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Showing posts with label #audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #audio. Show all posts

Saturday, January 7, 2023

A New Year, Continuing Health Problem, New Beginnings...

 

Hello everyone, Happy New Year! Hope the holiday season treated you well. You probably noticed that the ever since I finished the "Red Fang" storyline, I've been re-sharing older short stores (or not so short like the "Cannibal Killer" tale). You are no doubt understandably wondering why there hasn't been anything new for so long. Well, up until September, my biggest concern was trying to get the left side of my sacro-iliac joint sorted out through physical therapy, and pain control injections. I was lined up to have ablation surgery done on the joint area in question, when I began having an unexplained increase in my heart rate. We're talking into the low-mid 100's even at rest. 

This of course alarmed my wife and my physician who has been subjecting me to a battery of tests, CAT scans, and X-rays. I'm pleased to report that the heart is in fine shape, and there are no irregularities in my heartbeats, aside from the elevated rates. Since then, I've been off work due to nearly passing out at one point and suffering fatigue and dizziness quite frequently. As of this post, we are zeroing in on a possible cause, but there are more tests to be done so I'll keep you updated. 

Now a quick rewind. After I finished the "Red Fang" story, I started focusing on the next novel "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties" and was making some good progress. I was also finishing the cover art for Helen's newest book (a short story collection which is part of her own series "The Forever Detective" books, which involve a private investigator who becomes a vampire but continues to be a detective and hold onto his humanity set in the 1940s).



I also act as her formatter and submit her books to KDP Direct and Draft2Digital to get them into e-book and print forms, and I had that to take care of as well. 

And of course, I have become a voiceover actor and have turned four of her books into Audiobooks on Audible and Itunes:
    


So, I was still keeping busy, in spite of my illness. I just didn't have a lot of creativity flowing for the most part until I was given a new medication for my high blood pressure which also has quieted down my heart rate to more normal levels. However, there are still other concerns regarding levels of sodium and cortisol which are continuing to plague me. But as I said before, we're getting closer to answers so I'm not too worried.

Anyway, since I've been feeling more creative once more, I've come up with a number of new tales for Nathan and company to be dealing with. A couple of them are slated for the second Vampyre Blogs Anthology, which I'm hoping might be released before this year is over. I've got a number of old stories that have not seen the light of day since their original release on this blog, but I really wanted a few never before seen ones as well. One involves a German U-boat during World War I, another involves a sex traffic ring which I will be putting a trigger warning for readers in case they want to skip that one. That tale will also show a little of Nathan's 'darker' side when it comes to harming innocents. 

I am also planning a special Halloween tale for you all on this blog, which may put a few of you in mind of old classic film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". I won't say anymore, because I want you all to have fun reading that one when it comes out.

In the meantime, I'll be doing a few more re-runs of older stories here, but I wanted you all to know what's happening here on the homefront. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I am currently taking some professional voice acting classes, while I have the down time from my work. I'm hoping this will lead to auditions and some paying work before the year is out. Who know? Maybe, I'll be able to one day retire from the county and do voice work full-time, as well as my writing. 

We'll see. But now you're in the loop. I thank you for your support of this blog and ask you all to keep on visiting and leaving your likes and comments. 


Saturday, January 11, 2020

Message from the Authors...

I know it's been a little while since we've posted something new here, but between the holidays and prepping our first audiobook, things have been very busy for us. 

Luckily, the audiobook should be ready for beta-listeners by the end of tomorrow. The book in question is one of Helen's solo books which stars Rafael Jones, a private investigator in 1947 who is about to discover that the supernatural does exist. Before the tale is finished, his own life will be changed forever as he faces a nest of vampires from Russia and learns that indeed "Forever's Too Long". This debut novel has already earned 5 star reviews from both the US and Canada, and has been followed up with a second tale "Forever Haunted".  





So what does this have to do with Nathan and company? Quite a lot, as "The Vampyre Blogs -Coming Home" AND "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At a Time" are both being turned into audiobooks as we speak. Their release dates will be announced in the coming months.

In the meantime, I wished to let you all know that brand new tales are on the way for this blog. "The Artist" is currently under way and will be appearing here in a week or two. This story will take both you and Nathan into uncharted waters in regards to the 'bonds' he creates with those who he has bitten and given some of himself to. I'd say more, but I don't wish to spoil the surprise and direction this story will take.


I can also tell you that more tales of Nathan's years in service during the Civil War after his return from the Para-Earth are in the works, as well as a second anthology which we hope to release before the end of this year.

Also, rest assured that the sequel to Nathan's first novel, is also under way. "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties" will be exploring not only Nathan's return but that of a familiar enemy, as well as a new threat to that spells danger not only for Nathan's homestead but the town as well. Thrills, new insights, and much more await you all in the pages of this new novel. 

