Finding Fantasy Reads

In this episode you'll hear a short story from Deborah Grace White told from the perspective of a dragon. Dragon's Sight is narrated by Paeter Frandsen.

Important Links:

The Author: Deborah Grace's website, where you can get Dragon's Sight for free

The Narrator: Paeter Frandsen's website

Instructions on how to leave a review for the podcast

Enjoying the podcast? Consider donating toward podcast expenses or joining our volunteer staff to help us make more episodes!

Find the full show notes on our website.

In this episode you'll hear Forsaken by M.H. Woodscourt. It has a shepherdess, a storyteller, and the magic of dangerous decisions. Forsaken is narrated by Karyne Norton.

Important Links:

The Author: M.H. Woodscourt's website, where you can get Forsaken AND Jinji's Curse for free

Check out her other episodes:

The Minstrel and the Dragon: Part 1 by M.H. Woodscourt

The Minstrel and the Dragon: Part 2 by M.H. Woodscourt

The Narrator: Karyne Norton's website

This month’s giveaway

Know a story we should feature? Apply with your own story or nominate an author here.

Enjoying the podcast? Consider donating toward podcast expenses or joining our volunteer staff to help us make more episodes!

Find the full show notes on our website.

Karyne (00:00:06) -  Hi fantasy readers. Nope. Let's do this over.

Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to a bonus blooper reel episode from the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast.

*Woo-hoo. Yeah.

If you're listening to this, it means you've either just signed up to get episodes straight to your inbox, or you've been getting them for a while now. Can I just start off by saying thank you? Thank you so much for your support. I have been blown away by people's excitement for this podcast. I think this project has been one of those things that sounds super fun when you're putting it together, but there's always this niggling doubt that it's not as interesting as you think it might be - that you're the only one who really caress. But you have all made it clear that you're loving it, and it makes me that much more excited to keep finding new stories and new authors to share.

*What the heck is this?

I love blooper reels. Sometimes I enjoy watching blooper reels from a favorite show more than the actual show. With that in mind, I have diligently set aside bloopers from each episode, hoping they would eventually amount to something worth sharing, but never quite sure if they'd be funny enough. Several of them require context, so I'm mixing them in with a bit of a behind the scenes look at the podcast.

*Ah, here we go.

Finding Fantasy Reads may have launched on June 6th, 2023, but it has been in the works since the spring of 2022. When I first had the idea, it sounded like something good for someone else to do as most time consuming and start from scratch projects do, and I shoved it aside, but the idea would not leave me alone. There were so many reasons not to do it. First and foremost being the fact that I can't stand listening to my recorded voice.

*Oh, that was the same terrible voice I did the first time.

I still don't love it, but you'd be surprised what a good microphone and headphones can do, especially after you're forced to listen to yourself over and over and over. It magically gets you past that pride hurdle.

*enclosed. I don't know what the heck that was.

The other big obstacle was that I couldn't record all of the stories. Well, I could, but I prefer listening to men read stories told from a man's perspective, and I figure other readers do too. So everything hinged on finding someone to help me out. Someone who could read stories in an engaging way.

My brother was the obvious choice, and thankfully he said yes, because I hadn't come up with any backup options. And to be honest, I'm not sure I would've gone through with this if he had said no. He's been my cheerleader and my idea bouncer and so generous with his time. We've always been close, but this is the first time we've worked on a project like this together. It's really found the sweet spot to bridge my literary world with his podcasting world, and it's made the whole experience 10 times more fun.

* Paeter burping* That's for you.

So that summer I ordered the equipment I needed and I used the 30 day free refund period to experiment for a week because then I got sick and lost my voice.

*About once a year I get super sick and my voice ends up sounding like this, which is super frustrating when I'm trying to finish recording a story.

And after listening to the little bit I'd recorded, I determined I would only embarrass myself, and I returned everything.

*Yes. This is terrible. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, what did I get myself into with this?

