Friday, January 7, 2011 Spirit Blade Productions In 2011

2010 was an extremely satisfying year for me, primarily due to the release of "Spirit Blade: Special Edition", which now allows me to confidently put our best foot forward as I aim to introduce more people to what we're doing at Spirit Blade Productions.

If you read between the lines there, you may be able to guess that I plan to spend more time "marketing" Spirit Blade Productions to a wider audience this year.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that marketing is my groan-tastically LEAST favorite thing to do. It tends to be extremely boring and repetitive. It's also very difficult for me personally to feel like I'm "selling myself" to people. And yet there's no getting around it. If we're going to impact people’s lives, people have to know about us and engage with what we're doing.

Still, if I have to tackle this necessary evil, I'm going to make it as freakin' fun as I possibly can. Especially for YOU guys!


So what's in store for 2011? Here’s a taste:


The Spirit Blade Audio book-

Okay, there may be some confusion at this point for some of you. Some may be thinking, "Didn't you already release this as the second Archive Disc atspiritblade.net/archives?" Others of you may be thinking, "Didn't you say you were going to release this for free?" The answer to both questions is "yes". Though unfortunately I didn't have time to release the free version in the way I wanted before the end of 2010.

One of my first agenda items this year is to make the Spirit Blade Enhanced Audio book available for free in as many places around the web as possible, hopefully drawing new attention to what we're doing at spiritblade.net. Audio fidelity purists and those who want the commentary for the audio book will still want to get the Archive Disc at spiritblade.net. But those who aren't interested in the commentary and don't mind listening to the audio book in lower fidelity audio will soon be able to find it in what I hope will be a wide variety of locations around the web.

The timing on that isn't set yet. My plan is to find as many sites as I can to submit the audio book to and then run an interactive promotional event with all of you guys that will end with the release of the audio book in multiple places at once. More news on that in the next few weeks!


Newsletter (more exciting than it sounds!)-

If you haven't subscribed to our newsletter yet, this is the year to do it! While continuing to be the place to get all of the biggest announcements from Spirit Blade Productions, in 2011 the newsletter will also be the VIP access portal for giveaways and secret sales that won't be advertised or available anywhere else!

You can subscribe right now at www.spiritblade.net by scrolling to the bottom of the page and entering your e-mail in the field provided! The newsletter typically goes out only once a month(if that) and we don't use or let others use your e-mail address for ANYTHING else.

I've already got at least one CRAZY sale in mind that only newsletter subscribers will know about, so don't miss out!


The Spirit Blade Underground Alliance-

In the last two years, this innovative volunteer community has produced four audio projects that we've made available as free downloads and the response to them has been great! Currently, the next episode in our vampire crime drama, “Of The Night”, is in development, along with the first episodes of a new sci-fi space adventure series and a futuristic, supernatural, “cop drama”. We also plan to return to the fantasy/sci-fi world of “Untold” soon. The outline looks great and the scripts are in development! And I’m very excited about a dark, stand-alone, post-pandemic murder mystery that we will be holding auditions for soon!

This year, I'll be looking for ways to expand the number of people involved in making audio fiction, particularly in the mixing/directing department. I'll also be looking for ways to coordinate the production of entertainment in other media formats for the SBUA. So no matter what kind of creative type you are, I'll be looking for ways to plug you and your skills into this fun, unique and growing creative community! For more information, go to www.spiritblade.net/alliance!


Free Downloads and Special Features-

Although things slowed down a bit in this department in November and December, I will begin releasing a new special feature every month, starting with this month! Now that the initial promotion for "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" is over, I will be going back and releasing the remaining audio and video "behind the scenes" features for "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream". I had a great time recording this project with the cast, and for the first time you'll have the chance to see video of recurring Spirit Blade Productions actors Randy Hesson(Vincent Craft, Vanger) and Michael E. Bryce(Isaiah Daniels, William Goodblade) as they record for the first episode of this ongoing series. You'll also get to see revealing video on how the Dread-gloom Swamp sequence, one of the most complicated in the project, was recorded.

