Two Hearts and One Braincell: Cassidy Carson & JT Hume Amateur Hour
By Cassidy Carson and JT Hume
Two Hearts and One Braincell: Cassidy Carson & JT Hume Amateur HourJun 12, 2022
The California Trail
Episode 173 of our writers podcast has us talking about ingenuity and grit of travelers along the 19th Century road known as the California Trail.
CC is writing a historical novel, and it was our good luck when we stumbled upon the California Trail Interpretive Center on the first day of our Big A** Trip across America. This Harry Reid project sits along Interstate 80 (exit 292, to be exact) west of Elko, Nevada, and it provides visitors the in-depth historical look at the mass exodus to California via Nevada.
As writers, we talk about our visit, and the mass amount of materials accumulated by the center, to illustrate the importance and fun of doing research for historical fiction. Like our old friend and one-time Nevadan Mark Twain reportedly said, “It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
Check out this podcast and other podcasts at our website www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Link to the center: https://www.californiatrailcenter.org
Snow Squall
Episode 172 takes us back to our Big A** Trip and what we learned from having our “boots on the ground.” For this podcast, we talk about the surviving remnants of an American-built extreme clipper ship, the Snow Squall. Clippers were cargo ships built for speed over capacity, and extreme clipper ships were especially fast, though their construction era in America was relatively short (1845 to 1855).
There is only one surviving piece of an American extreme clipper, and the Maine Maritime Museum has that piece of the Snow Squall contained in its own building on the edge of its beautiful campus. We explain why we think they did this.
For more reading:
Maine Maritime Museum Link: https://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/exhibition/snow-squall-an-american-clipper/
Wikipedia Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Squall_(clipper)
We also talk about our current projects (Space Epic, Zoey, BAT Book) and easing into retirement.
As always, check us out at www.carsonhume.com and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!
Home Again
Episode 171 has us home after twenty days and 7500+ miles on the road. We’re doing a bonus podcast to give our quick impressions of our writers research trip:
-What we expected versus what we saw.
-What we saw on each side of the Continental Divide.
-The number of states we traveled through (plus one province).
-What we learned in Green River, Utah.
Really, there’s too much here to unpack in a thirty-minute podcast, so we hit the high points. We’ll be organizing our brains for weeks.
We’ll be back to our regular writers podcast on Sunday.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Day 17 of the BAT
Episode 170: Yes, you read that right. This is both Episode 170 of our writers podcast and Day 17 of the Big A** Trip.
Happy Mother's Day from Oak Grove, Missouri to all who celebrate. This is a quick and short podcast because we're getting on the road. Again.
We share some quick impressions about how different and common things are across America, and we talk about the people we are versus those kids from 40+ years ago. Since this is a writers podcast, we also talk about doing in-person research of the places we've written about and will write about.
Please continue to follow along at our hashtags #ccandjt and #bat2024 as we drive down the home stretch. The daily updates are on my Tumblr at https://jthume.tumblr.com/
Check us out at www.carsonhume.com and all of the major social media platforms. TIA LYL!
Day Nine of the BAT
Episode 169 of our writers’ podcast has us bouncing between the Maine cities of Bath and Portland to do boots-on-the-ground research for future books.
We did stops at the Maine Maritime Museum, the Maine Historical Society, the Golden Lotus restaurant (yum!), and my paternal grandparents’ house. We traveled 3300 miles to do this research and we were not disappointed.
A reminder that you can follow along on our Big A** Trip with the hashtags #ccandjt and #bat2024
The daily updates are on my Tumblr at https://jthume.tumblr.com/
Our regular website is still www.carsonhume.com where you can find our books.
Have a listen and TIA LYL!
BAT Day 6
This is the Day 6 update of the #ccandjt #bat2024. You can access the rest of the updates at https://jthume.tumblr.com/
Episode 168: Hello from Canada, and the CC and JT Amateur Hour is now an international podcast. Woo. We're giving our loyal listeners an update from the ninth floor of the Holiday Inn in London, Ontario, Canada.
