Saint Nickanuck of the Tundra

I have been keeping something from you.

This blog, as well as the other mundane trappings of my life, have served me well in masking my true identity. But now, the time has come to reveal myself to the world. For I am of the Third Wave of super-powered humans! I am… Dr. Syphilis.

I am grateful to Mur Lafferty and J. C. Hutchins for my excellent (and amusing) super-identity above, bestowed on me due to my help as part of the Third Wave Street Team, helping to promote Mur’s brilliant novel, Playing for Keeps. Would you like to discover your Third Wave power as well? Head over to the website, contact Mur to join, and get active in promoting the Playing for Keeps phenomenon!

So how has Playing for Keeps been doing since I last mentioned it in this space? Well, I’ll let Mur tell her yourself, from a recent press release:

Superheroes Lend Voices To Audio Novel

Celebrities from the SciFi Channel hit Who Wants To Be A Superhero? cameo on popular podcast novel.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(PRLog.Org) – Jan 14, 2008 – As one of the most popular audiobooks on the Internet, Mur Lafferty’s “Playing For Keeps,” comes to a close, superheroes are flocking to lend their voices to the final episode.

“Playing For Keeps” is Lafferty’s celebrated superhero novel. It tells the story of people with minor superpower who fall directly in the middle of a battle between bullying superheroes and manipulative, charming villains.

It has been released via audio and PDF audio download weekly to over 13,000 listeners worldwide since November. While available for free in digital formats, it was also recently released in hard and softcover print version.

The novel has had coverage in the world’s most popular blog, BoingBoing.net. Locus and Campbell award-winning author Cory Doctorow had a sneak peek at the novel, blogging, “I was really impressed with it and I’m so excited to see that she’s releasing it! Can’t wait to (re)read it.”

Doctorow also loaned his voice to cameo for an episode recap.

“Playing For Keeps” has five episodes left, and will feature stars of the SciFi Channel show, “Who Wants to be a Superhero?” as cameo voices in the audiobook. They will read episode recaps, filling the audience in on the previous chapters’ action.

“Superhero” season 2 finalist Hygena appeared as the episode recap reader on episode 10, and future episodes will feature Feedback and The Defuser, winners of “Superhero” seasons 1 and 2, respectively.

“I have been building a community of superhero fans during the release of this book,” author Mur Lafferty said. “What bigger superhero fans can I find than the contestants from the show ‘Who Wants to be a Superhero?’ I’m thrilled that these fantastic superheroes will be appearing in my audiobook.”

“Playing For Keeps” can be found for free at www.playingforkeepsnovel.com and at www.podiobooks.com, or for purchase at www. playingforkeepsnovel.com.

# # #

About the author:
Mur Lafferty is a writer and podcast producer living in Durham, NC. She is the author of the award-nominated “Heaven” novellas, one of the most popular audiobook serials in podcasting. She has been published in Hub magazine and Escape Pod, and is an open and new media enthusiast.

MurVerse
Durham, NC
919 210 7630
mur.lafferty@gmail.com

Two weeks have passed since the above statement, and we are down to three episodes remaining! I’ve really enjoyed listening along, as Mur and the rest of the First Wave Volunteers have been doing a stunning job presenting this excellent story. Don’t take my word for it, though… Laura has finished the print novel, and has her rave review here.

If you haven’t done so yet (and if not, seriously, why haven’t you?), check out the official site. There you will find the novel as both free podcasts of audio and pdf episodes, as well as for purchase in both hardcover and softcover formats. Additionally, there numerous extra goodies to be had, including the fan companion podcast Stories of the Third Wave, t-shirts and other merchandise, fan art, and much more!

I’m taking a brief break from boards-studying to pass on a couple of imperative announcements. Two excellent audio novels are set to launch this week via podcast - Scott Sigler’s Noctural, and Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps.