So please stay tuned and keep reading as the tales of encounters with other Para-Earths unfold before your eyes.


Sunday, September 8, 2019

New Beginnings For "The Vampyre Blogs" Side of Our Para-Earths Series...

Okay folks, Nathan here to tell you all about some new beginnings for me and my friends... oh and our authors too.

I know things have been on the quiet side over here for a while now, but a lot has been going on behind the scenes. As you all know, Allan and Helen have been experimenting with audio for some time now. But after a lot of discussions and even more rehearsals and test-runs they've decided Allan will be the one to who will be bringing all our stories to audiobooks. This project has involved a huge learning curve for Allan which has taken up a great deal of his time, hence things being quiet over here.  Allan's a bit of a perfectionist and has been going to great lengths to find voices for everyone who will be appearing in the audios. But it seems he's nailed everyone down starting with me, who's voice you heard in "Wolves and the Northern Lights" (which was shared in the last entry). If you missed it, here's the link again so you can hear what I'll be sounding like:



He's already finalized different voices for Otto, Brian, Richard (Low-Man), Dr. Jack, Lisa, Marisa, Isabella, and the rest of the cast from both "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" and "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At A Time". Now begins the full-scale effort to bring all of us to life in audio. Mind you, Allan's been going through one heck of a learning curve and is currently sharing all he learned over on our sister blog "The Musings of Two Creative Minds" where he and Helen talk about the writing and creative process. If you're interested in seeing what he's shared so far here are the first three installments:




NOTE: This particular series of blog entries about doing audio is still ongoing and more installments are on the way. So if you find yourself really enjoying those first three entries you might want to sign-up to be notified by e-mail when a new entry gets posted.

Now, besides working on bringing us all to life in audio, Allan has also been working on a collaborative story that does not involve the Para-Earth Series, with an old high school friend Mr. Richard Caminiti. 


The two have just about finished the first draft of a five-year book called "The Pass" which also involves vampires, also set in the 1860's but on the west coast. And the vampires involved are not like me or your traditional European types like Count Dracula. No, their characters are dealing with Chiangshi, vampires from China, more commonly known as the Hopping Vampire. And boy have Allan and Richard got some surprising twists and turns waiting for you all. It's taken them this long to do write the story for several reasons:

      1 - They've been writing long-distance. Richard is on the east coast in North Carolina and Allan is on the west coast in California.
      2 - They've been doing a lot of Skyping over the past 5 years to brainstorm ideas, as well as give each other input on new directions the story kept taking.
     3 - Life got in the way a lot. For instance, Allan was still attending college full-time when they started and both have had health issues to contend with. Plus, Allan and Helen had to move twice during this period.
      4 - Allan was working with Helen on me and my friends and our stories.
    5 - Helen started a new solo-writing project called the "Forever Detective Series". (Don't panic, she's not abandoning us or Allan, she's still working on us with him). But Allan's been helping her with that series as well, doing book covers and acting as her sounding board for ideas. But this too has taken up a fair amount of time and energies for both him and her.


And speaking of the Forever Detective Series, Helen's first book came out just a couple of months ago and is available on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and many other outlets in both paperback and e-book form. The story involves a 1940's detective getting hired by Interpol to help locate some stolen Russian art. As the story progresses our hero Raphael Jones will find himself discovering that magic and the supernatural do exist and his world will never be the same again. If you'd like to learn more here's a little book trailer Allan and Helen put together (which also took up a fair amount of time and experience on the old learning curve). You'll also find links to the various book sites to get your own copy of this brilliant new series, which Helen will be adding a second book to in late November/early December of this year. So please check it out, she's done a brilliant job with blending 1940's Film Noir with the Supernatural:



So as you can see, Allan and Helen have been QUITE busy ever since this year began. Which is why they haven't been doing nearly as much updates here as they really would have liked to do. But that doesn't mean they've been neglecting me or my friends. Stories have been quietly under way this whole time. A whole second anthology has been taking shape, again with stories from this blog as well as brand new untold tales. 

Furthermore, Allan and Helen have been working on "The Door" which involves my old flame Police Sergeant Veronica Ross, her new fiancee Alex Hill (the lucky dog), my old friend Jason Cloudfoot's niece Julie (who I helped rescue from a snowstorm when she was only 9 years old), and a few other people of my acquaintance. Why I'm bringing this book up is because I will be making several appearances in flashbacks, as well as me, Lisa and Marisa actually showing up at the end of that upcoming novel which will launch a whole new direction in the Para-Earth Series. For that point will actually bring all of us and the characters from "The Bridge", "The Ship" and "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At A Time" into a full-blown crossover as we take on the most haunted house in America, the legendary Harlequin House. It is within the walls of that terrifying place where people say "The only ones who walk those halls are the dead..."

At the same time, Allan and Helen have already gotten me and my friends' next full-length novel "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties" already under way as well. 

