Saint Darwin’s Spirituals
Category: Podcast

Here we are with our second story for the month of May. First of all, this story is most definitely for mature audiences. It is not work safe.

"Saint Darwin's Spirituals" by D.K. Thompson is being simultaneously released on Variant Frequencies and published in issue 4 of Murky Depths.
D. K. Thompson's work has appeared on Pseudopod, Apex Online, and Murky Depths, as well as forthcoming work from Hub and Coyote Wild. A collector of rejection letters, he lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter where he writes the most frightening of all literature: technical documentation.

We have gathered some of our favorite voices for this story. First there is Ali Groves. You all know her from the wonderful work that she has done for us in the past on Last Flight of the Esperanza and Sacrifice. Sacrifice was a finalist for a Parsec Award in 2007, and Esperanza has been nominated this year. We also have Dani Cutler. Dani is known as the Audio Addict and is the host of her own podcast, The Truth Seekers. Dani previously narrated Slumber Party for us. Then there is the one and only Maia "Knitwitch" Whitaker. If you have been with us for any amount of time, then you know Maia. She is the host of Knitwitch's SciFi/Fantasy Zone, and she is the voice of Sally and the infamous Fera of The Failed Cities Monologues by Matt Wallace. You also will get a bit of Anne Stringer and I think you will recognize the narrator of this story.

I also want to mention the artwork for Saint Darwin's Spirituals. Normally I do the artwork for Variant Frequencies. This episode is special. We are using the same artwork that is on the cover for Issue 4 of Murky Depths. This artwork is by Vincent Chong. Vincent Chong is a freelance illustrator and designer, whose work has graced various books, magazines, cds and websites around the world. He has illustrated the works of notable authors such as Stephen King, Joe Hill, Ray Bradbury and Ramsey Campbell amongst others, and was the recipient of the British Fantasy Award for 'Best Artist' in 2007.

Finally, the music. We are thrilled to have permission to use some of the music by Abney Park. You will hear it in the background of the story, and we have two of their songs at the end of the story. We hope you will like what you hear, and will check out Abney Park at www.abneypark.com.
Abney Park comes from an era that never was, but one that we wish had been. An era where airships waged war in the skies, and corsets and cummerbunds were proper adventuring attire. They've picked up their bad musical habits, scoundrelous musicians, and anachronistically hybridized instruments from dozens of locations and eras that they have visited in their travels and thrown them into one riotous dervish of a performance. Expect clockwork guitars, belly dancers, flintlock bassists, middleastern percussion, violent violin, and Tesla powered keyboards blazing in a post- apocalyptic, swashbuckling, Steampunk musical mayhem.

Be sure to stick around at the end of the story for a special announcement from Variant Frequencies and Murky Depths.


Saint Darwin's Spirituals by D.K. Thompson
Ghost inspectors and golems patrol the streets of Whitechapel. Prostitutes turn tricks for the fever-dream flesh lusts of the spiritual. And the statue of Saint Darwin, the scientist who broke the barrier between the natural and the supernatural, oversees it all. Now a disciple of Darwin -- a woman of skin and bone -- follows a trail of blood and corpses over cobblestone streets, hoping to unravel the devestating mystery of her own life.

7:54 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Young Junius
Category: Podcast

We have a special guest on Variant Frequencies this month. Seth Harwood brings one of his characters to us in a short story called Young Junius. Seth did a fantastic job of both writing and narrating the story.

Young Junius
Before he got to be big in the San Francisco drug game (JACK WAKES UP), Junius Ponds had to cut his teeth on the small-time capers and crimes of a fourteen-year-old wanna be gangster on the late 80s streets of greater Boston. With his brother Temple just killed, a fresh nine in his hand, and a mystery to solve, Young Junius has one way to go: straight ahead.
***
Written and narrated by Seth Harwood
Music - The Podsafe Music Network
http://podsafemusicnetwork.com/

5:33 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Tex’s Last Run
Category: Podcast

Our new story for Variant Frequencies features author Jonathan C. Gillespie. He was the author of Spired which previously ran on Variant Frequencies. Jonathan would like to dedicate this story to his wife, Michelle. I’m the narrator with the voice talents of Anne Stringer and P.G Holyfield. P.G. Holyfield is the author and podcaster of the novel Murder at Avedon Hill. If you have not already checked out Murder at Avedon Hill, then do yourself a big favor and go to P.G.’s web site after listening to this story. You won’t regret it.

