Elizabethan England is one of my favorite times to read about and when Philippa Ballantine mixes it with the world of the Fae you get a captivating story. With main characters such as William Shakespeare, Puck and The Dark Goddess Sive you’re promised a good story, and the story delivers. The weaving of the tale, of the worlds, and Shakespeare’s interaction in both, makes me wonder if A Midsummer Night’s Dream would have been better as A Midsummer’s Nightmare.

I can genuinely say that Chasing the Bard is a splendid story, the worlds and characters are both well researched and well developed. Philippa displays a personal level of pleasure regarding the Bard in her writing, it breaths a certain fascination of Shakespeare from the pages when he’s on the scene. All the characters are so well created that you are left wondering who the real main character is, or is there a focus on a single character at all. Either way, the story works.

Having finished the book I found myself surprised. I love the story, I enjoy the characters, but I liked the villain, Mordant, more than I liked Sive. Pointedly, while I enjoyed Sive, I actually detested her. I found her to be a completely unlikable character with few redeeming qualities until you reach the last pages of the novel. To me she came off as self-centered and willing to stop at nothing to get just what she wanted, no matter who she had to use and run over to get it. This is not usually the case for me, I usually love the main characters.

That didn’t make the novel any less enjoyable. The other characters make up for Sive’s shortcomings by far. Eventually, as I said, she does become redeemable, but that doesn’t mean I liked her any better. That could easily have to do with my own favoritism toward Puck, so don’t judge the character simply by what I have to say about her. Try it out for yourself.

For the plot itself, as you know, I always feel that a blurb can speak better than I can, and this way I avoid spoiling an element as well:

Born into the human world with a gift; a gift that brings him to the attention of powers both dark and light from the World of the Fey, it is his burden to defend all the world.

Sive, the goddess of battle, hopes that he may be able to change the fate of her people.The Fey are dying, killed by something beyond the boundaries of worlds, and Sive will do anything to save them. So she enlists the help of her trickster cousin Puck to guard the child, and watch him grow into his gift. But a dark power imprisoned by human and Fey, plots to destroy both worlds, and unmake all that they have created.

Can one boy stop the destruction, even if he is William Shakespeare?

Currently Philippa is releasing the story via podcast in weekly episodes. We’re currently up to episode seven and it’s worth listening to. She’s got an excellent cast, each one with a dreamy voice of their own. I do encourage people to check it out and enjoy the story. If you get hooked and can’t wait to see how it all ends you can pick up the book here and here.

Rating:

I am a HUGE fan of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series. Since having Jenn thrust Kushiel’s Dart into my hands I thought that I would never find a book or series that could surpass it in action and intrigue.

I was wrong.
Morevi, written by Lisa Lee and Tee Morris, surpasses the Kushiel series in both, and it has less pages. Though, that is just the humble opinion of this amateur blogger. I think my hands were glued to the book when I picked it up and I finally pulled myself loose upon reaching chapter 5 because I knew I would be up overnight reading had I not.

Admittedly I’ve been guilty of having this book in my possession, autographed even, and hadn’t cracked the book since Tee Morris signed and stamped it at DragonCon 2007. Since that time I’ve listened to Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword and listened to a few of Tee’s Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy podcasts, but the book hadn’t even been unpacked yet.

Now I can’t wait to get into the sequel, even though Jenn swears I’ll be throwing it… I’ll probably owe her another dinner.

Enough blather…

Morevi is an excellent blending of a fantasy world and Henry VIIIth’s England. Rich in the storytelling and ripe with adventure with well researched history and character names. The landscaping of the story is vivid enough it word that it takes no time for the imagination to supply not only the characters but the places with imagery.

And let’s admit it; it’s ripe with ideas for role-playing games and recipes.

Let the novel speak for itself however:

Across a mysterious rift in the space-time continuum exists a world called Naruihm. In this world is a realm called Morevi, a landlocked kingdom ruled by Askana Moldarin, crowned “First Queen” following a swift and bloody rise to the Throne of a Thousand Suns. Yet hidden traitors are already at work to destroy everything that she has won.

