Podcast appearances and mentions of Jennifer Brozek

Sarah Day writes horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Her debut dark fantasy novella Greyhowler is available from Underland Press (https://books2read.com/b/greyhowler). Find her on Bluesky (@sarahday.org) or subscribe to her newsletter (https://buttondown.com/sarahday).Tim Pratt is the author of more than thirty novels, most recently multiverse/space opera adventure The Knife and the Serpent. He's a Hugo Award winner for short fiction, and has been a finalist for Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Philip K. Dick, Mythopoeic, Stoker, and other awards. He's also a senior editor and occasional book reviewer for Locusmagazine. He posts a lot at Bluesky (@timpratt.org) and publishes a new story every month for patrons at www.patreon.com/timprattThis story originally appeared in Overclocked Holmes, Cat Rambo & Jennifer Brozek, eds.Narrated by: Rikki LaCosteWhen Rikki LaCoste is not causing trouble with his social activism—or running a local food bank—or rockin' the stage with his musical projects in Toronto, Canada, Rikki narrates for various short story audio magazines such as Tales To Terrify, the No Sleep Podcast, Cast of Wonders, Pseudopod, and StarShipSofa of course, as well as lending his voice—and voice acting—to other projects and podcasts.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/starshipsofa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us in this exciting episode of Epic Realms as we welcome award-winning author Jennifer Brozek! Known for her incredible work in tie-in fiction for popular franchises like Arkham Horror, Battletech, and Shadowrun, Jennifer shares her journey from gamer to writer and editor. In this episode, we dive into her experiences in the world of tabletop role-playing games, her unique approach to storytelling, and the challenges she has faced as a writer with dyslexia and autism. Jennifer also discusses her latest projects, including the upcoming Augment magazine for Shadowrun, which features in-world confessions and missions, and the anthology "Shadowrun Through the Decades" celebrating 35 years of the franchise. Discover how Jennifer balances her roles as an author and editor, her thoughts on themes in anthologies, and her creative process for developing stories in shared universes. Plus, get a sneak peek into her future works and her upcoming appearances at conventions! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more episodes featuring amazing authors and their stories! Follow Jennifer Brozek: Website: jenniferbrozek.com BlueSky: @jenniferbrozek Facebook: facebook.com/jennifer.brozek Instagram: @jennifer_brozek Augment Magazine for Shadowrun - https://pulsepublishingsubmissions.moksha.io/publication/augment-the-shadowrun-magazine/

Karen Wilson is a 911 operator in the city of Kendrick, who receives a very strange phone call and discovers that her city is not at all what it appears to be. Pulled into Kendrick's hidden, supernatural world, she finds herself appointed as the mysterious Master of the City's visible representative to—well, everyone—and then gets adopted by a baby gargoyle. Can things get any stranger?In Kendrick, they probably can.Join Karen and her allies as they fight to protect not just themselves, but the entire city and its denizens, from dangers within that threaten to consume them whole.This omnibus contains all four of the Karen Wilson Chronicles novels (Caller Unknown, Children of Anu, Keystones, Chimera Incarnate) as well as bonus content including a never before published short story, “The Fool's Path.”

Send us a textIn the exciting conclusion to Immortal House, Beloved Initiates, Laurence, an accidental vampire of two centuries and a first time home buyer, is struggling with memories of his last love, but he has friends even if he has forgotten them.Episode 3 CAST:Ken Carlson stars as the vampire Laurence Roch.Amy Riddle  performs as Sarah, the human realtor who isn't sure about her client with fangs. Stevie Rae Causey reprises her role as vampire, Norma. Hannah Duff performs as Betty, Laurence's human landlady.Jennifer Brozek as Ms. HarrisRob Clifford as CarlosLydia Randall as Escrow OfficerNikki Burton as House InspectorDennis Roberts as RobJun Hsu and Abby Masterson add their voice talents and all actors were background in the bar.Elizabeth Guizzetti as your narrator, Loretta. Intro and Outro Music is written by Evan Witt and you can learn more about his music at www.wittynotes.comOther background noises and music were licensed from Pond 5, StoryBlocks or made in house. Background Music  Ludwig van Beethoven's  Sonata No. 8 In C Minor. 2. Pathetique / Emanuele Dentoni's Neo Baroque Overture and The Execution of the King / Gerardo Garcia Jr Water DropsFrédéric François Chopin - Waltz ab Farewell No 1. Vladyslav Krotov/Mood Mode Jazzy Retro Swing GrooveSupport the showThank you for listening. Social Media: https://www.elizabethguizzetti.com/paperflowerconsortiumhttps://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_guizzetti/Support the showThank you for listening. Social Media: PFC PATREON: PFC INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/vampiresofthepfc/ELIZABETH'S WEB: https://www.elizabethguizzetti.com/paperflowerconsortiumELIZABETH'S INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_guizzetti/

Send us a textIn this second episode, Beloved Initiates, Laurence, an accidental vampire of two centuries and a first time home buyer, budget expectations are getting the better of his judgements and worse, he keeps falling into the memories of some of his biggest mistakes and talking to his memories. Worst of all, Sarah might have realized there is something not right about him...Episode 2 CAST:Ken Carlson stars as the vampire Laurence Roch.Amy Riddle  performs as Sarah, the human realtor who isn't sure about her client with fangs. Stevie Rae Causey reprises her role as vampire, Norma. Hannah Duff performs as Betty, Laurence's human landlady.Jun Hsu plays Bill, Laurence's second love.Jennifer Brozek as Agata Rob Clifford plays Jakub and CarlosLydia Randall as PascalineEvan Witt reprises his role as Derrik (He also wrote the wonderful intro and outro music.)Nikki Burton as Bartender #2 and Suburban MomDennis Roberts Victim #2 Gretchen SB and Abby Masterson add their voice talents and all actors were background in the bar.Elizabeth Guizzetti as your narrator, Loretta. Intro and Outro Music is written by Evan Witt and you can learn more about his music at www.wittynotes.comOther background noises and music were licensed from Pond 5, StoryBlocks or made in house. Background Music  Ludwig van Beethoven's  Sonata No. 8 In C Minor. 2. Pathetique / Emanuele Dentoni's Neo Baroque Overture and The Execution of the King / Gerardo Garcia Jr Water DropsFrédéric François Chopin - Waltz ab Farewell No 1. Vladyslav Krotov/Mood Mode Jazzy Retro Swing GrooveSupport the showThank you for listening. Social Media: https://www.elizabethguizzetti.com/paperflowerconsortiumhttps://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_guizzetti/

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR The omnibus edition of Jennifer Brozek's acclaimed Melissa Allen trilogy. Never Let Me Sleep. What would you do if you discovered that everyone, in your house, on your street and in your town was dead? Then you discovered you weren't alone–and whatever was out there was hunting you? Melissa Allen knows. With only a voice on the phone to help her, Melissa must find out what happened, stop it from happening again, and do it before the monsters get her. Finalist for the Bram Stoker award. Never Let Me Leave. What would you do if you found yourself locked in an underground lab with a murderous alien hunting you? Melissa Allen and her new friends know. With no help from the outside and time running out, it's up to Melissa to keep herself and the other teens safe. How can she do that when she's not sure who she can trust? Someone in the lab helped that alien escape. Someone human.

Send us a textWarning: two loud screams in Chapter "House Hunting makes a Vampire Hungry" starting at 21:08In this first episode, Beloved Initiates are introduced to Laurence Roch, an accidental vampire of two centuries and a first time home buyer. He has a budget and can only look at houses at night. House hunting might be harder than he expects.   Episode 1 CAST:Ken Carlson stars as the vampire Laurence Roch.Amy Riddle  performs as Sarah, the human realtor who isn't sure about her client with fangs. Stevie Rae Causey reprises her role as vampire, Norma. Hannah Duff performs as Betty, Laurence's human landlady.Jun Hsu plays Bill, Laurence's second love.Evan Witt reprises his role as Derrik (He also wrote the wonderful intro and outro music.)Gretchen SB: Victim #1 and Norma's DispatchNikki Burton: Bartender #1 Rob Clifford: Lovely HumanAbby Masterson: Human with Dog.Lydia Randall  Jennifer Brozek & Dennis Roberts add their voice talents and all actors were background in the bar.Elizabeth Guizzetti as your narrator, Loretta. Intro and Outro Music is written by Evan Witt and you can learn more about his music at www.wittynotes.comOther background noises and music were licensed from Pond 5, StoryBlocks or made in house. Background Music  Ludwig van Beethoven's  Sonata No. 8 In C Minor. 2. Pathetique / Emanuele Dentoni's Neo Baroque Overture and The Execution of the King / Gerardo Garcia Jr Water DropsFrédéric François Chopin - Waltz ab Farewell No 1. Vladyslav Krotov/Mood Mode Jazzy Retro Swing GrooveSupport the showThank you for listening. Social Media: https://www.elizabethguizzetti.com/paperflowerconsortiumhttps://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_guizzetti/

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR JENNIFER BROZEK The Outbreak happened just over three months ago. The Salton Academy has become a rare sanctuary for those few students who remained behind over fall break while the rest of the world fell into ruins. But all is not well within these hallowed walls. As winter approaches, cracks are revealed in the academy's foundations: someone is stealing food from the dwindling stores, another is taking advantage of a captive audience, and yet others have banded together and are thinking about mutiny, even murder. One thing's for certain — a supply run must be made soon, or everyone will starve before winter's end.

Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of Never Let Me Sleep and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her YA tie-in novels, BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident and Shadowrun: Auditions, have both won Scribe Awards. Her editing work has earned her nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Hugo Award. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology, co-edited with Amanda Pillar. Jennifer's short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, Well World, and Predator.

Send us a textCat, Jennifer, and I discuss writing, dating, our biggest moments as a writer, and more.***Cat Rambo has published over 250 fiction pieces, including the Nebula Award-winning novelette, Carpe Glitter, as well as nonfiction works.Since first appearing on the SF scene in 2005, Cat Rambo has published over 250 fiction pieces, including Nebula Award-winning novelette, Carpe Glitter, and nonfiction works that include Ad Astra: The SFWA 50th Anniversary Cookbook (co-edited with Fran Wilde) and writing book, Moving From Idea to Finished Draft. Their 2021 works include the fantasy novel Exiles of Tabat (Wordfire Press) and the space opera You Sexy Thing (Tor Macmillan).Rambo has been short-listed for the World Fantasy Award, the Compton Crook Award, and the Nebula Short Story Award. A former Vice President and two-term President of the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), Cat continues to volunteer with the organization as part of its mentorship program and Grievance Committee. They founded the online school The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers in 2010, specializing in classes aimed at genre writers, which now offers dozens of classes from some of the best writers currently working in speculative fiction. Cat lives in Indianapolis.Blog: https://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/Classes: https://catrambo.teachable.com/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of the Never Let Me Sleep, and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her BattleTech tie-in novel, The Nellus Academy Incident, won a Scribe Award. Her editing work has earned her nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Hugo Award. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology, co-edited with Amanda Pillar. Jennifer's short-form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, and Predator. Jennifer has been a freelance author and editor for over fifteen years after leaving a high-paying tech job, and she has never been happier. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas.  She lives in Seattle.Website: http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/***If you would like to contact the show about being a guest please email us at Dauna@bettertopodcast.comThis episode is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2jwGgrJpDasFollow us on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_d.m.needom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettertopodcastwithdmneedomHave a question or want to be a guest on the podcast email: dauna@bettertopodcast.comHave a question for our producer Rich Zei contact him at rich.zei@thirdearaudio.comIntro and Outro music compliments of Fast SuziTo see upcoming guests click here: https://www.dmneedom.com/better-topodcast©2024 Better To...Podcast with D. M.NeedomSupport the show

The Art of Tie-In Fiction with Jennifer Brozek Welcome back to another engaging episode of The Corner of Story and Game! This week, we're thrilled to be joined by the exceptionally talented Jennifer Brozek, an award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. Jennifer has made her mark with compelling narratives in both original fiction and tie-in worlds, including notable works like Never Let Me Sleep and The Last Days of Salton Academy, as well as award-winning tie-in novels for BattleTech and Shadowrun. In this episode, Jennifer takes us behind the scenes of writing tie-in fiction. We explore the nuances of crafting stories within established intellectual properties, the challenges and creative freedoms involved, and how to maintain a strong voice while aligning with existing worlds. From her experiences editing acclaimed anthologies to her recent spotlight as the Media Tie-in Author at the Written in the Northwest Bookfair, Jennifer shares invaluable insights into the craft of tie-in writing. Highlights include: The art of balancing creativity with established worlds Strategies for maintaining narrative consistency within tie-in fiction Jennifer's journey through award-winning projects and her role in the writing community The importance of collaboration and understanding the source material Whether you're a writer, editor, or simply a fan of tie-in fiction, this episode offers a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. Jennifer's expertise and passion shine through as she discusses her journey and the craft behind some of the most exciting projects in the industry. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the world of tie-in fiction and discover what makes it such a dynamic and rewarding field. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to stay updated on future episodes! Jennifer's Links: -> Zombies Need Brains Themed Anthologies Year 12 -> Shadowrun: Magic, Machines, and Mayhem -> Eberron Twitch Game -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ -> BlueSky -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram The Corner of Story and Game: -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠gerald@storyandgame.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #TieInFiction #JenniferBrozek #WritingCraft #MediaTieIn #BattleTech #Shadowrun #AuthorInterview #WritingTips #Storytelling #BookEditorship #CreativeWriting #NarrativeDesign #FictionWriting #AwardWinningAuthor #WritingCommunity

Mark your calendars for August 8th at 3 PM EST! Join Teatime with Miss Liz as we welcome the brilliant Cat Rambo and Jennifer Brozek to discuss their new book, *The Reinvented Detective*. Cat Rambo, author of over 250 fiction pieces, including the Nebula Award-winning *Carpe Glitter*, and Jennifer Brozek, award-winning author and editor, will dive into their creative processes and the world of their latest collaboration. You won't want to miss it! **Watch live on YouTube:** [Miss Liz's Teatime](https://youtube.com/@misslizsteatimes?si=1c9vYjvi6ZlU8q51) **Listen on the podcast:** [Teatime with Miss Liz Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/.../teatime-with.../id1509139894)#TeatimeWithMissLiz #CatRambo #JenniferBrozek #AuthorInterview #TheReinventedDetective #LivePodcast #BookLovers #ScienceFiction #FantasyAuthors #NewRelease

This week, while Ursula rests, we'll have a quick update, and hear Kevin's update and minor rant about concert scheduling in 2024. After that, we'll talk to author and editor Jennifer Brozek! Links for this Episode: Charity Spotlight: British Wildlife Aid Foundation Charity Spotlight: Jeff Sturgeon GoFundMe Charity Spotlight: Lezli Robyn GoFundMe Jennifer Brozek Shadowrun: Auditions by Jennifer Brozek Dear Penpal - Coming March 2024 Baumgartner Restoration on YouTube Tasting History on YouTube Flame Tree Publishing Catalyst Game Labs Ravensburger Puzzles Flo Masks MiniCon 2024 SupaNovaCon RavenCon

Available on Amazon and leading online bookstores worldwide. Fixer BlotterBabe must have exactly the right actors for a production that requires very specialized talent. The actors must not only be skilled, they need to have the right attitude and an ability to adapt to extraordinary circumstances. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-lucas66/message

The Reinvented Detective presents stories that complicate law and order as well as the concept of criminals, detectives, punishment, and justice for all. It does this by showing how new technologies, the rise of sentient AIs, and changing social attitudes may affect what is not only acceptable, but expected, within both real world and digital communities—and everything in-between. These stories reinvent detective and true crime tropes, recasting them for the 21st century, and above all, experimenting, astonishing, and entertaining. Some of the best writers in speculative fiction explore how rapid development will change the role of the traditional sleuth in the years to come. The editors of The Reinvented Detected are on the show, award-winning authors Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo. The cover art was created by Christina P. Myrvold. You can find her work at artstation.com/christinapm The Reinvented Detective is available in many bookstores, one of which is Barnes and Noble. Jennifer Brozek's website: http://www.jenniferbrozek.com Cat Rambo's Website: http://www.kittywumpus.net Cat Rambo's school: http://academy.catrambo.com