We talk about our journey and, because this is a writers podcast, our takeaways from almost 3,000 road miles so far. This is quite the adventure as we travel from Nevada to Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Tomorrow, we're off to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Looking forward to that adventure!
Have a listen and TIA LYL!
BAT Day 3
This is the Day Three update of the CC and JT BAT. Here are the Day One and Day Two updates.
Episode 167 is from our hotel room in Fort Pierre, South Dakota, and we are bushed. Day Three of the BAT was yesterday, all eleven hours, and we started north from Casper, Wyoming. When we lived in Nebraska in the Stone Age, the phrase was “nothing between here and Canada except for barbed wire.” They were right. Long stretches of road in both WY and SD where there is nothing but bushes. Not even trees.
The drive was still very interesting, and we made two of what could have been a dozen stops. Devils Tower is both amazing and a flashback to our youth. I cannot accurate describe the impact on this (and many other) teenage geeks when I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Before we got there, I thought the whole thing was probably an overinflated Hollywood special effect. Nope. It lived up to its hype.
We stopped at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota because the Jedi ghost image of Justin Scarred told us to. Fun place with all sorts of shops and pictures and good food.
We’re about to hit the road for Day Four, so let me give you some clicks. Our hashtags for this tip continue to be #ccandjt and #bat2024. Shortcuts:
CC’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cassidycarson45?lang=en
My TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carsonhumebooks
Blue Sky hashtag #ccandjt: https://bsky.app/search?q=%23ccandjt
Threads hashtag #ccandjt: https://www.threads.net/search/?q=%23ccandjt&serp_type=default
Twitter hashtag #ccandjt: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ccandjt&src=typed_query
Instagram hashtag #ccandjt: https://instagram.com/explore/tags/ccandjt/
Facebook hashtag #ccandjt: https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ccandjt
Notes: other people may be using this hashtag. We’re also using #bat2024, but results may vary.
Have a listen and enjoy. TIA LYL!
The BAT
Episode 166 of the Amateur Hour is filled with fun as we announce the “CC and JT 2024 Big Ass Trip” (BAT). Before the end of April, we’re heading to all points east, with stops across two countries, with our destination being the State of Maine.
We’ll swing by my sister’s place in Delaware, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the historic battlefield of Gettysburg (not in that order, obviously).
The usual caveats apply when it comes to a BAT like this, especially one for the road, because real life can happen. Even so, we’re excited about this opportunity to do boots-on-the-ground background research for CC and my respective books, each tentatively scheduled for CY2025.
If you want to follow along, we’ll be posting across the social media platforms with the hashtags of #ccandjt and #bat2024, and if you have ideas on places to visit, let us know.
Check us out at www.carsonhume.com and TIA LYL!
Interview
Episode 165:
At some point, writers will be asked to explain their books, so CC and I do a little on-air practicing with her interviewing me. The main questions:
How do I write strong female characters?
Where do I get my ideas?
First book I remember reading?
What is my daily writing process and where is my favorite place to write?
What would I tell non-writers about writing?
Being interviewed is an interesting process and its own art. Have a listen and let us know what you think through our website at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
California
We’re back from our first trip as a retired couple, and we use the podcast to talk about travel as a metaphor for change, maturity, and aging. Often, we’re made uncomfortable by traveling to familiar places only to find they’ve changed a lot. That happens when you get to a certain age.
We also discuss some big plans and announce our next adventure which is codenamed “The BAT.”
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Retired
The big day came and CC is retired. Woo! Raise the Roof!
Understandably, today’s podcast is about what happened during CC’s week, her feelings, and our next great adventure. Spoilers: traveling and writing books.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL!
"No Religion, Too"
I feel Episode 162 should have gigantic Trigger Warning: “Religion is mentioned.”
We wade into the minefield as we discuss the influence of religion on how we were raised, how that upbringing influences our writing, and how we as writers choose whether or not to include organized religion in our books.
It’s a complicated subject and I don’t know if we did it justice. We may do a Part Two next week, depending on feedback and our ongoing conversations. And folks of a certain age will recognize the post title as a song lyric.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Memory
We could say Episode 161 is an exercise in applying strong memories to the craft of writing. After all, “we write what we know.” In reality, it’s an excuse for CC and me to reminisce about our strongest memories from our trips to Ireland. That’s what we people of a certain age like to do.
Discussed: Blarney Castle, Ross Castle, Christchurch, Dublin tourism, the color green, and a rabbit.
Check out the other 160 podcast episodes on our website at www.carsonhume.com, and may ye be halfway to Heaven before the devil knows yer dead.
Check out our books! https://carsonhume.com/books-2/
Squirrel!
Episode 160 is another hodgepodge of writing updates, opinions and predictions.
The key center answers the question, “If your life had a book title, what would it be?” You will be surprised to learn that people married for 40+ years came up with the same answer. Shocking!
We also discuss the Cubs, Cinema Therapy, current projects, the time change, retirement, routines, and our furniture.
Have a listen. I promise it’s more interesting than it sounds. And check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Process
Episode 159 is a deep dive into our editing process. The first draft of my three-book Space Epic is done, and the Author (me) and Editor-in Chief (CC) of Two Moore Books describe the editing process.
Have a listen and enjoy! TIA! LYL!
Ennui
Episode 158
Our “word of the day” podcast theme continues with one of CC’s favorites: “ennui.” Everybody deals with it at sometime in their lives, but creative artists seem to wrestle with ennui like Heracles beating down Antaeus (google it, kids). We talk about our own struggles and come up with some hopefully helpful ideas.
We do a shout out to our family and all families who are struggling with challenges this week.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Dichotomy vs. Genre
Episode 157: There are writers who can stay in their lane, and there are writers who jump from murder thrillers to space epics. The surest path to success for independent writers seems to be write and publish “predictable” books, so why can’t every author stick to this tried and true formula?
We naturally use Uncle Steve, Aunt Barbara, and John Grisham as examples.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Implausible
It’s Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day week. For episode 156, we finally give in and hopelessly (or hopefully) pander for clicks by diving head first into the Taylor-Travis romance of the century (we obviously have no self respect).
But we do things a little different here. We debate on the plausibility of their relationship, and how as writers, if we would go there and create a story like theirs.
We spoil Somewhere in Time, Marry Me, and (again) the MCU.
Check us out at www.carsonhume.com and TIA LYL!
Ch-ch-changes
Episode 155 is one of Life’s Big Changes hitting home here at Two Moore Books. We’re talking graduation, marriage, children, and buying a house level of change. We’re both excited and feeling a deep sense of dread, but we’re also anxious to get going.
The funny part of this story is how the hiring practices of the State of Nevada played an important role.
Have a listen and check us out on www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL!
Romancing Your Writing
Episode 154 is about the passion in writing a romance book…or writing romance in your book. What's the difference? We discuss how we were "programmed" from an early age and by society to write our respective flavors of romantic novels.
We spoil "Romancing the Stone," "The Lost City," and the Marvel Universe movies.
Also: short business updates and the saga of our poor basement.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA! LYL!
Love You Ten Thousand
The podcast/broadcast is back after a one week hiatus due to technical issues (now resolved), and we have a funny bookselling story. Not only did it make us laugh, but it confirmed that we are book nerds.
We touched on one of the world's most solitary professions that sits squarely in the public eye, and we ask you (the indy writer) about running a business. At what point do you go from being a hobbyist to a "real" business (LLC or something else)?
We continue to be super-excited about 2024, and we look forward to sharing our adventures with you!
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Snow Day
Episode 152 is a bonus podcast from the Dungeon of Doom studio where we briefly (for us) discuss the challenges of success.
Since our expansion across e-pub sites. one of our series is seeing financial success, which begs for a sequel:
-Good news: Kind of working on that third book.
-Bad news: Working much harder on a different series.
What do we do? Shift gears to the book series gaining traction or keep working on our main project?
We exchange ideas and come up with a solution which we'll expand on during our regular podcast later this week.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Vent Session II
Episode 151 is another vent session about our book publishing company Two Moore Books. We had a good week when we were rewarded by our hard work, but we were also reminded of how far we have to go as a small book publishing company:
Overthinking:
-We salute David Soul, an icon of our youth.
