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

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

#

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

Today’s episode: Zeroth the Hunter continues his search for Steve and Uncle Shameless, and when he finds them things get nasty.

In our last episode: The Hawk King’s spies, the raven twins Delu and Uled hire a team of Hunters, called The Five, to aid them in their search for Steve and Uncle Shameless.

To Listen: click on the gray play button below.

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

Listen to the First Episode :: Episode List

-Support this Free Podcast-

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

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

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

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

Robin Hudson
(Eira the pelican)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (11.08.09): Round Two!

Ramblings: Zeroth’s thinking that the number six printed on Steve’s shoes is his name is a reference to the TV show The Prisoner.  The main character’s name is Number Six.  There are plenty of references to the show scattered throughout The Magic of Eyri. When Steve and Uncle Shameless are tossed Cell Six in the Hawk King’s castle, that is another reference–as is the description of the what the prisoner sharing the cell with them is wearing.

Rate This Podcast on iTunes :: Vote on Podcast Alley

Facebook Fan Page

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

I had the pleasure of being a guest writer/panelist at ConClave, a science fiction and fantasy fan convention, this weekend in Romulus, Michigan. This panel was called The Beast Within: Werewolves in Popular Culture.  Joining me on the panel were Stewart Sternberg, Jon David, Rick Moore, Charles Zaglanis and William Jones.  Folks from the audience chipped in as well.

The audio quality won’t be on par with my usual episodes, as I just set up my recorder on the table and let it go.

The next episode of The Magic of Eyri will be online in two weeks (10.25.09), until then–thanks for listening.

runtime: 1 hour 3 minutes

To Listen: click on the gray play button below.

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

Listen to the First Episode :: Episode List

-Support this Free Podcast-

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

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

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

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (10.25.09): FIGHT!

Ramblings: This is my third time being a guest writer/panelist at ConClave and as always, I had a great time.  I love being on panels and talking about topics that interest me. I was also involved with the Writer’s Workshop.  William “Doctor” Jones has a picture of the us rappin’ ’bout werewolves over on his blog.

Rate This Podcast on iTunes :: Vote on Podcast Alley

Facebook Fan Page

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

In our last episode: The Hawk King demands to know who let Steve into his city.  Remmit, Kaz and Lexa are rounded up and put on trial for allowing The Boy to enter Da’Rahga.  However, things go a bit better for Remmit and Kaz than they do for Lexa.

To Listen: click on the gray play button below.

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

Listen to the First Episode :: Episode List

-Support this Free Podcast-

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

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

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

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

Robin Hudson
(Eira the pelican)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (10.11.09): FIGHT!

Ramblings: I had a lot of fun creating the vocal effects for Delu and Uled for this episode. I added a PayPal donate button, so if you would like to support the podcast, feel free to donate whatever amount you wish.  A bit of trivia, the name of the Hunter band, The Five, is a reference to Ben Folds Five (which also only had three members).  I only realized later that it was also a reference to Arthur’s poor counting in Monty Python in the Holy Grail, as Cam (who named The Five) has a similar condition.

Rate This Podcast on iTunes ::  Vote on Podcast Alley

Facebook Fan Page

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

This is a live recording of Jim C. Hines (Goblin Quest, Stepsister Scheme, The Mermaid’s Madness) Phil Kline (Curse of the Kitsune) and myself talking about Fantasy Writing at the Delta Township District Library on September 1st, 2009.  The sound quality will not be the same as the other episodes, as I just set my recorder on the table and let it go. I did what I could to tweak things (but you can only do so much with an .MP3 recorded at 64 kbps).

The three of us chatted about writing fantasy, our writing process and answered questions from the audience.  The highpoint, for me anyway, is listening to Jim explain his upcoming muppet-werewolf short story.

Run time: 49 minutes.

The next episode of The Magic of Eyri will run Sunday, September 27th.

To Listen: click on the gray play button below.

