Inner Peace Is For Losers

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That stunning bit of artwork is by Vincent Chong to illustrate the story St. Darwin's Spirituals, which is simultaneously being presented in print and audio by Murky Depths and Variant Frequencies.

Congrats and nice work to everyone involved. The rest of you, go have a look and a listen.

There's a new issue of Murky Depths about to be released. Terry Martin plans to show it off at the Bristol International Comic Expo, May 9-11. As a co-editor, I'm excited about this one. The stuff I've seen so far is awesome, in the real sense of the word. And Vincent Chong did the cover, inspired by a story by DK Thompson, which appears in the issue.



At Variant Frequencies we were impressed with the story, too. As a real first, "St. Darwin's Spirituals" will be podcast at the same time as the Murky Depths release. Rick gave it the full VF treatment, including some top-notch voice talent, and Abney Park(!!!) has kindly given us permission to use some of their music, so you'll hear that in the podcast.

Finally, if you go here and look for "Shush! Don't tell anyone..." it will lead to savings on a subscription to Murky Depths. That's the forum over at Whitechapel, Warren Ellis' place.

The Amarant collection on Variant Frequencies is a series of stories about people who learn that they are immortal, how this affects them, and how they deal with it.

It isn't always good.

So far we've looked at a wealthy heir, a serial killer, a warrior, and a prostitute. The newest addition is Birth and Death, the tale of a midwife who has been around long enough to remember witch trials. The story was written and narrated by me. I'm a lot more comfortable with the writing than the reading!

Production, as always, is by Rick Stringer. The gorgeous cello you hear through some of the story was played by Chris Williams, a local musician and teacher we've known for years. Thanks Chris!

Rick also came up with this sweet bit of art for the story:


That little tyke in the picture is now 18 years old and 6'3".

We just made it through some nastiness on the winter weather front. A blizzard tore through, leaving much cold and many snowdrifts in its wake. I've had to drive to and/or from work in weather like this, and it's scary. Particularly the ice and the lack of visibility. It was bad enough that the police were asking people to stay off the roads unless it was an emergency and if it was an emergency, to call 911.

Fortunately, I don't have to drive in that kind of thing anymore. It's one of the blessings of unemployment. Hundreds of schools were closed for the day, including ours, so we all stayed here and stayed warm. I even made some progress on a new short story. This one will break some new ground for me, so I hope it turns out well. I like it so far.

Our podcast, Variant Frequencies, has just posted a flash piece by Christa Faust. We're still a little stunned at getting a name like hers! It's read by Leann Mabry, whose voice I adore. Check it out.

A LJ friend recently posted on depression, for which I thank her. It's an ongoing battle for me, too, but I'm reluctant to say anything because part of mine is that I'm sure people don't want to hear about it. I found her post interesting because some of it rang very true for me but other parts didn't, which tells me it really is experienced individually. Also because she writes so damn well. I've been writing privately about mine, which is helpful because I don't have to censor any of it.

It's still there, though. Those emo commercials make it seem like all I have to do is take Cymbalta or Effexor and I'll be happy again. I am on meds, and some days I wonder if they do anything at all. Maybe it'd be that much worse if I didn't take them, though. The worst of it is isolation (not the same as being alone, which I like), worthlessness, guilt that I spend so much time on myself, and anger directed inward and outward. There's physical stuff, too.

The people who love me, save me. I enjoy their company and they lift my spirits and take me out of myself for a while. Leaving the hospital job gives me more energy for them.

But it seems that depression is always lurking.

A new Variant Frequencies story is now live, titled "Spired" by Jonathan C. Gillespie and narrated by John Cmar (aka Cmaaaaarrrrr). As usual, produced by the wizard of GarageBand, Rick Stringer, whose sound effects and music add to the tension and danger.

What it's about:

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.

Also, go have a look at Apex Online, January issue. That's matt_wallace, who I may have mentioned a time or two, as the featured writer for January. There's a highly entertaining interview and a story by Matt. Go have a look, then say something nice to him about it, because he's very needy.

That tasty litle piece of artwork goes with my new story, Paid In Full which just went live on the Variant Frequencies podcast. It's the latest addition to the Amarant series, a collection of tales that explore the notion of immortality. This one was a lot of fun to write. It's got sex and violence galore, and Lorrie Mennenga's reading captures the character perfectly. Follow the link and have a listen, or better yet, subscribe at iTunes and hear all of our podcasts as they come out. We think they're pretty good.

The song featured with this episode is called Division Road by Mue Sephei. My son knows some of the group's members from his college courses. It's good to have connections! Check out their unique brand of alternative rock at their MySpace page.

Also brand new is issue #2 of Murky Depths. Just look at that lucious cover art by Geff Taylor and tell me you don't want to get your hands on it! Mine arrived today and I've just started digging in to the stories. Also check out the MD team page at the Murky Depths website. Yep, that's me. Only I'm much younger and cuter in real life. I'm now a co-editor. (They like me, they really like me!)

Is this cool, or what?

Hit the link and scroll down a bit. Right there, in the guest list for Hypericon 4, Nashville's Speculative Fiction Convention, Celebrating Science Fiction, Horror, & Fantasy Literature, Arts, & Media, that's my name. I am going to be a guest at Hypericon!

I don't know what the program will be like as it's all still in planning stages, but I think they're having more panels on podcasting. So I'll talk up Variant Frequencies. And, y'know, maybe hit the room parties.

It's all about networking.

I received word from Rick that our podcast, Variant Frequencies, has won another Parsec award at this year's Dragon*con. Once again, we won in the short story category. The story is called No World for Warriors. It's part of the Amarant series, which will continue soon. I promise.

So congrats to Matt for writing a fantastic story, and Rick for an excellent production. Proud of you guys.

Making good progress on the previously mentioned short story. It'll be coming soon on Variant Frequencies.

Speaking of the podcast there's a review up at Listening News. Check it out, listen to the stories they mention, and see if you agree.

Finally, I've seen the front and back cover for the first issue of Murky Depths. The cover art is absolutely stunning. It's beautiful and shocking. I love the two levels, the vast difference between what you see above water and below.

The editors have scored some amazing talent for issue 1. It looks like a collector's item to me. It's a geniune thrill for me to see my name in the list on the back.