Title: Playing for Keeps
Author: Mur Lafferty
Genre: Super Hero Fantasy
Released: 31 October, 2007 – 13 February, 2008
Located: Podibooks, iTunes, Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast, eb00k (multiple formats including free .pdf), iPhone app, dead tree version published by Swarm Press available at Amazon and many other locations.

I have been a lover of comic books since I was a kid. Something about being able to do what others could not, or maybe just wanting to help others who couldn’t help themselves really appealed to me.

Fast forward to the 90’s and I finally could afford to start collecting comic books (yeah, as an adult, so?). Image Comics were all the rage and people were buying double copies so they could immediately bag and board and store one while reading the other. (Cotton gloves? Really?) Iconic superheroes were being reworked by the major companies and sales had to have gone through the roof. Remember “The Death of Superman”? D.C. had my number.

At this point though, many of the story arcs were becoming darker. In fact, Vertigo, an imprint of D.C. that is marketed for the mature reader, was born 1993. Here I fell in love with the works of Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller and others. And more importantly, the non-hero. The hero that was a hero in spite of him/herself. Not the whiny Peter Parker type, but the so much more cool working man’s hero. The ones that did their job because it was their job.

Because of this, when I heard of Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps, I was thrilled and jumped right in.

So, on to the review.

Synopsis: Playing for Keeps tells the story of Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City: birthplace of super powers. Keepsie and her friends live among egotistical heroes and manipulative villains, and manage to fall directly in the middle as people with powers, but who just aren’t strong enough to make a difference. Or that’s what they’ve been told. As the city begins to melt down, it’s hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad. (Stolen from iTunes)

Production: Playing for Keeps is one of the first, if not the only, works of podiofiction that I remember coming with it’s own theme song, graciously provided by the band Beatnik Turtle. I noticed while writing this review that there are even downloadable ringtones of that theme available on the author’s site.

Production is kept to a minimum as Ms. Lafferty focuses on the story and on the characters (never a bad decision). Each episode begins and ends with the theme and after the closing theme there is usually a promo for another work of podiofiction. Each episode does open with The Story So Far. Enough said (if you are unaware of this reviewers feelings on this device, feel free to look at previous reviews).

Cast: Playing for Keeps is an author read story. For those of you that read these reviews weekly, you’ll know how much I enjoy these. Ms. Lafferty does an excellent job with all of her narrations, but to me, this story stood out. Keepsie and her friends each had their own personality that comes through with this reading. Simply a very well done job.

Story: This was the first story I ever heard where superheroes that weren’t powerful/talented enough weren’t allowed to play with the big boys and girls. It was completely original in its implementation and the story really did seem like it could have come straight out of a comic book (that is a good thing in my opinion).

Keepsie and her friends had true motivations and I can understand how these motivations lead to their actions. While this might seem like an obvious necessity in a story, I am dismayed how often I find it lacking in books published in the last few years. And I’m not talking about small press publishers here either. (Yes, New York, I’m shaking my finger at you.)

***I am going to step outside of the regular review format for just a moment to make a suggestion. Many of the podiofiction stories I’ve reviewed here are still looking for publishers. Others have been published by small house publishers. I will make an assumption that not a single author wrote one of these stories with the hope that no one else would ever enjoy it. All of them are working towards eventually having a major publisher pick up one or more of their stories. If you can afford to buy a book, an ebook, an iphone app or any other version that is available, I encourage you to do it on occasion. I am not suggesting that you need to buy every book that comes out, but choose a couple and show your appreciation to those podcast fiction writers that have given FREELY to us. I do own the print version of Playing for Keeps, and it is a good read as well as a good podcast. Now, back to the review.***

Verdict: If you don’t enjoy superheroes on any level, there is a good chance you will not enjoy this story. If, on the other hand, you can relate in any shape or form to the opening paragraphs of this review, there is a very good chance that you might be able to really enjoy it. Give it a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I have never met Ms. Lafferty. I have never tweeted with Ms. Lafferty. In fact, she doesn’t follow me, nor I her. I should probably correct that. I know she can be found on Twitter: @MightyMur. I have listened to many of her stories and am beholding to her for her participation in the podiofiction community.

