Sunday, December 21, 2014

Looking Back at 2014

Been a good year. Always wish I'd done more - still, good to look back and see all that was accomplished.

My 2014 in Review

January

1/1 - Made the Vatican Assassin eBook Free


1/15 - Created the Vatican Assassin "Soundtrack" Mix at 8Tracks - https://8tracks.com/brotherzag/vatican-assassin-soundtrack-mix

1/22 - Good Samaritan: Unto Dust #1 with Federico Guillen and Ken Lateer and The Adventures of Alibi Jones (Expanded) #1 with Meisha, Rhys ap Gwyn, Juan Carlos Quattordio and Federico Guillen Released at ComiXology!


1/29 Vatican Assassin – The Graphic Novel with Cristian Navarro Released


1/30 - Guest On Corey Hodgdon's "Maybe I'll Be Back - Tales from Artist Alley" Podcast - http://maybeillbeback.podbean.com/e/mike-luoma/

February

2/1 Geek Mountain State Presents Vermont Science Fiction – Vermont SF Writers Series – Reading at Phoenix Books in Burlington along with Dean Whitlock, Rob Friesel, Rachel Carter, Ryan Meath and Rachel Mullis

March

3/14 Guest Host on Zone 4 #260 - http://www.comicrelated.com/news/24628/zone-4-260

3/22 Column: Mike Luoma's Cosmic Crackle - Star-Lord: Part Four – The Return of Peter Quill with former Marvel Editor Andy Schmidt at ComicRelated.com http://comicrelated.com/news/24697/star-lord-part-4

April

4/7 Car accident.

4/19 Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast Episode #300!
http://glowinthedarkradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-04-19T10_55_36-07_00

May

5/10 Guest Host on Zone 4 #268 - http://comicrelated.com/news/25347/zone-4-268

5/11 Created the Burlington Old School Rock Mix on 8Tracks http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/old-school-btv-rock-mix

5/23-26 - Guest and Panelist at Balticon 48!

5/31 - The Summer of The Assassin Begins! Vatican Assassin on the podcast -
http://glowinthedarkradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-05-31T14_38_15-07_00

June

6/1 Literary Archaeology video release to the mailing list (Public 6/21) - http://youtu.be/xjxfLayyxUc

6/14 Literary Archaeology 2 video release to mailing list (Public 6/28) - http://youtu.be/9YUoV2ITjuA

6/27-29 Guest and Panelist at 8 Pi-Con! 

July

7/22 Column: Mike Luoma's Cosmic Crackle: Guardians of the Galaxy - The New Team - Part One with writer Dan Abnett at ComicRelated.com - http://comicrelated.com/news/26162/guardians-3000-part-1

7/30 Created Guardians Inspired Mix at 8Tracks.com - https://8tracks.com/brotherzag/guardians-inspired-mix

August

8/15 Guest Host on Zone 4 #282 - http://comicrelated.com/news/26656/zone-4-282

September – October

10/22 Comparison of Richard III & Ned Starkhttp://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/10/on-richard-third-and-ned-stark.html Audio Extra 10/26: http://glowinthedarkradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-10-26T08_47_21-07_00

November

11/3 Vatican Assassin the audiobook becomes available at Audible.com


11/15 Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest – First Draft Run-Through – begins on the podcast


11/16 Created Best of 2014 Playlist Because I Hear Everything – http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/because-i-hear-everything and Christmas Alternatives 2014 - http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/christmas-alternatives-2014 - at 8Tracks.com

11/17 Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium audiobook published at Podiobooks.com


December

12/5 Top Ten Albums of 2014 published on the blog - http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-albums-of-2014.html

Leaving The Nest...

Alibi Jones and his new covert-ops team leave their base - the Hornet's Nest – on their first mission. Find out along with the rest of the ops team where they're headed –and what they're up to – in Chapter Six of the brand-new science fiction adventure Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest – on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio, with host, writer and reader Mike Luoma – another new chapter exclusive to this podcast!




Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Top Ten Albums of 2014: http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-albums-of-2014.html

Best of 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/because-i-hear-everything

Christmas Alternatives 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/christmas-alternatives-2014

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, December 14, 2014

The Nest Begins to Buzz...

