Category: Shoutouts

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(Endorsement) Personal Effects: Dark Art

NOTE FROM STEVE: This is not this week’s Escape Pod story. This is me talking about something I like. Feel free to skip this post if it isn’t fun for you.

There are a number of good writers now breaking into the big leagues through podcasting. My friend J.C. Hutchins is one of them. I loved his 7th Son trilogy, and I jumped at the chance when he asked me to read an advance copy of his horror novel Personal Effects: Dark Art and record a reaction for him.

Here’s my initial reaction (Hutch liked it enough that he added the background music and bumper titling and such):

J.C. Hutchins’s “Personal Effects: Dark Art” – Expert Testimony from Stephen Eley on Vimeo.

And here’s the big group “vlurb” project that my piece was a part of:

J.C. Hutchins’s “Personal Effects: Dark Art” – SuperVlurb from Stephen Eley on Vimeo.

(The folks in that vlurb are all awesome and you should check out their sites: Philippa Ballantine, Scott Sigler, Seth Harwood, Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff, Christiana Ellis, Matt Wallace, James Melzer, Mark Jeffrey, Mur Lafferty, Phil Rossi and Matt Selznick.)

I read the book in PDF form. And then I pre-ordered it on Amazon, because it’s just that good. (Also because the little goodies that come with the physical copy sound like fun.) This is an unusual horror novel: it brings in a lot of conventional settings and tropes, but the characters break from formula in some surprising ways. And it’s a smart horror novel. Silliness in hats aside, I highly recommend it.

Jun 09, 2009 | 8 comments View Post
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Escape Pod Flash Fiction Contest, Second Place: Skyscrapers

by Rachel Swirsky

read by Ann Leckie

Summers, I sleep on rooftops. Under smokestacks, beside stairs, in the sudden green of precarious gardens.

Rated PG. Contains mythical figures.

 
icon for podpress  Skyscrapers [2:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Nov 28, 2008 | 5 comments View Post
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EP BONUS: Ancestor by Scott Sigler

Ancestor

As part of Scott’s _”Monday Bloody Monday”_ campaign, we’re giving you the full text of his novel for free.

The paperback will be available on April 1st. Scott wants to hit #1 that day by having everyone order from Amazon at noon Pacific time. So if you like what you’re reading, support him by buying the book!

icon for podpress  Ancestor: Download

Mar 19, 2007 | 10 comments View Post
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Robots and Year’s Best Fantasy

I just learned on Greg’s blog that “Robots and Falling Hearts,” by Greg van Eekhout and Tim Pratt, has been selected by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer for The Year’s Best Fantasy 6, to be published this summer.

Think there’s any possibility that they heard the story here?

Congratulations, guys! It’s a well-deserved honor, and we wish you both the very best.

Jan 21, 2006 | 6 comments View Post
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PodcasterCon2006 Wrap-Up

I’m back now from this weekend’s PodcasterCon, and even though it was intended as a one-day event I’m still decompressing just a little. Friday I had the incredible opportunity to have dinner with Senator John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth. (They have their own podcast and videoblog — and yes, I’m a subscriber.)

I was busy literally all day Saturday, from presenting a morning “How to Podcast” seminar with Rob Walch to a midnight podcast-and-beer in Paul Fischer’s hotel room. To everyone I met there, thanks for an incredible time and some of the best conversations I’ve had all year. (By which I mean “last 365 days,” not 2006.)

If you weren’t there and you want to see what you missed, the fine folks at Mac Pro Podcast have put together an excellent 12-minute video summarizing the con. They’ve got a number of great interviews in there — and if any of you wanted to know what I look like, here’s your chance. (They say the camera adds 20 pounds… Alas, I was in it twice, so it must have added 40 to me.)

The video is here. Check it out, and see how much fun you’ll have if you come next year!

Jan 09, 2006 | 2 comments View Post
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Recognition

It’s been a busy week for Escape Pod. I’ve got a few shoutouts accumulated over the past few days, so let’s get to them all:

  1. The new Yahoo! Podcasts directory launched on Monday. What’s more, they’ve chosen to feature Escape Pod as one of their “New & Noteworthy” podcasts for their debut week! This is the first time we’ve had prominent front-page status on any major podcast portal, and we’re just tickled about it. If it suits you, feel free to visit our page there and rate us or leave us a review. And to everyone who just found us via Yahoo!, welcome.
  2. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mur Lafferty for her I Should Be Writing podcast, a resource specifically for beginning writers. We had a good conversation, talking about Escape Pod, the Viable Paradise workshop, and perspectives on writing and persistence. If you’re writing and still working to get published, you really should be listening to Mur’s show. Check it out!
  3. Fan art! FNH sent us this fun little piece from the inside of our logo:
    Escape Pod Fan Art
    That’s far too cool for me not to share it with you.

    4. And of course it’s Thursday, so we have a new podcast. You’ll find that right underneath these words.

Oct 13, 2005 | 1 comment View Post
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The Writing Show Interview

This seems to be our week for interviews… There’s another interview with Steve up today at The Writing Show, an engaging podcast by Paula Berinstein featuring interviews with writers, editors, and other movers in the writing industry.

You can find the link to the interview itself here, or you can read the transcript here.

They’ve got some other excellent interviews in their archives as well. My personal favorite is the one with Jim Cox of the Midwest Book Review. Check them out!

Sep 12, 2005 | 0 comments View Post
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Podcast411 Interview

This won’t be news for the many of you who listen to it, but Escape Pod was featured yesterday on Rob Walch’s excellent Podcast411 podcast. That my interview with him sounded decent is a tribute to his masterful editing skills. And if you’re not familiar with his podcast, I highly recommend you check it out — it’s most often described as “Inside the Actor’s Studio” for podcasts. I’ve learned something from every guest he’s had on.

Click to listen to our interview on podCast411

And if you’re just joining us from there, welcome! Put your feet up, listen to some stories, and Have Fun.

Sep 08, 2005 | 1 comment View Post
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Geek Fu Action Grip

I just caught up with the last six episodes of [Geek Fu Action Grip](http://www.geekfuactiongrip.com) today. I’d heard Mur Lafferty’s essays on [The Dragon Page](http://www.dragonpage.com) for a while, but I’ve been sadly remiss in tracking back to her own [podcast](http://essentialmath.com/geekfu/wp-rss2.php).

She’s smart. She’s got a great voice. She understands the virtues of *Babylon 5*. She can rant about babies and gaming in the same sentence. She’s a SF/F writer. And she’s *sarcastic*.

I have a new geek crush.

May 27, 2005 | 5 comments View Post
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The Seanachai

[A great podcast I just discovered this morning.](http://goodwordsrightorder.com) A seanachai was an Irish bard or storyteller, and Patrick McLean has nailed the art of packing an entertaining story into a five minute (give or take) podcast. His voice is excellent, his sound production is clean and diverse, and above all, his stories are *fun.* The one about [the man who stole a semi truck full of nickels](http://goodwordsrightorder.com/index.php?blog=2&title=episode_6_a_very_slow_getaway&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1) was all it took to get me hooked.

May 16, 2005 | 3 comments View Post