12/17/2006
Merry Christmas and "Damnit, Stanley!" Part2
First off... Christmas and the winter holidays are a very busy season for me but I'm happy to say now... "Merry whatever and many more to come". I know how it is, you can't please everyone and I do think the holidays are a special social season that everyone should enjoy... even Laura and her fork.
You will notice the blog is closed to comments. Sorry- if it's important that you reach me, you will know where to find me. I welcome comments, I really do! What I don't welcome are the bots from the websites of adult videos that are adding their website to my blog to increase their footprint on the web. This is mine, I don't care for their sites, and I am not going to add mine to theirs.
Now... Stanley came for a visit, again. I do love this dog dearly- but for every sweet memorable event he gave, he gave me three, "Damnit!" moments. Typical of bassets, he is attention starved. I have a nice green khaki skirt-- kind of looks like the old solid color Army Uniforms. It's long, comfortable in summer or winter, and just one of those nice multi purpose pieces that goes everywhere. Stanly walks up and starts rubbing his head on my leg. Cute? Oh, HECK NO! Not Stanley!! He's found a wonderful portable napkin and I am now wearing the latest collection of eye-boogers, drool and dribbles from the water dish. Thanks Stanley, I'm so glad to be of service. We discovered Stanley ATE a sock- and in the normal course of events, it certainly did pass. No tummy ache... nothin. But... there is no doubt this dog loves his Auntie Di. I had a furry shadow for a week.
Works in Progress... or newly completed items...
EGYPT... "Anchient Jems" is finally finished. Imagine that you are an archeologist and you have a chance to study your subject in first-person. Toss in one HOT Priest, the antics of a few Egyptian Gods, and the liberal ideas of the Twelfth Dynasty society. Indeed, it gets interesting. Months ago Jewel was telling me, "You need to try time travel..." Well, I did. I just didn't anticipate that my first episode would chomp off 3700 years and drop her into Egypt. Can you imagine coming back and reading about yourself with the perception of the people that you are a Godess? Of course, that's not the ending! I won't tell you that!! Shame on you!
JADED BEASTS 5-- CROW LIKE ME. All I have to say is WOW... that was a whirlwind of fun to write. You may be familiar with the book, "Deaf Like Me" or the HBO series called "Dead Like Me" but it's not the same. Logan is a Guardian. He's a spirit that has watched over Tommie since she was born. Tommie, a computer game programmer, is murdered when the criminsal element she discovers in her office comes after her. They need to get her murderers, liberate the hostages they have, and run from the 'psychic types' that can actually see the Guardian Spirits. I've been through China Town and that region of Philly. They go up I 95, down to the court house and police stations, too. I wish I could have included some of the historic sites I have seen- up to and including Ben Franklin's grave and the Liberty Bell.
SPELLFIRE... I do love Spellfire.
THE GROLLIM (Spellfire Commemorative) are creatures inspired by a modern ghosts legend in Kentucky, around an old medical quarantine ward for tuburculosis patients. I watched some documentary and Spellfire seemed like the perfect, logical place forthe location of an imfirmary of that type in Texas.
FOR SO LONG (Spellfire Harvest of Heroes) is about two WWII Era people-- now obviously ghosts-- that live in Spellfire. Well, let me clarify that- Jack's been there a while- he discovered Spellfire when he met James Dallingham, the Texas Ranger, during th Korean War, and now that Rosie has finally entered the realm of living-without-a-human-body, he sure would like to have his wife back.
HEART OF A RANGER (Spellfire Seasons2) goes into a little more about Capt. James Dallingham. He is, without a doubt, a typical old Texan. Of course- he fought during the Texas Revolution so he's entitled to his quirks... but Miss Sarah, in spite of her 1800s birthday, is more modernized. Our darling captain is dragged, kicking and screaming (well, OK... he enjoys it) into the 21st century but he does take a stand that some things need to be done properly. And he's right.
CUTS BOTH WAYS (Spellfire Evening) Imagine that you have two ugly little minions of a bad-guy standing in front of you and one of them is holding a dagger. What do you do? Most of us would "Kill it". Guess what... wrong answer. You should know me better than that! That's way too easy. This one ventured into a little darker aspect of Spellfire. Jack loves his wife, and after all the years he waited for her, he was afraid of loosing her again-- and he was justified in that fear. He just couldn't keep up with the old-fashioned thinking that he had to protect her. She knew the risks of what she was doing, and quite literally, she was the only woman for the job. Could he let her do it, like the many times she'd let him work for his military service? That kind of love cuts both ways... it's not just the dagger. Jack proves he's a very big man, even when he's on his knees.