Nocturnal, Scott Sigler’s latest brutal horror tale, debuts at midnight EST on Halloween. As taken from Scott’s website: “Something lives deep beneath the streets of San Francsico. Something that has been there for centuries, something that comes out at night … to feed on the dregs of society. A sub-culture, with its own myths, its own legends of leader named The King that will lead them out of bondage, and their own demon, a hunting shadow known only as Savior. But the legends of Savior’s brutality have faded, the fear passed into stories told to frighten the young ones. When The King finally appears, just as foretold, the Nocturnals know their time has time — the time to come out from under the streets and hunt humanity in the open.” Nocturnal will be freely distributed in audio form via podcast.

• check out the audio promo for Nocturnal
• for more information, including how to subscribe to the free podcast of Noctural, go to Scott’s website

Following on the heels of that, and arguably saving the best for last, Mur Lafferty’s brilliant superhero novel Playing for Keeps debuts on November 1. As taken from the official site, Playing for Keeps “tells the story of Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City: birthplace of super powers. Keepsie and her friends live among egotistical heroes and manipulative villains, and manage to fall directly in the middle as people with powers, but who just aren’t strong enough to make a difference. Or that’s what they’ve been told. As the city begins to melt down, it’s hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad.” Playing for Keeps will be freely distributed in both audio and PDF form via podcast.

• check out In A World…, the audio promo for Playing for Keeps (which happens to contain a familiar voice…)
• for more information, including how to subscribe to the free podcast of Playing for Keeps, go to the official Playing for Keeps website
• for up-to-date news on this and Mur’s other projects, be sure to visit her official website

My backlog of intended posts continue to grow… but such is the way of things. Various obligations, both professional and personal, have conspired to steal my time, and will continue to do so for at least the next couple of weeks. The Infectious Diseases board exam is on October 30, and so my preparation for that continues to intensify. As always, I hope to say more here shortly, but little may happen before then. For now, though, an important note:

Mur Lafferty’s latest novel, Playing for Keeps, debuts as a free audio podcast on November 1. Think unlikely superheroes with unusual powers, with an excellent blend of drama and humor, and you’re on the right track. The website is currently a placeholder, but will be up and functional in a matter of days. Mur is an amazing author, as evidenced by her current podcast novel series Heaven, and Playing for Keeps has my highest recommendation. Be sure to check it out on November 1! More on this as the time grows closer…

The PNME has been going on this weekend. A segment of the Tribe has been attending, and Laura had the chance to socialize there as well during her work trip - it sounds like everyone has had an excellent time. While clearly not a fan convention, the fact that many of my friends and acquaintances are there has made me a bit wistful for previous gatherings, like Dragon*Con, and reminded me that I haven’t blogged about them yet… That sounds like a good thing to remedy today.

The usual mantra of “things are well, but busy” still applies. The next big thing looming in my sights is the Infectious Diseases board exam, coming up on October 30. As always, there is much more, but that will come shortly.

A couple links of note:

• Ron is less than impressed with his recent foray into Fable.
• Ben nails the recent Archives acupuncture trial perfectly.

I had a more entertaining time at the Maryland Renaissance Festival than I expected, but more on that in a bit.

We are currently on the road to Dragon*Con, in Durham, NC for the night, with Tee, Thomas and Andrea, and Parsec awards trophies assimilated on the way. It is good to finally relax for a bit, especially after a day of mad packing, and tucking in work-related things for my absence, including the evidence-based medicine course.

As always, there is much more to say, but given the past few weeks, I just can’t bring myself to pass up the opportunity to get a solid night of sleep… especially as there will be little in the next few days. There is much fun, and much reconnecting with tribemates, to be had!

Tomorrow: hooking up with Mur, Jason, and crew from Lulu, and proceeding onward to Atlanta. More to follow…

…however briefly.

Darn you, Kilroy 2.0. Wrecking my login for almost a month just to hack my site and promote one of the greatest podcast novels I’ve have a chance to experience, J. C. Hutchins’ 7th Son Trilogy. All you had to do was ask, and clearly I’d have been more than happy to pimp it for you, but no… that’s not how you work!

[sigh.] I comply.

I have vast stuff to catch you all up on - in addition to what I’ve previously been promising, I’ve had the great pleasure of participating in several podcasts, from being interviewed with Laura about our space and medical work, to doing a voice in an audio dramatization of a short story. Not to mention the illustrated tale of how I gibbed myself on the 4th of July. Unfortunately, that gets to wait a bit more, as I’m off for the weekend to hook up with a bunch of tribemates in North Carolina, to celebrate Mur Lafferty’s birthday, and Jim Van Verth’s transition from Red Storm to NVIDIA.