Finding himself in sudden disfavor with most of humankind within the Solar Alliance, Alibi Jones is glad for his reassignment to a covert-ops base beyond its borders - the Hornet's Nest! Meet his ops team as it comes together in Chapter Five of the brand-new science fiction adventure Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio, with host, writer and reader Mike Luoma! Mike catches you up on the story-so-far, gives you a little book news, and then narrates the new chapter – exclusive to this podcast!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium at Podiobooks: http://podiobooks.com/title/alibi-jones-and-the-time-war-of-the-devrizium/ and on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id942553909

Top Ten Albums of 2014: http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-albums-of-2014.html

Best of 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/because-i-hear-everything

Christmas Alternatives 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/christmas-alternatives-2014

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, December 06, 2014

No Future Fairy Tale...

Alibi Jones thought that the hero rescued the girl and his friends in a blaze of glory and explosions and everybody lived happily ever after – right? Well, there were plenty of explosions... but the girl broke up with Alibi, his other friend hated him, and the fact he – accidently – blew up a crime lord's city all of a sudden became public knowledge. He's public enemy number one? Find out what Alibi Jones' next move might be on a new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio, with host, writer and reader Mike Luoma. Chapter Four of the brand-new science fiction adventure Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Top Ten Albums of 2014: http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-albums-of-2014.html
Best of 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/because-i-hear-everything
Christmas Alternatives 2014 Playlist: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/christmas-alternatives-2014

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Friday, December 05, 2014

Top Ten Albums of 2014

There they are, sprouting up all over: end-of-the-year album lists! Looked over Rolling Stone's "Top 50" saying "nope, nope, nope..." Had a teensy bit more in common with Paste's "50 Best" - their Number One is right up there for me, too, for example. Still many "nopes" - but I'd listened to more of their choices. Don't think you'll find another list like mine, however.

Making year-end lists is a fun exercise for music heads. My Top Ten Albums of 2014 are each solid, deep albums, highly subjective choices that spoke to me as a music lover beyond just one or two tunes. I'm allowing for serendipity of time and place, too - I don't think it's a coincidence that the metal of Mastodon's new album was just the thing for me to hear after I'd been in my car crash in April, for example.

2014 was another great year for music! Here's what I thought was good.


10. Greylag - Greylag. After hearing their "Yours To Shake" at a radio music conference in early August, I managed to get my hands on an advance copy of the self-titled debut album from Greylag and loved it!. Had it for two months before I could share it - the album finally came out in mid-October."Another" was released first, as a "teaser track" - a killer track, like "Shake" which followed as the first "single". Clear these guys have something real going on. They're based in Portland, Oregon, have a sort of Northwestern flavor. Lead vocalist Andrew Stonestreet sounds a bit like the late Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, at times Perry Farrell.


Some reviews have described Greylag as a folk-rock band, doesn't seem accurate. Their "folk" sounds more like an acoustic Led Zeppelin influence on tunes like "Black Sky" and "Mama"... is III a folk rock album? They play with some Zep-y chords, but also do their  own thing. Greylag know how put an electric guitar to good use, too, bringing menace and tension to "Shake" with its subtle threat, for example. On "Burn On" and "Arms Unknown" they certainly assert their right to shake off the "folk-" appellation. Closer "Walk the Night" is acoustic, but it's like so many album closers in rock history, the the quiet - and satisfying - ending to a rock album. Damn fine one at that.



9. Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun. Have a bunch of friends into hard rock and metal. My taste in that arena runs towards the Progressive Rock variety, when it does at all. Knowing that, many of those friends have recommended Mastodon to me over the last couple of years. I've checked out some videos, cool science fiction stuff, but nothing connected. All it took was a high-speed car accident. Got rear-ended when I was going 65-70 mph traveling down the highway to work one Monday morning in April. Guy who hit me got a DWI. The Camry bounced off the railing a couple times but I kept it together and walked away. Got this album right about then.


