Literary Abominations » Predestination

Predestination in Paperback

jdsawyer — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:10:19 +0000

Grab a pack of cards. Strap your pressure suit on. It’s time to head to the poker game that started it all, and the book that View From Valhalla called “lovingly detailed, well-written thinking man’s science fiction at its best.*”

Joss Kyle is a one-time National Security Advisor who barely escaped Washington D.C. with his skin intact. For three years he’s lived by his wits and the fall of the cards in the criminal underworld of South America, but jumping planet for Space Station Sidon means walking into an ambush more dangerous than any he’s yet faced:
A man named Alex Hart wants to play cards with him.

Their meeting will fling Joss into a game playing for highest stakes in town: control of the entire solar system. Chased by a revolutionary leader, agents of a corrupt senator, and an underworld boss known only as The Green Lady, he quickly discovers that in the looking-glass world above the gravity well, survival, like poker, is just another sport. And in this contest, it isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you rig the game.

Now available in paperback from AWP Science Fiction, Predestination is the story Nathan Lowell calls “A sweeping tale of politics, corruption, intrigue, betrayal, and murder…a fast-paced ride through a world that’s too plausible to be ignored**” and that Brand Gamblin calls “…a lush, powerful story of hunter and pray, betrayal and rebellion, and poker.***.” Available for the first time ever in paper, this handsome new edition rings in at 341 pages contains the full text of the ebook edition, plus new line art and a sample of the sequel, Free Will.

Now, it’s true that you can buy the novel at Amazon now, and you’ll be able to find it in bookstores this fall, but for you loyal folk that read my blog, it’s available for a special rate. Until Worldcon, buy your copy by clicking here and using the coupon code XX2QR2Z8, and you’ll receive $2.00 off the $14.99 cover price.

Finally, for those of you who run vending booths at conventions (or who work in bookstores) and would like to carry Predestination (or any of my other books), shoot me an email from the Contact Form and I will send you the AWP Books wholesale pricing schedule.

I’ll be back soon with news about Free Will and Down From Ten, but until then remember…
It isn’t whether you win or lose, it’s how you rig the game.

*Odin1eye, View From Valhalla
**Nathan Lowell, Author of The Golden Age of the Silver Clipper
***Brand Gamblin, author of Tumbler and The Hidden Institute

Revelation 16:17 (Free Will update)

jdsawyer — Mon, 23 May 2011 02:43:49 +0000

And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, saying “It is done.”

All the original writing for Free Will is now done. I have a few days of continuity tweaking ahead of me, and then some cutting, but it really is now all over but the shouting.

New equipment for the studio arrives this week, and I’ll be resuming production on everything in two weeks after I give things a proper shakedown and take a day or two off.

What does this mean for you?

Predestination and Free Will paperbacks (and Free Will ebook) in June. New episodes of Sculpting God in June. New episodes of Free Will starting in July, and continuing through to the end of the book.

It’s been a marathon–two years of work plotting and researching, and four solid months of aggregated writing time over those two years.. Final count: 212k words. Manuscript page count: 848. (Don’t worry, that will shrink as I shake out the continuity).

Time to crack the champagne!

Destiny on Tap

jdsawyer — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:42:10 +0000

As I get to the very end of writing Free Will, it’s time to wrench open the Antithesis taps again.

My friend Danny Schade has now soundtracked two and a half books for me over the last couple years. For Predestination, he composed upwards of nine hours of music, and it made such an impression that people started immediately clamoring for versions they could listen to without the story talking over it.

A year ago, Schadey came out to ArtisticWhispers where he and I brought in veteran producer Mary Mason, and the three of us proceeded to rework the music into an album. In that first glorious weekend, we culled those original nine hours down to nineteen emblematic tracks with a running time target of between fifty minutes and an hour. Then, over the year since, in stolen moments, Schadey composed and recorded new material and arrangements at his home base in Colorado, while we here in California re-mixed, produced, sweetened, polished, and sometimes re-orchestrated the original material, blending the old with the new to bring Schadey’s audio vision snapping to the fore. The result is one we now proudly present to you, for the first time anywhere: A one hour instrumental genre-spanning rock opera. Predestination: The Soundtrack.

Available now as a DRM-free MP3 download.

Also, don’t forget that the novel which started it all is now available as an ebook, with all new scenes and other material to deepen the world and set you up for Free Will, which is coming in June. Get it now for Kindle, Nook, and for all other readers on Smashwords. And, of course, if you like the artwork, you can get a signed and numbered limited edition poster print for your private gallery.

And remember…
…It isn’t whether you win or lose. It’s how you rig the game.

Sculpting God: The Man In The Rain (recast)

jdsawyer — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:02:15 +0000

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Mondu, once an AI designer at the top of the Nigerian IT industry, needed to escape from a life that was eating him alive. He found refuge as a shopkeeper in the depths of the Amazon, at a unique resort. It’s a preserve for all forms of Amazon life–reptiles, mammals, and human and material culture. No modern technology allowed.

It’s the kind of place where some people come here to disappear.
And others come to hunt them.

Also available as an ebook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Released: The Man In The Rain

jdsawyer — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:04:31 +0000

If you’re missing Joss Kyle, your wait is nearly over. And to whet your appetite for more, I’m pleased to present you with the ebook of the first Antithesis adventure, The Man In The Rain.

In a world of dictators and perpetual surveillance, it is one place where a man can disappear–and Mondu isn’t the only one who knows it. When the tourist traffic is driven out by torrential rains, only the businessmen and the scientists remain–until the day when a man walks into Mondu’s shop. He wants to disappear–and the Yakuza are hot on his tail.

The story is now available at Amazon and Smashwords, and is coming soon to other retailers.

Those of you familiar with The Antithesis Progression will recognize the characters and the universe, but this story stands alone. Consider it an appetizer for the main event coming later this month. But until then, I invite you to join me for an excursion into the heart of the Amazon for a tale as close and dangerous as the jungle itself…

The Man In The Rain
An Antithesis Adventure
by J. Daniel Sawyer

“Dune kaffe, tall, no crème.”

“Si, senor.” The small, leathery barista dressed like Juan Valdez nodded his head and pulled the coffee from the antique tapped carafe on the bar. The rain flowed down like a waterfall, thick enough to obscure the other side of the narrow dirt and gravel road. The tourist bureau said it always rained like this during January. “Kaffe.”

“How much?”

“Dies.”

“No, no. Quatro.”

“Siete.”

“Cinco.”

“Si, senor. Cinco.”

“Gracias.” Mondu laid down a five-credit chit. The money was pretty much the only modern thing allowed in public here. He wrapped his fingers around the base of his coffee cup and flipped his oilskin up over his head, his boots squishing in the mud as he ran across the road to his shop.

The water against the palm frond thatch chattered like cloud of courting locusts. Per local regulations, the building was constructed of traditional reed materials, with only the barest of Fullerine and steel reinforcement to protect against earthquakes and looting. The nature preserve in the Brazilian basin didn’t just preserve nature in a more or less arrested state, it preserved material and human culture too. The twenty-second century’s answer to the Amish lived here—men and women and various intermittents who wished to experience life as it once was in the wilds of the Amazon, along with a handful who wanted to disappear for a little while.

Coffee on the counter, oilskin on the hook, Mondu hopped over the low gate and stepped up to the register. A customer – short, Asian, and heavily scarred – sat on the wicker chair in the small lobby. Seeing Mondu return from his coffee break, the man stood, meticulously folded his newspaper, and strode over to him like a man who’d forgotten to take his rejuvs for a few years. Knotty joints—a man with arthritis eating his bones like a…what did they call those fish? Prianahs—piranhas—something like that. Poor cunter. Somebody should’ve given him the facts of life while he could have taken advantage for cheap. Nanobot joint lubrication was painless—leg transplants weren’t.

“Helgretes, amigo,” Spanish never set well in his mouth, and he didn’t dare try Portugese. English was bad enough—the mishmash creole he’d learned in the bowels of the Nigerian IT world was his first language, and he liked it that way. Efficient, short phrases stolen from English, Afrikaans, Mandarin, and half a dozen programming languages cobbled together to express thought elegantly, simply, and directly. Still, he had to make himself understood as best he could—as long as he worked the counter. “What service can we give for you, sir?”

