Many podiobook listeners and producers will know by now that this year began very badly for Tee Morris, one of the founding father’s of Podiobooks.com. He is now facing raising his daughter, affectionately known as SonicBoom by himself after the death of her mother.

Many donated to the ChipIn fund which helped with the immediate expenses surrounding Natalie’s death, and even left a portion over to begin a trust fund. However, as those of you with kids know, raising them is not cheap – let alone sending them to college!

So I thought ‘hey maybe I’ll auction off a few things I have here’ (Mainly the Weather Child original manuscript) – and it kinda snowballed from there. The Boom Effect auction is now hitting 70 auction lots, and I know there are more to come.

People have done some amazing craft projects, donated rare and beautiful things, and been very creative with what services they are offering.

I’m just going to highlight a few of the auction lots that writers and podcasters and listeners might be interested in

Listeners

• The ultimate Mark of the Druid package offering to produce your very own promo. Nothing will help your marketing efforts more than a sparkling promo!
• Murder at Avedon Hill package
• The Fox package
• Signed Copy of the now out-of-print Scott Sigler novel Earthcore

Writers

• Our agent Laurie MacLean is offering two wonderful options- a three chapters package and a full reading of your manuscript and critique.This is your chance to take full advantage of Laurie’s skills and experience.
• Our editor from DragonMoon Press Gabrielle Harbowy is offering a professional edit of a short story up to 7,000 words. An opportunity to polish up that story for submitting.
• Alex White is offering to make a logo for your website. He made me the one for this very site you are on- and I’m blown away by his skills.

Podcasters

• Kimi Alexandre is offering to produce your very own promo. Nothing will help your marketing efforts more than a sparkling promo!
• James Durham will make your own theme song. Not all of us have musical skills, but having your own theme made for you would be just amazing.

And those are just a tiny sample of the amazing things people are donating to help Sonic Boom into the future. Check out the lots here.

The auction will be hosted by Podcasting’s Rich Sigfrit at 10am EST 27th February 2010 live on ustream.

If you’re a podcaster- the promo for the event is here.

You can also find us on Facebook as an event, follow us on twitter orsubscribe to the RSS feed as more auctions are still being added.

This is a great way for us to come together as a community. We’re going to give a little girl options, and one day she’s going to look back and be amazed at what the podcasting/social media community did and how much fun we had doing it.

The Boom Effect Promo

This Holiday season A.P Stephens the author of
THE WHITE SHADOW SAGA: THE STOLEN MOON OF LONDOR
came to Podiobooks.com authors and said join me in spreading the word about literacy for the holidays. Here is what his blog says and her are a few of the authors that jumped on board.
“It is with great pleasure I bring forth and introduce you to The Gift of Lit, a collective effort by many of the fine authors from Podiobooks. Together, we would like to share with you our diverse works and invite you to take a look at the nice selection of books we have spent hours, days, months, or years writing.
The Gift of Lit: Holiday 2009 is now here. If you are looking for a great gift this holiday season, rather it be for a family member, friend…or for yourself, take a look at the list below and give one, some, or all of these books your consideration. There are books to suit your needs this holiday season. Here, you will find fantasy, sci-fi, crime drama, speculative fiction, techno thriller, and much more. Help support these authors and spread the joys of literature. Give spark to imagination.
Below, take a look at all of the different titles offered and follow the links to purchase your own copy for yourself or to give that special someone this holiday. Yet, no matter the time of year, The Gift of Lit will be sure to please all readers.”

And from Lulu

Drew Betty’s Lost Gods

(starts at $15.50 new)

Kweku Anansi is just another member of the African diaspora, trying to
make a place for himself in his adopted home of Toronto, Canada. He
dreams of better days, of a time when he could stop running small time
cons just to make the rent. He dreams of the life he used to live,
centuries ago when he was revered as a god.

A chance encounter with a fellow con man with a dark and secretive
past of his own, plunges them both into the dark world of the lost
gods, gods who would do anything to be worshipped again. Including
destroying the world, if necessary.

How far will Anansi go to reclaim his godhood? What will he give up to
have true power again?

THE VATICAN ASSASSIN TRILOGY by Mike Luoma

Buy it here at >> Lulu << (starts as low as $35.99)

This three in one omnibus edition collects all three novels in the “Vatican Assassin” Trilogy under one cover. “Vatican Assassin”, “Vatican Ambassador” and “Vatican Abdicator” are joined in this volume by an extensive appendix of previously unreleased background material. There are some early concept sketches by Mike Luoma, as well as “The History of The Future”: a timeline developed to extrapolate from today into the future setting for the story; “The Original Story Outline”; “The Story of The Project”; “The Alien Timeline” and more.