Right now? Listening to it to write a sum up... it's not the right album, you know? But it was such the right album at the right time, it makes my list. It became my driving album, you see. Yeah. Even helped me get back and forth to Balticon at the end of May. These guys are talented, with three distinct voices and melodic and at times intricate song structures. The entire album may not be in my rotation anymore, but the title track - which reminds me a little of early Monster Magnet - and "Asleep In the Deep" - which I love - are still on my playlist. Sorry, I work in radio, those are my metaphors.



8. Phish - Fuego. They're baaa-aa-a-ack! There's a moment during "Wombat" when they break and sing - "discovered by a man named Wilson!" - and when first heard it flashed through my head - my band's back! No, they don't belong to me. But I have been seeing them play since the Nectars' days. And I was the first radio DJ in the world to ever play them on the air. So, there's that. I'm biased. But also? Picky. That said, "Fuego" - the title track - opens the album strong for me, launching right into a jam, no apologies, Fishman on fire - Fuego? - and Trey with a sweet solo. Great long phrase of a bass line from Mike, tasty key fills from Page. Strong group vocals. This is Phish.



Not a lot of extra stuff here, sound effects, guests - just the band playing music. Okay, some horn players and singers on "Wombat". Fine. Works for me. Different sounds of theirs work for me now, though, it's funny. Rockers like "Devotion To A Dream" used to be more my cuppa, but now it's "Halfway to the Moon" that sucks me in. Still, "Sing Monica" is fun in its simplicity.



7. Pink Floyd - The Endless River. An unexpected album makes an unexpected and late leap onto my list. Had no idea until the news leaked in early July that we'd even get one, final Floyd album. Turned out the late Richard Wright had recorded a great deal of material back during the Division Bell sessions, with David Gilmour and Nick Mason and solo, anticipating a companion release to that album, one comprised of ambient and instrumental music. But The Endless River isn't that album. It's more than that. "Louder Than Words" - the only track with words - sums it up pretty well at the end, giving we listeners the sense of scope and scale they're covered here - this is what's it's been like to be this thing, Pink Floyd.


Gilmour, Mason and company have put together the capstone to Pink Floyd, the swan song, a fond reminiscence of a band gone bye. Filled with Echoes of their musical past, The Endless River recalls every era as they meander through the instrumental soundscape, freely pulling out sonic references from their catalog and recombining them. There are 18 tracks, but many are under two minutes, flowing into each other. The "Things Left Unsaid" intro leads into the sort of "Welcome to the Machine"-ish "It's What We Do" and the Wall-esque "Sum", then "Skins" recalls pre-Dark Side Of The Moon "Saucerful of Secrets". "Anisina" feints towards "Us and Them" before becoming its own slightly separate thing.

Love what I'll call "Allons-y 1/Autumn '68/Allons-y 2" with its opening and closing "Run Like Hell" inspired riffs and tasty keyboard center - my favorite part of the album right now. "Louder..." is a quality Gilmour-era Floyd tune, good Polly Sampson lyrics capturing the mood. Does seem to take longer to get to know instrumental albums - notice repeated listens to this one have me appreciating it more and more. Finally, a Bonus track alert - "Nervana" is a killer little guitar jam. Sounds like they're having fun!




6. Dan Wilson - Love Without Fear. Dan Wilson writes songs my heart sings. Was looking forward to this collection for a while! Got the Deluxe Book version, full of Dan's own drawings and calligraphy - you see his art in his videos for the album, too. Having been a fan since his days in Trip Shakespeare, I'm completely biased - everyone should love this! Many talented friends on here, too: Sara Bareilles, Lissie, Natalie Maines, Sean Watkins, Oliver Krauss, and more. Wasn't a chance this album wouldn't make my Top Ten. Only reason it's not higher? Came out early this year and I hadn't heard it lately. Listening again writing this sum-up... love every song!


Almost doesn't feel like a 2014 album."Disappearing" came out as a single in the summer of '13, follow-up "Love Without Fear" over a year ago. Dan also released some demos earlier - "Songs From the Ballroom" - thru his mailing list, like the majestic "However Long", folksy ditty "Your Brighter Days" and bonus track "Patience". "When It Pleases You" is Dan's version of a tune Sara Watkins released on her Sun Midnight Sun solo album in 2012. Been hearing parts of this album for a while. Still, "A Song Can Be About Anything" came as a fresh surprise - and an amazing pop song - and "Even the Stars Are Sleeping" with Missy Higgins surprising and simply sublime. Nice - now that I've had a break from it, I can listen again fresh!




