A collection of podcasts exploring the culture in pop culture. Our shows range from the general (flagship show The Chronic Rift) to the specific (The Batcave Podcast). We look at literature (Dead Kitchen Radio), movies (The Weekly Podioplex), family (Generations Geek), gaming (The Cardboard Jungle), and more.

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Our long delayed look at the various incarnations of the Doctors on Doctor Who continues with a discussion of the Peter Davison era.  Having some great shoes to fill, Davison had his work cut out for him, but he managed nicely in the three years he played the role.  John is joined by Keith DeCandido and Krissy Myers to discuss the companions, the Doctor's story arc through the three years culminating in "Caves of Androzani", the Fifth Doctor as a bridge between the old and new series, and of course, episodes to watch out for.  We even remembered to talk about The Master.  Well, Keith and Krissy did.

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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Peter_Davison.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 5:03am EDT
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We finally pick up our look at each of the actors to play the role of the Doctor on the long running British series, Doctor Who.  This time around, we're looking at the seven year run of Tom Baker.  We're talking his early years, his companions, his reluctance to be involved in Whodom for so many years and then his explosion in audio and on TV.  It's all here, hosted by Keith DeCandido with John S. Drew sitting in as guest joined by Gary Mitchel of the Revcast and the American Sci-Fi Classics Track at DragonCon.  Get your jelly babies ready as we set the TARDIS controls to the 70s and discuss Tom Baker!

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 


 

 


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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Tom_Baker.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 7:13am EDT
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The last of Krissy Myers recordings of Doctor Who actors and directors features actor Dan Starkey of the new series.  He discusses being a Sontaran and the possibility of a spinoff series for his character.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 


 

 


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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Dan_Starkey.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:42pm EDT
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The first Spotlight episode of the new year sees John sitting down with author/actor Nick Cole.  Nick is heading up a collaborative literary effort called Apocalypse Weird.  He joins John to talk the writing process and how the reader can help in developing this shared world experience.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 


 


Nick Cole is a working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can often be found as a guard for King Phillip the Second of Spain in the Opera Don Carlo at Los Angeles Opera or some similar role. Nick Cole has been writing for most of his life and acting in Hollywood after serving in the U.S. Army.

Episode Links

Nick's Home Page

Apocalpyse Weird

Facebook Group

 

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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Nick_Cole.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 10:48am EDT
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Krissy Myers returns to host this Spotlight episode with Diane Shreve about the Kickstarter campaign for Nosferatu Remixed.  This ambitious project takes footage from the classic silent film and mixing it with a modern take starring Doug Jones as the title character.  The campaign is in its final hours and they are only a few thousand away from their goal.  Listen to this interview and see how you can help with the campaign.  Fans of the legendary movie will appreciate the effort being made to bring this classic into the 21st century.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 


 


Diane Shreve is a full-time student at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus.  She majors in the field of Graphic Information Technology, and is currently maintaining a 4.0 GPA while being ranked in the top five percent of her class.  Ms. Shreve has always excelled in academics, as she graduated number one in her class from her high school, has received the Kiwanis International Award for leadership skills, and has been selected to join and has become a member of honor societies such as the Golden Key International Honor Society, the National Society Of Collegiate Scholars, and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.  She is also a member of her campus’s Graphic Information Technology Club.

Diane Shreve has been very much interested in graphic arts and design for a number of years.  She has been working with websites, design, and computer graphics for eight years and has been working as a freelance professional web designer for a number of those years.  She is proficient with current design tools such as Adobe’s Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, Fireworks CS4, and has basic working knowledge of Flash CS4.  Diane has created print and online material for M&T Fabrications (a metal fabrications company), has worked with painter and photographer J.R. Pepper for promotion and online material, has done advertising and web work for comedian Greg Proops, and has designed and maintained all of the web material for the online radio show Outlaw Radio.

Ms. Shreve also has a background in marketing and sales and has done work for Vector Marketing with the Cutco industry, as well as worked as a telemarketer and sales consultant for State Farm.

Episode Links

Nosferatu Remix on Facebook

Article on Nosferatu Remix

Nosferatu Remix on Twitter

Nosferatu Remix Kickstarter

 

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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Diane_Shreve.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 10:11am EDT
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Krissy Myers returns to host this Spotlight episode where she had the opportunity to sit in on a chat with British television director Graeme Harper.  While best known for his work on the Doctor Who series, Harper is known for a number of other British television shows which he talks about in this episode.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 


 


Graeme Harper was originally a child actor, appearing in adaptations of "The Silver Sword" and "The Pickwick Papers" amongst other productions, before becoming a floor assistant at the BBC in 1965 and then an assistant floor manager in 1969. He worked on the Doctor Who adventures "Colony in Space," "Planet of the Daleks," "Planet of the Daleks" and "Planet of the Spiders" during the Jon Pertwee years, and "The Seeds of Doom" and "Warriors' Gate" in the Tom Baker era. In 1980 Harper started on the BBC's director's course. "The Caves of Androzani" was the first job he got as a freelance director after working on "Angels" for Julia Smith. Harper went on to direct one further Doctor Who story, "Revelations of the Daleks," and was also to have directed the third story in the abandoned season twenty-three which would have been either Philip Martin's "Mission to Magnus" or Robert Holmes's "Yellow Fever and How to Cure It." Harper went on to work on shows such as "District Nurse," "Hope and Glory," "Star Cops," "Boon," "The House of Windsor," "The Bill," "The House of Elliot" and "september Song" and is one of the industry's most sought after directors. In 1993 he was scheduled to direct "The Dark Dimension," an ultimately un-made thirtieth anniversary Doctor Who story.

 

Show Links
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Tweet on Twitter: The Chronic Rift andThe Weekly Podioplex
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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Graeme_Harper.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 9:54am EDT
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Michael Falkner takes control of the spotlight as he interviews author Lauren Orbison about her first children's book, Tortellini.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

 

 

 


 


Lauren Orbison is an independent author residing in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband and four ridiculous cats.  She is missing a small portion of her 22nd chromosome and offers a $50 reward if you find it.  Her mutant superpowers include befriending dragons, writing down her observations, and talking until people's ears fall off.  Tortellini is her first published book, though she plans to have more out shortly.

 

Theo Solorio has been drawing dragons since she was 3 years of age and still loves to draw them to this day. Besides drawing all the time, her other hobbies include listening to 70's and 80's tunes on cassette tape, watching classic Disney movies on VHS, and doing a little 2D animation.

She resides in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and she dresses up as a dragon to avoid scaring the locals. Yep. She's an old-fashioned little green dragon.

 

Lauren's Links

Lauren's Website

Facebook Page

 

Twitter

 

Show Links
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Tweet on Twitter: The Chronic Rift andThe Weekly Podioplex
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Direct download: Spotlight_-_Lauren_Orbison.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 10:53am EDT
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Krissy Myers returns with a new Spotlight episode, talking with former BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound effects wizard, Dick Mills.  The two talk about his time on Doctor Who as well as other projects he was involved in.  Special thanks to Mister Mills for taking the time to sit with Krissy.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


 


Dick Mills (born 1936) is a British sound engineer, specialising in electronic sound effects which he produced at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Mills was one of the original staff at the Radiophonic Workshop, joining in 1958 as a technical assistant. At first he was employed to handle the hardware of the Workshop but soon found himself recording effects. Some of his earliest, uncredited sound work was on the 1958 BBC science-fiction serial Quatermass and the Pit. Another of his prominent early recordings was the "Major Bloodnok's Stomach" sound effect, a significant part of the popular The Goon Show.

Although he recorded much in those early years, it is his later work on Doctor Who for which he most remembered. In 1972, he took over from fellow BBC Radiophonic Workshop sound effects producer Brian Hodgson, whom he had sometimes previously assisted, and continued providing "special sound" for every episode of the programme, with the exception of two four-part stories, until it ended in 1989. He also provided special sound for the Doctor Who spin-off K-9 and Company. As such, he has the distinction of having more on-screen credits than anyone else in the history of the series. Owing to his technical know-how, he managed to bring to the position new methods of recording sound effects quicker than before. Besides his sound effects on Doctor Who, he also produced and compiled the first of the programme's music compilations, Doctor Who - The Music and Doctor Who - The Music II. Over the years, many of his own sound effects have also appeared on various compilations.

Other sound effects he provided included material for the cult series Moonbase 3, produced in 1973 by then-Doctor Who producer Barry Letts, and also occasionally sounds for The Two Ronnies.

Mills' work was acknowledged in a Doctor Who documentary broadcast on The Lively Arts in 1977. The same year, he appeared on the BBC's children's magazine programme Blue Peter to demonstrate how some of the Doctor Who effects were realised and how children could make their own sound effects at home. He also appeared in the 2004 BBC Radiophonic Workshop BBC Four documentary Alchemists of Sound.

He is also the author of many books on aquaria and tropical fish, as well as a former editor of The Aquarist and Pondkeeper magazine and a member of the Federation of British Aquatic Societies Council.

