Where have all the Podcasts gone?
April 11, 2009 by Jina Bacarr in category Archives tagged as Confessions of a Podcast Goddessby Jina Bacarr
Was it only three years ago I did my first podcast for OCC/RWA? Check out the press release I wrote back then about podcasting at OCC:
Romancing the O.C. with Podcasting
What I find interesting about the state of podcasting since then is that most authors seem to prefer making book trailers. Book trailers are the new basic black for authors, but YouTube isn’t the only site where you can upload your trailers. TubeMogul.com allows you to upload your trailer to several sites at once.
If you want someone else to put together the book trailer for you, Circle of Seven Productions is the “go to” company for book trailers. You can check out their award-winning trailers and get information about the different book trailer packages they offer.
What if you want to make your own trailer?
With companies like iStockphoto.com/ to license photos and a plethora of podsafe music sites like Shockwavesound.com along with the free software like Windows Movie Maker, we can all be directors and let our characters tell the story. But is that enough? Readers love to connect with the author, find out more about her. You can only do that by getting up close and personal with a video or audio podcast.
Romance Novel TV does a fabulous job with author video podcasts and authors Jill Monroe and Gena Showalter’s Author Talk is my favorite video site for fun and informative author podcasts.
Filmmaker Terry Kate with her Romance in the Back Seat author video podcasts is a new face on the horizon with her author interviews in the back seat of a car and, when possible, I interview our local OCC authors and guests at our local monthly OCC/RWA meeting.
All this makes me wonder: what is the future of podcasting for authors? That’s not an easy question to answer. With technology changing every day, I believe it will continue to evolve so more writers can take advantage of this great marketing tool.
I love shooting video and will continue to turn them into podcasts, but like all authors, the writing comes first. That doesn’t mean we can’t promote our work with podcasts, whether we use book trailers, upload video interviews or make slide shows of those great research photos we took in Ireland.
We can’t spend all our time in front of the computer, can we?
Best,
Jina
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jinabacarr
Jina Bacarr is the author of The Blonde Geisha , Naughty Paris, Tokyo Rendezvous, a Spice Brief, and Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs, featuring an Indiana Jones in high heels.
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Read Cleopatra’s Perfume: The Prequel
Weimar Girls Gone Wild: The Berlin Sex Diary of Lady Eve Marlowe
Cleopatra’s Perfume, my new Spice release, is mentioned in Candy’s Inside Books at FreshFiction.com)
2 0 Read moreChapter Meeting Information for April
April 4, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Chapter Meeting InformationGeneral Meetings are held the second Saturday of the month at the Brea Community Center, 695 E. Madison Way, Brea, CA 92821. For a map and directions, click here. Meeting fees are $10 for Members and $20 for Non-Members.
Meeting Schedule for April 11, 2009:
9:30 am: Doors Open / Ask an Author
Volunteer Ask an Author/s for April: Shannon Donnelly and Janet Cornelow
10:30 – 10:45 am: Announcements
Morning Speaker:
OTTILIA SCHERSCHEL former copy editor, teacher and OCC member will present: Grammar School: Pesky Passive Writing
11:50 – 1:00: Lunch Break (Lunch Orders available)
12:45 – 1:00: New Member Orientation
12:30 – 1:00: Book signings
1:00 – 1:30 pm: General Meeting and Achievements
Afternoon Speaker:
BLAKE SNYDER bestselling author and screenwriter will discuss What Novelists Can Learn From Hollywood Screenwriters
3:00 pm: Meeting Adjourns
Attention: OCC Members Attending the Meeting–Monthly Critique Drawings!
Volunteer Critique Author for April: Jacqueline Diamond
Important 2009 Dates to Remember:
April 11—26th Annual Orange Rose Contest entries due.
(You may bring your entry package to the meeting!)
April 11—OCC 2009 Annual Dues (must be received no later than April 11)
Current members who do not renew by April 11 will no longer have access to the Members Only section of OCC’s website, special Announcements, The Morning Juice, reduced fees for online classes and workshops, etc. You may renew using PayPal at www.occrwa.org go to About Us: How to Join, or bring your renewal to the meeting on April 11th.
April 11—OCC Monthly Meeting (Brea CC)
April 13–April Online Class: Show & Tell: An Interactive Workshop with Shannon Donnelly (For information click HERE.)
May 9—OCC Monthly Meeting (Brea CC)
May 11—May Online class: Writing the Synopsis with Camy Tang (For information click HERE.)
For current Online Class Schedule and registration information, please visit http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html.For more chapter meeting information http://occrwa.org/meetings.htm
Notes from Val’s Desk
April 3, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Motivational, Notes From Val's Desk
As I concentrated on dusting the many books and putting a gleam on the rows of shelves, I picked up a small decorative picture frame. Sandwiched between a backing board and a dull piece of glass is one of my favorite little snippets of writing. I’d like to share it (the writing, not the dust) with you. This was written by Winston S.Churchill and is titled Thoughts and Adventures from “Hobbies,†a collection of essays published in 1932.
