Variant Frequencies

The Podagogue: review of The Failed Cities Monologues

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:31:31 +0000

There is a really great review of The Failed Cities Monologues on The Podagogue right now.

Check it out, and tell him what you thought of the review!

http://podagogue.blogspot.com/2009/07/podcast-novel-review-failed-cities.html

Title Fight: Round #4

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:07:11 +0000

Round #4 – Controversial GFA champion “The Heretic” Chaiyal North is facing the firing squad as he goes before the Galactic Fighting Council. The fate of his newly-won title hangs in the balance. And whatever their decision, it’s going to be a wild night in the heart of Ionath City. Booze will flow, fists will fly, and we may even run across some old friends, and enemies, from THE ROOKIE.
***
Written by Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
Narrated by Scott Sigler

TITLE FIGHT: Round #4
Copyright 2009 Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
http://www.scottsigler.com
http://www.matt-wallace.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Fuel Pressure

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:51 +0000

When the world is about to be destroyed who finally decides who lives… and who dies.
***
Written by Dennis Egan
Narrated by Rick Stringer

Promos
The Leviathan Chronicles
http://www.leviathanchronicles.com/

Hazy Days and Cloudy Nights
http://www.hazydaysandcloudynights.com/

XDM
http://www.xtremedungeonmastery.com/

Fuel Pressure
Copyright 2009 Dennis Egan
http://thehopefullscrivener.wordpress.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Title Fight: Round #3

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:00:45 +0000

Round #3 – Warriors are expendable. Quyth legend Korak the Cutter has been called out by “The Heretic” Chaiyal North, the 6′ 9″, 400 pound newly-crowned champion of the Galactic Fighting Association. Will he accept the challenge?
***
Written by Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
Narrated by Scott Sigler

TITLE FIGHT: Round #3
Copyright 2009 Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
http://www.scottsigler.com
http://www.matt-wallace.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Personal Effects: Dark Art

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:00:34 +0000

J.C. Hutchins’ ground breaking novel is out today. This is more than just a novel, it is an experience.

Nina Kimberly The Merciless

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:59:28 +0000

She’s on a mission… To kill the man who loves her… Why?

Because he’s an idiot.

Nina Kimberly the Merciless is a comic fantasy novel about the teenage daughter of a fearsome barbarian conqueror, originally produced in 2006 as a free podcast audiobook. The podcast attracted an audience of more than 10,000 listeners, and as a result, has been released by Dragon Moon Press!

A PDF of the novel awaits your perusal below. Take a peek. Enjoy the story risk-free. If you dig it, buy, buy, buy, BUY a copy of Christiana Ellis’ Nina Kimberly the Merciless RIGHT NOW and help her novel scream up the Amazon charts! Support this brilliant author, and make a positive impact!

Free and complete, this pdf version of Nina Kimberly the Merciless is for sharing with friends. Spread it around to all and sundry to promote the glory that is Nina Kimberly the Merciless!

Penny Ante

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:50:00 +0000

It’s just a friendly, low stakes game of five card draw. Sure, it’s a weird place for poker, but don’t let that bother you. We don’t bet much because we don’t have much. We’re a little picky about who we let sit in, but it looks like you’ll meet the qualifications, and we need some new blood in the game. You in?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Ian Jones

Promos
The Parsec Awards
http://www.parsecawards.com

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood
http://www.jchutchins.net/

How To Grow Your Geek
http://www.howtogrowyourgeek.net

The Geekcast
http://www.geekcastonline.com

Penny Ante
Copyright 2009 Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

TITLE FIGHT: Round #2

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 09 May 2009 17:24:38 +0000

Round #2 – Meet “The Heretic” Chaiyal North, the 6′ 9″, 400 pound newly-crowned champion of the Galactic Fighting Association. Chai is the first Human competitor to capture the interspecies title in a thousand years, but as far as he’s concerned crowns don’t make kings. Chai may be sitting at the top of the GFA heap, but to truly call himself the best there’s one more fighter he must face on the field of battle – Quyth legend Korak the Cutter.
***
Written by Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
Narrated by Matt Wallace

TITLE FIGHT: Round #2
Copyright 2009 Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
http://www.scottsigler.com
http://www.matt-wallace.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

StarShipSofa Aural Delights

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:08:01 +0000

I narrated “Aerophelia” by Tobias Buckell. It was a fun story to do, and StarShipSofa is doing a fantastic job with their stories. Check it out at: http://www.starshipsofa.com.

Jack Wakes Up

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:03:51 +0000

In the three years since Jack Palms went clean: no drugs, no drinking, no life, he’s added fourteen pounds of muscle, read 83 books, and played it as straight as anyone can ask him. Now, when an old friend from L.A. calls, he hits the streets of San Francisco to help a group of Czech drug buyers make one big score, a single drug deal that he hopes will set him up for life.

But when people start turning up dead, and an old nemesis on the policeforce calls, Jack finds himself with just 24 hours to track down San Francisco’s biggest drug supplier or face charges that will put him behind bars.

Only an Oscar-caliber performance will get him through this alive.

***
Written and narrated by Seth Harwood

Jack Wakes Up
Copyright 2009 Seth Harwood
http://www.sethharwood.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Parsec Awards 2009

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:59:08 +0000

The Parsec Awards are now open for submissions for 2009. As you all know, Variant Frequencies has done well at the Parsec Awards. We don’t know if we can win an unprecedented fourth year in a row, but that sure would be nice.

Here is a list of our episodes that qualify for Best Speculative Fiction Story (Short Form).

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals
Grounders
The Destruction of Sennacherib
Queue
All The Time
Under The Bridge Downtown
Best In Class
Creature of God
Gill Bando
Prisoners
Under The Bed

For Best Speculative Fiction Story (novella)
The End of Flesh

Finally, you certainly could nominate us for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast.

We hope that you have enjoyed Variant Frequencies enough to nominate us again for the Parsec Awards. It has been an honor to be part of it for the past three years. So, if you think we deserve it, please go to http://parsecawards.com/submission and tell them what you think about us.

Thank you from everyone at Variant Frequencies.

UPDATE: Variant Frequencies has been nominated by a few people now. Thank you to those that have nominated us. If you want to nominate a specific story, then go to this page: http://www.parsecawards.com/node/618. Then add a comment that tells them the exact story that you want to nominate.

How To Grow Your Geek

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:13:00 +0000

If you want to listen to a different type of interview, go to “How To Grow Your Geek” http://www.howtogrowyourgeek.net/. Susie interviewed me about being a geeky parent. It was a fun interview, and we even talked about the podcast some.

I had a great time. Thank you Susie!

TITLE FIGHT: Round #1

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:30:11 +0000

Round one of the big smackdown in the “Rookie” universe.
***
Written by Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
Narrated by Scott Sigler

TITLE FIGHT: Round #1
Copyright 2009 Scott Sigler and Matt Wallace
http://www.scottsigler.com
http://www.matt-wallace.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

VF_Ep085_TitleFight01-042409.mp3
VF085: TITLE FIGHT: Round #1

The Last Kayfabe

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:13:57 +0000

This is a special joint podcast with Seth Harwood’s Crime Wav.
***
Written by Ray Banks
Narrated by Sean “Dogg” Robertson

Promos
Seth Harwood’s Crime Wav
http://www.crimewave.com

Kronos
http://www.jeremyrobinsononline.com/

Technorama
http://www.chuckchat.com

Well Told Tales
http://www.welltoldtales.com

Penguicon 2009
http://www.penguicon.org

The Last Kayfabe
Copyright 2009 Ray Banks
http://www.thesaturdayboy.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Full Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts!

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:56:31 +0000

Mark your calendars! On May 14th, 2009 you will be able to get your hands on a new anthology, “Full Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts,” edited by Dayton Ward. The part that really has us excited is that it contains a story by Anne Stringer and Jason McDowell.

The book is edited by Dayton Ward, best known for his Star Trek novels. He also wrote one of the stories.

Anne and Jason wrote a story called “Flashback.” You all know how good Anne’s writing is. Jason is a terrific writer, and has real war experience from his tour in Iraq. They came up with a piece about a former soldier who goes on the run for murder, and winds up in a mercenary team on a far distant colony planet. They were happy with how it turned out, and apparently so was Mr. Ward.

Anne has written many of our stories here on Variant Frequencies, and Jason wrote the Parsec Award nominated “Sacrifice.”

Here is the full list of authors and their stories in the book:

Derek Tyler Attico, “Blowback”

Robin Wayne Bailey, “Shin-Gi-Tai”

Kirsten Beyer, “Widow’s Weeds”

David Boop, “The Thing With Private Leon’s Face”

John Coffren, “Across the Endless Sea”

Jeff D. Jacques, “Rush”

Jean Johnson, “It’s Not a Game”

Alan L. Lickiss, “Granny’s Grunts”

Julie McGalliard, “98 Hill”

Nayad A. Monroe, “An Assessment of the Incident At Camp Righteous”

Scott Pearson, “Finders Keepers”

Irene Radford, “Price of Command”

Selina Rosen, “Unchained”

Bradley H. Sinor and Susan P. Sinor, “Who Stand and Wait”

Anne Stringer and Jason McDowell, “Flashback”

James Swallow, “Target Market”

Geoffrey Thorne, “Truth Metric”

Dayton Ward, “A Fresh Perspective”

Under The Bed

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:41:39 +0000

Bad Dreams. Shadows on the wall. Things that go bump in the night. Something lurks in the darkness to whisper things no child should hear. To remind young minds of things no child should remember. And to feed. It waits, hungry but patient, in the blackness under the bed.
***
Written by Michael Natale
Narrated by Michael A. Stackpole

Promos
Ad Astral
http://www.adastralpodcast.com

Fortress Draconis
http://www.stormwolf.com

Under The Bed
Copyright 2009 Michael Natale
http://www.seewhatsinmybrain.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Remember Joe 2009

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:00:40 +0000

No matter how crazy the time or the schedules in life get, we make time to remember; and on April 1st, Jack and I are asking that you remember our fallen friend, Joe Murphy.

