A Holiday Breather

Hi.

Last night, I finished polishing what will be the next-to-last Times episode of Season 2, "No Good Deed" (formerly "Penance"). I like how it's shaping up, but it needs more work, and I think a little time away from the page will help.

Besides, stepping back from it now will allow me to actually enjoy some of the holiday. Hope your life is allowing you to do the same, and that you're looking forward to the next Season 2 story in the New Year (Prometheus willing).

Have a great holiday!

-- L

Season Two Begins!

Hi.

Just a quick note to officially announce the launch of SuperHuman Times' second season with the posting of the opener, "Close Encounters," on libsyn.

I may have mentioned it before, but this one's about a romance novelist who finds the man of her dreams. But, like her fictional heroines, she eventually discovers he has a deep, dark secret -- and discovers that she has an even bigger one.

Once you click on the above link and listen to it, let us know what you think of the episode, either via the libsyn comment blocks, or here.

And even if you don't comment, if you just dropped in to listen: thanks!

-- L.

Of Ads and Doctors

Hi.

At this writing, the SuperHuman Times ad that's been running on Comic World News has been clicked 97 times. Now that may not sound like a great response to you after a month online, but it's just three clicks shy of my target of 100. I'm fighting the temptation to go to the site and click for the sake of driving it home, but I won't. I'm sure most of the early clickers were Prometheus folks anyway, so it's already contaminated. But they all can't be in that 97, so I'm hoping new people found us and liked us. (Are you one of them? Let me know, please!)

In the meantime, I've been writing scripts, and I realized something that the Times Universe has in common with the real world: both have a helluva lot of doctors. Not that I have anything against doctors. They're vital to our society and they're excellent vessels for exposition. But I've written seven stories (so far) and five of them (so far) have doctors somewhere!

I reviewed the stories I've written so far (past and upcoming) to confirm this and, by God, look at this:

- "True North": pivotal scene takes place in a bombed hospital (dead doctors count);
- "Servant Problem": the guy who comes to claim Knuckles' body is a doctor;
- "Close Encounters": one of the main characters "was" a psychiatrist (you'll get it when you hear it);
- "Dashing": there's an ER (the doctors are alive in this one);
- "Penance": the main character's a medical researcher.

I think that's all the doctors I have for now. I promise to try and do better. Maybe I can have someone blow up a big law firm for a little variety.

-- L.

UPDATE, 11/10: Overnight, the ad hit 100. If you're here now as a result of seeing the ad, thanks. Now, go listen to the show!

Away from the Keyboard

Just a quick break from the "business" of writing Times stories to share a couple of photos and stories from recent travels.

Late in September, we journeyed to the Promised Land -- Wildwood, NJ -- to take our human son, Greg, on some rides and say goodbye to Tucker, our canine son. He (Tucker) loved chasing roller coasters on the beach, so we took some of his fur (in lieu of his ashes; I couldn't bear to open his urn and "rob the grave") with us to the beach and let the winds take him. We were all a little misty, but like all funerals, it was a necessary ritual.

Anyway, when we were done, Cindy caught a shot of me making like Lawrence of Arabia on the beach. (Wildwood has one of the largest beaches anywhere; it truly can be like crossing the Sun's Anvil to get from boardwalk to ocean. The photo doesn't do it justice. We'll get a better one next time.)




As for the other shot -- well, Greg's never seen Lawrence, so he didn't really get into the spirit, but we have so few photos together, this was something of an event.






Speaking of events, this brings me to my second recent diversion from writing: On Wednesday, Cindy & I spent the day in New York, shopping at Toys R Us and M&Ms World, getting The World's Most Expensive Turkey Sandwich for lunch at the Roxy Deli (yum!), and -- the reason for the whole trip -- seeing the afternoon matinee of Curtains with David Hyde Pierce. Given my passion for Frasier -- and the fact that the show also stars Edward "Gil Chesterton" Hibbert -- seeing this was an imperative. Having missed an earlier opportunity to see the show due to a last-minute dental emergency, I was thrilled and relieved to finally see the thing. If you like old-fashioned, breezy musicals (it's the last score by Kander & Ebb and features a great book by Peter Stone and Rupert Holmes) with a great ensemble, you MUST see this show.