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

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Rate on iTunes :: Rate on Podcast Alley

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (9.27.09): Double Trouble – a pair of the Hawk King’s spies search for Steve, but they are not alone–they have hired bounty hunters.

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Our heroes met Eira the pelican (voiced by Robin Hudson of Angel Between the Lines and other podcasts), a healer on her way to Uth, the Last Human Village. Meanwhile, back at the Hawk King’s castle, a vulture Mystic told U’nala of the danger Steve represents.

Today’s episode: The Hawk King demands to know who let Steve into his city.  Remmit, Kaz and Lexa are rounded up and put on trial for allowing The Boy to enter Da’Rahga.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Donate

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host, Narrator, Characters)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (9.13.09): Double Trouble – a pair of the Hawk King’s spies search for Steve, but they are not alone–they have hired bounty hunters.

Ramblings: Things will start kicking into high gear after this episode, as there are few action scenes coming up. Also–if you subscribe to the Magic of Eyri through iTunes, make sure to rate the podcast and even write up a review if you like.  You can also vote for the podcast on Podcast Alley.  Make sure to tell all you friends about the podcast, send them links to the site, mention it on Twitter or Facebook–just spread the word!

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Our heroes escaped the Hawk King’s castle using an old aqueduct as a make-shift water slide and ended up falling into a faraway lake.  Meanwhile Nevik, the Hawken from the dungeon, informed U’nala of Steve’s arrival in the city.

Today’s episode: Steve and Uncle Shameless meet Eira the pelican (voiced by Robin Hudson of Angel Between the Lines and other podcasts).  Eira is a who healer happens to be on her way to Uth, the Last Human Village–the same place Steve and Uncle Shameless are headed.  Back at the Hawk King’s castle, a vulture Mystic tells U’nala of the danger Steve represents.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host, Narrator, Characters)

Robin Hudson
(Eira, the Pelican)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (8.30.09): The Trial – the Hawk King is not happy about Steve being allowed into his city–and he wants to know who is to blame.

Ramblings: This episode is dedicated to Les Paul (1915-2009), who passed away this week.  Not only am I appreciative of his contributions to guitars, but also of his pioneering of multi-track recording (and audio effects), which eventually evolved into the sound editing software we use today (in my case, GarageBand).  He will be missed, but not forgotten.  On a lighter note, please welcome Robin Hudson to our motley crew.  She is providing the voice of Eira the Pelican. Learn more about Robin on the Cast page.

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

follow  Steve (@steveharrier) on Twitter

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: A Hawken warrior tries to convince Steve to hand over his blue heron amulet, but the negotiations take a nasty turn and Steve receives help from Mudd the duck–the bartender of the pub where Steve and Uncle Shameless were captured.

Today’s episode: Our heroes continue their escape from the Hawk King’s castle, using an old aqueduct as a make-shift water slide.  Meanwhile, we are introduced to the Hawk King’s second in command, U’nala, a one-winged Hawken who has gone crazy from decades of administrative work.  Nevik, the Hawken who tried to bring Steve to the Hawk King, informs U’nala of The Boy’s arrivial in the city.  U’nala doesn’t know who this The Boy person is, but he’s fairly certain it means bad news for the Hawk King–which always means more work for him.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host, Narrator, Characters)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (8.16.09): Are You a Pelican or a Pelican’t? — Steve and Uncle Shameless make a new friend.  A Mystic of Zuu tells Nevik and U’nala of The Prophecy.  Nevik informs the Hawk King of Steve’s arrivial. U’nala fills out more paper work.  Special Note: Introduces Robin Hudson (of Angel Between the Lines) as the voice of Eira, the pelican!

Ramblings: This episode is a bit short, but don’t worry–some of the next few will be longer.  I enjoy writing/voicing U’nala because he lets me be over the top/goofy, something I didn’t want to do with Fiach-Ra.  He’s kind of the Starscream to Fiach-Ra’s Megatron.