For those of you new to podcasting, you might have missed the audio wit and always-clever banter of my friend, Joe Murphy. He was (and still is) an amazing guy, his voice now part of the history of such podcasts, as Wingin’ It, Slice of SciFi, The Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, and the award-winning The Case of the Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. He was taken from us too soon, and on April 1 we remember him.

Please, syndicate this podcast through your feeds, blog about Joe, tell a friend today about Joe Murphy, show your support in an avatar change, and let your subscribers know that you also remember Joe.

Prisoners

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:24:47 +0000

A few weeks from retirement, a scientist looks back at her wasted life with regret. Now, at the end of her career, she is offered a chance to make a real difference to someone. But she’s been safely sheltered for so long… will she take the risk of a lifetime?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Marilyn Taylor

Promos
J.C. Hutchins’ The Brink
http://jchutchins.net/site/the-brink/

Angel Between the Line Auditions
http://www.angelbetweenthelines.com

Balticon 43
http://balticon.org/

Prisoners
Copyright 2009 Anne Stringer

The Amarant Collection
Copyright 2009 Anne Stringer and Rick Stringer

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Gill Bando

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:48:57 +0000

Not one of the assorted politically motivated killers in this bar knows they’re about to die. But that’s the thing about suicide bombers: you never see them coming.
***
Written D. M. Moehrle
Narrated by Jan Dalton

Promos
Cybrosis
http://www.cybrosisnovel.com/

Balticon 43
http://balticon.org/

Gill Bando
Copyright 2009 D. M. Moehrle

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Well Told Tales: I Killed Awesome Man

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 16:43:05 +0000

Well Told Tales has a fun series that they have been running called “I Killed Awesome Man.” I’m a guest voice in episode 5. http://welltoldtales.com/2009/02/05/i-killed-awesomeman-episode-5/

“I Killed Awesome Man” is written and produced by Finn Colgan. It is the story a mild-mannered comic book shop clerk who accidentally kills his favorite superhero… then must assume his identity to save the world.

It is a fun story in the style of an old-time pulp serial. Check it out, it is a lot of fun.

Visit www.ikilledawesomeman.com for more information.

Creature of God

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:38:39 +0000

A botched deal. A quietly menacing, unholy, fatherly crime boss. A waking nightmare of small-time criminals, gothic bars, and neon churches. Johnny finds himself immersed in a dark, sinister underworld, struggling desperately to hold on as his humanity slips away.
***
Written by Jack Mangan
Voices: Heather Welliver, Kreg Steppe, John Cmar, Matt Wallace, J.C. Hutchins, Chris Lester, Seth Harwood, Neil Stringer, Scott Sigler, and Rick Stringer

Promos
CrimeWAV
http://www.crimewave.com

Adventures in SciFi Publishing
http://www.adventuresinscifipublishing.com

JT’s Indie Christian Music
http://www.jtindie.com

Creature of God
Copyright 2009 Jack Mangan
http://www.jackmangan.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2009 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals Artwork Shortlisted for Award

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:32:20 +0000

The cover art for Saint Darwin’s Spirituals by D.K. Thompson has been shortlisted for the BSFA Best Art Award. The artwork by Vincent Chong was commissioned by Murky Depths for their fourth issue. Vincent and Murky Depths were both kind enough to let us use the artwork for our podcast version of the story which was released at the same time. We are excited for Vincent, and wish him the best of luck.

The End of Flesh - Part Four

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:03:49 +0000

A trail of shed blood and sacrificed flesh, a pound of it his own, has led Detective Jon “Busboy” Pacson to the doorstep of a newer and even more terrifying secret kept by the carrion underground of the future. And the final answer lies Under the Dutchman . . .
***
Written and narrated by Matt Wallace

Promos
The Next Fix
http://tinyurl.com/TheNexFix

The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-failed-cities-monologues/

The End of Flesh
Copyright 2008 Matt Wallace
http://matt-wallace.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The End of Flesh - Part Three

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:19:37 +0000

After a shoot-out and a close encounter with a butcher knife Pacs has a new clue, but it will take him into the deepest, darkest heart of the carrion underworld: NecroPhasiac. Will you follow?
***
Written and narrated by Matt Wallace

Promos
The Next Fix
http://tinyurl.com/TheNexFix

Playing For Keeps
http://www.playingforkeepsnovel.com/

The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-failed-cities-monologues/

The End of Flesh
Copyright 2008 Matt Wallace
http://matt-wallace.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The End of Flesh - Part Two

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:58:24 +0000

Pacs has been put on the trail of cannibal killers who’ve claimed a high-profile victim: the son of a controversial city councilman. His investigation brings “Busboy” face-to-face with Rosalie Barello, sister to the deceased. Beautiful and enigmatic, will she prove to be his strongest ally . . . or his prime suspect?
***
Written and narrated by Matt Wallace

Promos
The Next Fix
http://tinyurl.com/TheNexFix

Playing For Keeps
http://www.playingforkeepsnovel.com/

Scott Sigler’s “Contagious”
http://www.scottsigler.com

The End of Flesh
Copyright 2008 Matt Wallace
http://matt-wallace.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

VF_Ep077_EoF02-121308.mp3
VF077: The End of Flesh - Part Two

The End of Flesh - Part One

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 15:06:24 +0000

Meet New York City Police Detective Jon “Busboy” Pacs. Pacs walks a secret beat that takes him through the dirty underground of what may be Humanity’s last taboo. But even in the starved and not-so-distant future, the final taboo is still all about flesh . . .
***
Written and narrated by Matt Wallace

Promos
The Next Fix
http://tinyurl.com/TheNexFix

Playing For Keeps
http://www.playingforkeepsnovel.com/

Two-Minute Danger Theater
http://www.twistedmojo.com/

The End of Flesh
Copyright 2008 Matt Wallace
http://matt-wallace.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The “End…”

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:04:01 +0000

is near!

12.06.2008

Best In Class

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:00:28 +0000

700 horsepower. Leather. Fusion-based drive system. And good intentions.
***
Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie
Narration by Chuck Tomasi
Artwork by Paul Drummond

Promos
Technorama
http://www.chuckchat.com

Dragon Page With Class
http://www.dragonpage.com

Dunesteef
http://www.dunesteef.com

The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-failed-cities-monologues/

Murky Depths
http://www.murkydepths.com

Paul Drummond
http://www.pauldrummond.co.uk

Best In Class
Copyright 2008 Jonathan C. Gillespie
http://jonathancg.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Get Out and Bloat

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:47:09 +0000

One of our favorite authors, Jonathan Gillespie, has posted a fun Halloween story on his blog. It is also timely for the elections. Jonathan is an excellent writer, and you will see more from him here on Variant Frequencies very soon.

Get Out and Bloat

Under The Bridge Downtown

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:38:03 +0000

The worst part about his daughter’s death wasn’t the terror of seeing half a ton of concrete separate from a bridge and smash through their windshield. It wasn’t even the deafening crunch when the fragment pulped Jessie’s head and sent her blood splattering over his cheek. It was his initial reaction once the shock wore off.
***
Written by Gary A. Braunbeck and Matthew Warner
Narration by Matthew Warner

Music
Digital Juice
http://www.digitaljuice.com

Promos
The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-failed-cities-monologues/

Moon Wraith
http://www.curiousecho.org/wordpress/category/moon-wraith/

Under the Bridge Downtown
Copyright 2008 Gary A. Braunbeck and Matthew Warner
http://www.garybraunbeck.com
http://www.matthewwarner.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Maidenhead to be adapted to short film

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:41:09 +0000

Matt Wallace’s flash fiction piece “Maidenhead” is being adapted to film by Julian Grant, who is the producer/director of RoboCop: Prime Directives.

“Maidenhead” originally appeared on DZ Allen’s Muzzle Flash before running in the pages of Out of the Gutter. The story was part of a flash fiction series here on Variant Frequencies in April of 2007.

All The Time

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:04:16 +0000

The watchmaker’s shop is filled with timepieces of all kinds, from the majestic grandfather clock to the most delicate pocketwatch: all the time in the world. But it’s not the many clocks adorning the walls that give him eternity. Or is it?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narration by Marck Pearlstone

Music
Digital Juice
http://www.digitaljuice.com

Sound Effects
SoundSnap
http://www.soundsnap.com

Promos
The Unbelievable Origin of Superspiff and the Toothpick Kid
http://dk-thompson.com/

I Killed AwesomeMan
http://ikilledawesomeman.com/

Young Junius
http://sethharwood.com

Arise Fundraiser
http://arisebiology.chipin.com/2008-09-biology-class

All The Time
Copyright 2008 Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Rick on Pseudopod

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:08:19 +0000

The latest Pseudopod story, “Front Row Seats” by Scott William Carter, features Rick Stringer as the narrator. We thing Variant Frequencies fans will like this story.

FRONT ROW SEATS by Scott William Carter

Daniel lingered in his cramped office at the University of Minnesota long after the other professors in the Math department called it a day. He was still there when all the lights under all the doors winked out and the parking lot outside his window was a bleak, snow-draped emptiness. He was at his desk when old Cal Thomas from Geography shuffled past, taking his incessant coughing with him. He stayed until the equations on shifted lattices turned to squirrelly nonsense, lines and squiggles on ruled pages, until finally he felt the thing creep into his thoughts, that black starfish wrapping its prickly limbs around whatever memories he chose to dwell upon, making his ears ring and his eyes water.