Next week: Max Quick, The Pocket and the Pendant by Mark Jeffrey.

The new year swiftly approaches. It’s a big one for me. In 2010, I will turn 40, a prime opportunity for a little self-evaluation. This could be traumatic. Or not. Perhaps it depends on my perspective. I didn’t notice 30 at all because I was pregnant. For some reason, passing 35 made me a little anxious. I found that odd because I don’t place much value on chronological age. So, instead of New Year’s resolutions, I’m setting goals that will help me be more satisfied with who I am when I turn 40 in May.

Goal #1 – I will reclaim my identity as a writer.

I have a completed first draft of a novel and four other partial drafts. The complete draft is currently undergoing a total rewrite including a change of narrative voice. Progress has been slow but steady, and I’m satisfied with it. I am mentally playing with another idea, but it needs more stewing time before I can do anything with it. This one will be an opportunity to try some new planning techniques. Planning and organization are things I need more of in my writing life. Two or three of the other drafts will get my attention next. Though I don’t believe they are saleable, they have value in that I can use them to hone the craft. I like these stories and want to complete them for my own satisfaction. Those million bad words have to go somewhere. I also must work to connect with other writers for critiquing. It’s past time to take that step. Also, I will work on blogging more consistently. If I succeed with my other writing goals, at least I may have something to write about.

Goal #2 – I will reclaim my identity as a musician.

Specifically, I will return to my choirs. Family medical issues have kept me away for 18 months. The music does my muse and my spirit good. Last week I just sang in my first concert in far too long. It was a euphoric experience. Perhaps the singing regularly will help me retrieve my high notes from the last remnants of the swine flu.

Goal #3 – I will reclaim my identity as a runner.

Actually, I’ve been working on this one more or less since August. What is required, is more commitment. I ran in high school. Badly. Very badly. I was the person who came in last. I made peace with that a long time ago. Exercise-induced asthma does force some limitations. Nonetheless, I liked how I felt physically when I was a runner, and I liked how I felt about myself. I need to do this for my physical health as well as my mental health. And when else am I going to find time to listen to podcasts? There are a bunch I need to catch up with before Balticon.

Goal #4 – I will be more organized with the house and the finances and my schoolwork and…

My plate is so full that I’m grateful it isn’t made of paper. My life would be all over the floor. I’m adapting some of the wisdom of Flylady. I’m back to taking baby steps. Everything can be done with baby steps. It’s working for my rewrite. My house is already looking cleaner. The bills are getting paid. I am changing the monologue in my head. No longer am I beating myself up for my very real failing, but I’m encouraging myself to be the person I want to be. It goes like this: “I like when I am the person that ___.” Then I go do that thing that I otherwise might have shrugged off. Then I feel good about myself. Stupidly simple but progress builds upon itself. There you have it, my approach to change. I’m not waiting for January first to start. Tomorrow, if the Girlie goes to school, I will go for my run. If she stays home sick, then I will get on the exercise bike. It’s been lonely, I think. I’ll have the opportunity to read some more of Mur Lafferty’s Playing For Keeps. I will make time to work on the rewrite. I will spend some time on my schoolwork. But that’s tomorrow. Right now, I have to go reboot the laundry.

Okay, that’s not exactly news or anything, but I haven’t talked about it in this blog, so I figured I should. Evo came up with this brilliant concept. “Why don’t we turn the publishing model on its head? Let’s give audio novels away for free and have the audience decide what they’re worth after they listened to the content.” Frakkin’ genius. Thus was Podiobooks.com hatched from the mind of my mentor and friend Evo Terra.

First, select a book that looks interesting to you. They currently have over 300 titles to choose from. Download however many chapters of the title you want. You can have the whole thing without paying anything if that’s the way you want to do it. The site will also let you listen to chapters without downloading them, but I rarely utilize that feature. Listen to whatever novel you’ve picked.  If you like what you hear, consider making a donation. The author gets a full 75% of whatever you give. 75%!! A traditional publishing house only gives an author 8-12% of the cover price of a hardcover novel, depending on how good a deal they were able to get. If you thought the book was crap, delete it. Don’t donate.

