45 Question of the Week   Now onto Question of the Week, which is designed for an enjoyable discussion of interesting topics. This week's question: what is your favorite kind of Italian food? No wrong answers, obviously, including not liking Italian food. We had quite a few responses on that.   Justin says: Ah yes, pizza, the food of company team building exercises and RPG tabletop sessions. You can't go wrong with pizza. Another dish I adore would be Italian sausage and peppers with penne pasta. It goes together quickly, tastes great, and is easy to clean up afterwards. Alas, I can no longer partake- the green and red pepper has given me gas worse than any bean dish.   Mary says: Ravioli! The right brands, because the cheese mixes vary. I like a number, but not all.   Surabhi says: Pizza wins, without a doubt!   Juana says: Pizza hits all the notes.   Denny says: I love North American pizza. Italian pizza is its own thing and not something I enjoy. I've eaten very little actual Italian food, but generally I do enjoy pasta. John says: Definitely lasagna. There is a little place in Southern California where the chef makes a deconstructed lasagna that is out of this world.   I have to admit, I didn't know there was such a thing as deconstructed lasagna.   Jenny says: Fettuccine Alfredo and Chicken Parmesan are so good, but I love getting some of both so I get the red and white sauces blended and with tasty cheesy chicken.   Brooks says: While I love a lot of Italian dishes, I really like a type of lasagna that is cream based versus marinara based. Usually it's considered a veggie type lasagna. It just adds a different twist. Basically alfredo meets lasagna.   Olaf says: Any kind of pasta (linguini, tortiglioni, rigatoni, farfalle) or gnocchi with a slow cooked bolognaise. My self-made pizza, then of course lasagna and all kinds of pasta with salsicce and let not forget tiramisu and a latte macchiato. James says: It's funny what we call “foreign food.”” Your Taco Bell style taco originated in Texas. What Americans consider Chinese food originated in San Francisco and pizza as we know it originated in New York City.   Bonnie says: Chicken parm and my husband's lasagna.   A different John says: I love a really good risotto, specifically with porcini mushrooms and pancetta. Also the truffle pasta I had in Rome about 10 years ago, but the best pasta I had was rabbit ragout with handmade pappardelle (which I'm pretty sure I didn't say correctly) at a restaurant here in California. My family loves my homemade spaghetti with meatballs. My granddaughter's favorite is actually spaghetti with clams.   Gary says: Almost anything with pesto.   Andrew says: Cannoli.   James says: Only reason I know this is because of the Food Network, but a true pizza (Italians in Italy don't have pizza) order in Italy doesn't sound appetizing to me. I want a supreme with everything but anchovies on it. While pizza, as we know it is an American invention, what an Italian in Italy would order has only tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil.   Finally, Michael says: Spaghetti.   For myself, I think my answer would be pizza, which I think as we just heard is true of many people, but pizza is kind of a category all its own, especially American pizza, which as we heard is American invention and not an Italian one. For non-pizza, I would say lasagna and spaghetti carbonara.   00:04:56 Main Topic of the Week: Using Short Stories for Marketing Now onto our main topic this week, how to use short stories for marketing. Many authors, myself included (which if you haven't subscribed to my new release newsletter, which you should really do), create short stories for marketing. It can be an effective way to connect with your readers, but why do it?   Two caveats I should get into before we get into why you should use short stories for marketing and the big one is if you don't actually enjoy writing short stories, you shouldn't do it. Marketing tactics work only if you actually enjoy doing it or you can find it at least tolerable. If you actively dislike writing short stories and prefer to write novels, then you should not try to write short stories unless you actively enjoy the process at least as much as you enjoy writing novels. The second caveat is to remember that short stories really don't sell well outside of certain very specific categories like erotica or anthologies (and even anthologies don't sell as well as full length novels). Recently I saw an interview with a longtime fantasy author who lamented because of TikTok and YouTube (and whatever) that young people nowadays prefer shorter books/quicker books and books will have to get shorter. I have to admit that has not been my experience at all. I think of the 158 books I've published, I've never had anyone write to me afterwards and say, hey, you know what? This book was too long and should have been shorter. No, they say the book should have been longer. So I think that might just be an illusion caused by that author in question being mostly traditionally published and having to deal with printing costs and the publishers being stingy on paper. But my own experience has been that readers really prefer longer works, which means that they don't want to pay for short stories and that therefore you're not going to make a lot of money from your short stories. That doesn't mean you can't use your short stories to make money, but the short stories themselves (if you sell them) are probably not going to make a lot of money and therefore giving them out for free is probably a good idea. Obviously, this is not a new idea. Nonfiction writers, especially in the self-help and business genres, have long given out charts, worksheets, and other bonus content to their newsletter subscribers. Short stories can work well as what's called a reader magnet in the indie author space. The reader magnet is where you give away something for free and hope that the people who pick it up like it enough to go on and try your paid content. I do this all the time myself with my free series starters like Cloak Games: Thief Trap or Child of the Ghosts or Sevenfold Sword: Champion, where if you read that book since it's free and enjoy it, hopefully you go on to purchase the rest of the books in the series. Short stories also generally don't sell for very much. I almost always sell mine for $0.99 USD when they're not free, so it's not a major loss of revenue or “devaluing the work” if you give it away for free, especially if it's only temporary. Another advantage is that people very obviously love free stuff, especially digital content that doesn't take up physical space. Whether you live in a one room efficiency apartment or a four bedroom house, there is only so much space to go around and you can only have so much stuff and in fact, people are always looking to declutter. This is not a problem with digital goods and if you're giving away the short stories for free in digital format, your readers can receive it whenever it's most convenient for them and it's not a burden for them to keep or maintain it like a pile of freebie clutter from a conference (like pens and tote bags, for example). Also, the idea that giving away something for free means that it is low quality is just not a value that most modern readers have. It is more a legacy of a tradpub/print books that is probably going to fade over time. Being the one to provide the free content directly to readers is a way to keep their interest and hopefully build enough of a relationship with the reader that they're willing to try out the non-free content. This is the concept of the loss leader, where you give away something for free and hopefully people will go on to buy the paid products that are connected to it. In marketing speak, this is called the Marketing Funnel, where the free thing you give away is the top of your funnel and hopefully people take the free thing and like it and they'll get drawn further into the funnel and will become paying customers. Giving away things for free also has the benefit of building up a positive association with you in the reader's mind. So hopefully when you send out a newsletter or they see that you have a new book available on Amazon or Kobo or Google Play or wherever, that they will have a positive reaction and then purchase the book.   With all that in mind, and now that we've had our caveats and laid the groundwork, let us have five reasons to give away short stories.   #1: It can keep people connected with the characters/world between books and keep up interest for the next book in the series. If there are gaps between the books in your series, new short stories keep people engaged with characters and help them to remember what happened in the previous books. A short story can also excite them for what comes next in the series, especially if it alludes to what's about to happen in the next book. I have found generally it's a good idea to avoid massive spoilers for things in the books in the short stories, though some of that may be unavoidable depending on where it's written and how it's set.   #2: It gives readers insight into characters and events that don't fit into the larger narrative but are still fan favorites or interesting to fans. My main approach when I write short stories is I don't really want them to be standalone, but I don't really want them to be spoiler-y, so I tend to treat them as DVD extras or like bonus scenes on the DVD, like everyone knows that the Lord the Rings movies came out in the theaters 20 years ago in a specific form, but when the Lord the Rings Extended Editions came out in DVD, they had many extra scenes that had been cut from the movie for time or budgetary reasons or whatever.   That is how I view the short stories I give away for free when I publish a new book. It is bonus content that gets included like bonus content from the DVD. A prominent example of that would be Trick or Treat and Blood Walk and Iron Drive short stories from the Cloak Mage series, all of which are written from the perspective of the character Casimir Volansko. These have proven to be very popular short stories for me because Casimir offers the chance to see Nadia's world from a more normal perspective because Nadia, by this point in the series, is a superpowered wizard with many responsibilities, whereas Casimir is a truck driver who just wants to retire. So that makes for an interesting contrast and looking at the world through Casimir's eyes is not something I would probably do in a main book in the series but does make for a fun bonus in the short stories.   You can also do the backstory of a character that isn't central to the narrative. A couple of times I've done that where in a short story I have fleshed out more of a character's backstory, especially with the Frostborn series where I had The Orc's Tale, The Thief's Tale, The Assassin's Tale, The Soldier's Tale, and so forth where we delved into the backstory of some of the point of view characters in the series that we didn't have time to go through in the books.   #3: It will give people a clear, easy to understand reason to sign up for your email newsletter. “Subscribe and receive two free short stories” is a more compelling argument than “subscribe to my newsletter.” If anyone subscribes to my newsletter, they get three free novels to start with: Frostborn: The Skull Quest, Blade of the Ghosts, and Malison: Dragon Curse, I believe are the three right now. But I also emphasize that if you do sign up for my new release newsletter, you do get free short stories on a fairly regular basis. If fact, I'm planning a newsletter for the 27th that will also give away more short stories. So I do send out a couple of newsletters a month whenever I have a new book come out, and there are short stories given away with all of those. So that is a good way to help build loyalty and reader engagement for your newsletter, which leads directly into reason number four.   #4: It is a carrot, not a stick to motivate people to open and read your messages, which helps with your messages getting flagged as spam. As I've mentioned before, I do enjoy writing short stories. I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it, but the main marketing reason, the big one I write short stories for, is to drive engagement for my newsletter, which has a very practical benefit. Many of the anti-spam systems nowadays are very sophisticated and track a lot of what you do in the email and the more you interact with an email, the less likely it is to get classified by spam, so that way if people are clicking on links in the newsletter to get the free short story, that means they're interacting more with the newsletter and that the email is less likely to be classified as spam.   For a while in 2018 and 2019, I thought writing short stories was too much work, so I decided to phase it out, but my newsletter engagement just dropped. I realized it was because so many fewer people were clicking on the links in the emails and therefore they're getting listed as spam. So I thought, you know what? I better get back to writing short stories. If your newsletter messages are just long diary style entries, people will at best skim them or start to tune out. Having reader magnets for the newsletter gets people used to thinking there is some incentive for them to personally keep checking your updates, which of course turns back to the original point, that this will also help drive engagement and meaning your newsletter is more likely to be opened and less likely to be classified as spam.   #5: And finally, the fifth and final reason is making short stories free for a limited period of time instead of permafree gives subscribers and followers an incentive to read your posts and newsletters frequently and closely. Fear of missing out (or FOMO, as it's commonly known), is a powerful force. Having the item be free for limited time and exclusive for newsletter subscribers creates a sense of urgency to keep up with your updates. Exclusive content such as never selling the short story but only making it available to newsletter subscribers is also a big incentive for people to subscribe. Many readers (in fact, I would say most readers) are completionists and don't want to miss out on anything in a series, even for just a single short story in that series.   So those are five reasons to use short stories in your marketing to give them away for free. But there are a couple of caveats I want to add.   First, free content is part of the marketing plan and not the entire marketing plan. After being an indie author for almost 13 years now (wow, that's a long time), I've come to realize there is no single magic silver bullet for marketing, but if you do a lot of different things that have a little effect on their own, that does add up over time.   Second, free content should be in line with reader expectations/interests. For example, I'm writing epic fantasy with the Shield War series, so the short story that comes out with Shield of Deception should really be epic fantasy as well. A mystery writer who gives away romance short stories would probably baffle the reader. Likewise, if I published a Caina book and then gave away a short story that was totally unrelated to the Caina series, or indeed not even in the fantasy genre at all, that would probably confuse and annoy readers.   The third caveat is that content besides short stories can also work, such as deleted scenes and alternative point of view chapters or preview chapters. I know writers who have done that, but it needs to be substantial. For example, subscribing to a newsletter and finding out that the special preview is only a paragraph is not going to create goodwill with new subscribers and you're probably going to get a lot of immediate unsubscribes.   And fourth, and finally, the story you're giving away needs to feel professional. It needs to be formatted and edited and put together properly and the cover needs to look good. That is something I struggled with for a long time because at the start, I would hire out my novel covers and do the short story covers myself, but I didn't really know what I was doing, and eventually I learned to use Photoshop and got better at that so I could have better looking short story covers, which paid off in the long run, but it was a lot of work to get there. So that is something to consider if you're giving away short stories, is how much you want to spend on the cover image for it. It might be a good idea to just do something simple for a short story you're giving away for free, like finding an appropriate stock image and then putting some appropriate typography on it. It doesn't have to look amazing. It just has to look good and professional enough. Those are four caveats to our five previous thoughts.   That is 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 on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.  

