ARCHIVOS Podcast Network

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Starting this Tuesday, you're going to be hearing a slight change to the Roundtable introduction.

"Wonderthing Studios proudly presents... The Roundtable Podcast"

That's a small change, and the ONLY change anyone will ever notice... but it's kind of a big deal. Let me explain...

David Annandale describes horror as "the cluster of tactics and strategies that set about to create the effect of horror." As such, it can be difficult to nail down as a genre... it can creep into and overlay any other genre, infusing a scifi or romance story with chilling terror. In the case of "The Grimm Mistresses" - the latest anthology from Angelic Knight Press (horror imprint of Ragnarok publishing) - it's fairy tales that are treated to the dark kiss of horror.

Whatever the form or format, horror has fascinated us for centuries... we love to be scared whether it's in fiction, film, or art. Which raises a few questions... like why are we, as a culture, so attracted to horror? In terms of fiction, how does the horror of a story differ from that of a film? Do men write horror differently from women? And what drives an author to immerse themselves in the chilling shadows of the horror genre?

Joining me to help address these questions (and more) are Stacey Turner, S.R. Cambridge, C.W. LaSart, and Mercedes Yardely. These four exceptional wordsmiths (plus Allison M. Dickson who sadly couldn't join us) are the architects of of darkness whose stories grace the pages of "The Grimm Mistresses". This is a remarkable discussion exploring not only the craft of horror fiction, but the joy and delight that can be found in the shadows. You're in for a treast, dear friends... click that "PLAY" button!

Jake Kerr is a most skilled and accomplished wordsmith. His whole life has focused on weaving words into tapestries of delight, first for the music industry and now (thankfully) in the realms of Speculative Fiction. His works have been featured on Lightspeed Magazine and in numerous anthologies, including the acclaimed "Apocalypse Triptych" and his YA Urban Fantasy "Tommy Black and the Staff of Light" continues to delight audiences of all ages.

With Terry Mixon - author of “Empire of Bones” and “Veil of Shadows” and co-host on the mighty Dead Robots’ Society podcast - as my co-host, we welcome Jake to the Big Chair at the Roundtable and have a truly inspiring 20(ish) minutes of writerly discourse, talking about using all the tools in the tool box, the collaborative nature of critique groups, and more. Writerly goodness is but a mouse-click away, friends!

If you're gonna shake the pillars of literary heaven, then you'll definitely want Sam Sykes - author of the "Aeon's Gate" series and the newly released "The City Stained Red" - with you wield the sledgehammer. We're delighted to have Sam return to The Big Chair at the Roundtable to lend his distinctive writerly mojo to an epic brainstorming session.

Laying forth the story banquet for our literary feast is creageous Guest Writer Angela Meadon, who brings a tale of demon-possessed philosophers and a war-torn land savaged by relentless conquerors. Angela's tale is riveting and served as a flashpoint for a brain maelstrom of ideas an inspirations. The Literary Gold Machine is working overtime on this one, so bring a wheelbarrow when you hit that "PLAY" button. You're gonna need it!

Sam Sykes - author of the Aeon's Gate series and the newly released "The City Stained Red" - is a distinctive and articulate voice in the Spec Fic community. His sense of humor is boundless (just follow his Twitter feed), but beneath the wit and surreal banter is a perceptive and inspired creative spirit infusing the world with startling and exuberant tales.

In our 20-ish minutes of writerly discourse, we explore a wide range of Sam's craft, including preparing and developing a story idea, defining when a story is "done", and the fundamental reason why he writes. There's a wealth of writerly goodness to be had, poised behind the "PLAY" button. Click that sucker and enjoy!

Guest Host K. C. Wayland - creator of the amazing and award-winning "We're Alive" audio drama series - returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable for a landmark story workshopping event. We've brainstormed, short stories, novels, and even songs on the RTP, but we've never workshopped an audio drama series script before... until now!

Our Guest Writer for this episode - the mighty Bryan Lincoln - offers up a bold new scifi concept for an audio drama series featuring relativistic space travel and the evolution of the human species amid the stars. With the fabulous Christof Laputka - creator of the exceptional "Leviathan Chronicles" - as my co-host, we launch into an utterly unique brainstorming session, exploring not only the world and story of Bryan's idea, but also considerations of soundscapes and audio signatures. It's a RTP episode unlike any other, but one thing remains the same... at the end, there's a mountain of Literary Gold for everyone!

Few people have impacted the world of audio theater in recent years like this week's Guest Host, K.C. Wayland. Back in 2009, while the most of the world was just waking up to podcasting and the notion of audiobooks (and "Walking Dead" was still a year and a half from its debut), KC was writing and producing the award winning "We're Alive" audio drama series, a tale of survival set against the backdrop of a zombie apocalypse. The superior production, performance, and storytelling of "We're Alive" raised the bar on audio entertainment and inspired a renaissance of tales told through the "theater of the mind".

That alone would make this a spectacular 20(ish) minutes, but wait... there's more. My co-host for this episode is none other than the creator of the remarkable "Leviathan Chronicles" audio drama, Christof Laputka! With these two storytelling maestros together in the virtual RTP studio, you KNOW this is going to be a fabulous discussion. Tune in as we explore the distinctions between literary and audio storytelling, crafting action scenes in audio drama, killing characters, sensory challenges in audio drama, and more.

E-books, audiobooks, websites, podcasts, transmedia, social media, Scribd, WattPad... compared to just a decade ago, the ways to tell a story have multiplied exponentially. Readers (or listeners) can not only find the stories they want with a click of the mouse, but they can also find the authors themselves, creating a whole new dynamic of fandom.

As formats and delivery models transform and evolve, the question has to be asked: Has the ancient craft storytelling - an instinct hard-coded into the DNA of every human being - been changed as well? And if so, how? And, more importantly, what should an author know in order to tell their stories in this ever-shifting terrain?

Joining me to help address this question is Cat Rambo, Joe Bonadonna , Michael A. Armstrong, and Janet and Chris Morris, veteran tale-weavers straddling the traditional and the modern. Together, we set out to examine the "new" storytelling models, discussing ebooks, audiobooks, mobile technologies, episodic and serial storytelling, and more.