The man set his Panama hat down on the glass-top display case—real glass, too, not the cheaper and stronger Fullerine composite—and tapped his finger over a gaudy native bracelet. The term “native” was used loosely—the Yanomami and Awa maintained show settlements as tourist attractions, but aside from their sentimental and commercial devotion to family history, they had long since melted into the South American Confederation’s pot.

“Que é o preço?” A voice like cracked sheepskin. Mondu could understand the question perfectly well—programming AIs for hierarchical metabase bots required a dozen different languages. Speaking it…well, that was quite another matter.

“Sid sid, fifteen on’a ticket.”

“You speak English?”

“Sid sid, I do.”

“Good. I need this here.”

“Having a ticket?” Mondu hadn’t seen the man in before, but the boss might have dealt with him. The item he wanted wasn’t one Mondu had logged in, so it was possible the customer was trying to reclaim a pawned item.

“What is a ticket?”

“Returning customer…”

“No. I have not been here before. How much?”

“Twenty five, less gots you something to hock.”

The customer rifled through his pockets and pulled out a ring, setting it on the table. “Here.”

“Gold.” Mondu placed the ring under the scannerscope, sampling its purity and checking to make sure it didn’t have a tracking mark that he’d have to remove. “Good good. Straight swap plus ticket. Good for you?”

“That will suffice.”

Mondu printed the claim number, carefully and by hand, on the ticket alongside its trade value. The man would have three days to reclaim the property before it went on general sale. He listed the price value of the swapped bracelet as the redemption value, and handed it to the customer.

The man took it without meeting his gaze, and shuffled out as if every step pained him.

Aside from his gait, he didn’t look that old—but then, neither did Mondu. Cheap rejuv kept looks from meaning much—had done since as long ago as Mondu could remember. People looked the age they wanted to, and that’s all there was to it.

The rain still came. It felt safe. The thing he’d missed most about life back home after he left was the rain. His city, Calabar, grew up right out of the middle of the rainforest in southern Nigeria where, when the air wasn’t thick enough to chew, it rained. The rain always felt right. Here, even though between the canopy and the clouds he rarely saw the sun, the rain felt close. It felt like all the parts of home that he actually missed—and there weren’t many of those.

The thatch did leak a bit, here and there. The boss kept a bunch of cotton towels under the counter to keep the glass clean. Mondu wiped the glass down, and then settled on a stool at the end of the counter, leaning up against the reed wall. He couldn’t really tell where his sweat ended and the humidity and rain began, but he didn’t really care. His coffee, still warm enough to drink, stank of too much cinnamon and over roasting, but the bitter smoothness slid down his gullet like chicha.

From his perch he had a view, through the door and the rain, of the cafe patio. The array of umbrella-hooded small tables were usually abandoned—at least since the rains started—but not this week.

The man arrived in a Fedora hat and trench coat to keep off the rain—far too warm for this weather. For the third day in a row, he drank his coffee with his hat set on the table as if reverence required his head remain uncovered in the presence of the ramshackle canteen knocked up out of corrugated metal and banana leaves. Rain or shine—mostly rain—he showed up precisely at 1200 and left precisely at 1250, as if he were billing by a psychiatrist’s watch. A tourist might have stayed two days waiting for his guide to arrive for his trek through the jungle. A professional’s schedule would have varied depending on the needs of the day. This man was more precise, and three days was too many.

Mondu studied him for a while, wondering if he would stand and come into the shop. For days now the stranger’s eyes had scanned the environs as if he were waiting for someone. All that time, the one place Mondu hadn’t caught him looking was at the old hockshop. If he was here for one of the boss’s special services and wanted the boss to do it personally, he’d be waiting a while till the boss got back from his jaunt to Sao Paulo to see his mistress.

The afternoon stretched on—no further foot traffic came in through the door. A couple of calls rang in on the antique phone—actually rang, like a bell—freelance guides checking in for loitering clients, tourists calling in advance asking if they had steel machetes, and the like.

He wished he had a computer. He hadn’t been on the net in almost six months—for all he knew the universe had been and gone in that time. He wanted a new wetware cube and a terminal to hook up to it just as it was decanted. Use the delicate chemical signals to coax the fiber lines into place, stimulate it right to lay down the language strata, etch the programming onto the protoneurons, and come out the other end with a custom AI well suited for the ordered task. He missed the communion with the emerging mind, the challenge and precision of the work—the artistry.

Night came on with a slackening of the rain. Mondu closed up the shop and made his way through the file room where he took his dinner of tapir, Brazil nuts, banana chips, and mango before climbing into his hammock. It wasn’t much, but it came free with the job. Besides, if he was going to live for a six month rotation in a nature preserve he might as well get all he could out of the experience.

It didn’t hurt that it was a more comfortable way to sleep than any bed he’d ever used.

Morning found him snoring lightly with a cockroach on his head. Sometime during the night he’d shifted his arms, flopping them outside the deep valley created in the cloth by his body, and holding open what was otherwise effectively a cocoon for keeping out the bugs. When he cracked his eyes open against the light, he saw the sectioned abdomen of the creature squatting comfortably over his left pupil. Nothing in the world looked bigger than an Amazonian cockroach, but when you woke up enough mornings with them sitting on you, or crawling over your coffee maker, they lost their effect. They really weren’t much more than small, creepy-looking six-legged birds. He flicked it off his forehead and rolled out of bed, landing squarely on his feet.

The rain wasn’t falling, but the humidity hadn’t taken much notice. It’s suffocating moisture meant the night had offered no relief from the heat, so he stripped down to skin and soaped yesterday’s grime off his body, then dusted himself head to toe with antifungal talc before slithering back into a pair of camo BDUs and a three-sizes-too-big white silk button-up. He grabbed a papaya out of the tree that grew out his back window and chewed it over while he opened the shop and planned his day.

Not that there was much to plan. No tour groups were due through for another four days, and the casino wouldn’t be open until they were in town, which meant there probably wouldn’t be anyone coming through the shop who needed to go into hock to cover their debts. It was even less likely that people would be through for souvenirs or deals selected out of the display cases of previously pawned items.

If business was slow again today, he might tempt fate and slide out early with a blowgun and a machete for a walk through the jungle. He still had a few hunting tags for the season—perhaps he’d bag a tapir and make a bonfire for a spit-roast. The village folk might like the odd excuse to gather during the long stretches of rain. He didn’t know for sure—they weren’t a sociable set. But, even if only a few showed up it would help – he was running low on books to read during the evenings.

Mondu found a mount plate in the boss’s office, and used it to display the gold ring from the day before. Front and center in the display case, he should be able to move it when the next pack of tourists came through—it might make a good wedding ring, and there were always one or two couples looking to stage memorable nuptials in front of a banyan tree or down by the river.

As the day dragged on, Mondu perched himself up on his stool against the wall and digested a trade paper he’d printed up in Rio—no PPDs allowed for residents in the preserve, so all his reading material was dead tree. There was no lack of trees to print them on, not in the Amazon. Nor, he thought as he nipped back to the old-fashioned outhouse privy, for toilet paper. No saddles and suction here, no built-in bidets, just a handful of paper to get enough of the crap off to keep his ass from staining his shorts. It wasn’t really sanitary—but then, what in the 20th century had been?

As he was marking his place in the book and pulling up his drawers, he heard a loud rapping on the counter.

“Hola?”

“Si Senor. Une momento, por favor.” Mondu grabbed his book and meandered out from between the hallway of inventory shelves and around the corner to the front of the store.

There, at the display case-cum-counter, stood the man in the rain. His white Fedora rested loosely in his hand on the counter, and his half-bald head glistening with water beads under the hot, old-style incandescents.

“You speak English?” An American. In the six months he’d been here he hadn’t seen a lot of Americans.

“Sid sid. I speak English okay.”

“Good. This ring here, how much?”

“Twenty.”

The man nodded, then he chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. “And this here?”

“The machete, or the stylus?”

“The machete. I have some hunting I may need to do.”

“Do you have a license? We supply them.”

“I do. Freedom of movement is important to me.”

Mondu’s face broke into a broad smile. The man was looking for one of the boss’s special services—a passport, probably, but it could be national ID, or a false account, or any number of other things. It was a chance to do something fun. “We have many tools available.”

The customer nodded. They understood each other. “My needs are specific—as you can see from my suit, cleanliness is important to me.”

“Will you need privileges?”

“No. Just cleanliness.”

“Understand. Take this,” Mondu handed over a pencil and a paper form. Based on the boxes he checked, the man didn’t just want a passport, he wanted an identity. He checked the whole sheaf—biometrics included.