That's right. The podcast almost didn't exist, but the idea still kept coming up. I found stories that would be perfect, and I found myself mentally curating a list of who I'd contact first. Randomly, at the same time, my husband and I were assigned a book to read as volunteer youth leaders at our church, and my husband is not a quick reader, so I ended up recording myself reading the chapters for him. Even though I wasn't really aiming for any kind of quality with those recordings, it helped me get more comfortable with the idea of reading and recording myself.

So when Black Friday rolled around and the equipment I had previously returned went on sale, I bit the bullet and I tried again. Maybe my voice changed or maybe I just got over it. I don't know. For whatever reason, this time I felt good about it, and I sent a sample to a few of my friends, and the podcast was born.

*Let's try that again.

At first, I set up all my equipment in my closet because that's apparently the thing to do to keep your sound cleaner. But there's no AC in there and no plug for the computer. And one afternoon I found myself so distracted by the need to clean out my closet that I recorded nothing and did that instead.

*Orien - Okay. Yeah. Honey, I'm in my closet. Hi. Hi. Can I have a snack? Yes, you can have a snack. Wait, did I forgot to eat lunch? No. You ate lunch bunch at school. Oh.

I tried moving out to our bedroom, but our house is louder than I thought and I had to pause every few minutes to wait for the planes to go overhead.

*So many airplanes.

When I'm editing, I typically have a handful of bloopers, all from a few basic categories. The first being phones. Apparently Paeter and I set more alarms than average. And we never remember to silence our phones.

* But we fill it with good.

* What is that supposed to mean? Dang it, my sister.

*Hello? If we don't, ah!

* Ah! I did not turn off my phone again.

*What makes you, ah!

Any guesses what another common category is? I bet you didn't think it was words we don't know how to pronounce. Yeah, I thought it was just my problem, but apparently it's genetic.

*I find a passageway street with Azer Light. Azure, Azure, Azer, Azer, I don't know how to say that word. How do you say azure? Azure. Azure. Azure. I like the color. Don't know how to say it.

*Of all - oh, I don't know that word. I gotta look that up.

*Dang it. I gotta look that one up.

*Making the swat, Swat, Suave. Sua, swathe. Good thing I looked it up. Okay.

*As they neared...crystalline...as they near their crystalline lilac eyes, sparkled,

*How do you say mischievousness? Mischievousness. That is that same English lady. And I want the American version. Mischievousness. Mischievousness. Okay.

*Rose to a dais. Is that what that is? I gotta look that up.

*Rather than the shiny black bas- basal- I don't know these words. How do you say basalt? Basalt. That's how you say it. Okay.

*I don't know how to say that word. And if I try, I think a bad word will come out.

*The red glow of the scorpion fish kept the die-us. Dais, why do I always say that word wrong?

*Family members in quarter cordier courtier?

*That out to make him shiver like a go - what's a gobe? I said it right. What is a gobe? A common name for many species of small to medium sized ray fin fish normally with large heads and tapered bodies. Huh. Learn something new every day.

*Wizard's Soul Blade by Jeffrey L. Kohaynick by Jeffrey L. Kohahneck by Jeffrey L. Kohenuck. If it's not one of those, let me know and I can rerecord it.

I cringe at the thought of people catching something I've missed, but for some reason when I edit something out and save it for later, it has the complete opposite effect, which is why Paeter and I invite you to laugh with us - or at us. It's honestly all the same when it comes to the rest of these bloopers, which are full of Paeter's weird vocal exercises, random noises we make between takes and our general failure at attempting to talk.

So please enjoy.

*The remaining bloopers can't be transcripted because there are too many partial words and sound effects. Please listen to the episode for maximum entertainment.

I hope you found this mildly entertaining. If not, put it on double speed and listen to it again. I always find when that chipmunk effect is added in, everything's a little more fun. I hope to put out bonus episodes like this every six months or so, partly because Paeter and I aren't learning how to talk any better, so the bloopers keep piling up, and partly because I like finding ways to connect with my core listeners.

