The Smashwords Interview

David Weir interviewed me for Smashwords recently. I think it turned out well, and the timing couldn't have been better with The Expendable Few doing well with several EBook retailers.

I discuss some of the struggles I've had as a writer and how I came to write Space Opera.

You can find the article HERE.

RL

A Candid Interview Of Yours Truly At Author Culture!

It's been a while since anyone has asked me questions about what I do in a public space. I receive plenty of emails from people with pointed questions about Spinward Fringe, self publishing, and other topics involving what I do every day.

The great thing about the interview that was just published at Author Culture is that a lot of the same questions are answered publicly now, and with more specific detail. This interview asks questions about my routine, the reality of offering the first book free with regards to how well that spreads the word about my work, book trailers and more. I enjoyed answering so much that I offered a few details I've always been tight lipped about.

You can check the interview out here: Author Culture - Exploring The Wonder Of The Genre With Randolph Lalonde

Thanks to everyone at Author Culture for having an interest, especially Johne The Sky Pirate!

RL

[I accept most interview requests, especially those that focus on the content of the Spinward Fringe series.]

Reviews and Interviews

Shawn R Gray just managed the nearly impossible by reviewing Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments without spoiling any part of the plot line. I'm more than a little impressed, and pleased that he enjoyed the book.

He does mention an outstanding question that many readers have EMailed me about, and I'm glad to say the following:

Yes, it'll all make sense in the next book. No, I can't tell you why or how.

What I like about that point in the plot is that it has everyone asking questions even though those questions come from a place of; "But how can it be?" It's the kind of thing that a middle book should accomplish, among others.

Anyway, enough of me yammering on. Here's Shawn R Gray's review.

A while back I also did an interview on the Spinward Fringe series, in which I discussed the series' future with publishers, what my attitude towards the publishing industry is now and a little more personal history surrounding Spinward Fringe leaks out. A few people have found the interview interesting, especially with so much turmoil in the industry right now.

You can find the interview here.








A quick note about reviews: Every short review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever you got your hands on my work is helpful. I like readers to make an informed decision when they buy my work, and there's nothing better than you guys sharing your opinions to make sure that happens.

RL

[Thanks to everyone who has ever posted a review, mentioned me on a blog or podcast.]

Interview About Spinward Fringe At Two Ends Of The Pen

So it finally happened.

I've gone and told everyone what it would take for a big publishing company to buy the Spinward Fringe series, what I think of agents and how the whole series really started.

When things fell into place so I could do the interview at Two Ends Of The Pen, I 'm sure she had no idea those where things I really wanted to talk about. Authors, they say the damndest things...

 Now it's out there, on the Interwebs for all to see, and I'd love to see a few readers comments there with regards to my opinion on the establishment.

This article also serves as a good quick primer for anyone who isn't familiar with the series yet. Just remember, there's a free version of the First Light Chronicles Omnibus / Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins available HERE. You don't have to buy the $0.99 Amazon Kindle version linked to in the article if you don't care about navigation menus and the like.

You can find the interview here.

Well, back to work on Broadcast 7!

RL

The Indie Spotlight Featuring Randolph Lalonde & The First Light Chronicles Omnibus

Several weeks ago I gave a text interview for the Indie Spotlight, a website that features indie authors with work on the shelves. The article has made its way onto the Internet and is featured on their quickly growing site here: The Indie Spotlight Featuring Randolph Lalonde

The focus of the interview is the First Light Chronicles Omnibus, so if you're looking for more background on the origin of the Spinward Fringe series or a little info on my personal history where writing is concerned, then this is the article to read. The book has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times (over 95% for free), and has been a fantastic launch pad for the Spinward Fringe series. With the next Spinward Fringe book on the horizon, this is the perfect time to introduce new readers to the series.

Thanks to everyone at the Indie Spotlight for featuring me, you've grown a fantastic site in a short amount of time.