“This should do me fine.”

“Price is…”

“Not a problem.” He produced a deck of cards from his pocket and set it on the table. With his left hand he cut them, then dealt the first card to Mondu, face up. “Put this through your assay—it should settle the bill.”

A playing card? Mondu slid the card off the tabletop and threaded it into the assay scanner he’d used the day before to determine the molecular structure of the ring.

“Set it to x-band.”

Mondu complied. Under the low level X-ray bombardment, the card showed platinum in the ink. A lot of platinum. The boss set the store’s exchange rate at twelve hundred credits per ounce. Mondu looked back up at his customer. “You have how much?”

“Two decks.” Mondu nodded and did some quick mental calculations. It would more than cover the fee.

“Two decks for a full ID jacket.”

“How long?”

“Three hours.”

“Done.”

“Stand in front of the register, please.” Mondu flipped open the camera port concealed in the cash register. “Eyes straight forward.” The customer complied, and Mondu snapped the photo.

The customer donned his hat and tipped the brim to Mondu. “I’ll see you this evening.” Without another word, he turned and walked out.

Read the rest! Purchase this story for Kindle at Amazon, and for all other readers and in all other formats at Smashwords.

The Great Cull (Free Will Update)

jdsawyer — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:30:23 +0000

When I started writing The Antithesis Progression, I had a nice, tidy three-book series in mind. Then I wrote it, and discovered that what I thought was book 1 was actually 2 books cleverly hiding inside my head under a single title.

Well, no problem there. Turns out there was an excellent break point where book 1 could end naturally–and on a very nice cliffhanger–so I could move on to the new book 2 (which was originally the planned second half of book 1). I’d just sit down and write book 2 as soon as the time afforded.

Yeah.

If you’ve been following my progress with this book, you already know how that bright idea turned out. I’ve gotten four other books written in the meantime, and I’m quick on the way to finishing a further two, and still Free Will mocks me with its recalcitrance. And it’s not because I haven’t kicked ass on writing it either: Predestination rang in at 122,000 words after some serious cutting post-podcast and only had to cope with four major storylines. That’s a healthy sized book–it’s fantasy-novel length. Free Will is…well…bigger.

Much bigger. Two and a half reams of paper big. It isn’t done yet, and it’s north of 160,000 words with fifteen storylines (eight of them major). That’s too long, even though the second half of the book is wall-to-wall action and the first half moves along as a very fast clip. Too long as it is, and I’ve still got a lot further to go–easily another 50,000 words if I play the story to the original end point.

After printing the whole thing out today and separating out the storylines I had a read-through of each, and I discovered something:

I’ve done it again. My original planned Book 1 of Antithesis isn’t just two books. It’s three. Well, two and a half. And I’ve already written sixty pages of book three by accident.

What does this mean for you who’s been waiting eagerly?

Well, it means I’ll actually finish Free Will this century. Probably this month. And I’m close enough to the end to head back into production on the audio this week, which I’m doing. It also means that Free Will will be a reasonable length–it might even sneak in under the equivalent of 650 pages when all is done. It means you’ll get a book that ends on a sequence of scenes that is the biggest, brashest you’ve seen yet…

And it means that the first two acts of book 3 are going to be incredibly explosive.

This series keeps surprising me with how much story is wrapped up in it. I can’t wait to share that surprise with you.

Publishing Priorities: You Decide

jdsawyer — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:05:34 +0000

The good folks at AWP Books and I have a decision to make: What order do we publish things in? In the process of discussions, it occurred to us that you all might have an opinion, so here’s your chance to vote:

[poll id="2"]

You may vote for two of the three options (this is to let you voice your desire for hardbacks, as well as priority). Let us know what you want!

UPS Loves Me

jdsawyer — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 00:00:54 +0000

This one’s artwork heavy, so I’m putting the “get more” link right at the top so it doesn’t take over the main blog page. Click on it, check out the coolness

Lookie what I’m taking to UPS right now:

The Predestination cover art drew rave reviews when it appeared two years ago — I got more blog traffic from the artwork than I did from the audio promos. Now, at long last, thanks to your pre-orders and patience, it’s available to collect or display as your tastes dictate.

What you’re looking at on the right, here, is a composite of ten signed posters (the first ten orders that came in) with the numbering in my handwriting on the front, and the backs of the same posters which are numbered with a stamp, since, honestly, who can read my handwriting?

If you’ve been waiting to order your posters till we had them in stock, now’s the time. Click on the PayPal button at the bottom of this post, and go through the shopping cart. In a week’s time you’ll have an 18×24″ poster, suitable for framing on high-gloss, 25lb. paper with my disreputable-looking scrawl on it. Limited print run of 100–only eighty left!

Thanks to all fifteen of you who pre-ordered (particularly those who ordered two!) to put us over the top so we could cover printing costs.

Predestination Poster Pre-Orders

jdsawyer — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:37:24 +0000

We are now taking pre-orders for the Predestination (Book 1 of The Antithesis Progression) book poster at right. All pre-orders will be signed and numbered by the author. Whenever we have 20 orders – the minimum we need to pay for a small print run – we will send the order to the printers and ship your poster to you.

Click on the paypal link to pre-order your poster!

(In the event that we do not receive the minimum order quantity by January 1st, 2010, we will refund your paypal order.)

Parsec Finalist!

jdsawyer — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:47:54 +0000

Well, ladies and germs, it’s official:

Predestination is a parsec finalist. Officially we’re up for “Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team,” and, while it’s only *one* of the nominations I was hoping for, if i had to pick only one this would probably be it. Why’s that? Well, this one has the advantage of being a shared award. I don’t know how many physical awards they give out, but if they give out multiples one is definitely going to Danny Schade, whose music made the world complete.

Thank you — all of you — for a hell of a first year doing this. Next year is, I hope, going to be even more exciting — I’ve gots me some plans!

Free Will: Sneak Preview

jdsawyer — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:16:58 +0000

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Hello everyone —

Due to circumstances beyond my control, Down From Ten is not going to be posting until next week, when we should have two episodes up. In lieu of that, I’m bringing you the much-anticipated preview for Book 2 of the Antithesis Progression: Free Will and other Compulsions

…In Less than Twelve Parsecs!

jdsawyer — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:24:43 +0000

Six Parsecs, to be exact. I’ve been officially nominated for the Parsec awards in six categories – three for The Antithesis Progression and three for Sculpting God.

For Predestination, I’ve been nominated for:
Best Speculative Fiction Story (Novel Form)
Best Audio Drama (Long Form including Independents)
Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team

And for Sculpting God, I’ve been nominated for:
Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form)
Best Audio Drama (Short Form including Independents)
Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast

There’s obviously a lot of genre bending that I’m doing between fiction/drama, so that may work against me. Who knows? The only down side of this is that I have to send in samples, which is one more thing on my overlong to-do list. Even so…

Being nominated for the Parsecs f*cking rocks! Thanks guys, you are all fabulous!
-Dan

Dealing In, Ep. 9 pt. 2

jdsawyer — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:30:48 +0000

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This one features Miss Kalendar along with Chris Lester and Kitty Nic’Iaian.

This is part two of the final round of Dealing In. Part three will be coming next week. You guys rock!

In this episode, we deal with some very particular and intelligent criticisms of Predestination voiced by Paul Fischer and Michael Spence.

-Dan

Dealing In, Ep. 9 pt.1

jdsawyer — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:18:45 +0000

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This one features Miss Kalendar along with Chris Lester and Kitty Nic’Iaian.

This is it, folks, the final round of Dealing In before we get to Down From Ten. We toast the successful conclusion of Predestination and look forward. Some info on Down From Ten here, as well as some very involved conversations about the themes of Predestination, the possible interaction of quantum mechanics and consciousness, and the nature of trust. Not to mention a LOT of laughs, some inside information on what I’m like as a director, and lots of other stuff. This is one of three episodes in this final Dealing In saga — 61 minutes of audio goodness here. Enjoy!!!
-Dan

Predestination: Exit Interview with Tee Morris

jdsawyer — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:25:10 +0000

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What kind of insanity have I wrought? What does it take to do something like this?

What’s next on my plate? What does Tee Morris’s pubic hair have to do with podcasting?

Give it a listen and find out as Tee Morris roasts and interviews me on this special one-hour retrospective on Predestination and look forward to Free Will and Down From Ten.

Thank you all for listening all these long months.