All Good Things…

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:20:16 +0000

Recently, our friends Chuck and Kreg from Technorama went on a behind the scenes tour of The Star Trek Experience.

Here is what they had to say on their site, and a link to their show:

While Chuck and I were in Last Vegas for the New Media Expo 2008, we knew that we had to make a special stop while we were there..The Star Trek Experience.

For 10 years The Star Trek Experience located at the Las Vegas Hilton has been captivating trekkers/trekkies with an immersive world that literally drops you from one reality into another walking down corridors and right onto the bridge of the enterprise. Well the time has come for it to move along, but before that happened Chuck and I had the opportunity to take the ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour and take you along with us.

If you are a Star Trek fan, then it is well worth checking out.

Part One:
http://www.chuckchat.com/technorama/?p=835

Part Two:
http://www.chuckchat.com/technorama/?p=842

Best Magazine or Anthology Podcast!

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 10:47:13 +0000

For the third year in a row, Variant Frequencies has won a Parsec Award! We won in the new category, “Best Magazine or Anthology Podcast.” We are thrilled and amazed that we have won again. It is such an honor to win a Parsec Award. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to Variant Frequencies. We also want to thank the Parsec Steering Committee for all of their hard work in putting together a fantastic ceremony.

A Double Dose of Matt Wallace

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:41:11 +0000

I don’t know if the world is ready for this one. Our two-time Parsec Award winner, Matt Wallace, (he is a finalist again this year), on both “Playing for Keeps - Stories of the Third Wave” by Mur Lafferty and J.C. Hutchin’s “7th Son Obsidian”.

Here is the scoop from both of their sites!

Stories of the Third Wave #16 - Pallas and Stan

I have been excited about this one for a while. Many months ago, Matt Wallace approached me to write the history of Seventh City’s most famous hero and villain, and the birth of the Academy. We talked at length about what I had in my story bible, and Matt created this fabulous epic out of it. It’s long, but so worth it. Matt, author of The Next Fix, is a fine author and a good friend. (and we share a birthday, so he’s got to be good people)

But he is my nemesis and someday I will destroy him. Just not today.

OBSIDIAN: Episode 20

August 25, 2008

The black … is back.

Today marks the debut of the second half of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, and it’s a frickin’ doozy thanks to this week’s powerhouse author. (If you’re dying to know why OBSIDIAN was on hiatus, listen to the intro of the most recent UltraCreatives interview with author/podcaster Mur Lafferty.)

Meet Matt Wallace. He’s as tall as a tree and as dangerous as Killdozer — because Everyone Knows a Machine Cannot Kill. Except the Machine. Ferociously talented, Matt is a Parsec Award-winning author — whose short story Delve is nominated for a 2008 Parsec for short story — and is best known in the podcasting community for The Failed Cities Monologues and countless contributions to the exceptional short story podcast, Variant Frequencies.

Matt is also a screenwriter, and is currently working on several short- and long-form fiction projects. His short story anthology The Next Fix, published by APEX Publications, is currently available for purchase. Try Amazon.com. It will make your head explode.

This week, Matt Wallace brings us Receiver. In addition to being a perfect representation of his gritty, kick-you-in-the-balls, tear-out-your-jugular prose, Receiver is also the first full-length short story that Matt Wallace has read in podcasting. The audio was produced by Rick Stringer, creator of the Variant Frequencies podcast. Learn more about Matt’s work at Matt-Wallace.net, and find Variant Frequencies at VariantFrequencies.com.

Queue

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:28:11 +0000

Waiting in line is an unfortunate reality in modern life. When Frank McMurtry finds himself in a mysterious line with an eclectic group of strangers, he doesn’t want to be there…but is it better to stay, or walk away?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narration by Rick Stringer

Promos
Zombinc (The Takeover)
http://zombinc.net/

New World Order
http://www.edwardgtalbot.com

Queue
Copyright 2008 Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Cut Man

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:25:13 +0000

Every fighter needs a Cut Man in their corner.

This is a special simulcast episode with Seth Harwood’s CrimeWAV, the first series of crime story podcasts on the web. Featuring some of your favorite crime authors in the coming weeks and months and posting a new episode every week.

***
Written by Christa Faust
Hosted by Seth Harwood

CrimeWAV
http://crimewav.com

Cut Man
Copyright 2008 Christa Faust
http://christafaust.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Destruction of Sennacherib

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:07:22 +0000

19th century London. A place and a history much like the one we know, and yet changed. As a separist army stands poised for war, two words will determine just how far its course will deviate. Lethal Configuration. It’s the key to saving an empire . . . or annihilating one.

***
Written by Bryn Sparks
Narration by Marck Pearlstone and Ali Groves

Music
Abney Park
http://www.abneypark.com

Laura’s MIDI Heaven
http://www.laurasmidiheaven.com/

Promos
Brave Men Run
http://www.mattselznick.com/

Staked
http://www.authoratlarge.com/

Brains Matter
http://www.brainsmatter.com/

Requiem of the Outcast
http://www.requiemoftheoutcast.com/

The Destruction of Sennacherib
Copyright 2008 Bryn Sparks
http://bastinadoes.blogspot.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Tea and Chat

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:58:26 +0000

Anne and I had a wonderful time talking with Stephen Kilbride, the host of the excellent Tea and Chat podcast. So, you want to know more about how we started Variant Frequencies? Here is your chance. If you liked it, please let Steve know.

Also, if you haven’t heard it yet, Steve recently interviewed Matt Wallace.

Adventures in Scifi Publishing

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:22:59 +0000

Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty are guests on Adventures in SciFi Publishing. Shaun Farrell does a great job interviewing both of them. If you are a Matt Wallace or Mur Lafferty fan, then you will want to check out this podcast.

Even if you have heard other interviews with Matt and Mur, you will learn new things about both of them.

Hypericon 4

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:55:38 +0000

Hypericon is returning to Nashville, Tennessee June 27-29, 2008. Hypericon is a speculative fiction convention celebrating science fiction, horror, fantasy, literature, arts, and media. Variant Frequencies will be represented by both Matt Wallace and Anne Stringer. They both are participating in panels. If you are going to be near Nashville that weekend, stop in and meet Matt and Anne. They both would love to talk to some of our listeners.

More Deck Gibson

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 02:16:28 +0000

Deck Gibson: Far Reach Commander is back on Decoder Ring Theatre. They are running the second of six new episodes, Deck Gibson and Two Days on the Tundra of Terror by Matt Wallace.

Here is the description from their site:

Responding to a faint distress call brings Deck to a frozen wasteland of a planet. With bone-chilling temperatures and blinding blizzards, surely nothing could have survived in such an environment… Or could it? Isoloated from the Far Reach One, far from help, far from hope, Deck will find the answer to this and more questions during… Two Days on the Tundra of Terror!

As always, this is another great production by our friends at Decoder Ring Theatre. The Deck Gibson stories are a great example of Matt Wallace’s diversity. They are very different from the type of work you have heard by Matt here on Variant Frequencies. The series is old style pulp science fiction tales.

Latchkeepers Act Two

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:20:45 +0000

Alright, Matt Wallace fans. Just in case you have been living under a rock, Act Two of Latchkeepers is now on Stranger Things. I just watched it. You have to see it. Earl Newton and his crew have put together as good of a production as anything you will see on TV. Oh, that’s right, soon you will be able to see Stranger Things on TV. This thing totally ROCKS!

If you haven’t seen Act One of Latchkeepers, then you need to go here NOW!

The Next Fix Fan Art

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:19:12 +0000

This is just too well done to ignore. One of Matt Wallace’s fans created some historical images for The Next Fix. This stuff is very cool. Go check out Matt’s blog to see them. (Warning, for those few of you who don’t know Matt Wallace. His blog is not for the easily offended.)

Grounders

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:12:53 +0000

Closing time. Game over. But some people think it’s more than a game. Some people don’t want to go home. They don’t have to, but they can’t stay here. Because you stay too long down here, they send the Grounders.

***
Written by Jonathan McGoran
Narration by Thomas “cmdln” Gideon

Promos
Nobilis Erotica
http://nobilis.libsyn.com/

7th Son Obsidian
http://jchutchins.net

Notes From the Vault
http://www.crescentstation.net/

Tale Chasing
http://www.talechasing.com/

The Command Line
http://thecommandline.net/

The Parsec Awards
http://www.parsecawards.com/

Grounders
Copyright 2008 Jonathan McGoran
http://www.jmcgoran.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

7th Son OBSIDIAN Poster

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:00:30 +0000

Posters

By Executive Order 12919: Martial Law is in effect for the United States and its territories… Stay in your homes… Your government is in control…

Bring a piece of the nationwide 7th Son: OBSIDIAN blackout into your world with these fourteen collectible propaganda posters! These high-resolution printable posters — which would appear in the 7th Son Universe during the blackout — reveal the horrifying circumstances in the U.S. during OBSIDIAN. Martial law has been declared. Looting is rampant. Chaos reigns. (Newcomers: subscribe to the OBSIDIAN podcast by clicking here, or catch up with the story by subscribing to the 7th Son podcast novel trilogy legacy feed.)

Only one of these posters will be available for download at JCHutchins.net during the OBSIDIAN event. The rest roll out exclusively on thirteen other websites. Each site will feature one poster design only. To collect them all, you must visit all thirteen sites.