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

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

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

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

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Steve and Uncle Shameless were allowed into the Hawk King’s city, Da’Rahga, by a Hawken officer named Lexa.  However, their tour of the City of Flame was short lived after Uncle Shameless got into a fight with several Swantan warriors in a Da’Rahga pub.  Our heroes quickly found themselves in the Hawk King’s dungeon.   The episode ended with a Hawken warrior from pub visiting Steve and Uncle Shameless in the dungeon.

Today’s episode: In our eighth adventure, the Hawken warrior tries to convince Steve to hand over his blue heron amulet in exchange for the Hawk King sending our heroes home with his magic.  The negotiations take a nasty turn and Steve receives help from an unlikely source.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host, Narrator, Characters)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (8.2.09): Just Aqueducty — Our heroes continue their escape! Meanwhile, the Hawk King’s second in command is informed of Steve’s appearance in the city.

Stay Updated — follow @danieljhogan on Twitter

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Steve and Uncle Shameless tried to enter Da’Rahga, the Hawk King’s city, but were deterred by a pair of gate guards–a Hawken named Remmit and a Swantan named Kaz.  Uncle Shameless tried to con his way past the guards, eventually asking to speak to their supervisor–a Hawken officer named Lexa. Much to Remmit and Kaz’s surprise, Lexa granted the two humans entrance.

Today’s episode: In our seventh adventure, our heroes finally gain access to Da’Rahga.  But, their luck runs out after Uncle Shameless causes a ruckus at a Da’Rahga pub.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (7.19.09): Jail Break!

Read all about in my blog post.

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Istrio, the blue heron Mystic, finishes his history of Eyri and gives Steve a quest: find the lost Sword of Zaa, the only weapon that can defeat Fiach-Ra, the Hawk King. He also tells Steve to head for Uth, the Last Human Village, but Steve and Uncle Shameless head for the Hawk King’s city, Da’Rahga, instead.

Today’s episode: In our sixth adventure, our heroes arrive at Da’Rahga, known as The City of Flame. The city gets this name from the magical Wall of Fire that protects it from would-be attackers. To make matters worse, our heroes have to manage to get past two guards, a Hawken named Remmit and a Swantan named Kaz.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes

Buy the novel on Lulu :: Buy the novel on Amazon
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Magic of Eyri T-Shirts

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (7.5.09): Big Trouble in Little Da’Rahga — thanks to Uncle Shameless, our heroes land in a tight spot.

And remember: episode 006 will be online this Sunday.

To Listen: click on the gray play button below

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Our heroes found out they are in the world of Eyri, and are not-so-quickly filled in on the world’s history by Istrio, a blue heron and Mystic of Zaa.  Steve and Uncle Shameless learn of the two eagle gods, Zaa (water) and Zuu (fire) that created Eyri and how the Hawk King, Fiach-Ra, came to rule Eyri. Istrio gives Uncle Shameless a wineskin filled with Eldercherry wine during the history lesson.

Today’s episode: Istrio wraps up his history of Eyri and informs Steve that he must search for the lost Sword of Zaa, the only weapon that can defeat the Hawk King. Steve, always the skeptic, is not amused nor eager to take on this challenge.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Checkers McGillicutty
(Istrio, a Mystic of Zaa)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (6.21.09): The City of Flame!

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Our heroes chased a glowing eagle down the Grand River in a canoe, which led them over a mysterious waterfall.  Steve awoke on a beach and met O’Jec, a talking squirrel. After Uncle Shameless woke up, the pair realized they were on the beach of a vast, blue sea and no longer on the Grand River.  Our heroes started walking through a forest of very tall, very spooky trees until they came to a clearing filled with crumbling ruins.  Steve and Uncle Shameless fell asleep within the ruins, and Steve began to dream, which brings us to…

Today’s episode: Steve has a strange dream about an attack on a castle, and wakes up to an even stranger sight: two moons shining in the night sky. As Steve and Uncle Shameless try to determine where they are, they are visited by a bird-man who (much to Steve’s annoyance) ladles out plenty of exposition.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

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

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Checkers McGillicutty
(Istrio, a Mystic of Zaa)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (6.7.09): More exposition and history of Eyri. Steve then finds out why he is in Eyri and is given a quest–he is not amused.

