Rish Outcast 2: Subtext

As promised/threatened, here is the first "actual" episode of my solo podcast, essentially designed for me to read one of my stories, then talk about it. It's basically a much more stripped-down version of The Podcast That Dares Not Speak Its Name, which has two more forthcoming episodes, but since I haven't worked on them since February (or earlier), they are distantly forthcoming.

In this episode of the Outcast, I present the extended, full version of my story "Subtext," about the text messages from a dead girl's phone. It has been seen, here and there, in a 500 word edit.

Afterward, I talk about the tale, its point, and the one champion of it over the years.

Right click HERE to download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.

Worst Marathon Ever 13: Answering Listener Questions (Part III)

All worst things must come to an end, kids, and to finish up this daily drudgery, Big and Rish answer the rest of their listener questions. Have a nice nap afterward, okay?



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Worst Marathon Ever 12: The Ever-Inspiring Fat Man

In a new, exciting environment, Rish tells Big about the last panel he went to, that of Kevin Smith's Q&A.  Was he excited and inspired like he was in 2011, or depressed like he was in 2012?  Which are you?



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Worst Marathon Evah 11: Future Home of the Dunesteef

In this episode, we change it up a bit, as Big sneaks Rish into what will someday be his new house.  They sit down on the floor of what will be the Dunesteef's new HQ, the currently unoccupied study, and talk about the new house. 

Warning: Midnight lawnmowing.



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Rish's story "White House Tour" in the Masters of the Macabre contest

Wow, this week has been pretty amazing for links to stories and readings.  And my man-crush Ben Affleck got cast as Batman too.  I really must have pleased the Fates somehow.  Next, Disney will announce they've changed their the title of FROZEN back to THE SNOW QUEEN.  Or at least LEE DANIEL'S FROZEN, BASED ON THE BOOK THE SNOW QUEEN WRITTEN BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON.  Either one is better.

So, as you probably know, every year I enter the "Masters of the Macabre" contest over at the Horror Addicts website.  It's a short story contest wherein there’s an overall topic, and specific details given to each participant. 

This is the third one I've done, and its theme was Hauntings, a subject fraught with Horror possibilities.  They gave me the location of The White House, and an instruction to put An Unopened Letter From 1842 in there.  It could only be ten minutes long, so I figured the tale had to be pretty simplistic.  I thought I’d write about a paranormal investigator, or a ghost expert, who goes to the White House to see if there’s any truth to the haunting stories there.
 
I stayed up one night researching the haunting of the White House, and it turns out people way back in the 1800’s claimed to see or hear ghosts there, and various Presidents and civilians have been sighted there ever since. 

But because the story had to be so short, I ignored the tale I was going to write, and simply summed up the character's backstory.  As a boy of ten, he went on a White House tour, and heard about the ghostly sightings.  Even that was hard to sum up in ten minutes.   

I recorded the story, which I creatively called "White House Tour," and once again had my niece voice the part of a kid (I honestly don't know if that makes the listening experience better or worse, but I like it when kids are used instead of adults).  Even that version ended up a couple of minutes too long, but I managed to get it (right around) the correct length.

Here's the link to the aired episode: http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/horroraddicts-net-093-masters-of-macabre-contest/
 
In a recent That Gets My Goat, I spoke to Big about missing the deadline for submitting this tale, and how it was the sort of stupid mistake I've made all my life, but it turns out there weren't a lot of participants in this year's contest, and they extended the deadline for a few days, so everyone could get theirs in. 

Everyone, in the end, turned out to be three.
 
They've also included the text of the story at this link: http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/mmm-contestant-1-rish-outfield/.  If you prefer to read it, there it is, all for free.  All for you, Damien.
 

Rish Outfield, Addict
 
P.S. I did a lengthy write-up about this year's contest a month or two back, which you can check out on my personal blog (if you like).  There I talk about the process and tell you what I really think of the story I wrote (on second thought, maybe you shouldn't check it out).  In there, I said I wouldn't ask our fans to vote for me, and I'm doing the same here.  But I am asking them to go over there, listen to the three stories, and have a good time.  All the stories are short, and feel free to vote for your favorite.  It's your right as an Earthman or woman.

Worst Marathon Ever 10: A Simply Marvelous Panel

Wow, we've got to be be nearing the end of this, don't we?  Rish talks (and gets interrupted) about the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013.



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Rish & Big Perform "Call of the Pancake Factory" on the Drabblecast

After a lengthy absence, Norm over at the Drabblecast recently bribed us to narrate a story for his show.  I would've done it for nothing, and for a crappy story, but the tale, "The Call of the Pancake Factory" by Ken Liu, turned out to be a blast.

It's part of his Lovecraft month, and tells of a representative of a very famous theme park who encounters cultists with a very unique theme park of their own.  It's clever, funny, and did not go where I expected it to.  It also marks the first recording we've made since Big entered his Homeless phase.*

Thanks to Norm Sherman for the invitation, and thanks to you, loyal listener of strange stories (for the invitation to crash on your couch).  Check the episode out here.

I can't guarantee you'll enjoy it as much as I did, but if you don't . . . I'll refund your money.

Rish 'n Big n' A.M.

*And, it turns out, it is also the last recording we made before Rish entered his Nudist phase.

Worst Marathon Ever 9: Josh Weldon Is My Master Now

So, back to Rish talking about Comic-Con.  In this episode, he preaches to the converted, telling Big how cool Joss Whedon is.  And tired.



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Worst Marathon Ever 8: Huge Ackman

Just in case you weren't already sick of these daily episodes, Rish tells Big more about his trip to Comic-Con, this time talking about Fox's Wolverine and X-men panel. And at least one bad joke is made about Hugh Jackman's unfortunate name.



Right click HERE to download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.

Rish's story "The Calling" available on Amazon.com

So, despite coming up with a dozen reasons not to, I actually listed something for sale on Amazon.  I'd been trying to build up the gumption for months, even going so far as creating a seller account, and almost uploading one of my favorite stories no one has ever read (I may still do that, someday).  But I let things like not having cover art (and cowardice) get in the way.

But all the response to my Broken Mirror story "The Calling" on the Dunesteef really encouraged me.  I sat down and incorporated a couple of the suggested changes into the tale, and went ahead and listed the text for sale on Amazon.

If you heard it on the Dunesteef, it's the same story about a family that believes itself charged to slay demons in human form, but it has a change or two, including the ending.  Here's the link: www.amazon.com/The-Calling-ebook/dp/B00ENMZIGC

It's my plan to do this many times, and make little collections of my stories, if I can overcome the cover art problem.  And if anybody out there buys it, maybe I'll do it faster.

Rish Outfield, Aspiring Bookseller

Worst Marathon Ever 7: Answering Listener Questions (Part II)

Taking a break from the Comic-Con conversation, Big and Rish answer a couple of questions.  A month or three back, Rish asked folks to send us their questions, but time ran out the last time we started to answer them.



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Rish Performs "Open 28 Hours" on Cast of Wonders

I recently got to do a reading of Darin Ramsey's "Open 28 Hours" short story over at the Cast o' Wonders podcast.  They're good people over there.

It tells the tale of a convenience store clerk on an obscure spacedock, and the stressful day he has, with customers of all shapes and sizes.  It was quite amusing, and though it has somehow been classified as YA fiction, I'll try not to hold that against it.

Check it out here: http://www.castofwonders.org/2013/08/18/ep-91-open-28-hours-by-darin-ramsey/

Worst Marathon Ever 6: Han Solo Meets Indiana Jones (SDCC)

Uh oh, Rish went to Comic-Con again, and he can't shut up about it.  Again.  This time, he talks about the ENDER'S GAME panel.  Big and Rish talk about their perception of the movie version versus the book version . . . and that other thing.



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Worst Marathon Ever 5: The Smells of Comic-Con

Rish had just returned from the San Diego Comic-Con, and attempted to regale Big with tales of his adventures there.  Ants, sweat, and a foul stench ensues.

Warning: Screaming and explosions.



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Worst Marathon Ever 4: Why More Why Ay?

Okay, last time.  Rish asks the musical question why authors can't write just a single book anymore.

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Worst Marathon Ever 3: Why, Why Ay, Why?

In this next installment of Big and Rish's most awful podcast run yet, Rish continues to criticize the Y.A. book he's read, and ask the hard questions, such as "Does a love triangle make stupid people like your book?"



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Worst Marathon Ever 2: Why Why Ay?

That's "Y.A.," to you.

I this second daily episode of That Gets My Goat, Rish has questions about the Y.A. genre, and plenty of complaints.



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Worst Marathon Ever 1: The Olaves, the Espindolas

Big and Rish kick off this marathon of That Gets My Goat episodes with Big talking about something from sports radio that really chaps his hide.  Oddly, this subject will come up again and again . . . for the rest of his life.



Right click HERE to download the episode, select Save Link As, and save the file to your hard drive.

TGMG: WME

Starting tomorrow, the marathon begins.  The Worst Marathon Ever, that is.

So, despite having less time than usual, Rish and Big sat down for a few hours to record a series of daily episodes. They talk about various topics, including YA books, sports talk, San Diego Comic-Con, listener questions, Big's new house, and Rish's new master. Enjoy?

Rish Performs "Pandora's Box" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch on Audible.com

I performed "The Case of the Vanishing Boy" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch a couple of months back, which was the first "Spade/Paladin Connundrum" I recorded.  It had Spade, the rotund Science Fiction convention detective, helping the lovely Paladin find a teen runaway.  It can be found here, if you like: http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_3_9?asin=B00CA4P784&qid=1376585839&sr=3-9

And this week, a second story, "Pandora's Box," has been made available.  In this one, Paladin has apparently made an impression on some crazy person, who promises to send a bomb to an SF convention, to either kill her or impress her, it's hard to say.  Spade once again teams up with her to take care of the problem.  It's now available for purchase at this link: http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_2?asin=B00EILQPZ6&qid=1376584740&sr=1-2

This was a really easy read, and practically headache-free, so I went ahead and signed on for another. 
I make almost nothing off these little stories.  But they are well-written, uniquely geeky, and every little bit helps.

Rish Outfield, Audiobook Narrator

"No Podcast's Like the Dunesteef!"

A couple of months back, Big was firmly convinced not to submit the Dunesteef for the Parsec Awards this year. Rish tried to talk him out of it . . . through song. The episode this was recorded for never aired, so we present it here, for your listening pleasure.

Of course, I'm not ignorant of the irony, since the damn show got two Parsec nominations anyway.



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