5. Opeth - Pale Communion. First heard Opeth when they worked with Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson on their Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation albums in the early 2000's. Originally Swedish metal, Opeth is evolving into a brilliant Progressive Rock band whose  new Prog sound has hints of the old, mellotron and keyboards, soaring guitar solos - think early Deep Purple and Genesis, even The Dregs. On Pale Communion they fully embrace the progressive rock mantle and lose the death metal trappings almost entirely. Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Ã…kerfeldt leaves the cookie monster, er, "death growl" vocals behind. Would rather hear him sing - Ã…kerfeldt has a great voice, reminiscent of pre-Asia, King Crimson-era John Wetton. He's also a talented guitar player - and an unabashed fan of 1970's Prog.


Didn't know I needed a good, new Prog album until "Eternal Rains Will Fall" opened and began the unfolding - an inner chord was sounded. There's still a hard edge to much of the album - the hard rock side of Prog, not the neo-metal Prog of bands like Dream Theater. "River" is my favorite - opening with a delicate, Steve Hackett-esque acoustic guitar and layered harmony vocals, adding stately keyboards and intensity, the piece builds to a near-metallic crescendo before easing to a close. "Moon Above, Sun Below" is an almost 11-minute-long epic. Instrumental "Goblin" recalls The Dregs as it repeats a riff in diabolical fashion in a style also similar to Wishbone Ash on "The Pilgrim". This is Progressive Rock for 2014 and beyond.



4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye. Got this one early, but couldn't share the music right away. Embargoed by Warner Bros. until release time, all I could do is tell people how good it was - that Petty and the band had delivered some of his best stuff since Wildflowers! Great summer record, too. First song we could play was advance track "American Dream Plan B" - a pretty killer tune with a nice uplift to the chorus - but "U Get Me High" was the single, good Petty. Getting the entire album was a revelation.


I'm an old Petty fan - but Mojo didn't do a lot for me. To be honest, Echo, The Last DJ, Highway Companion... they've been good, some tracks keepers for sure - still have my "Swingin'" promo baseball bat - but as albums? Just okay. Hypnotic Eye doesn't weaken like those others. If rock ruled the radio as it did in the days of Into the Great Wide Open this would be a deep album on the air, with "All You Can Carry", "Red River", "Forgotten Man" and "American Dream..." all seeing play. And Petty's other facets are on strong display, too: funny on "Burnt Out Town", epic on "Shadow People"...named almost every track on the album! It is that good. Highly recommended for Petty fans.




3. S. Carey - Range Of Light. Love it when something hits me out of nowhere! I wasn't familiar with Sean Carey's work before listening to Range of Light - quietly unfolding, erupting, simmering - stark, yet surrounded by the silences - like walks in winter woods He's best known as the drummer and back-up vocalist in Justin Vernon's Bon Iver - so I learned. This is his second solo effort, and Vernon appears in a back-up capacity, most clearly evident on "Crown The Pines". My favorite is "Fire-Scene", but "Creaking" is close - all of "side one" is strong. There is a serenity throughout the album, and the video for "Fire-Scene" captures visually the feelings the work evokes.



2. The War On Drugs - Lost In the Dream. Didn't know I was going to love this one. Some albums slowly sink in under the skin - this was one. Though "Red Eyes" was the first single heard from the whole, I grew to love Lost In the Dream because it was such a strong entirety. The flow of the album made it a great driving record - listened to it in the car a lot. Then it seemed I was hearing it many places as it caught on. "Eyes To the Wind", "Burning", "An Ocean In Between the Waves" and opener "Under The Pressure" - there are so many beautiful, spacey, guitar-filled moments! Was great seeing Adam Granduciel and the band bring the songs alive in the misty rain of a September night on the Burlington waterfront, too - their set during the Grand Point North Festival was sublime.