We didn't have time to get autographs at the stage door before catching our train, but Cindy did oblige me with this photo to prove I'd really made it to the play. I consider the excursion nothing less than a monumental achievement, given the way The Machine likes to throw wrenches into my plans -- or, as it did last spring, into my teeth -- from time to time.



We now return to our regularly scheduled writing and plugging.
-- L.

So... Y'see Our Ad?

Hi.

This weekend, I booked the first-ever SuperHuman Times web ad. (Designed it, too.)

It's running now and will be up for a month on the leaderboard of the Comic World News forum.

I picked CWN for a number of reasons: price, ad size, a very helpful webmaster... but most importantly, the forum is the home of the Bruisers board -- Kurt Busiek's Astro City forum. And if you know anything about Times, you know how influential that comic was in its creation.

So if you're here because you saw the ad -- and hopefully, checked out the podcasts -- let me know, OK?

Thanks.

-- L.

PROMETHEUS TAKES A PARSEC AWARD!!!

I'm proud to announce that Prometheus Radio Theatre -- the people who bring "The Arbiter Chronicles" and "SuperHuman Times" and other audio treats to podcasting life -- won a Parsec Award for Best Audio Drama (Long Form) at this past weekend's Dragon Con in Atlanta!

Needless to say, I am proud of my talented friends.

To hear some samples of our work that were submitted to the judges for consideration, check out the Prometheus MySpace page, and leave your congratulations for our visionary leader, Steve Wilson (who is no doubt right now clearing off a well-earned space on his mantel beside Prometheus' Mark Time Silver Medal from 2003).

-- L.

Well, SOMEONE'S Listening to Us!

Hi.

For the first time in months, I checked out the official timeskeeper@superhumantimes.com emailbox that's hosted at Go Daddy. It's the official contact address for the show, but I rarely go there because, except for spam, there's usually nothing worth reading. (I know, I know, you all listen to the show, but you don't get around to emailing me about it, that's okay, I understand.)

Seems that, on July 13, someone proved me wrong, because this was waiting for me tonight:

"I just wanted to drop a quick line to let y'all know that I have been greatly enjoying SuperHuman Times. Actually, I've been putting them on CD for a coworker of mine who is less computer savvy, and he too has been enjoying what he's heard so far. Thanks for the shows, and I hope to see more in the future!"
-Misha [I'll withhold the last name for privacy purposes]

Needless to say, our first official "fan mail" has me looking forward to our new fall season even more. Hopefully, once I place my long worked-on ad on some comics sites, we'll get some more feedback like this.

Just wanted to share the thrill with you all. Carry on.

-- L.

Where in the World is SuperHuman Times?

Hi.

The most literal answer to the title question is "still on hiatus." Steve Wilson and the Prometheus crew are taking their collective, well-earned rest after launching this series AND continuing The Arbiter Chronicles AND spinning a few more audio folk tales. Don't worry, they'll be back -- and as far as I know, they'll be bringing the Times back with them.

Which leads me to the second answer to the title question, and what may be the dumbest entry I ever make in this blog, but if anyone ever starts listening to the things – and reading these things – I’d like to have it here.

The other day, I realized that I never specify in my scripts where, exactly, the SuperHuman Times stories take place. I deliberately wanted to give it a sense of its own world, its own reality. But as I kept writing, the stories evoked memories of various real cities where I thought they might “fit.”

So, for the benefit of anyone else who cares about such things, here’s where the episodes so far, and a few that are upcoming, are set, at least in my head. NOTE: If you’re inclined to conjure up your own locales in your head as you listen to each story, please do. That’s why audio theatre is called “theatre of the mind,” after all.

