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Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #100: HURLEY RETURNS

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:34 — 40.7MB)

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  • Matt and Mur come to you live for the monumental 100th episode of the Ditch Diggers podcast, with special guest, and one of their favorites, author Kameron Hurley!
  • Ditch Diggers’ history with problematic celebrity mascots and why they finally ended the bit is briefly discussed.
  • Things are terrible, but Hurley rightly points out all three of the people in this podcast episode have a lot to be happy about, and those things are covered, including Hurley’s Hugo nomination for Best Novel for THE LIGHT BRIGADE!
  • What did Nero actually play on the fiddle while Rome burned, and was it “Freebird?”
  • Hurley, prompted by Matt, discusses the epic years-long process of turning the barren lot on which resides her home into an amazing woodland that is often mistaken for a public park.
  • The inevitable topic of doing business and getting business done during the pandemic is finally discussed at length.
  • The discussion suddenly degenerates into explaining Animal Crossing to Matt, including the economics of turnips, hamsters in suits of armor and their love lives, hosting TV-style talk shows on your island, and the housing market and economics of home ownership in Stardew Valley.
  • Mur tries to come up with an innovative way to create media in/using Animal Crossing and/or online gaming, and becomes very irate at Matt and Kameron’s lack of ability to come up with something for her, despite them both offering wisdom (which is different from advice).
  • Episode 100 Q&A! What are the Ditch Diggers drinking and what is everyone’s favorite cocktail? Also, what’s the best career lesson/advice everyone has learned from something that was said to them that wasn’t meant/presented as career advice.
  • Final plugs for Matt’s debut epic fantasy novel SAVAGE LEGION (including Mur and Kameron schooling Matt on his poor marketing skills) and Matt and Mur’s shared birthday.

Mentioned in this episode…

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #508: Feedback, Live on Twitch

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:39 — 25.8MB)

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Trying Twitch.tv again, things going better this time. If you want to catch the stream, check out my twitch channel at 12:30, Tues-Fri!

(I also play Stardew Valley on Thursday nights.)

But here we talk feedback and stuff. I talk about how writers evolve and how we may not be able to go back to older work. I also nearly give myself a complex. But I’m OK.

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #506: WorldCon 2020

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:20 — 18.8MB)

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Recorded live on Twitch.tv, a new experiment I’m doing! Want to see the next one? Catch me live at 12:30!

Worldcon is happening now in New Zealand, kind of. It’s the first virtual WorldCon ever, and it’s going to be an interesting week.

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #503: Audio from live Crowdcast (July 6)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:27 — 37.8MB)

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I have started to do live streaming Crowdcasts on Mondays, and I’m also stripping out the audio for the podcast feed until the end of July. After that, it’s a Patreon-only perk. Find when I’m recording at Crowdcast (hint, it’s Mondays at 12:30 EDT).

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #99: World On Fire

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:52 — 42.1MB)

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EDIT- the file is there now. I am a professional, dammit.

  • Matt and Mur come to you live in this penultimate installment of Ditch Diggers before the landmark 100th Episode from the Padded Room Full of Teddy Bears in DD Manor!
  • How is Matt? A seemingly simple question that feeds into the larger and much more complicated issues of the episode, recorded June 30th, which will deal with the harassers and abusers called out in June, particularly in the SFF publishing community.
  • Before that! Actual writing talk! Mur is restructuring a novel (for which she thanks Scrivener in a totally un-sponsored plug), and Matt has been writing a video game, because that’s his first full-time job, but he can’t talk about it, because you can never talk about the video game you’re writing.
  • Mur and Matt are going to talk about what’s been going on, but have made the choice not to use names in this episode, and they explain why.
  • Matt talks about how to respond (more specifically how he responded) when you have a professional relationship with someone who is called out for abusing or otherwise harming others.
  • The difference in perception between the privileged (e.g. cis able-bodied white dudes) and marginalized or at-risk folks dealing with powerful, abusive people in the industries and communities in which they exist.
  • The idea of not being aware you have power over others in your industry/community is discussed.
  • Making decisions based on your own safety, and deciding how your personal principles will factor into your decisions, re: dealing with the knowledge of working with abusive people.
  • Structures and organizations within SFF publishing where abusive people can be reported (and a brief aside about that wizard school author and Stephen King).
  • Matt and Mur thank their listeners for helping them reach episode 100, coming soon, and Matt STILL has a book coming out (SAVAGE LEGION— Be a dear and order, won’t you?) that he pitches poorly to the same listeners, because that’s where he is right now.
  • A final note on how alcohol/being drunk does not excuse your behavior. Ever.
  • Sites mentioned:
Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #98: Claire Rousseau and Booktubers

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:02 — 33.8MB)

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  • Mur and Matt come to you live from the brand new film studio inside the Ditch Diggers manor with special guest, Hugo-nominated BookTuber Claire Rousseau!
  • Interesting shoulders are briefly unpacked.
  • The Ditch Diggers bring you up to date on their current events, including Mur’s daughter’s drive-thru high school graduation.
  • Claire graciously and eloquently explains what BookTube is, what it does, and some of the challenges associated with breaking into more traditional spaces as a BookTuber, e.g. the Hugo Awards.
  • The winding, serendipitous tale of how Claire got started as a BookTuber (and an explanation of concepts like Book Holes).
  • The challenges of breaking into BookTube and getting discovered by viewers, and how the same systemic racism and misogyny affecting other mediums extends to BookTube.
  • Claire shares some of her favorite recommendations for BookTubers to check out.
  • How companies deal and have dealt with BookTube/Tubers and vice versa, how those companies (namely Book Outlet) have fallen short in those dealings, and their response.
  • Claire finally shills her own channel, and tells the audience about her exciting new projects.
  • Booktubers from this episode:

HEY. Matt has a book, SAVAGE LEGION, coming out shortly. Be a dear and preorder, won’t you?

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #500! Live on Crowdcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:53 — 44.6MB)

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If you missed the live video, here’s the audio from the event! It’s not the big to-do I would have liked, but there’s the whole pandemic, and migraines, and all that going on, so I do with what I have. Thanks for all your support over the years. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.

(next Crowdcast on Monday, July 6)

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