Enter Rafe Rafton, privateer captain of the Defiant. Arrogant. Overconfident. Dangerous and cunning enough to pillage the Queen’s own ships and survive. As a man, he is the embodiment of everything she has fought against, and the perfect instrument in a last desperate bid to save her kingdom.

With the sum agreed upon, Rafe and Askana embark on an epic adventure spanning the kingdoms of Naruihm and King Henry VIII’s England. Two souls, drawn together in the battle for a kingdom.

Get it. Read it. Love it. It’s an excellent source for wasting time.

If you’re like me, poor as a church mouse comes to mind, and if that’s the case try catching the Morevi podcast if you can’t afford the novel just yet.

Rating:

What was that, Jer?  Did you say “Rafe”? Who the hell is Rafe?

Best line evar, in the best book I’ve read so far this year.  This, a single line that stuck out amid multiple instances of shattering the fourth wall, one liners to die for and an absolutely luscious librarian named Gertie, struck my funny bone like nothing else.

But where, oh where, can I find this literary masterpiece?  What book is it that you tease so skillfully about?  What author is it that you heap such high praise upon?

The book you can find on Amazon.com beginning on 08.08.08 at 8:00 AM Pacific time.  It’s called The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery and is penned by none other than the Uber-Nemisis himself Tee Morris.

That quote above just got funnier didn’t it?  At least to those of you who are familiar with Rafe.  Still, this time we’re not discussing Rafe, we’re discussing the non-stop action contained within the JR Blackwell decorated covers of Pitcher’s Pendant.

Let’s begin there, shall we?  The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant.  I am not a baseball fan, and even knowing that this book was going to have something to do with baseball I was anticipating it.  What I was not anticipating was finding the stats, game and information surrounding 1920’s baseball interesting.  Hellfire I may even turn on a baseball game next season and actually cheer for a team I proclaim to like.

Gah, sorry for the tangent, see what you’ve done Morris, you made me interested in baseball!  Back to the book…

The gang’s all here, Billi, Mick, Miranda, Al and even Chief O’Malley.  The case is a dream job for our Dwarf detective, dropping him head first into the world of professional baseball with prime seats at Wrigley Field.  Kicked back like a Prince among men, Billi is all set to do some investigating of the Baltimore Mariners, the up and coming rookies of the Major League, when the stench of magic taints Baddings’ easy case.

Bound within approximately 250 pages, the action doesn’t wane in Pitcher’s Pendant.  The adventure and intrigue are non-stop, (reminding me why I said before that Tee Morris did intrigue better than Jacqueline Carey), and the pieces of this puzzle don’t fit together as neatly as you think.

Billi’s over his head in this installment of the Billibub Baddings Mysteries and I’ll go so far as to say this is the best piece of fiction that Tee has put forth.  With all of that said, I have two questions left over.

One – How long is the wait for the next one?

Two - Where can I get the recipe for Mick’s chili? 

And finally, an absolutely huge thank you to Tee Morris for making an advanced copy available to Time Well Wasted.  We wish the best of luck to the Double Trouble team in the storming of Amazon’s charts on 08.08.08.

Remember you can order your copy of The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery from Amazon.com on 08.08.08 starting at 8 AM Pacific time.  Help a fantastic podcasting author storm the charts, I know I will.

Rating:

Help help!  I’m adrift with boredom and need something to read!

If this is the cry of your brain then I can promise you there are plenty of cures for what ails you.

Next Friday you can order The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery by Tee Morris starting at 8:00 AM PACIFIC from Amazon.com.

But wait, there’s more!  You can also order Digital Magic at the same time.  This is the sequel to Philippa Ballantine’s Chasing the Bard.  Make a kiwi’s birthday and step up to Amazon.com on the 8th of August at 8 AM PACIFIC and order her book too.

That’s still not all!  Just 17 whole days later you can return to Amazon.com, mourning the fact that you blazed through the books mentioned above, and support another brilliant writer and podcaster.  That’s right, you can get Mur Lafferty’s novel Playing for Keeps from Amazon.com on August 25th.

As a bonus, the Stories from the Third Wave are being revived starting today.  You’re still subscribed to the feed, right?  Right?!  If not, you can easily do so from the Playing for Keeps website.