The stories thus far:

“True North” - Baltimore. (I gave the pilot the home field advantage. In fact, my parents are buried in the same cemetery as Curtis’ parents.)

“Risk Management” – Chicago. (Although the museum in which much of the story is set is based on a presentation area in the Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Had the pleasure of watching one of my comic industry colleagues deliver a great lecture there in 2006 and fell in love with the location. I can still see the pedestal with the spellbook standing in the middle of the hall...)

“Servant Problem” – Long Island (the tony neighborhoods).

In upcoming stories, we’ll continue our travels (and again, these are places where they're set in my head, not necessarily mentioned in the scripts):

“Dashing” – Hollywood. This will be bloody obvious.

“Close Encounters” – Boston.

“The Hot Property” – New York to Atlanta.

Plus, at least one major character to emerge from this twisted micro-universe will be from the Jersey Shore. (Everyone who knows me had to see that coming at some point.) And another will come from Kansas. She hasn’t told me what she’ll be doing yet, but it’s just a matter of time.

But I have it on good authority we’ll be producing these and other stories for some time to come, and I hope you’ll join us for them. If you haven’t yet, please do by clicking here. If you have: thanks for listening, and for stopping by.

-- L.

Times Marches On...

Hi. Thought I'd take a breather to update you on the latest goings-on here at the keyboard.

First off, "Dashing" -- the much-talked-up (by me) three-part Times story -- is done and on the launchpad, waiting for Steve Wilson and the Prometheus cabal to find time to do it. But it's summer. We're all on various stages of vacation. But if anyone reading this is a writer of any kind, you know that just doesn't happen with our ilk. You can't switch off your imagination. at least, I can't.

Which is why I've just cranked out the first draft revision of the next Times, a one-shot tentatively titled "Man of My Dreams." It's a fun little story about a romance novelist who thinks she's found the perfect man, until two problems rock her world: he's not who he appears to be... and neither is she. If you dig the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents series, I hope you'll check this out whenever it goes up. It's got a "twist" at the end that even I didn't see coming until I wrote the script.

And working on that got me so revved up that I almost instantly started writing the next script, another one-shot tentatively titled "Penance." It's in the early stages, but here's my pitch: a desperate researcher seeking a way to test a new cancer drug on a human subject discovers that a patient dying in his hospital is a former supervillainess known for conducting sadistic genetic experiments. In exchange for not revealing her identity to authorities who have been seeking her for years, the researcher coerces her into being his guinea pig and consulting on his work -- but she makes him promise to help her die if the drug fails to restore her health. Needless to say, the stakes turn out to be much, much higher -- but I haven't even outlined this one yet, so there's also a chance they'll just shake hands and go their separate ways, the end.

If that happens, I'll jump in front of a bus, 'cause living will be pointless. Wish me luck.

-- L.

P.S.: While you're waiting for these new Times, be sure to visit Prometheus' libsyn page and check out their latest three-parter from their flagship show, The Arbiter Chronicles. It's called "Divergence," and has one of the most original and entertaining premises I've ever encountered. Plus, The Mrs. edited all of it and has a featured role, so I love it.

That is, I love it; you should, too!

Good News/Sad News

Hi. It’s been one of those weeks, so please bear with me.

Let me start with the good news: The new Times episode, “Servant Problem,” is now online! You can access it via Ye Website here. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Please excuse me if I’m not more enthused about the debut of a new episode. I’m really quite proud of it, writing-wise. But the release comes on the heels of the sad news, a tragedy that struck our circle of friends earlier this week.

A very dear friend, Jim Childs -- that's him in the photo above -- died suddenly early on Tuesday morning, and we said goodbye to him tonight.