I'm also excited to announce the future production of "Interactive Audio Commentaries" for both "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream" and "Spirit Blade: Special Edition"! I had so much fun using your written and called-in questions on the commentary for "Dark Ritual" that I plan to continue the tradition as long as there is interest in it.


Live Chats-

Although the turnout for the "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" live chat was less than I had hoped, I had a great time doing it and will be looking for an excuse to do it again! I also know that not everyone who wanted to was able to participate. So hopefully I'll do better at organizing and promoting the next one! Next on the agenda will be live chats for "Pilgrim's Progress" and "Dark Ritual"! Stay tuned!


Growing Community-

If you haven't noticed the pattern so far, this year is about growing the number of people in the Spirit Blade Community and the number of ways they are involved in the various things we have happening. I'll be exploring ways to attract more people to the podcast and forums and will be looking for your ideas! My goal is that this year the Spirit Blade Community will feel more like YOUR community! My vision for Spirit Blade Productions has always been to develop content and community that is exciting, interesting and spiritually beneficial to the genre-geek community. So if you have any ideas, please send them my way! More than ever before I'll be looking for opportunities to make the community experience the best it's ever been!


Development Of Spirit Blade 3 AND Pilgrim's Progress, Episode 2-

My plan is to record both of these projects at the same time, using a few of the same cast members in both. I will then produce "Spirit Blade 3" first, followed quickly by Episode 2 of "Pilgrim's Progress".

Most of the first draft for "Pilgrim, Ep. 2" is finished and the main outlining for "Spirit Blade 3" is done as well. In the midst of developing the Spirit Blade Community this year, I will be writing the script and songs for "Spirit Blade 3" and finishing/polishing the next "Pilgrim's Progress" script in hopes of recording in late 2011 or early 2012.

TBA-

Some of the most exciting stuff this year is still "To Be Announced"! There are a few other things simmering on the back burner that I’m DYING to tell you about, but I have to iron out some details before I can officially announce them. One is the addition of one or two Archive Discs featuring new and exclusive content. Another is apodcast interview I’m scheduling with a New York Times best-selling mainstream fantasy author. (He’s already agreed, but until we actually schedule the interview and record it, I’ll have to keep you guessing!)

When it comes to what God has planned, your guess is as good as mine. But the ride is sure to be an interesting one!

Thank you so much for your support and involvement here! I'm pulling out all the stops to make this a year where new people take notice and faithful fans are reminded why this is the place to go for exciting, unsterilized Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy!


-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Recalibrating

Now that the holidays are over, my wife and I are both back to our full time work schedules for the first time since our second child was born in late October.

It's proving to be a real challenge, since our youngest isn't sleeping through the night yet, which means I'm needed more around the house during the day to compensate for my wife's lack of sleep. Our work days are also both long enough that I have to spend some of mine juggling two kids as well.

The cherry on top is that I think I may have injured my shoulder in some minor way during my first workout this week. Nothing agonizing, but it makes it painful to do a lot of work and dad related things that need to get done. So I'm moving much more slowly right now.

I can't help but think that God is using these circumstances to get my attention about the ways in which I've neglected him lately. The time I once regularly set aside for expanding my Bible study, prayer and other things related to my relationship with God, have been put on the back burner more and more lately, and I can already see how it has weakened me in my day to day life as a husband and dad.

Something really cool happened this week that I think will be GREAT for drawing new, wider attention to Spirit Blade Productions.(Can't talk about it yet, though. Stay tuned.) And considering that my agenda this spring is largely taken up with expanding our listener base, it struck me as a reminder that God is still in this endeavor and hasn't forgotten about it or me. And yet I've had the tendency lately to forget about him.

So as I recalibrate my routine and patterns, aiming to give my relationship with God top priority, I'd appreciate your prayer support.

And come back here Friday for a look at what's coming for Spirit Blade Productions in 2011!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, December 29, 2010 Welcome To The New Blog!

Hey Everybody!

