Matthew Wayne Selznick

Well, my friends, here we are at the end of our journey with the Brave Men Run Podcast! Thanks for coming along… thanks for supporting the podcast with your comments, book, e-book, and MP3 CD audiobook purchases, and donations… and thanks for being so encouraging!

As promised, this final episode features an original short story written especially for you, the podcast listener. It’s “Brenhurst’s Tale - Another View of ‘Brave Men Run.’”

I hope you enjoy it… I had fun exposing a little more of the underpinnings of the Sovereign Era universe in writing it!

Now that this podcast is all over, please don’t be a stranger! I’d like to be able to tell you about my future books, appearances I’ll be making, “Brave Men Run” merchandise and side-projects, and all the other creative endeavors I’m engaged in!

Please subscribe to the mailing list. Your privacy is secure with me, and no one will ever get your information from me unless you say it’s okay. And I’ll only bug you once a month or so!

Also, I’d love it if you could add yourself to my Frappr Map dedicated to all of my readers. It’s a way for me to see where my readers are based, and gauge the “world-wide appeal” of Brave Men Run!

Finally, before I “sign off” with the podcast… I encourage you to purchase a paperback, CD, or e-book copy of “Brave Men Run - A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” It’s been my pleasure to provide the entire book to you in the form of a podcast, the quintessential 21st Century marketing tool… now, it’s time to earn my supper!

Proceeds help offset the cost of future promotion of the book, including travel and registration to book and podcasting conventions, advertising, and the like. Believe me… I’m not taking your money and going down to the corner bar! I’m dedicated to writing… and you can help support my efforts.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve appreciated you, my podcast audience! Now don’t forget… TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW about “Brave Men Run!”

And thanks!

Thanks to the nine people who sent in nearly two dozen questions! I answer them all in this episode…

… except for Rick Jackson’s question, which I somehow overlooked! I’m sorry, Rick!

Rick wanted to know if I had any acting experience.

The answer: I played Julius Caesar in a sixth grade production of an abridged version of Shakespeare’s play (everything after the assassination was cut.) That was my first and only death scene. Also, I had the role of The Narrator in Madge Miller’s “Land of the Dragon” in eighth grade.

Beyond that… nope, that’s it!

Of course, I’m not ruling out roles in the future — I’ve always been interested in doing voice-over or animation work. Anyone interested?

Thanks for the question, Rick!

Of course, even though the Q&A episode is in the can, I’m always delighted to respond to your posts and e-mails about “Brave Men Run.” Keep ‘em coming!

In the podcast, I once again send out the plea that you help spread the word about BMR… here are the links I mentioned:

Podiobooks.com - rate the podcast if you subscribe through this excellent resource!

Podcast Pickle.com - add the podcast to your favorites!

Podcast Alley.com - vote to get the Brave Men Run Podcast into the coveted Top Ten!

Idiot Vox.com - Review the podcast and keep it on the top of the sci-fi category at this site.

Lulu.com - Rate the book and write a review at the same site where you can buy a print edition.

Amazon.com - A reader review at Amazon helps sell books!

BN.com - Same thing goes for the Barnes And Noble website!

Thanks for your supportive efforts, everyone!

Next week — the final episode of the Brave Men Run Podcast! Stay tuned! Don’t unsubscribe just yet!

And so we come to the end of the reading of “Brave Men Run - A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” This is the end of the book, but not the end of the podcast! Check out what’s coming up, right after we dig into these last two chapters:

Chapter Fifty Four:

– “My name is Spencer Croy.”

Any fans of the original Sovereign Serials webzine out there? You should recognize this gentleman… and for those of you who are meeting Spencer for the first time, I guarantee you haven’t seen the last of him.

– “After Declaration Day, we…”

Remember, Declaration Day was April 18th, 1985. I thought it would be fun to check out what else happened on that day in history:

–1775: Paul Revere & William Dawes warn “the British are coming!”
–1834: Charles Darwin sails to Rio Santa Cruz up Patagonia
–1879: Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on Indians
–1906: The Great San Francisco Earthquake occurred at 5:13 a.m.
–1946: Jackie Robinson debuts as 2nd baseman for the Montréal Royal
–1949: Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth
–1968: US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
–1985: Dr. William Karl Donner issues his “Sovereign” declaration in Washington DC.