I leave you with the advertisement for Playing for Keeps, and will remind you about all three of these spectacular books, with reviews, when the release dates get even closer.  Help support small press and podcasting and add these books to your collection as soon as possible.

Anne strikes me as a name synonymous with entertainment - actresses, writers, musicians, and more.  Through the decades there seems to have always been a woman named Anne providing entertainment.  Hellfire, just go back the 1500’s and you have Anne Boleyn, she may not have been an actress or entertainer per se, but she certainly entertained the Tudor Court by refusing to give into Henry VIII until a proposal of marriage was given.  More so, the entertainment at her expense with her trial for treason and subsequent beheading.

Today, however, we’re focusing on an actress, two authors and - with a slight deviation of the name - a singer.

Anne Hathaway made her mark in Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” films.  Under the guidance of Garry Marshall for the first film he is said to have likened her to “a combination Julia Roberts, Audrey Hepburn and Judy Garland.”  She is certainly as versatile as the three actresses, going from family films for the House of Mouse to a role in the controversial film Brokeback Mountain.  At 26 she has acted along side Julie Andrews, Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith, James McAvoy and the late Heath Ledger to massive success.  Anne has shown growth and versatility in her roles the like of which will continue her launch into stardom and make her a memorable actress for years to come.  Currently she is staring with Get Smart with Steven Carell, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin.

Anne Rice is, without doubt, a legendary writer, even if half her fan base abandoned her when she came out with Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.  Having been one of her fans for years, I lived out the days of Lestat de Lioncourt , had all the books, watched the movies and like many desperately wanted to strangle the people who ruined two of Anne’s books to make Queen of the Damned.  But, that digresses from discussing Anne Rice. She has always created memorable characters and stories, its rare for someone not to know who Lestat, Louis, Claudia and Armand are, but the Vampire Chronicles were a gateway series into her better books.  While I am not the avid fan I was, I still keep on hand three of, what I consider, her best books – Cry to Heaven, The Mummy (Ramses the Damned) and The Witching Hour.  I confess to have outgrown the Vampire Chronicles at the turn of the century, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t recommend them to people who enjoy vampire stories, as they are still some of the best.

Remaining in the realm of writers I bring back into the light a name familiar to people who have been with the site for some time – Anne Bishop.  She is the author behind the Black Jewels Trilogy (Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness), three of the best books I’ve ever read.  She spins worlds that turn your expectations on their heads and only gets better with each book published.  Her fan base grows by leaps and bounds to the point that I actually saw some cos-playing at last year’s DragonCon.  There are currently six books in the realms of the Black Jewels with more coming out each year.  Additionally she has a series called The World of the Fae that delves into the connection of earthly bound witches and the Fae; how they must work together to survive.  There is also the duology The Landscapes of Ephemera where a incubus and his cousin must save the world from a living nightmare.  Anne Bishop is the first name that springs forth from my lips when someone asks for a recommendation in novelists.

Finally we deviate a touch from Anne by adding a letter, in which you’ll get Annie.  Now the Annie I’m speaking of in particular is Annie Lennox, perhaps best known as being part of the Eurythmics, I think everyone has heard Sweet Dreams are Made of This.  Annie is a solo artist now, having come out with songs like Walking on Broken Glass and Into the West.  The later of which she received the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2004 for.  She has received a number of other musical awards over the years she’s been performing and is not only an outstanding musician but humanitarian as well.  If you haven’t heard of her, I recommend this and this.  I think you’ll enjoy them.

There are many more Anne’s in the world of entertainment.  Another that springs to mind is Anne McCaffrey, and while I can’t personally recommend her, Jenn has been singing her praises for the Dragonriders of Pern, along with other books, for years.  While I’ve had many people urge me to read more of McCaffrey’s books I’m afraid to confess that I see more of my eyelids than I do the novels.  But don’t let my reaction to them spoil your chance at reading highly acclaimed novels.  Last I heard she would be attending DragonCon this fall and if you’re a fan I would recommend trying to get there, she doesn’t leave Ireland often.

Did I miss your favorite Anne or variation there of?  Share your favorites in the comments.