 
Direct download: Spotlight_-_Dick_Mills.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 8:29am EDT
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The Chronic Rift rumbles back to life with an interview with one of the masters of undead storytelling - Jay Smith.  Jay talks with John about the release of the novel based on his Parsec Award nominated audio work, The Diary of Jill Woodbine.  He talks about what went into making the novel, the development of it as a Kindle work for Amazon and his reasons for making it available now.  Take a listen to the podcast and then head on over to Amazon and get your copy today.

Pick up a copy of The Diary of Jill Woodbine via our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only support Jay but you also support the podcast as well.  Thank you.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


 


Jay Smith is the creator and executive producer for the Parsec Award-winning audio drama series HG World.  Since 2009, Jay and his company of players and producers have been telling the story of survivors in the middle of a global zombie uprising.  Now in its third season, this "satellite" production has featured dozens of actors across four continents making it a production truly on a global scale.  Since its debut, episodes of HG World and its spin-off series, the Parsec finalist The Diary of Jill Woodbine and The Googies have been downloaded close to a million times.

Inspired by the golden age of radio, Hidden Harbor Mysteries presents a story inspired by stylish pulp era radio adventures like The ShadowSam Spade, The Green Hornet, and I Love a Mystery. Performed by a stellar cast, Hidden Harbor hopes to integrate classic radio storytelling with some modern twists.  Jay draws from the work of Orson Welles, Arch Obelor and looks to modern audio dramatists like Douglas Adams and Dirk Maggs as inspiration to create a rich, realistic world of survival horror laced with dark comedy and compelling human drama.

Jay holds a BA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and is working on his Master of Fine Arts from Seton Hill University’s innovative Writing Popular Fiction program.  He attends and speaks at various science fiction and literary conventions about podcasting, writing, audio drama, and zombies.  HG World can be heard by subscribing through iTunes or visiting the show web site www.goodmorningsurvivors.com

Direct download: Spotlight_-_Jay_Smith.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 2:50pm EDT
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Keith gets the opportunity to sit on the other side of the Chronic Rift table as a guest.  His latest Star Trek work, The Klingon Art of War has just been released and he sits with John to discuss the development and writing of the book.  Take a listen as Keith explains all including what is happening with his Dragon Precinct series on a new Spotlight episode.

Pick up a copy of The Klingon Art of War via our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only support Keith and show the power that be at Simon and Schuster that you wish more Trek literature by Keith, but you also support the podcast as well.  Thank you.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


 


International best-selling author Keith R.A. DeCandido was born, raised, educated, and still lives in the Bronx. His Mom and Dad fed him a steady diet of Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, and P.G. Wodehouse, which corrupted him for life -- not only instilling in him a great love of science fiction, fantasy, and silly British humor, but also likely being responsible for his pretentious insistence on using both his middle initials all the time.

Keith has published over thirty novels, most of them in the realm of media tie-ins. The majority of his work has appeared in the worlds of Star Trek: Keith has written novels, novellas, comic books, short stories, and eBooks, and also edited several anthologies that cover all five TV shows as well as several prose-only series -- one of which, the Corps of Engineers eBook series, he co-developed. Several of his Trek novels have hit the USA Today best-seller list, and received critical acclaim from all over the map, both online and in print. Keith edited the monthly Star Trek eBook line from 2001 until the line came to an end in 2008.

He has also written in the worlds of Blizzard Games, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Command and Conquer, CSI, Doctor Who, Farscape, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Marvel Comics, Supernatural, Young Hercules, and many more.

In 2004, Dragon Precinct, Keith's first non-tie-in novel, was published. It's a police procedural in a standard elves/dwarves/magic fantasy setting -- picture Law & Order meets Lord of the Rings. Stories in the same setting have appeared in the anthologies Murder by Magic, Hear Them Roar, Bad-Ass Faeries, and Pandora's Closet.

Keith's editorial career started in college -- serving on Fordham University's award-winning alternative newspaper, called, simply, the paper -- and includes a stint at Library Journal magazine and five years as an editor for the late Byron Preiss and his various companies (Byron Preiss Visual Publications, Byron Preiss Multimedia, BP Books, and ibooks inc.). Among his accomplishments in the latter job were editing a highly successful line of novels based on Marvel Comics's super heroes and helping bring Alfred Bester back into print.

From 1998-2006, Keith owned and operated the company Albé-Shiloh Inc., a provider of writing and editing services. ASI's most visible project was the Nebula Award-nominated anthology of original novelettes called Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction. Keith has edited over a dozen anthologies since 1995, from the acclaimed OtherWere: Stories of Transformation in 1996 to the Star Trek anthologies Tales of the Dominion War and Tales from the Captain's Table in 2004-2005 to Doctor Who: Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership in 2008.

For four glorious years, Keith worked on The Chronic Rift, a New York City public access talk show on SF, fantasy, comics, gaming, and other genre issues. Working with his best friend, Executive Producer and Director John S. Drew, Keith was cohost and Producer of the Rift, doing 100 half-hour episodes that aired in New York from 1990-1994.

Keith is a professional musician, currently the percussionist for the parody band the Boogie Knights. He's played on five CDs. From 1996-2000, he was with the Don't Quit Your Day Job Players, and besides his gigs with the Knights, he has been occasionally active in New York City clubs, backing up the Randy Bandits, Steve Rosenhaus, and the late David Honigsberg.

Besides all this, Keith is a student of Kenshikai karate (a brown belt, as of February 2008), and an amateur actor and voiceover actor (you can hear his work on some of the audio dramas produced and directed by his erstwhile Chronic Rift cohort John S. Drew).

Direct download: Spotlight_-_Keith_DeCandido.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 6:55pm EDT
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Krissy Myers recently attended the Reversed Polarity Convention.  There, she got to interview a number of people who had a hand in shaping Doctor Who as a series.  The first one she presents is an interview with actor Peter Davison.  Davison portrayed the fifth Doctor in the series during the 80s and he set Krissy's heart aflutter as she relates in this episode.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


Direct download: Spotlight_-_Peter_Davison_Interview.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 8:00pm EDT
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Our journey through the history of Doctor Who continues as we take a look at the five year run of actor Jon Pertwee in the role.  Host Keith R.A. DeCandido is joined by Chronic Rift regular Krissy Myers and The G2V Podcast host Scott Alan Woodard to discuss the third Doctor and his reflection of the times he appeared.  This is the era that not only had a new Doctor, but also issued in color programming, featured Earth based stories, and introduced the Master.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


Direct download: Spotlight_-_Jon_Pertwee.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 8:47pm EDT
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Our look back at each of the actors who portrayed the Doctor in Doctor Who continues as our focus turns to Patrick Troughton.  Host Krissy Myers is joined by The G2V Podcast host Arnold T. Blumberg and longtime fan Dale Mazur to discuss the run of second Doctor.  This is the era that suffered the most from the BBC's purging of their video vaults.  The recently recovered material is discussed as well as the ties Patrick Troughton's era has with the Matt Smith era of the show.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


Direct download: Spotlight_-_Patrick_Troughton.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 5:01pm EDT
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Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Lucky Shot studios, all was in readiness for the holiday coolios?  It's best to leave the poetry to the experts.  But the podcasting you can leave to John and the Rift Network.  It's Christmas once again and John sits down to take a moment to breathe and reflect on the year passed.  There's the annual reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and some holiday music to make your day merry and bright.  And to all a good night.  (See, we can rhyme if we want to, we can leave your friends behind.)

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


Direct download: Spotlight_2013.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 6:49am EDT
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Dirk Maggs is renowned for his numerous audio dramas with such credits as Superman: Doomsday, Spider-Man, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to his credit.  Jay Smith (HG World) got the opportunity to sit down and talk with Maggs via Skype over a year ago.  Jay offered the interview to The Chronic Rift and it's an excellent discussion on audio drama production today, the good and the bad.  We want to thank Jay for sharing this interview with us and for hosting this episode.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.



Dirk Maggs' BBC Career included stints as a producer in BBC Television and a Senior Producer in BBC Radio Light Entertainment. He has won national and international awards including Sonys, Talkies and Audies. Dirk was among the first ever nominees for the Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in his field.

Dirk was responsible for writing and directing the hugely successful 2003-5 radio renaissance of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - its late author Douglas Adams having specifically asked him to produce the conclusion to the saga in its original medium. In 2012 Dirk adapted the entire five-novel Hitchhiker’s epic into a stage show featuring the original cast which delighted thousands of theatregoers.

In Spring 2013 Dirk adapted, co-directed (with Heather Larmour) and sound designed Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere for BBC Radio 4/4 Extra, a critically acclaimed production with an all-star cast including Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy.

Dirk's Television work includes Bob The Builder and The Animated Mr Bean, in Film The Magic Roundabout Movie. For BBC Radio, Dirk created epic 'audio movies' featuring Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Judge Dredd.