When I say "this week is crazy" we have some major transitions, all happening within about 48 hours of each other. Lots of shifts, lots of gifts, lots of lifts. It's going to be a crazy week, the winds of Change are here- we have arrived in the new, and we're about to find out what Spirit is really asking us to do. I'm looking forward to it, and I'll be locked in and clocked in as we move forward together. Love you, and may the Spirits Elevate you in Love True. Notes for the week: 24-25 moon in Sagittarius Ruled by Jupiter rx in gemini Focusing on ending the story. What needs to be done, what can become new? Is there anything else you need to do- let this moon really ask of you. 26-28 moon in Capricorn Balsamic moon, final moon phase Reply closing out the cycles, and LARGE spiritual endings. Let it be done, and thank you Death. The 28th is where it gets interesting Moon shifts into Aquarius for the 28-30 28th at 2:53 AM UTC- mercury shifts into Aquarius (effectively conjunct with Pluto by one degree) 28th at 19:32 / 7:32 PM UTC moon shifts into Aquarius (also conjunct with Pluto and mercury by a degree) 29th at 6:50 AM UTC The nodes shift over into Pisces NN and Virgo SN NN in Pisces ruled by Neptune in Pisces, Virgo SN ruled by Mercury in Aquarius (which is a part of the upcoming new moon) 29th at 12:36 UTC- new moon in Aquarius is exact, ruled by Saturn in Pisces and Uranus RX in Taurus (ruled by Venus in Pisces) 30th- Uranus goes direct in Taurus at 4:23 am UTC 30-1 moon in pisces Our first real look of what the nodes are going to be, A time of transition in the new moon ruled by Aquarius time- it's a moon to GET THE WORK DONE AND OVER WITH Also a time where transitions are non-negotiable. Maybe more serious than normal. The winds of Change START HERE so buckle up cuz it's about to be a wild ride. Venus is conjunct Neptune on the 1st with the moon is in pisces- but more on that in the next episode ❤️Community Organizing & Coven Support❤️ https://matrix.to/#/#the-guild-a-coven:matrix.org