How much fairer of a distribution model can we ask for? The readers and the authors both win here. The middle man gets cut out because they’re no longer needed. As long as the reader donates when he feels that the author has provided good value, this system works beautifully. Here’s a list of my top ten novels over at Podiobooks.com in alphabetical order:

1. 7th Son Trilogy by JC Hutchins
2. Billabub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword by Tee Morris
3. Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick
4. Chasing the Bard by Philippa Ballantine
5. Diary of an S & M Romance (ADULT) by Dollie Llama
6. Immortals, The by Tracy Hickman
7. Nina Kimberly the Merciless by Christiana Ellis
8. Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty
9. Rookie, The by Scott Sigler
10. Singularity by Bill DeSmedt

If you really like the novel you picked, there’s a good chance that it is available in treeware, as an e-book, or both. All ten of the above have been published in a more traditional format after (a couple before) being released as a podiobook. I’ve purchased half of these as treeware or e-books in addition to making donations for the podiobooks. The idea of the author losing sales because they are giving away their content in laughable to me. I *might* have picked up one of those ten books above, and it’s questionable as to whether I would have purchased it. The way Evo has things set up, I bought all ten once, and half of them twice.

You’re still here? What are you waiting for? Go to Podiobooks.com and see what they’ve got. I’m sure there’s something there which will interest you.

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As I explore the world of podio-books I have been bringing you reviews on some very good ones and I think I will bring you reviews on a few of the really bad ones in my opinion later on. This review is of one of my new favorites: Playing For Keeps.

Written by the amazing Mur Lafferty, Playing For Keeps is a 15 episode podcast about Keepsie and her friends who have superpowers that aren’t quite up to par or too weird to join the academy of heroes.These outcasts live a normal life until a series of events forces them into the spotlight and they must find a way to save the city. From a man who can control elevators to a women who can perfectly balance a bar tray. Follow this group of friends as they learn more about themselves and their power as the fight for their lives and the safety of the city. Below is the official Synopsis provided by the author:

Scripture: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Mark 8:34-36

When I was a child, one of my favorite games was the game of marbles. I don’t see children playing marbles any more. Some of you may not even know how to play marbles. Let me explain how we used to play marbles when I was a child.

First, you draw a big ring in the dirt. Then each player puts the same number of his own marbles into the ring. The players then take turns shooting a marble, like this, (demonstrate) trying to knock the other marbles out of the ring. When a shooter knocks a marble out of the ring, he picks it up and puts it in his pocket. If his shooting marble stays inside the ring, he was allowed to keep shooting. If not, the next shooter takes his turn. When all the marbles have been knocked out of the ring, they are counted and the one with the most marbles is the winner.

Before a game of marbles begins, one player will sometimes ask the other players, “Are we playing for fun, or are we playing for keeps?” If you just play for fun, when the game is over, the winner gives the marbles back. But if you play for keeps, the winner gets to keep all of the marbles he has won.

Some people live their life as if it were a game of marbles. They spend their whole life trying to be the one with the most marbles. They think that the one with the biggest house, the fanciest car, and the most money in the bank is the winner. They think they are playing “for keeps,” but when they come to the end of their life, do you know how many of their marbles they get to take with them? None of them! They spend their whole life trying to win all of the marbles, but in the end, they are left with nothing!

Jesus said that if we want to be real winners we must be willing to give up everything and follow him. When we follow Jesus, we may not have a lot of the things that some people think are important. We may not live in a big house or drive a fancy car, but we will have something that is much better than that, we will have treasures laid up for us in heaven. When we get to heaven, there will be a mansion waiting for us to move in and we will walk around on streets of gold. Best of all, we will have everlasting life with Jesus. You see, when we give our lives to Jesus, HE “plays for keeps.”

Some people will give anything to get more marbles, but Jesus asked “What good will it do them if they gain the whole world, but lose their soul?”

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to realize that the only life that lasts is a life lived for you. Amen.