But first, my friends and I need to be re-introduced to a whole new set of readers. A little while back, Allan explained that after talking with readers that "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" would be more at home under the YA (Young Adult) label since most of the story is told from Lisa and Marisa's point of view. So, he's been very busy working on making that happen as well. Including,  going as far as creating a whole new cover for the book featuring the girls.


He and Helen have also created a new backcover as well...

Ever since her father was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, Marisa has had nightmares about the disease taking the form of a vampire, slowly killing him. She can no longer stand movies or books involving even ‘good guy’ vampires, much less any of the old horror movies she used to watch with him. She even stopped hanging out with her best friend Lisa who got into Goth clothing and make-up, even though Lisa has been trying to be there for her this whole time.

But all that is about to change with the arrival of young and handsome Nathan, a family friend Lisa grew up calling Uncle. Not only does his arrival set both girl’s hearts beating, but it gives them a chance to renew the friendship both have sorely missed.  

However, there’s more to Nathan than Marisa realizes. Lisa knows he is a vampyre-like being, the very thing Marisa detests. Yet he may also be the only hope for Marisa’s father, as well as the entire town. For unknown to all, a truly horrific being from the Para-Earth where Nathan was originally “altered” has entered their reality. And now he is the only one who can stop it. 

The re-release of the book will be taking place in just a few weeks on October 1st. And this time we will be available everywhere, not just on Amazon (although you'll still be able to find us there as well). Though we do ask all of you to please help spread the word. We're very excited to meet new readers and continue our adventures because there are a LOT of  them to come.

So that about brings you all up to speed. Clearly, there's been a lot going on behind the scenes that Allan and Helen have not been talking about. But, as you can see, time has not been a luxury for them, which is why I felt it necessary to tell you myself. 

Thanks again for all your patience and stay tuned, because as I already said, there is a lot more coming. Allan will be sharing some more samples of his audio work with you all and if everything goes well the first audiobook(s) will be out in time for this Christmas so stay tuned. We're all very excited for you to hear from us personally as our adventures continue.

Until the next time I hijack this blog, take care. 

Yours Respectfully,

Nathaniel Eoghan Steward



Saturday, July 27, 2019

Our First Short Audio Story Is Live...

And so it begins, dear friends. Here is my first full-scale attempt at doing an audio recording of one of the short stories from our anthology "The Vampyre Blogs - One Day At a Time".  



The purpose of doing this short story is of course to start preparing for turning the entire anthology, as well as it's predecessor "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" into full-length audiobooks. Helen and I will also be turning her new solo novel "Forever's Too Long" (another vampire tale, set in 1947 NYC) into an audiobook as well. 

For some time many readers and friends have been urging me to try my hand at doing audiobooks saying I have a good voice for reading aloud. Helen readily agreed as I have spent many evenings reading aloud to her from books we both wanted to read at the same time, and this seemed to be the simplest solution.

However, I was completely unsure how one even began to make an audiobook. I do not consider myself all that well versed in technology. Furthermore, until the last couple of years, our finances were very tight so trying to rent time at a professional recording studio. Plus, I would then have to pay someone to do all the technical cleanup of the recordings to make them presentable for Audible, over on Amazon.

But after having helped create the trailer for Helen's book "Forever's Too Long" (which I have shared here before but in case you missed it here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNoPA_ytUvc), I found my confidence increasing in my vocal skills. The responses to the trailer and the praise I received at her release party where I did some live reading in the voice of her main character, was the final nudge I needed. From there I downloaded Audacity (the program Audible uses for audiobook submissions) and did some serious reading up on audio recording. I also watched a number of YouTube videos which taught me how to get the best sound quality while recording inside our own home, instead of renting space at a studio. I also invested in some equipment...


I won't go into all the technical details of how I made the recording here, because I'm covering that topic in a series of entries over on our blog about writing at:


There will be more audios coming to this site in the near future for your enjoyment, leading up to the release of the complete anthology on Audible. When that date will be, I do not know as I still have a lot of recording to do. However, we will keep you all apprised of our progress. In the meantime, please enjoy the audio provided above and know that this blog will still be sharing brand new tales about Nathan and his friends as usual.

I also want to let you know that progress is being made on "The Vampyre Blogs - Family Ties". My main regret is that it's taken so long, but there have been health and family issues over the past year that slowed things down on that front. But the book is still under way and will see the light of day. Hopefully, late next year.

In the meantime, besides the audios, I am working on a new cover for "The Vampyre Blogs - Coming Home" as it will be getting a new home under the Young Adult section over on Amazon. It will also be getting released to Kobo, Barnes and Noble (Nook form), PDF and other formats later this year. So, as you can see, we got a lot happening with Nathan and company, and there are many more adventures and stories to tell, so please stay tuned.

Until next time, happy reading (and listening) dear friends...