Toasted Cake Podcast

Toasted Cake 261! In which we sing. At 0600 hours, Aurora brews coffee, intensifies the lights to 800 lumens, and heats the ship to an optimal 70.2 degrees, all according to protocol. This story first appeared right here in Fireside.Jenn...

Toasted Cake 260! In which maybe we procrastinate? Just a little?Jen's final sociology paper was due tomorrow, so she was procrastinating.This story first appeared in Galaxy's Edge, and a slightly longer version is available to read on Curious Fictions.Effie Seiberg...

Toasted Cake 259! In which we skate the spell.I fell the first time I tried the spell. The magic broke, snapping a crack into the ice and getting me a three-day ban from the rink by the angry ex-almost-pro who...

Toasted Cake 258! In which we arrange our features in a neutral expression."I am experiencing an unpleasant digestive reaction to something I ingested this morning and my primary spousal relationship is suffering a breakdown which is causing me emotional distress."...

Toasted Cake #257! In which we attempt the parallel parking maneuver.360-degree camera coverage. Radar, inertial compass, GPS. Independent all-wheel drive, nanoceramic brakes. 5G, sat-phone, and UHF communications. Air bags everywhere. And the worst student driver in the history of the...

Toasted Cake 256! In which we ride.Araana picked a sticky seedpod off his coat and stepped out of the brambles, onto the surface of the wide and flat road left over by an empire long past.This story first appeared on Bogi's...

Toasted Cake #255! In which we make breathable air.It wasn't a new idea. But as soon as mother said out loud "we should wrap the Moon"--so close, so dead, but with resources hidden under dust and rock--father and his scientists...

Toasted Cake Podcast #254! In which we hold our breath.When we rounded everybody up for the register, Maude and Julie were sheepish. They only wanted this one thing, this battered white box of . . . craft parts?This story first...

Toasted Cake Podcast #253! in which we try to raise fully functioning adults.Whether you are adopting by chance because you found the smoking crater on your property or whether you volunteered for the Zeptonian Childcare Service, congratulations and thank you!This...

Toasted Cake #252! In which we connect.When I got to Mario Reyes's dorm room, I heard him scuffling around, opening and closing drawers as if he had a girl coming over.This story first appeared in Factor Four Magazine.Katherine Quevedo was...

Toasted Cake #151! In which we get out the hard-boiled egg.This one November my mom went missing and me and Andy and his other friend Meg tried to fill in for her because my mom is the moon.This story is...

Toasted Cake #250! In which we celebrate.Tommy's sixth birthday was ruined due to a mix-up at the bakery.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Liam Hogan is an award winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction...

Toasted Cake 249! In which we feed the printer. Everyone in the office called the supply room printer a "giant plastic sack of crap that deserved to rot in the underworld for all eternity."This story is original to Toasted Cake. Diane Callahan...

Toasted Cake 248! In which we mend the tear in the fabric.You pieced it together decades ago; so far back that you don't remember not knowing.This story first appeared in Daily SF.José Pablo Iriarte is a Cuban-American writer, high school...

Toasted Cake 247! In which we use the unicorn-mane thread.The day before my wedding, my dress is a pile of birch leaves.This story first appeared in Daily SF.Caroline M. Yoachim is a prolific author of short stories, appearing in Asimov's,...

Toasted Cake 246! In which we contemplate the ineffable beauty of impermanent things.If you are consulting this guide, you live alone in the house at the end of the lane, and a sphinx has been haunting your overgrown garden.This story...

Toasted Cake 245! In which we try to fix things.First Human Trial: August 12th, 2023. Well, today's the day. This story first appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine.Edward Ashton lives in Rochester, NY with his wife, a variable number of daughters, and...

Toasted Cake 244! In which the story pours out like honey.For some girls it was lustrous hair, twice as long and twice as thick every time it was cut.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Kristiana Willsey is a writer...

Toasted Cake #243! In which we clean the nunchucks."Saviour Ltd.  How may I help you?"This story is original to Toasted Cake.Annie Percik lives in London with her husband, Dave, where she writes novels and short stories, whilst working as a...

Toasted Cake 242! In which we had to start being all whimsical."Aardvark says moo," says the clown, handing over the balloon animal.This story first appeared on Cat's Patreon.Cat Rambo lives, writes, and teaches somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Her...