So what have I been reading lately? well, lots… I just have too lazy to write about it. So, here is a recap of my kindle reading since we last spoke. I have gone on print binge a time or two, so I’ll try to post on those soon.Sorry, about the quick blurbs. for some of these I can’t remember why I liked them (or didn’t like them).

Feather (Feather Book Series: Book One)
Abra Ebner
27-Dec-08
A little out there, I may read the second in the series. I found it hard to connect with the main character.

Blood Sins
Kay Hooper
27-Dec-08
Tried and true addition to the Bishop series. This one follows the formula, no big surprises.

Dark Nights, Dark Dreams
Savannah Russe
23-Dec-08
Meh, I really didn’t get into this one. I had high hopes, since I like her other work.

Devil May Ride
Wendy Roberts
13-Dec-08
I love this series. I liked the characters and the action. The ending felt like it could wrap the series or go on to more.

Cooking Up a Storm
Emma Holly
5-Dec-08
It was ok, not a favorite.

Legacy
Jeanne C. Stein
28-Nov-08
I enjoyed it, and I can’t remember much more than that. hmmm.

The Sleeping God
Violette Malan
27-Nov-08
I loved this series, I read the first and second in a short amount of time. Once of the better fantasies that I have read in a while. The world building and magic structure was great.

Salvation in Death
J. D. Robb
22-Nov-08
Eve Dallas is like a potato chip, I can’t stop even when I want to…

Playing For Keeps
Mur Lafferty
22-Nov-08
I really enjoyed this book. A funny take on a super hero tale.

Talking With The Dead
Shiloh Walker
27-Oct-08
Not one of my favorites, it was just bland.

Sacred Places
Mandy M. Roth
16-Oct-08
This was a bit thin on plot for me.

The Rogue Hunter
Lynsay Sands
11-Oct-08
A bit of a let down. I enjoy the Argeneau series, so this fell a little short in my opinion.

Me and My Ghoulfriends
Rose Pressey
26-Sep-08
This was a cute story.

Al Saptelea oras este locul unde populatia poseda, inca de la nastere, superputeri. Eroii din Primul Val sunt cam nesimtiti, insa dispun de cele mai bune aptitudini: puterea de a zbura, super forta, telepatie, intelect iesit din comun, manevrarea cu usurinta a focului. Cei ce apartin de al Treilea Val s-au vazut nevoiti sa primeasca resturile acestor superputeri, in masura in care noi, ca oameni obisnuiti le-am putea percepe asa, putand aminti : abilitatea de a face pe cineva trist instantaneu, puterea de a mirosi trecutul (oare cum o fi asta?), gratia necesara pentru a duce o tava fara a rasturna nimic de pe ea niciodata, puterea de a produce bile uriaşe din excremente, controlul absolut asupra lifturilor, etc.

Keepsie Branson apartine celui de-al Treilea Val avand pe linga un bar de condus, si puterea de a preveni ca orice ajunge in posesia ei sa nu mai poata fi furat. Totusi puterile lui Keepsie si ale prietenilor ei nu sunt indeajuns să conteze in lupta contra raufacatorilor, si ei destul de bine inzestrati genetic. Si ca intriga sa fie completa apare in scena si o minte intunecata ce face jocurile in asa fel incat orasul sa se cufunde intr-un nor de haos, in care e greu sa distingi cine e eroul pozitiv sau cine are intentii rele.

Mur Lafferty se indeletniceste, in principal, cu emisiuni in reteaua podcast primind si numeroase premii pentru munca depusa in cadrul acestei platforme de distributie a datelor audio, text video, etc..”Playing for Keeps” a aparut mai intai in format audio pentru ca apoi sa fie disponibila  si in format  pdf, aici, si de curand a fost printata la publisher-ul Swarm Press. Varianta pdf are adaugata si o poveste bonus,”Parasite Awakens“.

Wow, a long long time has passed since I sat at my keyboard and talked about podcasting. Let us just recap.