Welcome to the new "Spirit Blade Underground Weblog"! If you've kept up with the blog in the past, hopefully the transition was unnoticeable. But if you know of any broken links that lead to the old typepad location, please let me know.

I'm also open to feedback about features you'd like to see on this site. Anything you miss from the old version? Let me know! Any new ideas for the blog? I wanna here 'em!

For updates on current projects and the various "behind the scenes" goings-on at Spirit Blade Productions, this is the place to be. I also post a weekly study called "In Search Of Truth" that aims to take a fresh look at the Bible, chapter by chapter. We'll be back into the book of Romans next week!

You'll also notice that you can subscribe to this blog via feed or direct e-mail. So you never need to miss a single post again!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, December 17, 2010 Normal Schedule Resumes January 3rd

Although I'll still be in my office for the next two weeks, blog posts here and at Paeter's Brain will be unscheduled until January 3rd, when I will resume my normal posting pattern of Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

After this weekend I will also be taking two weeks off from producing the podcast.

During the next couple of weeks, however, I do hope to transition this blog to a new host, giving it a new look as well. I anticipate a pretty seamless transition and I'll be sure to keep you in the loop.

Have a great Christmas, and be sure to come back in January to get a taste of all the great things coming from Spirit Blade Productions in 2011!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Busy Week!

It's been a VERY busy week so far, and it doesn't look like I'll be relaxing for a while yet.

For the fifth year in a row I'm leading a caroling ministry I started at our church, collecting baked goods and money and coordinating volunteer carolers to visit people that our caring ministry has identified as needing some encouragement.

The response for baked goods has been pretty sparse compared to previous years, which means I'm doing a LOT more baking and also putting the gift baskets (gift bags, this year) together. 21 in total.

So Spirit Blade Productions is turning into a strictly part-time job this week as this personal ministry takes over. I'm answering e-mails and managing to get the blog posts out, but that's about it!

Ooh! Just remembered that I may have some driving to do right now to pick up some baked goods.

Bye!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, December 10, 2010 Podcast Tomorrow AND Planning a Change

I'm looking forward to reviewing "The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader" for the podcast this weekend! But so that I can enjoy it with my wonderful wife, I'm waiting to see it until tomorrow. So the podcast will come a little less than 24 hours later than usual.

In other news, I'm considering a significant change for this blog. Since 2006 I've been using Typepad for The Spirit Blade Underground Weblog. In fact, this blog has been around longer than our main website! (In the early days, in a sad sort of way, it WAS the main website.)

At the time, I went with Typepad (which costs $5 monthly) because they had some functionality I wanted that no free options could give me. Between then and now, the functionality of "Blogger"(where "Paeter's Brain" is hosted for free) has improved and a few of my desires for functionality have also diminished. So it looks like it may be time to transplant this blog to a blogger account and save myself $5 bucks a month. (That's kinda like being guarunteed that I'll sell at least one download of "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream" or a Song Bundle every month! In this little endeavor, every penny counts!)

The good news is that, if everything works as it's supposed to (wink, wink), the only thing you'll notice is a makeover to the blog. You'll still get there by going to spiritblade.net/blog and the posts will still be fed to both facebook and twitter. (If you subscribe directly to this blog, I will be notifying you of an easy alternative you can take advantage of to get these posts sent to your e-mail.) All previous posts should be there as well.

I'm planning to make the switch sometime this month. But if you have any words of wisdom before I do, the floor is now open for discussion!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, December 3, 2010 "Emmanuel" Download and More Podcast Interviews In 2011!

Forgot to mention this on Wednesday here, but I've once again made my dark, electronic version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" available for download atwww.spiritblade.net/freestuff ! Available only in the month of December, so don't miss out!

If you have enjoyed the Christian sci-fi/fantasy author interviews I've had on the podcast in the past but have wondered where they've been lately, you won't have to wait much longer!

After posting an invitation online, my interview slots have been rapidly filling up with an avalanche of new authors!

I'll be doing most of the interviews in January and February, but will be pacing them out on the show for a longer stretch of time so I can still bring you guys the reviews and other content you've come to expect on the show.