I'll probably try to make the next one more of an FAQ set, or maybe I'll rope Paeter into sitting down to chat with me about podcasting as siblings, because I found a lot of people are curious about that dynamic. If you have any burning questions, shoot me an email. Not only will I respond to you, but it may end up as a question on the next blooper reel.

Once again, I can't thank you enough for your support. I hope you continue to listen and enjoy Finding Fantasy Reads for many more episodes. As always, thank you for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

Today's story is one that newsletter subscribers have already heard for the past few months. I've been sending it out as a thank you when people sign up for the newsletter. Today, I'm bringing it out for everyone for a very special reason. This morning, about the same time that this episode went live, I launched a Kickstarter campaign for my debut epic fantasy novel, Blood of the Stars. The book is full of found family, reluctant royalty, blood magic, and descendants of Stars on the brink of war.

If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a crowdfunding platform that authors can use to jumpstart the release of their book. It's a bit like a pre-order campaign in the sense that everyone who backs the project now will get their book and pre-order goodies well before the official release of the book, which isn't until March of 2024. I'll have more about the Kickstarter at the end as well as links in the show notes.

The reason I even bring it up is because today you get to hear my brother Paeter Frandsen, host of Christian Geek Central, read the prequel short story to the series. You'll meet Gaeren and Aeliana, who are friends who were separated as children, and you'll find out why Gaeren is so desperate to find Aeliana in Blood of the Stars.

And if you're a newsletter subscriber who's already heard this story, never fear. There's a new bonus blooper episode that I sent out for subscribers. So go check your email! For the rest of you, please enjoy The Light That Takes by Karyne Norton.

Paeter (00:01:49) -  The Light That Takes is read by Paeter Frandsen. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to karynenorton.com to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (00:54:36) - I hope you enjoyed listening to The Light That Takes by me, Karyne Norton, narrated by Paeter Frandsen of Christian Geek Central. If you enjoyed the story, please go check out the Kickstarter because I think you'll love reading Blood of the Stars. It picks up with Gaeren and Aeliana less than a year after the events of the prequel, and by backing the Kickstarter, you'll get to read their story as early as October instead of having to wait until March. The Kickstarter runs through September 26th, but the earlier you back, the better deals and more goodies you can get. I'll have a direct link for it in the show notes.

If you enjoyed listening to Paeter narrate the story, you might also enjoy listening to his podcast, Christian Geek Central, where he discusses movies, video games, and all things enjoyed by self-proclaimed geeks from a Christian worldview.

Last but not least, it's a new month with a new giveaway, and for the first time, I have my own book to include along with the other featured authors. So if you want a chance to win, go to findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway to enter.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

Today's story stood out to me because it has a different flavor than most of the fantasy I read. It holds a world that's rich with history and culture and pairs a young girl and an old man who are eager to find both a treasure and freedom. It's written by Terry Madden, who clearly includes her interest in medieval and ancient culture and mythology in her writing. I'll be narrating today's story. Be sure to stick around to the end or check out today's show notes to see where you can find more from Terry, as well as how to enter this month's giveaway.

For now, please enjoy The Wood of the Old Blood by Terry Madden.

Karyne (00:01:04) -  The Wood of the Old Blood is read by Karyne Norton. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to Terry's website to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (01:05:06) - I hope you enjoyed listening to The Wood of the Old Blood by Terry Madden, narrated by Karyne Norton.

If you want to read more by Terry, go to terrymaddenwrites.com to find more of her books. This month's giveaway includes an ebook for Three Wells of the Sea, the first book in her high fantasy series. So be sure to enter to win at https://www.findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway. As always, I will have links for both those sites in the show notes.