The Qajar dynasty was the embodiment of ineffectiveness. Tyrants incapable of true tyranny. This is the story of their demise. Listen to book one recap to get ready for new episodes! The post Book One Recap appeared first on The Lion and The Sun Podcast.

In this episode of Skeptic Metaphysicians, Will delves into the book 'Conversations with God, An Uncommon Dialogue, Book One' by Neil Donald Walsh.He shares an intro from the author, emphasizing the transformative impact the book has had on his life and urging listeners to explore its profound insights about life, love, and spirituality.Will reads a compelling excerpt and invites listeners to join him in future readings and discussions of similar texts.Follow The Skeptic Metaphysicians on https://www.instagram.com/skepticmetaphysician_podcast for more motivation and inspiration. Then tag them on Instagram with your favorite part from today's show and they will repost their fav's every week!Other Ways To Connect With Us:Website: https://www.skepticmetaphysician.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkepticMetaphysicianSupport the Show:Rate/review Us Here: https://lovethepodcast.com/SkepticMetaphysiciansPurchase Merchandise: https://www.skepticmetaphysician.com/storeBuy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SkepticMetaphys 

Tragedy strikes the Baudelaire family and a fire burns down the family home, leaving only the children unharmed. Thus begins an unwanted adventure which finds the kids going from home to home, always persued by the scheming Count Olaf and his unblinking eye… A Series of Unfortunate Events book one - The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket reviewed by Mira, age 12. For questions or to suggest a book for us to review email us at bookpowerforkids@gmail.com .  Our website is https://bookpowerforkids.com/, or visit us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookpowerforkids/ , Twitter @bookpower4kids, or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bookpowerforkids/ We are proud members of Kids Listen. For more quality children's podcasts visit http://www.kidslisten.org/members All of our music was created using Music Maker Jam for non-commercial purposes, http://www.justaddmusic.net/en/ . Credit to http://www.freesfx.co.uk/ for the Wood Door Creaking and Large Park Ambience With Birds Chirping effects.  Thanks for listening!

