Great News! The Flores Girl novel is available as a Free e-Book down loadable right from www.floresgirl.com. Just click here! You heard right, free and it is available in a number of popular e-Book formats such Adobe PDF, Mobi and Microsoft Reader. Amazon’s Kindle will be next and, of course, the free podcast is always available at podiobooks.com.

What? Has to be a gimmick, right? Perhaps the last chapter is missing, right? No gimmicks, I’m just trying to build an audience for the Flores Girl sequels. After 55,000 downloads of the podcast I figured it was time to up the ante. So I figure if you like the first novel a lot there is a good chance you may buy the sequels in the future, that’s all. So please download and enjoy guilt free or listen to the free podcast.

Cheers,

Erik John Bertel

The Zune 2K9 Bug Hits Home

Sometimes you deserve what you get. I got duped into buying a 30GB Microsoft Zune over a year ago. Why? Well, it was only $99 at Amazon and I was traveling more. Okay, it came in the ugliest shade of brown I have ever seen but, hey did  I say it only cost $99  for 30 gigabytes so how could I go wrong? I threw a skin on it and I was good to go.  I hate travel, I hate the movies on a plane and I hate engine noise. I figure a Zune combined with noise cancellation headphones would do the trick while flying. I don’t have a lot of bucks so I coupled the Zune with a pair of Audio-Technica noise cancellation headphones, remember I can’t afford the Bose cans and the pair has been great especially for red-eyes. That is until today.

I heard the Zune doom news at work and I immediately booted the trusty old Zune when I got home.  I was hoping this was just another online hoax but the sucker just froze at the splash screen. No combination of hitting buttons, prayers or curses would unfreeze it. I ran the battery down and now we will wait to see what happens. Some of the online fixes are downright nasty such as the ones calling for the removal of the battery.  Not for the squeamish and probably planted by Apple fanatics. My best guess is that the new 3.0 version of the Zune software isn’t playing well with the older Zune hardware and it makes you wonder what shoddy company in India does the QA for Microsoft?

Online the Mac fans boys are wetting their panties with glee over the latest Microsoft stumble and, frankly, I can’t blame them.  First, the Vista fiasco followed by those inscrutable Seinfeld commercials and now this Zune mess.  Let’s face it, Vista is a bloated mess.  It runs fine but frankly I find it  a bit like bringing a pretty but fat girl to a party. Doesn’t matter how smart or fun she is because  all everybody is thinking is “Wow, imagine if she lost some weight!” As for Macs, well I can’t see paying a 50% premium for Intel hardware so that I can feel smug and reassured.  iPods are okay, we have several for the kids but again they are way over priced.  That said, on the PC front I am slowing breaking the Microsoft habit.  I am using Mozilla Firefox with greater frequency and it has become my preferred browser.  Why?  Well, out of habit I opened Explorer to get into Word Press but I had problems writing this blog with it.  I guess the new Word Press dashboard is giving Explorer fits but Explorer has always marched to its own drummer.

However, my biggest heresy is my recent install of Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is a very hot flavor of Linux and originally came with some unique artsy photos on its desktop. By artsy I mean nudes by the way.  I had an old Dell Pentium 4 with USB 1.0 ports that was useless for Windows and I figured what the hell give it a shot since it ran okay.  I once ran Red Hat a few years ago but I found little use for it. I had an initial hiccup on the initial Ubuntu install; my fault frankly but since then I am in love with it.  It’s slick, much easier to use, the drivers worked well with the old hardware and is far less prone to hacker attack.  Plus, it runs fast on this old machine with less than a gig of memory and there is some great free software for Ubuntu including games.  We are talking geek heaven and it is far cooler than a Mac.  Hell, there’s only a few million of us using it, now that’s exclusivity baby! By the way the open source community has a sense of humor, I mean try hitting the windows minimize keystrokes and see  what I mean! I can’t find the nudes anywhere by the way.

Anyway back to the discharging Zune. Oh crappola, recharging the Zune after draining the battery just brings you back to the same frozen screen! Damn, I survive Y2K only to get bitten by this 2K9 bug. I guess I’ll have more time tomorrow to complete my free “Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot” e-book. In fact, that’s what the Ubuntu box is for; to deliver the Flores Girl e-books online.  It will first come out in PDF format and then I’ll bring out the remaining e-book flavors including Amazon Kindle.  Check out www.floregirl.com for the free e-book this weekend if you are into reading. I do mean free, no gimmicks and the complete novel by the way!

