Cesar Torres's Blog, page 13
September 12, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 12 – David B. Metcalfe
Editor and researcher David B. Metcalfe enters the Labyrinth to discuss magic, parapsychology, ghost phenomena, lucid dreaming and other topics in esoterica. David shares with me how he become interested in the unexplained since an early age, and he talks about what it’s like to work with professionals in the fields of research devoted to learning more about them. Davis is a contributor to the newly released book Exploring the Edge Realms of Consciousness: Liminal Zones, Psychic Science, and the Hidden Dimensions of the Mind, a series of essays by some of the leaders in the fields of transhumanism, parapsychology and more. This show is so big, we decided to bring David back in a future episode to talk about some more specific subjects, so you can thing of this episode as an intro to David Metcalfe and an introduction to his interests. David has a few strange things that have happened to him (as you can imagine), but what is the strangest?
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Links
The Revealer
Reality Sandwich
Jim Henson’s the Storyteller – The Definitive Collection
Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality
Exploring the Edge Realms of Consciousness: Liminal Zones, Psychic Science, and the Hidden Dimensions of the Mind
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Sleep Paralysis: A Guide to Hypnagogic Visions and Visitors of the Night
Harlot’s Ghost: A Novel
Naked Lunch: The Restored Text
Musick To Play In The Dark 2 by Coil
Blood and Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard
September 6, 2012
Worldcon (Chicon7) Wrap-up
The unofficial WorldCon Pub Crawl. I got to share drinks with Holly McDowell, Jim Minz, Bill Shunn, Gra Linnea, Tom Underberg, Dustin Monk, Christopher M. Cevasco and Rajan Khanna at The Bad Apple.
One of the best things about getting older are the moments when you feel like you’re learning something for the very first time, like you have just begun a long journey.
Years ago, I started calling myself a writer, a writer of fiction to be exact. It’s been almost a decade since then, and I feel lucky to have had my work published in a couple of places. I am lucky to have a short story collection out. Some would call this success. I call it the early stages of a publishing career, and I realized recently that I have so much to learn. I learned this through WorldCon.
It was just a matter of time before I attended the World Science Fiction Society conference. I attended this past weekend, and I was at once overwhelmed and delighted. WorldCon draws some of the top writers in the field of fantasy and science fiction, and I was humbled and invigorated by being able to meet and talk to writers like Paolo Bacigalupi, Daryl Gregory, Hannah Martine and Tobias Buckell.
I didn’t survive WorldCon by myself, though. I had wonderful company, and wonderful help in navigating its social etiquette and tradition. I must mention my writing group Error of Judgment, comprised of Holly McDowell, Bill Shunn, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dustin Monk and Tom Underberg. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I get feedback on my work from them, and they also provide a deep level of friendship. They are my peers and mentors, all at the same time.
What did I learn at WorldCon? Let me tell you.
Publishing and remaining a relevant author take a dash of talent, a dash of luck, and a massive portion of hard, hard work.
No liver is prepared for WorldCon.
The utilikilt is living its heyday in 2012.
WorldCon gathers some of the nicest people.
I plant to attend the next WorldCon next year, and now I can appreciate why it’s so important for so many writers. Maybe I will have something else published. Maybe my latest novel will be complete by then. Maybe I will have more grey hair. The maybes are fine for now. That’s what is exciting about the early stages of a writing career.
In the meantime, I have lots more to write, submissions to send out, and some emails to send out. Let’s call this 2012 a pivot.
August 24, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 11 – Aaron Lammer
What are the mysteries of reading? In episode 11 of The Labyrinth I welcome Aaron Lammer to the virtual studio. Aaron is one of the co-founders of longform.org, and he’s worked as an editor and designer. I am a huge fan of longform.org for reading; they now have a brand new podcast. As we discuss the transformative effect of the internet on magazine and print media, we also discuss why reading has played such an important part in Aaron’s life. In the process of talking about journalism, we cover con men, serial killers and walks across Afghanistan. We also talk about what it means to read in an age full of Kindles and iPads. Aaron shares the strangest thing that ever happened to him, and he lives to tell the tale unscathed.
Links
Aaron Lammer
Longform.org
Longform Podcast
Readmill
Chicago Reader
New City
“The Places in Between” by Rory Stewart
The Labyrinth Facebook page
The Labyrinth podcast on Twitter
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August 17, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 10 – Jessi Chartier
We’ve had a several writers visit the Labyrinth podcast, so perhaps there’s a pattern developing there. This week screenwriter and personal friend Jessi Chartier joins me on the show. If you’re looking to understand the mechanics, and the artistry, and the business of writing screenplays, Jessi is the person to talk to. We also talk about how we create our own narratives in our lives, and how we have the courage to call ourselves writers. We also discuss the nature of the monster in stories, and how we put a human face on the monster. And the strangest thing that’s ever happened to Jessi? I can only tell you that it took place in Europe. You’ll have to tune in to hear the rest.
Hey, you can now also follow us on Facebook and Twitter! So there’s that.
Links
Jessi Chartier’s blog
The script for the film “Alien”
The Labyrinth Facebook page
The Labyrinth podcast on Twitter
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August 10, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 9 – Dan Patterson
Dan Patterson visits the Labyrinth this week to talk about the art of the interview. Dan is a New-York based journalist whose work has appeared on ABC News, The Week in Tech, New York Times and many others. Dan shares some of his own anecdotes in reporting, and he talks about the strangest thing that’s ever happened to him…in South Dakota.
Links
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Download and Listen: The Labyrinth, Episode 9 – Dan Patterson
August 4, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 8 – Shrink Rap Radio’s Dr. Dave
There’s an addictive quality to podcasts, and I must admit, I have my own favorite podcasts i cannot live without. “Shrink Rap Radio,” is one of those favorites, and I have been an avid listener for years. The host, “Dr. Dave,” is also known as David Van Nuys, Ph. D, and he joins me this week on The Labyrinth. Dr Dave shares how he moved through various phases in his life as a professor, market research analyst and podcaster, and how intuition plays a role in everything he does. Dr Dave also shares one of the strangest things that ever happened to him, and we find how the thread of that synchronicity connects to his own work in analyzing synchronicities in the discipline of psychology. If you have never heard Shrink Rap Radio, you must go subscribe to it now. It spans across topics in productivity, cognitive science, psychoanalysis, dream work, and more.
Links
Shrink Rap Radio
Shrink Rap Radio #311 – Synchronicity and The Interconnected Universe with Jungian Analyst Joseph Cambray
Shrink Rap Radio #163 – Exercise and The Brain with John Ratey, MD
Wise Counsel Podcast
Freud’s Last Session
Listen
July 25, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 7 – Sitaram Das
What does yoga have to do with mythology? A lot, according to yoga instructor and 
practitioner Sitaram Das. On this week’s episode of The Labyrinth, we talk about his history with yoga, the myth of the minotaur and the story of Baba Yaga, which will make you shudder. Sitaram also tells us the strangest thing that’s ever happened to him, and it turns out to be life-changing.
Links
Sitaram Das
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Download: The Labyrinth, Episode 7 – Sitaram Das
July 22, 2012
The Labyrinth, Episode 6 – Holly McDowell
I am excited to talk to fellow writer Holly McDowell on this episode of The Labyrinth. Holly McDowell is the author of “King Solomon’s Wives,” the brand-new serialized novel published by Coliloquy. In this exciting novel, the two thousand descendants of King Solomon’s ancient harem have the ultimate power of seduction: Their very touch is as addictive as any drug. But that power comes at a price: Wives die giving birth. They can only bear daughters. They are only fertile until the age of twenty-four. Hunted for hundreds of generations by men who crave their touch and fear its power, the Wives have kept safe by following three simple rules. A Wife shall have no meaningful relationships outside the clan. A Wife’s addictive touch may be used only for procreation or to protect the clan. A Wife shall sacrifice herself for her daughter at the age of twenty-four.
Holly chats with me on how her writing life brought her to Chicago, her connections to other writers, and she shares some of her tips and techniques on novel writing.
Links
King Solomon’s Wives
Amazon
Google Play
Barnes and Noble
Listen
The Labyrinth, Episode 6 – Holly McDowell
July 21, 2012
Podcast delayed until Sunday, July 22
Sometimes life takes over. I will post the Labyrinth podcast, featuring novelist Holly McDowell, on Sunday instead of Thursday. It will be an amazing episode. Thanks for your patience!
July 14, 2012
Can authors survive without Facebook?
All authors, from small independently published novelists, all the way through the New York Times bestsellers, are in need of social media as a channel to their readers nowadays. Some networks are better than others, but the network most of my colleagues complain about is Facebook.
“It’s too pervasive,” some say.
“The feeds are clogged with silly statuses and whiners,” say others.
“I don’t want Mark Zuckerberg owning my soul,” some others add.
But Facebook nowadays is quite necessary. Why? Because for lot of readers, it’s the primary way they are interacting with the Internet day to day. Yes, it’s even more popular than Twitter, let’s be real about this. That means that authors who have a platform on Facebook have an opportunity to reach more people than ever before. In some cases, readers may even visit your author page more often than your own home-grown web site. What do think about this?
Starting today, I’ll be promoting my own author page on Facebook a little more than before, because I want to make updates convenient for you, and because I also want to know more about what you’d like to see coming out from my site and the podcast. I’ll also be posting a few giveaways and contests for stuff I’ve got published (like special signed copies of “The 12 Burning Wheels.”).
If you’re an author, I’d like to know what your opinions are regarding Facebook. If you’re a reader, I’d like to know what methods of communication help you connect with authors best.
And in case you didn’t already join, here’s a link to the ol’ Facebook fan page I have, just for you, Gentle Readers.