1. Midlake - Antiphon. Though the album appeared in late 2013, I first heard Antiphon's lush harmonies and stately keyboards in early January, making it my favorite album this year. My list, my rules. I'd not heard of Denton, TX's Midlake before, so was not at first aware Eric Pulido had stepped forward as frontman to replace departed singer and songwriter Tim Smith. Smith left, but the rest of the band persevered, not bringing in anyone new but instead drawing strength and inspiration from each other - and their determination to carry on. "Antiphon" means "call and response" - and the band's response is strong, creative, and an overall impressive effort.


There's a timelessness to the music crafted by the six-piece. Harmonies recall modern Fleet Foxes, but pre-1970's Prog Rock as well. With Smith at the lead, Midlake had drawn comparisons to Jethro Tull. There's less of a Tull feel here than on their earlier material, but it remains rooted in the progressive rock realm with echoes of early Pink Floyd and Moody Blues. "The Old And The Young" received some airplay - trust me, I know these things - and the video is pretty cool. You can listen to the entire album on YouTube. Set it for "HD" for best sound. From the opening title track, through gems like "It's Going Down" and "Aurora Gone", to the finishing "Provider Reprise" it's an aural treat!

That's my Top Ten! Completely subjective. Loving the music of 2014!

Want to go deeper into 2014? Check out this mix at 8Tracks - you can listen for free to almost 2.5 hours of 2014 tunes: http://8tracks.com/brotherzag/because-i-hear-everything 32 tracks, including selections from the albums above and a bunch more, curated by yours truly.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

The S#!% Hits The Fan...

Last episode, a ghost appeared on the bridge of Hector Ruiz's spacecraft, the Libracampista. We also found out Alibi Jones' responsibility for blowing up Kismet had been newly made public, which can't be good. Find out how, and why the accident is now being used against Alibi Jones, and what Hector and his crew do next, on this new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio, with host, writer and reader Mike Luoma. Listen to Chapter Three of the brand-new science fiction adventure Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest – you'll only find the new podcast novel here!

CONTEST! Your chance to win a signed print by Mike Alibi Jones' Universe. Listen to the show for all the details on how you can win. There's a runners-up prize, too. Here's a link to this podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-luomas-glow-in-dark-radio/id428799466?mt=2

Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, November 23, 2014

ALIBI JONES AND THE TIME WAR OF THE DEVRIZIUM Now At Podiobooks!

New this week! For the first time since they were aired on Mike Luoma's Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast, the audio versions of the four stories that make up the cycle "The Time War of the Devrizium" are gathered together and offered for free download at Podiobooks.com!

 Now At Podiobooks! Click Here


"About Time" - "Remember Two Things" - "Memory, Yet Green" - and "The Last Battle" - tell the story of the time-travelling aliens The Devrizium and their attempts to wipe out Alibi Jones. Circumstances have somehow made Alibi's very existence in the current time-stream a threat to The Devrizium's own continued corporeality.

It all begins in "About Time" with a stolen Devrizium time-travel device. That audio story first appeared in The Adventures of Alibi Jones: Six Short Stories. It's repeated here to include it with the rest of the Devrizium tales. The illustrated "About Time" can also be found in The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 - the comic book - with art by Meisha. At comiXology, DriveThruComics, and Indy Planet.

"About Time" - Alibi runs into an old... friend? She's brought a mysterious package with her and a whole lot of trouble on her trail!

"Remember Two Things" - The appearance of The Devrizium in "About Time" was just the beginning. The only problem is that now, Alibi remembers that incident happening two different ways! Time itself may be broken.

"Memory, Yet Green" - Alibi Jones is a 91 year old man waking up next to his wife as the blue sun rises on Rigel 4. Only problem? Alibi doesn't remember growing old!

"The Last Battle"- The Last Battle of the Time War! Alibi is captured and hauled before the ruling council of The Devrizium to answer for his "crimes".

Get them now as free, downloadable podcasts from Podiobooks.com and on iTunes. You can also get this collection in paperback at Lulu & as an eBook at Smashwords & DriveThruFiction, or both at Amazon.

Contest!