Oh, Happy New Year to all!  It has to get better in 2009, right?  My latest blog has the fix from Microsoft.

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It’s funny how life comes full circle to anybody who is paying attention. I started out writing this blog hoping to discuss some of the issues writers face trying in their efforts to get published. Frankly, writing can be a lonely and sometimes unrewarding task and book publishers don’t make the task any easier. A process that is inherently tied to communication can cause the individual to drown in their isolation and consequently I felt talking about such a task could at least ameliorate some of the pain. As I worked with my Flores Girl novel I found that the subject matter of my book was getting some unwarranted attention from a number of cranky creationists. Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot is a cautionary tale about the discovery of a prehistoric dwarf tribe by a pair of scientists and, of course, is a complete work of fiction. Well, that wasn’t good enough for some of my creationist detractors because the title contained the word “god” and made some implicit assumptions about mankind’s evolution and that was enough to illicit some seriously cranky email. And you know how the fundamentalists are all about the written word!

So, seeking revenge and some personal amusement, I decided to go off on that craptacular movie called “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” from Ben Stein. After a while, I became less amused with the blog and tired of the pointless arguments with people who read exactly two books in their lives: the bible and the instruction manual to their trailer home. So after failing to find an Expelled bootleg, I boldly pointed out that nobody cared about ID and creationism since there was a presidential election going on and that a crappy Bush-inspired war economy had everybody more worried about foreclosure. Furthermore, the creationist creeps were going to have a tough time choosing between Obama or McCain since neither one was particularly accommodating to their simplistic world bible views.

Boy, was I wrong on that prognostication! Nostradamus I am not! No sooner did I make that stupid forecast McCain goes out and adds some Alaskan Creationist- Secessionist- Pro-Life-Pro-Gun-MILF to his ticket as his VP, all after an incredibly long vetting process that must have transpired during the duration of a single bowel movement. And I should add that I am a McCain supporter!

So what of Sarah Palin and her religious beliefs? Well, five to six years ago she was a member of a Pentecostal church, the Assembly of God to be exact. Now these rocket scientists believe in a literal bible, talking in tongues, faith healing and, how can we forget, the ever popular end-of-times. We have had so many end of times I don’t were to begin. This type of inspired lunacy leads to such clear thinking as “it’s God’s will that is being done in Iraq.” Funny, I thought that was the work of a mediocre son looking to clear his daddy’s historical record but, hey, what the hell do I know? I mean we went in there to separate those heathens from the WMD’s right? Eh, okay the weapons weren’t there but we did bring freedom to the Iraqis, right? You know freedom from boredom as the local militia executes the men in your family but hey that’s God’s plan and you can’t argue about the big picture, right?

The good news is that God’s plans are not just relegated to simple matters of war. No way! Did you know that a new pipe line is a task from God? Me, I was thinking Exxon-Mobil but I guess I think way too small. Really, Palin said this. God’s will is to be done developing our natural resources, never mind all we are doing is feeding a nasty oil habit and that the sooner we can move to something alternative the sooner we can tell the idiots in the Middle East what they can do with their oil.  Ask Sarah about Creationism and she’ll reply sure Creationism should be taught in school!  We don’t have a lick of proof that it can’t stand up to rigorous scientific review but hell proof didn’t stop us from invading Iraq.

That said, Sarah Palin is not stupid. Unlike Obama, she had the good sense to realize that once she became a mainstream Republican she had to leave behind the small town church that inspired a thousand tongues. In fact, she does not does not consider herself Pentecostal anymore but I do wonder if she feels that God can still be accessed? And what about the view that Alaska is the preferred shelter for Christians in the end-of-times? There has been some talk that she is also anti-Israel but really has she ever met a Jew? Ben Stein for example? I mean really, has she?

All I know is the Expelled crowd is really charged up again and we have McCain to thank for this madness. Soon we’ll get all sorts of new home school and ID initiatives coursing through the mediocre halls of Congress. I’m thinking of voting for Obama now just for spite but damn I don’t want my taxes to go up again! What’s a thinking evolutionist to do? And where is Hillary in all this mess? Can’t she remind women not to cast their vote based on their chromosomes but to vote instead on the issues? After all, who do they think they are? Men? Someday, perhaps after the election, I hope to get back to writing about writing rather than about politics and fundamentalists. And to think, if they had just left me alone this all could have been avoided!

More on Hillary: No Political Catifght with Palin

More on Palin “Governor Palin You’re No Hillary Clinton!”

More on Palin with this story,“Apparently-Bristol-Palin-is-no-Chelsea-Clinton-Either”

Below is an comment I received in response to one of my blogs that was basically an advertisement for a Creationist school book series. I don’t get mad at this sort of thing since I do the same type of viral marketing with Flores Girl. On the other hand, I guess I don’t have a life so I actually looked the site up. Wow, talk about strange. I have never seen someone tie themselves up in mental knots like this before. I mean I once knew a girl who was good with knots but that’s an entirely different story and for a entirely new blog. Anyway, take a gander at this and see if any of this makes sense to you. I get this stuff all the time because of the name of my adventure podcast, Flores Girl: The Children Got Forgot. The creationist flog to the site like birds to freshly washed car. Did I mention Flores Girl was a free podcast at Podiobooks? Okay, I’m a marketing slut, I admit it.

Erik John Bertel

THERE IS A NEW DISCIPLINE:

The Quest for !@#$, a series of 7 textbooks created for the public schools, represents the ultimate marriage between an in-depth knowledge of biblical phenomena and natural and physical sciences. (You got this is for the home schooled crowd -EjB) The several volumes have accomplished that which, heretofore, was deemed impossible: to level the playing field between those who desire a return to physical science in the classroom and those who embrace the theory of evolution. The Quest for Right turns the tide by providing an authoritative and enlightening scientific explanation of natural phenomena which will ultimately dethrone the unprofitable Darwinian view.

(How about a little dethroning via some scientific research and experimentation rather than saying god did it? -EjB)

The backbone of Darwinism is not biological evolution per se, but electronic interpretation, the tenet that all physical, chemical, and biological processes result from a change in the electron structure of the atom which, in turn, may be deciphered through the orderly application of mathematics, as outlined in quantum mechanics. A few of the supporting theories are: degrading stars, neutron stars, black holes, extraterrestrial water, antimatter, the absolute dating systems, and the big bang, the explosion of a singularity infinitely smaller than the dot of an “i” from which space, time, and the massive stellar bodies supposedly sprang into being.

(Huh, I guess this is how creationists try to explain randomness in the gene pool – EjB)

The philosophy rejects any divine intervention. Therefore, let the philosophy of Darwinism be judged on these specifics: electron interpretation and quantum mechanics. Conversely, the view that God is both responsible for and rules all the phenomena of the universe will stand or fall when the facts are applied. The view will not hinge on faith alone, but will be tested by the weightier principle of verifiable truths – the new discipline.

(Actually that is the province of physicists but what the heck if we muddy the water enough maybe nobody will notice all we are saying is god did it! – EjB)
The Quest for !@$# is not only better at explaining natural phenomena, but also may be verified through testing. As a consequence, the material in the several volumes will not violate the so-called constitutional separation of church and state. Physical science, the old science of cause and effect, will have a long-term sustainability, replacing irresponsible doctrines based on whim. Teachers and students will rejoice in the simplicity of earthly phenomena when entertained by the new discipline.

(Ouch, new discipline – that sounds scary, almost Catholic school-like. Still it could be fun with the right girl! Yikes, I’m starting to sound like a fetish freak!-EjB)

The Quest for !@#$ is not only an academic resource designed for the public schools, but also contains a wealth of information on pertinent subjects that seminarians need to know to be effective: geology, biology, geography, astronomy, chemistry, paleontology, and in-depth Biblical studies. The nuggets from the pages of Biblical history alone will give seminarians literally hundreds of fresh ideas for sermons and teachings. The ministry resources contained in The Quest for Right serve as invaluable aids that will enrich graduates beyond their highest expectations.

(Stephen Hawkins watch out, those wacky creationists scientists will be after you next! – EjB)

Here’s a passage from the book:

The investigation tackles the perplexing problem of how to reduce the earth’s heavy saturation of atmospheric water vapors on the first and second days of creation to their present level. Interestingly, light but not the sun was created on the first day; the sun was created on the fourth day. The cleric scholarship, unaccustomed to the laws of classical physics, has been rendered impotent in the submission of any viable mechanism. The league of scientists are similarly neutralized even though they have the answer within their grasp. The quandary leaves the investigation poised to solve the seemingly inexplicable riddle by incorporating the best of both worlds: the premises set down in the scientific record of creation and the fundamental rules of classical physics, which hold the universe in its grasp. The mystery is solved by entertaining a certain aspect of the marvelous water molecule.

