Archive for January, 2016

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PodCastle Submissions Reopening and Flash Rates Increase


After a long winter nap, we have cast the spell that reopens the PodCastle slush portal! If you’ve got a fantasy short story you’d like us to read and consider for the podcast, please click on over to our submissions guidelines and online submissions portal and send it on over! We accept both original fiction and reprints under 6,000 words.

Additionally, we’re very pleased to announce that we are raising our rates for original flash fiction to $.06/word. That means we are now paying pro rates, as defined by SFWA, for all original fiction at PodCastle.

We look forward to reading your work, and wish you a wonderful 2016!

Warmly,

Graeme Dunlop and Rachael K. Jones

PodCastle Co-Editors

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For Your Consideration


In our first 2016 metacast, we present the Escape Artists (EA) stories that ran in 2015, which are eligible in the upcoming Hugo nomination season.

A quick plug. For us. All four EA shows – PodCastle, Pseudopod, Escape Pod and Cast of Wonders – are themselves eligible in the SEMIPROZINE Hugo category.

Not Fancast. Not Fanzine. SEMIPROZINE. Yes, the categories are confusing and often overlap. “Fancast” is traditionally dominated by commentary shows and sketch-based audio programs.

There’s an argument that we could split the shows and compete in multiple categories to increase our chances. We don’t think that benefits anyone. The division is artificial at best, and extremely difficult (at worst) to explain, given all four of our shows have harmonised pay rates and submissions policies. It would smack of gamesmanship, which doesn’t interest us.

Don’t get us wrong, we LOVED seeing PodCastle and Escape Pod on last year’s Hugo long lists, and we’d be honoured for any one of our shows to be a finalist.

But that’s a decision that rests solely in the hands of YOU, our fans and supporters.

(And just a note, Mothership Zeta doesn’t qualify this year because they’re too new.)

Below are links to some aggregation projects, where fans are building lists of those eligible in the various categories. They’re great tools, and we’d like to thank David Steffen for his efforts. We’ll also link to our Wikia page, containing links to all the eligible Escape Artists stories.

Please listen to this MetaCast for the Escape Artists entries!

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PodCastle 400: Night at the Opera (Giant Episode)

Show Notes

Rated PG-13 for some violence.

With a special full-cast reading!

  • Wilson Fowlie as the Narrator
  • Big Anklevich as Amadel
  • Rish Outfield as Reynard
  • Kevin Powe as Nicolas
  • M.K. Hobson as Lady Shankir-Clare
  • Tina Connolly as Belina Shankir-Clare
  • Dave Thompson as the Mystery Man
  • Graeme Dunlop as Idilane

The story takes place in Martha’s Ile-Rien universe, in which she’s written five novels and several short stories. Find out more!


Night at the Opera

by Martha Wells

Reynard Morane was at his usual table in the Cafe Baudy, a somewhat risqué establishment built on a barge in the Deval Forest pleasure garden’s lake, when a beautiful man approached his table. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, especially in this cafe, but this beautiful man was a stranger. He said, “Captain Morane?”

From his features and dark skin, the man was Parscian, a little younger than Reynard but not by much, tall and well-built, and dressed in an elegant but understated way which suggested some level of the upper class. The coat was too expensive for the man to be from a university. For some reason, Reynard attracted a high percentage of men of academic persuasions. “Yes.” Reynard smiled warmly. “Please join me.”

The man hesitated, then drew out the opposite chair. “A friend told me about you.”

(Continue Reading…)

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PodCastle 399: The Authenticator

Show Notes

Rated PG-13.


The Authenticator

by Greg van Eekhout

My face surprises her when she opens the door to her trailer, but I’m not surprised by hers. I know what I look like. I’ve got the best nose money can buy, but rubber’s no match for bone and flesh. I used to wear glasses so the frames would cover the seam where the nose meets the little bit of bridge I have left, but glasses are a pain in the butt since I lost my ears, so I don’t bother with them anymore.

(Continue Reading…)

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PodCastle 398: Flower of Flowers, Bird of Birds

Show Notes

Rated PG


Flower of Flowers, Bird of Birds

by Alicia Cole

Where the ylang-ylang trees twist scented like slumber, in the village of my grandmothers, strange birds nest. With long grey necks sinuous as river serpents, they rattle their beaks at women washing in the estuary. To steal such a bird’s eggs, it is said, will curry the favor of Mulangu. This lure, and the sweetness of the fowl when roasted, has led to a gradual decline of the race. Though once proud, surrounded by sharp-beaked sentinels, the king bird has grown sorrowful and lazy with his people’s deterioration and no longer snatches at thieves’ eyes. In my grandmother’s day, only a strong ghali-ghuchi woman would harvest the eggs without fear. After many seasons of loss, even my mother could succeed at such a task.

(Continue Reading…)

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PodDisc shutting down


After years of great service, Arri and Kimi – who run Poddisc for us – have decided to step away. So PodDisc, our CD fulfilment site, will be shutting down in early February.

That means two things. First, if you’re a PodDisc customer – and we know lots of you are, and thanks for that – now is your last chance to get caught up on any t-shirts or back catalogue you’re missing. PodDisc is happy to take your orders.

Second, for the next little while EA won’t have a fulfilment service. We’ve been looking into different options behind the scenes, both for physical products like t-shirts and prints and swag, and for digital distribution of our back catalog.

(Right now I’m imagining the White House Press Corps right after someone says the words “truth about the Moon Landings.”)

Don’t worry, the EA back catalogue will always be available for free on our websites. Like I said, different options and ideas are in the works, for approaches you’ve not seen before to the retail side of the company. Once we have something to announce, you’ll be the first to know.

Kind regards,

Alasdair Stuart
Owner, Escape Artists

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PodCastle 397: In the Woods Behind My House

Show Notes

Rated PG-13


In the Woods Behind My House

by Nicolette Barischoff

They were just some seventh grade kids who hung around the handball court and pretended to be playing all the time so no one else could use it. Nate had no idea why he’d told them about his griffin.

He just said it, out of nowhere, like it was something he had just remembered. “So, in the woods, behind my house? There’s a griffin.”

That was how these guys talked, Eric and Dash, and Jackson and all of them. They just started right in with anything that happened to them like it was something they’d just now found in their pocket: “I smoked the fattest fucking blunt yesterday… you guys should see the lazer tag arena I built in back of my dad’s house… you know I already got my pilot’s license? I don’t even need to learn to drive.” And then they’d smash a cigarette under the toe of their shoe, waiting to be challenged.

(Continue Reading…)

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PodCastle Miniature 86: The Wedding of Snow, Earth, and Salt

Show Notes

Rated G

With a special full cast reading. Happy New Year!

Wilson Fowlie as the Narrator

Graeme Dunlop as the North Wind

Jennifer Albert as Snow

Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali as the East Wind

Arun Jiwa as Earth

Peter Wood as Salt

Rachael K. Jones as the West Wind


The Wedding of Snow, Earth, and Salt

by Kate Heartfield

The North Wind raised his glass, a tall flute clouded with cold, filled with thick yellow wine so sweet it stung the tongue. All the guests raised their glasses and waited through the speech, which was a warning.

“What is done, undoes. You will not leave here as you came.”

All the guests drank, and their eyes opened wide as the ice wine coated their throats.