These are some audio stories that I created over the years, back when my voice was much better than it is now, thanks to Parkinson's. Some of these were created during the time I did the RayGun Radio Podcast. I'll give a description of them here, and you can click on the titles on the left to play them if you so desire.
Rescue Robots are four "micro-flash fictions" about 2 robots who meet up with the unlikeliest of people, (Including a very bad impression of William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk) usually involving something to do with a movie (at least a couple of times). They always end up blowing up something, and as they exit stage left, they always claim success and announce that "Heavy metal rules." As you can tell, they were intended to be silly little bits that I created to play at the end of the RayGun Radio Podcasts. However, the unique thing about these productions is I do all, (read, ever last little sound you hear), of the voices, as well as all the sounds, right down to the space ship engine hum in the background.
This story has the distinction of being the very first acceptance I ever recieved. It too started as a contest entry at Notebored.com. (Now defunct.) After I "won" the contest, I thought the story might be something that the online magazine RayGun Revival might be interested in. And as it turns out, they were!
The odd thing is, I nearly didn't write it. When I first thought of the idea, I felt it was too silly and campy to work. But after not being able to come up with any other good ideas, I decided to run with it. And I'm glad I did. One online magazine editor and owner and himself a "award winning author" had read the story in the magazine and told me, after he found out differently, that he thought I had been writing for years. So, go figure.
(or as it is called in my book, Reality's Dawn: Reality's Advent), is the story that started the whole Reality Chronicles series and the spin-off series, Legend of the Dragons' Dying Field, of which one book is published and a second will be later this year (2021) for a total of four novels currently published in that world. And it all started with a contest that a group at the Notebored.com participated in, which dealt with the theme "hot." So I came up with this story about an unusual steam house.
From that story grew a novella, that was published under the name Infinite Realities. Then it turned into a novel when I added ten stories to the five already there, and it was published in 2011 as Reality's Dawn by Splashdown Books, alongside its sequel, Transforming Realities which became Reality's Ascent. Then shortly after that, the third and final book in the Reality Chronicles series was published as Reality's Fire. To top that off, I'm currently working on a new book in that world.
So, from the humble beginnings of this story started a world and at least 3 series.
This story, again, started from a contest. (Hum, are we seeing a theme here?) But this time a contest from the online magazine, RayGun Revival with the theme of "Space Monkeys." It was to be a "micro flash fiction" of (if I remember correctly) of no more than 300 words. I received third place in that contest. Thus the reason for making an audio file of it.
Yep, you guessed it. Another story that evolved from a contest, once again, at RayGun Revival. If I recall correctly, this contest had a theme of unique weapons. This flash fiction entry garnered me an honorable mention in the contest and a spot on the RayGun Radio podcast. As a matter of fact, the only story here that didn't show up on the RayGun Radio podcast was Steamy Realities. It is also the only story on this list that isn't a flash or micro-flash fiction.
This one is a song that I wrote, which you can find in the second book of the Reality Chronicles: Reality's Ascent. I came up with the basic melody of the song, but a man named Stanley Black actually created the instrumentals for it and sang it as presented here. Here are the words of the song:
Verse 1
Upon the rising of the Sun,
Flows the life within its light.
Upon its penerating gaze,
Flows the death within its flames.
Upon the rays of distant fires,
Beats the rhythm within two songs.
Chrous
But one note leads to life,
And one note leads to death.
The song you choose to sing,
Defines the dance that you must dance.
The music of death and of life.
Verse 2
Upon the anger of one man,
Rose a furnace filled with fire.
Upon the bonds of three young men,
Flowed a faith unquenchable.
Upon the coals of burning wood,
Danced the joy of three plus One.
Chrous
Verse 3
Upon the stocks of sacrifice,
Rose the courage of one man.
Upon the breath from one fell beast,
Flushed the sulfur straight from Hell.
Upon the dragon's scaly back,
Rode the faith untouched by fire.
Chorus
The baton of fear or of faith.