Dirk's Voice Directing for Games has included Revolution Software's Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon and Broken Sword: The Angel Of Death.

Dirk has directed many outstanding artists, including James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christopher Lee, Leslie Nielsen, Christian Slater, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Jonathan Pryce, Juliet Stevenson, Jim Broadbent, Maureen Lipman, Johnny Vegas, Ricky Tomlinson, Harry Enfield, Jim Carter, Steve Coogan, Alison Steadman and Spike Milligan.

Dirk has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the University of Winchester for his work in the dramatic arts and is a Guest Lecturer at the Universities of Westminster, Bournemouth and Winchester. He has also been involved with creative Native American projects at Native Voices at the Autry Center in Los Angeles, California and Native American Public Television in Lincoln, Nebraska.

 

Direct download: Spotlight_-_Dirk_Maggs.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 11:48am EDT
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Today marks the 50th anniversary of the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who.  While most modern day fans have become so thanks to the reboot of the series in 2005, there are a legion of fans who love all the incarnations of the Doctor, including his first.  In celebration of the anniversary, the Spotlight series will take a monthly look at each of the Doctors.  We begin where it all began in a little salvage yard on Totters Lane with two teachers attempting to find out the secret of their unusual student.  There, they meet the grandfather of the girl, a doctor, played by William Hartnell.  He whisk them away through time and space in a time machine in the shape of a British police box.  And thus the 50 year adventure begins.  John sits down with The G2V Podcast's Arnold T. Blumburg and Scott Alan Woodard to discuss the man and his legacy to the series.  They offer suggestions on episodes to watch and also look at how this first incarnation of the Doctor took some time and development to become the Doctor that everyone knows and loves today.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.



From Wikipedia:

Hartnell's performance in This Sporting Life was noted by Verity Lambert, the producer who was setting up a new science-fiction television series for the BBCDoctor Who. Lambert offered him the title role. Although Hartnell was initially uncertain about accepting a part in what was pitched to him as a children's series, in part due to his success in films[9], Lambert and director Waris Hussein convinced him to take the part, and it became the character for which he gained the highest profile and is now most remembered. Hartnell later revealed that he took the role because it led him away from the gruff, military parts in which he had become typecast, and, having two grandchildren of his own, he came to relish particularly the attention and affection that playing the character brought him from children.

Doctor Who earned Hartnell a regular salary of £315 per episode by 1966 (in the era of 48 weeks per year production on the series), equivalent to £4,050 a week in modern terms. Throughout his tenure as the Doctor, William Hartnell wore a wig when playing the part, as the character had long hair.

Hartnell's deteriorating health (he suffered from arteriosclerosis, which began to affect his ability to say his lines), as well as poor relations with the new production team on the series after the departure of Verity Lambert, ultimately led him to leave Doctor Who in 1966.

When he left Doctor Who, the producer of the show came up with a unique idea: since the Doctor is an alien, he can transform himself physically, thereby renewing himself. William Hartnell himself suggested that Patrick Troughton should be cast as the new Doctor, stating that "There's only one man in England who can take over, and that's Patrick Troughton". In the fourth episode of the serial The Tenth Planet, the First Doctor regenerated into Troughton's Second Doctor.

Direct download: Spotlight_-_DOCTOR_WHOs_William_Hartnell.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 12:29pm EDT
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John talks with author Kevin G. Summers about the writing process and how he came to be involved with Kindle Worlds, the shared worlds project from Amazon.

Comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.  Please rate the episode using our star system at the bottom of this entry.


The Social Media Links

Kevin's Homepage

Kevin's Facebook Page


PODCAST PROMOS

The Roundtable Podcast Promo

Saturday B Movie Reel Podcast Promo



Kevin G. Summers was born in Washington, D.C. in 1974 and grew up in the Virginia suburbs. His interest in writing began at an early age. When he was a small child, his mother brought him along to her master-level writing classes at George Mason University, where Kevin sat in on lectures by John Irving, John Gardener and Susan Shreve.

Kevin is the author of the critically-acclaimed short story ISOLATION WARD 4, as well as several other stories set in the Star Trek universe. His short story THE BELL CURSE was the very first tale published in The World of Kurt Vonnegut under the Kindle Worlds imprint.

Kevin raises heritage hogs on his family farm and teaches writing at various colleges and libraries in Northern Virginia. He lives in an 100-year old farmhouse in Amissville, Virginia with his beautiful wife Rachel and their children Morwen, Ingrid and Roland.

Direct download: Spotlight_-_Kevin_G_Summers.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 5:15pm EDT
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Claudia Christian has seen it all.  From her start on Dallas to her iconic role as Commander Susan Ivonova on the hit sci-fi series Babylon 5 to her numerous movie roles, Claudia Christian has had a recurring theme running through her acting career - alcoholism.  She shares her struggle with her addiction in a new memoir, Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex & Addiction.  John got to speak with Claudia by phone about the writing process with her writing partner, connecting with her father, and dealing with ice that wasn't ice.

Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.


When actress Claudia Christian flees a troubled childhood and moves to Hollywood at age 17, she steps through the looking glass into another world.

From the set of Dallas to her starring role on the sci-fi series Babylon 5, Claudia’s affairs with billionaires, supermodels, rock stars, and celebrities are mixed with shootings, stalking, heartbreak, and betrayal. Onset and off, drama follows Claudia—an alcohol-fueled coke run and makeout session with a bridesmaid on her wedding day; her tempestuous, love-hate relationship with actor Angus Macfadyen; the conspiracy theories surrounding her ex-husband’s death; and a 20-year on-and-off relationship with billionaire Dodi Fayed before he dated Princess Diana. Hollywood life takes its toll on Claudia as she descends into alcohol addiction and a desperate battle to reclaim her life.

Rehab, alternative treatments, and even hypnotism can’t break the cycle of alcohol abuse that threatens to destroy Claudia. Close to despair she discovers The Sinclair Method, a treatment that saves her life.

Sometimes shocking, often humorous, always captivating — Babylon Confidential is a story of hope that will inspire and enlighten you.

Please read my story and support the important message of hope it contains for those suffering from addiction.

For more on my new book Babylon Confidential, visit http://www.BabylonConfidential.com
or my Official Facebook Fan Page.

Follow me on Twitter @ClaudiaLives

Please click LIKE and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Direct download: Spotlight-Claudia_Christian.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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We continue our series of interviews that we conducted from this year's New York Comic Con.  This time around, Keith speaks with author Christopher L. Bennett. Bennett may be a familiar name to Star Trek fans, but he spoke with Keith about the release of his first non-Trek fiction, Almost Superhuman.

Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.


At the age of five and a half, I saw my first episode of Star Trek, believing it to be a show about a strange airplane that only flew at night.  As I continued watching, I discovered what those points of light in the sky really were.  This awakened a lifelong fascinationwith space, science and speculative fiction.  I devoured Asimov, Clarke, and books on astronomy and physics.  I often made up Trek-universe stories set a century ahead of Kirk's adventures (an idea years ahead of its time), but soon shifted to creating my own original universe.  I eventually realized I did this pretty well, and deluded myself into thinking I could make a career out of it.  So far, that delusion has been working out for me.


Direct download: Spotlight-Christopher_Bennett.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John is joined by guest Julio Angel Ortiz (The Dome, "Collective") at this year's New York Comic Con to interview author David Mack.  David talks about his latest Star Trek trilogy, Cold Equations, as well as his return to his first love, screenwriting.  Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

(RIGHT CLICK TO SAVE THE EPISODE)


David Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Precipice, Road of Bones, Promises Broken, Rise Like Lions, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy: Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. He developed the Star Trek Vanguard series concept with editor Marco Palmieri. His first work of original fiction is the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Calling.

In addition to novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet. He also co-authored Bryan Anderson's nonfiction Iraq War memoir, No Turning Back: One Man's Inspiring True Story of Courage, Determination, and Hope.

His latest novel is the new Star Trek Vanguard novel Storming Heaven, and his upcoming projects include an epic 24th-century Star Trek: The Next Generation trilogy titled Cold Equations, and a new original supernatural thriller.

Mack resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

Direct download: Spotlight-David_Mack.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Long time friend of the show Arlen Shumer (Visions from the Twilight Zone, The Silver Age of Comic Book Art) returns to discuss the last endurance of The Twilight Zone, Hollywood's portrayal of the super hero, and Bruce Springstein as Captain America.  Plus, he fills us in on the multimedia lecture he is conducting at the Tribecca Theater in New York on November 11, 2010 at 7pm on the anniversary of one of the best episodes in The Twilight Zone series, "Eye of the Beholder".  Please take a moment to let us know what you thought of this episode by commenting in the forums or by calling our toll-free number 888-866-9010.

For ticket information about Arlen's lecture, follow the link.