“What shall I do with all my books?†was the question; and the answer, “Read them,†sobered the questioner. But if you cannot read them, at any rate handle them and, as it were, fondle them. Peer into them. Let them fall open where they will. Read on from the first sentence that arrests the eye. Then turn to another. Make a voyage of discovery, taking soundings of uncharted seas. Set them back on their shelves with your own hands. Arrange them on your own plan, so that if you do not know what is in them, you at least know where they are. If they cannot be your friends, let them at any rate be your acquaintances. If they cannot enter the circle of your life, do not deny them at least a nod of recognition.
I think I’ll pay my writing books a little visit…..it’s been a while and I need to fondle them.
April President’s Message
April 1, 2009 by Marianne H. Donley in category ArchivesIt’s Spring; the season of renewal!
You caught my double entendre, yes? Of course you did if you read the announcement that came with this newsletter. It’s time to renew for your chapter. Past time actually, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on this coming year!
Your new Board has brought a plethora of new energy and ideas to your chapter, and they’re open for more. Several of those ideas are based on need and reflect fundraising approaches. And many of you have already offered up suggestions on raising money. These are timely, as our numbers are not as strong as we hoped. You can view a synopsis of this year’s budget in this newsletter. We welcome your thoughts and questions.
You will see new items at the Ways and Means Table, on-line at Café Press, and at a Midnight Madness table in Washington DC. You will see more special one-day events such as the ones led by guest speaker Diane Pershing earlier this year. On-line classes will continue to bring you fresh voices and new outlooks to improve your writing and boost your career. We will continue to bring you monthly speakers who will motivate and inspire, provide you basic to advanced tools, and set the stage for your writing efforts.
Last month your Board approved a survey which will come to you in April, asking you what you want from your chapter, both in person and on-line, so we can continue to serve you in the best ways possible. Please, please, please take the time to fill it out and send it back. I truly want to see this Board setting the stage for the future, ensuring we are keeping pace with the times, and providing the most current and comprehensive assistance that you could ever want from local RWA. At the same time, I don’t want to see anyone left behind. We are all different, some technologically astute, and others a little techno-phobic. We are here to serve both, and all in between. But we can’t do this effectively without your help. Your Chapter exists to support you. Here is your opportunity to tell us how we can continue to assist you over the next five years.
It’s the season of renewal (did you?), the season of new ideas, of rebirth. Help your chapter be reborn as the springboard to your success. Please fill out the survey and lend us your thoughts and ideas to how we can best assist you, as an individual and a part of Orange County Chapter, to attain your writing goals.
Randi
0 0 Read moreOCCRWA April Online Workshop – Show and Tell w Shannon Donnelly
March 26, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives********** permission to forward **********
Hi everyone! Check out the exciting online classes offered by the Orange County Chapter of RWA!
Show and Tell: An Interactive Workshop
With Shannon Donnelly
April 13, 2009 – May 9, 2009
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApr09.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: April 12, 2009
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com
ABOUT THE CLASS:
“Show, don’t Tell” is a cliché that has almost lost its meaning. But “showing” and “telling” are both valuable tools for any writer. In this workshop, we’ll use writing examples to figure out the truth hidden in this tired phrase.
The “telling” part of the workshop includes tips, tricks, and techniques to help improve narrative and identify when it’s time to tell your story. The “showing” part blends a set of exercises to strengthen an understanding of what makes a scene come to life.
TOPICS:
1) Telling: Use of the Narrative Voice
2) Showing to Pull a Reader into Your Scenes
3) Descriptions: How to Make them Vivid
4) Deep Viewpoint to Show a Character’s Inner World
5) Time, Transitions & Word Count–where Telling Helps
6) Showing and Telling–Not Absolutes
7) Write to Your Strengths: When to Show, When to Tell
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Award-winning author of romance novels, children’s books, video games, and non-fiction books, Shannon’s work has earned praise from Booklist and other reviewers, noting: “simply superb”…”wonderfully uplifting”….and “beautifully written.” Her numerous awards for writing include past finalist in the RWA’s RITA for Best Regency, winner of the Golden Heart Award, Grand Prize in the “Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer” contest, (judged by Nora Roberts – which gave her a trip to Paris), the Laurel Wreath, Winter Rose, and multiple finalists in the Bookseller’s Best, Orange Rose, Holt Medallion, Colorado ACE, and other contests. Shannon is a member of Los Angeles Romance Authors (LARA), Orange County Chapter (OCC) of RWA, East Valley Authors (EVA), and the Published Author Special Interest Chapter (PASIC). She regularly teaches online workshops, including a class for UCLA, and has spoken at RWA’s National Conference, as well as at RWA chapter meetings and other conferences.
She can be found online at http://www.shannondonnelly.com/ and www.myspace.com/randomfreshink.
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApr09.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: April 12, 2009
Coming in May – “Writing the Synopsis” with Camy Tang
Whether you’ve got a complete manuscript or you’ve just started one, this class will help you write a complete synopsis for your story. She will take you step by step so that by the end of the class you will have written a one-page synopsis, a 4-6 page synopsis, and also a more organic “character” synopsis.
For a full class roster, go to http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html. Check out our full 2009 list of workshops. Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group!
Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
********** permission to forward **********
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