Jim was a big, friendly bear of a guy, a true sweetheart. He and his wife, Betsy (my wife’s best friend since childhood), were a perfect match. They both loved movies, comic books and all the other geeky things that are shared by… well, practically anyone who associates with our ilk. And he, like Betsy, loved dogs, especially Dalmatians. But he was just as good with our two mongrels, and they clearly enjoyed his company, too. Just like we all did.

I have a lot of memories of Jim, but my fondest one is of the time he backhanded my wife, Cindy.

I guess I should explain.

A couple of years ago, for a Superman-themed show at a convention, we made a video spoof of the classic ‘50s Superman series. Jim – a passionate Supes fan – played Clark Kent, and it’s hard to imagine anyone having such a good time not taking himself seriously in the least. Whether he was in the gray suit or the baggy Superman costume, he took his lines and ran with them. It shows in his performance. And his “flying” was superb. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d bet that his energy helped all of us enjoy those few days of shooting in mid-autumn a lot more. (I hope Steve Wilson, who wrote it, and Lew Aide, the video director, will load the thing on YouTube. If they do, I’ll post the link. DC and Viacom legal be damned; it’s a parody, and a great one.)

Anyway, I believe I was talking about how cool it was when Jim belted my wife.

There’s a scene in which Clark (Jim) and Lois (played by Cindy) are arguing over the fact that she’s reported in the Daily Planet that Superman can be killed by Kryptonite. (At least that’s how I recall it, but screw my memory, I’m in mourning.) Clark ain’t happy about it. Lois contends it’s factual, so it’s news. At this point, Clark tells her, “News, huh? I’ll show you news,” and SWACK-O!, knocks her out of the frame, accompanied by the sound effect of bowling pins going down.

I never laughed so hard at anything in one of our shows in my life. Neither had Cindy. The very idea of Clark – much less Jim -- ever doing something like that made the gag work beautifully. To her credit, Cindy took the hit like a pro, too. (No, I haven’t tried this at home.) It was just one of many elements that made the whole video one of the coolest things to work on. But without Jim as our jovial anchor, it simply wouldn’t have been as good, or as much fun.

Here's another photo of Jim in costume from the video. If you think it looks ridiculous, he'd be proud. But aside from his warm handshakes and big, big hugs, I think this is how I will always remember him. This is the friend I will miss. I guess that makes me Superman’s Pal -- one of many during his time among us.

Be sure to tell George Reeves the backhand story, Jim. He’ll love it -- and you, I’m sure -- as much as we do.

-- L.

Hey! Who Asked About Us at Balticon? Was It You?

Hi.

I wasn't able to make it to this year's edition of Balticon, the Baltimore-Washington area's premier s-f blowout, but through the generosity of one of my partners-in-crime (yes, you, Sharon Van Blarcom, thank you!), a bunch of Times lanyards and fliers did make the show, as did the show's biggest supporter, my wife Cindy, as she was producing a live gig there for the Prometheus bunch.

So Cindy gets home from the con last night, and she tells me that:
- Out of the 125 or so Times lanyards I gave Sharon on Friday, five were left;
- There were "a few" Times fliers left for the flier table;
- One person remarked that the concept was one he hadn't heard of before for superhero stories; and
- Someone we didn't know at all actually asked Steve Wilson, "When's the next SuperHuman Times episode coming on?"

Figures that the cons I miss are the ones where people talk about the show.

Anyway, if you took a lanyard/flier/both at Balticon, and/or were curious enough to hit the website or MySpace page for more information: Welcome! And in case you were the one who asked: the next episode, "Servant Problem," should hit the 'net in a few short weeks (and I'm overestimating because I want to help Steve maintain his rep as a miracle worker; he's probably already finished it).

Next: I'm set on finishing a one-shot by July 4th, followed by a vacation in August, then proceeding to the next multi-parter -- one I've been waiting to write literally since the beginning of Times.

Hope your summer's just as much fun, and that you'll spend part of it listening to our show.

-- L.

