News & Views - August 24, 2008

[dude]

Hi Gang,

As summer winds down (winter down unda) we approach the Labor Day weekend!

As promised, AwesomeDude - which for the past five months has mirrored my physical and (ahem) mental condition - and has been been limping along a bit, is ready to resume full and active operation.

I want to thank those who support me in producing the site, authors, editors, the editorial board, as well as you the readers for hanging in there. I want to also thank our AD Forums Czar, Des for his never-ending even handedness and wisdom in guiding our support and sounding board, as well as all the dedicated AD Forums moderators

It seems as if everyone gets a bit lethargic during this time of the year and this year seems much the same. For AD's part we'll be gearing up from now on.

Unilke other websites which stage events throughout the year to promote themselves... AwesomeDude kind of likes to focus on Hallowe'en as our big event and we'd like to announce we'll be looking for Hallowe'en stories for our special Halloween celebration. Hey, look at our HomePage and Forums... areen't we already in that mode year round, if only color-wise? So be thinking in terms of about October 20th as a deadline for getting your story in. For this event, we'll be accepting stories from AD Authors, new authors and also include the categories of Drawn from Life (Werewolf in your family?) and even Flash Fiction.

I'm happy to announce that Simon Jimenez is back with us, after a ten-month hiatus, with Chapter Two of Don't Let Me Down. Like many of us, whom life often overtakes, he's found the time and resolve to move forward. And what a story this is! Might be a good ideal to go back and re-read Chapter One.

I'm also very happy to pass along the news that Jamie is actively writing The Scrolls of Icaria again... happy hell, I'm doing back flips! Long an exclusive showpiece at AwesomeDude.com, the story has been enjoyed by so many. Not only did I feel disappointment when life's circumstances forced Jamie to put TSOI on the shelf for the longest time, but missed the comradeship of Jamie as a friend and co-conspirator at AwesomeDude Radio. As soon as we have a 're' starting date for The Scrolls of Icaria... I'll give you the word. For those who haven't started this amazing story yet, better get hopping!

Terry O'Reilly is back with us this week - remember One Night in December? - with a short story entitled Karl's Italian Adventure. It's at the top of the list along with That Iowa Boy by Rick Beck and Summer Camp and July Fireworks both by Altimexis. We have such a great current short story list at AD and the most recent ones are always available on the Home Page. These two most recent by Altimexis are part of the NapTown Tales... which you'll always find first here at AwesomeDude.

How The Light Gets In by Duncan Ryder is a story that's getting lots of favorable comment in the AD Forums. It is a joy to see this writer develop and extend himself with each chapter. We're sure glad to have him here at AwesomeDude.

Ron Robbins has started yet anothe phase of his story Family & Friends with Jarv Chapter 1. Ron posts regularly on a weekly basis and I hope you'll enjoy this story as it's focus shifts from character to character as it progresses.

Splash On The Screen by Jack Scribe has launched. Featuring characters from his recent Splash In The Pool, this new story can also stand alone... but I'd always recommend reading the first story first. Jack will be supplying updates twice a week... on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Saga of the Elizabethan Tarheels by Sequoyah is on temporary hiatus as it's writer does a recharge of his batteries but he advises the story will continue! Rick Beck has been so busy turning out stories.. I don't know how he does it. Recent shorts and completed novels have both adorned our pages... but as a baseball fan, I particluarly like His Outside the Foul Lines... which he promises to update soon.

Some other notes:

AwesomeDude Radio keeps chugging... but listener statistics indicate AD readers are among the minority of our listeners. We're doing celebrity (AD author) station ID's again... and added almost five thousand more Billboard Hits from 1997 to 2007 recently without a single comment anywhere in the AD Forums. General listenership, on the other hand, is up. That's a bit disappointing as the site has been provided as 'A Service of AwesomeDude.com' from it's inception on September 1st 2004. 'Music to read or write by' has been our motto but the costs of music licensing, streaming, etc far exceed the use it's getting by AD readers, so I am considering dropping it from AwesomeDude and pursuing it separately as a commercial venture. What do you think?

Gabriel Duncan, our Poetry Editor, has been unable to devote time to the Poetry Corner, even the informal one on AD Forums. If anyone is interested in producing and updating one for AD readers, we'd certainly like to hear from you.

Tragic Rabbit, who adores 'critters' of all types and had even rescued on several occasions - as have I - spiders in danger of drowning, was recently bitten by a nasty little ingrate called a 'brown recluse' and has been disabled for the past month. We wish him the best in getting better, but it will take time as he's highly allergic to that type of venom. I'm sure emails to Story-Editor@awesomedude.com urging his speedy recovery will be welcomed.

Speaking of emails, thanks for all the nice ones thanking me for keeping AwesomeDude going and wishing me well after my recent surgery. Our authors also appreciate them, as they're the only pay they receive for all their efforts on your behalf. If you're too busy to write long thank you notes... then just use the Feedback Forum we post at the end of short stories or current chapters of serial novels to let them know you appreciate them.

I'll be a bit busy this week with the Democratic National Convention but should be back for News & Views next weekend.

That's it for this week. See you again next time and remember have a great week of reading!

[Trab]

I am sooo glad you are feeling better.