The Reinvented Detective presents stories that complicate law and order as well as the concept of criminals, detectives, punishment, and justice for all. It does this by showing how new technologies, the rise of sentient AIs, and changing social attitudes may affect what is not only acceptable, but expected, within both real world and digital communities—and everything in-between.  These stories reinvent detective and true crime tropes, recasting them for the 21st century, and above all, experimenting, astonishing, and entertaining.  Some of the best writers in speculative fiction explore how rapid development will change the role of the traditional sleuth in the years to come.  The editors of The Reinvented Detected are on the show, award-winning authors Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo. The Reinvented Detective is available in many bookstores, one of which is Barnes and Noble. Jennifer Brozek's website: http://www.jenniferbrozek.com Cat Rambo's Website: http://www.kittywumpus.net Cat Rambo's school: http://academy.catrambo.com

The Reinvented Detective presents stories that complicate law and order as well as the concept of criminals, detectives, punishment, and justice for all. It does this by showing how new technologies, the rise of sentient AIs, and changing social attitudes may affect what is not only acceptable, but expected, within both real world and digital communities—and everything in-between. These stories reinvent detective and true crime tropes, recasting them for the 21st century, and above all, experimenting, astonishing, and entertaining. Some of the best writers in speculative fiction explore how rapid development will change the role of the traditional sleuth in the years to come. The editors of The Reinvented Detected are on the show, award-winning authors Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo. The Reinvented Detective is available in many bookstores, one of which is Barnes and Noble. Jennifer Brozek's website: http://www.jenniferbrozek.com Cat Rambo's Website: http://www.kittywumpus.net Cat Rambo's school: http://academy.catrambo.com

Available on Amazon and leading online bookstores worldwide. https://www.idevaffiliate.com/32863/idevaffiliate.php?id=1364&url=1038 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-lucas66/message

Available on Amazon and leading online bookstores worldwide. https://www.idevaffiliate.com/32863/idevaffiliate.php?id=1364&url=1038 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-lucas66/message

Hey everyone, Hilary here. Due to a combination of life things and poor planning on my part, there's no new interview this time around, but I'd like to take this spooky month to highlight a great episode from the backlog with our composer and true horror ghoul, Lillian Boyd. A few other things before we get to the episode: This show is now on Bluesky at trunkcast.bsky.social, and I'm on there at hbbisenieks.bsky.social. Of the twitter-replacements, Bluesky seems to be the one where most of my writing friends have ended up, so it made sense that the show should find a home there, too. Also, a heads up that due to scheduling needs, next month's book tour with Murderbot author Martha Wells will be coming out on Monday, November 6th, rather than Friday the 3rd. Finally, thank you all so much for listening. I always appreciate hearing from fans of the show. Your support and enthusiasm helps continue making this show what it is! And now, on with the show!   It's my absolute delight, this time around, to welcome our very own composer, Lillian Boyd (@herelieslill), onto the show. Lillian reads her short-story-that-should-be-a-novella, "Inside Job" (cw: gore, skip forward 10:15 to avoid) before we just go off on an extended tangent about horror movies, noir, pulp, and being as thoroughly on our bullshit as is possible.   Things we mention in this episode:   Rank and Vile Tetsuo the Iron Man 28 Days Later My appearance on Rank and Vile The Reinvented Detective, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo (2023) Raymond Chandler Guy Noir: Private Eye A Prairie Home Companion Nick Danger The Firesign Theater Clive Barker Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Nick and Nora Humphrey Bogart Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler P. Lovecraft (notable racist) Scrip Neuromancer, by William Gibson Blade Runner The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde "Panama," by Van Halen Terry Pratchett Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman The Discworld The Bromeliad Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler Chandler's cat letters Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Ichabod Crane Michael Kane Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Sandman, by Neil Gaiman "The Book Job," The Simpsons season 23, episode 6 "Falafelosophy," Arthur season 14, episode 4a "Neil Gaiman! What are you doing in my falafel?" Alanis Morisette Amanda Palmer Tori Amos Fiona Apple "Silent All These Years," by Tori Amos Where's Neil When You Need Him? The Crüxshadows Mirrormask "Mr. Sandman," by The Chordettes "Enter Sandman," by Metallica Hot Topic "Cry Little Sister," by Gerard McMann The Lost Boys Voltaire Ego Likeness The Velocipastor "Toasty" Siouxsie and the Banshees Daybreakers Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Kate Bush Velvet Goldmine "20th Century Boy," by Placebo "20th Century Boy," by T. Rex Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Queen of the Damned Twilight Failure to Adapt The baseball scene from Twilight Underworld Blade 3: Trinity Triple-H House of Wax Friends at the Table: Sangfielle The VVitch Sarah Gailey's appearance on Episode 1 of this very show Hailey Piper Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, by Hailey Piper Trouble and Her Friends, by Melissa Scott The Mountain Goats Alien Vs. Predator Fireside Quarterly, June-July 2021 The Rank and Vile list Bride of Frankenstein And Now the Screaming Starts! Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh The Crow: Wicked Prayer Brainscan Videodrome Audition Lillian's Twitch Hair Metal "Dream Warriors," by Dokken Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Charles Vess The Farthest Shore, A Wizard of Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin Keebio's Iris keyboard Bán Dénes, mrzealot Ergogen Ghost in the Shell Data Hako Royal True switches Hellraiser Lillian's website, soundcloud, and reedsy

Jennifer Brozek is a wordslinger and optimist, an author, media tie-in writer, an editor, and a collector of antique occult literature. She believes the best thing about being a full-time freelance publishing industry professional, is the fact that she gets to choose which 60 hours of the week she works. In-between cuddling her cats, writing, and editing, Jennifer is an active member of SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She keeps a tight writing and editing schedule and credits her husband with being the best sounding board ever. Visit Jennifer's worlds at http://jenniferbrozek.com or on Twitter: @JenniferBrozek.  The Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow

It's my absolute delight, this time around, to welcome our very own composer, Lillian Boyd (@herelieslill), onto the show. Lillian reads her short-story-that-should-be-a-novella, "Inside Job" (cw: gore, skip forward 10:15 to avoid) before we just go off on an extended tangent about horror movies, noir, pulp, and being as thoroughly on our bullshit as is possible.   Things we mention in this episode: Rank and Vile Tetsuo the Iron Man 28 Days Later My appearance on Rank and Vile The Reinvented Detective, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Cat Rambo (2023) Raymond Chandler Guy Noir: Private Eye A Prairie Home Companion Nick Danger The Firesign Theater Clive Barker Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro Magic for Liars, by Sarah Gailey Nick and Nora Humphrey Bogart Farewell, My Lovely, by Raymond Chandler H. P. Lovecraft (notable racist) Scrip Neuromancer, by William Gibson Blade Runner The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde "Panama," by Van Halen Terry Pratchett Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman The Discworld The Bromeliad Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett The Long Goodbye, by Raymond Chandler Chandler's cat letters Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Ichabod Crane Michael Kane Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Sandman, by Neil Gaiman "The Book Job," The Simpsons season 23, episode 6 "Falafelosophy," Arthur season 14, episode 4a "Neil Gaiman! What are you doing in my falafel?" Alanis Morisette Amanda Palmer Tori Amos Fiona Apple "Silent All These Years," by Tori Amos Where's Neil When You Need Him? The Crüxshadows Mirrormask "Mr. Sandman," by The Chordettes "Enter Sandman," by Metallica Hot Topic "Cry Little Sister," by Gerard McMann The Lost Boys Voltaire Ego Likeness The Velocipastor "Toasty" Siouxsie and the Banshees Daybreakers Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Placebo "Running Up That Hill," by Kate Bush Velvet Goldmine "20th Century Boy," by Placebo "20th Century Boy," by T. Rex Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Queen of the Damned Twilight Failure to Adapt The baseball scene from Twilight Underworld Blade 3: Trinity Triple-H House of Wax Friends at the Table: Sangfielle The VVitch Sarah Gailey's appearance on Episode 1 of this very show Hailey Piper Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, by Hailey Piper Trouble and Her Friends, by Melissa Scott The Mountain Goats Alien Vs. Predator Fireside Quarterly, June-July 2021 The Rank and Vile list Bride of Frankenstein And Now the Screaming Starts! Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh The Crow: Wicked Prayer Brainscan Videodrome Audition Lillian's Twitch Hair Metal "Dream Warriors," by Dokken Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin Charles Vess The Farthest Shore, A Wizard of Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin Keebio's Iris keyboard Pictured above: my personal Iris keyboard (rev 2b, Kailh speed copper switches, Matt3o DSA Nerd keycaps) Bán Dénes, mrzealot Ergogen Ghost in the Shell Data Hako Royal True switches Hellraiser Lillian's website, soundcloud, and reedsy   Join us next month, when my guests will be Maya MacGregor and Andi C. Buchanan!