-A Sheriff in Nevada: selling it and creating the paperback for Amazon and B&N.
-We plugged the Nevada Writer's Group on FB, and appreciate the the Sierra Arts Foundation for their support of Nevada writers.
-Big website design coming up, and we asked for your websites and ideas.
-So much social media.
-Auto-narration versus using humans when creating audiobooks (spoiler: $$$).
-The challenges of creating paperbacks on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
-The life of a small business owner.
From Tundra to Tiara news:
-The audiobook will be released on Google Play on Wednesday, January 10.
-The pre-order cost in $14.99.
-The e-books are also reduced in price across all platforms at $2.99 (Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google, Kobo).
-They'll go to their regular price on Thursday, January 12.
We barely touched on what we're supposed to be doing: actually writing a book. 😁
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Here Comes 2024
Episode 150 comes to you from our brand new studio which we lovingly call the Dungeon of Doom. We talk about our dreams and aspirations for the new year, plus we reminisce about something that happened 42 years ago.
In case you missed it, we recorded Episode 149 which was our CY2023 recap with Two Moore Books, Paris, road trip, and our future books.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Recap 2023
Let's keep this short and sweet.
Episode 149 is our end-of-year wrap-up for calendar year 2023:
-Two Moore Books
-Paris
-Road Trip
-Six books in the queue!
And we lay the groundwork for an exciting 2024. We can hardly wait to get things started. Woo!
Check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Gremlins
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the three movies that our part of our Christmas tradition (Love Actually, Die Hard, Christmas Vacation). For Episode 148, we watched three movies that were homages (or parodies) of traditional Christmas movies: Elf, Gremlins, and Scrooged. We talked about what worked and didn't work, and why they didn't appeal to us as "traditional" movies as they may for other people. We agree that comedy is the hardest art form for writers.
Just for fun, we threw in Lethal Weapon and wondered why it isn't included in the "Christmas Movie" debate like Die Hard.
We talked about our favorite Christmas memories from when we were children, and we reminisced about our first Christmas as a married couple back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and before the internet.
Finally, we previewed Episode 150 that will be our debut in our brand new studio in the Dungeon of Doom.
Good stuff as usual for the independent writer. Have a listen and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!
The Science in Science Fiction
For Episode 147, we reveal the winner of the annual ugly Christmas sweater contest (hint: I win every year with the same sweater).
More importantly, we dive into the the technical details behind writing sequels. I've written three series, and I've started a fourth, and I wish I knew now what I didn't know when I did the first three. We cite "Star Wars" and "The Matrix."
For the second part of the podcast/broadcast, we talk about the "science" part of science fiction when it comes to creating our fictional universes. Sometimes the science creates a gap between your potential readership and your book. Examples discussed were "The Martian" and several "Star Trek" series.
Good stuff as usual for the independent writer. Please check us out at www.carsonhume.com and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!
Three Movies
"Tradition is peer pressure from your ancestors" is how we framed Episode 146. We go down down tradition's path by discussing some of our family traditions this time of year, which now requires we watch three holiday movies: Die Hard, Christmas Vacation, and Love Actually. We talk about these movies appeal to us.
As promised, here's the link when we eviscerated "Love Actually" (check out the beard!).
We wore red this week for our family at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. We are all Rebels this week.
There's a free book offer in this podcast/broadcast if you listen, but there's one small condition.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. LYL! Take care.
Two Moore Books
It's Episode 145, and the book writing/publishing company known as Two Moore Books is fully engaged in developing its literary, audio, and aural presence on the internet.
Literary: As we discuss in this podcast/broadcast, our full catalog is published on three platforms and in progress on two more (Apple and Barnes & Noble). Our catalog should be fully published on all five platforms by the end of January 2024:
Audiobooks: Much of this podcast/broadcast discusses the Google Play audiobook auto-narration feature. We discuss the upside and downside of using the application, and printscreens are included in the YouTube video if you want to follow along that way.
In the interim, we have two books posted with a single narrator:
Aural: For those who want to listen to us on the way to work, we are on five podcast platforms:
We're a little busy. Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL!