 


 

ARLEN SCHUMER is one of the leading historians of comic book art—his coffee-table art book The Silver Age of Comic Book Art (Collectors Press) won the Independent Book Publishers award for Best Popular Culture Book of 2003. His other books are Visions From The Twilight Zone (Chronicle Books, 1991)and The Neal Adams Sketchbook (Vanguard, 1999). He has lectured at universities and cultural institutions since 1988.

Contact Arlen: arlen@arlenschumer.com

Learn more at http://www.arlenschumer.com

Direct download: 0108_-_Arlen_Schumer.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Our series of interviews from New York Comic Con continues as John interviews author Bob Greenberger on the release of his new Star Trek related project, Star Trek The Complete Unauthorized History.  They discuss the work including Bob's approach to chronicling his own history as editor of the DC Comics Star Trek line.  Plus, Bob talks about his journey to becoming a high school English teacher.  Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.


Robert Greenberger (born July 24, 1958) is a writer and editor.

Greenberger was born in Brooklyn in New York City, the son of Edwin L. Greenberger and Joan Greenberger. A lifelong fan of comic books, comic strips, science fiction and Star Trek, he drifted towards writing and editing, encouraged by his father and inspired by Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.

While at SUNY-Binghamton, Greenberger wrote and edited for the college newspaper, Pipe Dream, moving from general assignment writer to Arts Editor, Managing Editor and ultimately Editor-in-Chief.  He served an internship at Gannett’s Binghamton Sun-Bulletin as a feature writer and reviewer.

Upon graduation, he worked for Starlog Press as Managing Editor ofFangoria.  He was also an Associate Editor for Starlog and while there, created Comics Scene, the first nationally distributed magazine to focus on comic books, comic strips and animation.  The magazine lasted 11 issues before its first cancellation at which time Greenberger went to work on their sports magazines.

In 1984, he joined DC Comics as an Assistant Editor, working with Len Wein and Marv Wolfman on DC’s Golden Anniversary projects Who’s Who andCrisis on Infinite Earths.  He went on to act as assistant editor to numerous titles for each editor until he was promoted to editor.  During his tenure, his titles included Star Trek, Suicide Squad, Warlord, Doom Patrol, Lois Lane, Action Comics Weekly, Time Masters, Secret Origins, The Hacker Files and others.

By 1990, he had given up editing to become the company’s Editorial Coordinator, helping grow the Editorial Administration department.  When he left the company, he was Manager-Editorial Operations.

In March 2000, he left DC to become a Producer for Gist Communications, television news and listings web site. After ten months there, he learned some new skills and got out before the dotcom bubble burst.

In January 2001, he joined Marvel Comics as Director-Publishing Operations.  During his year with the company, he oversaw editorial schedules, Production, Manufacturing, the Print Library, and other departments.

In January 2002, he left Marvel and rejoined DC in May 2002 as a Senior Editor-Collected Editions.  He helped grow that department, introducing new formats and improving the editions’ editorial content. He also managed DC’sElfQuest publishing program.

He left DC in January 2006, becoming a freelance writer and editor.  His clients included Weekly World News, Platinum Studios, scifi.com, DC and Marvel. By June, he was offered the post of Managing Editor at Weekly World News where he helped transition the newspaper from being produced jointly in Florida and New York to just NYC.

When the paper folded in August 2007, he resumed his freelance career which continues to this date.  Along the way, he helped revitalize Famous Monsters of Filmland and served as News Editor at ComicMix from August through December 2008.

He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and theInternational Association of Media Tie-In Writers.  He served on the final Nebula Short Fiction Jury.

Greenberger joined Fairfield, CT’s Parking Authority in 1999, serving until June 2006. He resigned from the Authority to join the Cable Advisory Council for Area 2 in Connecticut.  In November 2005, he was elected a Representative to Fairfield, Connecticut’s Representative Town Meeting. In November 2007, after winning re-election, he was voted to preside as its Moderator. After losing the 2009 election, he was appointed to represent Fairfield on the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agnecy.

He was married to Deborah Upton on October 18, 1980.  They are the parents to Kathleen Michelle (March 18, 1986) and Robert Edward Jr. (April 8, 1988-August 14, 2008).

Direct download: Spotlight-Bob_Greenberger.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John and Andrea are hooked (addicted) to a new dungeon crawl style iPhone/iPad/iTouch game called 100 Rogues by Dinofarm Games.  In it, you play a Crusader or a Fairy Wizard trying to clear a dungeon of the bandits that infest it while earning treasures and weapons to help in your final confrontation with Satan himself.

The two got to spend a little time talking about the game with developer and programmer, Keith Burgun and Wes Paugh respectively.  They explained some of the more offbeat creatures you can expect to find in this extremely fun and funny game.  They also announce the contents of a major patch to be released in the next week or so as well as an upcoming sale where the game will be available for one day at 99 cents.

Please take a moment to comment on the episode and on the game if you've played it by visiting the forums here or call us, toll-free, at 888-866-9010.

 


 

Keith Burgun

 

Wes Paugh

 

 

 

Direct download: 0107_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_100_Rogues.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith discusses the IDW comic series, Kill Shakespeare, with co-creator/co-writer Anthony Del Col.  Make sure you let us know what you think of the episode by stopping by the forums or by calling us at 888-866-9010.

 

Anthony Del Col has worked in the music, film and television industries, produced two independent feature films and most recently assisted with the management of international pop star Nelly Furtado and her world tour.  He is the co-creator/co-writer of Kill Shakespearefrom IDW Publishing.

 

Direct download: 0091_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Anthony_Del_Col.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John talks with actress Kitsie Duncan about her first major straight to DVD movie, Lethal Obsession.  Make sure you leave your thoughts on the episode in our forum or by calling our toll free number 888-866-9010.

 

 

 

Kitsie Duncan is living her dream as an actress and producer. Her first major film, a straight to DVD release, Lethal Obsession, is now available through Darkrider Productions. In addition, Kitsie has been in numerous commercials and will be appearing in a number of other film projects in the year to come. She recently had the honor of being named a finalist in the Famous Monsters Scream Queen competition and will be featured in the magazine's October issue. Learn even more about Kitsie by following her on Twitter and Facebook and by scanning her resume here.

Kitsie Duncan
317.362.5631
kitsie@kitsieduncan.com
www.kitsieduncan.com

Personal Statistics:
Height: 5 ft 8in
Bust:34 D
Weight:130
Waist:28
Hair Color:Red
Hips:38
Eye Color:Green
Dress Size:6
Ethnicity:White
Shoe Size:8.5

I have only been pursuing my acting career for a very short time. The following are some of the projects I have had the pleasure of being a part of. I am willing to bring 125% to any project I am involved in.

Lethal Obsession/Darkrider Filmworks/Elizabeth Waters

Good Night/Mad Chann Films/Stacy Spooky

Brucey/SB Productions/Episode 1 Bound Girl/Episode 2 Dead Girl

She-Bang/Deathblow Productions/Leader of the Tupper B Wares

Edge of Society/Filmwave Imaging/Kelly

LoveSick Radio Music Video/Darkrider Filmworks/Limo Driver

Skull Full of Kisses trailer/Darkrider Productions/Female Lead (the skull)

Corey L Scott Commercial/Filmwave Imaging/Wife

Parody Rap Music Video/SeanieMic/Cannibal

Horror Convention Massacre/Old School Sinema/Aspiring Actress

GoDaddy Commercial/Bryon DeVolder/Superheroine GoDaddy Girl

Reverie/Schadenfreude Entertainment/The Phantasm

Cthulhu Key: Legacy/Primal FX Studios/Judi Nance

No Recourse/Triple B and Darkrider Studios/Crystal

Joseph Music Video/Allied Productions/Rich Girl

Model for Don Stuck/X103 Bikini and Promotions Model

Voice Over Work Various Internet Radio Stations

Direct download: 0089_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Kitsie_Duncan.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John has a chat with musician Steve Horowitz where they discuss music from Super Size Me to Spongebob Squarepants to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Make sure you leave your thoughts on the episode in our forum or by calling our toll free number 888-866-9010.  In addition, make sure you rate the episode at the end of the listing.  


 

 

Steve Horowitz is a creator of odd but highly accessible sounds and a diverse and prolific musician. Steve's 30-year career integrates his experiences as a band leader with his explorations as a multi faceted composer. Horowitz has a large catalog of music for traditional and unusual ensembles such as: string quartet, woodwind quartet, orchestra, Disklavier, solo contrabass flute, large electro-acoustic chamber ensemble and his band the Code International.


Horowitz studied at the California Institute of the Arts with Mel Powell, Morton Subotnick , Micheal Jon Fink and Stephen "Lucky" Mosko. He lectures at various schools including New York University, California Institute of the Arts, and Berklee College of Music in Boston and has received performance underwriting as well as commissions from: Meet the Composer Fund (1992 at the Lab SF, & 2005 at the Kitchen NYC); Amsterdam Fund for the Arts NL (2000 for ensemble tour); Fund for the Interactive Sound Arts Netherlands (1997, Graphic scores Mousetrap Quartet); Gravy Train Dance Company (1984 Choreographer Jo Ann Nerenberg); The Alternate Currents Ensemble (1994 Ribbon of Extremes); Music at the Anthology (MATA, executive producer Phillip Glass 2003 "Vertical Field Horizontal Field" for String Orchestra and Piano performed by SONYC, featuring soloist Joel Wizansky on piano); and The Astoria Symphony (Mix Re-Mix, World Premire).

Touring projects in the US and the Netherlands have helped to form Horowitz's unique perspective and voice. Horowitz and his music have appeared at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, The Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and The Miller Theater and The Kitchen in NYC. He frequently collaborates with other artists - joining forces with an eclectic variety of musicians such as electric guitar wizards Elliott Sharp and Henry Kaiser, saxophone greats Lenny Pickett and Ralph Carney, The Clubfoot Orchestra, Glen Spearman, acoustic bassist Tatsu Aoki, and the Balkan music ensemble Zhaba.

A culmination of years of investigation, The Code Ensemble explores Horowitz's persistent musical themes: the intertwining of electric and acoustic instruments, new forms, extended techniques, interactivity, music for picture, theater and live performance. Drawing on a finely honed sense of humor, Horowitz looks deeply into the sociological filter and re-examines pop culture's presentation of "truth" as entertainment. Founded in 1992, The Code has developed a cutting-edge repertory with instrumentation that combines traditional acoustic and contemporary electronic instruments.

In addition to his work in chamber and concert music, Horowitz writes music for dance, film, television, cartoons, and interactive media (video games). Steve wrote the score to the award winning film Super Size Me and served as music supervisor and lead composer for the television show I Bet You Will (MTV). Horowitz's audio expertise was honored in 1996 with a Grammy award for his engineering work on the compact disc "True Life Blues, the Songs of Bill Monroe", winner of the best Bluegrass album 1996, and in 2003 with a Webby for his work with Nickelodeon Digital. Horowitz has been featured in Bass Player magazine (May, 2007) and books The Art of Digital Music and The Guerilla Guide to the Music Business. Steve can be found working and touring with his various projects, and has released 15 compact discs to date. His latest album "stations of the Breath" for solo piano, was released this month. For more info and music clips please see http://www.thecodeinternational.com/

 

Direct download: 0083_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Steve_Horowitz.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Recently, we conducted a poll on our Facebook page, asking our listeners to tell us their favorite TSR role playing games.  In this Spotlight episode, we reveal the results.  Joining John in discussing these games are Chronic Rift website guru David Finnerty and Chronic Rift game reviewer Anthony Racano.  Among the topics of discussion are choosing the right name for your spy, poor dice rolls, and how one chooses the games they choose.  Please comment on this episode through our discussion at the bottom of this listing, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.  Also make a point to rate the episode at the end of this listing.

Even though there are no longer TSR Games, most of them are still available in new editions and can be purchased through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get Amazon's great low prices, but you also support the Rift.  Thank you.

 


 

Direct download: 0159_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_TSR_Games.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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First time young adult author Marianne Modica talks with John about her book, The R Word.  Please take a moment to comment on the episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can purchase a copy of The R Word through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get a great book and support a cool author, but you help out The Rift as well.  Thanks.

Check out our special offer through Petmeds.com by clicking on the link.

Podcast PromosDead Kitchen Radio, Dirty Boxers Podcast The Weekly Podioplex

 



Marianne Modica is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Valley Forge Christian College, in Phoenixville, PA, where she has been training future educators since 1996. One of her favorite courses to teach is Multicultural Education, which fosters productive dialogue about race, religion, gender, social class, and other important topics. Marianne and her husband have four children. She is currently a PhD student in Childhood Studies at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ, where her research interest is the construction of race by students studying multicultural literature in secondary classrooms.

Marianne wrote The R Word because she wanted to explore contemporary attitudes about race in a supposedly "post racial" culture. The novel is aimed at youth 12 and above, or at adults like Marianne who love young adult fiction. While her primary goal was to tell a good story, The R Word is also intended for classroom use, where Marianne hopes it will stimulate discussion about present-day racial inequity on an individual and structural level.

 

Direct download: 0153_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Marianne_Modica.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Author Will Hadcroft speaks with John about his Anne Droyd series of books and about his discovery of Asperger's Syndorme at a later time in life.  Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com or calling 888-866-9010.
 


 

Will Hadcroft was born in 1970 and wanted to be a writer from the age of ten. Inspired by Clive King’s Stig of the Dump and John Christopher’s Tripods trilogy, he dreamed of writing a book. In his teen years he came to appreciate the television scriptwriter, with Robert Holmes, Terrance Dicks, Eric Saward (Doctor Who) and Kenneth Johnson (The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk, V – the Mini Series) becoming his heroes.

Throughout the 1990s Hadcroft wrote for science fiction fanzines and semi-pro magazines. He also appeared on the TV documentaries Right to Reply (Channel four Television) and My Science Fiction Life (BBC4).

Will published his debut children’s novel Anne Droyd and Century Lodge in 2002. It was later republished as an “Asperger adventure” in 2004 alongside Will’s autobiography The Feeling’s Unmutual. The latter was endorsed by Doctor Who actor Colin Baker and Tripods author John Christopher.

In 2008 Will published Anne Droyd and the House of Shadows. The third instalment, Anne Droyd and the Ghosts of Winter Hill, is due in February 2012.

His latest book, a teen novel entitled The Blueprint, will be released this Fall.

 

 

Direct download: 0150_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Will_Hadcroft.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John talks with Darin Beckstead (writer/director) and Guillermo Suescum (executive producer) of the Chris Gorham starring movie, Somebody's Hero.  Please comment on the episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com or calling 888-866-9010.
 

 



 

 

Dennis Sullivan, (Chris Gorham) an average NYC accountant is assigned to work with a wealthy young widow and her son, Jake - A boy obsessed with the televised superhero 'Man America'. Dennis sees how Jake uses the TV hero to fill the void left by his deceased father. Moved by the boy's loss, Dennis heads for the 'Imagination Superstore' in search of the beloved costume. Once inside the dressing room, Dennis listens as the shop falls prey to a knife-wielding robber. Now in costume, Dennis springs into action to boot the thug from the store with security cameras capturing all. Once the footage hits the airwaves, a media frenzy erupts, leaving an entire city longing for more Man America. Now Dennis must choose between the safety of obscurity or providing his costumed hope to others.

 

 

 
 
ABOUT OUR GUESTS

 

 
 
 
 
Darin Beckstead - Writer/Director
 
As soon as he was strong enough to shoulder the family camcorder, Darin Beckstead hauled it into a world of filmmaking. By the time he graduated high school, Beckstead had made over 120 short movies. His parade of wild props, costumed friends and bold locations, attracted press attention, which led to his employment with a CBS affiliate.

Darin is the writer and director of the feature film Somebody’s Hero starring Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Ugly Betty). The movie was produced in New York and is slated for a 2011 release.

Beckstead is also the creator of “Courage & Stupidity,” a reimagining of Spielberg’s troubled experiences while making Jaws. The flick was hailed “a fascinating short film” by Ain’t it Cool News, won the Remi Award for Best Original Comedy and became the first short to secure a standalone distribution deal with Netflix.

View C&S Trailer: http://www.courageandstupidity.com.

 

Guillermo Suescum – Producer

Guillermo is fairly new to the film business. He was bitten by the film bug while producing his first short film about 6 years ago. It was on this first film that he met Darin Beckstead and they collaborated to make "Courage & Stupidity." The success of that film made Guillermo decide to quit his corporate job so that he could try to make a feature. Two years later he and Darin, finished their first feature Somebody's Hero. He lives in NYC.

Direct download: 0147_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Somebodys_Hero.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Two years ago, John sat down with author Greg Cox at Shore Leave.  Unfortunately, the quality of the recording was so poor that it was unusable.  Now, John gets another chance with Greg by phone in this Spotlight episode.  Greg talks about his upcoming tie-in works for Warehouse 13 and Riese: Kingdom Rising, plus his writing for pulp heroes such as The Phantom and The Green Hornet.  Leave your thoughts on this episode by visiting our forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010. Purchase Greg's works or pre-order his Warehouse 13 novel by visiting our Amazon store.

 


 

GREG COX is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels and short
stories.  He wrote the official movie novelizations of DAREDEVIL, GHOST RIDER, 
DEATH DEFYING ACTS, and all three UNDERWORLD films, as well the novelizations
of four popular DC Comics miniseries, INFINITE CRISIS, 52,  COUNTDOWN and 
FINAL CRISIS.  In addition, he has written books and short stories based on such
popular series as ALIAS, BATMAN, BUFFY, C.S.I., FARSCAPE, FANTASTIC FOUR,
THE 4400, THE GREEN HORNET, IRON MAN, THE PHANTOM, ROSWELL, STAR
TREK, TERMINATOR, UNDERWORLD, XENA, X-MEN and ZORRO.