See, told you’d I’d be compelled to write again today.  The mighty birthday girl has released episode six of The Takeover.  Like I’ve said in the past, this is such an awesome series and I really hope you’re listening to it.

The downside is that there’s going to be a hiatus so that Mur can work on promoting Playing for Keeps.  I have a lot of penny scraping to do so I can get all these wonderful books coming out in August.  Then I have to figure out how to get them signed since I won’t be near anyplace to see these writers.  This is a total pout situation.  Stupid finances keeping me from DragonCon.

Okay, enough sulking.  You want something else really cool, than check this out.  JC has released a vidcast of his first non 7th Son fiction ever.  This is a video of Matthew Wayne Selznick reading the story that JC Hutchins wrote for Matthew’s Sovereign Era superhero universe.  The clip was taken from the massive reading that Matthew did on July 13, 2008 as people worked to advance his book Brave Men Run along the Amazon.com charts.

Which reminds me, that’s another book I need to scrape pennies for.  Ah well, I’ll get my greedy reviewing hands on it eventually.  Hellfire with all these podcasts and all this neat stuff who needs Comic-Con to begin with?  I’m off to listen to The Takeover.

Sorry folks, don’t have much for you today, been watching my entertainment feeds for SDCC news.  That’s San Diego Comic-Con by the way and I’m afraid some of the news has had me wanting to shut myself in the oven and breathe deep.

I do wish some people who are reporting these things would get it right…  what went from a Tron Remake last night became Tron 2 this morning.  And while I don’t think it was Comic-Con news there’s vicious rumors going around saying MTV Films is remaking the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

You’d think with all the brilliant books out there that deserve film treatment they could stop remaking movies.  At least the Barbarella remake is off, it’s been replaced with a Red Sonja remake.  ARGH!

I’m just going to point you to two of my favorite sites and let you wallow in the news yourself.  You can check out Cinematical for everything film and TV Squad for everything television.

I’ll likely have more than one update today as I go though podcasts and such or see some delectable/detestable tidbit from Comic-Con.

And now for something completely different…

A very happy birthday to Mur Lafferty!  You can give her a belated gift on August 25th buy picking up your copy of Playing for Keeps from Amazon.com.

The third, and final (for a while at least), interview comes to you today from the keyboard of Tee Morris.  He’s offered up some eye opening insight to where Billibub came from and displays some truly excellent taste in dinner companions and music.

Tee is half of the team lately known as Double Trouble and is releasing his book The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery on 08.08.08.  He’s sharing the date with the other half of the team, Philippa Ballantine, as they race up the Amazon.com charts.

That said, all the world is a stage, now on with the show…

TEE:  To be fair, I’m waiting to finish this questionnaire and THEN I’m going to go read Ballantine’s answers. (You know, she would be just a rudderless ship in the South Pacific without me, you know that?) So, let’s go with the questions!

TWW:  What inspired Billibub Baddings?
TEE:  I wish I coudl say the inspiration behind Billibub Baddings was a favorite Sam Spade or Mike Hammer mystery, or considering its comic bent the Steve Martin classic film Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid or even the Bugs Bunny classics featuring gangsters Rocky (the pint-sized pinsuit, famous for his one liner “Sheddup!”) and Mugsy (Rocky’s lumbering sidekick, famous for “Dayaaa, okay, Raackee!”). I wish I could say that, but I can’t…

The man I have to thank for Billibub Baddings is Leonard Nimoy.

I was on my way to a play rehearsal (Taming of the Shrew) and I was listening to a cassette (yes, I was still listening to cassettes in 2001) of novelty songs. One of the songs on this mix was “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” sung by Mr. Spock himself. The song is just over a minute-and-a-half long…and it is the longest minute-and-a-half you can ever experience. The song was so dreadful that, naturally, I had to hear it again…and as I was singing along (yes, singing ALONG with it) the second time around, the name “Billibub Baddings” popped into my head. I stopped singing and said out-loud “And the Case of the Singing Sword.”

So before switching my brain from writer to Shakespearean actor, I was frantically getting this idea down on paper. While driving. It’s a skill. And one day, I’ll master it.

