Alien Beer

"Killer Cure" was my very first Iron Writer story. I wrote it for the third-ever Challenge, in March 2013, using these four elements: A failed superhero, a piano, a boat propeller and a Chechem/Chaka tree. My story won against two other Iron Writer participants, though their stories were quite good. It was such fun to write, it makes me wonder why I don't do more superhero stories.

Jules and the crew of Hope's Tour find themselves beset by xenophobic protesters as they set up for a show at the New Louie Coliseum in the Gamma Earth 'verse.

Before I begin, I'd like to talk about the masks the Gamma Earth people wear. I didn't write them into the story because of the masks we're wearing because of the pandemic; Not many people were wearing them at the time I started that part. Funny enough, I saw an article today that some men are refusing to wear floral patterned homemade masks if that's all that are available. A friend who makes masks for others commented on the article. She said she'd initially made only plain white masks and was told by some women that they'd buy from her when she had something prettier to offer. I guess I called it.

For the Iron Writer Challenge in January 2015, I took on the following elements: Botticelli, a tiger lily, long hair, and steampunk goggles. The latter two elements demanded that I write a story involving my heroine Ida Stillwell, from my Trans-Continental steampunk books. It turned out to be an origin story that I decided was canon.

For this bonus episode, I have a special guest reading. My wife Amy Garrison wrote a fun bit of microfiction that I thought might make a topical bonus for the podcast. I envy her reading voice.

This episode finds Jules and the others in Hope's crew scrambling after an unexpected turn of events with Smiley and his men, and then on to New Louie for their concert in the Gamma 'verse.

 

When I started The Multiverse Blues serial, I made sure I had at least a couple of episodes written and recorded before they aired, giving me a cushion of time to work on the next episodes so I wouldn't fall behind. Given the current situation of pandemic lockdown, you'd think I'd have even more time to get ahead of things, right? Wrong. I've been working my day job from home, so the only extra time I've gotten has been from not commuting, and not socializing, other than the occasional Zoom meetup. When I've had downtime, I've found myself sapped of energy, not feeling as creative as I needed to be.

So, this episode is a bit fresher than usual, having been written and recorded within a week of broadcast. I have the next one started, at least, along with plans for where it's going after that.

This was a story that originated in late 2014 as a self-challenge: to write a short story set in one of the universes featured in my novel Reality Check. It kicked off the beginnings of a sequel to that book, which sadly became too tangled to finish. Never fear, I have a better idea for how the sequel should go, and you get to enjoy this as the original stand-alone project it was intended to be.

This is also the universe in which The Multiverse Blues takes place.

The Multiverse Blues is a science fiction serial spanning many alternate realities.In this episode, the crew of Hope's Tour introduces Jules to the retro 'verse of Gamma Earth and its hazards.

When I wrote this story in 2014, I couldn't have pictured our current pandemic lockdown. I decided to post this episode earlier than it appears in my Alien Beer and Other Stories anthology because of its timely topic -- social isolation. In Trog's case, the cause is supernatural, rather than viral.

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Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to you anywhere, anytime. The idea for "A Bone to Pick" came as I drove into work, and I was forced to call my own phone to leave a voicemail so I'd remember it later. This one came as I was walking in a cemetery, enjoying the view from the highest point, and was approached by a sweet girl with none of the usual caution you'd expect her to have around strangers. The main character of this story isn't me, but I have social awkwardness that approaches superpower levels at times; which is why the smile and high-five from a stranger was especially touching. I wish making connections, however brief, was always that easy and heartwarming.

Previously on The Multiverse Blues: Jules starts their job as part of the crew of Hope's Tour. They meet the other members of the interdimensional rock star's crew; stage manager Harlan, general manager Marcy Davenport, drummer Dribbler, bass and backup singer Babs, and enchanting alien singing sensation Hope herself. Just about to pass through the Arch to Gamma Earth, Jules and the crew are stopped for inspection by Beta Earth's dreaded TSA. Jules does not have an interdimensional passport.

This sequel to "Moby Me" was written nearly four years afterwards, in 2017. What can I say, I have fun with the "mad scientist" trope.