His CSI novel, Headhunter, received a Scribe Award from the International Association
of Media Tie-In Writers.
Another novel, Terminator Salvation: Cold War, was a 
co-winner of a Scribe as well.


Greg also works as a Consulting Editor for Tor Books, where he has edited such
authors as Richard Matheson, Harry Harrison, Tony Daniel, Rosemary Edghill,
Graham Joyce, Keith R. A. DeCandido, and many others.

In addition, he has written more jacket and cover copy than he can possibly remember.
("They stood alone against galactic peril . . . !")

He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Direct download: 0139_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Greg_Cox.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Author/Gamer Michael Curtis talks with John about his wonderful gaming reference work, The Dungeon Alphabet and about old school gaming in general. Take a moment to comment on the episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com or calling 888-866-9010.

 
 
(right click to save)
 
 

 
 
Michael Curtis has pursued some eclectic pastimes. He’s been a sailor, a bartender, a night watchman, and a stunt double for a bear. He has written horoscopes, found the Ark of the Covenant, fallen off a mountain, and ridden a camel and an elephant. When he wasn’t doing that, he studied dead languages, swam with sea monsters, and made a fool of himself on several theatrical stages. Yet, despite all these adventures, some of the most fun Michael’s ever had occurred entirely inside his own head.
 
With thirty years of gaming experience, Michael only recently entered the professional field of roleplaying game design, but has already made his mark. He’s the author of both the Three Castles Award-winning The Dungeon Alphabet and the nominated Stonehell Dungeon: Down Night-Haunted Halls. His writings also appear in the Lovecraftian game supplement, Realms of Crawling Chaos. He has written articles for Silver Gryphon Games Monthly, Knockspell, and Fight On! magazines and maintainsThe Society of Torch, Pole and Rope, a blog dedicated to old-school gaming. He is also the author of an upcoming adventure for Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG.
 
 
 
In addition to role-playing, Michael has a passion for the past. He loves learning about history and being involved with historical preservation, and volunteers his time at a local historical society. To pay the bills, he works as an archivist and librarian, where his interest in history, old books, and antiquities serves him well.

Podcast Promos
 

 

Direct download: 0143_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Michael_Curtis.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith interviews former Pocket Books editor, now art gallery curator John J. Ordover, about his upcoming exhibit, Artism , a show benefiting and raising awareness of Autism.  Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

 


 

John J. Ordover is the founder and CEO of JJO MARKETING and was previously an editor at Pocket Books responsible for overseeing the licensed novels of the  Star Trek franchise. He is the co-creator of such spin-off series as  Star Trek: New Frontier (with writer Peter David), Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers and  Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon (both with Keith R.A. DeCandido),  Star Trek: Stargazer (with Michael Jan Friedman), and  Star Trek: Challenger (with Diane Carey).

Ordover is also the owner of The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art at 138 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012 . The gallery uses digital screens both to provide digital artists with a play to display their work and create illusory spaces within the gallery.

 

With David Mack, Ordover wrote the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "Starship Down". The two have story credit on "It's Only a Paper Moon", which was written as a teleplay by Ronald D. Moore.

Ordover is also an active nudist, the founder of Clothing Optional Dinners, a dining club in New York City for nudists. On July 11, 2007, Ordover launched a nude dinner cruise from Sheepshead Bay, New York.

Ordover created a web site http://marryyourdaughter.org in September 2007 as a hoax to bring attention to the discrepancy between age of consent laws and marriage law.

Direct download: 0141_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_John_J._Ordover.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Back in the days of the public access show, artist David Chelsea appeared on a number of episodes after flattering Andrea and Keith with two dinstictly different styles of caricature.  He's back twenty years later to talk with Andrea about his latest works, animation, and the difference between New York and Portland.  Make sure you take a moment to comment on the episode by visiting the forum, contacting john@chronicrift.com, or calling us toll free 888-866-9010.

 

 


 

photo by Basil Childers

David Chelsea was born in Portland Oregon in 1959. Educated at the School Of Visual Arts, Parsons Institute and The New York Academy of Art, David has been a commercial artist for over thirty years. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications including The New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalThe New York PressSeattle WeeklyChicago TribuneReader's DigestBoston Phoenix and Portland Monthly. His celebrity caricatures have decorated the Eight Day Week page in The New York Observer since 1995, and he illustrated the Modern Love column for the New York Times Style section from 2004 to 2008.

A published cartoonist since the age of twelve, David has drawn comics for numerous publications and is the author of the graphic novels David Chelsea In LoveWelcome To The Zone and the how-to book Perspective! For Comic Book Artists, which has become the classic work in its field. Both David Chelsea In Love and Perspective!have recently been translated into French. In recent years David has taken up the challenge devised by Scott McCloud, to draw an entire 24 page comic within 24 hours, a record ten times, and two of these stories have been printed in Top Shelf's collection 24x2. As a natural outgrowth of his comics work, David has been in demand as a storyboard artist, working for advertising clients such as Tyee, Wieden+Kennedy and Hawthorne Direct, and for Whitewater Films on the feature Nearing Grace.

David's work on Perspective! stems from a lifelong interest. He has lectured on the subject at numerous institutions including The University Of Oregon, Pacific Northwest College of Art and Seattles's Gage Academy Of Art. Years ago, David devised his own six point perspective method for painting on spherical objects such as globes and bowling balls, and his spherical paintings are in many private collections. His methods are explicated in the recently released Curvilinear Perspective!, a follow-up to the first book.

David now lives in Portland's historic Irvington's district with his wife Eve, son Benjamin and daughter Rebecca.  Follow his progress by visiting his website.

 

 

Direct download: 0135_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_David_Chelsea.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith sits down with screenwriter, teacher, and Stargate SG-1 scribe, Diana Botsford.
 
Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, calling us toll free - 888-866-9010, or writing john@chronicrift.com.
 
 
 
Diana Botsford’s background is as varied as the posts you’ll see on her blog.  Some of those ideas will see the light of day in the June 2010 publication of her Stargate SG-1 novelThe Four Dragons, and its sequel, The Drift (2011) for Fandemonium Press, as well as her recently completed alternative history SF novel, Critical Past.

In addition to the actual craft of writing, Botsford teaches screenwriting as an Assistant Professor at Missouri State University.  She has degrees in Screenwriting & Producing from Boston University, and Creative Writing from Seton Hill University.  Prior to joining Missouri State University, she spent 12 years in Los Angeles in the television and film industry, followed by 5 years developing streaming media content and community-driven websites for Microsoft.

Her production credits include writing, producing, and directing for a wide variety of series and films.  Her screenwriting credits include Star Trek: The Next GenerationSpiral Zone, and a variety of children’s series for CBS, NBC and independent networks.  As a visual effects director Botsford has enjoyed the opportunity to play techno junkie while telling people like George Clooney how to stand in front of a bluescreen.  She has produced multiple series for television such as the CBS series Harts of the West and Nightgames.  Her theatrical credits include visual effects directing and supervision for a wide variety of films including Nightmare of Elm Street VI, Tank Girl, From Dusk Til Dawn, Terminator 2 and many independent films. As Associate Producer for D.I.C. Enterprises and then later as VP of Family Programming for Kushner-Locke, she produced over 1,000 hours of animation for shows that included Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, M*A*S*K Force, Spiral Zone, and the Columbia/Tristar film Pound Puppies & the Legend of Big Paw.  Most recently, Botsford served as Executive Producer on the Missouri State University Electronic Arts SF short Apollo which was a recent selection at the Athens, Greece International Science Fiction Film Festival.

Her primary writing focus is on science fiction for a variety of mediums including books, film, television, theatre and comics.  In addition to Botsford’s Stargate: SG-1 novel The Four Dragons (set for release in August 2010), and the sequel, The Drift (2011), her recently completed written work includes the SF novel Critical Past and the comic book series The Fracture.  Botsford is oftentimes a speaker or workshop leader at various writers conferences and science fiction conventions.

Official Webpage

Direct download: 0131_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Diana_Botsford.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Author Jon F. Merz returns to talk with John about his latest Lawson novel, The Kensei.  They also talk social media and the author's responsibility to the readers.  Make sure you comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing us or call us toll free at 888-866-9010.  Visit our Amazon store at the bottom of the page to purchase copies of Jon's works and help the show out as well.

 

 

As a writer, Jon F. Merz has published over a dozen novels including four Lawson Vampire adventures (2002-2003) with Kensington's Pinnacle Books, the Jake Thunder mystery/thriller Danger-Close (2004) with Five Star Mystery/Thorndike Press, and eleven installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His thriller Parallax debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in From the Borderlands, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. Jon has also co-authored two non-fiction books: Learning Later, Living Greater with Nancy Merz Nordstrom (2006, Sentient Publications) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ultimate Fighting with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam). Jon's latest Lawson Vampire novel, The Kensei debuted in January 2011 from St. Martin's Press, with another Lawson novel scheduled for Spring 2012. As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Entertainment with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is The Fixer, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in 2011. As a ninja, Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for almost twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons. In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.

