Getting back on track

It's...been a while
Blogging here has not been my priority as family matters overtook everything this summer. Paul's dad became very ill and Paul flew over to England to help care for him. Jim, his dad, died at home and we all flew over for the funeral. It has been a tough summer in many ways.

Reasons to be thankful
Family is important, always, but never as important as during difficulties and heartbreak. We are very blessed with our family. Grief is lessened when shared and interwoven with love, remembered good times and sheer practical help. Our friends, too, have been wonderful and the many messages we received from all over the internet have helped us through. Thank you all very much. I am also very grateful for the support and understanding of my consultancy clients, especially Paul Best from the fantasy webseries, 'Border Guardians of Ackernon'. Check out their website and their Koldcast site - Season 1 is well under way and very exciting.

Getting back to the new normal
Losing someone means that life will never the same. It's a time to reflect and look at priorities and plans. One thing we are both determined to do is to finish 'Mind My Brains, Darling!' Season 1 and so we are now back in production to get the last two episodes out. I have a lot to catch up on. I have not even watched one episode of The Guild Season 5 yet. I'm waiting until I can really sit down and enjoy it.

Upcoming events
We will also be at two Cons in the coming weeks  - VCON in Vancouver and Geek Girl Con in Seattle. More about those very soon.

Waiting for Dragon Age and Elf Quest? Why not try Ackernon and Standard Action now?

Felicia Day in Dragon Age (picture from feliciaday.com)

I spent my youth reading epic fantasy and sci-fi series and they will always have a special place in my heart. You've probably already heard about the upcoming webseries, Dragon Age: Redemption and Elf Quest. They are due out later in the year and are based on works (a massive role playing game and cult comic book respectively) that already have an established fanbase.

The Dragon Age panel at San Diego Comic Con was packed. Felicia Day and team clearly had a blast creating this new series (video of the panel from BuffyFest here). Similarly, the Elfquest panel united the original creators Wendy and Richard Pini with the webseries' creators Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes (coverage here).

Border Guardians of Ackernon poster from Ackernon.com

Try something new today!
Standard Action and Border Guardians of Ackernon: The University are new, independently-produced webseries that explore fantasy worlds. You don't have to wait until Elf Quest or Dragon Age are released to enjoy some quality fantasy story-telling because both of these webseries are currently releasing their Season 1 episodes now!

Border Guardians of Ackernon: The University
I've written about Border Guardians of Ackernon: The University before. We met the creator and director Paul Best at VCON in Vancouver last year. We were hugely impressed with the TV pilot he took to VCON and he was intrigued by Mind My Brains, Darling!, as webseries were a new concept to him. Since then we kept in contact and Paul is now one of my consultancy clients.

Galiene - Fighter from Ackernon.com

This epic story is set in Ackernon, where the ancient wards on the city walls are failing. Galiene and the students from the University must fight to protect Ackernon from their enemy, the Pert - and from other dangers inside the city itself.

The story-telling is paced and exciting, the acting is solid and the production is sumptuous. Paul's years of experience in theatre and film show in every scene. The music and costuming are pitch-perfect and Laura Olsen from Blue Steer Studios has done an amazing job.

Episode 1 is below and you can view them all on http://blip.tv/ackernon



Standard Action
Joanna Gaskell created and stars in the comedy/fantasy webseries, Standard Action, which is original and fun even if you have never thrown a multi-sided die.

The story follows an unlikely band of travellers as they trek across their magical land in search of lost friends. With plenty of laughs, heroic action and intrigue you'll be glad there are already 11 episodes up to watch. Episode 1 is below and you can view them all on http://www.youtube.com/user/Phasefirefilms.



I met up with Joanna and Vanessa Driveness (Associate Producer, PR Manager) at Can't Stop The Serenity in Vancouver a few weeks ago and we will all be on a panel together at this year's VCON and Geek Girl Con.