During your quest to obtain all fourteen unique posters, you’ll be exposed to incredible storytellers and resources. These thirteen participating sites feature world-class fiction, sci-fi and gaming news, reviews and music. They’re the very best sources of online entertainment for 7th Son fans, and J.C. Hutchins endorses them as “must subscribe” content.

Which sites are participating in the OBSIDIAN propaganda poster evert?

* Science-fiction news blog io9.com
* Sci-fi book interview/review site and podcast Dragon Page Cover to Cover
* Video game news/review site and podcast Sarcastic Gamer
* Indie rock showcase podcast Accident Hash
* Science fiction podcast magazine Escape Pod
* Sci-fi short story podcast Variant Frequencies
* Website of New York Times bestselling novelist Michael A. Stackpole
* Website of bestselling novelist Scott Sigler
* Website of award-winning novelist Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
* Website of award-winning novelist Mur Lafferty
* Website of award-nominated novelist Christiana Ellis
* Website of award-nominated novelist Tee Morris
* Website of author, podcaster and musician Matthew Wayne Selznick

Which posters appear on what website? Ahh, that’s a secret. On Tuesday, May 20, all participating sites will release their posters into the wild.

While you can visit those sites on that day (or after) to download each poster manually, J.C. Hutchins recommends that you subscribe to these sites’ RSS/podcast feeds NOW. That way, and you can immediately enjoy the free killer content these sites provide, and know that their posters will automatically appear in your RSS reader or podcatcher on May 20.

It’s part scavenger hunt, part “collect them all” trading card concept, part cross-promotion. So download all fourteen posters, expose yourself to some of the best entertainment on the web … and of course, print the posters and display them proudly for all your friends and coworkers to see!

Spread the word. OBSIDIAN drops May 31st. When the power fails … chaos reigns.

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 10 May 2008 06:00:28 +0000

Ghost inspectors and golems patrol the streets of Whitechapel. Prostitutes turn tricks for the fever-dream flesh lusts of the spiritual. And the statue of Saint Darwin, the scientist who broke the barrier between the natural and the supernatural, oversees it all. Now a disciple of Darwin - a woman of skin and bone - follows a trail of blood and corpses over cobblestone streets, hoping to unravel the devastating mystery of her own life.
***
Written by D.K. Thompson
Narration by Rick Stringer, Ali Groves, Dani Cutler, Maia Whitaker, and Anne Stringer
Music by Abney Park
Artwork by Vincent Chong commissioned by Murky Depths
Print version on Murky Depths

Promo
Matt Wallace’s The Next Fix
http://www.thenextfix.net/

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals
Copyright 2008 D.K. Thompson
http://krylyr.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Young Junius

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:00:32 +0000

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

Promo
Jack Wakes Up
http://sethharwood.com

Matt Wallace’s The Next Fix
http://www.thenextfix.net/

Basil Sands’ 65 Below
http://www.basilsands.com

Music - The Podsafe Music Network
http://podsafemusicnetwork.com/

Young Junius
Copyright 2008 Seth Harwood
http://sethharwood.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Help Sigler

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:40:41 +0000

Our friends J.C. Hutchins and Seth Harwood put together this audio file specifically for the Variant Frequencies listeners. They are trying to help Scott Sigler make it onto the New York Times Best Seller List. The thought behind this push is that if we can get Scott Sigler’s Infected onto the NY Times list, then that is going to help all fiction podcasters.

Scott Sigler

Infected

Tex’s Last Run

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:21:36 +0000

Savage circumstances can make for strange allies. And sometimes, those allies shouldn’t exist.
***
Written by Jonathan C. Gillespie
Narrated by Rick Stringer, P.G. Holyfield, and Anne Stringer

Promo
Murder at Avedon Hill
http://pgholyfield.com/maah/

Matt Wallace’s The Next Fix
http://www.thenextfix.net/

Tex’s Last Run
Copyright 2008 Jonathan C. Gillespie
http://jonathancg.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

NOTE: There was an error found in the audio file. A new one has been uploaded. If you were one of the first 690 people to download the file, you may want to listen again. Thanks! Rick

Birth and Death

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 23:39:33 +0000

Birth rules the life of a midwife, but she has also seen plenty of death. When she realizes she is immortal, birth and death begin to look the same. She knows that any new baby she helps bring into the world will die, in time. But she learns to look beyond the spectre of death when she sees the look of bliss on a new mother’s face and gains the wisdom to live in the moment.
***
Written and narrated by Anne Stringer

Cello music by Christine Williams

Promo
Scott Sigler’s Infected
http://scottsigler.com/
http://infectednovel.com/

Seth Harwood’s Jack Wakes Up
http://sethharwood.com/jackwakesup.htm

Matt Wallace’s The Next Fix
http://www.thenextfix.net/

Technorama
http://www.chuckchat.com/technorama/

Birth and Death
Copyright 2008 Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Next Fix - PRE-ORDER!

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:00:12 +0000

Only one drug can bring the visceral and the sublime together in a single trip, where the best and the worst of human drives boil down into a tech-noir concoction that’s part street-level heaven and part the fiery beauty of hell. Consider these pages a controlled substance.

Kick back to the strains of Earth’s last Top 40 as the final human DJ sends a shout out over “The Last Frequency.” Step into the hard-boiled beauty of “The Losting Corridor,” where that which once escaped a man is met again. Sink into the visceral embrace of fear when a claustrophobic metal shop teacher finds himself trapped in an MRI machine surrounded by ancient evil in “Killing Jars,” or take your ancient evil with a comedic chaser as a hitwoman is hired to rid her old Catholic high school of a janitor who is up to some “Old Tricks.”

Take a hit off twelve short stories and one novella from two-time Parsec Award-winning author Matt Wallace. Get ready for The Next Fix.
***
Apex Book Company
http://www.apexbookcompany.com
(for pre-orders. It will be on Amazon once it’s out)

TheNextFix.net
http://www.thenextfix.net

The Next Fix
Copyright 2008 Matt Wallace
http://matt-wallace.net/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Murphy’s War

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:36:23 +0000

The Human race has been asking itself “How will it all end?” practically since it all began. But even as our illustrious leaders order the buttons to be pressed for the Big One, the computers entrusted to carry out the apocalypse seem determined to keep us wondering.
***
Written by James P. Hogan
Narrated by TD-0013

Promo
A Different Point of View
http://www.adpov.net/

Jack Palms Crime
http://www.sethharwood.com

Nocturnal
http://scottsigler.net

UltraCreatives Interviews
http://jchutchins.net

Murphy’s War
Copyright 2008 James P. Hogan
http://www.jamesphogan.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Well Told Tales

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:23:12 +0000

You can catch Rick Stringer reading on Well Told Tales. The story is Fat Larry’s Night with the Alligator’s by Ken Goldman. The story has mobsters and alligators. What more can you ask?

Well Told Tales has original sci-fi, horror and hardboiled genres twice a month. Check them out, they do a great job.

Hit Me (complete story)

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:31:28 +0000

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

Promo
Tag In the Seam
http://tagintheseam.com/

Hit Me
Copyright 2008 Christa Faust
http://www.christafaust.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Tattered Souls on Amazon

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:45:15 +0000

The anthology from Cutting Block Press, Tattered Souls, is now on Amazon. Tattered Souls includes The End of Flesh by Matt Wallace. The End of Flesh first appeared on Variant Frequencies as Children of the Androphagi.

The are a couple of reviews on Amazon. Check out this clip from one:

The absolute winner, however, is The End of Flesh, by Matt Wallace, a dark, dystopic science fiction story that just might rock your world. This revelatory novella could and should be expanded into a full novel. Drool and The End of All Flesh are worth the price alone, but all the stories should provide an enjoyable read. –Monstor Librarian

Tattered Souls is selling for $16.95. It is well worth the price.

Sci Phi Journal

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:45:00 +0000

Still want more of Matt Wallace’s writing? How about more reading by Rick Stringer? Our friends at Sci Phi - The Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy have that and more for you. Issue #1 of Sci Phi is available from their site for $7 for the download version or $13 for the print version.

How is this for a great lineup?

Editorial
What is Sci Phi? By Jason Rennie
Irwin Goes to Hell By Jason Pomerantz
The Oracle in the Red Limousine by Geoffrey Maloney
Requiem for a Harlequin: Two Perspectives on Time, and a Celebration of Kairos, in Three Stories by Harlan Ellison by Michael Spence
You Pretty Thing by Lee Battersby (This is the story read by Rick Stringer)
Requiem for a Silent Planet by Stephen Dedman
The Big Questions Part 1 by Stephan Vladimir Bugaj and Ben Goertzel
A First Look at Lookism by Ryan Nichols
The Losting Corridor by Matt Wallace
Epilogue by Paul S. Jenkins

Spired

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:01:09 +0000

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

Links
Playing for Keeps
http://www.playingforkeepsnovel.com

Murder At Avedon Hill
http://pgholyfield.com/maah/

12 Volt Theater
http://www.12vtheater.com/

The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness
http://www.variantfrequencies.com/the-failed-cities-monologues/

Wander Radio
http://wanderradio.com/?p=73

Spired
Copyright 2008 Jonathan C. Gillespie
http://jonathancg.net

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2008 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Wander Radio

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:06:12 +0000

Recently, Anne and Rick had the pleasure of being interviewed by Wander Wolf for his podcast Wander Radio. We were honored to talk with him.

This is a rare opportunity to hear Anne talk about her craft, and you can hear some of the background of Variant Frequencies.

Check it out!

http://wanderradio.com/?p=73

Playing for Keeps

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:18:09 +0000

My print copy of Playing for Keeps by Mur Lafferty arrived today. What a great thing to come home from work to.

For that one person out there who doesn’t know, Playing for Keeps is Mur’s latest novel. She is currently in the process of podcasting it.

Here is the description from LULU.com:
Playing for Keeps tells the story of Keepsie Branson, a bar owner in the shining metropolis of Seventh City: birthplace of super powers. Keepsie and her friends live among egotistical heroes and manipulative villains, and manage to fall directly in the middle as people with powers, but who just aren’t strong enough to make a difference. Or that’s what they’ve been told. As the city begins to melt down, it’s hard to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad.

Mur has done a fantastic job with this book. I’m really enjoying the podcast. Now that I have the book, it is going to be hard not to skip ahead of the podcast.

The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:11:47 +0000

As a special gift to all our listeners this holiday season, Variant Frequencies is happy to present THE FAILED CITIES: HATH A DARKNESS, an exclusive 10,000-word eChapbook written by Matt Wallace and available as a free .PDF download.

As a black snowfall blankets the Failed Cities on Christmas Eve, the arrival of 99 mysterious steel chambers sets a series of far from blessed events in motion. Eight people become links in a deadly chain that will either tether innocent lives to safety or strangle any hope for their future. And as each part of the story unfolds, we learn that above all things, Christmas in the Failed Cities is a feverishly struck balance between the constant threat of violence and the
briefest, most bittersweet moments of joy.

We hope you enjoy this unique addition to the Failed Cities universe.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Variant Frequencies!

DIGG it!

Paid In Full

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:27:01 +0000

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

Promos
Technorama
http://www.chuckchat.com/technorama

Paid In Full
Copyright 2007 Anne Stringer
http://anne-stringer.livejournal.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Next Fix

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:32:39 +0000

For the first time ever, Variant Frequencies welcomes the voice of Matt Wallace to the podcast. Our own two-time Parsec Award winner has a special message and an important announcement for all of our listeners. But is the podosphere ready?

http://matt-wallace.net/
***
Promos
The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/the-failed-cities-monologues/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Mason’s Son

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:52:46 +0000

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

Promos
The Plitone Revisionist
http://www.paulsjenkins.net

The Mason’s Son
Copyright 2007 Dennis Egan

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Rut

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 01:42:24 +0000

Home to work. Work to home. Rinse, lather, repeat - for the rest of your life. For Thomas Crane, life had become just that: one monotonous day after another. Until one morning when he realized something had changed. Could he finally crawl out of the Rut his life had become, or was he simply doomed to repeat this dreary cycle forever?
***
Written by Michael Natale
Narrated by Michael R. Mennenga

Promos
The Zombie Channel
http://www.zombiechannel.com

Crescent
http://www.crescentstation.net

The Rut
Copyright 2007 Michael Natale
http://seewhatsinmybrain.blogspot.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Matt Wallace on Writers Talking

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:14:55 +0000

On Saturday, October 20th, Matt Wallace was a guest on Writers Talking. We thought you would enjoy hearing what Matt and Mark Leslie had to say about writing horror.

Two prolific independent horror authors discuss writing scary stories… how is the genre different from others? How do you frighten with the written word? Also — we’ll be giving away a prize package featuring works by the guests and host Matthew Wayne Selznick.

Matt Wallace
Mark Leslie

Jailhouse Rock - part two

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 11:36:24 +0000

This is part two of Jailhouse Rock by James P. Hogan.
High above the stormy southern hemisphere of Mars, a routine cargo transport has turned into a high-stakes standoff between Skyguard soldiers and vicious mercenaries turned thieves.
***
Written by James P. Hogan
Narrated by Rick Stringer
With Will Hoffacker, Phil Rossi, Jan Dalton, Jack Ward, Lonnie Ezell, Ciaran O’Carroll, Neil Stringer, and Nobilis

Promos
Jack Wakes Up
http://www.sethharwood.com

Nocturnal
http://www.scottsigler.com

Jailhouse Rock
Copyright 2007 James P. Hogan
http://www.jamesphogan.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Jailhouse Rock - part one

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:55:16 +0000

High above the stormy southern hemisphere of Mars, a routine cargo transport has turned into a high-stakes standoff between Skyguard soldiers and vicious mercenaries turned thieves.
***
Written by James P. Hogan
Narrated by Rick Stringer
With Will Hoffacker, Phil Rossi, Jan Dalton, Jack Ward, Lonnie Ezell, Ciaran O’Carroll, Neil Stringer, and Nobilis

Promos
Crescent
http://www.crescentstation.net

The Sonic Society
http://www.sonicsociety.org

Daughter of the Sun
http://www.lonnieezell.com

Starship Sofa
http://www.starshipsofa.com

Nobilis
http://www.nobiliserotica.com

Jailhouse Rock
Copyright 2007 James P. Hogan
http://www.jamesphogan.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Devil’s Kitchen Announcement

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:27:43 +0000

More news about Matt Wallace’s work!

Collaroy, NSW, Australia, October 1st, 2007 — Independent Australian production companies Thinktank Digital and Precision Pictures have announced a joint feature film project they hope to begin shooting in early 2008. The film, entitled DEVILS KITCHEN, will be a period horror/thriller based on the legendary journey of early 19th century Irish convict Alexander Pearce.

Pearce fled the notoriously hellish penal colony on Sarah Island in 1822 with seven other convicts. Recaptured alone over 100 days later, he told a story that has become the subject of books, documentaries, the stage, and made Pearce a controversial figure in Australian history and popular culture referenced in songs by such bands as Weddings Parties Anything and The Drones. Attempting to cross the hostile Tasmanian wilderness, the titular Devil’s Kitchen, Pearce and his cohorts were faced with nearly impassable terrain, harsh weather, and the threat of starvation. One by one, the escaped convicts killed and cannibalized each other until only Pearce remained.

Producer Robin Newell will also direct from a script co-written with multi-award winning author Matt Wallace. Newell, who’s been developing the project over a number of years, has directed and produced documentary programs in over 30 countries and received accolades that include the United Nations Documentary Film Award and the ATOM for Unique and Outstanding Production.

“This is a great story of survival - of the depth a man will go to survive,” Newell says of his dream project. “It is also a horror film. More shocking when you realise that this is a true story. The images we will re-create are real. These men really did embark on a perilous journey through some of the worlds most impenetrable terrain. They really did kill and eat each other along the way and Alexander Pearce really did come out the other side to tell his story. He was the first white man to travel from one side of Tasmania to the other. It is one of the greatest stories of survival, ever.”

Pearce’s tale is also the inspiration for new film DYING BREED starring SAW franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell. While DYING BREED, scheduled to be released next year, is said to be a contemporary take on the material, Newell and crew hope to tell a more factually based story.

DEVILS KITCHEN will be shot on-location in Tasmania with an estimated budget of $3 million AUD.

Feral Twins Super Fans!

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:15:29 +0000

At Dragon*Con 2007 we met two amazing fans of The Failed Cities Monologues. Those of you who go to Dragon*Con know that there are many people who show up there in costume. Well, these two people showed up dressed as Ferus and Fera, the Feral Twins, from The Failed Cities Monologues. Here are the photos.

http://www.variantfrequencies.com/FeralPhotos/

We are so honored that these two showed up at Dragon*Con in costumes from our story.

Slava and Julie as Ferus and Fera.

Also, take a look at Matt’s LiveJournal or MySpace pages.

Delve Poster

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:44:34 +0000

Variant Frequencies’ author Matt Wallace just keeps rolling along.

He was given permission to share this amazing mock-up Precision Pictures had done to promote Delve â€“ the feature film project they’re developing based on his short story of the same name. This is one of the ways they’re enticing the big studios to get behind the production.

It was created by master visual effects artist Ian Brown, the man responsible for those sweeping shots of turn-of-the-century Paris at the beginning of Moulin Rouge! and one of the many talented Aussie effects people who brought the Lord of the Rings trilogy to life.

Feel free to plaster this thing any and everywhere you can. The word is “buzz” and every little bit helps.

Way to go Matt!

Old Tricks

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:36:41 +0000

Satan has come to St. Jerome’s Catholic School for Girls, and only hitwoman Patricia Sharpe, their least esteemed alumnus, can save the edifice from the Fallen Angel’s influence. But is it the Devil himself that’s taken hold of St. Jerome’s and its students, or just an ancient troublemaker up to old tricks?
***
Written by Matt Wallace and DM Moehrle
Narrated by Leann Mabry
With Matthew Wayne Selznick and Rick Stringer

Promos
Tag In The Seam
http://www.tagintheseam.com

Brave Men Run
http://www.bravemenrun.com/

Murky Depths
http://www.murkydepths.com

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Mother Tongue

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:32:05 +0000

On a mission to tame a new world, man will turn against man, and even mother nature herself will have her say.
***
Written by Carmelo Rafala
Narrated by Rick Stringer
With J. Marcus Xavior, John Cmar, Jack Hosley, Neil Stringer, Tony McCartney and Anne Stringer

Promos
Kick-A-Thon
http://www.firstgiving.com/ctomasi

Silent Universe
http://www.silentuniverse.com/

Wander Radio
http://www.wanderradio.com/

Heaven, Hell, and Earth
http://www.podiobooks.com/title/heaven-season-three-earth

KnitWitch’s SciFi/Fantasy Zone
http://www.knitwitchzone.com/

Mother Tongue
Copyright 2007 Carmelo Rafala
http://carmelorafala.blogspot.com/
Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Deck Gibson: Far Reach Commander!

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:31:12 +0000

Matt Wallace’s classic style space adventure Deck Gibson and the Stardust Dancers is now on Decoder Ring Theatre. This is another great production by the talented people who have done the fantastic Black Jack Justice and Red Panda Adventures.