RL

- Next on the blog: Update on the status of Spinward Fringe Broadcast 6: Fragments and another post about the ever growing Spinward Fringe Universe and Encyclopedia.

Book Chatter Author Panel For 11/7/09 - Recorded Episode With Randolph Lalonde

In this seventy four minute episode of Book Chatter, hosted by Stacey Cochran, I was fortunate enough to join in on an author's panel featuring Red Adept (book reviewer), R.J. Keller, and Maria Schneider.
It was a pleasure to share in a discussion about writing science fiction, self publishing, independent distribution, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and a few other topics. Everyone had a different take on various topics and there was even some audience participation via the live chat room.

In case you can't see the embedded video above, here's a direct link to the episode on UStream: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2514253

So sit back as we chatter on about our books and the state of the eBook market.

RL

Randolph Lalonde On Book Chatter Tonight

[UPDATE] The show is on for tonight, Saturday the 7th at 11pm. All of Book Chatter's technical difficulties have been taken care of. You'll be able to join us on UStream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bookchatter Please feel free to participate in the chat room! [UPDATE]

Yesterday I received an invitation from Stacey Cochran to be a guest on his weekly Podcast: Book Chatter.

He specifically wanted to speak to me about the Spinward Fringe series. After checking his work out again, I had seen other interviews conducted by him some time ago, I agreed.

There might be a question or two about being an Indie author, but it looks like the topic he'll focus on most will be Spinward Fringe, since that's what I'm best known for thanks to my 400 or so readers.

There will be two or three other authors on the hour long show, and you can probably expect a little cross talk between us since it's happened on shows before. There's no telling what questions might get tossed around, which makes for a pretty interesting atmosphere.

There is also a live chat room that readers and other participants can use to ask any of the authors questions. Stacey watches the chat pretty closely, so if you have anything you'd like to bring up (with the exception of direct spoilers), you should definitely say something in chat.

Book Chatter airs tonight on UStream:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bookchatter at 11 PM (EST)

I hope to see / hear / read you there!

RL

Somacow: I review it.

The guys at Somacow (Geoff, J, Mickey and arguably Ross), have improved their show. I'm not talking about production quality, extra webcams, or other bells and whistles that most of the audience doesn't really care about. I'm talking about talk.

Their segments are more interesting, the conversation is a little more wall to wall, and the rants are more pointed. Don't like rants? Don't knock it until you've heard Geoff go off on stupid parents, bad politics, fast food restaurants, customer retention or any of a variety of people who had it coming. Sometimes Geoff goes off in another direction (at his co-hosts), but I can't hold him speaking his mind -if a little harshly- without reservation. I'm not always on his side, but there's nothing wrong with that either. Besides, it's live baby, and it wouldn't be real, live, unscripted radio without a little fecal flinging in the studio.

The audience is listening. They're getting more calls, and most of them are unplanned. Feedback isn't ignored. Geoff and the guys pay attention to the chat room and bring up highlights during the show. They read their audience mail and the comments. When the Heard (their affectionate nickname for the listeners), likes something they look into getting more, such as guest hosts. The Heard responded very well to a couple of the hosts they've had to mix things up on the show and as I understand it they'll be keeping their eyes and ears open for someone worthy of inviting to the studio. Ross, the producer, is responsible for most of the guests and many other aspects of the show. He does a great job despite the comical abuse he's constantly subjected to.

Now, as someone who loved odd comedy radio growing up (Radio Free Vestibule being my all time favourite), and a Canadian, I'm no expert on talk radio. CBC Radio was the main venue for talk Radio and my memories of those long winded, sedate announcers would read like a flatline on an EKG.