Yay! "Servant Problem" Begins Production!

Hi.

Thursday night, we started production on the third Times story, the one-shot titled "Servant Problem." If you like old-fashioned screwball comedies like "My Man Godfrey" and "Bringing Up Baby" (ask your parents or grandparents if you don't know those movies), you'll enjoy this when it's done.

I don't say this because I wrote it, but because after hearing John Weber record the lead role of Cabot -- a butler with a rather large problem courtesy of his former employer -- I have every confidence that it will play better on audio than it does on the page. Of course, the fact that he has a hell of a supporting cast will just make it more entertaining.

(Okay, there is one ham in our cast who chews the scenery like it's penny candy when his supervillain character is visited by Cabot in prison, but I'll let you judge that performance on its own merits/flaws.)

When it’s ready (which should be pretty soon), you’ll hear about it here. And, of course, here (where you'll find our pilot, "True North" and the three-parter, "Risk Management") and on MySpace.

Be there, and be sure to tell your friends: Fun Times are ahead!

-- L.

HOLY CRAP! "RISK MANAGEMENT" IS DONE!

Hi.

I just listened to the third and final installment of our second SuperHuman Times story, "Risk Management." (You haven't heard it? Don't you read my MySpace bulletins? Shame!) With that, all three episodes are now available for free download. You can grab them via the podcast page of the Times website.

And with that, we did something I never thought we'd actually do.
We moved forward with SuperHuman Times.
We moved beyond the pilot, "True North," and we actually took our second step into the Times universe.
Wow.

Not that I ever doubted the ability of Steve Wilson and the Prometheus crew to pull all this together, but given the other commitments everyone was facing -- both with respect to producing other Prometheus shows, and with respect to dealing with real life (we don't do this for a living, ya know) -- I think it's pretty impressive. At least, I'm impressed by them. I've had so many ideas and best-laid plans crash and burn for so many different reasons over the years that seeing all this happen is a real thrill.

Hopefully, Steve and the gang will be ready for what I throw at them next because, between the podcasts of "True North" and "Risk Management," I finished two more scripts -- a one-shot and another three-parter (the latter of which Steve's probably gonna roll up and jam down my windpipe for its technical challenges).

But that's my problem. That and figuring out which voices in my head get to tell their story next. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

-- L.

"Risk Management" is Online NOW!

Hi.
Since my last post had the next Times story in production, it's only fitting that I fell behind with this blog long enough for it to be close to finished, which it is.

"Risk Management" Parts 1 & 2 are now available for FREE download from libsyn.com! I'm pretty excited because it means we're actually taking the series beyond "True North."

Here are the links:
Part 1
Part 2

You also get some nifty commentary and celebrity interviews (Ron Glass!) from Prometheus Radio Theatre founder Steve Wilson ... mainly because I wrote short scripts. Hey, I'm learning here.

But our fine cast does quite well with the few words I gave them, especially Renee Wilson as Nataliya Tzone. (Yep, Cindy was right; see last post.) Guys, when you hear her talking to the professor in Part 2, you'll wish it were you sitting across that desk from her.

You can also subscribe to Prometheus' podcasts for FREE and automatically receive them via iTunes.

However you get them, I hope you like them. Let me know one way or the other, here or at MySpace .

Thanks.
-- L.

"Risk Management" Production Underway!

Hi.

At long last, the second Times story, the three-part Risk Management," began production this past Wednesday in the opulent studios of Prometheus Radio Theatre. My sources (it helps when the series producer is your wife) tell me that all of the principal dialogue was recorded in one evening, and that everyone had fun performing it.

Although she praised the entire cast, Cindy had particular kudos for Renee Wilson (lovely and talented wife of Prometheus god Steve Wilson), who mastered a tricky Roma accent for her lead role as Nataliya Tzone (pron. like "tsar"), the Times Universe's most powerful sorceress/security expert. I think it's especially nice of Cindy to say something like that, considering she knows I created Nataliya for her. But, Steve wanted Cindy for Beyondra in "True North"; what's a guy to do?