Predestination, Episode 27 (Finale)

jdsawyer — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:13:52 +0000

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Here we are, everyone. The final episode. The guy that got me into this whole thing, Scott Sigler brings us the final Story So Far. Be sure to stay tuned for the end matter — there is new music and a surprise at the end!

Thank you all for listening — it’s been an honor and a pleasure to ~~torture~~ entertain you.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Steven H. Wilson as Voleish and Percy Scott
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves
Brian Levy as Jim Hartman
Erin Balabanian as Alyssa Hartman

Predestination, Episode 26

jdsawyer — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:57:08 +0000

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The Climactic episode of Predestination clocking in at 37mins. This is easily the most acoustically complex episode of the series, with more kick-ss original music by Danny Schade. P.G. Holyfield joins the cast, too!

But that’s not what you’re interested in. You want to know what happens, and I can’t even ask you provocative questions because it might give something away. So, without further ado, the climax of Predestination.

Story So Far this week by Miss Kalendar of Brass Needles.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves
Erin Balabanian as Alyssa Hartman
Brian Levy as Jim Hartman
Kitty NicIaian as Fugitive and The Spaceport Announcer
P.G. Holyfield as Docking Controller

Dealing In, Episode 8 pt. 2

jdsawyer — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:52:08 +0000

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Part 2 of the final Dealing In (well, the final one before the end of the book) is here! This time we banted with listener voicemails, talk about sex scenes and DOOM!, and laugh ourselves silly. A little treat to tide you over for till tomorrow, when the last episodes of Predestination drop!

Kitty Nic’Iaian and Chris Lester join, once again. Enjoy!

Dealing In, Episode 8 pt. 1

jdsawyer — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:06:16 +0000

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Part 1 of the final Dealing In (well, the final one before the end of the book) is here! This week’s serves up a mountain of your emails on a range of topics including:

Old Europe
Bastiat’s Principle
Buried Alive In The Blues
Steampunk (Van Der Meer, Broadmore, Carriger)
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Red Panda and Black Jack Justice — Decoder Ring Theater
Heather Welliver
The basics behind stereo imaging
McCarthyism and Bill Shelley
Flight of the Conchords “The Humans Are Dead”
Easter Eggs in Predestination
First Gulf War
Xanatos gambits and bounded perspective
Is stealth technology in space possible?
Chicken Scissors
Tom Lehrer
Man Love in Metamor City and on Erotica A La Carte
Scott Sigler’s The Crypt
Angels Unawares

Kitty Nic’Iaian and Chris Lester join, once again. Enjoy!

Warning: Dead Robots Ahead

jdsawyer — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:36:56 +0000

I was interviewed this week on The Dead Robots Society, where we discussed Predestination, producing full cast audiobooks, and the glorious delirium of writing. Hear it all here

Predestination, Episode 25

jdsawyer — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:25:53 +0000

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Luna is rioting – Jade and Voleish are navigating their own ways through it. Meanwhile, Nineveh sleeps uneasily – in the calm before the storm, what small movements will change the course of the storm? The second transhumanist in our cast of characters is revealed – if you pay attention.

J.C. Hutchins, author of Personal Effects: Dark Art, brings us The Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
Lorien Wheeler as Jade Orin
Steven H. Wilson as Voleish
Kitty NicIaian as The Computer
Christiana Ellis as The Protester
Justin McComber as The Shopkeeper
Michael Lemonjello as Xylar
Jonathan Sawyer as Furgeson

Predestination, Episode 24

jdsawyer — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:47:24 +0000

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Joss may be able to hold his own against Doug Reeves, but will he be able to stand up under Doug, Ali, Jim, and Cassy all cross-examining him? And what does Cassy need to finally make up her mind about where she stands? This episode features more new music by Danny Schade, another cliffhanger and an unexpected appearance by a character we haven’t seen in a while. Enjoy!

Mur Lafferty , author and host of some of my favorite podcasts ever brings us The Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
George Chlentzoz as Douglas Reeves
Erin Ballibanian as Ali
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
Brian Levy as Jim
Shannon Holden as The Air Traffic Controller

Bonus: Interview with Danny Schade

jdsawyer — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:16:19 +0000

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Chris Lester interviews composer Danny Schade about the music for Predestination, his creative process, and the nuts and bolts of collaborative composing. Author J. Daniel Sawyer joins the fun. An informative must-listen for podcast producers and music aficionados.

Enjoy!

Dealing In, Episode 7 pt. 2

jdsawyer — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:59:31 +0000

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On this second half of episode seven of Dealing In, Gail Carriger sings the DOOM! song, the quartet gets musically adventurous, Chris Lester gets so tipsy he can’t follow the jokes, and we handle all your voicemail. If you thought the first half was zany — you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!

Topics Mentioned
Espionage, Classified information, and its effect on families
Lois McMaster Bujold
Dolphinsex.com
Cocaine
Space Sickness
Space Toilets
NSA Surveilance
Death By Man Love
Erotica A La Carte
Buried Alive in The Blues
Criminal assault charges

Dealing In, Episode 7 pt 1

jdsawyer — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 03:14:50 +0000

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On this episode of Dealing In, Gail Carriger brings a touch of prurient Victorian wit to the proceedings, while Chris Lester gets re-acquainted with scotch and Kitty Nic’Iaian reminds us all why she’s around: To keep the rest of us in line!

Topics Mentioned
Prophets of Panimendorah
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Metamor City
Gail Carriger’s Soulless
Down From Ten
Transhumanism
Winnipeg
The Red Panda
Furries
Body Modification
God’s Army: A Dark Day in Paradise
CERN
The Large Hadron Collider
Has the LHC destroyed the world yet?

Predestination, Episode 23

jdsawyer — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:26:36 +0000

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And the countdown continues. After this one there are only four left. This week, some BIG reveals about a couple of our characters. Joss, Cassy, Doug, Ali, and Jim pick up right where we left them at Phalanx, at the moment of Joss’s betrayal – but theirs is not the only story with fireworks. Back on Luna, Percy attends to some unfinished business. This episode features more new music by Danny Schade, another cliffhanger and an unexpected appearance by a character we haven’t seen in a while. Enjoy!

Steve Riekiberg , host of Geek Cred brings us The Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
George Chlentzoz as Douglas Reeves
Erin Ballibanian as Ali
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott
Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Spaceport Announcer

Predestination, Promo 4

jdsawyer — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:21:18 +0000

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Well, now that the series is well underway, it’s time for a new promo. Any of you listening, please put this on your feed. Siva will fail to destroy you if you do

This promo features Joss Kyle, and is the first of a series of character-based promos I have planned. Enjoy!

Predestination, Episode 22

jdsawyer — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 07:54:34 +0000

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Here we go. This episode kicks off with Ali and Jim arriving on Nineveh, and ends on yet another cliffhanger. All the main characters are now in one place — will all hell break loose? Find out. This episode features new music by Danny Schade, as well as his cameo and probably the cruelest cliffhanger to date. Enjoy!

Michael Lemonjello, our very own Xylar (and just about everyone else I need on short notice), brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Danny Schade as The Pilot
Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Spaceport Announcer
Brian Levy as Jim
Erin Ballibanian as Ali
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
George Chlentzoz as Douglas Reeves

Episode 21 fix

jdsawyer — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:54:03 +0000

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Fix for the problems some of you had with accidentally grabbing ep 12.
Marian Shelley emerges from her convalescence to discover whether or not she can actually face the world after what she’s lived through. On Luna, Brittany runs into an unusual character, while on Nineveh Joss gets a not-quite-unexpected visitor.

Larry Bushey, Host of the Going Linux Podcast, brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley
Tee Morris as Brandon
Kimi Alexander as Ashan
Amy Gahran as Ined
Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal
Philippa Ballantine as Brittany Hydra
Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott
Chris Lester as Greg Singh
Shannon Holden as Ophelia
Michael Lemonjello as Xylar

Predestination, Episode 21

jdsawyer — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:09:30 +0000

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Marian Shelley emerges from her convalesence to discover whether or not she can actually face the world after what she’s lived through. On Luna, Brittany runs into an unusual character, while on Nineveh Joss gets a not-quite-unexpected visitor.

Larry Bushey, Host of the Going Linux Podcast, brings us the Story So Far.