Here is the description from their site:
When Far Reach Control intercepts a distress call from members of a mysterious race, there is little time to spare. Only the pilot of the Far Reach 1, the only member of Earth’s feared Quasar Corps ever to fly under an alien flag, is close enough to assist. Can Commander Deck Gibson leave the past behind and protect the galaxy of wonder into which he has been thrust?

Go check it out.

Precision Pictures buys two stories by Matt Wallace

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:06:19 +0000

July 10th, 2007 — Precision Pictures Pty Ltd. announced today it has acquired the film rights to Parsec Award winning author Matt Wallace’s acclaimed experimental podcast novel The Failed Cities Monologues. The Sydney-based production company has also purchased the rights to Wallace’s short story “Delve.” The author will adapt both properties for the screen himself.

“It ain’t Rogue Pictures,” Matt says, referring to fellow Podiobooks author Scott Sigler, whose novel Infested was recently optioned by the Universal Studios subsidiary, “but I’m definitely excited. Mostly because it excuses me from getting that job at Kinko’s for another couple of months, at least.”

Matt is currently scripting an as-of-yet unnamed project for another Australian production team. He expects to begin working on the adaptations within the next few months.

Precision Pictures is the brainchild of Australian producer Simon Smithers, who, in 2006, began developing a feature film project based on Matt’s Detective Jon “Busboy” Pacson character. That project is progressing steadily.

When reached for comment, Smithers had this to say: “I have read many books and the screenplays that evolve from them, often with disappointing results. Matt, on the other hand, has the unique talent to take a script that one step beyond where his story left off. It’s a little disturbing, but luckily for me it takes an Aussie to recognize true American talent. I am truly looking forward to seeing ‘The Failed Cities Monologues‘ and ‘Delve‘ rendered to the big screen.”

The Failed Cities Monologues are set in a dystopian version of New York City and combine elements of cyberpunk, noir, and gothic horror. It is notable for its multi-perspective storytelling technique, which shifts between the point of view of eight different protagonists. Delve is set on a small space station in the distant future and concerns a small group of people working to reconstitute the human race after it has been decimated by a bizarre plague.

Both The Failed Cities Monologues and Delve originally appeared on the award-winning Variant Frequencies podcast.

Delve

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:05:24 +0000

Every twelve hours the light above his door burns bloody and bright. Every twelve hours a new batch rolls off the genetic assembly line, the saplings that will grow into a new human race. And every twelve hours Lofgren Stenz must delve, deep beneath the surface of our shared consciousness. The purpose of the delve is simple: To cleanse human nature of its lesser angels, the savage beasts that long ago were given form . . . and nearly destroyed us all.
***
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer
With Chuck Tomasi, Anton Buntic, Neil Stringer, and Leann Mabry

Promos
Technorama
http://www.chuckchat.com/
Tag in the Seam
http://www.tagintheseam.com/
Tony’s Loosing It
http://www.tonyslosingit.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Last Flight of the Esperanza

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 22:44:44 +0000

Fifteen ships left Earth in search of new places for humans to live. When the Esperanza 15 crashes, only one of the crew is left alive. How will she survive when she is the only human on an entire planet?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Ali Groves

Promo
Moldawer in the Morning Podcast
http://www.moldawer.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Firstborn

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 12 May 2007 00:16:41 +0000

Innocence is the best containment. The ultimate in reform for those who committed the First True Sin: Rebellion. But is an innocent mortal soul enough to contain the dark essence of a Fallen Angel?
***
Written by Michael Natale
Narrated by Rick Stringer
Special guests: Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Michael R. Mennenga, and Chuck Tomasi

Promos
The Billibub Baddings Podcast
http://www.teemorris.com/billipodcast/
Pseudopod
http://pseudopod.org/
Slice of Scifi
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/
Radio Yesterday
http://radioyesterday.chuckchat.com/

Firstborn
Copyright 2007 Michael Natale
http://seewhatsinmybrain.blogspot.com/
Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-a355bcc4cc5fd5a08bb9be09be213db7}

First of May

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 01 May 2007 20:14:34 +0000

OK, everyone, you have to go listen to this great song. It is a mix of Jonathon Coulton’s “First of May” put together by podcasters.

WARNING: this is not work safe or child safe.

First of May - Joe Murphy Mix

This song is dedicated to the memory of podcast pioneer Joe Murphy. Itâ€™s only been a month, but we miss him so.

Please visit http://www.joemurphymemorialfund.com/ to find out more about Leiomyosarcoma and to help.

This song is:
Written and originally released by Jonathan Coulton
The brain child of Paul Fischer
Audio mix by Phil Rossi

The P-Cast Allstars are:
Heather Welliver
Phil Rossi
Martha Holloway
Debbie from Mesa
Barb Fischer
Bill Shunn
Rich Sigfrit (impressions)
Jared Axelrod
Tim Callender
Jack Mangan
Mathew Wayne Selznick
Command Line

Maidenhead

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:21:22 +0000

Even the dirtiest business can produce something immaculate.
***
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Nan Worthington

DZ Allen’s Muzzle Flash
Balticon
The Balticon Podcast
Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Slumber Party

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:42:23 +0000

Impulse: a sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action. Will she resist?
***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Dani Cutler

http://www.truthseekerscast.com
http://www.theaudioaddicts.com

DZ Allen’s Muzzle Flash

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Anne Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Notes

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 21:20:02 +0000

Sometimes the right story can change your life. And sometimes it’s too late.
***
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rich Sigfrit

http://www.outcastmultimedia.com/
http://dzallen.blogspot.com/
http://outoftheguttermagazine.blogspot.com/

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Sacrifice

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:30:44 +0000

Father Michael Brannigan isn’t your average priest. Since childhood he’s been a medium, a powerful seer of spirits. But in the jungles of Africa, he’s about to experience something unlike anything he’s ever seen before…
***
Written by Jason McDowell
Narrated by Rick Stringer and Ali Groves

The Joe Murphy Memorial Fund
http://joemurphymemorialfund.org/

Jason McDowell
http://www.myspace.com/jason_mcdowell

HTFib
http://www.htfib.co.uk/index.html

Children of the Gods
http://www.childrenofthegods.net/

The Time Traveler Show
http://timetravelershow.com

Sacrifice
Copyright 2007 Jason McDowell
Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Dead Man and The Berserk

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:13:46 +0000

We know transhumanism as a philosophical concept, but in one techno-genetic future they’ll come to know it as a plague. And if you think the disease is deadly, wait until you meet the cure…
***
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Scott Sigler

Promos
Ancestor
http://www.scottsigler.net

Murky Depths
http://www.murkydepths.com

Bloody Monday

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:35:34 +0000

Today is Monday, Bloody Monday, and we’re celebrating with a special
episode to tell you, our fans, all about it.

I know that many of you are familiar with Scott Sigler, one of the
pioneering voices in podcast fiction and author of the hit podcast
novels Earthcore, Infection, and The Rookie. Now Scott’s most
subversive work, Ancestor, is coming out in print. And on April 1st,
2007, Scott wants to help prove the worth of podcasting to the
literary publishing industry by seeing Ancestor hit number one on
Amazon.com. To help bring you to the cause, Scott is offering Ancestor
in its entirety as a free .pdf download. It’s his hope, and ours, that
this will entice you to buy the novel when it’s released.

Ancestor is horror and suspense at its most raw, a manic fusion of
Michael Crichton and William Burroughs. On behalf of the entire
Variant Frequencies team, I want to encourage all of our fans to
support Scott by logging into Amazon on April 1st and purchasing a
copy. And in the meantime, enjoy Scott’s gift of this free Ancestor
.pdf. Read it, distribute it, blog about it. Help all of us who
podcast fiction show the world that what we’re doing works.

Thank you.

Get Scott Sigler’s “Ancestor” as a FREE PDF file!

Ancestor_ScottSigler.pdf

Then buy it on April 1, 2007.

Failed Cities Monologues 26: The Maven

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:52:41 +0000

For street mediators and their watchers, life and death lives in a shot glass placed over a smashed steel slug. Only one among their ranks can wrap up the story of the Failed Cities.

The Maven is about to have the last word, and if you’ve come this far, you owe it to yourself to listen…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Jan Dalton
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

No World for Warriors

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 04:30:12 +0000

War remains a constant throughout human history. How we wage war does not. When a man that has battled with Spartans, Celtic barbarians, and Mongol hordes joins today’s techno military, the question becomes: Is there a place for warriors among soldiers? And when you’ve seen the rise and fall of a thousand nations and empires, can war still hold any meaning?

***
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer

Promos
Wander Radio
http://www.wanderradio.com/

7th Son
http://www.jchutchins.net

Failed Cities Monologues 25: d’Anger

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 02:11:11 +0000

A good hustler knows when to get out of town.

A good con woman leaves on their own terms.

And a femme fatale does it in style . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Stacey Griffith-Livingston
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Slice of SciFi
http://sliceofscifi.com/

Podiobooks.com
http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Failed Cities Monologues 24: Klimenko

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:58:00 +0000

What’s the difference between being heroism and self-preservation? Just ask Valeri Klimenko. While the whole city celebrates him as the man who caught notorious serial killer The Conductor, the constable-turned-detective sits in his darkened apartment with a glass of scotch, taking solace only in the fact that he’s lived through the week with a few scars and a few more nightmares…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Anton Buntic
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Geek Fu Action Grip: http://www.geekfuactiongrip.com
The Sonic Society: http://www.sonicsociety.org
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Life Sentence

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:17:00 +0000

“Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” But for a man who lives outside the fringe of society, there’s never been a choice. Time is all he’s got, and he’s serving a life sentence of a different kind.