TWW: In particular, what inspired the Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant?
TEE: I’m not really sure, to be honest. About halfway through writing The Case of The Singing Sword, I discovered that I had a series; so once I was finished with Legacy of Morevi, I had to seriously think about what Billi’s next case would be. Maybe it was the ball games I yearly attend with my father and brother at Camden Yards. This was something that, oddly enough, started just a few years ago. I never did go crazy for baseball, either on television or at the diamond; but there really is something special about Camden Yards. There’s a certain magic about it; and while I might not be a stats guru when it comes to the sport, I know that I love these afternoons with my dad because of the time spent and the experience. I’m at the ballpark with my dad. Enough said.

That nostalgia, that mythical magic surrounding baseball, pops up in Science Fiction and Fantasy. That comes through in this story. You don’t have to be a fan of the sport to enjoy The Pitcher’s Pendant, and you may not become a fan of baseball because of it; but you may appreciate the passion and the pageantry of the sport. It provided a great backdrop for the mystery, and I think my respect for the sport shows.

TWW: What kind of music would be on Billi’s iPod?
TEE: Actually, by popular demand, Billi’s playlist appeared here on Billi’s blog:

http://www.teemorris.com/billipodcast/archives/63

It’s a lot of jazz, a good helping of Sinatra, Dean, and Sammy, and then a few sultry selections thrown in for good measure. When I write I love having music in the background, and I think my appreciation for music on a whole is evident in my podcasts of both Singing Sword and MOREVI: Remastered. When I wasn’t in the mood for Billi’s playlist, I would play a lot of Rat Pack and Sinatra. Ol’ Blue Eyes kept me going many, many mornings.

TWW: Was there any music or movie that influenced the story or characters?
TEE: It’s hard for me to write Al Capone and not think of Robert DeNiro in The Untouchables. That was a great Al Capone. Simply put. i have a soft spot in my heart for gangster stories (both fictional and real life) and for Mike Hammer. Mickey Spillaine knew how to write a good old fashioned tough guy mystery. As far as the Fantasy aspect of the series, I think much of Billi’s world is inspired by the works of my favorite Epic Fantasy authors, J.R.R. Tolkein and Terry Brooks.

A bit of trivia for both Singing Sword and Pitcher’s Pendant - the Singing Sword’s real name is the Sword of Arannahs. Arannahs is “Shannara” spelled backwards. That was my tip of the hat to Terry (who got a kick out of that), and the Pitcher’s Pendant is also a nod to a writer-friend of mine who is a Yankees fan. I figure naming the talismans after friends or heroes of mine in the genre will be a fun challenge.

By accident I think Billi’s biggest influence from the big screen is Humphrey Bogart. With Erol Flynn and Rafe Rafton, I saw Captain Blood long AFTER I finished MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana. The same thing happened with Billi. It was after I finished The Pitcher’s Pendant that I saw The Maltese Falcon. I’m not sure if it was the mysteries I had seen on television and read in books, or if it was the influence Bogie had on our culture with that film but I was taken aback at how close to Sam Spade Billi came. In light of that, I give a tip of the hat to Dashell Hammet in Pitcher’s Pendant.

Can you tell I was having a lot of fun writing this book?

TWW: If you could have dinner with anyone in the entertainment industry (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
TEE: I think I would want to sit down and have dinner with three people — William Shakespeare, Ian McKellen, and Kenneth Branagh. I’d want to just have an afternoon with them at the Dogfish Alehouse (Gaithersburg, MD because that is more central for my Twitter friends to reach us at). Good food. GREAT beer. And we would talk shop. I can just hear it now…

Me - “Bill, Measure for Measure…dude, what were you thinking?!”
Will - “Look I was in a weird place when I wrote that.”
Sir Ian - “You’re telling me. Troilus and Cressida and All’s Well That Ends Well?”
Will - “Well, after Hamlet, where do you go?”
Ken - *staring at his beer* “What was I thinking?”
Me - “Excuse me?”
Ken - *slur becoming more prominent* “Helena Bonham-Carter?! I mean, I was hitting Emma Thompson and I gave it up to Bonham-Carter…”
Sir Ian - *rolls his eyes* “Oh dear, here we go again…”
Will - “Who’s Helena Bonham-Carter?”
Me - “Exactly.” *pats Ken on the shoulder* “Bro, I told you to go easy on the 120-minute IPA.”
Ken - *sobbing in his napkin*
Me - “Oh come on…your Hamlet is definitive, and you give a great Richard III…”
Sir Ian - *arching an eyebrow* “Not as good as my Nazi Richard.”
Will - *nods* “Yeah…the Duke of Glouster…full of awesome…”

Talking shop with these guys?  Yeah, that would be a lot of fun!