• Palms Sunday – Seth Harwood had great success and Jack Wakes Up is to be re-released by Crown next Palm Sunday
• April 1st – Scott Sigler’s Infected was released leading to Contagious coming out at the end of December.  Also (if memory serves me well) it almost cracked the New York Times best seller list
• Billi’s crazy Eights / Double Trouble – Pip Valentine Ballantine and Tee Morris both released their books on the same day 08/08/08 and both books broke into the top 20 on Amazon
• Playing For Keeps – at the end of August Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps was released on Amazon which cracked the top 10 on Amazon
• Phil Rossi has had his Crescent novel in the throws of publication and a film deal as well

Congratulations to all those authors, all their books have pride of place on my book shelf.

I am going to be changing things up on here, I am still listening to PodioBooks and short story anthologies and really do admire the time and effort the various authors spend on their podcasts.  So rather than commenting on every episode I will over the coming months mention the podcasts that I am listening to and I feel warrant a mention.

Also, the “All Podcast” feed has been running without fail, Google Reader churns that out for me.  The “Featured Podcast” feed used to reflect the blog – I will start updating that again however I will not necessarily be posting about every entry in that feed.

Eleven

Cupid’s Chokehold

I pulled aside the curtains to reveal a tanned, smiling man hovering three stories above the pavement. Eric gave a wave and pointed at the window lock. “Come on, Adam, open up.”

“Oh my God,” Amber said, “he really does have wings. I mean… I know what everyone said, but…”

“Impressive, aren’t they?” Eric grinned, climbing in through the window I opened for him. The wings, enormous white-feathered things, barely fit through and they had to squeeze down in a way that made Eric wince in pain. Once he was in, the wings stretched out reflexively, bumping into a lamp on one side and Perry on the other. “They are kind of cumbersome, though, aren’t they?” He scrunched his face up in concentration, and the wings slowly receded, folding into his body and soon disappearing into the leather quiver strapped around his pack. Only the tips of the feathers remained visible. He wore only a pair of torn cargo shorts and sandals, plus the quiver. Although still smiling, he looked haggard, like he’d just come through a war zone.

“Adam, Perry,” he said, “long time no see.”

“You have wings,” Amber said.

“Yes, dear, I do.” He talked to her like a kid flummoxed by a department store Santa Claus. “And what’s your name?”

“This is Amber Jenkins,” I said. “She’s our… Perry, is ‘friend’ really an accurate term?”

“Oh, Jenkins.” Eric nodded. “I’m supposed to visit you someday, but it’ll be several more years. Just hold tight, okay?” He started to walk around, shivering. “Hey, do you think I could borrow a robe or something? You keep it like an icebox in here.”

“A robe? Who am I, Hefner?” I scrounged up a t-shirt and tossed it to him. When he pulled it down over his head, his pecs strained against the fabric enough to make me try to calculate the time since I’d gone to the gym.

He sat down on my couch, next to The Total Moron’s Guide to Greek Mythology. “Aw, Adam, you don’t give yourself enough credit.” He picked the book up and started thumbing through it.

“Look, not to beat around the bush or anything, but… who are you?”

“Who am I?” he asked. “I thought you guys were a braintrust. You can figure out Sisyphus and Tantalus, but you can’t place your old pal Eros?”

Amber smacked her forehead and Perry nodded, but I was still lost. “Eros? Who’s Eros?”

“Geez, Adam, don’t you ever read these things when you’re illustrating them? Look, I’m right–” He cut short, staring down at an illustration. “Oh, you ass,” he said. “I can’t believe you drew me this way.”

“What? I drew you? What way?”

He turned the book around and pointed to one of my cartoons, a pudgy little cherub firing a bow with heart-tipped arrows. “Really, man, this is the sort of cheery Valentine’s Day stereotype that’s been plaguing me for years now.”

“That’s you?”

“That’s Cupid. Or at least, the crappy Hallmark-ized version you doofy mortals have conjured up. That was the name the Romans gave me. I still prefer the Greek’s name. ‘Eros.’ Doesn’t it just sound more regal?” He plucked a shaft from his quiver, which he’d slipped back on over the t-shirt, and twirled it in his fingers. “Besides, it kind of sounds like ‘arrows,’ which I always thought was kind of funny.”