Quick updates: the new job is great, but very busy, as you can tell. Laura is doing well in China, but is working insanely hard, and so is bummed about having little time to blog.

Enjoy the weekend! There’s a lot to come next week…

…

Kilroy 2.0 is here.

Kilroy 2.0 is everywhere.

This ignorant simpleton, this “Cmar,” thinks he can update his site on this, the penultimate day? It was a minor thing, nearly not worth the effort, to hack this pathetic post, and bend it to my ends.

Tomorrow the ignorant and deluded will be preoccupied with the day, thinking that the twenty-four hours marked by the so-called “Number of Heaven” will bring rapture and salvation. No!

Kilroy 2.0 is the prophet of the Truth! Tomorrow, the third and final chapter is written in my story, and that of my six brothers. Tomorrow, we face down our clone-father, our gene-brother - John Alpha, the man who would bring about the end.

Tomorrow, Kilroy 2.0 will save the world… or destroy it.

7th Son: Book III of the free Podcast Novel Trilogy, debuts tomorrow - 07/07/07.

You will visit JCHutchins.net! You will join over 25,000 of my flock in listening to the conclusion of my story - the greatest ever told! You will learn the Truth from the lips of the prophet!

07/07/07 - The End Is Nigh.

Do you comply?

…

Did I ever have a wonderful part 2 of my Balticon post-mortem for you! Then, through a series of events that could only happen to yours truly, I somehow deleted it prior to posting.

“CMAAARRR!!!”

It will see the light of day… just not until after this weekend. It is coming, and will contain many entertaining and confounding anecdotes, such as how the above cry has become immortalized as my new moniker.

As to this weekend, I am about to head out to meet up with Laura (on the way back from Ireland) and catch a plane out to Phoenix for the Wingin’ It pool party, which should be quite fun and interesting, given recent developments.

Tee is unable to make it. I have been deputized by him to say something in his absence. This could be dangerous.

Balticon 41 was, hands down, the most interesting convention I’ve yet attended. As I am greatly fatigued and need to rise in a few short hours to put on a good face for orientation at the new job tomorrow - ignoring the fact that I just worked at this same place for four years, and only left two years ago - I’ve decided to save my personal thoughts on my Balticon experience for another day.

Some of the excellent people I hung out with there have posted some great insights elsewhere, which are worth your time to read - a few of these belong to Steve Eley, Christiana Ellis, and Matt Wallace.

By virtue of it being “her” camera, Laura has quite the number of images up in her Flickr account.

All that said, Matthew Wayne Selznick’s retrospective is truly a home run. It’s been hard for me to put some of my feelings about our convention experience, and this community we’ve found ourselves in, into fulfilling words. Matt did.

My words, soon.

I’m leaving for Balticon today, with a plethora of gameage and libations in tow. Laura will be joining me this evening, upon return from her Colorado trip, and some degree of gibbering madness will ensue.

If you’re not going, be sure to peruse the website to check out some of what’s going on. Things I’m looking forward to? The biggest, for me at any rate, is going to be hanging out with people both podcastery and authory. Michael and Evo are special guests this year, and there’s a whole podcasting track lined up. Notable things include on-site recordings of Wingin’ It and Geek Fu Action Grip, among many others. I have the pleasure of contributing an “evil” voice to the Mr. Adventure episode being recorded there, as well!

Other notables include author guests of honor Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, as well as events surrounding our favorite sculpturist Lisa Snellings-Clark, and her PoppetPlanet project. The science track is pretty stacked as well, which is great to see.

It will also be great to see Ronnie and his wife Lora again, as they are coming out for the convention as part of a vacation trip. Hopefully we’ll get some of his local gaming friends to make the trip up as well. Not that there will be any massive time for gaming available, but one can always hope… I think we’ll try to get a group together to see the glorious mess that will be Pirates 3 on Monday evening, as well.

If you can make it out, do so! If not, we’ll be in touch on the other side…