The Somacow guys are experts on talk radio, however. They've been around the talk radio, local entertainment and trivia scene in Florida for a long time and learned from the mistakes of others just as much as their own. They were around at the scene's height in the 80's and 90's and have watched its steady decline and normalization thanks to heavy corporate influence. It shows. They maintain their independence and don't censor themselves so they can get noticed and moved into a big, tightly controlled studio setting. Whether that's on purpose or thanks to the announcer's general celebration of the freedom of speech is uncertain, but it's a very good thing. What they do may look or sound easy at times but trust me, it isn't. Every week they put a three hour show on and they've been steadily improving since I started listening about a year ago. They have an extensive back catalog and haven't missed a day.

Somacow also doesn't dumb their conversations down nor do they step out of the human experience. For a media culture that seems obsessed with being politically correct and pandering to the sub-70 IQ portion of their audience, or to "Joe Yokel" as I like to call him, (hi Joe, hope you finally learned to program your alarm clock and make cereal), it's good to find a place where they're not afraid to criticise the Kings of the day then turn around and toss some fecal humour in for good measure. People take themselves too seriously and Somacow isn't afraid to point that out with a good jab while not patronizing their audience.

Their shows are loosely organized around a few segments. The News Bomb, by J is a fan favourite where he pokes fun at the news of the day with short comments or general fabrication. Life Coaching with Mickey is a platform for disseminating practical advice that's shined with some a little humour. That sounds sort of dry in description, but it isn't, esepecially since Mickey will sometimes break into a short but entertaining rant using examples to reinforce his point.

Geoff's segment, the Book Review, is generally kept short and to the point, where he offers his opinion on recent reads often chosen from outside the top 100 list. He's very well read and isn't afraid to point out high and low points or to diversify ouside conventional literature. I particularly enjoy his unique ranking system.

The newest segment is the Man segment, where Geoff, Mickey, J and Ross celebrate manly acts with additional examples provided by the Heard. Women aren't excluded from the conversation either and some of the examples provided by the female following can be difficult to top, bringing another level of comedy to the segment. The rest of the show is loosely planned, focusing on talking points that allow for some latitude so Geoff, J and Mickey can be free to take the conversation elsewhere if it feels right.

It's hard to make low and medium brow humour fit in the same hour but they do it and their audience reaps the rewards. If you've ever enjoyed a talk television show (The Tonight Show, David Letterman, or even the View), and want to hear some talk radio that doesn't take itself too seriously, limit itself or adhere to a code of practices created by a bunch of stuffed suits, then you'll benefit from giving Somacow a listen.

If you'd like to listen and watch live you can check them out on UStream on Fridays between 7-10pm. If you miss it on Friday they release episodes throughout the week at Somacow.com

I'll be there, in the chatroom, moo'ing with the Heard.

RL

If you'd like to listen in on a short impromptu interview with yours truly and a review of Dark Arts, check out Episode 354!

SomaCow Interviews Randolph Lalonde

I'm a regular live listener to SomaCow, I'll admit with no shame (okay, maybe just a little), that their fearless humour and many of their opinions fit right in with what I really enjoy in a talk radio show.

Ross, Geoff and myself had talked about doing an interview, but I was really just calling in to say; "hello, merry Christmas and a happy new year." Geoff, being the effortless pro that he is, picked up the unplanned call and just peppered me with questions about self publishing, being and indie writer, about the crazy cold weather us Canucks were having that night and it was great fun.

I've done interviews before (years ago), and as always there are a few things I look back on and think; "God, I really should have said this, that, or added this or the other to a particular statement." That's natural, and thanks to SomaCow and their generosity I may get another opportunity to talk to Geoff and the guys (that would be J, Mickey and Ross), but none of the blanks I think I missed really need filling in, except for one.

There's a point in this interview where Geoff asks about what kind of advice I have for budding indie writers. My response is correct, except for one thing: I actually forgot to mention that the most important part of any budding writer's career is to continue improving your craft. There are other points that pertain to independent and represented writers, and they're mentioned.

Go on over and listen to the interview, I'm sure there's something in there for you to enjoy! Sadly, I didn't get to talk to J so much...

RL

Oh, and when you're finished, take a moment to leave a comment.