Tag Archives: Cobbler Mountain Cellers

Episode #74: Your Voicemails!

It’s so nice to breathe again, and because we got over the bug that we’ve passed back and forth to one another, we are back with a brand new Shared Desk! We have The Nebula Awards Conference this weekend, so as we are prepping for that, we’re turning to our voicemails and spending some time with you this go-round! (See—when you leave us Voicemail, we put you on the show!) We are also debuting a new segment for the show. Make sure to let us know what you think at 703-791-1701, and we may feature you in a segment or a special show just like this one.

Well, not just like this one as we are not going to get the exact feedback.

You know what we mean!

00:00 —  Introduction

  • No longer shouting into the mic. See, Pip can be taught!
  • Thanks, Billy, for the sweet drop-in!
  • Big shout out for all this great geekery on the television. Well, not all of it…
  • Anyone else excited about The Defenders?
  • Finally over the sniffles, the coughing, and the congestion…

03:54 — Episode 74: Your Voicemails!

  • Some Voicemail love
    • We’ve been letting the voicemails stack up, so we’re giving the whole show to them.
    • Some cross-promotion for Happy Hour from the Tower
    • Upcoming Podcasting for Dummies shenanigans
    • …and yeah, a lot of podcasting in the works for the both of us!
  • First Voicemail: Brian Webber & Episode 69
  • Second Voicemail: Chris Lester & Episode 71
    • Chris knows how to plug!
    • The theory of what brings on The Impostor Syndrome
    • Chris’ introduction to Hamilton parallels Tee’s
    • Some Hamilton trivia, especially Lin-Manuel Miranda at the White House
    • Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Creative Process
    • A discussion about being a “Genius”
  • Third Voicemail: Nobilis Reed & Episode 73
    • When authors don’t want to move forward, why does that mean readers can’t?
    • The end can be the beginning, whether it is a role-playing game (like ours!) or writing fan fiction.
    • Fan fiction is a healthy extension of where an author’s work ends.
    • Mike Rigg launched the Steam Rollers Adventure Podcast as an extension of his own world (and Tee loves to listen).
  • Fourth Voicemail: Steve Pritchard & Episode 73
    • More reminiscing over Billi Baddings
    • Passing along notes to other writers and passing the torch…
    • Looking back on Iron Fist
  • Yes, we love Listener Feedback so drop us a line…
    • 703.791.1701
    • tee (at) teemorris (dot) com
    • pip (at) pjballantine (dot) com
    • ….or leave us a comment right here in the show’s post! 
  • Pip gets all foreign on Tee again.

28:07 — What’s Cookin’, Writers? 

  • And now, the Spirit Animal of Tee and Pip’s Kitchen
  • How did this segment come about? It all started with a Facebook exchange from Tommy Garza…
  • If you think we cook like crazy, how about that Piper J Drake?
  • Smoking Meats: The Basics
    • Step 1: Get Yourself a Smoker

    • Be careful—you may get so attached to your smoker, you may put your life before this appliance.
    • Char-Broil Electric Smoker. Great device, dodgy app.
  • The Zen of Smoked Meats
    • This is not an impulse thing. You plan for smoking meats.
    • Smoking meats is great for writers!
    • You want wood? We got wood!
  • Char Broil has a great website for tips on smoking meats.
  • Try different flavors with your wood. Find out what works for you.
  • Whatever the cooking time, add one hour.
  • Smoking Ribs: The 3-2-1 Method
    • Enjoy your double innuendos.
    • The Tea & Spice Exchange is great for rubs!
    • Farmers’ Markets also carry terrific rubs.
    • Apply rub to your meat, smoke that for three hours.
    • Then baste your meat, smoke for two hours. (We love using cider from Cobbler Mountain Cellars.)
    • Cover in a sauce of your liking, smoke for an hour.
    • Serve, eat, and you’re welcome.
  • And now, since we’re talking about poultry, let’s talk about spatchcocking.
  • Shout out to Scott Sigler!
  • Closing with brisket
  • Want to try Blue Apron? Reach out to us. Let us know…

45:45 — The Wrap-Up

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or questions for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
We’ll talk about it!
And remember, you can find the show on iTunes or Stitcher!
Subscribe, listen, and review.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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Episode #60: Starting from Scratch…Again (with Special Guest Lauren “Scribe” Harris)

 

Hold on — Lauren “Scribe” Harris is back in studio?

