Radio Free Bliss

Podcasts from author KS Augustin

So, what is a podcast? It's a pamphlet in your ear. It's a way of getting words off the page and translated to sound. Radio Free Bliss is an MP3 file that you can listen to at this website, download to your own machine, or even store on your MP3 player for listening to later. Like POD (print on demand), which is the newest, low-cost, environmentally-friendly way to produce books, LOD (listen on demand) is a way to take your hobbies and interests with you. All you need is a player and the ability to cut and paste. Podcasts are free and made without cruelty to animals and trees.

Okay, so what's your podcast about? Radio Free Bliss is about writers and what drives them. Each podcast will come out monthly and feature one or two authors talking about her or his work, as well as any other snippets of interest that I come across.

How can I listen to a podcast? You have a choice. There are embedded audio players with each podcast, so you can listen to either the high-quality or lower-quality version directly from the website. Alternatively, I've also added options for downloading the podcast, either in OGG or MP3 format, for ultimate portability.

Why do I have to add your podcast manually if I use iTunes? Do you have something against Apple? Well, actually I do, but that's another discussion. Basically, the only way I can submit podcasts to iTunes is to have an iTunes account. And the only way to get an iTunes account is to register my personal plus credit card details with them. And the countries that iTunes accepts credit cards from does not include Singapore. No credit > no iTunes account > no podcast submission. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do except provide details on how to manually add my podcast to your iTunes viewer.

Fair enough. But, if you don't mind my asking, what the hell does "Spring the verve" mean? Ah. Yes. Well, "spring" means to release or set free. "Verve" is another way of referring to your energy or enthusiasm and -- to a lesser extent -- your imagination. So, release your energy!

So where is it, then? It's here! Have a look below! And, happy listening.

May-2008 :: Carol Lynne

Lee Barwood I’m talking to the queen of erotic gay romance on this podcast…Carol Lynne. What got her writing gay romance to begin with? Are there too many gay romances on the market? And is Kansas really the dustbowl I’ve always thought it to be? All these questions will be answered, so make sure you tune in and have a listen.

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
49 minutes, 46 seconds … 46,652 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~22 mins @ 31.6 KB/sec)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
49 minutes, 46 seconds … 23,326 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~12 mins @ 31.4 KB/sec)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) …
download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~27 mins @ 31.4 KB/sec) 49 minutes, 46 seconds … 50,976 KB … for open-source listeners

  • BoingBoing: http://www.boingboing.net
  • (Yes, I know I pronounced Cory’s name differently, but I kinda like the Slavic pronunciation!)

April 2008 :: Marlene Satter - Lee Barwood

Lee Barwood This time it’s a mutiple personality, Marlene Satter aka Lee Barwood at the transoceanic mic. Oh, the topics we cover; from financial self-help to the therapeutic value of music; from pitfalls for the newbie author to the new sub-genre of ecological fiction. And we also touch upon New Jersey and have a whole lotta laughs. Make sure you have a listen!

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
49 minutes, 54 seconds … 46,782 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~22 mins @ 31.6 KB/sec)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
49 minutes, 54 seconds … 23,391 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~12 mins @ 31.4 KB/sec)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) …
download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~23 mins @ 31.4 KB/sec) 49 minutes, 54 seconds … 46,030 KB … for open-source listeners

And you can catch the first chapter of A Dream of Drowned Hollow, Lee’s ecological suspense thriller, from the Bliss Alumni page!


April 2008 :: Alexis Fleming

Alexis Fleming I interview multi sub-genre erotic romance writing powerhouse, Alexis Fleming, who hails from New South Wales, Australia. Find out why she should have been called Alexis Hallmark, be prepared to turn green with jealousy, and listen to how she did it on her back.

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
45 minutes, 29 seconds … 42,634 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~19 mins @ 36 KB/sec)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
45 minutes, 29 seconds … 21,317 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~10 mins @ 36 KB/sec)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) … download
(right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~19 mins @ 36 KB/sec)
45 minutes, 29 seconds … 40,231 KB … for open-source listeners


Easter-2008 :: Sue Lange

Sue Lange I interview satirical speculative fiction author, Sue Lange, in the post-Easter edition of Radio Free Bliss. We discuss Joanna Russ, feminism, speculative fiction, humidity and the Mason-Dixon Line. This is one very busy lady!

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
46 minutes, 57 seconds … 45,076 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~20 mins @ 34 KB/sec)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
46 minutes, 57 seconds … 22,538 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~11 mins @ 36 KB/sec)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~23 mins @ 34 KB/sec)
46 minutes, 57 seconds … 48,850 KB … for open-source listeners


Mar-2008 :: Ashley Ladd

Ashley Ladd I interview erotic romance author, Ashley Ladd, in March’s edition of Radio Free Bliss. Hear what an Alpha Smart dared do to her!

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
29 minutes, 41 seconds … 27,837 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~20 mins @ 21 KB/sec)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
29 minutes, 41 seconds … 13,919 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~8 mins @ 28 KB/sec)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~20 mins @ 24 KB/sec)
29 minutes, 41 seconds … 29,883 KB … for open-source listeners

28-Mar EDIT: And the podcast has been remastered for better volume management.

11-Mar EDIT: Now that I have a multi-voice podcast finally complete, I’ve been comparing it to other podcasts and notice that it’s very soft (that is, you really have to crank it up to hear anything). I’ll be working on that for next month’s podcast. Still on the learning curve … can you tell? :)

9-Mar EDIT: The podcast’s audio sounded okay through the headphones but, on replay through speakers, the volume range was too much for comfortable listening. I have smoothed out the variations and replaced the MP3 and OGG files. Something new to learn every day! Thanks for your forebearance.


Feb-2008 :: Launch!

In the kick-off to the Radio Free Bliss podcasts, we have a brief introduction, news roundup and interview with our very first author. Who is it? That’s a surprise, so be sure you have a listen to find out!

Play 128kps quality in mp3:
11 minutes, 2 seconds … 10,675 KB … better quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’)

Play 64kps quality in mp3:
11 minutes, 23 seconds … 5,337 KB … everything still audible, but lower quality … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’)

Save in ogg (quality 5/10) … download (right-click, ‘Save Link As…’, ~20 mins @ 24 KB/sec)
11 minutes, 23 seconds … 11,268 KB … for open-source listeners

28-MAR EDIT: With some experience under my belt, I’ve remastered the original audio with better volume management. I’ve also added OGG as a download. For registration with Podcast Alley: My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-b1aaa76715c4a1534aa7e3814f96e3be}


Creative Commons License
All works (except music) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License
Music is used under license from Shockwave Sound. No re-use or derivative works are allowed. (They do great stuff, btw!)

A random release...



Watch out for future interviews with...

Catherine Lundoff
Gail Martin
Gloria Oliver
Jeri Smith-Ready
JoSelle Vanderhooft
Liane Spicer
Lori Devoti
Maria Zannini
Melodie Bolt
Morven Westfield

Radio Free Bliss

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License.

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