If you’re old enough to remember Simon and Garfunkle AND you remember their early work AND you remember it fondly, you might remember one of their very early classics Old Friends/Bookends and if you mull over the lyrics of that wonderful classic song it was very much like this show. In this episode we get to spend time with an old friend in every sense of the word and it felt like a moment frozen in amber to speak once again with creator/writer/musician George O’Connor about his latest jewel in the sky,  Charlie’s Spot with art by Meredith Laxton, colors by Allie Pipitone, and letters by Taylor Esposito. 

We wanted to speak with George about this project for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which were:

• This is unlike anything he has ever done before
• This is a Kickstarter which needs everyone’s support at a time when creators have very few outlets
• He actually has a PRE KICKSTARTER announcement page.

If you know George as we all do and have missed him, you are going to enjoy the next hour. If this is your first “George” experience, sit back and take the time to allow yourself the pleasure of listening to a man who truly enjoys the art of creation and the art of sharing it.

People like George are why we do this.

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Charlie’s Spot

A Proud Member of the 5 Timers Club

Jenna Greene

The concept of “Young Adult” fiction within the science fiction/fantasy genre  has evolved significantly over the years. What was once a very restrictive genre has become open to very modern interpretations as society evolves. In this episode we talk with Jenna Greene about her new book, titled Reborn. It is the first in a series about a young girl that due to a quirk of birth that shows up in her teens marks her to be sold into slavery.  This story follows her time as a slave, her escape, and her journey to find the Unclaimed Land where Reborn like herself can live free.  We meet friends, allies, and betrayers along the way and learn about the world that all of this takes place in.  

So sit back and listen, as we learn about Reborn and how Jenna created this book.  Enjo

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Reborn

V.S. Holmes

Eat your heart out James Taylor because in tonight’s episode we  interview V. S. Holmes and it doesn’t involve Nel Bently.  With the Nel Bentley series we see a wonderful series of sci fi stories with great characters. In this episode, we see V’s other side with Smoke and Rain and transition to see her fantasy world. Oddly enough, this is the first world she ever created and helped in no small way become the amazing  writer she is today..

Her current fantasy series consists of two duologies:

Reforged

• Smoke and Rain
• Lightning and rain

Restored

• Madness and Gods
• Blood and Mercy

Tonight we set the Wayback Machine to talk about those golden days of yesteryear and her very first

book in the very first series of her very first fantasy adventure. It was an interesting look back in time for everyone into how the series first developed and how it has evolved over the years AND how it will continue. Having V on the cast is proof, once again, that when you have a brilliant inventive mind, everything is possible.

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Smoke and Rain

Emily Lawrence

For four years we have waited with patience to talk to the woman behind the Kickstarter  “Lilith In The Garden” which began in July 2016 and was successfully funded. Over the course for time the name changed, the personas changed but the driving force behind the project  remained and we and she persisted, wondering where the project was heading.

As it turns out, the title changed to Being Val (which is hopefully heading twards the festival circuit) and some of the inner working personnel shifted but the driving force remained and so tonight we FINALLY got the chance to speak with the multi-talented  Emily Lawrence.  We got to learn the difference between producing a book and a movie….the most obvious one is TIME. Beyond that, it is truly hard to quantify what it is about her that brought this wonderfully original bit of storytelling to the screen aside from the fact that she is ….a wonderful storyteller. It is truly rare to find an original like Emily; diverse, eclectic and truly happy with what she is doing.

Not as happy , however, as we were to be able to spend this time with her. Enjoy.

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Becoming Val

Christie Stratos

(For those of you who are Mothers of Inventions fans, the title makes perfect sense) Podcasting, in many ways, is a lot like cooking stew. You throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and see what happens. When a friend of the show brought us to the attention of another podcast, we were invited to be a part of The Writers Showcase and met Christie Stratos. It turns out Christie is not only an incredibly competent and charming host, but also an editor and author, so we here at party central thought it only fair to bring her onto the area 51 podcast and give her the chance to talk about her work as well. And so we did. And here it is. 

We got the opportunity to talk about her experiences in podcasting and how our paths have intersected and then delved into her gothic thriller The Brotherhood of Secrets. The unfortunate aspect of the discussions is that her podcast is going on hiatus until the new year…..the good news is so she can finish her newest novel.

Enjoy the chaos.

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Brotherhood Of Secrets

Marc Watson

If there is one thing on this show that we have come to learn, and sometimes we question learning anything, it is that authors can come from anywhere and no single path leads to becoming an author.  Marc Watson is a good example of coming at it from an oblique angle.  He refers to himself as an Anti-author due to his unique path of reaching this point in his career, a point which we discuss at length as his road to this point affects each word on the page.

We discuss his newest work of short stories Between Conversations which may have something to do with his larger universe of the Catching Hell duology.  Each of the 9 stories in this volume are a different time and space in the universe of man. Some are epic in scale while others are very intimate, showing an amazing versatility of style. Each however, is very different, which makes this such a unique volume to read and enjoy. Kind of a “Whitman’s Sampler” of his twisted universes.

This compilation is like a bag of Bertie Botts, there is a taste there for virtually everyone, tho, the guarantee is that you will bite into one or two that may cause an unpleasant reaction….to which I will snigger and say…”too bad, that was the price of admission.”. Between Conversations becomes available in mid September.

This was great fun to read and greater fun to talk with Marc…..and we will waste no time making fun of his next work of Paranormal Mystery/Romance….so for now …let the chaos ensue.

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Between Conversations