Toasted Cake 241! In which we win the diapers.It's not the usual thing nowadays, but when I was born my fairy godmother gave me a blessing. This story is original to Toasted Cake.Elizabeth Walker lives in sunny Southern California with her...

Toasted Cake 240! In which we toss fistfuls of crumpled paper.What apocalypse am I creating today?This story first appeared right here in Nature.Karlo Yeager Rodríguez's fiction has appeared in Nature, Uncanny, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. He hails from the enchanted...

Toasted Cake 239! In which we knit the booties.Jordan recognised the griffin waiting outside the chicken cage as she stepped out, holding three dead hens by the neck; his chest had that unmistakeable stripe of velvet-black feathers among the russet.This...

Toasted Cake 238! In which we are not in sight.The giant spruce trees behind Grandma's house had the best climbing branches, despite the pine needles.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Lyndsie Manusos's work has appeared or is forthcoming in...

Toasted Cake 236! In which we pick up a chisel.So, on paper the project was called the Supersimulation, but privately, we called it "The Nine Bajillion Names of God". This story first appeared right here in Daily SF.Aimee Ogden is a...

Toasted Cake #237! In which we check out Goblin's stash."That's one more shambling patchwork monstrosity which won't be terrorizing our fair city any longer." This story is original to Toasted Cake.Michael M. Jones lives in southwest Virginia with too many books,...

Toasted Cake 235! In which things get a little messy.The taco beach was a mistake.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Kate Ristau is a folklorist, an author, and the Executive Director of Willamette Writers. You can find her essays in...

Toasted Cake #234! In which we find the daffodils.A witch's garden. Agnes had read about them in fairy stories. This story is original to Toasted Cake.Samuel Poots is a writer from N. Ireland who communicates primarily by means of Pratchett quotes....

Toasted Cake 233! In which we finally come up with the perfect doom, no really this time. The Terrible installed a conveyor belt exclusively for her.This story first appeared right here in Daily SF.John (@wiswell) is a disabled writer who lives...

Toasted Cake #232! In which we aren't sure what kind of a bird we are.Justin is ten feet tall, so I give myself a pair of wings with which to reach him.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Avra Margariti is...

Toasted Cake 231! In which we discuss certain economic systems.Honored guests, thank you for attending this seminar on the Tucabal-Gor, colloquially known as alien sharks.This story first appeared right here in Fireside.Beth Goder works as an archivist, processing the papers of...

Toasted Cake 230! In which we end up becoming one of those portal mothers.I held my newborn in the hospital delivery room, and I saw fluffy cumulus clouds billow across Ivanova's eyes.First appeared right here in Daily SF.Nebula Award-nominated Beth...

Toasted Cake 229! In which we ruin our favorite blouse, but maybe we have good reasons. Melba had thought she was too old to be possessed by a demon. . . . A shorter version of this story, entitled "How...

Toasted Cake 228! In which we consider all the possibilities.It was two weeks until the ship landed back on earth, and Trisha figured that meant now or never. She had to tell Jazz how she felt.First appeared right here on...

Toasted Cake 227! In which we had hoped to be working on other problems.The video conferencing at the United Nations was finally at a level where they could take supervillains' calls without having to consult with three different secretaries to...

Toasted Cake #226! In which we are really truly a fully law-abiding publication please do not think otherwiseThank you for your interest in submitting to the re-opened Fairyland Gazette. Please take careful note of our new guidelines.This story first appeared...

Toasted Cake 225! In which we quit.After jumping through 57 portals under your command, it's time to say goodbye.This story is original to Toasted Cake.Aimee Picchi is a journalist and SFF writer who lives in Burlington, Vermont. Her short fiction...

Toasted Cake 224! In which we try to score points, sometimes violently.On Monday evening, my sister got decapitated by a tube on the Northern Line at King's CrossThis story first appeared in Outlook Springs.This story has a content warning for...

Toasted Cake 223! In which we have many valuable insider tips to share.First I wrote a book. Don't skip this step.This story first appeared in Fireside.Dominica Phetteplace is a writer and math tutor. Her work has appeared in Asimov's, Analog,...