The Murverse Mothership

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Matt and Mur come to you live from their separate but equally teddy bear and unicorn-filled bedrooms in the Ditch Diggers Mansion.

• Pan-corns versus unicorns, and popular usage in podcasting terminology.
• Matt and Mur are starting their own line of lumberjack body pillows (according to Matt, anyway).
• Matt finished a new draft of a book (not to be confused with finishing a new book, again according to him), and Mur is still experimenting with her burgeoning career as a streaming star.
• Patreon and Kickstarter culture, what creators “owe” their audiences, the associated guilt, and how being a freelance creator means running a small corporation in which you are every department.
• How writers and their writing change over time.
• It is the patented, storied, practically legendary Ditch Diggers Feedback Episode! In which Matt and Mur catch up on their mail and @’s!
• Gay romcom recommendations for Mur (and everyone else).
• How to expand your platforms beyond writer networking and industry-facing to be more reader/consumer-facing.
• Transitioning from a full-time job (in this case back) to full-time freelancing. Spoiler Alert: Probably not right now in 2020.
• Unplugging and focusing on your projects. Also, structure and timed lock boxes (Mur is very smart and says very smart things).
• Selling novellas, from self-pub to “traditional” publishers, and ability to pivot and adapt.
• The traditional end-of-episode shilling commences! Lameece Issaq, narrator of the audiobook version of Matt’s epic fantasy SAVAGE LEGION (out now from Simon Audio), gets some love.

Mentioned in this episode…

• Autoboyography
• Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
• What If It’s Us
• Tor.com Publishing’s Novella Submission Guidelines
• Kevin Hearne’s Instagram

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:44 — 41.4MB)

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The Hugo thing happened. So we talked about it.

• Mur and Matt come to you live from the hermetically sealed Hugo Award storage chamber in Ditch Diggers Manor (because Hugos get dirty).
• AITA because I had a good day?
• Mur discusses her new adventures in Twitch and Crowdcast live-streaming, including ascending above the level of “YOU ARE NOTHING!” on Twitch.
• Matt is still a YouTuber (technically).
• Mur makes Matt think about his own death and Matt accuses Mur of trying to make people date the Grand Canyon (sort of).
• The inevitable Hugo Awards Ceremony debacle discussion ensues, including a summary of what happened at the 2020 ceremony.
• The disconnect between the amazing writers and creators who won Hugo Awards (and their eloquent and relevant speeches) and the time machine from which the majority of the presenters stepped out.
• The infamous Balloon Guy Story (that does not involve kink shaming).
• Q&A! A listener asks Matt about his upcoming novels and the issue of appropriation when it comes to writing the Other. Also, questions about Substack and Medium.
• The traditional end-of-episode shilling (and Matt denounces Spotify).

Mentioned in this episode…

• Mur’s Twitch
• Publishing is Hard
• A Faster No
• Mexican Gothic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:18:15 — 55.1MB)

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Matt and Mur had a virtual book launch for Savage Legion last week. Gotta adapt in a pandemic, y’all.

• Matt and Mur come to you from Matt’s online launch party for his debut epic novel, SAVAGE LEGION, recorded on Crowdcast in front of a live chat audience on July 20th, 2020!
• Matt and Mur are drinking, or at least Matt is (Mur forgot her booze). Ditch Diggers merch is briefly discussed.
• The difference between a Citroën and citronella.
• Doing a live video Crowdcast in front of a crowd is very different from recording an audio podcast.
• Matt actually talks about SAVAGE LEGION (Mur’s copy of which must have gotten lost in the mail) a little bit, including the production of the book itself, and his reaction to receiving his copies of it.
• Matt and Mur tell old convention stories, including drunken flights and playing Funny Friends (and Mur’s daughter, Fiona, makes one of several special appearances).
• Matt fields questions from chat and talks about writing such a long (for him) novel, and the time it took on spec versus the time it takes when you’re under contract with a publisher deadline.
• Mur and Matt discuss the process of Ditch Diggers, recording podcasts in general, and the key to the longevity of the show (spoiler: it’s not preparation).
• Matt wants to create an 80’s-themed podcast.
• Star Wars dubbed in German, and a severe and aggressive German Han Solo.
• Mur discusses her recent binge/love of gay romcoms, her desire to write one, and everyone discusses straight authors writing gay characters.
• Mur’s daughter comes out as professionally gay.
• Matt answers more questions about SAVAGE LEGION, including drinking while writing, and discussing his epic fantasy influences, good and bad.
• Night falls and it is time to end the party, but not before shilling SAVAGE LEGION one final time.

Mentioned in this episode…

• Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel
• When Harry Met Harry