Chapter Fifty Five:

– “February 10th, 2004 ~ September 2nd, 2005″

I didn’t write every single day… sometimes weeks and months would go by, I’m sorry to say. It was a struggle. The next book won’t take so long. I have a self-imposed deadline of the late summer / early fall.

That’s it! “Brave Men Run - A Novel of the Sovereign Era.” Hope you liked it — hope you liked these little “annotations.”

Now — if you’ve listened to the podcast, you know that there will be a Q&A episode in two weeks. I’ll be answering as many questions as you, the listener, care to send to bravemenrunnovel@gmail.com.

Of course, these questions should pertain to “Brave Men Run,” either the podcast or the novel itself. I hope that goes without saying. If necessary, I’ll do my best to answer unrelated questions, but I’m not a rocket scientist, so I might make some things up.

Please send me questions! It’s going to be awfully embarrassing if I have nothing to talk about..!

A week after the Q&A episode will be the actual final episode of the podcast… featuring a short story that will only be available in the podcast feed and in the upcoming MP3 CDR audio book of “Brave Men Run.” I hope you’re looking forward to reading that — I’m looking forward to writing it!

Thanks again, everyone, for your support of “Brave Men Run.” Those of you who were waiting until the podcast was finished to buy the book… guess what time it is? Thanks in advance. :-)

It’s the penultimate episode of the Brave Men Run Podcast! After this — one more episode and the book is finished!

Let’s look at these chapters…

Chapter Fifty:

– “Post traumatic stress, or something like that.”

More information on this disorder is here.

– “Two Orange County sheriff’s deputies got behind him and held his arms.”

These fine officers provide law enforcement services for several unincorporated areas of Orange County, California.

Of course, I mostly recall them showing up in time to take our beer away from us at beach parties…

Chapter Fifty One:

– “I’ll buy you a MegaSip.”

Okay, so I made up the name to avoid infringing on any trademarks, but this is what I’m talking about, here. Essentially, it’s syrup, sugar water, and crushed ice. Oh, and food coloring.

– “I’m gonna give you, like, the Reader’s Digest version, all right?”

This is a reference to Reader’s Digest Magazine, which has been publishing condensed articles, features, and full-length books culled from numerous sources since the dawn of time. The “Reader’s Digest version” means without any fluff, with an emphasis on brevity.

Chapter Fifty Two:

– “…going to watch MTV…”

MTV, once known as Music Television, and even before that Sight on Sound, changed music forever, for better or worse. It launched in 1981, hit in a big way in 1985, and gave one of the creators of podcasting his first big break. So it all ties together, somehow…?

Chapter Fifty Three:

That Lina is wise beyond her years… a little island of common sense for when our hero gets too wiggy.

– “I kept chuckling, randomly, right up until we pulled up to my house. Right up until I saw my mother in the driveway talking to a man in a dark business suit.”

What, you thought I wasn’t going to slip another cliffhanger in before the end of the book? Stay tuned!

The aftermath of the battle at the cabin! Here goes…

Chapter Forty Five:

A little breathing room, here…

Chapter Forty Six:

– “…modified Ford Econoline van.”

Recall from near the beginning of our story: Denver’s van uses a system of custom levers and hand triggers to control breaking and acceleration.

– “They called it Project: Rancher.”

The name of the project is a clue to the origins of the technology Lucy and Denver describe…!

– “They had a way to change people’s bodies using very small… machines.”

Lucy doesn’t know it, but she’s talking about nanotechnology. In our world — and to the general public in the world of “Brave Men Run” as well — nanotech is nowhere near as advanced as what Project: Rancher was capable of. How’d they get the know-how?

– “Your father didn’t want them to use convicts, or mental patients, or homeless people.”

My eyes widened. “Like that’s what they would have used?”

Oh, you’d better believe it… and worse. Check out this and this.

Chapter Forty Seven:

– “My shirt and jeans were stained with dirt and sweat and blood. None of that blood was mine. I stank.”

Ewwwww.

– “…a blue sweatshirt with “UCLA” embroidered across the chest.”

That’s the University of California at Los Angeles. I reckon it must be Mr. Porter’s Alma mater.