You've heard Tom talk about his childhood on at least a few occasions. Now get ready to read about it. Well, eventually. Maybe. You could be waiting a while. Until then, you can hear about Tom's grandchildren's childhoods as they happen. If you write it all down you could pre-empt their books well ahead of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've heard Tom talk about his childhood on at least a few occasions. Now get ready to read about it. Well, eventually. Maybe. You could be waiting a while. Until then, you can hear about Tom's grandchildren's childhoods as they happen. If you write it all down you could pre-empt their books well ahead of time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lots of revealing, healing, honor, and simultaneously moving forward while things end this week. It's a pick up and a lift off. We're starting the new, are you ready to do what you came to do? I hope I'm ready too! Notes for the week are too long for the description- check out the blog for exact times of transits, and other information that was written down as highlights for the week

2024 Sci-Fi, IndiePub, & Theology Etc. In Review We need just a couple more weeks to conclude our Christian ethics book so here are Patrick's book reviews from 2024. Biography and Indiepub heavy, it was overall a good reading year with just a few bad choices. Have you read any of these or pick any up? Timeline: 00:00 - Introduction 02:28 - The Love and Respect Devotional by Emerson Eggerichs 04:06 - Deathbringer by Blake Carpenter 08:20 - All Systems Red by Martha Wells 09:32 - Redeemed By Blood by Shannon Baker 11:34 - Defeating Evil by Scott Christensen 13:24 - Lost and Found by Robert E. Kearns 16:05 - After Moses by Michael F. Kane 20:29 - The Button Girl by Sally Apokedak 23:59 - A Case of Conscience by James Blish 26:05 - Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy 29:05 - All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor 30:46 - Hacking Galileo by Fenton Wood 33:23 - Timothy of the 10th Floor by Jenny Phillips 35:11 - Defenders of the West by Raymond Ibrahim 39:04 - I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison 40:36 - The Heights of Perdition by C.S. Johnson 44:41 - The Revenant and the Cult, Book One by Herman P. Hunter 47:16 - Drosselmeyer - Curse of the Rat King by Paul Thompson 49:08 - Hidden Fury by Bjorn Hasseler 51:00 - The Kingdom of Kind by Jenny Phillips 52:28 - Mist and Moonbeams by Paul Michael Peters BOOK LINKS: The Love and Respect Devotional by Emerson Eggerichs Deathbringer by Blake Carpenter All Systems Red by Martha Wells Redeemed By Blood by Shannon Baker Defeating Evil by Scott Christensen Lost and Found by Robert E. Kearns After Moses by Michael F. Kane The Button Girl by Sally Apokedak A Case of Conscience by James Blish Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor Hacking Galileo by Fenton Wood Timothy of the 10th Floor by Jenny Phillips Defenders of the West by Raymond Ibrahim I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison The Heights of Perdition by C.S. Johnson The Revenant and the Cult, Book One by Herman P. Hunter Drosselmeyer - Curse of the Rat King by Paul Thompson Hidden Fury by Bjorn Hasseler The Kingdom of Kind by Jenny Phillips Mist and Moonbeams by Paul Michael Peters All episodes, short clips, & blog - https://www.cavetothecross.com  

We're going to cover some of the bigger transits for the year, and what to expect. We go through the beginning part of August- and there's sort of a climactic moment for the year the first couple weeks of August. Normally I add in notes about transits in the description- however, going over so much information, the notes are too long for the allowed characters (lol, I overdid it). So, to find the notes about transits for the year, and what to look out for, check out the blog for this episode's specifics. Thank you in advance for understandings. Everyone have an awesome 2025! Part Two will arrive at another point, maybe a little later in the year.