Chatting With Sherri welcomes back Jeff Sturgeon and Steven L Sears! Jeff Sturgeon a long time illustratorgame artist and designer. He is an avid outdoors-man and spend as much time in the mountains or on the coast and in the woods as much possible especially near my home in the foothills of the Cascades with his wife Leslie and twin sons Corwin and Duncan. He is an avid reader and collector of books and art.  He is joined by the always entertaining, fan favorite; Steven L Sears who is a Producer, screenwriter and author.  He produced/wrote TV shows; such as Xena and Sheena! He is also an author and he wrote stories for Last Cities of Earth . WordFire Inc & WordFire Press NioScvemtb7er8a 2u2g, re20i2c319 · Praise for Jeff Sturgeon's Last Cities of Earth, coming January 11 from WordFire Press! "World building aficionados will be eager for additional creative works set in this fascinating future."—Booklist "Every entry is top-notch, managing to balance creative imaginings with moments of true humanity. There are enough riches here to justify further explorations of this same future."—Publishers Weekly Edited by Jennifer Brozek and Jeff Sturgeon, with stories by Steven L. Sears, Danielle Ackley-Mcphail, Brenda Cooper, Jody Lynn Nye, Steve Perry, Mike Resnick & Andrea Stewart, David Gerrold, Jeff Sturgeon & Steven L. Sears, Mark Teppo, Jim Wright, Raven Oak, Cat Rambo, Kevin J. Anderson & Sam Knight James Sams https://wordfirepress.com/.../jeff-sturgeons-last-cities.../    

Jennifer has been nominated twice for the Bram Stoker award for horror, and won both the Bram Stoker and the Hugo Award for editing work. She’s written stories and novels for Battletech, Shadowrun, Valdemar, as well as many original stories and novels in YA Horror, Fantasy, and Sci Fi. She has the Best Quote Ever: You can be blunt or you can be vulgar but you can’t be both. … Continue...Episode 89 – Interview with Jennifer Brozek

Everyone wants to know how vampires celebrate Christmas! Loretta tells the story of the teenaged vampire, Norma. In a series of small kindnesses, her vampire grandpa reachs her by celebrating "modern Christmas Merriments." CAST: Norma ... Stevie Rae Causey, Derrik ... Evan Witt, Pascaline ... Gretchen SB, Agata ... Jennifer Brozek , Jeffery ... Ronnie Mason, Loretta ... Elizabeth Guizzetti, Sydella, Usher, & Operator... Nikki Burton MUSIC: Intro/Outro: Loretta by Evan Witt. www.wittynotes.com Background Music: Waltz in AB "Farewell" & Rondo by Chopin| Deck the Halls, Cole| 12 Days of Christmas, Holden|God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Robuck, Lamburt| Christmas Waltz, Mcquillan| Ding Dong Merrily on High, Riley Other Sounds: Dark Ambient - 021, Jalastra| Antique Wall Clock, Staget| Kitchen, Psykophobia| Sleighbells, SE2001| Pavement, JohnsonBrandEditing| Cars by Joanaa_00| Heart by frantramp| Shopping Street Ambiance by Sphion| Ho Ho Hooo & Merry Christmas &Happy New Year, Sovy| Horror Pulsating Drone Loop by GerainsanSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/paperflowerconsortium)

Elevators can be the meeting places of clashing strangers, deep emotions, and sudden revelations. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

Monic believes she's made the find of her museum curator's career. She's right in more ways than one. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 1 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y7m2Hw Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

Have you ever forgotten something so important that it shocks you to the core when you remember once more? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

No one believes a seer when its bad news. Now, she's no longer responsible for saving lives. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

What's the best advice you've ever received? Did you act on it?  This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

The Continental is a full service hotel. Anything you want. Anytime you want it. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 2 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y6WYAe Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

There's nothing like a rivalry to inspire backstabbing and murder. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 3 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eXh7Ao Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

We are all connected. Sometimes, we need a reminder. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 1 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y7m2Hw Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions (www.apocalypse-ink.com)

What is you were your dearest one's nightmare? Could you be forgiven? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 3 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eXh7Ao Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Skill can be honed, but talent is the one thing you need to be born with. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 2 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y6WYAe Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

An artist's creative endeavor is never done until the artist says so. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 2 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y6WYAe Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

A suitable punishment for a punning friend?  You decide. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 1 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y7m2Hw Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Brett’s been on the run for a long time. They have him in their clutches this time. Can he escape? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 1 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y7m2Hw Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Chatting With Sherri welcomes Hugo Nominated editor and author Bryan Thomas Schmidt! Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and Hugo-nominated editor of adult and children's speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club's Year's Best Science Fiction Releases. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online and include entries in The X-Files, Predator, Joe Ledger, Monster Hunter International, and Decipher's WARS, amongst others. As book editor for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta's WordFire Press he has edited books by such luminaries as Alan Dean Foster, Tracy Hickman, Frank Herbert, Mike Resnick, Jean Rabe and more. He was also the first editor on Andy Weir's bestseller The Martian. His anthologies as editor include Shattered Shields with co-editor Jennifer Brozek, Mission: Tomorrow, Galactic Games, Little Green Men--Attack! with Robin Wayne Bailey, and The Monster Hunter Tales with Larry Correia all for Baen, Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6, Beyond The Sun and Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For a New Age for various small presses and Joe Ledger: Unstoppable with Jonathan Maberry for St. Martin's Press. Original stories in Jonathan Maberry's New York Times bestselling Joe Ledger universe by Larry Correia, Mira Grant, Scott Sigler, David Farland, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, Steve Alten, Jon McGoran, Dana Fredsti, Jennifer Campbell-Hicks, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, GP Charles, Keith DeCandido, James A. Moore, Aaron Rosenberg, Nicholas Steven, James Ray Tuck, Jeremy Robinson, and Maberry himself.

It’s important to have the proper tools before you begin your NaNoWriMo challenge. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 4 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eWnF2h Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

One last adventure for Victoria Montogmery. (This is Jennifer's homage to Neil Gaiman's Death) This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 2 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y6WYAe Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )  

Would you sacrifice what you love most to save the world? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 1 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y7m2Hw Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

https://bryanaiello.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/jb-57-mp3.mp3 Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates on Mirage: Speculating on Speculative Fiction. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbSnMk6QPiULXmKDYmwCmIg *** Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented author, editor, and tie-in writer whose nominations and awards include: two Bram Stoker nominations, a Hugo nomination, a Scribe Award and an Australian Shadows Award. Link to the Five minute story podcast: http://www.apocalypse-ink.com/page/Five-Minute-Stories.aspx Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.brozek http://www.jenniferbrozek.com/ Twitter: @JenniferBrozek. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_brozek/ HWA.org SFWA.org *** Music: Kevin MacLeod ~ Mountain Emperor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxQFdMlZcw *** Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates on my other show Mirage: Speculating on Speculative Fiction. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbSnMk6QPiULXmKDYmwCmIg Subscribe on itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/origin-stories-on-creativity/id1247194933?mt=2 Subscribe on stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/bryan-aiello/origins-stories-on-creativity?refid=stpr Follow me on twitter @bryaiello for updates on this channel and my podcast and my writing projects. My website is: http://www.bryanaiello.com Email me with question and comments at: me@byranaiello.com Support the show on my poorly managed patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/BryanAiello  

In a dark club.... “I won’t even tell you my name…” This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 4 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eWnF2h Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

What would you do if I told you that I knew your deepest, darkest secret? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 2 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2y6WYAe Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Wrong place, wrong time. And now she’s seen too much. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 4 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eWnF2h Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

A rejected lover doesn't get mad. She gets even. And this punishment is forever. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 4 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eWnF2h Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Apocalyptic minions face their most feared foe. What could it be? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 4 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eWnF2h Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

Josh sat down the Jennifer Brozek and talked about all kinds of cool things, including writing as a freelancer in the RPG industry and some of the books she’s worked on. Jenn is a renowned award winning fiction writer. In our interview, Jennifer revealed she is going to be writing a young adult series for the Battletech universe. We also talk about Colonial Gothic, and Industry Talk, a book about writing in the RPG industry.