(What the heck? Is it me or does any of this make sense? I know I am not home schooled but huh?- EJB)

You will not want to miss the adventure of a lifetime which awaits you in Volume 1 of The Quest for !@#$. (Wow, there are seven volumes of them)

“A book that will change the world.” – Wayne’s World, Editor, Vanity Publishing

(I thought the Bible did that? Hey, this is fun, it’s good to be the king- EjB)

 

So have gotten through this podcasting exercise I came up with seven golden rules for podcasting fiction that I have learned from my own speculative fiction podcast, Flores Girl:The Children God Forgot -

1. Do complete your novel before recording the podcast and do not write as you go. Making it up as you go along may have worked for Indiana Jones but for a podcast that is a recipe for certain failure. It very easy to go down a rat hole in a story and with it so go your listeners.
2. Seriously consider culling your written work so as to make the podcast more manageable in overall length. By the way, I did not listen to my own advice.
3. Do invest in the proper audio equipment for your recording. There are some good discussions at the Podiobooks community site about this issue. You will also need the right software to edit your podcast and yes, we do get into the stupid PC-Mac holy wars as well.
4. Practice, listen and then practice some more.
5. And then edit and re-edit your results like a demon. Listen several times and then asks others to listen as well. One of the Podiobooks writers complained that he recorded a flatulent moment during one of his podcasts and unfortunately he doesn’t use side effects. I can’t say I have recorded a sound artifart but I have occasionally recorded a family argument or two by accident. I have also missed an edit and recorded the same sentence several times.
6. Don’t do accents or change sex during a podcast unless you are a marvelous actor or a very talented hermaphrodite.
7. Once completed marketed the hell out of your podcast. Just because you recorded it that doesn’t mean the listeners will automatically flock to it.

By the way I really do enjoy working with the people at Podiobooks, including Evo Terra and Chris Miller but maybe you have had good experiences with other sites and communities. Please share!

I have conflicting emotions about the completion of my speculative fiction thriller Flores Girl: The Children God Forgot Podcast at Podiobooks. First, I’m glad to be done with the podcast since it has been hanging over my head for over a year and a half. I was about a third through the podcast when the sirens call of family responsibility took precedence over my writing muse. I assumed a position of responsibility with a large Fortune 100 company and to say that my time has been limited is an understatement. So the podcast was basically relegated to a weekend ritual at the end of my fifty to sixty hour week.

Because I didn’t have the foresight to cull the novel from the start, it is over 550 pages, I ended up recording 26 chapters for the podcast. Reading my novel aloud was an interesting exercise because it made it easy to spot glaring weaknesses in my narrative and prose. Yes, after my readings I did rewrite entire sections of the novel. That was the exception to the rule but tweaks to the story and rewriting were the norm as I recorded the podcast. Monotonous dialog tags that could be skipped as you read became a drone during the spoken narrative of the podcast. I learned a lot as I made way from podcast to podcast. Oh, did I mention that I began writing the sequel to the first novel about the same time? That added another layer of complexity to the process because it did kinda of make sense make the narrative consistent between the two novels. Plus I started the third and final novel as I gathered more ideas to complete the further adventures of the two pains in the butt I called Sarah and Richard.

I dutifully went through this exercise every weekend, taking hours to record the narrative and then I spent hours adding sound effects and music. And of course there was the requisite audio equipment failure that cost me a month of my time as the mike input on my trusted laptop decided to crap out altogether. What a pain in the ass!

Then there was the readers, I mean listeners to deal with. They keep harping about what was taking so long. Jeez, as if a month between podcasts is too long to wait? Well, of course they were right and then came the inevitable criticisms of the podcast. You talk too fast, you have a funny accent (what the hell do you expect, I’m from New Yawk), the volume is too low and so on. At first, you might be inclined to make a comment about you get what you pay for but the listeners are making a considerable investment, that is, in terms of their time. In my case they were listening to over 15 hours of podcast recordings. So think thick skin like a rhinoceros and you will be fine, otherwise watch out.

More to follow on the Podcast Experience.