In this week's episode, I take a look at what goes into writing 10,000 words of a rough draft in a single day. Coupon of the Week returns! This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Ghost in the Serpent, Book #1 in the Ghost Armor series, (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) at my Payhip store: SERPENT50 The coupon code is valid through January 24, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for the new year, we've got you covered! 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates   Hello, everyone. Welcome to episode 233 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is January 3, 2025, making this the first episode of 2025, and we are a quarter of the way through the 21st Century. Today we are looking into what goes into a 10,000 word writing day and how I managed to do ten 10,000 writing word days in 2024. We'll also do Coupon of the Week, an update on my current writing projects, and Question of the Week.   So let's start off with Coupon of the Week. As you might remember from last year, I did do Coupon of the Week for the blog last year, but I sort of fell off doing it in June and never got back around to it. But the new year is time for new endeavors, so we're doing Coupon of the Week again (hopefully in a more organized and sustainable way this time). So this week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Ghost in the Serpent, Book One in the Ghost Armor series, as excellent narrated by Hollis McCarthy at my Payhip store. The coupon code is SERPENT50, and that is SERPENT50 (all in caps). Again, that is SERPENT50. The coupon code is valid through January 24th, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook for the new year, we've got you covered. The coupon code and the store link will be in the show notes below. So that is this week's Coupon of the Week.   Now let's move on to my current writing projects. Every year for the past couple of years, I've published a short collection with all the short stories I published in the previous year, and I'm pleased to report that 2024: The complete Short Stories is available now and you can get it for $0.99 USD at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google Play Apple Books, Payhip, and Smashwords. It's only going to be 99 cents for the month of January, so now would be a good time to get that. I'm surprised how many people buy the anthology because I give away the short stories for free with all my newsletters throughout the year, but people have told me it's more convenient to have one bundle of the short stories that they just get for $0.99. So that's what we're going to do. You can get that for $0.99 through January 31st.   In writing progress, I am now currently 50,000 words into Shield of Deception, which puts me on chapter 12 of 31. So I think I'm between 35 and 40% of the way through the rough draft. It depends on how long the book's going to end up being, but I think it's going to be around 110 to 120,000 words. I'm also about 7,000 words into Ghost in the Assembly, and if all goes well, I'm hoping Shield of Deception will come out this month and Ghost in the Assembly will come out in February, but that may slip by a month because as I said, Shield of Deception is going to be a very long book.   In audiobook news, proofing is underway for Cloak of Masks, so I'm confident that will be out in January and that is excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. Leanne Woodward is currently recording Orc-Hoard, the fourth book in the Rivah Half-Elven series. So that is where I'm at with my current writing projects.   00:03:06 Question of the Week   Now let's do Question of the Week, which is intended to inspire enjoyable discussions of interesting topics. This week's question: do you make New Year's Resolutions? No wrong answers, obviously. The inspiration for the question was the fact that I posted this on New Year's Day. I had a few responses to this. Mary says: No, I did do a few things getting cleaned up on the day and switched the calendars at midnight.   Bob says: Never have. I feel it's best to resolve problems as they occur.   Cheryl says: Not anymore. I never kept them, so I gave up making them.   Gary says: Not resolutions per se. It is a good time though, to take stock and evaluate whether I'm doing the things I should be doing to get where I would like to be.   Tracy says: Nope, roll the dice and go! LOL.   Jean says: I'm just good with making it through the year. Still intact, LOL.   I can't argue with that.   Venus says: The last resolution I made, many years ago, was to never make another New Year's Resolution.   For myself, no, I don't really do New Year's Resolutions. I suppose my writing goals for 2025 might qualify, but I have enough books that I essentially own a small publisher now, so it's just sensible to make good business goals for the year.   In my personal life, if I need to make some kind of change, I try to do it at once. The most successful personal changes I've made throughout my life usually tend to be in late spring or summer, not at New Year's Eve. What I actually did on New Year's Eve instead of making resolutions was eat mozzarella sticks, watch a movie, and play video games, which made for a pretty enjoyable New Year's Eve. I wonder if New Year's Resolutions are kind of a zombie cultural artifact since it seems like not too many people actually make them anymore, but that would be beyond the scope of this podcast episode.   00:04:51 Main Topic of the Week: Anatomy of a 10,000 Word Day (side note: all times are based on a 12 hour, not 24 hour clock)   Now let's move on to our main topic for the week, the anatomy of a 10,000 word day. On December 2nd, 2024, I wrote 10,000 words of Orc-Hoard in one day. It was my ninth 10,000 word day of 2024. A few people who are interested in writing asked about the logistics of it, like how did I actually pull it off, that kind of thing. That seems like a reasonable question since not too many people have 10,000 word days.   So let's discuss this a bit. I think for myself, the main two components of a 10,000 word day are one, I don't have anything else I absolutely have to do that day. Two, I don't have any unexpected interruptions that require time and attention. Since I had a grand total of ten 10,000 word days in 2024, you can see how rare these two circumstances are. If there are 365 days between January 1st and December 31st, then the conditions for a 10,000 word day only happen 2% of the time.   First, let's take a look at precisely what I actually did on December 2nd, 2024. I should note this is lightly censored to protect family details, but overall, it is accurate for my schedule on December 2nd. At 6:45 AM, I woke up. At 7:10, I made coffee, checked various accounts to make sure nothing got hacked overnight, checked and answered email, set up social media posts for the day, and wrote 250 words of Shield of Deception because that was my secondary project at the time. At 8:30, I proceeded to the gym and spent an hour exercising. At 9:30, I returned from the gym, showered, and cleaned up. At 9:45, I used the electric leaf blower to get some light snow off the sidewalk and porch. Thankfully, this did not take very long because if there had been enough snow that I would need to break out the shovel and the snow blower, then there wouldn't have been a 10,000 word day. At 10:00, I started writing and I did absolutely nothing else but write for the next several hours. At 12:00 PM I stopped for lunch, and at that point in the day I had written 2,700 words of Orc-Hoard so far. At 12:45, I finished lunch and returned to writing and did nothing else until 2:00. At 2:00, I made some coffee and paused to answer some texts and emails that had come in, and at that point I had written 5,100 words of Orc-Hoard for the day. At 2:20, I resumed writing, did nothing else but write for the next several hours, and by 4:45, I reached the 10,000 word mark of Orc-Hoard. At 5:00, I made dinner and cleaned up afterwards. At 6:00, I wrote another 250 words of Shield of Deception and I set up social media and blog posts for the next day. I answered a few emails and texts and I checked various ad platforms to see how they were performing. At 7:00, I stopped doing writing and work-related things for the day.   As you can see on December 2nd, I didn't have any unexpected interruptions that demanded attention, and I didn't have anything else that I had to do that day, which as I've mentioned before, is really rare. So I'm pleased that I made the most of it.   By contrast, let's look at the next day, December 3rd. I only wrote 6,500 words that day, which is still a good number, but I had numerous other things I had to do and there were several interruptions. I needed to email some people with tax questions. I needed to fill out a fair bit of paperwork for tax compliance related to those questions. I had to make several changes to my ads, and I also needed to go grocery shopping. Additionally, several people came to the front door and a couple of packages were delivered, and therefore I had to stop writing and go answer the door a bunch of times. Obviously, none of these things were bad or particularly onerous. Even the tax paperwork wasn't all that bad as these things go, but they still took up time and had to be done.   Additionally, interruptions are sometimes tricky because in all honesty, I'm not as mentally agile as I used to be when I was younger, and I have a harder time switching tasks abruptly. Like 14 years ago, I could go on my lunch break, slam out 2,000 words, and then go back to work without missing a beat. But that was 14 years ago/15 years ago now. Nowadays, I find it harder to get back to what I was doing before I was interrupted. So the fewer interruptions I have, whether planned or unplanned, the more I will write. When I say do nothing else but write for the next two hours, that is exactly what I meant. No internet browsing, no social media, no playing with my phone, no Photoshop, no checking one thing quickly, just a word processor and a lot of typing.   For those long stretches, I typically use what's called the Pomodoro Method, 25 minutes of uninterrupted activity followed by five minute break before doing it again. I used to check email during those five minute breaks, but that can quickly get out of control. So instead I started playing classic Super Mario Brothers on the Switch during those five minute breaks. That is different enough from writing that makes for a good mental reset and the game loads quickly so I don't waste my break time waiting for the game to load. Similar vintage platform games also make for good Pomodoro breaks. For the actual timer part, I just use the timer app on my phone since that's good enough for what I need it to do. I've had a couple days where I was at like 8,000 words by 3:30 PM and something came up, so then I powered through an extra 2,000 words at night. I try to avoid writing a lot at night because it's good to give the brain rest, but I will if I decide it's necessary. I should note that I've been a full-time writer for nearly a decade now, so that means I have the time to do a 10,000 word day when the circumstances are right, and indeed it's in my best interest to do so.   Back when I had a full-time job, I think I only had one 10,000 word day ever. I was snowed in on a Saturday and there was nothing else to do, so I wrote 10,000 words that day. I think it was for Frostborn: The Master Thief, if I remember right, specifically the part with the wyvern. But since I am now a full-time writer, obviously it is in everyone's best interest if I get as many words down as possible every day when I'm working on a rough draft. I should also note that I don't really think this kind of workflow, the one that I've been using for years, is mentally right for most people. If I'm really interested in something like writing, I focus on it to an intense degree that I think most people would find unsustainable and mentally unhealthy if they tried to do it. So if you're a writer and a 10,000 word day sounds unimaginable, I really don't think you should beat yourself up about it.   So that is how I do a 10,000 word day. Circumstances have to be just right, which is why it doesn't happen all that often, but it's probably for the best. A 10,000 word day is, I have to admit, a lot of mental effort, which is why I very rarely have them back to back.   So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com, often with transcripts. 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.