Tex’s Last Run Jonathan C. Gillespie
Savage circumstances can make for strange allies. And sometimes, those allies shouldn’t exist.

7:27 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Birth and Death
Category: Podcast

This episode is a double dose of Anne Stringer. Not only did she write this one, she is also the narrator. This is another from our Amarant series.

The Amarant flower, sacred to the goddess Artemis, did not fade or wither and so symbolized immortality. "Birth and Death" is another tale of immortality, part of a collection by Anne Stringer and Matt Wallace. Listen for more stories of the Amarant in future episodes of Variant Frequencies.

I also would like to note that while much of our music in the episode came from Apple’s Garageband and from Digital Juice, the cello that you hear at the beginning and the end is written and performed Christine Williams. Chris, is the woman who taught cello to my son, Neil, for many years. Thank you Chris.

http://www.variantfrequencies.com/2008/03/16/birth-and-death/

4:57 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Next Fix - PRE-ORDER!
Category: Writing and Poetry

The Next Fix by Matt Wallace, author of acclaimed podiobook, "The Failed Cities Monologues," is ready for pre-order today from Apex Book Company

3:23 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Hit Me
Category: Podcast

Variant Frequencies is excited to present a flash fiction piece by Christa Faust. We will let Christa tell you about herself in her own words:

"I’m a writer, a cynical, hardboiled bitch with a fetish for noir cinema, tattoos and seamed stockings. I’m older than you think and younger than I feel. I’ve got great gams and perfect size five feet, if you can handle the razor-edged tongue that goes with them. Want more? Read my books."

You want to know about our narrator, Leann Mabry? Here you go:
The world is not ready for Leann Mabry.

Best-known for her Parsec Award winning Tag in the Seam podcast, Leann’s feisty charm, intelligence, honesty, humor and wisdom have propelled her to the forefront of the New Media scene. The show began as a podcast for women, but quickly developed a rabid following among both sexes. Leann has continued to push the envelope, retaining female-focused sensibilities while adding artistic and deeply personal touches, turning T.i.t.S. (she swears the acronym is an accident . . .) into one of the most exciting, volatile, progressive podcasts in production.

At the same time, Leann has become one of the most highly-sought professional voice talents in New Media. In addition to popular readings for Escape Pod and Pseudopod, she’s also performed lead roles in Tee Morris’s podcast novels Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, the forthcoming Morevi: Remastered, P.G. Holyfield’s Murder At Avedon Hill, Chris Lester’s Metamor City, and episodes of the Variant Frequencies podcast. And she’s just getting warmed up.

In addition to her media work, Leann is President and founder of the Joe Murphy Memorial Fund, established to promote cancer research and awareness. In 2007, the Parsec Committee awarded Leann Mabry the first-ever Joe Murphy Memorial Award, in honor of her hard work and dedication to the Podcast Community.

Hit Me
All of her clients know that anything above her neck costs fifty dollars more. But when a flesh-smashing session with one of her regulars takes an unexpected turn, there’s a lot more put on the line than a broken nose or a crumpled President Grant.
***
Written by Christa Faust
Narrated by Leann Mabry

5:24 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Spired
Category: Podcast

Well, Variant Frequencies has now been delivering stories for you for two years. We can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. Our first story for 2008 is by Jonathan C. Gillespie. And our narrator is one of the greatest voices in podcasting who doesn’t have a podcast of his own, John Cmar. I hope you enjoy the story as much as we did creating it for you.
Spired by Jonathan C. Gillespie.


Spired
Obsession is close kin to determination. For one man, an alien peak seems just another obstacle capable of being conquered with the right set of tools. But any climber will tell you -- you don’t want to look back the way you came.
***
Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie
Narrated by John Cmar


Jonathan C. Gillespie has had fiction in a range of publications, including "Apex Online", "Murky Depths", "Spinetingler Magazine", and several others. When he’s not working on new tales, he’s busy with his day job in the world of application servers. His official site and blog can be found at http://jonathancg.net. He invites everyone to stop by, especially the always-appreciated readers, who will find free fiction waiting for them.