“You’re Cupid?” I asked. “Flies around, shoots people with arrows, makes ‘em fall in love Cupid?”

“In the flesh. Well… actually, in the rough approximation of flesh constructed to contain our godlike energies because your human brains couldn’t handle the sight of our true visage without going mad. But you get the idea.” He punched my shoulder. “You, my friend, were a hell of a project. You fell for a girl at the drop of a hat, but finding a match? Geez. I never realized the trouble it would cause.”

“You made me fall in love with Stephanie? Why the hell would you do such a stupid, destructive thing?”

“Whoa, whoa, Adam, it’s not that simple. I’ve seen all the cartoons, I know how you mortals think it works, but the rules of the universe weren’t written by Tex Avery. My power isn’t about physical attraction. Humans fall in lust with each other left and right, day in and day out. Zeus knows you don’t need any help from me.

“What I do is, I find people who have a genuine connection. People who actually belong together. Then I help them realize it. I tell you, Adam, no one was more surprised than I was when I realized I could connect a dumpy little web cartoonist like yourself with the queen of the underworld, but a match is a match.”

I almost took offense at “dumpy,” but when he stood up and various portions of his anatomy began rippling, I decided it was best to keep my mouth shut.

“I don’t get it,” Perry said. “None of the stuff you read in the books describes your power that way.”

“That’s because it’s a lot more romantic to say, ‘Eros makes people fall in love’ than it is to say ‘Eros helps compatible individuals form a meaningful connection.’ The guys who wrote the history books were still writers, Perry. They weren’t above a little use of creative license.”

“Then they didn’t get everything right?” I asked. “Like the stuff Perry was reading about Persephone’s personality? How she was a… a…”

“A stone-cold bitch? No, actually, that part was true. When it was written, anyway.”

“But… she’s not now?”

“She’s mellowed. Three thousand years trapped underground in a loveless marriage with a husband who’s lost all the sesame seeds off his hamburger bun will kill the spark from most women, in my experience.” The perpetual grin he had on his face started to crack. “It’s bad down there, guys, I’m not going to lie to you. Most of Hades’ realm was never a picnic, but after new spirits stopped flowing in, Hades started to get bored. And when he got bored, he got cruel. He started to round up the Unclaimed, the aimless souls not marked for either punishment in Tartarus or reward in Elysia.”

“And then?”

“And then… he got nasty. He started looking for different ways to punish, different methods of torture. And think about that for a minute. Think about what kinds of torture you could envision with all the time in the world, and a victim who can take all the abuse you give and not die, because he’s already dead.”

“Jesus,” Amber said.

“Yeah,” Eros said. “From what I know of the guy, He wouldn’t approve either.”

“So Hades has spent a few thousand years torturing dead people?” Perry asked.

“No. Just the first few hundred. Then he started to get bored again.”

I sat down. “Why do I get the feeling I won’t like this part?”

“He started to expand. First he aimed for the Elysian Fields, but the heroes who rest there managed to band together and keep out the Army of the Unclaimed. So then, he decided to go into the seas. He started in a spot you mortals call the Bermuda Triangle, sinking ships from right underneath the ocean floor. People started to get paranoid about the place. Then he took the battle back to Greece and he tried to scale Olympus itself. The war was… intense. It spilled out all over the Earth. It lasted for hundreds of years, and a lot of our smaller battles are in your history books. You see, Hades, Zeus and Poseidon used mortal proxies to fight their own battles. The Crusades. The War of 1812. World War II.”

“World War II was one of your smaller battles?” Amber shouted.

“Our last one, in fact,” he said. “Poseidon took control of your air forces to try to blast Hades off the map. He succeeded, but he had to ride the bomb down. He… Let’s just say that we were all surprised to find out the humans had invented something powerful enough to kill a god. Poseidon especially, I suppose.”

“Geez.”

“No kidding. Anyway, after that, Zeus and Hades signed a treaty. Zeus wouldn’t interfere in the Underworld and Hades wouldn’t interfere in the Sky. Trouble is, Earth itself is still free territory.” He flipped through the book again, landing in the “P”s. “Things have been quiet for about 60 years or so, but the last few years, Hades has been moving again. Persephone kept making her visits to Earth all this time. He didn’t really care until you, Adam.”