TWW: Pretend you’re casting Billi, who do you see playing him?
TEE: Sadly the actor I think would have done the role justice is no longer with us. The actor was David Rappaport and he appeared in quite a few movies, but his signature role was Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits. He was “Randall”, the leader of the gang. That performance still holds up and I could easily see him kicking ass in the role.  Of course, visually, I could see John Rhys-Daves stepping up (pardon the pun) and, with the same make up and clever camera trick, filling the dwarf detective’s shoes. With the advancements in film and film-making anyone could really do this role, but they have to have the right look and carriage.

I wouldn’t mind seeing some unknowns sink their teeth into Billi. Heck, blue skying the idea of a Billi movie is nice…but for the book to do that, it will need some serious love and attention from the readers. I’ll have to get cracking on selling those extra few thousand copies.

TWW: Will you podcast The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant?
TEE: I’d love to, but it won’t be for another two years. I’ve got MOREVI to finish, and then it’s time to write the third MOREVI, podcast Legacy of MOREVI, and then get to work reaching out to people for the podcast anthology. All this and I’ve got other writing projects in the works. So while people may really want to hear the Pitcher’s Pendant as a podcast, it won’t be for some time. I need to focus on my ninjas and pirates right now.

TWW: Do you find it more enjoyable to write or to podcast?
TEE: I serve two mistresses, writing and podcasting. I really need to watch how I distribute the time between them, and with real life continuing to intrude, that is an even greater challenge. As I type this, it’s Monday and I have a blog post to complete for Imagine That! Studios and a final scene to finish compiling for Chapter Fifteen of MOREVI: Remastered. People constantly ask me “Where do I make the time?” and lately it’s been getting more and more difficult. I’m having to make some tough calls and even harder decisions because as much as I would love to keep all the irons in the fire, you also have to tend to the fire itself and make sure it is still burning. To do that, you need to balance out the time and the energy between the passions, and then decide which one takes priority.

I do love podcasting, but the closer Double Trouble comes, the more I realize that writing has to come first. People grok the podcasts, but they want me to produce the fiction too. So, there it is.

TWW: Between Morevi and Billibub which has your fans clamoring for more?
TEE: I have two factions of fans. There is some crossover, sure, but I find I have fans who LOVE the swashbuckling epics of MOREVI. They love Rafe, Askana, and their adventures. Billi’s fun and all, but MOREVI is the really GOOD stuff! Then there’s the other group of fans who think pirates, ninjas, and magic is all well and good, but it is the Billibub Baddings Mysteries where we see the true talent of Tee Morris. This is flattering, sure, but this also means that with every new book there will be people that will be thrilled or disappointed. I’m not pleasing all of my fans with the release of The Pitcher’s Pendant, especially with the cliffhanger I left people with in Legacy of Morevi. (Something I’m still beating myself up over.)

What I tell my readers, fans, and friends is that I am writing as fast as I can; but I want it to be right, and I want it to be good. I also want to write other works and reach out to new readers as well. The rewarding aspect of this strife though is that this is good to stress out about. People want both series equally. This means I’m not a one trick pony as a writer, but that I have a core of readers that want new fiction from Tee Morris. That is a very good thing, and I’m okay with that.

I just wish I could write faster.

TWW: Going away from the book for the moment, what means of entertainment do you pursue in your free time?
TEE: Believe it or not, I do have free time…and I get as far away from the computer as I can. I run and I swim (far better than what is depicted here — http://www.nzsportsnews.co.nz/vid.php?id=95528 — thanks a frelling lot, Ballantine!), and this has helped me get into a better physical and mental state for my writing. If I suddenly lock up or feel there is no drive left for me to produce, I know I’m working too hard and I need to break from technology. Unplug and either go for a run or get wet.