Video games… They can be addicting, but this one’s a killer. This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 3 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2eXh7Ao  Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek. Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek. Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic. Produced by Apocalypse Ink Productions ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

He wants the perfect tattoo. But will the price be more than he bargained for? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 3 by Jennifer Brozek. Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic Produced by Apocalypse Ink Production ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

A house inspector discovers the real reason a house has been abandoned. Will he live to tell others? This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 3 by Jennifer Brozek.  Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic Produced by Apocalypse Ink Production ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )

A seer makes the best of a bad situation... for everyone but himself.     This story can be found on Amazon in Five Minute Stories, Volume 5 by Jennifer Brozek. http://amzn.to/2jss3LI Connect with Jennifer on Twitter (@JenniferBrozek) or at www.jenniferbrozek.com Read by Jennifer Brozek Intro and Outro read by Jeff Brozek Music by Samuel David Alvarez of PogoMusic Produced by Apocalypse Ink Production ( www.apocalypse-ink.com )  

Welcome to Five Minutes Stories by Jennifer Brozek. This podcast show is a reading of selected stories from Five Minute Stories, Volumes 1 - 5, written, and read, by Jennifer Brozek.  Some of the stories are old favorites, some are brand new, all were inspired by real life events that have been twisted into something dark and supernatural. There will be 26 episodes of this program, released twice a week starting September 19th. Each store will average about five minutes, some a bit longer, some a touch shorter, and every single one of them will be a little bit of story to last you all day.  

Bryan Thomas Schmidt joins us to talk about writing, X Files, and weird stuff he does during interviews with podcasters. Mentioned on this episode: The Hugo Award THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir GALACTIC GAMES edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt MISSION TOMORROW edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt DECISION POINTS edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt SHATTERED SHIELDS edited by Jennifer Brozek and Bryan Thomas Schmidt Alan Dean Foster Tracy Hickman Todd McCaffrey X Files Predator IF IT BLEEDS (Predator Anthology) edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt SAGA OF DAVI RHII (Book Series) by Bryan Thomas Schmidt WordFire Press Patrick Hester Kevin J. Anderson University of Kansas J.R.R. Tolkein Mile Hi Con Ben Bova John Scalzi Jonathan Maberry Kate Corcino Chris Carter J.J. Abrams George R. R. Martin LORD VALENTINE'S CASTLE by Robert Silverberg MAJIPOOR Book Series by Robert Silverberg SIMON SAYS by Bryan Thomas Schmidt Lethal Weapon (Movie) HARRY BOSCH (Book Series) by Michael Connelly THE CAVES OF STEEL by Isaac Asimov John Sandford TODAY I AM PAUL by Martin L. Shoemaker Mr. Roboto (song) by Styx http://bryanthomasschmidt.net  http://twitter.com/bryanthomass  http://facebook.com/bryanthomass 