Announced a new contest yesterday - a chance to win a signed print of Alibi Jones' Universe or a flawed-cover copy of VATICAN ASSASSIN - also signed.

The first person whose review of Mike Luoma's Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast appears in iTunes wins!

 It's my attempt to add some incentive to the iTunes Podcast Reviewing Process. There are no reviews on the podcast right now. The first person whose review is posted will win a signed, limited edition print - one of the three made of Alibi's Universe.

Just head over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-luomas-glow-in-dark-radio/id428799466?mt=2 If you want to get in on this, post a review, and then email me at glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com to let me know you have. We'll watch the iTunes page. The first person whose review appears win the print. The second person whose review appears will win the runners-up prize - the new bad proof copy of Vatican Assassin that arrived this week from Lulu!

Both prizes will be signed and sent to their respective winners. I made a short video to show you the prizes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAXY8ge41jE.

There are more details on the podcast, too: http://glowinthedarkradio.podomatic.com/entry/2014-11-22T10_40_21-08_00

Good Luck!


Saturday, November 22, 2014

Ancient Ships and New Vendettas...

The crew of the Libracampista investigates a mysterious, giant old spaceship that appeared out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Alibi Jones struggles with boredom, Krish fights for his budget, and Kit and Katie verbally spar on Dakhur. Conflict is in the air! Catch up with our characters as we get into more of the brand-new science fiction adventure Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest – our exclusive presentation of the podcast novel continues! Hear Chapter Two on this episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio, with host, writer and reader Mike Luoma.

CONTEST! Mike announces a new contest, too – your chance to win a signed print by Mike Alibi Jones' Universe. There's a runners-up prize, too – get all the details on how to win on the podcast. In case you need it, here's a link to this podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mike-luomas-glow-in-dark-radio/id428799466?mt=2



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, November 15, 2014

The New ALIBI JONES Novel Starts Now!

AN ALL-NEW ALIBI JONES ADVENTURE BEGINS NOW!

A brand-new installment in The Adventures of Alibi Jones starts on this show - a first-draft run through of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest. Free science fiction audio adventure in a classic vein, narrated by writer Mike Luoma – exclusively here on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!

Alibi Jones rescued friends from Kismet, accidentally blowing up and destroying the place in the process. Fought a Time War against the Devrizium everyone strangely forgets. Now he's been sidelined, and the inactivity has him bored. Never good. What's next for Alibi Jones? Meanwhile, out beyond the border of the Solar Alliance an ancient, giant, derelict ship has materialized. What is it doing in human space?

Listen and find out as we begin the adventure!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, November 09, 2014

Perils Of Playing In A One-Man Band

Discovered a massive screw-up with the formatting on my VATICAN ASSASSIN this week - both on the eBook and the paperback. I *think* it happened a couple years ago when I switched from Open Office to Word for word processing, but I'm not sure. It's fixed, now.

About one-third of the text in the book – and so in the source file – which should have been in italics had, for some reason, reverted back to normal text at random, sporadic intervals! Where three paragraphs had been in italics, now only two would still be italicized, the other back to normal text. One sentence would hold its italics, the one after revert back to normal. Here and there formerly italicized phrases somehow reverted back to normal, throughout the book.

That meant much of BC's inner monologue was now out of context. And though thoughts can be in different tenses, as speech and dialog can be, with the italics removed the book now read with jarring changes in tense in what looked like the narrative, not BC's thoughts.

Discovered all of the new editions of VATICAN ASSASSIN I'd created at the end of 2012 suffered from this flaw, paperback and eBook. I was horrified. Baffled as well. Again, I don't really know how it happened, but I figure it was somehow tied into that change in word processors. Maybe switching from Open Office to Word caused the reversion? It's purely a guess.

Thursday night I started going through the source file re-italicizing BC's thoughts. Even spent some time on it before going out on Friday night. Saturday morning I started through the file a second time, catching phrases and words I'd missed first time through.

With the text corrected, I then prepped the files for all the different eBook stores and printers, uploaded them, and began getting the corrected version back out into the world again in the afternoon. That's why the podcast was so late on Saturday – wanted to get the text corrected first.

One consolation is that the eBook is Free and thus easy to replace.