COMING... oh yes... SPELLFIRE HEARTS, Spellfire Shadows, and a few things I am cooking up. I got a little addicted to the "Paranormal watchers" and Time Travel romance. We do have something special cooking!! Haunted Passions is going to be reissued... with GRAPHICS. I get to show you some of the stunning buildings of Delaware... and that Kookie dog.
23:35 Posted in Author Events, My Books, Thoughts | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: spellfire, Midnight Showcase, Jaded Beasts, Anchient Jems, Egypt, romance, erotica
03/27/2006
2005 Finalist- RIO Award
I recieved a wonderful email this morning.
This is the kind of news that just knocks you for a loop. I was speechless.
2005 Finalist, Rio Award of Excellence for a Short Story in an Anthology- Phantom Vindication by Bridghid Parkinson.
Other finalists this year included Robin D. Owens, Joanne Rock, Pamela Britton, Terri Brisbin, Rebecca Goings, Diana Laurence and Julie London.
If any writer ever wonders whether or not it's worth it to keep plugging away, I can tell you that it is. I have endured teasing and hateful comments, and most of the time it rolls off my back like water off a duck, but it's days like this that make it worth it. My own 'Congratulations' to the other finalists.
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02/19/2006
The interview for February MS Spotlight
I did have fun doing this... it's on the MS site and you can get the full edition of the "Midnight Spotlight" there.
--------Special thanks to Regan Taylor, Midnight Showcase
HI Di! Welcome and thank you for taking the time to talk with me and our authors and readers! I know we’ve spoken to Di Parkinson and her angelic alter ego Bridghid, but we haven’t yet spoke with Di the audio guru of Midnight Showcase.
Ok, so reader, author, reviewer and now audio producer—if someone would have asked you 5 years ago which of these you would be doing, which would you have said?
a. Five years ago… just author. The Audio Producer seemed the least possible but my impression then was that I needed special rooms and mixing boards, but I specialize in computers and MIDI. I wrote to entertain myself during long overnight shifts at the shelters and I could leave the desk immediately when needed.
Generally speaking, how long have you been reading in general? A life long reader?
b. I’ve definitely been a lifelong reader. I grew up in the Texas Hillcountry and the biggest amusements were three TV stations, radio, and the library. The library had the best ‘on-demand’ selection. I love occasional movies but prefer books and audio, or radio. I also learned reading was a great ‘group’ or family activity, whether or not everyone read aloud. My sisters and I would read with Mom, my friends would meet me in libraries, too. We would read anywhere, even at night with a flashlight.
Have you always been an avid reader?
c. Yes! If it’s frowned upon by the Pope, a reviewer, or even a neighbor, it makes me want to find out why. Reading makes me think- if I don’t like a story or Author, at least I have stopped to think about why. I love a variety of fiction and non-fiction, poetry, prose, and even some tech manuals.
Do you remember the book you read? Reason I’m asking is because the next part of the question is which is the first book you thought you’d like to hear?
a. I don’t remember my first books but I know I read almost all of the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Little House, and the Louisa May Alcott books. I do remember in school, an assignment called "Thirteen Days to Glory"- about the Battle of the Alamo. I think the assignment was in Junior High and it made an impression as something I would like to hear. I lived in a small town near San Antonio so we went to the Alamo for school trips.
What drew you to doing books in audio?
b. I was in Forensics- Speech, Drama, Spelling, and Debate- in school and very active. I even wrote a skit we preformed my senior year. Later in life, I had to be ‘realistic’ and follow a more practical field in computer hardware but never gave up writing. I began to learn file manipulation and hardware setups. During that ‘practical phase’ of life, I often had to drive over an hour to work, spend time driving to works sites and then another hour to get home. I craved anything that wasn’t ‘morning zoo’ radio, looking for Audio Books anytime I could get them.
What did you do before you wrote, reviewed and now produce audio books?
c. Computer Tech and Residential Aide in a Homeless shelter.
Where to you see audio books going in say 2-3 years?
d. I see that as another ‘basic format’ already but the players are getting easier, smaller and more sophisticated. It’s going to be easy to listen to any book that tickles your fancy. Farther in the future, I can see a combined reader and player device where books might have sound tracks like movies or combine written manuscripts with sounds. You might be reading a large web page/HTML book with little podcasts and music files that are appropriate to the text.