Into the Nth Dimensionby David D. LevineThe fence around Dr. Diabolus's lair is twenty feet tall, electrified and topped with razor wire.  I'd expected no less.  From one of the many pouches at my belt I pull a pair of acorns and toss them at the base of the fence. I exert my special power.  Each acorn immediately sprouts, roots digging through asphalt as the leafy stem reaches skyward.  Wood fibers KRACKLE as the stems extend, lengthen, thicken, green skin changing to grayish bark in a moment.  Leaves SSHHH into existence; branches reach out to the neighbor tree, twining themselves into rungs. Before the twin oaks have reached their full height I spring into action, clambering up the living ladder as it grows, creeping along a limb even as it extends over the razor wire.  It's a dramatic, foolhardy move, but I can't delay -- Sprout is in peril!  The branch sags under my weight, lowering me to within ten feet of the ground, and I leap down with practiced ease. Full transcript after the cut:----more----Hello! Welcome to GlitterShip episode 22 for February ... 20th, oops. This is your host, Keffy, and I'm super excited to be sharing this story with you!Our story today is "Into the Nth Dimension" by David D. Levine, read by... David D. Levine.David is the author of novel Arabella of Mars, which will be out from Tor Books in July 2016, and over fifty science fiction and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo Award in 2006, and he has been shortlisted for awards including the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell, and Sturgeon. Stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF, numerous Year’s Best anthologies, and his award-winning collection Space Magic.Oh, just one more thing! While I was putting this episode together the SFWA Nebula award nominations came out, and David JUST, as in, literally minutes ago, received a Nebula nomination for his story "Damage," which was released on Tor.com. Congratulations!GlitterShip would also like to congratulate some of the authors whose stories appeared in previous episodes: Ken Liu (Episode 15), was nominated for best Novel for his book "The Grace of Kings", Rose Lemberg (Episode 7) was nominated for her novelette "Grandmother-nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds", and Sarah Pinsker (Episode 2) was also nominated for a novelette, "Our Lady of the Open Road."Ok. NOW you can listen to the story.Into the Nth Dimensionby David D. LevineThe fence around Dr. Diabolus's lair is twenty feet tall, electrified and topped with razor wire.  I'd expected no less.  From one of the many pouches at my belt I pull a pair of acorns and toss them at the base of the fence. I exert my special power.  Each acorn immediately sprouts, roots digging through asphalt as the leafy stem reaches skyward.  Wood fibers KRACKLE as the stems extend, lengthen, thicken, green skin changing to grayish bark in a moment.  Leaves SSHHH into existence; branches reach out to the neighbor tree, twining themselves into rungs. Before the twin oaks have reached their full height I spring into action, clambering up the living ladder as it grows, creeping along a limb even as it extends over the razor wire.  It's a dramatic, foolhardy move, but I can't delay -- Sprout is in peril!  The branch sags under my weight, lowering me to within ten feet of the ground, and I leap down with practiced ease. Again I concentrate, and the two trees wither away behind me, a gnawed patch of asphalt and a few stray leaves the only sign they'd ever existed.  I feel their pain as they wilt and die, but I don't want my intrusion discovered sooner than necessary.  The loss of their green and growing lives is just the latest of the many sacrifices I've made.  I press onward.Slippery elm makes short work of the side door lock; mushrooms blind security cameras and heat sensors.  These bright corridors, humming with electricity and weirder energies, are cold places of steel and concrete, offering me no plants or plant matter to leverage my powers.  I've faced worse.  I prowl quickly, silently, keeping my head down, all senses alert to any trace of the kidnapped Sprout.Voices!  I duck into an alcove as two of Dr. Diabolus's goons round the corner.  As soon as they've passed I spring out behind them, tossing seeds at their feet.  Fast-twining English ivy ensnares one before he can cry out, but the other evades its tendrils.  "Phyto-Man!" he gasps.POW! my fist responds.  He drops cold beside his still-struggling comrade, whose eyes glare with hatred above his smothered mouth.  I direct the ivy to bind the unconscious goon as well, so he'll raise no alarm when he awakes.Even their underwear is synthetic fiber.  Dr. Diabolus is thorough, I'll grant him that.Deeper and deeper into the cavernous lair I probe, keeping an eye on the pipes and conduits that line the ceiling, smaller leading to larger, following the branch to find the trunk.  I know Dr. Diabolus; wherever he's holding my sidekick it will be near his latest contrivance, and all his inventions require massive amounts of power. If only he'd gone solar instead of stealing plutonium, we might have been allies.At last I come to a massive, vault-like door, all steel and chrome, set in a concrete wall into which many thick conduits vanish.  But nothing is more persistent than a plant.  I tuck dozens of tiny dandelion seeds into the crack between door and jamb.  Their indomitable roots reach deep, swelling and prying, until with a WHANGG of tearing metal the door bursts from its frame. With my own muscles I wrench the shattered door aside and burst into the chamber.  Dr. Diabolus turns to me, cape swirling.  "You disappoint me, Phyto-Man," he sneers, his artificial eye glowing red.  "I expected you here half an hour ago.""Traffic was terrible," I quip.  The chamber is dominated by a complex machine, seething with arcane energies that make my head swim, but there's no sign of Sprout.  "What have you done with my sidekick, you fiend?""I sent him to... the Nth Dimension!"  He pulls a lever on the control panel before him.  A ten-foot iris of blue steel in the center of the machine SNICKs open, revealing...Looking into the opening makes my eyes feel like they're being pulled out of my head.  It's as though all the colors of the palette have somehow been smeared together with... others... forming impossible combinations of hue and tone that swirl sickeningly.  But worse than that, the weird amalgam of color seems to bend... around a corner that isn't there.  It's painful to see, even harder to look away.CHANGG!  Something hard and cold fastens onto my bicep, breaking the spell.  "What?" I cry.  Before I can move, a second steel claw CHANGGs onto my other arm.  CHANGG!  CHANGG!  CHANGG!  I'm caught like a fly, steel bracelets ringing my arms, legs, and neck.  Jointed metal arms haul me off the floor, suspend me in the air before the gloating Dr. Diabolus. "HAHAHAHAHA!" he laughs as I struggle in vain.  "You've foiled my plans for the last time, Phyto-Man!""If you've harmed Sprout--!" I growl through clenched teeth, straining against the imprisoning metal."My dear Phyto-Man, I must confess... I don't know!"  He works the controls and the arms propel me, none too gently, toward the yawning portal.  The uncanny colors swirl crazily, filling my vision, seeming to tug at every fiber of my being.  "But whatever has become of your Sprout, you will shortly be joining him there.  Bon voyage, Emerald Avenger!"The arms thrust me forward.  With a SPRANK! the five claws open simultaneously, flinging me into the swirling abyss.A hard, gritty surface presses against my side.  I'm cold, my head is spinning, and everything hurts.  There's a thin, rushing sound off in the distance.  Traffic?I sit up and open my eyes.  And immediately I wish I hadn't.There's nothing to see but a cracked and filthy concrete floor and my own hands, but they're all wrong... seriously wrong.  The floor curves away from me in every direction -- the same impossible curvature I'd seen in Dr. Diabolus's portal -- despite the fact that it looks and feels flat.  And the surface looks like... like concrete multiplied by itself.  Cracks are crackier.  Grit is grittier.  It's all realer than real; it pounds on my eyes as though I were staring into the sun, though there's barely any light.  And the color is not just gray, but a weird amalgam of thousands of different grays blended smoothly together.  A whole shining rainbow of grays.My heart is pounding.   I've faced death many times, fought monsters, escaped from traps, but I've never experienced anything this disturbing.  Always before the threat came from outside, but now it's me -- my own perceptions -- that have changed.My hands, too, are a disconcerting, amplified version of themselves.  I turn them before my eyes, and as they rotate I seem to see both sides at the same time as the front.  In color they are... kind of an ultra-pink, not the plain pink I've seen every day of my life but an eye-hurting blend of unnatural shades.  Pinks that don't exist, have never existed.  And as I look more closely I see disturbing swirls of texture in my skin, spiraling like microscopic galaxies, like nothing I've ever seen before.I swallow and rip my attention away from my own fingers.  Have I been drugged?  I shake my head hard, but that just makes the headache and dizziness worse.  I pound my fists on the ground, but though I feel the impact and the pain there's no comforting THUD, just a muffled thump so faint and distant I might as well be imagining it. "Hello?" I call.  No, nothing wrong with my hearing; my voice bounces back to me from the darkness, echoing off the distant, unseen walls.To my surprise there's an immediate reply.  "Michael?"  The voice is heartbreakingly familiar.  I feel a twinge of hope."Sprout?"  I peer into the darkness, hoping for a glimpse of green tights and pointed shoes.  It's a ridiculous outfit.  Why have we never changed it?And why have I never wondered that before?"It's me, Michael.  Richard."A familiar figure appears in the dim distance, but with everything so strange here I can't afford to relax.  "Is this a secure area?  We should stick to code names...""No need.  There's no Sprout here, and no Phyto-Man either."Worries spring up in my mind -- impostors, hypnosis, possession, brainwashing -- but I decide to bluff it out in case there are unseen observers.  "Well, I'm here now, Sprout." "This all seems very strange, I know, but don't worry.  Everything will be all right."Despite his reassurances, there's a strangeness about Sprout as he approaches.  He's wearing street clothes, in colors and textures as hallucinogenic as everything else here, and his face combines familiarity with an alien super-reality exactly as my own hands do, but the really disturbing thing is the way he moves.  Each step flows into the next with a weird gliding motion that propels him forward seamlessly, without transitions.  It's like he's rolling toward me on a treadmill, constantly cresting a hill that isn't there.  I push down feelings of nausea and... and fear.  Never in all my adventures have I faced anything as disquieting as this place.  "Where am I?""Dr. Diabolus called it the Nth Dimension, but the people here just call it the world."  He's reached me now, and the mingled concern and relief in his face match the conflicting emotions in my own heart.  "I'm so glad you're finally here."He bends down and helps me to my feet, a disturbing reversal, and I find that I move with the same unnatural glide that he does.  Even more disturbing, I find I'm naked.  "My costume!"  I cover myself with my hands as best I can, but the loss of my belt pouches, my carefully nurtured collection of seeds, leaves me feeling not just nude but defenseless.I reach out with my powers.  Perhaps a seed from a discarded Fig Newton lies in a crack on the floor, a seed I can grow into leaves to cover my nakedness.  But there's nothing; my powers are dulled almost to nonexistence.  I can feel wood beams supporting the ceiling high above, but I can't warp them to my will. I'm helpless.  For the first time in... I can't remember when."Don't worry," Sprout says, "no one here wears costumes.  I brought you some clothes."  He turns, the motion revealing sides and back, width and depth and thickness, all at once.  I groan and nearly lose my balance.  "Oh!" he says.  "I'm sorry.  Try closing one eye.  It helps."I do, and it does -- the colors are still wrong but the disorienting sense of everything being too far away and too close at the same time is greatly reduced.  Sprout -- Richard -- reaches into a rustling paper bag and hands me a folded bundle. Putting the clothes on is a challenge.  Each trouser leg recedes like a portal to another world; buttons and zippers feel much larger, more detailed than they should.  I close my eyes completely and let my instincts take over.  It makes a big difference.  How many times in my life have I dressed myself?  But this still feels like the first time.I sit on the filthy floor to tie the unfamiliar shoes.  "That's better," I say.  "Now let's get to work."  Maybe action will still the trembling dread in my heart.  "There's no time to lose -- we need to get back to our own dimension and defeat Dr. Diabolus before it's too late!"Richard smiles and shakes his head.  I'm starting to get used to the weird multi-dimensional effect.  "Don't worry, there's plenty of time."  He puts out a hand.  "Come on.  I'll explain over coffee."Sprout's lack of concern raises anew the questions I'd had about drugs, hypnosis, imposters.  But, lost in a strange, incomprehensible world, I have no better alternative to offer.  I take his hand. His hand is warm and soft in mine.  When was the last time I'd grasped it without gloves, without haste, without danger all around? He leads me across the floor -- now that my eyes have adapted a bit to the darkness and strangeness I see that the space is a cavernous, disused warehouse -- to a corroded metal door.  It opens with a muted squeak of rusty hinges, not the SKREEK I would have expected, but once we pass through it to the street I'm assaulted by a cacophony of sounds, visions, and smells more intense than New Year's Eve in Metro City.  Cars in an astonishing variety of designs and colors careen by, with the same seamless motion as Sprout's walk but a hundred times faster.  Each one seems to zoom in from the horizon and vanish away to infinity all in a moment, but even as they speed by I can't help but notice their scratches and dents and chips in the paint and a hundred other details.  It's a dizzying kaleidoscope of color and detail."Whoa!" I cry out as Sprout hauls me back from the curb."Careful, big guy."  He pats my shoulder.  "You're not invulnerable here.""Well, I've never been in Dynamic Man's league...""No, I mean you can really get hurt easily.  It doesn't take much, and it takes a long time to heal.  Look at this."  He pulls up his sleeve, revealing a hideous scab on his elbow.  "I scraped this on a brick wall when I first got here.  Just a little scrape, nothing I'd even have noticed if I were in a fist fight with the Demolisher, but it hurt like a son of a bitch --"I've never heard such language.  "Sprout!""-- and a month later it's still not all the way better."A month?  Immediately I'm on high alert again.  Has the imposter slipped up?  Sprout only disappeared the day before yesterday.But he notices the change in my expression -- faces here seem more subtle, more expressive -- and puts up a hand.  "Sorry.  We're on a monthly schedule.  One or two of our days, more or less, is a month here.  I should have told you right away."  His eyes dip to the sidewalk.  "There's a lot I should have told you, before."My suspicions are only slightly allayed, but I still have little alternative but to stick with this person, whether or not he's the Sprout I know.  Whoever he is, he just saved my life.We walk to a coffee shop.  