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

Welcome back, loyal listeners.

In our last episode: Our heroes take off on their canoe trip, where they see all kinds of interesting things on the Grand River. They see turtles, swans and ducks.  Sadly, most of the trip is spoiled for Steve by Uncle Shameless’ off-key singing and bad jokes. Just when Steve can’t take any more nonsense, the pair come across an eerie sight on the river.

Today’s episode: In our third adventure, our heroes encounter an interesting animal on the Grand River and decide to give chase, much to Steve’s protest.  The chase leads our heroes into a tight spot–and to whereabouts unknown.  After the chase, Steve makes an unusual acquaintance.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Technical Notes: Some sound effects courtesy of Freesound.org and Soundsnap.com. Other sound effects and music by GarageBand.

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Has Jensen
(O’jec of the Squirrels)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (5.24.09): Steve awakes from a bizarre dream to see an even more bizarre sight: two moons shining overhead.  Uncle Shameless is certain they are no longer in Michigan but Steve, always the skeptic, has his doubts.

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

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

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

Welcome back!

In our last episode: We find out that Steve is spending the summer with Uncle Shameless in River City and that Steve doesn’t have much use for imagination and make-believe.  Uncle Shameless decides that the two of them should go on a canoe trip down the Grand River, which brings us to…

Today’s episode: In our second episode, our heroes take off on their canoe trip, where they see all kinds of interesting things on the Grand River. They see turtles, swans and ducks.  Sadly, most of the trip is spoiled for Steve by Uncle Shameless’ off-key singing and bad jokes. Just when Steve can’t take any more nonsense, the pair come across an eerie sight on the river.

Listen to the First Episode :: List of all Episodes
Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Technical Notes: Some sound effects courtesy of Freesound.org. (Hawk by wisslgisse. Hissing Swan by enghis attenborough). Other sound effects and music by GarageBand.

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (5.10.09): A chase down the Grand River leads our heroes into a tight spot–and to whereabouts unknown.

And remember–I’ll be giving out free CDs with (at least) the first three episodes of the podcast. Haven’t decided yet if the CD will be data or audio (.MP3s or not).

Click below to see my finalized schedule.

May 1, 2009 6:00 pm Sci-Fi/Fantasy – The Perception Sarah Hoyt, Daniel Hogan, Jeff DeLuzio, Sarah Monette    What is the general perception of genre writing? Pros and cons of Genre writing vs. traditional fiction.

May 2, 2009 11:00 am Can I Be Your Friend? Bringing Authors and Readers Together John Scalzi, Jim C. Hines, Wil Wheaton, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Hogan, Dr. Philip Kaldon    Facebook, LiveJournal, WordPress, MySpace, Twitter, website, etc. — SF/F/H authors are encouraged to engage in self-promotion on the web. Some, like John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton make it look easy. But where’s the line on privacy and personal details for the authors? And what about fans bent on making the transition to troll or stalker? No one said this was going to be easy.

May 2, 2009 12:00 pm Self-Publishing – How to Not Get Totally Screwed David Crampton, Wil Wheaton, Daniel Hogan, Rick Jackson, Alex Heberling, Megan Rose Gedris, Michael Marcus, Sarah Zettel    Vanity presses are popping up left and right, and a writer/comic artist no longer needs to beg and plead with a publisher to get their work out there. So how to you get your book ready for print? What printers give you the best bang for your buck? How do you get people to notice it? These questions and more addressed.