(Here's that YouTube video if you want: https://youtu.be/B3SsNKZmYsQ)
Unboxing Tucci
This week's podcast/broadcast featured a live unboxing of "The Tucci Chronicles," and we compare the Amazon and Barnes & Noble paperback copies.
We have another in-depth discussion of the meat-and-potatoes side of writing. We've expanding our publishing inventory to include Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Google. We chat about the strengths of each publisher.
We are also excited to say we'll be trying out the auto-narration function in Google Play, and we'll report back on the results.
There was also the usual chatter of the holidays and how we spent our Thanksgiving Day holiday.
Mentioned: The delicious food at Eppies and Carol's of West Sacramento.
We hope you find it interesting. Have a listen and check out our website at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Writing Technobabble
We dive into the "sausage making" portion of self-publishing a book. Writing a book itself is a complex process, but that's only the beginning, so there's a lot to unpack in this week's podcast/broadcast:
- Cover reveal of "The Tucci Chronicles"!
- Update on CC's writing projects and her YouTube bio.
- My plan to sell my books on on Kobo and Barnes & Noble
-Technical difference in uploading to Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.
- Creating and formatting books with Atticus and GIMP.
- Using other apps like Word, Publisher, InDesign, and Photoshop
- Overcoming the intimidation factor of uploading books for sale.
The links to all of this are below.
Check us out on our website at www.carsonhume.com and let us now what you think. TIA LYL!
CC's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8iKA_-E4Po
JT's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/JT-Hume/author/B00L77LWDE?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
JT's Barnes & Noble page: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Jt%20Hume%22
JT's Kobo Page https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=jt%20hume&ac=1&acp=jt%20hume&ac.author=jt%20hume&sort=Temperature
The Awesome Atticus App: https://www.atticus.io/ (We are not paid endorsers.)
GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/ (We are not paid endorsers.)
The Yin Yang of a Writer's Mind
What goes through a writer’s mind, and how do their thoughts, dreams, and experiences translate to the written word? How do they choose to go light or dark in their writing? We use our two most recent releases to discuss the yin and yang of a writer’s mind.
(Yes, we just released a book on November 10 and we're releasing another one on December 1. Details in the podcast.)
This podcast/broadcast started with this from the internet: "Our thoughts reflect how we were raised, but our words and actions define our character." Agree? Disagree?
Check out our website and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!
Four Projects
This week's podcast/broadcast is about our four projects:
-CC finished formatting "From Tundra to Tiara"! We'll release it Friday, November 10, for $9.99
-I finished formatting "The Tucci Chronicles"! That will be released soon.
-CC's is deep into Nano and writing Book 2 of a brand new series.
-My Nano project is the third book of the "Sheriff in Nevada" series.
Back to "From Tundra to Tiara": We released the e-book in January 2023, but some readers love hard copy books. That's what you're getting on Friday, November 10. The price will be going up to $12.99 sometime soon, so grab our book at the discounted price now.
More details about all of our books.
Our website, of course.
Have a listen to this week's podcast and let us know what you think. TIA LYL!
Formatting Your Book
This week is all about formatting your self-published book through Word and Atticus. CC and I spent a lot of time this week in those apps getting "From Tundra to Tiara" and "The Tucci Chronicles" ready for you.
If you're getting ready to self-publish a book, or even thinking about it, we have ideas to help you avoid the challenges and minefields every indy writer encounters.
We also talk about Nevada Day and Nanowrimo.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Unboxing From Tundra to Tiara
Unboxing From Tundra to Tiara - CC and I have a hardcopy of our first book which will be out on #Amazon #Kindle soon! Check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL #writers
Winging It
Hello from the CC and JT Amateur Hour, “where production values go to die,” and we talked a lot about a few things as we continue to wrestle with our video presence.
Topics:
-Nanowrimo
-Our personal writing projects
-Overnight success
-The public face of our private endeavors
-Meeting the public
Here's the YouTube of the podcast.
CC is reading Edgar Allen Poe for October!
I did a commercial for Nevada.