Safe from the chaos of the street, I can begin to appreciate the wonder of this world -- the colors and textures, the tears in the vinyl seat's upholstery, the individual grains of spilled sugar on the laminate tabletop.  My spoon makes a tiny tink, tink noise as I stir my coffee.  The flavor is astonishing -- rich and sweet and dark.  "So you've been here a whole month?" He nods.  "I showed up in the same place you did.  It's the closest analog in this world to Dr. Diabolus's lair.  It took me quite a while to figure this place out, but I finally did.""You always were the brains of this partnership."  Before Sprout, there had been no Phyto-Computer, no chemical lab, no advanced cross-breeding program in the Hidden Greenhouse.  I'd really been little more than a thug with a green thumb."This world... it's like a layer above our world.  Everything here is... bigger.  More complex.  More detailed.  Even the color spectrum... there's an infinity of different colors here, Michael."I think back on the time I fell into the Hollow Earth, and how I had to help the downtrodden people there throw off the tyrannical overlord Karg before I could return to the surface.  "Then they must have even bigger problems than we do.  More villainous villains!  More despotic despots!  More disastrous natural disasters!"  I find myself grinning with anticipation.  "This could be our greatest adventure!""You might think so, but I haven't seen any sign of it.  There aren't any villains here.""It's some kind of Utopia, then?""Not really."  His face squinches up the way it does when he's thinking hard.  "There are people who do bad things.  But every time someone does something that seems entirely villainous to me, a whole bunch of other people come along and say it was really the right thing to do.  I'm kind of confused, really."  He shakes his head.  "Even bank robbers have their defenders here.  And there are tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes, but they're... diffuse.  I mean, yeah, people get hurt, but you never see the President's daughter trapped under a collapsed building or someone racing to get the secret plans to the hidden base before the whole Eastern Seaboard becomes uninhabitable.""Sounds... boring.""Oh, it's not!"  His eyes brighten and he grabs my hands across the table.  "It's the most wonderful place, Michael.  There's art and culture and nature like nothing you've ever seen.  Not just stuffy charity balls where the only exciting thing is when The Rutabaga tries to steal the debutante's diamond necklace.  I can't wait to show you Turandot."I pull my hands from his.  "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kiddo.  We're not here to be tourists.  We're here for a reason.  And once our job is done here, we'll go back where we came from.  That's the way the world works.""Not this world.  In this world you can do whatever you want, make the best of what you've got, succeed or fail or just muddle along... you're not limited to playing the role you were born into, fighting the same villains and foiling the same plots over and over again.  Not like our world."  He reaches into his hoodie's front pocket, pulls out a slim colorful magazine.  "To the people here, we're fictional!"The title of the magazine is The Amazing Phyto-Man, issue 157.  On the cover, a hulking over-muscled brute with a ridiculous green outfit and a caricature of my own face smacks a tentacled monstrosity in the beak.  The pages inside are divided into squares and rectangles, each bearing a picture and some text...It shows the whole story of how I got here.  Over the fence, down the corridors, the confrontation with Dr. Diabolus, the metal arms flinging me into the portal.I feel as though the world has been jerked out from under my feet.  "This is impossible.  Absurd.  Some kind of hoax.""It's no hoax.  There were ten copies of this one on the rack I bought it from.  All our friends have their own publications too."  He taps the final panel, showing me screaming as I fall into the swirling colors... but the colors on the page are the flat, limited palette of the world I came from.  "This is how I knew you'd be arriving here."I stare at the page.  It's wood pulp with vegetable inks.  My powers are weak here, almost nonexistent, but I can feel the minuscule thread of green life in it.  In some ways this stupid little magazine is the only thing in the whole chromium-and-vinyl coffee shop that's real. The only thing that's real...I turn back a page.  It's one large panel, with Dr. Diabolus laughing "HAHAHAHAHA!" as I struggle in the grip of the metal arms.  I stare at his flat, cartoonish face.I exert my power. It's not easy.  What I'm trying to do is unlike anything I've ever done before.  My teeth grind together; my pulse pounds in my temples. This is as hard and as strange as the very first time I ever made a seed sprout. It had been an apple seed, a discarded pip from my lunch, that happened to be lying on the floor the day that eerie green-glowing meteorite had crashed into the experimental greenhouse with its stocks of Growth Serum X.  That tiny seed, and the potential apple tree within, had been all that stood between me and certain death as the heavy beam had come crashing down toward me.  As though in a dream I'd sensed its potential, I'd reached out, I'd pulled harder than I'd ever pulled on anything before... and the tree burst into being, root and branch and leaf cushioning the beam's fall and saving my life.That had been the first time I'd felt that green power flowing through me.  Now I feel it again, a thin green thread of life pulsing in the dead, flattened wood pulp before me.  But this time it's different somehow, pulling at me even as I pull at it.Sweat stings my eyes and runs down my nose.  I keep straining...And then Dr. Diabolus blinks. The caricature face turns fractionally toward me, its look of triumph beginning to change into one of astonishment...It's more than I can sustain.  I collapse, my breath rushing out in a whoosh as I fall back into the padded seat.  The page before me reverts to its previous form, but I feel a sense of triumph. Sprout snatches the magazine away.  "What did you do?" "I used my powers.  I touched our world.  I made a change." "So what?""We can use this!"  I pound the table.  "I don't know how, but somehow we can use this magazine to get back to our own world!""Hush!" Sprout pats the air with his hands; I notice that the server and the other patrons are staring.  I sit down, noticing as I do that I'd surged to my feet.  "Michael... I don't want to go back to the world we came from.""We have to!"He looks at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. And then he bolts from the table. I stare stupidly at the door as the little bell over it tinkles, then take off after him.Sprout's fast, but ever since that day in the experimental greenhouse I've been stronger and tougher and faster than most people, and at least some of that seems to have come through the portal with me.  I manage to make it through the door before his heels vanish around the corner.Running in this world is a kaleidoscopic, hallucinogenic experience.  Walls seem to rush at me, a riot of color and texture; cars veer and swerve, horns blaring.  But I keep my eyes fixed on Sprout's blue hoodie as he dashes across streets, pushes through crowds of protesting civilians, runs down alleys. Block after block, I'm gaining.  Sprout was always the smart one in our partnership, but I'm the one who battled The Piledriver to a standstill.  Soon I'm only a few feet behind.We're racing down an alley, dodging around dumpsters and piles of newspaper, when I get almost close enough to touch him.  He looks over his shoulder... and trips on a bundle of magazines.  He tumbles on the concrete with an "oomph" that sounds almost like something from our original world.I catch up to him just as he's sitting up.  Bright red blood runs from his nose; there's a rusty smell.  "Guh?" he says.I bend down, put an arm around his shoulder.  "Are you all right, old buddy?"He stares into my eyes for a moment, blood painting his nose and mouth.And then he kisses me.I taste blood.  I feel his warm lips soft under mine. I kiss him back.Then, horrified, I push him away.  "What are we doing, Sprout?""Kissing.  And you liked it as much as I did."  His bloody lips twist into an ironic smile.  "If you couldn't figure that much out, I guess I really am the brains of this partnership.""But... but you're just a kid!"He glares at me.  "I'm twenty-two, Michael."Twenty-two?  It's strange to realize that he's right.  He was fifteen when I adopted him after Maniac killed his parents, but that was... seven years ago.  Where did the time go?  How had I failed to notice he'd grown into a lithe, attractive young man?  "Even so... it's... it's wrong.""Maybe where we came from.  Not here."  He pulls a bandana from his pocket, wipes his mouth.  Blood still trickles from his nose but it's slowing.  "This world is better than ours, Michael.  It's complex and it's mundane and it's sometimes tedious, but it's not just the same round of villains and fights and secret identities over and over again.  It's... it's real, Michael.  And here I can be what I've always wanted to be, instead of just playing a role."  He holds out the bandana.  "And so can you."Sprout keeps holding out the bandana. After a while I take it, and wipe my own mouth.Then I stand up. "I'm a hero, Richard.  It may be a role, but it's the only role I know."Sprout just looks at me.  The expression on his blood-spattered face is a sick compound of longing, sadness, disappointment.  Perhaps I'm learning how to understand what I see in this world.I wonder what the expression on my own face tells him."Give me the magazine, Sprout.  We'll take it to the warehouse where we came in.  I figure that's the best place to try going back to our world.""No."Sprout lies at my feet, looking so small and weak, the front of his blue hoodie stained black with his blood.  I could take the magazine from him easily.  "I'll find another copy.""You don't have any money to buy one.""I'll steal it."He gives a weak little laugh.  "Liar."I have to smile myself.  "Okay, maybe not."  I sit back down.  "Come back with me, Sprout.  You know it's where we belong."He sits up, leans against me.  His shoulder is warm, the only warm thing in this cold, garbage-strewn alley, and I let it rest on my chest.  "Give this world a chance, Michael.  You've only just arrived.  I've already found a job at a nursery.  You could work there too."  He looks up at me.  His nose has stopped bleeding.  "We could share the apartment."I consider the idea.  I put my arm around my sidekick, lean back against the filthy brick wall, and think very hard about it.  This world is amazing, with its details and colors and motions and flavors.  And to share it with Sprout would be... something I hadn't even realized I desired. But in the end, it's duty that wins out.  "I'm sorry, Sprout.  Even if I wanted to -- and there's a part of me that does, believe me -- it's more than just you and me.  There are people depending on us back home.  If we don't go back there, who'll keep the Scimitar Sisters in check?"  I give him one last squeeze, disentangle myself, and stand up.  "Coming?""You're sure I can't change your mind?"I'm so, so tempted.  "I'm sure.""Then I'm coming too."  He stands, brushes himself off.  "I'd rather be a cartoon hero with you than alone here."We walk hand-in-hand back to the warehouse.  As we pass the coffee shop, I pause.  Sprout looks up at me, expectant.  "I, uh... I still have some of my powers here."  I clear my throat.  "I wonder if there's.... if there's any way we can bring... some of this world, back to ours?""I don't think so."  He points to a small shield printed in the corner of the magazine's cover.  "There are rules against it."Finally we find ourselves again in the dark, echoey space where we entered this world.  I think about how strange it looked to me when I first arrived, and I realize I've grown used to these new perceptions.  My old world will seem so flat and colorless by comparison. Sprout stands beside me as I spread the magazine out in a patch of sunlight.  There is no joy in me as I contemplate the garish images full of POW and KRUNCH, only a dull sense of obligation.  "It's not too late to change your mind," Sprout says.  "We can make a life together here.""I'm sorry, Sprout.  Our world needs saving."  But even as I say it, I know I'm trying to convince myself as well as him.  I hold out my hand.Without a word, he takes it.I bend down and stare hard at the last page, showing my cartoon avatar falling into the vortex between worlds.  I exert my will, block out all other sensations, focus my powers on the ink-saturated wood pulp.  Somehow, I know, I can use this image of the portal to return myself and Sprout to the world where we were born.It's the hardest thing I've ever done. I concentrate.  I work my power.  I push and pull and strain... this is as hard as the time I used pea vines to temporarily close up the Grand Canyon.  Harder.I strain still more intensely.  The printed vortex begins to whirl...I feel again, just as I did on that first day in the experimental greenhouse, the deep connection between my soul and the green life underlying the page...I feel the warmth of Sprout's hand in mine...And I realize that the connection runs both ways. With an unprecedented effort of will, I reverse my power. Where before the meteor's green energy had flowed into me at my moment of greatest need, now I send the energy flowing from myself into the printed page. I scream in pain as the power drains from me like my life's blood. The image before me springs to life.  Just as the metal claws release, the cartoon me on the page reaches down and tears open his belt.  Seeds of all descriptions pour out in their thousands, most falling into the vortex, but many others sprouting and twining and filling the portal with leaves and stems and branches.  I bounce off the web of vegetable matter, springing right back toward Dr. Diabolus.  WHAM!  My fist connects with the villain's chin.Then all is blackness.Later.  I open my eyes, and the first thing I see is Dr. Diabolus's lab.  Everything is flat, static, in eight garish colors.  But then I blink, and realize I've fallen face-first into the magazine spread on the floor before me.I sit up.  I'm no longer looking at the last page of The Amazing Phyto-Man issue 157.  It's now the first page of issue 158, a single large panel.  In it Dr. Diabolus, threatened by an enormous Venus flytrap, cowers at the controls of his dimensional portal, through which a grinning Sprout steps to take the hand of Phyto-Man.  All's well in Metro City."Michael?"  Richard is just awakening beside me.  "Wha... what just happened?"It takes me a long, reflective moment to find an answer to his question.  "I... I sent the power back where it came from, I think."  I look within myself.  It certainly isn't in there any more.  "It's with him now."  I tap the page. Richard's eyes dart from the page to my face.  "But that's you.""Not any more.  I'm just Michael now."  I stroke the flat, cartoon version of myself with my fingertips.  "Phyto-Man is back where he belongs.  I don't know how much of me went with him, but I hope... I hope he enjoyed his day in this world.  Maybe he can use what I learned here to make Metro City a better place.""But what about... us?  What happens next?"I close the magazine.  "I don't know.  Isn't it amazing?"END“Into the Nth Dimension” was originally published in Human For A Day, edited by Jennifer Brozek and Martin H. Greenberg in 2011.This recording is a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license which means you can share it with anyone you’d like, but please don’t change or sell it. Our theme is “Aurora Borealis” by Bird Creek, available through the Google Audio Library.Thanks for listening, and I’ll be back on March 1st with “Je me souviens” by Su J. Sokol.