Alright, not COMPLETELY unplug, I do workout with the iPod.

I also love my movies and “brain food” television. The Discovery Channel and History Channel provide endless fodder for writers, and when I need to decompress, I’m there. I tend to be very, very picky about my television shows because I don’t want to get sucked into a show and then lose even more production time; but down time is essential. Everyone needs to decompress from time to time.

TWW: With DragonCon around the corner would you consider cos-play?
TEE: I would, if I had the right costume and the right look.

TWW:  Who would you dress up as?
TEE: I had planned to go to DragonCon as a Steampunk Podcaster, but the idea due to time and budget constraints fell through. I haven’t given up on that idea, but if not now I will definitely give it a go for next year.

TWW: On the subject of DragonCon and cos-play how would you costume your nemesis Philippa Ballantine?
TEE: A burlap sack and a sandwich board reading “I OWE MY WRITING AND PODCASTING SUCCESS TO TEE MORRIS!” would definitely work for me. I hear burlap is the new black.

No, seriously…

I would love to see Pip done up as Sive the Shining, complete with the violet contacts, from when she appeared to Will at the riverbank in Chasing the Bard. I caught a glimpse of it when Pip and I did a signing at the Maryland Renaissance festival in 2006, and Pip really rocked with the Tudor look. With the violet contacts, black hair, and right outfit, I bet she would stop traffic as Sive.

I also wouldn’t say no to Pip being my co-host opposite of the Steampunk Podcaster.  That would have been good fun.

TWW: Some quick favorites:
TEE: Actress - Tricia Helfer (from BSG to Burn Notice…WOW!)
Actor - David Tennant (from Harry Potter to Doctor Who…WOW!)
Movie - Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (Truly the FINAL Indy movie.)
Musician/Band - Queen
Video Game - Propcycle
Podcast - Yes, all of them
Writer - Joss Whedon
TV Show - Dirty Jobs

TWW: If you could recommend one means of entertainment (movie, TV show, band, etc.) to the world, what would it be?
TEE: Podcasting. It’s the world on your iPod. You can’t beat it.

TWW: When is the Amazon.com run for The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant?
TEE: 08.08.08 and the fun will commence at 8:00 a.m. PST. Pip and I are trying to figure out what we are going to do online in the way of interaction with the community — something with video, Twitter, or something! Stay tuned on the Billi and Chasing the Bard blogs for more!

TWW: And finally, is there any hope of seeing you in Austin, Texas for a book signing?
TEE: If I could, I would. It’s all in the finances and what I can afford in the ways of travel.  Good to know I’m welcome there!

After reading this I’ve come to the conclusion I need to keep a little mirror handy for very strange words.  First JK Rowling hits us with the Mirror of Erised and then Tee Morris gives us the Sword of Arannahs.  It’s a cute tribute to one of my favorite authors and reminds me that if it hadn’t been for Terry Brooks’ Sword of Shannara I probably wouldn’t have ever read Rowling and Morris to begin with.

You can find out more about Tee Morris on his website.  From there you will also find links to his writing podcast, The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy; both his podcasted novels, Morevi Remasted (in progress) and The Case of the Singing Sword (completed).  He also wrote two Dummies books on podcasting and is one of the legends who brought us podcasted fiction to begin with.

You can his order his newest book, The Case of the Pitcher’s Pendant, from Amazon.com on 08.08.08, leaving you 18 days to save your pennies and help race Tee up the charts.

We have a treat for you to day folks, our second interview!  Our beloved Kiwi, Philippa Ballantine, took time out of her schedule to flip through the questions I sent and apply her mind to them.  I confess to have found many of her answers surprising and certainly won’t argue with her choices for Favorite Actor and Movie.

Pip is sharing the release date of 08.08.08 with her Uber Nemesis Tee Morris for the release of her book Digital Magic, the many years later sequel to Chasing the Bard.  August 8th is also her birthday so let’s be sure to make it a special one and send her book flying up the Amazon.com charts on that special day.