***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Jeff Frank
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Anne Stringer

Failed Cities Monologues 23: Fera

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Fera’s past is written in her own scarred flesh. Tonight, watching her lifeblood run slowly into the gutters of the Failed Cities, hear that history recounted by Fera’s own mind as she battles the one enemy that has threatened her for so long like no other: Death . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Maia “KnitWitch” Whitaker
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Billibub Baddings: http://www.teemorris.com/billipodcast/
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110
Sound Effects from The Freesound Project: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu

Failed Cities Monologues 22: Truck

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:45:00 +0000

Tonight’s the night. Truck’s sharpening his blade to a razor edge, and a chance meeting with the reluctant Detective Klimenko has provided the set-up for him to carve out the revenge he’s been chasing after at a 100 miles an hour . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Ian Jones
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Billibub Baddings: http://www.teemorris.com/billipodcast/
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

See

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:12:00 +0000

One unusually warm winter morning, she wakes up and finds that something she took for granted — about the entire universe — has radically changed.

It is either the end of reality — or the beginning of a new one…

****
Written by A.R.Yngve
Narrated by A.R.Yngve
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://yngve.bravehost.com

PROMOS
The Sci Fi Podcast Network: http://www.tsfpn.com/
The Failed Cities Monologues: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Variant Frequencies
Copyright 2007 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
See Copyright 2007 A.R.Yngve
January 2007

Failed Cities Monologues 21: Sterne

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:42:00 +0000

Tonight, as street preachers poise for war, Rastafarian soldiers pray for battle, and The Stacks prepare for Judgment Day, Sterne is just trying to write the end of his novel before The Feral Twins write the end on him. And it’s anybody’s guess who’ll get the last word . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Tom Rockwell
Music: Spherical by Evan Tate
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Silent Universe: http://www.silentuniverse.com/
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110
Sound Effects from The Freesound Project: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu

Failed Cities Monologues 20: Ferus

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 16:30:00 +0000

Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes dead wrong. But for the first time in their storied and bloody careers, Ferus is the one making decisions for The Feral Twins. His strength has always been their deadliest weapon, but only when guided by his sister’s hand. Tonight, if they’re going to get out alive, Ferus will have to find a new strength . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Neil Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
Destructomundo: http://destructomundopodcast.com/
Planet Retcon Radio: http://www.planetretcon.com/
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Sound Effects from The Freesound Project: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu

A Story of Kindness

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:02:00 +0000

A traveling salesman learns that a story or two can help ease the burdens of a post-apocalyptic world â€” not to mention push a sale or two. But, of course, some stories don’t always turn out the way you think….

****
Written by Carmelo Rafala
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://carmelorafala.blogspot.com/

PROMOS
The Immortals by Tracy and Laura Hickman
http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=76
The Failed Cities Monologues
http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

Sound Effects from The Freesound Project
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu

Variant Frequencies Copyright 2006 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
A Story of Kindness Copyright 2006 Carmelo Rafala
December 2006

Failed Cities Monologues 19: Ethan

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 01:26:00 +0000

There’s no chapter in the Steel Gospel on the apocalypse, but that’s exactly what the street preachers are facing tonight: Their own personal end of times. As blood and fire threaten to engulf Ethan, his brethren, and their city, the question isn’t whether or not they’ll survive to see the dawn, but whether or not the dawn will come at all.

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
The Daughter of the Sun: http://www.LonnieEzell.com
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110
Sound Effects from The Freesound Project: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu

Failed Cities Monologues 18: Operative 853

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 02:24:00 +0000

You’re not the only one invested in the story of The Failed Cities. The Nicodemus Consortium is very interested in what’s been happening on both sides of the river, and one of their best operatives is about to give them a full report.

Be warned that the Consortium protects their secrecy with a vengeance. Eavesdrop at your own risk . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Benjamin Grundy
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.sohpodcast.com/mu/

PROMOS
Scott Sigler’s The Rookie: http://scottsigler.podshow.com
Podiobooks.com: http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=110

The Gift

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 00:11:00 +0000

I’ve heard that the body becomes lighter at the moment of death. Just a little, but enough to measure. As if the soul could be weighed, its departure verified. I look closely, to see if I can detect its ascent…

***
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Jan Dalton
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
StarShipSofa: http://www.starshipsofa.com
Lipstick Aliens Podcast: http://lipstickaliens.libsyn.com/

Failed Cities Monologues 17: The Maven

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:04:00 +0000

What do you do when your life and your livelihood both depend on words and your voice has been locked away inside your own head? For The Maven, the answer to that question lies inward. And the only thing worse than searching for it is finding out what’s waiting when he finally opens his eyes . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Jan Dalton
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
7th Son
http://www.jchutchins.net

Failed Cities Monologues 16: d’Anger

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 19:16:00 +0000

Interlude or prelude. When it’s a romantic encounter with d’Anger you can never be sure which you’re caught up in. Learning about her past, however, you might know which to expect . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Stacey Griffith-Livingston
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Dateline Jasoom: http://www.panthanpress.com/

Satin Widows

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:06:00 +0000

It’s October, and in the spirit of the month we’re turning our dial to horror with a story written just for All Hallows Eve. This frightening frequency is the tale of two strangers who meet on a lonely night in a grand old hotel. They’re about to learn that sometimes it’s better to stay home and weather the storm, and that it’s all well and good to go looking for ghosts . . . until you actually find one.

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
The Time Traveler Show: http://www.timetravelershow.com

Failed Cities Monologues 15: Constable Klimenko

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 00:20:00 +0000

A new detective’s shield, an old suit, and a lethal case no one else wants. It’s not the way Valeri Klimenko, the former constable, wants to start out his night. But they may have all underestimated this simple young man from the Ukraine, who’s been pushed just about as far as he’s willing to go by the powers that be.

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Aleksey Raskhodchikov
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

PROMOS
PodcastPEN:http://www.tsfpn.com/
The Time Traveler Show: http://www.timetravelershow.com/

Parsec Award Winners

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:00:54 +0000

I wasn’t going to do a bragging post about our Parsec Award, but then I saw this picture. Back row left, that’s Matt Wallace, author of the winning story, Absolution, Insured, and Rick Stringer, producer of the podcast and narrator of the story.

They’re in excellent company. Also in the photo are such luminaries as Michael A. Stackpole, NYT bestselling author, who won for his podcast about writing, The Secrets; Patrick McLean, for his podcast The Seanachai, who won two Parsecs; Stephen Euin Cobb, who won for his podcast, The Future and You; Kevin Bachelder, who won for The Scapecast. How cool is that?

A full list can be seen at www.parsecawards.com.

Failed Cities Monologues 14: Fera

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:17:00 +0000

Fera and her brother have murdered, maimed, and massacred on every continent across the globe, but it’s the hard, ugly lessons she learned as a girl that command Fera’s pathology. When her intended victim for the night is snatched away by a resourceful pit fighter, it sparks a recall that can only lead to blood.

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by KnitWitch
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://v-frequencies.livejournal.com
KnitWitch Zone: http://www.knitwitchzone.com
Evan Tate: http://www.evantate.com
Spherical copyright 2006 Evan Tate

Variant Frequencies and The Failed Cities Monologues
Copyright 2006 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
September 2006

Cell

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 21:10:00 +0000

Life on the very edge of the solar system is a bleak nightmare, punctuated only by the blissful euphoria afforded by the drug, trace. Andi is a trace addict. Trace is Andi’s only escape from his crushing life. But a new drug is taking hold of Andi. Cell is strong, addictive and, above all else, the cell is being hunted.

****
Written by Darren Reid
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.myspace.com/darrenreidcell
Skepticality: http://www.skepticality.com

Variant Frequencies (c)2006 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
Cell (c)2006 Darren Reid
September 2006

Failed Cities Monologues 13: Truck

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:22:00 +0000

Truck lives for the action, for life on the edge of a blade. But when a routine pick-up goes a hundred miles south of wrong, that pace comes to a crashing halt…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Ian Jones
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Sundown Lounge Podzine: http://www.larrywinfield.com/sundownlounge.htm

Failed Cities Monologues 12: Sterne

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 12:58:00 +0000

Jump into the story with Sterne. He’s about to live one of his own pulp adventures, but unlike Curly, his fearless juggernaut alter ego, Sterne is going to find out that the real bad guys don’t wear hats. And his instructors for the evening? The Feral Twins . . .

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Jason McDowell
Music: Spherical by Evan Tate
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.evantate.com/

The Dark Harvest

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:05:00 +0000

Every season it grew stronger.

Every season more children vanished.