 

Direct download: 0128_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_John_F._Merz_2.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Animator Bill Plympton talks with Dan Persons as part of the 12 Days of Riftmas 2010.

Direct download: 0113_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Bill_Plympton.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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In the latest Spotlight episode, John gets to chat with author/illustrator MCM about his publishing company and his animated series, Rollbots. Make sure you take a moment to comment on the episode in our forums or by leaving a message on our toll free line - 888-866-9010.  


 

MCM wears many hats—often at the same time. He’s a writer, programmer, illustrator, and the creator of the animated TV series RollBots. His books are the foundation of the independent publisher 1889 Labs.

MCM has a long history in technology and is active in the Free Culture movement. His writing has been praised by Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, as well as Cory Doctorow, a pioneering author in the world of science fiction.

 

Podcast Promos
How to Grow Your Geek Podcast
Unwind with Angie B Podcast

Direct download: 0079_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_MCM.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith recently sat down with writer, editor, and Boom Studios guru, Mark Waid at this year's Emerald City ComicCon and discussed his latest work Irredeemable.  Please take a moment to comment on the episode in our forums.  Also, make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of this page.



Mark Waid has been a writer and editor for every major comics publisher of the last 20 years and has written over a thousand stories. His works include KINGDOM COME, FANTASTIC FOUR, SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT, and most recently the ongoing series IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE from BOOM! Studios, where he serves as the Editor-In-Chief.


Episode Promos

Weekly Comics Spotlight Podcast
60 Second Science - Portions of the Last Supper is Getting Bigger
Stretchlinks Podcast

Direct download: 0077_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Mark_Waid.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Andrea sits down with Wadjet Eye Games founder, Dave Gilbert, and Puzzlebots game developer, Erin Robinson to discuss the company, their games, and PC games in general.  Make sure you rate the episode below and comment on it either in the forums or by calling us at 888-866-9010.


 

 

Dave Gilbert has been interested in adventure games ever since 1986, when his mother made the mistake of buying him a copy of Infocom's Wishbringer. Fifteen years later, he took his first dip into game creation in when he discovered the Reality on the Norm Project and wrote his first short game. Since then, he has authored over six successful freeware games, including 2004's award-winning Two of a Kind.

 

In 2006 he turned his hobby into a fulltime career when he founded Wadjet Eye Games and published his first commercial title, The Shivah.  The company was soon nominated for a "Best New Studio" Game Developers Choice award and was also voted by Gamasutra as one of the top twenty breakthrough developers of 2008.  Currently on its roster are three games in the Blackwell series as well as the upcoming Puzzle Bots.

 

 

 

 

 

Erin Robinson has been making independent games since 2005. Her work has been featured by Boing Boing and PC Gamer UK, and has spoken at multiple conferences, including GDC -- where Heather Kelley and Erin presented the winning design in the annual Game Design Challenge last year. Erin's game Nanobots was a much-lauded indie title, and she is now working on the casual adventure game Puzzle Bots.

LINKS

Wadjet Eye Games
Dave Gilbert's Blog
Erin Robinson's website
Game Developers Conference

 

PROMOS


*********************************************************

This episode was brought to you by Budget Rent a Car.  Receive discounts on your next car rental and make the whole process a whole lot smoother by registering online at http://www.budget.com/chronic.

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Best remembered for her role as Drusilla on both Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Juliet Landau is entering an all new realm in taking on the role of director of a documentary on the making of a Jewish hip-hop video directed by Gary Oldman.  Curious?  There's a whole lot more to the story and Keith hears it all from Juliet in this special Spotlight episode.  Make sure you rate the episode at the end of this listing and leave your thoughts either in the forums.



Juliet Landau was born in Los Angeles in 1972. She was a professional ballerina. She studied acting extensively with the late Susan Peretz and is a member of the Actors Studio. Juliet co-starred in Tim Burton’s ED WOOD as Loretta King and starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg in New Line Cinema’s THEODORE REX. She created the role of Drusilla on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, appearing on BUFFY and ANGEL over the course of six seasons. Of Drusilla, Steve Vineberg of The New York Times wrote, “The wildly gifted Juliet Landau plays Drusilla like an acid-added cross between Ophelia and Cassandra.” She just completed playing Russian villainess Nataliya Chernov in the kid’s movie, MONSTER MUTT, created and produced by 4X Oscar-winning Greg Canom’s Drac Studios.

Juliet has branched into some exciting territory, directing the short documentary TAKE FLIGHT about and for Gary Oldman, co-directing and appearing in Godhead’s HERO music video and co-writing two issues of the ANGEL comic book about Drusilla. The legendary Mike Medavoy mentors her.

Lead roles in Independents include: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER, DARKNESS VISIBLE, HACK, TOOLBOX MURDERS, REPOSSESSED, CARLO’S WAKE, LIFE AMONG THE CANNIBALS, RAVAGER, DIRECT HIT, CITIZENS and a co-starring turn in Henry Jaglom’s GOING SHOPPING.

TV guest appearances include: MILLENNIUM, LA FEMME NIKITA, STRONG MEDICINE, a starring role in the Lifetime movie REUNION and a project directed by Jake Scott for HBO.

She has lent her voice to various characters on the popular animated series’ JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED and BEN 10:ALIEN FORCE as well as BIOSHOCK 1 and 2, STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC and BEN 10 video games. She voiced Labella in GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT.

Juliet has worked extensively in the theater, receiving outstanding reviews for her work every time out. She has written the short film IT’S RAINING CATS AND CATS and will play seven different characters in the project.

 

Be there for the release of TAKE FLIGHT by logging on to http://www.julietlandaustakeflight.

Help Juliet raise funds for her latest independent project by purchasing autographed memorabilia by visiting her website http://www.julietlandau.com and clicking on STORE.

 

Direct download: 0072_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Juliet_Landau.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith sits down with writer Laura Anne Gilman and learns how wine could have more magic then we're used to.  Make sure you comment on the episode here or by leaving us your thoughts at 888-866-9010.  You can also rate the episode at the end of this listing.

 



* CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA ANNE GILMAN ON HER NEBULA NOMINATION FOR BEST NOVEL FOR FLESH AND FIRE. * 

Laura Anne Gilman started her professional life as a book editor for a major NYC publishing house, fitting her writing into the remaining available hours.In 2004 she switched that around, becoming a full-time writer and freelance editor.


She is the author of the Cosa Nostradamus books for Luna (the “Retrievers” and “Paranormal Scene Investigations” urban fantasy series), and the critically-acclaimed "The Vineart War" trilogy from Pocket ( the first book, Flesh and Fire, was short-listed as a "Best Book of 2009” fromLibrary Journal).She is a member of the on-line writers’ consortium BookView Café, and continues to write and sell short fiction. She also writes paranormal romances as Anna Leonard.

You can find more information at www.lauraaneegilman.net, or find her on Twitter as @LAGilman.

 

(photo credited to Elsa Ruiz, 2009)

 

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John met Luke recently through MySpace and where he discovered Luke's first novel, The Dark Path.  Luke talks with John about his desire to create a character that struggles against his goodness rather than reluctantly giving into it.  Make sure you rate the episode below and comment on it in the forums.



Luke Romyn spent many years, fifteen in fact, working in the security industry. From doorwork in some of Australia's roughest pubs and clubs to protecting Mickey Mouse and the Disney crew from the overzealous jaws of tenacious toddlers, Luke has worked throughout Australia and internationally in a vast array of roles.

He's done close protection for UK celebrities in Fiji and chased feral pigs and snakes out of the film set on Steven Spielberg and Tom Hank's upcoming epic: The Pacific. There are few things Luke hasn't seen.

With all this experience behind him, it would be tempting to write a set of memoirs. Instead, Luke utilized it to fuel his own expansive imagination and began writing fiction. Initially starting with short stories, Luke rapidly progressed onto novels. His first book, THE DARK PATH, is now out and is already a #1 best selling Horror. His second novel, BLACKLISTED, is almost set to go and will blow the roof off action thrillers.

 

 

Direct download: 0067_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Luke_Romyn.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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David Rozansky sits down with John to discuss his publishing company, Flying Pen Press, and its philosophy, goals for 2010, and content.  Make sure you comment on this and every episode of the 12 Days of Riftmas in the forums.  You can rate this particular episode at the bottom of the page.



David A. Rozansky is the publisher of Flying Pen Press LLC, a Denver-based small press that is giving flight to great books. He is a freelance writer, editor and publisher whose experience in publishing goes back to 1989.

His interests include aviation, science fiction, mystery novels, poker, and role-playing games, and these interests are reflected in the books his company publishes. Rozansky has been reading science fiction enthusiastically since he first learned to read, and has been playing role-playing games since 1973. He was the president and league director of the Adventure Role Playing League. He has professionally written more than one million words under his byline, and has published Rocky Mountain Air Traveler and American Cabby Magazine. He was also a bush pilot in Central America. David is originally from Denver, where he currently lives.