I haven't heard any of the recorded dialogue at this writing, but Cindy's assessment already has me thinking we have another good show coming up. Now if only we could get people to listen to it... if only we could get them to stop reading or writing blogs for just a little while... except this one, of course.

More as production, and promotion, continue.

-- L.

The Times Comes to MySpace

Just a note to inform anyone who might be reading this that, in addition to Ye Blog and the website, you can now find me begging for listeners somewhere else: MySpace.

Stop by and make friends with me at http://www.myspace.com/superhumantimes. Bring your friends along. At this writing, I have only the mercy friend from MySpace on my page, so there's plenty of room. Or space. MySpace.

Yeah, yeah, I should go write things now.

-- L.

Post-Farpoint

Hi.

Well, I set out fliers and lanyards at Farpoint last weekend. As always, the con was well-managed and intimate, and the fellow podcasters I mentioned in the last post were extremely interesting. Their command of the technology and the scope of what they're doing absolutely staggered me. I felt supremely outclassed (not because of any attitudes toward me on their parts).

Nevertheless, I put out the fliers and the lanyards. For a good chunk of the weekend, most of the lanyards were being worn by friends. and those were seen by strangers, and they were curious, and they wanted their own. They stopped by and I gave them a lanyard and a flier, and I told them about the show. Hope it helps get us a few more downloads.

Next? Well, I have lanyards left, so I'm hoping to hit a couple of more conventions, preferably some with a bigger comic-reading contingent. The Baltimore Comic Con is a given, but I'd also like to see if I can get anything going at Wizard World Philadelphia in June or Dragon Con in Atlanta in September. Money will probably be the biggest hurdle to attempting that kind of mini-campaign, though. Ads on the con's websites may be all I can do.

But I have all these people screaming in my head, telling me their stories. I'd like for someone to hear them. And, maybe, read this, too, someday.

-- L.

Farpoint: Preparations & Plugs

Things are usually hectic around here before Farpoint because Cindy's getting ready for the convention's Art Show (which she runs), while we simultaneously celebrate our son Greg's birthday (he's 7 years old today, and seems to add a year every February around this time). This year is even more hectic because I've been making the promotional materials for the podcast.

One of the linchpins of the whole "campaign" arrived today: the lanyards. Gorgeous yellow lanyards with the logos of the show and Prometheus on them. They cost a good chunk of change. I'm giving them away to spread the word about the show. I'm an idiot. I'm also desperate. Between those, the fliers, the stickers and the podcast panels, the word should be adequately spread. We'll know one way or the other if it works if listenership to the pilot increases after the con.

No matter how the lanyards fare, I urge you to check out www.lowcostlanyards.com if you have similar needs. Warning: The lanyards are made in China, so if you need them in a hurry or have political leanings against doing business with that nation (I didn't know that's where they were being made until they shipped), go elsewhere. Otherwise, their sales reps (located in this country) are first-rate, so on that basis I recommend their service highly.

Speaking of the con, let me toss in a couple of courtesy plugs here for some fellow podcasters I'll be hanging with this weekend. I've just been introduced to their work and it's worth sharing.

- Jared Axelrod is the highly impressive master of The Voice of Free Planet X on libsyn.com, which also hosts Prometheus' shows. To call what he presents dramatic readings would be an understatement and disservice. Using words and music and precious little time, he creates -- no, becomes -- complete characters and worlds. I've heard only two stories from his site so far -- "What Mechanics Do" and "Saturn Swallows Its Children Whole" (performed by his equally talented partner in crime JR Blackwell, of Voices of Tomorrow). I get to open the podcasting panel with him at 10:00 on Saturday morning. I doubt I'll be as impressive. Hell, I doubt I'll be awake.