Dealing In, Episode Six pt 2

jdsawyer — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:56:02 +0000

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Hey everyone, the final half of episode six of is here. Chris, Kitty and I plow through the rest of the piled-up mountain of feedback for the story through Episode Seventeen. This one’s an hour and fifteen minutes long. My cohorts and I deal with more worldbuilding questions, the issue of Fan Fiction, how terrorism and tyranny are related, and, and we take on the most spoliery listener question so far. Enjoy!

Topics Mentioned:
Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and his nonfiction book The Lessons of Terror book on Terrorism
Down From Ten
The Metamor City Podcast
J. Michael Straczynski
Digital Magic by Philippa Ballantine
09.09.09
The unsustainable nature of totalitarianism.
Sculpting God’s “Lilith”

Predestination, Episode 20

jdsawyer — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:28:53 +0000

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Between planets, stuck on a ship with Doug Reeves, can Cassy hold it together long enough to make it to Nineveh?

Christiana Ellis, author of Nina Kimberly the Merciless, brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves

Predestination, Episode 19

jdsawyer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:37:25 +0000

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Brittany is back, doing her best to hold things together in the wake of a national emergency during Cassy’s absence. Meanwhile, Doug sorts through his options while Joss secures some insurance for himself.

P.C. Haring, author of Cybrosis, brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Michael Lemonjello as Alphonse and Xylar

Lynx Crowe as Trent Alcock

Elizabeth Rossi as Charis Chandlay

Philippa Ballantine as Brittany Hydra

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Computer

Dealing In, Episode Six pt 1

jdsawyer — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:45:37 +0000

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Heya Everyone, episode six of dealing in is here. Due to my long absence a LOT of feedback had piled up. This one’s an hour long, and it’s part one of two or three. My cohorts and I deal with an epic email from a former drunk emailer, now sober, we talk Marxist social theory, and we take on some very probing listener questions and some of the most creative death threats yet. Enjoy!

Topics Mentioned:
Trucker Rich
Cybrosis
Into The Blender podcast
The Polyschizmatic Reprobates Hour
The Metamor City Podcast
J. Michael Straczynski
Digital Magic by Philippa Ballantine
09.09.09
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Gail Carriger’s new novel Soulless
Death By ClichÃ© by Bob Defendi

Predestination, Episode 18

jdsawyer — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:35:22 +0000

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While Jim and Ali chase down their job on Mars, their employer, Mr. Douglas Reeves, lays his plans for the future of the Lunar resistance.

Philippa Ballantine, author of Weather Child, brings us the Story So Far. This week’s in-show promo is for her new book.

If you’re in the San Francisco Area, join myself, Chris Lester, Seth Harwood, and Scott Sigler at the House of Shields for drinks and discussion at 5pm on Sat the 21st. You can find more info and directions here.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Erin Balabanian as Alysaa Hartman

Brian Levy as Jim Hartman

George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves

Lorien Wheeler as Jade Orin

Predestination, Episode 17

jdsawyer — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:09:53 +0000

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Percy Scott has some loose ends to tie up, which Joss Kyle has some plans to lay. Neither of them is aware of Bill Shelley’s plans, or how they’re about to make a splash in a big way. Then again, neither does his one-time friend and mentor, Douglas Reeves..

Christiana Ellis join our cast tonight as a pinch hitter. Kitty Nic’iaian, the co-producer of Antithesis also known as Hera Flea of The Polyschizmatic Reprobates Hour, brings us the Story So Far.

This week’s in-show promo is for Scott Sigler and Seth Harwood’s Author Boot Camp. Use the code “Scott1″ when registering to get over $100 off the registration price.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Chris Lester as Greg Singh

George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves

Lynx Crowe as Trent Alcock

Christianna Ellis as Charis Chandlay

Kitty Nic’Iaian as the Junior Senator from Massachusetts

Nathan Lowell as Senator Wilhelm Shelley

Predestination, Episode 16

jdsawyer — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:49:45 +0000

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With Cassy and Joss now suspicious of one another, and the Hartmans at each other’s throats on Mars, the powderkeg is primed. Tonight, the first spark falls.

Kim the Comic Book Goddess and Heather Welliver join our cast tonight, while Dalya Massachi of of Writing for Community Success brings us the Story So Far.

This week’s in-show promo is for The Leviathan Chronicles.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Kim The Comic Book Goddess as Val

Brian Levy as Jim

Erin Balabanian as Ali

Heather Welliver as Shayna Takahashi

Lorien Wheeler as Jade

January update

jdsawyer — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 18:18:13 +0000

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Heya Everyone -

Between flying kiwis, killer throat ailments, and hard drive corruption, January has been a rough month for Antithesis and for all of you I left hanging on that awful cliffhanger. However, take heart! There is good news.

-Dan

Interview at Podsyndicate.com

jdsawyer — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:43:26 +0000

I’ve been interviewed in some depth over at PodSyndicate.com. Please head on over and comment! Here’s an excerpt:

The first book in the series, Predestination, deals with rigged poker games. Do you play? What did you learn from personal experiences that played a key role in creating scenarios in your book?

Iâ€™m actually pretty rusty, but at the time I wrote the first draft I played a lot, and had been playing for years. I got started when I was about ten, when an uncle of mine who was a low-level diplomat explained the nature of his job to me by saying â€œIf you know how to play poker, and you know how to play chess, then you have the basic skills it takes to do diplomacy.â€ I was the kind of kid that viewed that sort of statement as a challenge, so within about two months I had a regular poker game going in my garage with my siblings and other neighborhood kids – we played for M&Ms or other types of kid-gold because we werenâ€™t allowed to play for money. I kept on playing right through college on a daily-to-monthly basis, but since college itâ€™s been hard to find people willing to play for stakes I can afford.

Read the rest here!

Dealing In, Episode 4 pt 2 of 3

jdsawyer — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:36:33 +0000

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Part two of the Sex Roundtable is here. This time, Chris Lester is hosting it on his feed over at Metamor City and we’re running it concurrently here. Consequently, this one’s got his opening credits on it instead of mine. This episode picks up the discussion pretty much where we left off, give or take a bathroom break, and concentrates a little more on sex in Metamor City, but there’s still plenty of sauciness and chatter about Predestination to keep all of you who aren’t listening to both shows interested.

Look for part 3 soon!

Dealing In, Episode 5

jdsawyer — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:22:40 +0000

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We take a break from the constant sex talk to go over the latest feedback and…oh, yeah…talk about sex a bit. And geekiness. And all other manner of insanity. Stay tuned at the end where we announce the winner of the iTunes review contest.

Enjoy!

P.S. My illness has settled into my chest, so still no recording. Damn you, Lester!!!

Predestination, Episode 15

jdsawyer — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:43:44 +0000

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Tonight we see what happens to Cassy when she follow Doug Reeves into the church, and then we go Nineveh where Joss hosts the first annual Phalanx Poker Tournament, with contestants and spectators from throughout the colonies. What could possibly go wrong?

Kitty Nic’Iaian, co-producer of Predestination and the voice of Reprobates’ News announcer Hera-Flea daughter of Hera-Tick, brings us the Story So Far this week.

This week’s in-show promo is for The Seventh Son Trilogy, by J.C. Hutchins.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Michael Spence as the deputy

The Prof as the gambler

The Gift of the Magi

jdsawyer — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:21:00 +0000

A classic Christmas story, short and sweet, slightly revised and performed by members of Casa Sawyer. May your holiday be filled with warmth and delight.

Predestination: Dealing In, Episode 3 (feedback show)

jdsawyer — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:00:50 +0000

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Chris Lester, who plays Rison on Antithesis and is the author/producer of the Metamor City Podcast, joins Kitty Nic’Iaian and myself for drinks and carousing as we go through the feedback you’ve all sent in since last week. This one’s a must listen.

Mentioned at length is the unparalleled Nathan Lowell, who plays our own Bill Shelley. Find his audiobooks here.

Finally, be sure to check out the t-shirts gradually filling up the swag store. Now you can proclaim your membership in the Resistance, and proudly!

Bonus Content: Sexuality in Antithesis

jdsawyer — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:57:53 +0000

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This is an excerpt from the feedback show I did with Chris Lester for The Metamor City Podcast. Alcohol, chocolate, and Kitty Nic’Iaian conspire with Chris and I to answer one of Chris’s emails from a heterosexual female listener who complained that her orientation was not being well represented in Metamor City. This lead to a discussion of how Chris and I each deal with gender identity and sexual orientation in our novels, and the reasons that we’ve chosen to approach these topics in the way we have.

As I mentioned, this is a small piece of a larger conversation that will be available soon on the Metamor City feed. I hope you enjoy!

Predestination Bonus Content: Religion in Antithesis

jdsawyer — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:54:57 +0000

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This is a rabbit trail that Chris Lester and I went down at the end of recording Dealing In, Episode 3. It’s about 25 mins long and pretty heady, so I decided to break it off so you can take it in smaller chunks. It followed right on the heels of the end of that episode, so you can just pick the conversation up here, if you like. For those of you interested in Chris’s and my opposing views on what religion is good for, and how it effected the development of Western thought, you’ve come to the right place.

I hope you enjoy!

Predestination, Episode 14

jdsawyer — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:46:25 +0000

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What makes the Lunar colony work? The docks, that’s what. And tonight, that’s where we’re going, following Cassy on her investigation of the enigma that is Scott Walters and trying to piece together the clues to what’s really going on inside her own organization.

It’s a long one this week again – 45 minutes – with new characters and new aspects of the world that will, hopefully, hold your attention at least through the end of the episode.

Heather Welliver, host of Grailwolf’s Geek Lifer and vocalist for the Pieces podcast, brings us the Story So Far this week.

This week’s in-show promo is for I Should Be Writing, THE go-to podcast for beginning authors hosted by the erudite, funny, and straight-talking Mur Lafferty. If you entertain any literary ambitions, her podcast is the place to start.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Steven H. Wilson as William Ellison

Chris Lester as Rison

Jonathan Sawyer as Furgeson and The Comuter Tech

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Spaceport Announcer

Geroge Chlentzos as Doug Reeves

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Dealing In, Episode 2 (feedback show)

jdsawyer — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:55:14 +0000

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The new feedback episode is live – and all of you guys rock. A fun time inside, along with TWO contest announcements for your chances to win free Antithesis swag. Take a listen!

Also, for those of you interested in my photos from Steam Powered (a.k.a. Steamcon), click here.

Predestination, Episode 13

jdsawyer — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:42:32 +0000

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This week, we follow Jim to the commune of the Children of Light, while Ali makes a decision about the future of the business.

It’s a long one this week – 40 minutes – I hope it makes up for my protracted absence due to post-convention illness. Watch my blog in the coming weeks for posts about my time at Steamcon a.k.a. Steam Powered, and other fun things coming up here very soon. I’m back in the swing of things, and intend to keep swinging. Thank you all so much for your supportive emails – they’ve been much appreciated.

Feedback show this week – a thanksgiving present for you.

Michael Spence, author and anthology editor, brings us the Story So Far this week.

This week’s in-show promo is for Erotica A La Carte, Phillipa Ballantine’s current foray into the racy and disturbing. Excellent stuff she’s producing over there – definitely worth a listen.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Brian Levy as Jim Hartman

Steven H. Wilson as William Ellison

Renee Wilson as Marjorie

Erin Ballibanian as Alyssa Hartman

Predestination, Episode 12

jdsawyer — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:28:04 +0000

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This week, we delve deeper into the mystery of Senator Shelley’s relationship with the resistance movement and then skip across the solar system to Mars, where we find the Hartmans…or what’s left of them.

I’m going to be at Steamcon, sitting on two panels and waxing eloquent about Victorian Sci&Tech and Multimedia Production.

Nobilis from Nobilis Erotica, one of the giants of fiction podcasting, brings us the Story So Far this week.

This week’s in-show promo is for Geek Pantheon, a podcast for comic book, science fiction, and fantasy junkies with a twisted sense of humor.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Nathan Lowell as Senator Bill Shelley

Brian Levy as Jim Hartman

Erin Ballibanian as Alyssa Hartman

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Newscaster and The Computer

Predestination, Episode 11

jdsawyer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:35:00 +0000

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This week, we learn what is going on between Cassy Orinthal and diva dancer Brittany Hydra. We also finally learn what Doug Reeves is up to, and what it might mean for the other characters.

I’m going to be at Steamcon, sitting on two panels and waxing eloquent about Victorian Sci&Tech and Multimedia Production.

Kimi from TaleChasing, author and podcaster, brings us the Story So Far this week.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Phillipa Ballantine as Brittany Hydra

George Chlentzos as Douglas Reeves

Lorien Wheeler as Jade Orin

Nathan Lowell as Senator Bill Shelley

Michael Lemonjello as The Barkeep

Predestination, Episode 10

jdsawyer — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:15:18 +0000

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This week, we meet the Lunar dancer Brittany Hydra, and we finally get to see what’s underneath Cassy Orinthal’s skin.

I’m going to be at Steamcon, sitting on two panels and waxing eloquent about Victorian Sci&Tech and Multimedia Production.

Phillipa Ballantine, author of the sumptuous Chasing The Bard brings us the Story So Far this week, as well as joining the cast as the indomitable dancer Brittany Hydra.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Phillipa Ballantine as Brittany Hydra

Promo: The Arbiter Chronicles: Contents Under Pressure

Predestination, Episode 9

jdsawyer — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:39:48 +0000

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This week, Jim discovers an unexpected welcome on Mars, while Joss comes into a piece of information he’s been searching for that could change everything — if, that is, he can trust the courier.

Don’t forget about the meet&greet on October 4th! If you’re in the SF Bay Area, come to Jupiter’s in Berkeley, on Shattuck near University, for a meet and greet with myself, Chris Lester, and Seth Harwood. It’s going to be a fun evening, and I’ll have some freebies for those who attend. Find all the details at the Eventful posting, here.

J.C. Hutchins, author of the adrenaline-packed 7th Son trilogy, brings us the Story So Far this week.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Brian Levy as Jim Hartman

Renee Wilson as Marjorie

Michael Lemonjello as The Barkeep

Predestination, Episode 8

jdsawyer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:14:43 +0000

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The last of the late episodes for a while, I trust. Here we find the aftermath of the mugging in the restroom, and we finally catch up with Ali and Jim.

Robin Hathaway again steals the show, but Nathan Lowell gives her a good run for her money. The host of Astral Audio, Alan Sale, also joins us in *two* very colorful parts.

This week, Rhonda Carpenter, a buddy of mine from the podiobooks Ning community and the author of The Mark of the Druid, a historical fantasy that premiered yesterday on Podiobooks, brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Allan Sale as Scott Walters and One Eyed Jack

Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley

Erin Ballibanian as Ali Hartman

Shannon Holden as Elizabeth Shelley

Nathan Lowell as Senator Bill Shelley

Predestination, Episode 7.5 (feedback)

jdsawyer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:56:48 +0000

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Here we go, ladies and germs, the first feedback episode. You guys are awesome – even as I was prepping this to post more feedback rolled in, so I’ve got some for the next one already. Please keep it coming!

Predestination, Episode 7

jdsawyer — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:39:41 +0000

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Late again. The extra recording time to get ahead is taking its toll, but I’m getting some more help behind the mic here, so all is not lost.

This week’s episode is very violent and upsetting – no kidding. If you’re a Sigler fan, you’ll feel right at home. Whatever you do, don’t listen to this one with the kids in the room.

Kudos once again to Robin Hathaway and Steven H. Wilson for their breathtaking performances this week.

This week, we find out what Percy’s assignment was, and how he manages to carry it out without Marian being any the wiser, and then we follow the beginnings of the ripples from his assignment as they touch Washington and Luna City.

This week, our composer Danny Schade – also of the Reason-Driven Podcast and Apologia brings us the Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Nathan Lowell as Senator Bill Shelley

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Computer Voice

Predestination, Episode 6

jdsawyer — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:20:56 +0000

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Are you doing anything on October 4th? If not, and you’re in the SF Bay Area, come to Jupiter’s in Berkeley, on Shattuck near University, for a meet and greet with myself, Chris Lester, and Seth Harwood. It’s going to be a fun evening, and I’ll have some freebies for those who attend.

As for this terribly late episode? Better Nate than Lever, I always say. Stay tuned for the show banter at the end of the show for other news about the series.

This week, we join back up with Percy and Marian, and with Joss, and we find out more about who Cassy is, and what her life is like when she’s not capturing and seducing defectors. Not to be missed!

This week, the estimable Nathan Lowell, author of the excellent Golden Age of the Solar Clipper science fiction series available on Podiobooks.com joins the cast as the inscrutable Senator Bill Shelley.

Chris Lester, the author of the Metamor City series, brings us the Story So Far this week. I haven’t – and won’t – ask someone to do the Story So Far if I don’t like their work, but Chris is one of those whose work isn’t just good, it’s fantastic. A really potent blend of dark fantasy, noir detective, science fiction, and deep character drama, he’s a thorough thinker with a keen eye for human nature, and his stories hold a very effective mirror up to the audience. I’ve yet to hear one of his stories that doesn’t seduce from minute one, and transform by story’s end. His stuff isn’t for the timid, but it is very striking.
Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley

Steven H. Wilson as Percy Scott

Nathan Lowell as Senator Bill Shelley

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Lorien Wheeler as Jade Orin

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The Spaceport Announcer

Predestination, Episode 5

jdsawyer — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:04:51 +0000

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Okay, I know, it’s late again. I’m really trying to get ahead on these and they keep kicking my ass, as real life bears down on top of me. Hopefully, next week will actually be on time.

This week, we find out what happens to Joss after he escapes the Hartmans, learn about oranges in the sky, and meet a couple new characters as the camera pulls back and we get to see more and more of the universe our characters inhabit. Turn down the lights, lean back, and enjoy!

This week, the incomparable Seth Harwood, author of the excellent Jack Palms crime novel series, the spinoff Young Junius, the short story series A Long Way From Disney, and the host of CrimeWav, brings us The Story So Far as only he can.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):
Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Michael Lemonjello as Hakim and The Second Drunk

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The woman in the bar

George Chlentzos as Doug Reeves

Predestination, Episode 4

jdsawyer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:13:31 +0000

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Tonight, after a bit of a delay, we wrap up Part 1 of Predestination. What happens at the poker game between Joss and Ali? Will Jim and Ali take him down, or will he manage to escape with his skin? More importantly, who really is the better poker player? And what role, if any, will Cassy Orinthal play? Strap in – this is an action packed episode that’ll leave you itching for more.

This week, the erudite Zachary Moore, scientist and host of Evolution 101 and Apolgia brings us The Story So Far.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Brian Levy as Jim

Erin Ballibanian as Ali

Kitty Nic’Iaian as Spaceport Announcer and Computer Voice

Meet Joss Kyle

jdsawyer — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:37:42 +0000

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Well, now that the series is well underway, it’s time for a new promo. Any of you listening, please put this on your feed. Siva will fail to destroy you if you do

This promo features Joss Kyle, and is the first of a series of character-based promos I have planned. Enjoy!

Predestination, Episode 3

jdsawyer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:12:48 +0000

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Here we go, boys and girls, with episode 3! Will Joss give into his conscience, or will he save his hide and get off the station as soon as possible? Whatâ€™s really going on with Jim and Ali? And what else is going on in the world that might change the equation? This is where you find out.

This week, the multitalented Steven H. Wilson, author, director, and star of The Arbiter Chronicles, joins us this week for a painfully brief one-line performance introducing one of our major characters. Heâ€™ll be back, and back, and back over the coming weeks in a number of different roles. If you havenâ€™t found his series yet, check it out – and also check out his book Taken Liberty, available on Amazon and in a tamer version on podiobooks.com. He writes like the love child of D.C. Fontanna and Robert A. Heinlein; his stories are light and entertaining with a well-hidden but very sharp, serrated philosophical edge.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Steven H. Wilson

Erin Ballibanian as Ali

Brian Levy as Jim

Stephanie J. Sawyer as Cassy

Kitty Nicâ€™Iaian as Airport announcer

Predestination, Episode 5

jdsawyer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:14:20 +0000

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Okay, I know, it’s late again. I’m really trying to get ahead on these and they keep kicking my ass, as real life bears down on top of me. Hopefully, next week will actually be on time.

This week, the incomparable Seth Harwood, author of the excellent Jack Palms crime novel series, the spinoff Young Junius, the short story series A Long Way From Disney, and the host of CrimeWav, brings us The Story So Far as only he can.

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Robin Hathaway as Marian Shelley

Stephanie Sawyer as Cassy Orinthal

Michael Lemonjello as Hakim and The Second Drunk

Kitty Nic’Iaian as The woman in the bar

George Chlentzos as Doug Reeves

Predestination, Episode 2

jdsawyer — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:22:00 +0000

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The second episode of the Antithesis series is now live, and the adventures of Joss Kyle, Alyssa Hartman, Jim Hartman, and Alex Hart continue. Theyâ€™re joined this week by two new characters, each of whom seem to dislike their job and have definite ideas about how the world should work.

Uber-Nemesis Tee Morris is with us this week, bringing us The Story So Far. If you didnâ€™t do so already, check out his book The Case of the Pitcherâ€™s Pendant at Amazon.com and buy or listen to his previous books at Amazon and Podiobooks. This is the guy that invented the podcast audiobook – without him, the rest of us wouldnâ€™t be here.

Finally, what would the episode be without our capable cast?

Cast this week (in order of appearance):

Erin Ballibanian as Ali

Brian Levy as Jim

Don’t mind the dust…

jdsawyer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:23:00 +0000

Youâ€™ve stumbled upon the blog for the Antithesis series – currently the host of the podcast of the first book in that series, Predestination and Other Games of Chance. Right now things are a bit spartan – please donâ€™t mind the look. Weâ€™re putting the finishing touches on the web design and artwork, but didnâ€™t want to make you wait for the podcast just because Iâ€™m an obsessive-compulsive visual arts nut.

Feel free to comment here, and do check back from time to time over the next two weeks as we get the rest of the content in place and put up the pretty pictures.

Welcome one and all!

-Dan Sawyer

Sculpting God: The Man In The Rain

jdsawyer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:37:54 +0000

Content Warning: Contains adult language and graphic violence

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To kick off the Antithesis series, I’m bringing you a story that’s just at the edge of what Sculpting God normally deals with. Still a bedtime story for adults, this one tells the story of Mondu, a pawnbroker on a nature preserve in the Amazon rainforest, and a customer who walks into his store and turns his life upside down. When you’re looking for excitement, or an escape from boredom, be careful what you wish for. You might get The Man In The Rain.

At long last – the feed is active

jdsawyer — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 23:38:26 +0000

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The first episode of the Antithesis series is finally live, complete with a feed. After two days of wrestling, it’s done. And now, you may all enjoy! Please send feedback, and tune in next week. This is going to post every Thursday. You can read more about Predestination and Other Games of Chance here, and more about the Antithesis series here.

Bonus Content coming to the feed soon..
Antithesis series and have waited patiently. So now, I give you the debut of Predestination and Other Games of Chance, along with a promo to put on your own feeds. Please distribute widely…

Predestination – Episode One

jdsawyer — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:27:09 +0000

Well, I’ve been trying for three days now to release episode one of the Antithesis series, and the demons of the internet are conspiring against me. Podpress, wordpress, and the whole stats engine thing is seriously kicking my ass. Anyone who’s good with this stuff, please email me.

Until then, here with a whimper instead of a bang, is Episode 1.
Enjoy!

Antithesis 1: Predestination feed

jdsawyer — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:21:29 +0000

My new podcast series, Antithesis, will start podcasting the first of five novels on July 31. The feed for that book, Predestination and Other Games of Chance, can be found here. Subscribe now!

Chasing the Bard fans – Welcome!

jdsawyer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:20:30 +0000

Welcome to all fans of Phillipa Ballantine’s Chasing the Bard! You’re doubtless moseying on over here because you heard me this week on The Story So Far and are wondering about those podcasts I mentioned.

Well, look no further. You can find my collection of fantasy, science fiction, and erotica stories here. It’s called Sculpting God and it’s chock full of adult-oriented bedtime stories, with a new two-parter coming next week.

The first volume of my podcast novel Antithesis – costarring the lovely Chasing The Bard author Phillipa Ballantine – will be posting shortly. There is a feed up right now, containing the promo, and episodes will start dropping before the end of the month. We’ve already got a couple of them produced – a couple more and we’ll have a comfortable buffer lined up so there won’t be any story interruptions once we get it started. In the meantime, you can read the back-of-the-book summary here, and watch the Sculpting God feed for more details.

Those of you who are of a vaguely intellectual bent might also enjoy my nonfiction podcasts, The Reprobates Hour (soon to enter its third season), and Apologia, a philosohpical roudtable discussion about matters of ethics, secularism, religion, and epistemology.

Feel free to poke around, read my older posts, and check out my photography work if you’re looking for some good desktop wallpapers.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Assault Begins

jdsawyer — Tue, 20 May 2008 22:48:58 +0000

Predestination and Other Games of Chance [1:44m]: | Download

Predestination and Other Games of Chance is coming! Find the audio promo here, and read the preview here. Watch this space over the next three weeks – more cool stuff is on the way!

Welcome, Siglerite Junkies!

jdsawyer — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:00:47 +0000

Thanks for dropping by. You’ll find the podcasts above in the menu – the link takes you to a page with descriptions of Sculpting God, the Reprobates Hour, and the other podcast I’m a regular guest on. Also, take a gander at the preview page for my new novel Predestination (and Other Games of Chance) here.

Sit down, stay a while, leave feedback, grab a drink and a cigar. Mi casa, tsu casa!

Predestination – the home stretch

jdsawyer — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:57:31 +0000

I’m down to the very last of the revisions on Predestination. It ends on a hell of a cliffhanger, and should be a fun ride. Next week, we start recording – and I start the revisions on book 2 and the rough draft of book 3.

Cover art is coming along nicely, and should be up in the next week or two.

Regarding Predestination, if any of you reading are going to BayCon this Memorial Day weekend, look for me there. I’ll have preview CDs of Predestination, artwork, and some other goodies.

Predestination: Back in the groove

jdsawyer — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:56:10 +0000

Well, I’m back to work on Predestination – up 4500 words so far for the week. Getting back into the novel mode after churning out two drafts of a 300 page screenplay is a bit of a gearshift, but I left Joss and Cassy on the cusp of the beginning of the final act, so I can’t abandon them. After a full morning of banging my head against the necessity of writing narrative again, the wound opened in my head and the words came pouring out.

It feels good to be back in this universe again, and starting to prep for the podcast, which I’ll begin recording this May. In the meantime, I’m running down the corridors of my own Predestination, dodging between gigs, podcasts, and short films. Should be fun!

Down From Ten

jdsawyer — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:14:27 +0000

The last month have seen me taking a break from the revisions to Predestination – and from Sculpting God, to my unending shame (don’t worry, it’s coming back this week). The culprit? A new drama called “Down From Ten,” which I just finished the rough on last night. I’m taking week to catch up on the things that have fallen behind, to get out new query letters, and to meet deadlines, and then I’m diving back in for revisions – but not to the exclusion of Predestination, which has acquired some great notes as a result of this little break.

At this speed, I’ll finish at least two novels this year.

Total composition time on the rough draft of Down From Ten: 27 days

Total page count: 315

But Can He Do It?

jdsawyer — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 22:49:24 +0000

The trouble with being an aspiring master of the universe – and with being perverse enough to create one’s own universe in which to vent one’s petty dictatorships – is that running a universe is always a bigger job than it looks like at first. Predestination is rolling along well, but if I’m to finish it by my self-imposed deadline of November 1, I’ve gotta get cracking. Here’s the current state of play.

81,475 / 125,000
(65.2%)

Destiny of the Gods

jdsawyer — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:16:48 +0000

Having discovered the magical power of creating new blog post titles by recombining words from previous short stories and novels, your humble narrator has decided, after much deliberation, to open the official “George Lucas Jedi Academy of Title Creation.” The building will sit alongside the “Joseph Campbell Memorial Plot Workshop (For Those Who Can’t Be Bothered to Read Mythology or Psychology Themselves).”

In other news, the first episode of Sculpting God is all recorded. I have a bit of post production to do on it, and then it’ll be ready to go up. Another episode will be ready about the same time. One more beyond that, and I will start the podcast – at this point, it’s looking like Sept 21 or thereabouts will be the beginning. More updates on that soon.

Predestination update:

73,860 / 125,000
(59.1%)

Despite what the word meter tells you, I should actually be done by November. This draft is a polish draft, and most of what needed polishing and fixing were the first three sections, and that’s about done. The rest is bringing the balance of the novel into stylistic conformity with the rewritten first half. It’s going along gangbusters, and we’ll start the podcast for it in December – consider it a Christmas/Solstice/hey-we-get-this-time-of-year-off-for-some-reason-let’s-get-drunk present.

In other news, I’m teaming up with my friend Zoe Winters to do a competitive NANOWRIMO this year. I have a SF/Fantasy/horror/romance story that I’ve been thinking about writing for a while now, and it seems like the right time to do it – it’ll give me a good break from the Predestination universe before I dive back in in January to write the sequel: “Free Will and Other Compulsions,” which I’ll need to have done by July so I can start podcasting it next fall.

Watch this space for more news – there is a LOT upcoming guaranteed to warp your brain and make you think about all those things your mother used to smack you for.

65,000 and counting

jdsawyer — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 06:34:51 +0000

Well, that transition that was coming closer like a soul-hunter’s girlfriend has decided to take a u-turn. Some deep dark part of my subconscious got the bright idea to go all Dashell Hammet on the moon and I got sidetracked into a hard-boiled detective story in the middle of my space opera.

Oh well, them’s the breaks. And it’s solved a lot of the other problems that were keeping me awake at night, I’m just now despairing that I’ll be able to finish this fucking thing before the leaves start falling. Douglas Adams said “I love deadlines – I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”

Well, I love deadlines, mostly because when they woosh you can get away with pushing someone else in front of them! Alas, they’re usually characters, and that narrow’s sequel options, but then again what is writing if it’s not an excercise in narrowing options. You start off with so many words in the language, and have to whittle it down till you’ve beat the language into a shape it’s never been in before, hang a title on the monstrosity and call it a novel.

So, Predestination now stands at 150k words, with 65k of those being final draft and the balance being what I have to chew through and finish whittling and polishing. Back to the wood shop. No, you can’t follow me in, I don’t want you to see what I do what the belt sander when nobody’s looking…

The big push

jdsawyer — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:48:34 +0000

There are five weeks until the end of summer.

In five weeks, I should have Predestination finished, except for a bit of editing.

Closer now. It comes. The transition…

Writing Progress

jdsawyer — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 18:41:43 +0000

As you would expect from the sort of unsavory mind that considers Predestination and Other Games of Chance a reasonable title for a science fiction espionage thriller, I haven’t had a terribly firm grip on reality lately. Not that this is a bad thing. Letting go of reality is the perfect way to immerse oneself in a new world, but more than that the notion makes great copy for a writer attempting to self-promote on a blog by adopting the public persona of a mildly psychotic evil genius.

The practical upshot of all this apparent psychosis is that Predestination is weaving itself an ever deepening web of deceit and intrigue, and the novel is now firmly moving under its own momentum. Current word length on the rewrite: 42,300 words.

jdsawyer — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:06:48 +0000

Don’t worry, I’m not going to subject you to recitations of Robert Herrick’s poetry…not until I have you strapped in the comfy chair and primed with the soft cushions!

Umm…oh, excuse me, sometimes I get carried away.

The first podcast is going to be a collection of stories called Sculpting God, which is currently nearing completion on its rewrite. Deciding which should go first, that’s the fun part – rather like plotting the perfect murder. Do I hit you with something pastoral, or something horriffic, or something simply bizzarre? Do I lull you into a false sense of security or do I blast you with both barrels right out of the gate? Decisions, decisions!

The crime is in the works, though. I’m heading into the studio next week to record the first couple of stories, and then I’ll post one forty minute episode per week until the cycle is done. When it’s finished up, butchering the corpse and serving it up a’la Rocky Horror is the easy part. You see, I’ve seen the book, and I know all about Predestination…

Tapping on the microphone

jdsawyer — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:34:14 +0000

Test…test…is this on? Good.

Most of you stumbling upon this blog probably have only found it through the rabbit trail of links from LinuxJournal or Blenderwars or ArtisticWhispers Productions.

I’m a writer, and I promise: that’s not as redundant as it sounds. I’ve been writing since I first learned to read, and was telling stories as long before that as I could speak. In recent years, I’ve been moving out of the world of day-to-day employment and into storytelling in a serious fashion: first with radio dramas and films and the formation of ArtisticWhispers Productions (now my day job), and then by ramping up a writing career.

Now, after a couple years of tech publishing and many more years of privately honing my fiction craft, I’m taking the big leap. Following in the blood-soaked foosteps of Scott Sigler and the stem cell soup of J.C. Hutchins, I’ve decided to bootstrap my writing career by podcasting some of my work.

So now you, dear reader, will have yet another shot at free fiction. In the coming weeks, I’ll begin with short stories from my “Sculpting God” collection, and then, later this year, the first novel, “Predestination,” will make its debut.

It’s gonna be fun!