There are many shifts this week, and some large endings are coming through. Keep your brew doing what you need to do. We're about to say goodbye in a way that will make us finally feel like we're okay and everything is going our way. The Full Moon in Cancer asks for our Reverence, and Death has a place to be honored. I revere it. Let it be. Notes for the week: January 3- Venus in pisces January 4-5 moon in pisces with Saturn, Neptune, and Venus January 5-7 first quarter moon in Aries with north node and Chiron January 6- mars rx enters cancer January 8- mercury enters Capricorn  January 8-9 moon in taurus with Uranus retrograde January 10-11 moon in gemini with Jupiter retrograde January 12- 13 moon in cancer January 13th @ 22:26 UTC - full moon in cancer Other Current Offerings:

Whether you're a legal history buff, a bookwork, or someone who just loves a great courtroom story, you'll want to listen to this special episode, originally recorded for ABA Journal's Modern Law Library with Lee Rawles. In this episode, What Went Wrong–and Right–with 10 Famous Trials, Lee sat down with Craig to discuss his book, How Would You Decide? 10 Famous Trials That Changed History, Book One. In this discussion, Craig talks about his research, what went into the selection of historic cases and trials for the book, and looks ahead to Book Two.  Craig will be back soon with all new episodes of Lawyer 2 Lawyer. As we await his return, you can also get caught up on  In Dispute. Enjoy!  ABA Journal's Modern Law Library invites top legal authors to discuss legal theories and historic events twice a month here on Legal Talk Network.