Please let us know what you think of all of this and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL! 🤟
Procrastinate and Paralysis
Procrastinate. Overthink. Long walks. All are frustrating forms of writer's block.
In this week's episode, we talk about our personal forms of writer's block and what we do to overcome them.
TikTok Teaser! And here's the YouTube.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL!
Preptober!
Another videocast & podcast for our fellow writers: it's Preptober!
CC & and chat about getting ready for #nanowrimo and how it's a time of joy, not stress, if you let it.
We also talk about our poor Cubs.
If you're on TikTok, you can catch us here, but there's a ten-minute limit (we didn't know).
The entire video is here on YouTube.
Have a listen and let us know what you think. TIA! LYL!
Life After X
Episode 134: Twitter/X is implementing new and onerous terms of service, so CC and I have "that" talk about social media. As very small business owners, we have concerns because we no longer believe in the reach and reliability of Twitter/X.
We have an active conversation about social media in general, which gives you a peek inside on how CC and I talk things over.
We also discuss Free Speech and the First Amendment, which is sometimes not the same thing.
We're going to try out new things to replace Twitter/X, so stay tuned to this space for more details.
Have a listen and check us out on www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
[Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik]
Love Language
After a few "doom and gloom" episodes with the related drop-off in listenership, we announce the end of the podcast because we each discover a hill we will die on (kidding).
But seriously, folks, we dive into the Language of Love and the culture of a relationship, and how we as writers bring all of this to our works in progress. We're talking about communication, gestures, and habits that are unique to each relationship.
We use real-life examples of our parents' marriages as well as our own. We also cite Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, Georgette Heyer, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Divine
CC watched TED Talks by author Elizabeth Gilbert of "Eat, Pray, Love" fame as a means to break through her writer's block, and her videos inspired us to talk about the source of a writer's inspiration. We knocked down a series of dominos and ended up with the question: Are some writers divinely inspired by God to write their works, or is creativity the result of the happenstance of physiological neurons and flashes of genius?
We included a "Philosophy of Religion" class, the Baha'i' Faith, our conscience, and the one or many faces of God.
We also discussed old school driving lessons and our basement. This all makes sense (or not) if you have a listen. Check us out at www.carsonhume.com
TIA LYL!
PS: Here are Ms. Gilbert's TED Talks:
Raiders
Episode 131 is more free form than usual since we start with Labor Day, muddle around Burning Man, and end up talking at length about the Indiana Jones franchise.
Throughout this podcast was the sense and idea of nostalgia. The movie-going experience has changed much in our lifetimes, though we wouldn't say it necessarily has evolved. We also acknowledge that we are not the target audience we used to be. Even so, we feel the impact of entertainment was lost as movies were moved from a dark room with one bright screen to home-centric entertainment systems (streaming services and video games).
Dunno if we can be "right or wrong" in something that is unique to all of our personal experiences, but we do have opinions from our chairs on the porch as we watch over our lawn.
We spoil Indiana Jones and discuss the challenges of the home of Burning Man (CC used to live out there).
What do you think? Have a listen and check us at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
How We Feel
The endless saga of our flooded basement gives us fodder for this week's podcast. Long story short: we're sore.
We talk about how the natural process of aging and Life takes a physical toll on our quality of life, and how we as writers can use these experiences to shape our characters. We also discuss how we can learn more about conditions where we have no firsthand experience. Notable examples would be the use of scooters in supermarkets and childbirth.
We also touch on how the quality of our physical health can be directly related to our ecomomic status. We cite Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, and John Steinbeck.
Yeah, this podcast was not much of a picker-upper, but these are important discussions for creators who write about real life versus those writing for escapism.
Have a listen and let us know what you think. Check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
They Molded Us
Episode 129 is about the authors who inspired and shaped us as adults and writers, and who happen to be women.
How's this for a murderer's row:
Agatha Christie (left)
Louisa May Alcott (right)
Jane Austen
Georgette Heyer
Carolyn Keene
Anne McCaffery
Ann Rice
JK Rowling
Alice Walker
Harper Lee
Margaret Mitchelle
Madeline L'Engle
Diana Gabaldon
Amy Tan
Audrey Niffenegger
So many more we could have mentioned.