If you have any recommendations for authors I should contact to interview, my ears are wide open! The author's I've scheduled interviews with so far represent a wide variety of genres and stories within the realm of Christian sci-fi/fantasy, so there will hopefully be at least one new author for everyone to try out in 2011!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 My Excuse To Delay Marketing

It's actually a pretty good one. As I've started to organize my strategy for a renewed general marketing effort for Spirit Blade Productions, I've thought about how busy I am with other things going on as a result of the holiday season. Both work related and personal.

Then suddenly I realized that this is actually the situation for a LOT of people. (I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one celebrating or selling product during Christmas these days.) And there are already some things I've decided to put off until January. What are the chances that an e-mail I send to someone telling them about our company will be put off or maybe even deleted and forgotton? Pretty good.

So I've decided to hold off on really diving into new marketing strategies until mid-January, giving me and those I interact with time to play catch-up and see the world with fresh eyes again. Since marketing is about my least favorite part of what I do, this delay is not bumming me out, either. And as an added bonus, this means I get to give nearly my full creative attention to outlining and writing the script for Spirit Blade 3!

Woohoo!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, November 22, 2010 Holiday Shopping Deals At Spiritblade.net!

It's that time of year again! And we've never had more discounts and specials going on for your holiday shopping than we do this year in our online store, where First Class shipping is always FREE!

All of our audio drama CD sets have been reduced in price, as well as both of our "song bundles"!

We've just released our second "Archive" disc, the long-awaited, much referenced "Spirit Blade" Novella, produced for your enjoyment in an exciting, enhanced audio book format! But the best part is that it's yours for FREE when you place an order that includes a CD set of "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" or "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual"! 

And don't forget to add our cool, quirky T-shirts to your Christmas list! Available in a variety of colors, sizes and fittings!

Friday, November 19, 2010 Audiobook Finished! See You At The Live Chat!

Last night I put the finishing touches on the "Spirit Blade" enhanced audiobook and plan to make it available on Monday! I'm also recording a pseudo-commentary in which I highlight some portions of the audiobook and talk about the choices I made for the book as well as the reasons for many of the significant chnages from book to script. This feature will also be available in the same Archive Disc with the enhanced audiobook.

This post also serves as your last notice for the "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" Live Chat I'll be hosting tomorrow. Click the link for some more details. I'll provide the link for logging in about 30-60 minutes before the chat begins. I hope to see you there!

Wish I had more to update you on, but it's been crazy busy here the last two days and I just BARELY squeezed in a Harry Potter review for the podcast, which I need to go and post right now!

Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Live Chat Prep and Finishing The Audiobook

Every time I try something new with technology, it usually involves lots of troubleshooting and hair pulling. So looking ahead to the "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" Live Chat on Saturday has been intimidating. Thankfully, one of my online friends at the Spirit Blade Forums found a solution for me! I just tested it out today and everything looks good to go for this Saturday! (Whew!) Thanks, Chad!

I'm also getting very close to finishing the enhanced auidobook of the Spirit Blade Novella. I realized this last week that I have been in "deadline mode" for almost two years straight now, and the sense of self-imposed deadline pressure has only gotten stronger in the last 6-9 months. So I'm VERY much looking forward to being done with the audiobook and back to square one, outlining and writing the script for Spirit Blade 3, with no deadlines in sight! (At least for a few months.)

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, November 12, 2010 Audiobook Coming And Chat Reminder

Since getting back in the saddle I've been hard at work on the "Spirit Blade" enhanced audio book, and it is just a few work days from completion!

My plan is to release it for free in the spring in some form on various places around the web. But before then, it will be organized as an archive disc , where it will be available in just a couple of weeks in an exlusively high quality audio format that will never be available anywhere else! Stay tuned for the announcement of its release very soon!

Also, don't forget to grab your copy of "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" from our online store for participation in the Special Edition live chat a week from now on Saturday, November 20th at 6pm Mountain Standard time! More details will be coming soon here and at www.spiritblade.net/chat ! Don't miss out!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Get Ready For The Live Chat!

At long last I'm back in the saddle! And before anything else I want to remind you about the live chat coming up for anyone who has the "Spirit Blade: Special Edition"!

I'll have more details next week, but mark your calendar for Saturday November 20th and be sure to grab your copy of the Special Edition if you haven't already.

And for those getting CDs instead of downloads, you still have time to get yours in the mail before the live chat! Shipping typically takes three days or less in the US and it's always FREE when you buy from our online store!

Don't miss out on the first opportunity ever available to chat it up with me and other fans as we all listen to the story that started it all!

Talk to you soon!

-Paeter Frandsen

Thursday, November 4, 2010 Ebony Had A Baby!

Last Saturday my wife gave birth to our second child (and second boy), Titus Lassell Frandsen. Even Ebony as the Sheidan Assassin has nothing on the real deal. Holly labored for 7 and 1/2 hours and delivered with zero medication (not even an I.V.) and Titus came out with only 5 minutes of pushing. (Three contractions.)

She began feeling contractions before 8am. We went to the hospital at 11 and Titus was born at 3:18.

I know there are more amazing birth stories out there, but this was an incredible thing to watch. Every time a contraction came, Holly would go still and breath deeply with her eyes closed, like some kind of jedi master prepping to crack the moon in half. Don't know how she did it, but she is the freakin' Champion!

We're currently adjusting to having an infant AND simultaneously potty training our three year old (yay.), so I'm not quite back on the radar yet, but thought I'd pop in and let you guys know what's up.

Thanks so much to all who prayed for us! We're doing very well and I'm hoping to be back in the saddle sometime next week!

-Paeter Frandsen

Thursday, October 28, 2010 Out Till November 9th

Hey Folks!

I'll be off the radar until November 9th as my wife and I welcome our second child into the world. He hasn't arrived yet and is about a week overdue. If he doesn't come on his own, the doctors will begin throwing tear gas canisters into my wife on Friday or Monday.

As I said before, CD and download orders will still be processed normally. Although I'll have to rely on your patience and "undeserved favor" (grace) regarding responding to e-mails and things.

See you on the other side!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 Spirit Blade: Special Edition Live Chat!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 20th at 6pm Mountain Standard Time! (That should be 5pm West Coast and 8pm East Coast, but I'd suggest you double check.)

I will be hosting a live online chat for all those who have the Spirit Blade: Special Edition audio drama! While everyone listens to their own copy of the project simultaneously, we'll chat about the differences from the original version and you'll have the chance to get instant answers to any questions you might have about the project!

I've never done anything like this before and I can't wait to hang out and listen with you all!

Specific details for the chat will be announced as we get closer to the event, so stay tuned right here!

Shipping is free for CD sets and only takes about three days to reach anywhere in the US! (And of course downloads arrive much more quickly.) So don't miss out! Get your copy of "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" today and mark your calendar for the live chat on Saturday, November 20th!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 22, 2010 Going Off The Radar

It's been a good week and I've enjoyed the progress I've been able to make on the Audiobook of Spirit Blade. Even the marketing side of things has been bearable.

But for those who aren't aware, I will probably be dropping off the radar soon for about a week or two. My wife is expecting to deliver our second child any day now.

I don't anticipate any interruption of services for those who purchase from our online store, but I will likely be dropping nearly everything else I do here for a little while as our world get's turned upside down for a little bit.

The podcast should be released as normal tonight or tomorrow, though I'm not sure if there will be one next week.

No signs of labor yet, but if I suddenly seem to "vanish" in the coming days, you'll know why.

Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 “Marketing Madness” and FREE “Spirit Blade” Downloads!

Well, now that the “Spirit Blade: Special Edition” has launched, I head into what is possibly my least favorite part of my work: The “Marketing Phase”.

Granted, I always have marketing on the back burner and have to keep it going. But after the launch of a product I usually spend at least a few weeks doing almost nothing but writing and sending e-mails, trying to set up interviews and other types of correspondence.

The one difference this time around is that because of the “special edition” I am now proud of EVERY product in our library and feel much more confident in presenting the Spirit Blade series to people.

Which reminds me! I am offering a free download of “Spirit Blade: Special Edition” to anyone who will agree to review it (or interview me) on their podcast before the end of November! I am also offering free downloads to writers of established review (or appropriately themed) blogs that agree to review “Spirit Blade: Special Edition” on their blog before the end of November. If you fit either of these categories and want a free download of the project, be sure to let me know!

And for those of you who haven’t purchased a copy yet, I’ve added a new feature to the online store: Combos! Specifically, CD/Download combos. If you’ve ever been torn between getting a physical CD and enjoying one of our audio dramas right away, now you can do both! For both Spirit Blade: Special Edition and Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual, you can now buy the CD sets AND get the digital downloads for just $2.99 more!

Likewise, if you just want the download for yourself but would also like to give a CD as a gift, this is a REALLY cost effective way to do both at once!

You can check out your options at www.spiritblade.net. 

Blah blablah blablah. (Sigh.) See, I told you I’d entered the “marketing phase”.


-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 15, 2010 "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" Is Available Now!

I am thrilled to announce that the “Spirit Blade: Special Edition” is available now at www.spiritblade.net!

I’ve looked forward to this moment for a long time and I’m so glad to finally be able to share this story with you. And if you think you’ve heard it before, guess again! The phrase “special edition” doesn’t do justice to the complete overhaul this project has received. 

From now until November 21st, you’ll also get a free copy of the first (and very different!) draft of the script for Spirit Blade with your purchase of the Spirit Blade: Special Edition CD Set or Digital Download! For more information, visit the online store at www.spiritblade.net.

In addition to the release of the Special Edition, I’ve launched a new line of products that you “special features junkies” will love! The Spirit Blade Productions Archives take you deeper into the development of our projects than ever before. And the first volume alone contains over 8 ½ hours of audio content, as well as more than 130 pages of documents exploring nearly every facet of Spirit Blade’s evolution. For more information, visit www.spiritblade.net/archives! (Volume 1 of the Archives is also included in the “Spirit Blade: Special Edition Collector’s Set!)

And to celebrate the release of the Special Edition of Spirit Blade, we’ve also lowered the price of the song bundles for Spirit Blade and Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual! Get them both now exclusively in our online store for just $5.99 each!

Welcome to the rebirth of Spirit Blade Productions!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 CDs Almost Here!

I checked my tracking number today and the CDs for "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" should be arriving tomorrow!

Meanwhile, I'm still scrambling to get the website ready to go. It's pretty close, but there are still a few odds and ends to straighten out and a product page to put together for the "Archive" CDs.

The weekend promises to be busy as I send CDs out to cast members and try to get song bundle updates out to customers who bought them before the updates were made. (Oops! I haven't talked about that yet, have I? Well, if you've purchased either song bundle, you should be hearing from me soon!)

Not to mention my wife is pregnant with our second son and about 10 days from her due date! (Hopefully the baby will see fit to at least wait until the weekend is over.)

Oh, that reminds me. If I seem to suddenly drop off the radar, that would be why. (Though I or someone else will still at least be filling CD orders of course!)

But for today, I think my work is done. There is a comic book store with my name on it. (That's actually somewhat literally true. They have a box with my name on it holding my comics for the week.) And that car won't scoop me up and drive me there itself.

See ya!

-Paeter Frandsen

2 comments:

1. Nathan J. NormanOctober 14, 2010 at 2:32 AM

   Wow! Great Post! Congratulations on the almost newest edition to the Frandsen clan!
   And . . . to be selfish . . . as a purchaser of the song bundles I'm excited about whatever you're talking about . . . and super-excited about the Special Edition!
   When it rains it pours!

2. PaeterOctober 14, 2010 at 4:10 AM

   Thanks, Nathan! And I couldn't have said it better myself. It's like monsoon season around here!