What do you look for when you pick up a book to read? Do you choose based on the cover or the author or the blurb?
e. I have favorite authors that I will pick up just because I love their ‘voice’- even if the book has a black cover and white print. I would say a cover catches my eye. Jinger has done some breath taking covers and these are books I want to display on my nightstand—heck, my coffee table!
What appeals to you personally about audio books?
f. If I am out, I can take a player with me while exercising or riding in a car or bus- I can’t even make story notes in a moving vehicle. It’s never ‘wasted time’ or even time where my mind is idle. I love music but Audio books are equally appealing.
If you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want to have with you? Print, e or audio?
g. Presuming I have electricity and my laptop… definitely EBook… a dictionary, an American History reference, and a Mythology Reference and I’d have room in my CD case for much more! Otherwise, I want hardbacks with a huge roll of paper. I can see myself writing my notes and ‘first draft’ with a stick in the sand on the beach and then copying to paper.
Of all the books you have read, is there one character you would like to hear speak and, if so, who’s voice would it be?
h. Several of my favorite books have found their way into movies or TV. Some books, I have only heard! My favorite Audio Book is ‘Trans-sister Radio’- I’ve never seen it in print, but I’ve listened to it several times. A Piers Anthony book, called ‘Tatham Mound’, made an impression several years ago and I thought it would be a fabulous Audio Book. The story is a 15th century Indian man telling why he felt he let the Gods down when the white men came to what we know as Florida. I could easily see the primary narrative read by Sean Connery with the flashback scenes preformed by a variety of actors as the story progresses through the main characters life.
If you could hire one male and one female actor to speak in the Midnight Showcase audio books, who would they be and why?
i. Robin Williams and Kathleen Turner. Robin Williams has the vocal range to fill in all the ‘extras’- an old woman, a gay man, it doesn’t matter. As a lead (hero) character, he would be amazing. Kathleen Turner did voiceover for Jessica Rabbit in the film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and she has an incredible voice, even when she’s joking around and she has her own amazing vocal range. At the same time, I don’t want to put authors off from reading their material because they don’t sound like these two actors. I think the Midnight Showcase readers will love any reading if they have a favorite author.
By the way, what drew you to Midnight Showcase in the first place?
j. Classy website, excellent communication, great stories… and other authors I read previously that had their work here. Several factors about Midnight Showcase impressed me.
How did you get the idea to put our books in audio format?
k. Jewel was the one that came out with the idea of working the Midnight Showcase Audio Books with software and I knew nothing about her efforts until I saw it in the loops. I was already researching software to make human audio recordings more practical. I dropped an email and told her that there is a way to allow authors to read their own material and keep it practical for everyone. I did research and tests to ‘prove’ I didn’t need special equipment. I also have the perspective of a computer tech and, alternatively, of someone that needed audio books and used them often.
I should have asked this sooner, but do you have a favorite genre?
l. Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Paranormal settings are my favorites with Suspense, Mystery, Erotica and Romance elements in any of them.
If I came to you on our authors and readers list, (link) and told you I have an MP3 player, could you help me download a book I wanted to hear?
m. Sure! I’ll be happy to try helping and if I can’t resolve a question, I’ll be able to find the tech support that can! I can find ‘walkthroughs’ for many players so that the user can load the file or create an audio CD of their own to use in the car or CD player. If a reader or listener has any difficulty with loading our story files, let me know and I can arrange to help. Better yet, drop a note, my email is bridghidparkinson@yahoo.com. There is also a Listener group in Yahoo and I’ll include the address below.
Do you have anything to add or share with our readers?
n. The software readings, although ‘mechanical’ are still good and I’m working to improve them all the time. I’ve worked to make them sound like they are real people- or at least inflected the way a real person might- and I have to listen to them several times to achieve that balance. Software doesn’t read words and punctuation the same way our eyes read it. I have not found a word that I have not been able to manipulate with the software pronunciation and I even created symbolic cat sounds for Spellfire Hearts. Author readings are added as we have them available so keep your eyes open for the ‘Author read’ notation in Audio Raptures. We will be featuring short stories soon that will be 15 to 30 minute recordings. If you are on the go, it’s a great way to fill the ‘on-the-move’ or waiting time.
Happy Valentines Day to all!
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