- Tee Morris is an accomplished podcaster, writer and actor whose talents are constantly on display at his nifty website, TeeMorris.com. When I heard the prologue from one of his major works, MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana, it conjured images of Captain Blood as if it were painted by the Brothers Hildebrandt. Your visions may differ, but the important thing is: it conjures images, which is always the sign of a good storyteller. I'll be staffing the podcasters' table with Tee on Saturday morning, but if you go, you'll probably see him there throughout the weekend. Steve tells me he's a tireless self-promoter in the best possible way. Stop by and find out.

One last Farpoint-related callout: my thanks to my pal Marc B. Lee for singling me out to potential attendees as a convention guest (or, to use his questionable estimation, "writer extraordinaire"). I knew I had a purpose in life.

While I try to figure out what it is, I'll go back to work. Lanyards, lanyards, lanyards...

-- L.

Back to the Present

Hi. This post officially brings us back into "real time."

I'll explain: If you look at the prior three posts, each one starts with a parenthetical stating "(Originally posted on...)" That's because my first posts to this blog were on Blogger before it was absorbed by Google. What you're reading now, after trials and tribulations I'd rather not go into, is the "Google Edition" of the blog. Unlike the preceding posts, today really is February 4, 2007, and that's when this is being posted. Welcome back.

That said, you haven't missed much. I'm preparing for the Farpoint convention in nearby Cockeysville, MD, which will be held two weeks from now. (Well, two weeks from this moment, it will be over; you know what I mean.) In addition to ordering 250 lanyards with the Times and Prometheus Radio Theatre logos, I've worked up a sign to promote them at our podcasting table (which we're sharing with several esteemed fellow podcasters), printed a ton of color fliers to introduce the series, cranked out some business cards to pass out, and created a couple of stickers to slap onto my photojournalist vest (I don't think they're gonna work out, but I can't afford embroidery, so I try). I don't expect the masses will storm "True North" to check it out after they get their lanyards and read their fliers, but ya have to start somewhere.

In the meantime, I've been informed that good ol' Mr. Wilson is going to submit "True North" to this year's Mark Time Awards. As you may recall, Prometheus took a Silver Medal in this competition with the three-part Arbiter Chronicles episode, "A Man Walks into a Bar." If you've never heard it, check it out, along with the other Arbiter episodes. I hope you'll be as impressed by my friends as I am.

As for Times, I'll let you know what happens. Better yet, if you pick up a lanyard or a flier and you visited the site to get here, you let me know, okay? I'll be here.

-- LW

Yup. Still Here. Still Writing.

(Originally posted on January 20, 2007)

Howdy.

A friend of mine recently told me on good authority that people were actually reading this blog, and that it might be wise/nice to update it once in a while, even if nothing special was happening with the series.

Well, I did promise a "behind-the-scenes" perspective on the show, even if it is just my own. So, in that vein, here's what I've been up to since the last post:

"Risk Management" - The second story of the series, a three-parter, goes into the studio this month. We're hoping to post it in March.

"Dashing" - I'm in the middle of writing this one, another three-parter. Part One's done, and the wife likes it, so that's a good sign. I have to start Part Two after having taken a few weeks off for holiday recuperation and home improvements. With luck, this will hit during the summer months. Since it's a riff on Bond movies, that would be appropriate.

I'm also putting the finishing touches on the outline of what I think will be the fourth and final story of Season 1, "Servant Problem." I want this two-parter to be a lot of fun for whoever ends up acting in it, because I want it to have the feel of a 1930s screwball comedy. With superhumans.

And on top of that, I came up with two stories for what I hope will be future seasons. Both are love stories of different kinds. I don't know which one I'll attempt first, but when an idea hits, I always try to flesh it out immediately, so I can come back to it later with a lot of the initial details already worked out. But it's usually rolling through my head while I'm working on other stories.

It's just that I started this whole thing with ideas for about 15 stories. Now I have more than 20, I think.