And from Lulu

Drew Betty’s Lost Gods

(starts at $15.50 new)

Kweku Anansi is just another member of the African diaspora, trying to
make a place for himself in his adopted home of Toronto, Canada. He
dreams of better days, of a time when he could stop running small time
cons just to make the rent. He dreams of the life he used to live,
centuries ago when he was revered as a god.

A chance encounter with a fellow con man with a dark and secretive
past of his own, plunges them both into the dark world of the lost
gods, gods who would do anything to be worshipped again. Including
destroying the world, if necessary.

How far will Anansi go to reclaim his godhood? What will he give up to
have true power again?

THE VATICAN ASSASSIN TRILOGY by Mike Luoma

Buy it here at >> Lulu << (starts as low as $35.99)

This three in one omnibus edition collects all three novels in the “Vatican Assassin” Trilogy under one cover. “Vatican Assassin”, “Vatican Ambassador” and “Vatican Abdicator” are joined in this volume by an extensive appendix of previously unreleased background material. There are some early concept sketches by Mike Luoma, as well as “The History of The Future”: a timeline developed to extrapolate from today into the future setting for the story; “The Original Story Outline”; “The Story of The Project”; “The Alien Timeline” and more.

We have talked before about dominate senses and how to determine what your dominate sense is and in that blog I mentioned Automatic Writing and how using this technique you can tap into your superconsciousness and receive answers. So how do you do automatic writing? It is pretty easy actually, once you get past your logical brain. So for now let’s set that part of your mind aside. This is practice. You are going to do this for a minimum of three days in a row at the same time each day at a time when you won’t be distribute for at a minimum of five to ten minutes per sitting.

1. Grab a tablet of paper or sit at your keyboard blank page before you.

2. Take a few cleansing breaths and allow your fingers to run across the keys or the pen to flow pen in hand across the page. Don’t worry if you are making sense. Don’t think about constructing words or sentences.  Eyes closed.

You will likely get scribbles and nonsenses the first couple of days. Don’t judge. Just get used to not judging the experience.

Day two: Before starting to write a (one) question at the top of the page then close your eyes and begin.

On this day you will likely see some distinguishable words and often if you are not using a keyboard you may ever see sentences. You will likely experience a feeling of your hand or hands not being in charge of the pen or typing on the keyboard. this is where the automatic part comes in. Many people who use this technique on a regular basis say that if feel like someone else is using their hand to write or type.

Day three: Write a (one) question at the top of the page then close your eyes and begin.

On the third day of doing this you should be pretty astounded at what your automatic writing experiment yields on the page. You may not have a full answer to your question yet but you most certainly will have at least one sentence that makes some sense. Now will it make sense with regard to your question? Well, it may or may not but you never know. When I first used this technichque it took a week before I felt the letting go of my literal mind and began to get some superconsciousness answers to my questions. It is difficult for me to let go of my analytical self so if you need more than 3 days give them to yourself. and if you need to write and not type do that to.

I wanted to share that interview with you. See if you think the founding of this project and the exponential growth is a coincidence.

This is a short one because I am asking you to play the audio. I think that is enough said and all the details are there. If you want to contact Ed Patterson or smash words here are their details.

Operation EBook Drop is a program run by author Ed Patterson to connect  Indie authors with troops. Authors who have signed up will provide free ebooks to the deployed men and women in the Armed Forces for use on their reading devices. There are 70 participating authors so far.

Smashwords recently had an article on Operation Ebook Drop.

EBook Drop authors, sound off on the Amazon Kindle Thread. Tell everyone about yourself and your books.

May we all be as one!

Rhonda R Carpenter

I remember when the boys were young and the only place I was ever alone was in the bathroom and that was only if I locked the door. A space to get quiet and ruminate is important but it doesn’t need to be a room or even have a view. A place all your own can seriously be in your mind.

Take a minute and conjure one up. Sometimes I like to imagine a field of tall grass overlooking a valley with a river winding through it below me. Other times the beach on a warm day, blue sky overhead and a light breeze. Then there are the times I need to reinforce my boundaries and I take my self to a circular grove of willow trees, branches draping to the ground and in the center of the grove is a slab of blue-stone. This scene is always at night, the full moon shining down on the stone and I sit in the center calm and protected.

What is your favorite place in nature? Tell you what, if you send me a comment of your favorite place in nature I will make the group a recording of a relaxing meditation centered in your special place.

Did you know that for every minute in trance your bodies feel as if it has had fifteen minutes of sleep? It is true. You can change a bad day into a good day by changing your perception of your interior world and your exterior world.

Steps to Calm

1. Find yourself in a comfortable position, either sitting or laying down.

2. Uncross all limbs so that energy free flows through your body.

3. Close your eyes.

4. Pay attention to your breathing. In and out. In and out. Some say to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. As long as you are paying attention to the inhale and exhale I don’t care how you breath as long as you do.