Whether you're a legal history buff, a bookwork, or someone who just loves a great courtroom story, you'll want to listen to this special episode, originally recorded for ABA Journal's Modern Law Library with Lee Rawles. In this episode, What Went Wrong–and Right–with 10 Famous Trials, Lee sat down with Craig to discuss his book, How Would You Decide? 10 Famous Trials That Changed History, Book One. In this discussion, Craig talks about his research, what went into the selection of historic cases and trials for the book, and looks ahead to Book Two.  Craig will be back soon with all new episodes of Lawyer 2 Lawyer. As we await his return, you can also get caught up on  In Dispute. Enjoy!  ABA Journal's Modern Law Library invites top legal authors to discuss legal theories and historic events twice a month here on Legal Talk Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

VT Radio: RFK and the NEW Kennedy White HousePart 1This 2 part series from Fitzgerald and Gould dives into the RFK White House and how RFK will be a major player in the Trump admin.Also, how does this Kennedy relate to the Trump White House coming the next 4 years!Make sure you tune in and please give each episode a download so we can push to the top of the podcast ranks!Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould are authors of Invisible History: Afghanistan's Untold Story, published by City Lights (2009), and Crossing Zero The AfPak War at the Turning Point of American Empire, published by City Lights (2011). Their novel The Voice, was published in 2001.Their memoir, The Valediction Three Nights of Desmond  (2021) and The Valediction Resurrection (2022) was published by TrineDay.  For more information visit invisiblehistory , grailwerk, and valediction.netFitzGerald and Gould ResourcesFrom the Jerusalem Crusade to the Holy Grail to the Death of JFK by Paul Fitzgerald & Elizabeth Gould (pdf download) Book One, The Valediction: Three Nights of Desmond Book Two, The Valediction: Resurrection  The World Peace and Economic Justice ProposalVisit their website at valediction.netResourcesSUPPORT VT and  Subscribe to our Monthly MembershipDONATE:  Make a one-time DonationSHOP OFFICIAL VT MERCH

EPILOGUE (54)The Women In ReverseThe DaughterIn this last episode/chapter of Book One/Season One, we meet back up with Halim, Azar's daughter, and her experiences as a prisoner to the machines, just as her father once was.Come read more at dreaming-machines-novels.comChapters will be posted weekly on our website.Audiobook episodes are currently being posted as they are created to catch up to the current chapters on the website, but once caught up will be posted weekly with the posts!Thanks for your supportAlso support us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Just search Dreaming Machines Novels, or click the link below:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557396175196Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamingmachinesnovels?igsh=anowYTdoeHByaTZl&utm_source=qrX: https://twitter.com/DreamMachineNovPlease rate us as well on whichever Podcast service you use to listen.© 2024 Noble Lucre Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

It's a new year! Wait, already? Yes, welcome in 2025. This week's highlights: Chiron direct on the 29th New moon in Capricorn on the 30th Venus moves into pisces on the third Dec 27-29 Moon in Sagittarius  Balsamic moon, grounding the moon cycle It's been one heck of a moon cycle Focusing on clearing, removal, releases (Except if you have a natal mercury rx and Jupiter rx in your chart) We'll be receiving a lot on this moon phase. Something unexpected could suddenly be in your hands Sort of like you look down and go “oh, I didn't realize I was holding this. Cool?!” December 29th @ 9:14 am UTC- Chiron goes direct at 19 degrees in Aries Ushering in the end of a HUGE healing cycle we've been in since the beginning of the lunar nodes on July 17, 2023 And a huge new cycle of healing ushered in during our solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 We're seeing ourselves healed- it's glow up season from here on December 30th New Moon in Capricorn 22:26 UTC (10:26 pm UTC) What landed in your hands in the previous moon (balsamic moon in sagittarius)? This moon, we decide what we're going to do with it. Also- NO PLUTO in Capricorn. This is the first New Moon in Capricorn with no Pluto in 17 years. Crying about it Exclusive subs- New Moon break down will be coming soon Dec 30-31 moon in Capricorn This Moon is going to have us grounded in reality Even if things are a little unclear- refresh, restart, and begin again It's winning season! Stay consistent over the next month as this moon cycle plays into your work January 1-3 moon in Aquarius- BREW BREW BREW Do what you need to do, let the spirits come through, move your work, very intuitive and very calming/chaotic- both This is the moon to DO Other Current Offerings:

Chapter 11.0 (53)The GatheringNeroIn the latest episode, we catch up with the group of Jane, Imogene, The Judge, Patrick, HERAa, Ace, Korin, and a their new friend Enver, and find out where the group ended up once traveling through the portal created by Imogene and the Aeon Stone.Come read more at dreaming-machines-novels.comChapters will be posted weekly on our website.Audiobook episodes are currently being posted as they are created to catch up to the current chapters on the website, but once caught up will be posted weekly with the posts!Thanks for your supportAlso support us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Just search Dreaming Machines Novels, or click the link below:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557396175196Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamingmachinesnovels?igsh=anowYTdoeHByaTZl&utm_source=qrX: https://twitter.com/DreamMachineNovPlease rate us as well on whichever Podcast service you use to listen.© 2024 Noble Lucre Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 10.5 (52)The IsobianThe OpeningIn the latest episode, we catch up with Enzo (NZO-015) and the group as they attempt to escape the grips of the machines.Come read more at dreaming-machines-novels.comChapters will be posted weekly on our website.Audiobook episodes are currently being posted as they are created to catch up to the current chapters on the website, but once caught up will be posted weekly with the posts!Thanks for your supportAlso support us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Just search Dreaming Machines Novels, or click the link below:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557396175196Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamingmachinesnovels?igsh=anowYTdoeHByaTZl&utm_source=qrX: https://twitter.com/DreamMachineNovPlease rate us as well on whichever Podcast service you use to listen.© 2024 Noble Lucre Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Join Angela, Paula, and Annie as well as the rest of The Cozy Mystery Book Club for their chat about Up to No Gouda. It's gouda be a lot of fun!