Editors Jennifer Brozek and Bryan Thomas Schmidt along with author Gray Rinehart discuss new military fantasy anthology Shattered Shields; and Part 34 of Hard Magic by Larry Correia as read by Bronson Pinchot.

Jennifer Brozek and Byran Thomas Schmidt have edited an anthology for Baen Books that highlights stories that contain Faith and Magic. "Swords and Shields. Faith and Magic.Grab yours and get ready, for the enemy is on the move.High fantasy and mighty conflicts go hand-in-hand. In great wars, armies rise to fight evil hordes and heroes struggle to push beyond their imperfections and save the day. These stories include more than just epic landscapes and characters...but also epic battles.Imagine a doctor struggling to identify the spy who has infiltrated his company's ranks and poisoned his colleagues or a boy suspected of murder by a king yet protected by a princess as he helps her father against his own people. Imagine a butcher discovering that he's called to lead an uprising, or a First Born knowing that she must betray her own in order to save humanity.The possibilities are endless, but at the heart they have this in common: soldiers--ordinary and otherwise-struggling against extraordinary odds to survive the day. They must withstand dark magic, dodge enemy blades, and defy the odds to survive SHATTERED SHIELDS."Selected Contents:“Ashes and Starlight” (Runelords) by David Farland“Invictus” by Annie Bellett“Rising Above” by Sarah A. Hoyt“Hoofsore and Weary” by Cat Rambo“Vengeance” (Frost) by Robin Wayne Bailey“Yael of the Strings” by John R. Fultz“The Gleaners” by Dave Gross“Bonded Men” by James L. Sutter“Bone Candy” (Black Company) by Glen Cook“First Blood” (Paksenarrion) by Elizabeth Moon

Jennifer Brozek and Byran Thomas Schmidt have edited an anthology for Baen Books that highlights stories that contain Faith and Magic. "Swords and Shields. Faith and Magic.Grab yours and get ready, for the enemy is on the move.High fantasy and mighty conflicts go hand-in-hand. In great wars, armies rise to fight evil hordes and heroes struggle to push beyond their imperfections and save the day. These stories include more than just epic landscapes and characters...but also epic battles.Imagine a doctor struggling to identify the spy who has infiltrated his company's ranks and poisoned his colleagues or a boy suspected of murder by a king yet protected by a princess as he helps her father against his own people. Imagine a butcher discovering that he's called to lead an uprising, or a First Born knowing that she must betray her own in order to save humanity.The possibilities are endless, but at the heart they have this in common: soldiers--ordinary and otherwise-struggling against extraordinary odds to survive the day. They must withstand dark magic, dodge enemy blades, and defy the odds to survive SHATTERED SHIELDS."Selected Contents:“Ashes and Starlight” (Runelords) by David Farland“Invictus” by Annie Bellett“Rising Above” by Sarah A. Hoyt“Hoofsore and Weary” by Cat Rambo“Vengeance” (Frost) by Robin Wayne Bailey“Yael of the Strings” by John R. Fultz“The Gleaners” by Dave Gross“Bonded Men” by James L. Sutter“Bone Candy” (Black Company) by Glen Cook“First Blood” (Paksenarrion) by Elizabeth Moon

Jennifer Brozek, Editor-in-Chief of Woman Hunter Magazine, informs Hunt Talk listeners of the benefits for women hunters who learn how to hunt with the help of a qualified hunting mentor.  Also featured: What archery equipment do woman prefer? … Read more about this episode...