For now, however, the application of her brilliant mind to my silly questions:

TWW -  What inspired Chasing the Bard and its squeal Digital Magic?
Pip - Chasing the Bard was mostly a writer’s curiosity about another writer- and when you are thinking of writers, they don’t get any better than Shakespeare. His ability to tap into humanity’s nature is so great that it made me wonder… was it magical? These idle thoughts turned to the Fey, because I have always had a love of myth and legend. There are many myths in the world of a ‘dark goddess’, a terrible and beautiful force to be reckoned with, and that is where Sive came from.

TWW - What kind of music would be on Sive’s iPod?
Pip - Sive most appreciates Celtic Music. Steve McDonald, Lorenna McKennitt and Capercallie would be on there. But then some Nine Inch Nails also might be on there for those moments of death and destruction she occasionally has to deal out.

TWW -  Was there any music or movie that influenced the stories or characters?
Pip - Strangely enough the only influence I can recall was a show that was on while I was writing CTB, and that was program called Roar, which starred a young Heath Ledger- set in Ireland while Rome occupied Britain. The vibe was Celtic and sexy and good fun. The interesting thing was that I finished writing Chasing the Bard just when Shakespeare in Love came out. I remember being annoyed thinking everyone would think that was the inspiration for my novel.

TWW - If you could have dinner with anyone in the entertainment industry (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Pip - I’d love to have Peter Jackson. We do live in the same city, so maybe that is possible one day. His determination and art are something I have always admired. But if we are talking dead people, I’d love to have dinner with Errol Flynn, but then that would have been a dangerous thing for any woman to do, so maybe I will stick with Pete.

TWW - Pretend you’re casting Sive and Puck, who do you see playing them?
Pip - Sive would be a young Catherine Zeta Jones. I don’t know about Puck, he’s a hard one to pull off. The actor would have to be a child and pulling off his very non-childlike behavior would be difficult. It was just as difficult finding the right voice for him.

TWW - Will you podcast Digital Magic?  If so, would the production be as grand as Chasing the Bard has been?
Pip - Oh yes, I will podcast Digital Magic, the bug has really bitten me. And after having such fun with it, the production will be just the same level as Chasing the Bard because that wouldn’t be fair!

TWW - Going away from the book for the moment, what means of entertainment do you pursue in your free time?
Pip - When time allows, which lately it hasn’t, I enjoy watching movies, cross-stitching and gardening. And of course, I love travel which is turning out to be rather handy with all the hours I am having to clock in on planes.

TWW - With DragonCon around the corner would you consider cos-play?  Who would you dress up as?
Pip - Yes, I would love to get dressed up! The problem is of course the amount of luggage I’m allowed to bring over from New Zealand. I’d probably go for something Steam Punk inspired, a pirate, or maybe a Fey. I’d love to have the slightly pointed ears and commanding presence of Sive, but I don’t think I am quite tall enough.

TWW - On the subject of DragonCon and cos-play how would you costume your uber-nemesis Tee Morris?
Pip - Naturally the Uber Nemesis would have to be Captain Rafeton!

TWW - Some quick favorites:
Pip - Actress - Kate Winslet
Actor - Christian Bale
Movie - Bladerunner
Musician/Band - New Zealand rock band Shihad
Video Game - World of Warcraft (though I can’t play right now with writing and podcasting- it takes too much of my time too easily)
Podcast - Quarter Share
Writer – David Gemmell
TV Show – Doctor Who

TWW - If you could recommend one means of entertainment (movie, TV show, band, etc.) to the world, what would it be?
Pip - New Zealand has a wonderful blues singer called Hollie Smith. She has the most amazing voice and she is working on a US album right now, I think she is going to blow the rest of the world’s mind in the coming years.

TWW - When is the Amazon.com run for Digital Magic?
Pip - It all begins 8am PST (11AM EST)  8th of August 2008

TWW - And finally, is there any hope of seeing you in Austin, Texas for a book signing?
Pip - Not this year unfortunately, but I suspect this is not my last trip to the States. There is still so much of the States to see and I want to take it all in.

You can find more out about Philippa Ballantine at her website The Pen and the Sword and discover her writing and podcasting talent on Chasing the Bard or as Queen Askana in Morevi: Remastered.