When you figure that the Prometheus gang is also working on The Arbiter Chronicles and its series of folk tales, and we're going to try and post the Times episodes on a quarterly schedule, that translates into requiring about five years to tell all the stories I want to tell (Steve and the gang willing).

Two of my all-time favorite shows -- The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Twilight Zone -- each ran for five years. If we could attain that goal, we'd be in good company.

But first, I have to write the episodes. And plug the hell out of them. (I'm trying to find good comic-book venues for online ads, ideal conventions for program book ad/flier placement, etc. Any suggestions?) And in between all of this, I'll update you as to what's going on. I hope to have much to report.

Thanks for reading, and listening. Back to work.

-- LW

At Long Last, News!

(Originally posted on December 20, 2006)

Greetings!

I wanted to take a moment to let you know a few items of potential interest:

1) Prometheus Radio Theatre has given the green light to a full season of SuperHuman Times! We are shooting for producing multi-part stories on a quarterly basis, with the next one hitting in March. "True North," the pilot, counts as the first story of the season. Following that...

2) The next story, "Risk Management," will start production after the holidays. This will be a three-parter featuring the Tzones, a family of sorceresses led by the most powerful sorceress on the planet. After the Big Shakeout, she started her own security firm. Now, she's planning to hand the reins of the firm over to her two gifted daughters... if they don't screw up their latest assignment. It was fun to write, and I'm hoping it'll be fun for the actors to play and for you to hear. And following that...

3) "Dashing," the season's third story, is currently in the outline-to-script stage. If you've seen my profile photo, you know I have a James Bond complex that manifested itself long before midlife. That's served me well for this story, which follows an action movie star with the ability to heal rapidly as he's forced to swap places with an amnesiac who thinks he's the superspy character the actor plays. I really hope you'll like it because it took more than 20 years to get it to production. But that's a story for later. Hopefully, this will hit in the summer.

That will, hopefully, be followed by one more story in the fall and -- if I can talk Steve Wilson and the Prometheus gang into letting me do it -- a holiday quickie. But we'll see.

Anyway, we're chugging along, and I hope you'll stay aboard for the ride.

-- LW

Let the Good (I Hope) Times Roll!

(Originally posted on November 18, 2006)

Hello, and welcome to just what the web needs: another blog.

But this is a special blog, at least to me.

My name is Lance Woods, and I'm the creator of SuperHuman Times, the latest radio series from the Mark Time Award-winning Prometheus Radio Theatre. That's me in the formal straight jacket.

This blog presumes three things:
1) that you have some idea of what SuperHuman Times is about (if not, click here); and/or
2) that you may have actually listened to our pilot episode, "True North" (if not, click here); and/or
3) either or both of these things interested you enough to check out this blog.

"True North" was posted on libsyn.com and iTunes on November 3. As with any pilot, we've been monitoring the number of downloads closely to determine whether we should try to make it a full-fledged series. I'm pleased to report that audience response (in terms of downloads) has been very encouraging, so we plan to proceed with more Times stories on a (hopefully) quarterly basis.

I'll use the Comments pages for each episode on libsyn to post information or background material about them. That way, people can learn more about the stories without burdening themselves with this place. This is more of a journal where I'll express additional thoughts about each story, the series, the cast, the characters and other things that have to do with the series.

Don't expect any behind-the-scenes dirt, though; I'm cursed with nice friends. Sorry. I have no plans to write "All About Steve" (Wilson, that is, the founder and driving force of Prometheus who approached me about turning this would-be comic book into an audio series; thanks for the opportunity, Steve).

I also don't expect to be posting on here with any great frequency. I have to write the bloody episodes, y'know.

Then again, I am a writer, so don't be surprised if I hang out here anyway. And if you're hanging out here -- more importantly, if you're hanging out here because you've heard SuperHuman Times -- please say so. I'd enjoy reading something other than my own words on this blog.

-- LW