Why, yes, yes, she is! With the Drakes out west, we need to fill the vacancy left behind; and Lauren is up for the challenge. Speaking of challenges, this week we’re facing that dreaded moment in a writer’s life when we look at a work-in-progress, realize that it is a ship sinking fast, and only one thing is left to do with it…

00:00 —  Introduction

  • Yay! Lauren’s back!
  • Tonight’s cocktail comes courtesy of MurLarkey’s Distilled Spirits, a Virginia Distillery and Bristow’s first!
    • Cinnamon Irish Coffee made with Cincerity
    • Tee prefers Smoke on the Mountain
    • This drink has a practical application, Lauren discovers
  • What brings Lauren back to the studio…

03:54 — Starting from Scratch…Again (with Lauren “Scribe” Harris) 

  • What happens when the story isn’t clicking?
    • For Pip, it was Hollywood Sentinels. A great idea…but just not a pleasant experience.
    • The story is broken, and Pip can’t discover the disconnect.
    • For Lauren, her own“Tackle & Grapple” happened not once but twice.
  • And here’s a new writer’s term: Ol’ Yellering a Novel. (I am so, so sorry.)
  • Lauren’s two Ol’ Yellers: The Mark of Flight and Hellhound
  • Is Ol’ Yellering a novel worth it?
  • If something feels wrong in a work-in-progress, chances are there is. Trust the instincts and start again.
  • Happy Fourth of July from our subdivision!
  • When two ideas struggle for attention, and one of the ideas isn’t falling into place, another idea might be worth pursuing.
  • Do you scrap an idea when you’re under contract? Sadly, yes.
  • How do you snap back psychologically from making the call of trashing a novel?
  • Before investing the energy and time into a broken story, consider what you are putting into it and the return from that investment.
  • What can be more crippling than scrapping a novel? Never finishing a novel.
  • Tee faces all these demons with Blackstar Rising.
  • This is the “Man Crush” moment of the show, featuring Chuck and Phil
  • No rapping! No rapping!
  • Tee’s reboot of Morevi. Not. Happening.
  • Lauren is a walking musical. You just randomly break out into song…
  • Sometimes, it’s better to walk forward than look back.
  • Scrapping an idea is not a reflection on you as a writer. It is a reflection on you as a professional.

31:42 — Writers Off the Clock

  • Still a favorite of Pip’s.
  • First stop for the weekend — Cobbler Mountain Cellars
    • We popped a “Bear Cherry” together.
    • Lauren’s favorite of the tasting: The Ginger Peach.
    • The Jeffersonian — Tastes Like Slavery
    • Cider Talk
  • Next stop: MurLarkey Distillery
    • This distillery is far too close to us!
    • Tee recalls his Vodka Vault experience…and how terrible it was.
    • However, the Divine Clarity was amazing!
    • Another surprise—the Imagination.
    • What we brought back— Clemoncy and Cincerity.
    • And we’ve been mixing drinks…
    • The winner of the weekend: Smoke on the Mountain
    • Good times at MurLarkey!
  • Clocking in time in the Man Cave with…
  • Escape Velocity, the first convention hosted by the Museum of Science Fiction
    • Where is everyone?
      IMG_7584
    • We looked good…but we were the only ones in costume.
      IMG_7590
    • Fantastic programming, and apparently that was where all the people were.
    • Steampunk in Anime, Film, and Print—the panel that almost wasn’t.
    • The convention crew was spot-on amazing!
    • Charles Dunbar and Doomtastic were on the panel…and we had a great time.
    • Then came The Big Score…and communication was proving a bit of a challenge.
    • Escape Velocity still came through, and I was able to give the presentation.
    • Always nice when you do a giveaway and your winners get excited over the free stuff!
    • Some advice to the con organizers for 2017…
    • We need folks like Pamela Gay, Stephen Grenade, John Cmar, and others on account of the STEM focus.
  • Keep listening to see if Tee, Pip, and others return for Escape Velocity 2017…

58:34 — Wrapping up

  • What do you know? We went long.
  • Where Lauren will be?
    • 16 JulyCongregate in High Point, North Carolina
    • Sometime in August — LaurenCon 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina
  • What’s coming up for us?
  • Got thoughts or comments on this show or what we are rambling about at the end of the show?
    • We have voicemail — 703.791.1701
    • I have email — tee@teemorris.com
    • Pip’s got email — pip@pjballantine.com
    • …and on various corners of social media!
  • Listen up — here’s where you can find all of us online!
  • Whoops! Tee swiped Pip’s closing line.

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
on Tee, or the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences on Periscope
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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