So there was I, thinking for years that the most important places to have your podcast were Spotify and Apple Podcasts. I mean, that’s the impression I get from listener feedback. I don’t hang out with other podcasters online, and I’ve yet to meet one offline (yes, seriously), so I don’t get to swap notes with any peers on the topic.
So, that said, imagine my surprise when ChatGPT tells me that the actual behemoth of podcasting apps is YouTube. It’s huge apparently! Okay, yes, it’s mostly for those people chatting in a podcast studio about current affairs, true crime and whatnot, not so much for fiction podcasters like me, but still, everyone uses YouTube and for many it’s the go-to choice for podcasts, so I’d be a blockhead not to get Underwood and Flinch up there.
And so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve “remastered” the original audio recordings (meaning I’ve run them through the Adobe Podcast app’s “audio enhancer”) and I’m releasing the whole podcast episode by episode, Monday-Friday, into its own dedicated “YouTube Podcast” playlist. Below is the first episode. If you open it on YouTube, you’ll be able to subscribe to the podcast and enjoy it all over again, one book at a time. You lucky thing, you 😊
Huzzah!!
Category: Video
Grotesque and Hilarious Underwood and Flinch Images
A while ago I used the A.I. art generator, DALL-E, to create some images of Underwood and Flinch. The results were … er … not good, and caused much amusement among U&F fans at Facebook. For that reason, I’m now sharing the whole nightmarish gallery in a video at YouTube. Take a look, but be warned, you can’t un-see some of this stuff 😄
New Q&A Podcast Video
Well, I say “new”, what I mean is, new to the vast majority of my listeners. This was originally recorded in November 2016 and has previously only been available at the $5+ pledge level at my Patreon. It’s a listeners’ Q&A session, much like U&F After Hours, but one you’ve never heard before (unless you’re a $5+ patron of mine). The questions are:
1. When did you start writing; and why?
2. In those early days, how did you approach the novel – I know you started One Among The Sleepless and took the decision to podcast it, what made you decide to do that, and how did you make the word count?
3. How do you approach outlining a plot, what methods do you use?
4. Were there any particular snags you hit with the production/writing of U&F 1, and similarly, how has your workflow changed now?
5. You read a lot of H.P Lovecraft’s stories; Do you plan to write some of your own original horror stories?
More Videos Online at YouTube.
Pardon my slackness in posting the news, but I’ve added a bunch of videos to my YouTube channel lately and I forgot to share the news on my own website – Doh!
The uploads include a live reading of Underwood and Flinch: Night Crossing recorded at the Wexworlds sci-fi and fantasy convention in Ireland in 2016 …
… A peek into my fridge when I was living in England back in 2015 …
… A video of my Underwood and Flinch short story, Incident at a Crossroads …
… A video in which I share my inner doubts about the wisdom of sharing the news of the U&F TV series with the world …
… And last but absolutely not least, the whole season of my written-for-TV sitcom, Glitterballs. Long-standing listeners may remember my podcast of the show a few years ago. It’s set in a ballroom dancing venue in England in the 1990s. Due to hard times, the owner has to reluctantly hire the venue out to a live rock music promoter with (hopefully, depending on your sense of humour) plenty of amusing consequences.
All six episodes are available in a dedicated YouTube playlist. And here’s Episode One …
So, I hope there’s something in there for you – preferably all of it 😄 And if you’re interested in my future video content, then do please subscribe to my YouTube channel. That way if I forget to post news of uploads here again, you’ll still know about them anytime you visit YouTube.
U&F-TV News!
A video update with some exciting news about the possible U&F TV series. We’re not there yet, but we’re closer than you might think.
Covid Christmas, and The Shadow over Innsmouth
Here I am on Christmas Day giving the dogs some festive treats while trying not to catch Pauline’s Covid – even though by that time I was showing symptoms, despite my test that day being negative. We gave up on the masks and semi-isolating a few hours after this was taken, however, since my symptoms made it glaringly obvious that I was infected. A number of friends of mine have reported testing negative for days whilst highly symptomatic, before finally testing positive as the symptoms started to abate. Maybe that’ll happen with me. I dunno. Whatever, Covid.
Pauline’s turned the corner now and is feeling a bit better, but I’m a few days behind. I have mild symptoms. Nothing to write home about. It’s just a pain in the arse more than anything else. We’ve decided to postpone our Christmas dinner etc till the end of the week when we’ll hopefully both be over it.
In other news, I made an epic video/audiobook of my 2013 reading of Lovecraft’s The Shadow over Innsmouth. I was able to clean all the music off to avoid copyright hassles (which is a pity, because I loved the music I used on the original podcast) and join all the chapters into one big recording which you can now find at YouTube. So if you fancy a return trip to Innsmouth, allow me to take you there.
And hey, if you listen at YouTube, please like and subscribe. Many thanks!!
VlogCast#1
Another video from me!! Okay, so I know it may seem like I’m making a lot of these (I am), but that’s because I’m learning how this stuff works, and the only way to learn is by doing, right? So, this is the latest, and this is the format I think I’ll likely settle into. A video log podcast. A VlogCast.
This first episode is mostly me sharing my video-making history at YouTube, and the various attempts at utilising the platform to market my podcasts (all of them unsuccessful, of course).
I also chat briefly with my old podcasting pal, John Mierau. So, give it a watch – preferably at YouTube – and if you like it, please give it a like. And if you don’t want to miss my next video, then please subscribe while you’re there too.
Huzzah!! And Merry Christmas!!!
John Mierau’s Serving Worlds: https://servingworlds.com
p.s. Re: Pauline’s Covid. She’s feeling a bit better today. Hopefully, she’s now over the worst.
Mike Bennett Author 