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It must have been because I have an 18 month-old running around me. Promises were made and broken. Time marched on. Get over it.
It’s now the close of 2009 and I (Write Crowd co-founder J. Patrick Lemarr) have a new chapbook out. It’s called BLACK BLACK BLUES and you can get a copy for FREE by emailing me your mailing address.
So what does that have to do with this overlooked Podcast page? (Come on, you know you were going to ask!) Well, I’ll tell you…
Starting next week, I’m going to start podcasting individual poems from the new project. I’ll add a touch of music for mood and presto: an audio version of BLACK BLACK BLUES.
I know. I know. Same old story. A podcast has been promised and we have yet to deliver. I blame Scott. (Kidding!) The blame lies at the cute and sweet-smelling feet of my newly-arrived daughter. See, for the last 6 weeks I’ve been getting next to no sleep and the few times my brain has actually functioned (which is rare even WITH sleep) I’ve put it to work on some short fiction pieces I’m writing for contest and magazine submissions.
After the problem with the last edit, Scott was kind enough to travel to the DFW metroplex to redo the missing bits of the podcast. They’ve been sitting on my desktop untouched for the last week and likely will for two more since I’m leaving Tuesday for vacation. As a writer (and a dad), I hate to apologize for this joyful (if sleepless) and productive (if sleepless) time, but as a webmaster and podcast host, I owe you one. Big time.
I could start making promises… a new deadline for the next episode, a expanded show with lots of bells and whistles, but the truth is, they would be empty promises. My life is in a place of upheaval at the moment and I don’t know what to expect from day to day. What I CAN tell you is that THE WRITE CROWD means a lot to me. My vision and passion for THE WRITE CROWD hasn’t dimmed. In fact, it grows stronger from day to day. (Read my INSOMNIAC WRITER blog for insight into the future.)
I humbly ask for your patience as we continue to sort out just what THE WRITE CROWD is and isn’t, where it is headed and how we can make it the best source for writers like YOU that we can. Some days it seems easier just to let it go – to forget the hassle of trying to make this site fly – and just focus on my own writing. I don’t do that because, if even one struggling writer finds the hope to carry on here, what THE WRITE CROWD does is worthwhile.
Keep coming back, folks. The rough days are nearly over. Next year, I’ll be a stay at home dad and plan to devote more time this marvelous venture. Until then, stick it out. The new podcast, the next blog from Gene, whatever we throw at you, will be worth the wait. Until then…
Okay, here’s the story. Scott, our fearless podcast host, and I, the dork that runs this site, had our 4th podcast nearly ready to roll when life intervened. June 10th brought the birth of my new daughter, which put me behind in the whole editing process. This past week, I sat down at the computer to connect the dots and get Episode Four: Fantasy uploaded and ready to roll. What I found was that I was somehow missing an entire section of the podcast. It’s just gone. I played around with trying to fill in some of the blanks on my own, but the acoustics and vocal fx didn’t match and, without Scott with me, the fill seemed obvious.
So here’s the deal: Scott is coming down the weekend of July 4th and he and I will re-record the segment we lost. It’s really a quality control issue more than anything, but I refuse to upload a suckfest when I could wait and give you the real deal. So, be patient. Episode Four is coming. Thank you for your support.
What’s coming you ask? Well it’s the latest installment of the official podcast from us here at theWriteCrowd.com and it shall be here next week. Be sure to tell your friends. In the meantime, here’s a website that has various writing information to check out. You can check it out by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by and there is more to come so stay tuned.
The Official Write Crowd Podcast: Episode Three“Young Adult Fiction”
ØIntro: D. Gene Strother
ØScott opens the discussion of Young Adult fiction, mentioning a startling statistic from Jupiter Research.
ØJeff explains just what YA fiction is and how it differs from adult fiction.
ØBeverly Harkness, a middle school librarian, sits down with Jeff to discuss current trends among YA readers and the blurring line between Young Adult fiction and Adult Fiction.
ØGene and Jeff discuss YA fiction from the standpoint of the writer.