May 2, 2009 3:00 pm To See a Universe in a Grain of Sand Sarah Hoyt, Dan Hoyt, Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Hogan,Sarah Monette, Sarah Zettel    Worldbuilding. How to create your universe.

May 2, 2009 4:00 pm What’s So Funny?! David Crampton, John Scalzi, Jim C. Hines, Dan Hoyt, Daniel Hogan, Brian Briggs    Humor in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Does it work? Why or why not?

May 2, 2009 5:00 pm Copywhat? Copyrights! Open Source Licensing in Literature Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Hogan, Eric Raymond, Rick Jackson    What they are, how they work and things to bear in mind when submitting to traditional publishers and e-publishers. Also – what happens to the rights on my e-blog if I want to publish somewhere else?

May 3, 2009 8:00 am National Novel Writing Month David Crampton, Jim C. Hines, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Hogan    Every November hordes of would-be writers as well as established pros unite to attempt to produce 50,000 words in one month. Good idea or waste of time? Does it help or hurt writing? What about the pressures of deadlines in general? Does slow and steady win the race, or does the pressure cooker of trying to produce so many words in the last hour really work?

May 3, 2009 9:00 am Book Signing Catherynne M. Valente, John Scalzi, Jim C. Hines, Wil Wheaton, Sarah Hoyt, Dan Hoyt, Elizabeth Bear, Daniel Hogan, Brian Briggs    Come meet some of our great authors and get your book signed. There may or may not even be readings done by some of them – how well can you beg?

May 3, 2009 12:00 pm Is Audio the New Print? Wil Wheaton, Steve Eley, Daniel Hogan, Rick Jackson, Rick Stringer    There’s an explosion of audiobooks and podcasts out there. Is Audio supplanting print as the medium of choice?

May 3, 2009 1:00 pm Selling Your Soul – Marketing Your Work on a Limited Budget    David Crampton, Jim C. Hines, Daniel Hogan, Rick Jackson    Websites, freebies, conventions and business cards – plus anything else we can think of! Ways to help market and promote yourself and your product when you’re strapped for cash!

This is where it all begins folks.

Here is episode #001 of The Magic of Eyri. In our first episode, you get a quick overview before things get rolling.  Then the fun begins–we meet our heroes, Steve Harrier and his Uncle Shameless, and we find out why young Steve is spending the summer with his uncle in River City.

Download a .PDF of the entire novel for only $3.75

Technical Notes: this episode was recorded with a different microphone than the proceeding episodes, so there will be some sound differences.  Likewise, I’m still learning the fine art of audio mixing, so this first episode might sound a little rough in spots. I’m getting better with each episode though, and the same goes for my voice acting.

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

Cast:

Daniel J. Hogan
(Host)

Bingo Kingsley
(Your Friendly Narrator)

Rutherford McKinley, Jr.
(Uncle Shameless)

Rutherford McKinley, Sr.
(Steve)

Laura B. Wise
(The Woman With the Bad Haircut)

Glennforth Vanderclap
(Rotund Man #1)

Nance Marshall
(Rotund Man #2)

Rev Cameron
(The Skinny Man)

Has Jensen
(The Red Headed Boy)

Music is provided by GarageBand, as well as most of the sound effects. Other sound effects I made myself.

Next Time on The Magic of Eyri (4.26.09): Our heroes take a canoe trip down the Grand River and Uncle Shameless annoys Steve with singing and bad jokes.  But it isn’t all fun, as they see some strange things on the river.

I have decided that April 13th will the official launch of the Magic of Eyri Podcast (actually, it’ll probably be up on Sunday, April 12th).

The second episode will be online by April 26th. After that, I plan on releasing two episodes a month, sticking to an every-other-week schedule.

That’s what I want to shoot for anyway. But, as we all know “stuff happens” so things could come up. If that is the case, I will make an announcement if an episode will be late.

However, as a special treat for those attending Penguicon, I’ll have CDs I’m giving out for free that will have (at least) the first three episodes–so you’ll get episode #3 a few weeks before anyone else.