The corrected eBook is already available at Amazon for the Kindle, at DriveThruFiction and at Smashwords. Other eBook retailers will catch up later as distribution filters the new version out. Paperback distribution takes longer. It will be a little while before the paperbacks arrive at Amazon and most other retailers. You can pick them up at Lulu right now.

Here are links to the corrected versions:
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Vatican-Assassin-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B001F5188C/
FREE eBook at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/2006
FREE eBook at Drive Thru Fiction: http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/100092/Vatican-Assassin
Paperback at Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-luoma/vatican-assassin/paperback/product-21888767.html

The Vatican Assassin Trilogy – Omnibus Second Edition also suffered from this formatting error, and is also now fixed. As it retails for $6.99, I'll personally replace anyone's copy in the format of their choice. Just email me and let me know where you bought your original and in what format, and I'll send back a corrected copy. Although, if you purchased yours through Drive Thru you should be able to just grab the freshly corrected files from them. They're good like that. The Omnibus has been corrected at Drive Thru, Amazon and Smashwords, with distribution elsewhere in the pipeline.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

- Mike

End of Summer? The Big Finish!

Hear the conclusion of Vatican Assassin - Chapter Thirty-One - on a brand-new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! And get a preview of the next book in the Trilogy, Vatican Ambassador! The UTZ Battle Cruiser Eisenhower drops BC - the Vatican Assassin - off on the Moon. What's left of Lunar Prime after the attacks? Find out along with BC! Science fiction audio adventure narrated by writer Mike Luoma. Get a little story set up, hear the latest news - including some important format news - and then the end of Vatican Assassin!



Be sure to listen to our next episode as Mike presents a brand new installment in The Adventures of Alibi Jones - we get into a first-draft run through of Alibi Jones and the Hornet's Nest!

Join the email list! Free stuff, updates, previews & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle) - Paperback and Audiobook, too
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE podcast audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction
Paperback at Lulu.com
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Vatican AmbassadorFree Downloadable Podcast Audio Book
At Podiobooks.com
On iTunes

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, November 01, 2014

Big Chapter, Big Announcement!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Listen and find out what's going on... And hear Chapter Thirty – the penultimate chapter - of Vatican Assassin on a brand-new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Science fiction audio adventure narrated by writer Mike Luoma. BC - the Vatican Assassin – escaped Fortune Station on the UTZ Battle Cruiser Eisenhower when the UIN attacked. They're heading to the Moon to reinforce the UTZ forces under fire there, with BC along for the very dangerous ride... Come along, won't you? Get the story-so-far, the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT with some other cool news, then Chapter Thirty of Vatican Assassin!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble<
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A Glow-in-the-Dark Radio EXTRA!

A Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Extra! Hear Mike Luoma read his piece comparing Ned Stark of Game of Thrones and England's King Richard the 3rd. Read it here: http://glowinthedarkradio.blogspot.com/2014/10/on-richard-third-and-ned-stark.html



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Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

Part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Escaping Fortune...

A new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio with science fiction audio adventure narrated by the writer, Mike Luoma! As the UIN attacks, BC - the Vatican Assassin - escapes from Fortune Station on a UTZ Battle Cruiser. Will he be able to make it back to Earth or the Moon in one piece? And how will the ship's captain feel if he finds out he's got stowaways? Find out what happens next! Get the story-so-far, a little news, then Chapter Twenty-Nine of Vatican Assassin!

What Do You Want To Hear Next? Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SF8TQTK
Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z



Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Back To Fortune Station

BC, the Vatican Assassin, returns to Fortune Station, where he'd been held captive by a religious cult. But now, the place is swarming with UTZ Battle Cruisers... what's going on? Find out what happens next on a new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Hear a little about the story-so-far, some news, and then Chapter Twenty-Eight of Vatican Assassin, science fiction audio adventure narrated by the writer, Mike Luoma. BONUS: Hear Mike read his new piece comparing Ned Stark of Game of Thrones and England's King Richard the 3rd, some non-fiction after the fiction.



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

What Do You Want To Hear Next? Take the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SF8TQTK

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

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Sunday, October 12, 2014

On Richard The Third and Ned Stark...