About the Guest:Kyle Worley is a dedicated pastor, insightful author, and engaging podcaster. Alongside his spiritual commitments and teachings, Kyle is also a foster father, showcasing his passion for nurturing and supporting the next generation. His latest endeavor is his forthcoming book titled "Home with God: Union with Christ," which delves into the profound theological concept of union with Christ. Rebecca McLaughlin: Rebecca McLaughlin is a prominent Christian author and speaker, known for addressing contemporary issues with deep biblical insight. As the host of the Confronting Christianity podcast, she facilitates critical conversations about faith, culture, and theology.Episode Summary: Rebecca and Kyle Worley explore the often overlooked Christian doctrine of Union with Christ and Kyle's forthcoming book, "Home with God." They discuss the transformative power of being united with Christ, the transition from forgiveness to fellowship, and the profound implications for identity, justice, and community.Key Takeaways:The doctrine of union with Christ is a central foundation of Christian salvation, offering believers not just forgiveness but a home with God."Home with God" emphasizes the relational and communal aspects of Christianity, challenging Western individualistic approaches to faith.Christian identity is redefined in Christ, empowering believers to extend genuine hospitality and justice in the world.The radical inclusivity of Christ's invitation allows anyone to join the fellowship with God, transcending cultural, socioeconomic, and personal backgrounds.The gospel's message is not only about being forgiven but also about being invited into everlasting fellowship with the divine.Notable Quotes:"Fellowship is the goal of salvation, and union with Christ showcases that." – Kyle Worley"In Christ Jesus, I am not just the recipient of God's gracious love that forgives. I am a recipient of God's delighting love that beholds." – Kyle Worley"Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you to the glory of God." – Rebecca McLaughlin referencing biblical scripture"We're born into this world with homeless and homesick hearts. And there are only two ways of being in this world." – Kyle Worley"If you repent and believe and put your trust in Christ, you will be included in Christ." – Rebecca McLaughlinResources:Kyle's Forthcoming Book: Home with God: Union with ChristSam Alberry's Book: One with My Lord: The Life-Changing Reality of Being in Christ.Sign up for weekly emails at RebeccaMcLaughlin.org/SubscribeFollow Confronting Christianity:Instagram | XPurchase Rebecca's Books:Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest ReligionDoes the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships?: Examining 10 Claims about Scripture and Sexuality10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about ChristianityJesus though the Eyes of Women: How the First Female Disciples Help Us Know and Love the LordNo Greater Love: A Biblical Vision for FriendshipConfronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the GospelsAmazon affiliate links are used where appropriate. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, thank you for supporting!Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enjoy The Cozy Mystery Book Club's discussion of Steeped to Death (Witches' Brew Mystery One) by Gretchen Rue. Celebrate paranormal cozy mysteries with Colleen (@ilikeoldbooks1213), Angela (@writerahart), and The Cozy Mystery Book Club (@cozymysteryclub).

Cynthia Morahan reviews One to many and other experiments by Sharni Wilson published by At the Bay I te Kokoru

Tanya and the New York Times bestselling author talk about her latest novel, One of Our Kind, which explores what “community” means and how we see ourselves.

Join our host Marie-Claire Gould (@mariecgould / @mariecgould.bsky.social) and guest for this episode Dr. Krista Noble (kristanoble.com) to discuss her Book – One with the Force: 18 Universal Truths in Star Wars. The Book is available November 19th. Book summary: Why are the Star Wars films so popular? Of course, viewers love the characters, the plot, the […]

This week, there's a Heat Dome over LA and Conor Kilpatrick is melting. Also, Josh Flanagan has entered his Fun Era™ so take your sad boy comics and stuff 'em! Honestly, the show is not as grumpy as all that would make it seem. Note: Time codes are subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor. Running Time: 00:55:30 Pick of the Week: 00:01:56 – Plastic Man No More!, Book One Comics: 00:09:56 – Scarlett #4 00:12:35 – The Ultimates #4 00:17:06 – The Penguin #12 00:24:55 – Duck and Cover #1 00:27:25 – Exceptional X-Men #1 00:29:24 – Public Domain #8 Patron Pick: 00:33:18 – Minor Arcana #1 Patron Thanks: 00:39:43 – Etan Greenbaum Listener Mail: 00:41:49 – Scott H. from Portland, Oregon asks about becoming a new fan of veteran artists. 00:46:46 – Aaron H. from Houston, Texas has a follow-up to his previous email about QR codes. Listen to your favorite podcasts on Playpodcast.net! You don't need an app or a subscription. Brought To You By: • iFanboy Patrons – Become one today for as little as $3/month! Or make a one time donation of any amount! • iFanboy T-Shirts and Merch – Show your iFanboy pride with a t-shirt or other great merchandise on Threadless! We've got thirteen designs! Music: “Working Class Hero” John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's free story comes from the How to Be Super: The Violet Crown (Book One) collection. It's called "Part One: The Welcome Wall."   In which we are introduced to Dante and his single mother and learn that on the morning of his twelfth birthday, he experiences something incredible: he is struck by lightning. He is fine, but it begins a series of events that leads him to the neighborhood welcome wall where he receives a message that changes everything.   If you enjoyed that story, there are hundreds and hundreds more where that came from. Try a Sparkle subscription now - for free. Go to www.sparklestories.com and click the button at the top that says “Start Free Trial,” then you can listen to our giant library as much as you like, anytime you like.   Each week on the Sparkle Stories Podcast, we share a free story from one of our original story series! For many many many more stories like this one, visit the Sparkle website: www.sparklestories.com Questions?  Ideas?  Requests? Email us!  info@sparklestories.com Enjoy!