John Cmar is a doctor with a perfect voice for podcasting. I wish I had a voice like his. John has a couple of blogs out there: Saint Nickanuck of the Tundra Online Memorial Hospital and Gustatory Libation Front.

3:45 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness
Category: Podcast

In addition to offering its listeners their regular story for the month of December, Variant Frequencies has prepared a special holiday surprise for fans of the two-time Parsec-nominated FAILED CITIES MONOLOGUES, as well as all those who've supported the podcast in the past year. We are proud to present THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS, an exclusive 10,000-word eChapbook written by Matt Wallace and produced by Variant Frequencies.

For the first time since concluding his groundbreaking podcast fiction saga, Matt Wallace returns to the warped twin worlds he created with an all-new Failed Cities story. Featuring the characters that drove the original audio epic, and told, as always, in their own voices, THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS brings this unique storytelling style to the page for the first time, enhanced with original illustrations by Rick Stringer.

About THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS . . .

To some the number 99 represents the many names of God. But as a black snowfall blankets the Failed Cities on Christmas Eve, the arrival of 99 mysterious steel chambers is the catalyst that sets a series of far from blessed events in motion. From bullets and bata sticks to a life-and-death hostage situation to high-speed battles up switchback mountain roads, eight people become links in a deadly chain that will either tether innocent lives to safety or strangle any hope for their future. And as each part of the story unfolds, we learn that above all things, Christmas in the Failed Cities is a feverishly struck balance between the constant threat of violence and the briefest, most bittersweet moments of joy.

THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS by Matt Wallace is a freely distributed .PDF produced and illustrated by Rick Stringer, and available exclusively from Variant Frequencies. We'd like to encourage all our listeners to download, print, enjoy, and pass along this unique piece of the Failed Cities universe as a thank you for your continued support and enthusiastic participation in our podcast.

And don't forget to revisit FAILED CITIES MONOLOGUES, collected in its entirety on Podiobooks.com

Happy Holidays from the entire crew of Variant Frequencies!

5:17 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Paid In Full

Our story for December returns to our Amarant Collection. This one focuses on the ladies. The author is Anne Stringer. Our narrator is Lorrie Mennenga of Farpoint Media and the Dragon Page with Class podcast. Check out Lorrie's podcast at farpointmedia.net.

We also feature a song performed by a band from Traverse City, Michigan. We are thrilled to be able to support a very fine local band. You will hear part of "Division Road" by Mue Sephei at the beginning of our story. We also play the entire song at the end of the story, so please stick around and listen to the song. It is fantastic. You can hear more of their music at www.myspace.com/muesephei.

Paid In Full
She has been called whore, harlot, streetwalker, working girl, doxy, courtesan. All are true. She is also immortal. If a girl is going to live forever, she needs to have a way to support herself. But the world's oldest profession is a hazardous one, and when her latest client's perversion of choice is murder, she realizes that life is a gift she wants to hold on to.
***
Written by Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/
Narrated by Lorrie Mennenga
http://www.farpointmedia.net
Music: "Division Road" by Mue Sephei
http://www.myspace.com/muesephei

The Amarant flower, sacred to the goddess Artemis, did not fade or wither and so symbolized immortality. "Paid In Full" is another tale of immortality, part of a collection by Anne Stringer and Matt Wallace. Listen for more stories of the Amarant in future episodes of Variant Frequencies.

1:14 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The Mason’s Son
Category: Podcast

Our latest story is by Dennis Egan.

Dennis is a mechanical engineer at the Green Bank, West Virginia site of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. He works on the GBT (Green Bank Telescope), the worlds largest moving land structure.
http://www.gb.nrao.edu/

Our narrator is Paul S. Jenkins. Paul S. Jenkins is a writer living in Portsmouth, UK. He is the host of The Rev Up Review, a science-fiction review podcast established in March 2005 featuring reviews of speculative fiction in many of its varied forms, along with rants, chit-chat, the occasional interview, plus a podsafe music track or two. He also reads an instalment of serialized short fiction at the end of each show.

The Plitone Revisionist is his first novel.

***
The Mason's Son
Mason's were the engineers of the ancient world. They built wonders out of stone; cathedrals, bridges, castles, and sometimes, for very powerful, secrets. Michael the mason knows all too well that nothing is more dangerous than another man's secrets.
***
Written by Dennis Egan
Narrated by Paul S. Jenkins

5:14 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment