Erk Pod has a new website! All of the Channel Erk websites are now all together on the one website. The current addresses of erkpod.com.au and erkpod.com will go to the new site. You can also access the site by going to www.channelerk.com

All Erk Pod episodes from 2009 are now on the new site. 2007 & 2008 episodes are archived on this site. Use the menu to the right to access archived content.

[Download episode - 60 minutes]

Welcome to episode 205 of Erk Pod. This episode was recorded in two stages.

The episode starts in San Antonio, Texas. Erk is chatting with Jennifer (@epodcaster on Twitter) who founded NaPodPoMo (National Podcasting Post Month) that Erk, Drue, Orange Tim and Squeak took part in last year. She also is currently co-hosting Tech In Twenty. During the chat, we talk Texas, podcasting and a lot more as we walk and talk our way through San Antonio.

The episode then moves across to southern California and the last interviewee of Erk’s American trip, Megan aka Podcast Junky (not surprisingly, @podcastjunky on Twitter). We find out what’s on Megan’s iPod, visiting Disneyland, what Erk didn’t get to see in SoCal and more. Apart from being a Podcast Junky, Megan also produces her own podcast where she tells us what  is on her iPod.

Balticon 43 was a massive weekend for both Erk & Tee Morris. Tee was a great guy to hang out with over the weekend. Apart from being his usual self, he also arranged many of the interviews on “The Balticon Special That Never Ends.”

This interview was recorded late on Sunday night and you’ll hear a very different side to Tee than you ever have on Erk Pod. But that is the way that the weekend was. 

Straight after this conference, Tee was off to New Zealand for a 2 week visit talking about podcasting, social media and more. So what would Tee do on a plane for 18 hours?

[Tee's website]

[Imagine That Studios]

[download audio]

Depending on your point of view, you have Evo Terra to partly blame or partly thank for Erk continuing to be a podcaster. It was the “Podcasting For Dummies” book at Evo co-wrote with Tee Morris that really helped Erk learn more about podcasting and getting motivated in 2007.

In this interview, we find out more about Podiobooks.com, Evo’s current podcast Evo at 11 and more.

This is a part of “The Balticon Special That Never Ends.”

[A good place to find all things Evo]

[download audio]

Unlike previous interviewee Richard White, author Peter Prellwitz does not have to worry about playing in an existing universe as he has created his own.

Peter has an extensive collection of paperbacks as well as audiobooks in the Shards Universe that he has created.  Find out more in this interview which is part of “The Balticon Special That Never Ends.”

[The Shards Universe]

[Download audio]

As a part of “The Balticon Special That Never Ends”, Erk chats with Richard White. Richard is a media tie-in writer. As you will hear in the interview, Richard writes books that ties in with pre-existing franchises including Star Trek, Stargate SG-1 and more.

This presents a new set of challenges for an author that does not happen when you are writing your own work. Not only does Richard need to get approval from the franchise he is writing about, he also has the fans of the series as his harshest critics.

[Richard's website]

[Download audio]

Sunday turned out to be book launch day at Balticon 43. Author R Allen Leider (pictured) was launching his new book Wicca Girl. Wicca Girl might be a new book but it was a long time coming as you will hear in this interview. This interview is part of the “Balticon Special That Never Ends.”

[Wicca Girl website]

[Wicca Girl Facebook Group]

[Download audio]

Sunday seemed to be book launch day at Balticon 43.  Bright and earlyish on Sunday morning, my first interviewee of the day was Christiana Ellis. Later that night, she would launch her new book Nina Kimberly the Merciless.

Erk now has a signed copy of the book to read on the plane (or when he gets home) which promises to be enjoyable. So what is it like to see your name on the front cover of your own book for the first time? You’ll have to listen to Christiana’s answer – I think that would make her a “glass is half full” type of person rather than a “glass is half empty”.

Apart from the book and related podcast, you can hear Christiana’s voice on her other podcasts as well as on other podiobooks.

[Christiana's website]

[Download interview]

This man is proof that as a podcaster and a podcast author, it’s good to get your voice heard as widely as possible. While I had heard PG Holyfield’s name around the writing podosphere, it was a talk podcast that made me go out and download his work.

At the start of most episodes of Evo at 11, PG would tell us what he had learned from the previous episode.  And it is PG that gave me the brainstorm for the title of my Balticon special.

Two years ago, Erk started Erk Pod and Erk to the Diary Room. Around the same time, PG started podcasting his murder mystery “Murder at Avedon Hill”. Two years later, Erk is interviewing PG about the end of MaAH which has since been called with affection “The Podiobook That Never Ends.”

Having said that, sometimes being late to the party has it’s advantages. Instead of Erk having to wait 2-3 or 4 weeks to find out what happens after a Holyfield cliffhanger, it would be 2 to 3 minutes.

This interview was the most fitting end to the weekend at Balticon. You can hear the entire  ”Balticon Special That Never Ends” as Erk Pod episodes 203 & 204.

[PG Holyfield's website]

[Download interview]

I’m a late comer to the powerful train that is Scott Sigler. Sure, I’d heard him on other podcasts. Sure, I’d seen all of the other trains zooming around the space. But it is this trip to America that saw me board the Sigler Express as it approached me.

So with a fully loaded iPod, I hit the tracks and listened to Infected. Then I found that I didn’t want to get off the train. I’d heard/read that after listening to Infected, I should move to the Contagious carriage to continue the journey.

I looked down at my iPod – no Contagious! That carriage was nowhere to be seen! So I headed to the next carriage that I had of the Sigler Express and that was Noctural. It was out of sequence but I loved it for different reasons than Infected. Then when I got back to my metaphorical train depot, I found Contagious and have now caught up with that story.

Sick mo-fo? Hell yeah! Talented? No doubt. So if you are as late for the Sigler Express as I am, listen to this chat and climb aboard. There are seats for everyone!

[Scott Sigler's website]

[Download interview]