“Me? What’s so special about me?”

“Damned if I know. All I know is that you’re only the second person to touch Persephone’s heart since the day Hades first snatched her by her ponytail and dragged her underground. I don’t think anyone really believed it either. I mean, she’s had lovers before – Adam, don’t wince, I know you’ve been reading the books – and everyone sort of assumed you were just another toy. But then this year, when she got out, she made a beeline right back here. Looking for you.”

Amber looked over at me, then back at Eros. “Good grief, can’t you just hear his ego inflating from here?”

“Look, cut to the chase,” Perry said. “What are you doing here?”

“The lines are being drawn. Zeus is staying out of it, but the rest of us aren’t powerful enough to fight Hades alone. So we’ve been trying to band together. Apollo and Athena have been leading the rest of us. Ares and Hephaestus have both thrown in with Hades. A lot of the other lesser gods have joined one side or another. We think Persephone can be our ace in the hole. With her working with us, we may be able to get in and destroy Hades before this war of his finally destroys the world. And frankly, if we can’t stop him, I think it’ll be sooner rather than later.”

“So why are you here? We’re three ‘mere mortals’. What can we do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Persephone has been trapped in Hades for millennia. Even with the few months she roams the Earth each year, she’s never had anything she wants before, until now. That’s where you come in, Adam.” He twirled his arrow again, then flicked it through the air. It whizzed past me, embedding itself in the wall and vibrating with a sharp twang right next to my head. “You’re coming with me, Adam. You’re our bargaining chip.”

Next: Chapter 12-Slave to Love

Summer Love by Blake M. Petit is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.evertimerealms.com.

Just a reminder, friends… today is LAUNCH DAY for Mur Lafferty’s Playing For Keeps! If you’re planning to order a copy from Amazon.com, DO IT NOW!

This week the guys turn their attention to the world’s first pliable sleuth, Plastic Man! The guys ask why he’s never cracked the upper tier of the DC Icons, share their favorite stories, reminisce about a miniseries that almost no one remembers, and wonder if Ethan Van Sciver’s proposed relaunch will ever get off the ground. After a quick side-discussion on Flash: Rebirth, the guys get to their picks of the week. Chase goes with the webcomic The Devil and the Monk, while Blake asks everyone to rush out and get the superhero novel Playing For Keeps! E-mail us with your comments, “Ask Chase Anything” questions, or anything else at Showcase@Comixtreme.com!

Episode 83: Plastic Man
Inside This Episode:

If you’ve never heard of Mur Lafferty, this is for you. Mur is the author who turned me on to podcast novels with her excellent Heaven series. She’s also the creator of the I Should Be Writing podcast, an ongoing chronicle of her efforts to become a published fiction writer. The focus of that podcast is going to have to change, though — next week, Mur’s most recent podiobook, Playing For Keeps, will be released in print through the good people at Swarm Press.

I was lucky enough, earlier this week, to do a quick interview with Mur for Comixtreme about the book release. It was a lot of fun talking to her about the book, about her writing, and just in general. It sounds a little fanboyish, I suppose, but I enjoyed the chance to tell her how much I like her work. Playing For Keepsis really a fantastic book. It’s a superhero story about a group of low-powered superhumans… folks with seemingly useless powers like the ability to summon elevators or the power to cook the perfect meal or, in the case of our heroine, someone who cannot be stolen from. With powers like these, the “third wavers” are rejected by the heroes of the city. Things start to change, though, when a villain drops something in Keepsie’s possession — something the heroes want very badly.

The book is, at turns, exciting, funny, insightful, and touching. It’s a really unique angle to take in superhero storytelling, and it’s well worth reading.

It’s also, potentially, an important book. PFK is one of a few podcast novels — books that (like my own A Long November) were distributed for free as audio downloads on the internet — that has begun to make the transition to print. Mainstream book publishers are still skeptical of this practice. They think that no one will pay for something that they can get for free. The same goes for stuff like Summer Love, the story I’ve been serializing here on this very website. So when a podiobook becomes a traditional novel, it’s a big deal, and it’s a chance to send a message to the old media that the new media model can work. That’s why, even though I’ve already heard the novel, I can’t wait to go to Amazon.com on Monday, August 25, and order my print copy of Playing For Keeps. The idea is, for the folks who were planning to buy the book anyway to all do it on the same day, launch day, to help boost the book’s profile and bring it to the attention of people who otherwise may not have heard of it.

So here’s what I want you to do. If you’re at all interested in this — either in the idea behind the book or in the whole grand New Media experiment — do two things.

First: go check out my interview with Mur at Comixtreme.com.

Second: Wait until August 25, then go to Amazon.com and order Playing For Keeps. Take my word for it, gang. If you liked Other People’s Heroes, you will love this book.

I’ve been meaning to do this for ages. I may as well do it now I’m on my post-dinner break.

For a long while I had my blog over at leahclarke.vox.com, but recent changes in the site have put me off blogging there. So here I am with a new blog.

I write and I edit. Right now, I mostly edit. I’ve worked on Playing For Keeps by Mur Laffterty, Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick, The Dead Parade by James Roy Daley, and I’m currently rounding off edits on Eden by Tony Monchinski. As you may have realised, I’ve only been working for Permuted Press and Swarm Press so far, but I’m more than open to working with whoever will have me.

Even though I’ve managed to edit a writer I absolutely adore and have followed for quite a while now, my writing achievements have been, and I’m being kind with this description, less than stellar. Either I’m meant to be an editor, or my luck is bizarre in its distribution.

Anyway, enough blathering, back to Eden.

A catchy song that I currently love:

“Il gioco dell’amore” (The game of love)

I think that I must be a big music snob, because I have never been able to seriously date anyone if I didn’t respect their taste in music. Something that I have noticed about myself is that I’ve come away with an amazing song that I have fallen in love with from each serious crush that I’ve had in the past few years.

A few samples in no particular order:

Each song makes me really happy.

Ginger and Mur

Episode 17 of Books and Ideas is an interview with writer Mur Lafferty. Mur’s podcasts I Should Be Writing and Geek Fu Action Grip helped inspire me to start podcasting, so I was excited to get a chance to talk with her about her new novel, Playing for Keeps. We also talk a little about the challenges of podcasting.

Listen to episode 17

Part 1 of the audio version of Playing for Keeps is included in this episode. It starts at 30:48. You can find the novel at http://playingforkeepsnovel.com or at http://podiobooks.com.

Mur emphasized that her “street team” has done a lot to promote Playing for Keeps. Special thanks go to Natalie Metzger and Jarod Axelrod for artwork, and to Chris Miller for the companion video podcast, which is available on youtube.

Mur co-wrote Tricks of the Podcasting Masters with Rob Walch.

She has also had several great stories on Escape Pod. My favorite is “I look Forward to Remembering You,” which is scheduled to become a video on http://strangerthings.tv.

To find more of Mur’s work go to http://murlafferty.com.

Listen to Episode 17 of Books and Ideas

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We have moved to a new website. If you would like to comment on this episode or link to this post please go to http://docartemis.com/blog/2008/02/26/books-and-ideas-17-mur-lafferty/.

Last night the 7th Episode of Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps novel dropped and I caught it on the way to work this morning.

The story gets going with another change in the ‘Bad Guys’

Episode Link

Another great podcast from Mur, with a great if not a little bit egotistic intro from Scott Sigler.  This story is fantastic, and i haven’t mentioned it here but the pdf’s have a link to the Playing for Keeps website to get the book in print (via Print on Demand) in January

Also last week we had the latest chapter of Mur Lafferty’s Playing for Keeps.

Things are really not looking good for Keepsie, does she make the wrong decision?

Episode Link

I am really loving this story, I am a superhero/comic book fan and I love this story, as I am writing this I should get the next episode tomorrow which is good news.  Also it may please some of you but Keepsie Bar pint glasses are now available.