5. As you are paying attention to your breathing feel you heart beating in your chest. If it is beating somewhere else in your body then go with it we know it is in your chest.  

6. In your minds eye, (other wise known as your imagination) your favorite place in nature. Imagine that place in as much detail as you can. Smell, hear, taste, feel and know that you are in this place of serenity and peace. Be there now.

7. Stay as long as you like. I am sure that when you open your eyes and look at the clock it will have seemed longer than it was in reality. When you open your eyes things will look brighter and lighter than before.

Any information you glean while in this place should be recorded as this info tends to slip away very quickly.

The challenge has been made. Leave a comment with your favorite place in nature and I will post here for you a short mediation that you can download and take with you and everyone can enjoy your special place without ever interrupting you.

May we all be as one!

Rhonda R Carpenter

Last week I told you about Wander Radio’s Megan from Magen’s Mix. She is walking for a cure Juvenile Diabetes Walk! Realityoneradio.com will be matching all donations made between now and Oct 2nd. So please take a moment and give what you can. You can find her donation page here. If you are a podcaster – please feel free to take this PSA and drop into your show. Thanks from everyone at Wander Radio.

Or hear Megan’s exciting announcement herself click here. And please pass the word around!

Most of you know by now that I am truly invested in podcasting and when I see something that is a worthwhile cause I tell others about it. This is one of those times. Juvenile Diabetes Walk for the Cure! Please help support Megan from Megan’s Mix of Wander Radio in meeting and exceeding her goal in the JDRF walk for diabetes again this year. You can find her donation page here. If you are a podcaster – please feel free to take this PSA and drop into your show. Thanks from all of us here at Wander Radio.

Or hear Megan herself click here. And please pass the word around!

Some years ago I participated in a metaphysical new letter devoted to healing and education called The Beam. It had a column titled, Coincidence I Think Not, in which readers and authors would share a situation that could have been a coincidence if you believed in them. I thought that it might be fun to resurrect this column here on the Got Insight Blog. Feel free to send your un-coincidence either in a comment on this blog or in an email.

I am one that doesn’t believe in happenstance, what I do believe is that we are all in the right place at the right time even if it doesn’t necessarily feel right in the moment. In my daily attempt to stay in the moment I try to be aware of the little things. A couple of weeks ago I set up my first book signing at a local bookseller here on the mountain. I was extremely nervous but forced myself to go in and ask. I tried not to show just how nervous I was and told the owner about the book, dropped some bookmarks and set a date for the signing. It was so easy and the owner was very excited about what I am doing with the pod cast version of the book. A week later I received an email from a new author who had just moved to the community. She had gone into the book store and the owner told her she should contact me about how I was marketing my book. I shot her back an email and we set up coffee & chat thing at a local coffee house. Great Latte by the way.

When Verna and I sat down and started talking it was like I had known her my whole life. We had a great deal in common. Not easy to do with me. 

I can’t wait to share her book with you when it becomes available this fall. I do believe she will be joining the podcasting community with a flair. It turns out that Verna  is a very astute woman. Her coming release is a fictional exploration of 11:11 and ties in the prophecies about the coming of 2012 into a heart racing page turning journey of enlightenment. I must say so far it is a very fun read while introducing the reader to many places of power around the world and wonders in the human soul.

When I walked in the house with her book in my hand my nephew, 21, said “Oh my god, I see those numbers everywhere,” and snatched the book out of my hand. It made me perk my ears. He was absolutely in a tizzy about wanting to read the book right that second and while I couldn’t give it to him as I had promised to do a line edit I understood his excitement. I had been fascinated from the moment she showed it to me.

So was it a coincidence that I went to to the same book store as Verna or that the owner said you should talk to this gal and gave her my email? Was it a coincidence that my nephew was drawn to her book at first glance? Even more interesting to me is how much we hit it off and it was like we knew each other? I guess these questions remain to be answered, but to me it was meant to be. I was at the right place at the right time doing my right work and met the right person who could make a connection with me. Fabulous! Really! I could have went to the bookstore after her or she or I could have chosen to start at another book store.

I have the glorious feeling that she and I will have something of importance to our personal growth to add to the others experience. Wonder where my nephew fits in?

I believe she will be at the book signing next Saturday. Here is the information so you can come too! Book Signing.

So Coincidence? I think not!

Until next week may we all be as one!

Rhonda

Greetings Got Insighters!

Stress levels are running high these days with the economic state of things, the wars happening around the globe and lets face it just everyday life in general.

 Here are some things you should know about stress:

1. Stress cause humans to automatically hold their breath. What is the effect of holding your breath? Smile every muscle tightens and the brain is deprived of oxygen creating a fight flight scenario in the human psyche.

2. Stress causes endorphins to be released in the brain. These endorphins are simply stated like guzzling a pot of espresso. Which set your nervous system on super fire mode and that my friends add to the tension and stress felt creating a cycle of stress.