We spoil "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Clue" (the movie).
We also discussed Hurricane Hillary, our feral cat, and the toxic wastedump known as our basement.
Lots of goodies for you. Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com. TIA LYL!
Screenwriting
Episode 128 is about that great beast called "screenwriting" and how it is a different, yet similar craft to writing a book. There's the external visual representation versus the internal written word, but there's also the complex collaboration, visuals, and the outside influences (re: the studios) that change the original product into what you see on the big and small screen. It's a fascinating process.
We spoil:
Angels and Demons
Star Wars
Spider-Man
Batman
We update our EPA Superfund Site codenamed "our basement," talk about our WIPs, and discuss our deer for what is probably the last time.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!
Lightning in a Bottle
Is George Lucas good or lucky?
Episode 127 of our writers podcast is about writers who capture lightning in a bottle. They submit books and screenplays at just the right time which capture the imagination and take the country by storm. There’s lots of examples, starting with Mr. Lucas. Some folks would point to his pop cultural phenomenon of "Star Wars," but we go to the 1973 classic called "American Graffiti." This movie almost singlehandedly brought the 1950s nostalgia craze to the forefront of the Seventies and beyond. The movie also had a direct impact on CC's formative years.
We also include the usual updates about our WIPs, our basement (yuck) and the tenants, the deer.
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA! LYL!
Using an Epiphany
What's going on with Episode 126 of our writers' podcast? The better question is what isn't going on with this podcast.
We start off with the premise that an epiphany is part of the writer's toolchest, but it's an unreliable tool. Yes, the initial idea of a book can be classified as one, but what happens after you start writing and developing characters and plot? We have ideas on how to create and use epiphanies in your writing.
There's also a discussion on how long you should take to write a book. Spoiler: CC has been working on hers for over ten years and I started mine in 2022. They might appear in 2024.
Also the usual junk drawer updates:
Deer
Basement
Weather
WIPs
Killing characters
Free book giveaway
We go from Stephen King to George R.R. Martin in this one, so check us out at www.carsonhume.com and let us know what you think. TIA! LYL!
Yeah, We Went There, Too
Yeah, we joined mainstream and social media in debating Barbie in our podcast, but we went in a different direction with the history of gender-based books and roles.
We start in the mass market publishing in the beginning of the 20th Century ("dime store novels") through the "Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew" type books of the Fifties. We work our way into Women's Lib and ERA, and we talk about how the Barbie movie is portrayed in social media.
Also:
-Our WIPs
-Happy Birthday
-Deer Update
-WGA and the SAGAFTA strikes
As a bonus, three of our books will be free on Monday, July 24. Here's that link. If you miss the giveaway, send me proof that you bought them and we'll Venmo you the cost. We'd rather you read the books than worry about buying them.
As always, check us out at www.carsonhume.com
Have a listen and let us know what you think. TIA! LYL!
Shakespeare, Baby!
Episode 124 is about the writer's derivative use of other published works in their own works in progress. Where is the gray area of originality when using William Shakespeare's classic works, for example?
Modern literature is full of examples of those who boldly took it upon themselves to "copy" the Bard's great works or at least use them as inspiration for their books. Where do we writers draw the line? What is plagiarism?
Also:
-Updates on the weather, our basement and the baby deer.
-Nanowrimo
-How sausage, laws, and books are created.
-Using three senses in your writing (Das Boot).
As always, we go to a lot of places in less than an hour. If you're a writer or thinking about becoming one, this podcast is for you!
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA! LYL!
Maternity Ward
Episode 123 is all about the our new furry friends. More specifically, we talk at length about how we can't help but assign human emotions and actions to those in the animal kingdom (the word I can't say or spell to save my life is "anthropomorphism").
Also:
- Our current WIPs & Boring Characters
- Nanowrimo & Camp Nano
- Setting writing goals and boundaries
- Run the dishwasher twice!
- Our maternity ward
We're packing a lot of good writing stuff in this one, not to mention a bit of risk. Are we right or wrong?
Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA! LYL!