Every season the gardeners dwelling grew, forcing the village to retreat its borders, until at last it could shrink no further…

****

Written and Narrated by Adrian Grey Marsden
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.adriangrey.com/

The Dark Harvest Copyright 2006 Adrian Grey Marsden
Variant Frequencies Copyright 2006 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
August 2006

Failed Cities Monologues 11: Ferus

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 21:54:00 +0000

Boredom’s a dangerous thing when you’re one of The Feral Twins, and not even arson, kidnapping, and back alley crucifixions can relieve it. Ferus just wants one worthy opponent before the night is through. He’s forgotten what the Chinese say about what you wish for…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Neil Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Last Frequency

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 22:47:00 +0000

Spend a night in the far reach with Sherk Maxwell, doctor of broadcast journalism. Sherk is humanity’s last voice of dissent, set forth on a mic and beamed out across deep space to every rift-tripper and manic ET roaming the great void. But as the same slimy threat that evacuated Earth encroaches on Dr. Maxwell’s weird corner of the big black, will it signal the final broadcast of mankind’s last frequency? You’ll have to tune in to find out…

****
Written by: Matt Wallace
Narrated by: Evo Terra
Music by: Cagey House, Neil Stringer & Greg Seaman, Rick Stringer, and The Traverse Symphony Orchestra
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

http://www.podiobooks.com
http://www.sliceofscifi.com
http://www.myspace.com/cageyhouse
http://www.tso-online.org
http://www.gregseamanmusic.com

The Failed Cities Monologues 10: Ethan

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 00:46:00 +0000

Reverend Ethan is a man who likes to keep things simple: a collar, a street to keep, a stick to keep them with. But tonight, with war looming just around a battered brick corner, things are about to get complicated. A missing mediator, a fallen street preacher left as a message, a mysterious lady of quality bearing a warning and a gift. And that’s just the beginning…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Failed Cities Monologues 09: Sally

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 01:33:00 +0000

If you’re new to the Failed Cities, there’s only one place to go if you want to be in the know, and it’s not some digital Orwellian info-matrix. It’s a tiny tarot den in the shadiest part of town. Psychic Sally is a palm-reader with a third eye on all the action, and for a fiver she’ll give you a glimpse into what’s happened so far on both sides of the river…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Maia “KnitWitch” Whitaker
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.knitwitchzone.com

The Spoils of War

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 18:12:00 +0000

Pohraen’s childhood was dominated by the interminable war on her planet; only the music of the 100th Day gatherings could lift her mood. Then, in a last desperate arms race, a bizarre turn of events sowed the seeds of change.

****
Written by DJ Burnham
Narrated by Rick Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com
http://www.djburnham.com

Variant Frequencies Copyright 2006 Rick Stringer and Matt Wallace
The Spoils of War Copyright 2006 DJ Burnham
June 2006

Failed Cities Monologues 08: The Maven

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 28 May 2006 00:22:00 +0000

When fevered streets reach their boiling point, you bring in a mediator. When it’s looking like back alley war, you need a maven. Tonight was already going to be his toughest mediation yet. Then his throat got put on the bargaining table…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Jan Dalton
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Parsec Awards

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 23 May 2006 00:25:47 +0000

The first annual Parsec Awards, honoring excellence in podcasting, will be presented at this year’s Dragoncon, to be held in Atlanta in September. Nominations are currently being accepted at The Parsec Awards.

Categories include:
â€¢ Best Speculative Fiction Story, Short Form (Pick your favorite Variant Frequencies short!)
â€¢ Best Speculative Fiction Story, Long Form (May we suggest The Failed Cities Monologues?)
â€¢ Best Audio Production (We think Variant Frequencies sounds pretty good!)

So go to http://www.parsecawards.com/
Register there so you can nominate your favorite podcast. (Variant Frequencies!)

Failed Cities Monologues 07: d’Anger

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 14 May 2006 22:15:00 +0000

In the Failed Cities, being beautiful can make you a victim. Being beautiful and smart can make you dangerous.

d’Anger has a flawless form, a Botticelli face…and an IQ of 175…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Stacey Griffith
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Dead of Night

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 06 May 2006 03:36:00 +0000

Every night I strolled the same path, looking for him. The nights were getting colder. Even in the short time I was out, my fingers were aching from it, and I worried that he was frozen somewhere. I didn’t know where to begin to look…

****
Written by Anne Stringer
Narrated by Heidi Jones
Music performed by Neil Stringer
Music composed by Greg Seaman
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Failed Cities Monologues 06: Constable Klimenko

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 01:56:00 +0000

Constable Valeri Klimenko, whose father and grandfather were both Heroes of Ukraine, never had any intention of living up to his family’s legacy. Now he’s been made a detective and forced onto the trail of the most feared and talked about serial killer in the city’s history. If it weren’t for that damned Reuben sandwich…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Aleksey Raskhodchikov
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

The Failed Cities Monologues 05: Fera

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:54:00 +0000

Fera, alpha female of The Feral Twins. Death lives inside her, and it’s a reality she shares with all those she meets, whether they want its secrets or not. But is Fera a predator… or just the ultimate survivor?

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Mel Hall
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Children of the Androphagi

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 19:36:00 +0000

In the 1930’s 52nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue was home to the speakeasy. In the 2030’s it’s all about the breakdowns, where they mix biochem cocktails and spark the Ash of the Dead, sucking its acrid smoke through bone pipes. The big ticket is, of course, shooting distilled endorphins. Yes, they’d found the last fix, and it was inside the human body all along.

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Anne Stringer
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Failed Cities Monologues 04: Truck

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 17:23:00 +0000

The news webs call him The Conductor. He’s responsible for the disappearances of at least thirty young women, all prostitutes. Their bodies are never found. And oh, yes, you’re about to discover why…

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Ian Jones
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Failed Cities Monologues 03: Sterne

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 01:42:00 +0000

Walk the streets between the Stacks with Sterne, a pit fighter that splits his nights between brawling for cash and spinning tales of old school tough guys and detectives. The Stacks is considered nothing more than a neo hippie ghetto. But to the folks that live here, the eve trippers and broken artists and freaked out Rastafarians, it’s a dreamland. And Sterne has his tiny crumbling place in it, filled with obsession, imagination, and some fresh wounds waiting to scar….

****
Written by Matt Wallace
Narrated by Rick Stringer
Music: “Caution” by Rick Gerics
http://www.variantfrequencies.com

Podcasts We Like

variantfrequencies@gmail.com (Rick Stringer) — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 03:52:56 +0000

This list isn’t going to be all inclusive, we just wanted to give a shout out to some of the ones we’ve listened to and liked. It’s a helluva community out there, and we’re proud to be part of it. Our encounters with other podcasters (Podders? Casties? Is there a nickname?) have been awesome. We’ve been very impressed with how much help other podcasters have been. Tim Robertson helped troubleshoot the feed. Evo Terra advised. Dave Hamilton gave us advice on getting our name out there. Our intro and promos have been played on a number of shows. DevoSpice said some nice things in his journal.

So on with the names. I found The Secrets, Michael A. Stackpole’s podcast about writing, at TSFPN, the science fiction podcast network, and tuned in. He’s got a fabulous voice, we should see if he’ll read for us! If you’re a serious writer, listen to Michael. He’s got excellent advice and seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Three of Rick’s favorites are MyMac by Tim Robertson and Chad Perry, The MacCast by Adam Christianson and The Mac Geek Gab by Dave Hamilton and John Braun. Anybody see a pattern here? All of them give reviews of the latest Mac products, so they’re a good source of information. He’s always learning something from these guys. And their presentations are entertaining.

Rick admires Escape Pod for their impressive presentations of good spec fiction, much like our own Variant Frequencies, except they have the audience we’d love to have. I’ve also listened to several of their stories and have been inspired.

Rick also listens to Dragon’s Landing Inn by Chuck Tinsley and Lonnie Ezell, Slice of SciFi by Evo Terra and Michael R. Mennenga, Manic Mondays by Tom Rockwell of Sudden Death, a comedy rap group. (He REALLY likes podcasts.) Also a couple of Firefly ‘casts, The Signal and Firefly Talk, keeping the Serenity spirit alive.

Matt likes Shadowdance: interviews, commentary and articles about fringe culture, like vampires and magic. He also listens to Velcrotroupe and Manic Mondays for their humor. He also believes that Wil Wheaton did, in fact, invent podcasting. Wheaton’s site is currently In Exile, but Matt is positive he will return.

Variant Frequencies

The Podagogue: review of The Failed Cities Monologues

Title Fight: Round #4

Fuel Pressure

Title Fight: Round #3

Personal Effects: Dark Art

Nina Kimberly The Merciless

Penny Ante

TITLE FIGHT: Round #2

StarShipSofa Aural Delights

Jack Wakes Up

Parsec Awards 2009

How To Grow Your Geek

TITLE FIGHT: Round #1

The Last Kayfabe

Full Throttle Space Tales #3: Space Grunts!

Under The Bed

Remember Joe 2009

Prisoners

Gill Bando

Well Told Tales: I Killed Awesome Man

Creature of God

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals Artwork Shortlisted for Award

The End of Flesh - Part Four

The End of Flesh - Part Three

The End of Flesh - Part Two

The End of Flesh - Part One

The “End…”

is near!

12.06.2008

Best In Class

Get Out and Bloat

Under The Bridge Downtown

Maidenhead to be adapted to short film

All The Time

Rick on Pseudopod

All Good Things…

Best Magazine or Anthology Podcast!

A Double Dose of Matt Wallace

Stories of the Third Wave #16 - Pallas and Stan

OBSIDIAN: Episode 20

Queue

Cut Man

The Destruction of Sennacherib

Tea and Chat

Adventures in Scifi Publishing

Hypericon 4

More Deck Gibson

Latchkeepers Act Two

The Next Fix Fan Art

Grounders

7th Son OBSIDIAN Poster

Saint Darwin’s Spirituals

Young Junius

Help Sigler

Tex’s Last Run

Birth and Death

The Next Fix - PRE-ORDER!

Murphy’s War

Well Told Tales

Hit Me (complete story)

Tattered Souls on Amazon

Sci Phi Journal

Table of Contents

Spired

Wander Radio

Playing for Keeps

The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness

Paid In Full

The Next Fix

The Mason’s Son

The Rut

Matt Wallace on Writers Talking

Jailhouse Rock - part two

Jailhouse Rock - part one

Devil’s Kitchen Announcement

Feral Twins Super Fans!

Delve Poster

Old Tricks

Mother Tongue