3. Stress can cause extreme anger, especially if the human is in fight mode instead of flight mode. Stress can also cause a deep sense of hopelessness in the flight mode. Which will not be released until the critical core of the mind has been emptied. Which happens in… You guessed it sleep and hypnosis as well as other forms of trance.

It is more and more likely with all of the things we do each day to become more and more overloaded. Stressed out. Worried and fearful. All of these things we encounter in our day must pass through or stay in the critical core until like a computer the mind is reset, rebooted or decent sleep is achieved so the normal processes of clearing that core can happen.

It truly only takes from a second to a few minutes to de-stress.

How you ask. Well, I am giving you this week a progressive relaxation and guided imagery exercise to center you in health, joy and hope. The exercise should not be done in a moving vehicle. Find a comfortable place to sit or lay down. You deserve 7 minutes to de-stress.

Or Download now.

In this session I give suggestions for health, healthy choices, good breathing, joy and happiness. The Imagery is of an ocean scene with dolphins playing int he water and the sun shining down around you. Remember 6:38 seconds you can you decompress and de-stress.

I encourage you to pace this around to your friends and help them de-stress too.

Announcements:

My first book signing is scheduled for August 29th at a local bookstore in Crestline, CA. Here is a link to the details. I invite you to come see me at the book signing.

May We All Be As One!

Rhonda

This image is from photobucket.  by By gian_zaicx_2008 I invite you to go to the link to the image there is a good article from the provider and I must say, I enjoyed reading it.

Welcome Got Insighters!

I have had several questions about guides and guardians lately and I thought I would give you 2 simple ways to start communicating with your guilds.

Some people don’t believe in guides and guardians and that’s great. Beliefs are something personal to each of us. If you are someone that believes then I am sure you have thought it would be cool to speak or see your guardians.

Angelic presences, guides, guardians and family or friends that have transcended this plan are often said to be watching over us. Or maybe you have heard the miraculous stories about a angel saving a life or a guide assisting in difficult situations. Either way if you believe in  guides and guardians and have always wondered how you can see, connect and develop a relationship with them then here are 2 ways to get that connection going.

Mirror Mirror

Not unlike soul gazing ; where you stare into your own eyes in the mirror or a reflective surface, this technique requires very little. A mirror and you. That’s it. Either stand or sit in front of a stationary mirror. The lighting is important and should be low. Bright lighting will hinder your experience. Ok, now that you are set to go. While in front of the mirror all you need to do is begin to gently sway fro side to side. No fast movement a slow, small side to side so that your body stays within the frame of the mirror. Now don’t look at your face, but instead look above the top of your head and over either shoulder. As you begin to relax into the motion of movement you will find your vision begins to blur slightly. This is a sign you are doing this right. Relax and breath steadily. Keep looking around you head and soon you will being to see circular images. It may take a few times of doing this for you to see full facial features of your guardians. Then practise speaking with them. If you are auditory sensitive you may hear them speaking with you, but if you are visually dominate it may take some time to develop a means of communication. Try yes no questions so that they can nod or shake their head. Try asking the question s and saying that you would like to do automatic writing to get your answers.

Red light, Green Light, Blue light

This is a fun playful way to get your family and friends involved and if you add a mirror you can do this alone.

So all lights out save a red or green or blue light bulb. No shade if you are putting in a lamp. If you want to use colored film you can even use a flashlight to do this one. Just cover the lens of the flash light with red, green or blue clear plastic film style vellum or tape. You can get this at any office supply house and sometimes in a auto supply if you are going for the tape red is popular because of broken tail lights. That is if you don’t have it already. What you are doing is changing the way light bends around what is visually present in the room. changing the light spectrum so to speak.

Then which ever person’s turn it is sits against a gray or white wall. A white or gray or pale blue sheet works prefect if your walls are painted bright or dark colors.  

The light is aimed at the person but not into their eyes. The colored light should form a glow around the person and onto the wall behind them. Then the other people gaze and tell the person in the light what they are seeing. This one is interesting because sometimes the image of the guardian can  be superimposed over the person or they can appear like in the exercise above, around the head of the person.

If the person is  brave this is a good time to try channeling or stepping aside and allowing their spirit to leave the body hovering at the celling. Like a fly on the wall. The guardian can then speak through the person sitting in the light. Allowing the other people in the room to get information. I am not a big fan of Channeling for myself. I have control issues and will be the first to admit it. Giving up control of my body to another entity is a strange feeling and I have done it on several occasions. I just didn’t find the experience fun. It is a personal choice and while I feel it is safe to play with Channeling, it is not for me.

You questions, comments and experiences are welcome here at Got Insight. Please feel free to comment.

May we all be as one,

Rhonda R Carpenter