Since I don’t know the days and times yet, I’ll just list them in no particular order (from the penguicon event page):

Can I be your friend? Bringing authors and readers together.
Mary Robinette Kowal
Daniel Hogan
Jim C. Hines
Dr. Philip Kaldon

Facebook, LiveJournal, WordPress, MySpace, Twitter, website, etc. — SF/F/H authors are encouraged to engage in self-promotion on the web. Some, like John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton make it look easy. But where’s the line on privacy and personal details for the authors? And what about fans bent on making the transition to troll or stalker? No one said this was going to be easy.

Copywhat? Copyrights! Open Source Liscensing in Literature.
Eric Raymond
Daniel Hogan
Elizabeth Bear
Rick Jackson
David Crampton

What they are, how they work and things to bear in mind when submitting to traditional publishers and e-publishers. Also – what happens to the rights on my e-blog if I want to publish somewhere else?

Is Audio the New Print?
Rick Jackson
Daniel Hogan

There’s an explosion of audiobooks and podcasts out there. Is Audio supplanting print as the medium of choice?

National Novel Writing Month
Mary Robinette Kowal
Daniel Hogan
Jim C. Hines
David Crampton

Every November hordes of would-be writers as well as established pros unite to attempt to produce 50,000 words in one month. Good idea or waste of time? Does it help or hurt writing? What about the pressures of deadlines in general? Does slow and steady win the race, or does the pressure cooker of trying to produce so many words in the last hour really work?

Sci-Fi/Fantasy – The Perception
Jeff deLuzio
Daniel Hogan

What is the general perception of genre writing? Pro’s and Con’s of Genre writing vs. traditional fiction.

Selling Your Soul – Marketing your work on a limited budget.
Daniel Hogan
Jim C. Hines
Rick Jackson
David Crampton

Websites, freedbies, conventions and business cards – plus anything else we can think of! Ways to help market and promote yourself and your product when you’re strapped for cash!

To See a Universe in a Grain of Sand
Daniel Hogan
Elizabeth Bear
Sarah Zettel
Rick Jackson
David Crampton

Worldbuilding. How to create your universe.

What’s so funny?!
Daniel Hogan
Brian Briggs
Jim C. Hines
David Crampton

Humor in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Does it work? Why or why not?

Self -Publishing – How to not get totally screwed.
Sarah Zettel
Rick Jackson
Daniel Hogan
Michael Marcus
David Crampton
Megan Rose Gedris
Alex Heberling

Vanity presses are popping up left and right, and a writer/comic artist no logner needs to beg and plead with a publisher to get their work out there. So how to you get your book ready for print? What printers give you the best bang for your buck? How do you get people to notice it? These questions and more addressed.

So, for the moment, I’m on NINE panels.  That’s at least nine hours of programming.  I actually asked them yesterday to take me off a panel (one about short stories), so originally I had ten hours. Oy.  I can handle it tho.  I like being on panels.  Keep in mind that things could change since the times have not been figured out, that’s why I just signed up for whatever I wanted at first and told them to let me know about any conflicts and I’ll decide what to do at that point.

Looks like I’ll be on a few panels with good ol’ Jim C. Hines (we’ve been on several panels before and even had a signing together once. Check out his new novel, The Stepsister Scheme. I’m not finished with it yet, but I’m enjoying it so far.)

In podcast news, I’ve started working on mixing episode #2.  I still haven’t decided when in April I’ll put the first episode yet, but I might wait until mid-April, so I can have something up before Penguicon.  Hang in there, loyal listeners.

NOTE: this was just a quick edit to get something online, so the quality is less than that of the full episode (went from .MP3 to .AIF, and back to .MP3.  Yuck).

If you’re looking for something else to check out, either visit my website or read my blog.

I’m planning on releasing the first podcast episode towards the end of April, so I can promote it at the fan convention Penguicon during the first weekend in May.