Born this month, in October of 1452, Richard III has one of history's worst reputations, thanks mostly to William Shakespeare. "The Bard" – who turns out to be one hell of a spin doctor – wrote in part to please a Tudor court. The Tudors came to power by overthrowing Richard, and their historians blackened his reputation for the centuries...

This is now an article on MEDIUM! Read it HERE.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Off the Cliff?

Both BC and his old flame Fiza passed out at a dinner on Wentworth Station with one of the UTZ's wealthiest and most powerful CEOs – Richard Wentworth. That can't be good... Find out what happens to them next on a new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! BONUS STUFF: Hear an excerpt from the first draft of the new ALIBI JONES Novel! Hear a little about the story-so-far, some news, and then science fiction audio adventure narrated by the writer, Mike Luoma. Chapter Twenty-Seven of Vatican Assassin and a NEW Alibi Jones excerpt!

Mike also pays tribute to the memory of author & podcaster P.G. Holyfield, who passed away alarmingly fast this past August 20th. Friends and family are gathering this weekend to memorialize him. They had a wonderful G+ Hangout for him this week: Farewell to PG Holyfield. You can listen to P.G.'s Murder At Avedon Hill at Podiobooks. All donations go directly to P.G.'s family.



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, October 04, 2014

A Visit To Wentworth Station

After getting run off of Lunar Prime, Fiza BC's old ex has been escorted by the Vatican Assassin to Wentworth Station, where she claimed to have a right to sanctuary. That turned out to be BS, but she did talk her way on board to a meeting with one of the UTZ's wealthiest and most powerful CEOs – Richard Wentworth. Not a man to cross paths with lightly... After the intro with some story-so-far and a little news, you'll hear the science fiction audio adventure narrated by its writer – Chapter Twenty-Six of Mike Luoma's Vatican Assassin on a new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Always free!




Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, September 28, 2014

"Fiza" IS a Four-Letter F Word, BC...

BC – the Vatican Assassin – is dealing with the reappearance of an old ex, Fiza. Actually, the reappearance and now, again, disappearance of the woman - she didn't return after an argument – she's at least temporarily missing. BC is still about to get more involved in her trouble than he cares to! Chapter Twenty-Five of Mike Luoma's Vatican Assassin, freshly re-edited, on a new episode of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! After the introduction with a bit about the story-so-far and a little news, you'll hear the science fiction audio adventure narrated by its writer Mike Luoma. Always free!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, September 20, 2014

"Can New catholic Church priests have sex?"

Ever have an old flame show up and turn your life upside down? Usually at the best possible time, too, huh? One of BC's exes is about to show up. He can handle life and death missions – can BC handle Fiza back in his life?

Hear two chapters of Mike Luoma's Vatican Assassin this week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Get a quick rundown on the story-so-far, a little book news, and then over a half-an-hour of science fiction adventure narrated by the writer – Mike Luoma. All free!



Join the email list! Free stuff, updates & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Fly Me To The Moon...

Snow in the Midwest, frost warnings overnight here in Vermont... but the Summer of the Assassin continues! BC – the Vatican Assassin – returns to the Moon and Lunar Prime. Surprises BC to realize it feels like he's home. But the Cardinal has a surprise for him! A freshly re-edited chapter twenty-two on this new episode of Mike Luoma's Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! More of VATICAN ASSASSIN  - get a quick bit on the story-so-far to get up to speed and then hang on for free science fiction audio adventure once again on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!



Join the email list to get the latest updates, free stuff & more: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z

Links:

Vatican Assassin – The Novel
FREE eBook at Amazon (Kindle)
FREE eBook at Barnes & Noble (NOOK)
FREE eBook at Smashwords
FREE audio book at iTunes
FREE audio book at Podiobooks
Paperback at Amazon
Paperback at Barnes & Noble
Paperback & eBook at Drive Thru Fiction

Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel – PDF Download
Vatican Assassin the Graphic Novel - Print

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
Public archive of Glow-in-the-Dark Radio on Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B0uV2VUMyDHwRXczSVBJSUtreGs&usp=drive_web

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com