Mr. Rozansky is seeking writers and novelists. His company is seeking novels and anthologies, particularly science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, Western, thriller, horror, and contemporary fiction. Flying Pen Press is also seeking writers for game books and books about games, for its game-book imprint; it is especially interested in role-playing-game books and books about poker. Mr. Rozansky is interested in publishing new writers as well as established authors.

 

Direct download: 0063_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_David_Rozansky.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John speaks with Hugo and Nebula award winning author, Robert J. Sawyer about the TV adaptation of his novel, Flash Forward, as well as the first novel in his latest trilogy, Wake.  Make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of this page and leave a comment here.



 

Robert J. Sawyer has been called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen.

He has won many major awards, including:

  • he 2003 Best Novel Hugo Award — the top international honor in science–fiction writing.
  • An Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada
  • Eight Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards ("Auroras").

Rob's novels are top–ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada, appearing on the Globe and Mail and Maclean's bestsellers' lists, and they've hit #1 on the bestsellers' list published by Locus, the U.S. trade journal of the SF field. His seventeen novels include The Terminal Experiment, Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, Flashforward, Calculating God, Mindscan, and the popular "Neanderthal Parallax" trilogy consisting of Hominids (winner of the Hugo Award), Humans, and Hybrids.

Rob has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, the National University of Ireland, and the Banff Centre. He has been Writer–in–Residence at the Richmond Hill (Ontario) Public Library and the Toronto Public Library's Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy. And he edits Robert J. Sawyer Books, the science-fiction imprint of Calgary's Red Deer Press.

Rob has given talks at hundreds of venues including the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, and been keynote speaker at dozens of events in places as diverse as Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Barcelona. He was born in Ottawa in 1960, and now lives just west of Toronto with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink.

 
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John sits down with Bob Greenberger to talk about his past, present, and future works, as well as his political career to date.  Make sure you comment on the episode here as well as rate the episode at the end of this listing.



Robert Greenberger (born July 24, 1958) is a writer and editor.

Greenberger was born in Brooklyn in New York City, the son of Edwin L. Greenberger and Joan Greenberger. A lifelong fan of comic books, comic strips, science fiction and Star Trek, he drifted towards writing and editing, encouraged by his father and inspired by Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.

While at SUNY-Binghamton, Greenberger wrote and edited for the college newspaper, Pipe Dream, moving from general assignment writer to Arts Editor, Managing Editor and ultimately Editor-in-Chief.  He served an internship at Gannett’s Binghamton Sun-Bulletin as a feature writer and reviewer.

Upon graduation, he worked for Starlog Press as Managing Editor ofFangoria.  He was also an Associate Editor for Starlog and while there, created Comics Scene, the first nationally distributed magazine to focus on comic books, comic strips and animation.  The magazine lasted 11 issues before its first cancellation at which time Greenberger went to work on their sports magazines.

In 1984, he joined DC Comics as an Assistant Editor, working with Len Wein and Marv Wolfman on DC’s Golden Anniversary projects Who’s Who andCrisis on Infinite Earths.  He went on to act as assistant editor to numerous titles for each editor until he was promoted to editor.  During his tenure, his titles included Star Trek, Suicide Squad, Warlord, Doom Patrol, Lois Lane, Action Comics Weekly, Time Masters, Secret Origins, The Hacker Files and others.

By 1990, he had given up editing to become the company’s Editorial Coordinator, helping grow the Editorial Administration department.  When he left the company, he was Manager-Editorial Operations.

In March 2000, he left DC to become a Producer for Gist Communications, television news and listings web site. After ten months there, he learned some new skills and got out before the dotcom bubble burst.

In January 2001, he joined Marvel Comics as Director-Publishing Operations.  During his year with the company, he oversaw editorial schedules, Production, Manufacturing, the Print Library, and other departments.

In January 2002, he left Marvel and rejoined DC in May 2002 as a Senior Editor-Collected Editions.  He helped grow that department, introducing new formats and improving the editions’ editorial content. He also managed DC’sElfQuest publishing program.

He left DC in January 2006, becoming a freelance writer and editor.  His clients included Weekly World News, Platinum Studios, scifi.com, DC and Marvel. By June, he was offered the post of Managing Editor at Weekly World News where he helped transition the newspaper from being produced jointly in Florida and New York to just NYC.

When the paper folded in August 2007, he resumed his freelance career which continues to this date.  Along the way, he helped revitalize Famous Monsters of Filmland and served as News Editor at ComicMix from August through December 2008.

He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and theInternational Association of Media Tie-In Writers.  He served on the final Nebula Short Fiction Jury.

Greenberger joined Fairfield, CT’s Parking Authority in 1999, serving until June 2006. He resigned from the Authority to join the Cable Advisory Council for Area 2 in Connecticut.  In November 2005, he was elected a Representative to Fairfield, Connecticut’s Representative Town Meeting. In November 2007, after winning re-election, he was voted to preside as its Moderator.

 

Direct download: 0051_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Bob_Greenberger.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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John sits down and learns more about the upcoming television series, The Fixer, from creator and producer John F. Merz.  Don't forget to rate the episode at the bottom of this listing and make sure you comment on it here.



As a writer, Jon F. Merz has published over a dozen novels including four Lawson Vampire adventures (2002-2003) with Kensington's Pinnacle Books, the Jake Thunder mystery/thriller DANGER-CLOSE (2004) with Five Star Mystery/Thorndike Press, and eight installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His latest thriller PARALLAX debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook. Praised by bestselling authors like Robert B. Parker, Douglas Clegg, and Thomas Monteleone, Jon's novels will continue to thrill readers for many years to come. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. Jon has also co-authored two non-fiction books: LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER with Nancy Merz Nordstrom (2006, Sentient Publications) and THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ULTIMATE FIGHTING with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam) In October 2009, Jon will partner with author Joe Nassise for the debut of HELLstalkers, a new action series in conjunction with Blackbetty GmbH in Vienna available for cellphone users exclusively on the Vodafone network.


As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Productions with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is THE FIXER, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in May 2009.

As a ninja, Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for almost twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons.

In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.

 

 

Direct download: 0048_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_John_F_Merz.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Keith recently sat down with the man himself, Paul Cornell, and discussed Doctor Who and writing for comics.  Make sure you take a moment to rate the episode at the bottom of this entry and comment on it in the forums.



Paul Cornell is a novelist as well as a comics and TV writer.  He is best known for his work on Doctor Who in both literary and television formats.  In addition, Paul created Bernice Summerfield, a fan-favorite in the Doctor Who universe.  His comic works include Captain Britain and MI-13 as well The X-Men:

 

Direct download: 0046_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Paul_Cornell.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Andrea Lipinski sits down with Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax to discuss the latter's upcoming live performance of a riff on the classic Ed Wood film, Plan 9 from Outer Space.  Plus, we take a listen to our feedback line.  Make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of the page and comment on it here.



Bill Corbett is a former writer for the cult TV show MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. He was also a performer on the show, providing the voice and puppetry for the robot Crow (v. 2.0); as well as playing the all-powerful but clueless alien The Observer (a.k.a. "Brain Guy") and occasional other strange characters. He’s now a principal writer and performer for the comedy website Rifftrax.com. Corbett is also a screenwriter and playwright. His screenplay STARSHIP DAVE, co-written with Rob Greenberg, was made into the Eddie Murphy movie MEET DAVE in 2008. His play THE BIG SLAM has been produced at numerous theaters across the U.S., including Woolly Mammoth in Washington, D.C.; ACT in Seattle; and actor Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan. His play HATE MAIL, co-written with Kira Obolensky, was produced at Primary Stages in NYC and dozens of theaters since. He has been a contributing writer to National Public Radio's PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION and ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and is co-creator of the animated web series POKER NIGHT on Icebox.com. Corbett has also been an actor in the resident acting companies at the Guthrie Theater and the Berkshire Theater Festival, and has taught playwriting and screenwriting at Kenyon College in Ohio, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Playwrights’ Center, and many other universities and schools. He's a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he earned an MFA in playwriting and screenwriting. Before that, he received a BA from Yale College. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Corbett lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife Virginia and two children.

 

 

Direct download: 0035_-_The_Chronic_Rift_Spotlight_-_Bill_Corbett.mp3
Category:The Chronic Rift Spotlight -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT
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Way back in 2008, John thought it would be a good idea to get together with his friends on a more regular basis and talk about those things they loved most.  He likened it to their experience twenty years earlier on the public access show, The Chronic Rift.  It only seemed natural to record the experience and make it a podcast.  This is the first episode from September 2008 and it basically sets up what the gang hoped to accomplish with the podcast.  This episode features both a Roundtable and an In Review segment and was originally only supposed to be released once a month.  The size proved too much and it was agreed that the two portions would become episodes of their own.  From there, the Spotlight episodes were then created.

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