If you haven't already signed up for the Finding Fantasy Reads newsletter, you'll want to get in on that. Each week you get an email letting you know what episode has been added, but I also include links to deals on audiobooks, new releases and freebies from our featured authors, as well as anything else that I think might interest someone who enjoys fantasy, audiobooks, and short stories. You can sign up for the newsletter at findingfantasyreads.com.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

Today's story was a learning experience for me. It sucked me in and I got through the whole thing thinking, yes, this will be a great one for the podcast!

But then I paused and said, "wait, where's the magic? Can a story even be fantasy without magic?" Yes, it can. It's called low fantasy, and I never thought I'd enjoy it because, well, every story should have magic, but Street Fox is evidence that I was wrong. It takes place in an alternate world and is a prequel to CJ Brightley's series, Erdemen Honor.

CJ lives in Virginia with her husband and young kids, but somehow she also finds time to make jewelry, teach karate, and bake. I was fascinated to learn that she's just shy of five feet tall, which means we'd look really awkward together in a picture, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

She also claims she would eat bugs over bananas, and I'm curious to know if she would eat any bug over a banana or where exactly she draws the line. I'm not a fan of bananas either, but I will eat them over bugs.

Today's narrator is Paeter Frandsen, host of Christian Geek Central. Stick around to the end or check out today's show notes to see where you can find more from both the author and the narrator, as well as how to enter our giveaway.

For now, please enjoy Street Fox by CJ Brightley.

Paeter (00:01:46) -  Street Fox is read by Paeter Frandsen. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to cjbrightley.com to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (00:39:27) - I hope you enjoyed listening to Street Fox by CJ Brightley, narrated by Paeter Frandsen of Christian Geek Central. If you want to read more by CJ, go to cjbrightley.com to find more of her books. While you're there, you can sign up for her newsletter to get a free copy of today's story. Be sure to keep an eye out for her upcoming book, The Silent Prince, which is a gender-flipped retelling of The Little Mermaid, and comes out November 28th.

If you enjoyed listening to Paeter narrate the story, you might also enjoy listening to his podcast, Christian Geek Central, where he discusses movies, video games, and all things enjoyed by self-proclaimed geeks from a Christian worldview.

Don't forget about this month's giveaway, which includes a paperback copy of Heroes and Other Stories, which has Street Fox and two other short stories from the same world, all by CJ Brightley. Go to findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway to enter.

If you enjoyed this story, please consider sharing it with a friend, preferably a friend who would also enjoy this story. There are links in the show notes to make that as easy as possible for you, along with links to the giveaway and CJ Brightley's site.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

Today's short story is one of magic and mystery, and a healer tasked with the impossible. It's written by Ellen McGinty, who lives in the Tokyo metropolis with her husband, three boys, and a hypoallergenic cat. When not writing or editing, you can find her exploring the wilds of Japan with an abundance of espresso.

I'll be narrating today's story, but make sure you stick around afterwards because Ellen's story is part of a much larger project that has a special purpose I want to share with you.

For now, please enjoy Soul Threader by Ellen McGinty.

Karyne (00:01:02) -  Soul Threader is read by Karyne Norton. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. 

Karyne (00:25:31) - I hope you enjoyed listening to Soul Threader by Ellen McGinty, narrated by Karyne Norton. If you want to read more by Ellen, go to ellenmcginty.com to find more of her books. Her debut, a YA fantasy novel with dragons, lots of heart, and autoimmune representation, releases in March 2024.

Today's short story is one of many within the charity anthology, The Sun Still Rises. The entire book celebrates the light found in dark places, just as Lani Forbes embodied having hope in difficult times as she battled cancer. All the proceeds from the novel go to Lani's family. So if you enjoyed today's story, please consider purchasing the book. You'll find a link for it in the show notes.

Be sure to check out this month's giveaway, which also includes an ebook copy of The Sun Still Rises. You can enter at https://www.findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway.

And if you haven't already, please subscribe to Finding Fantasy Reads. It lets you automatically download new episodes as they come in, but it also helps increase the podcast's visibility on podcast platforms, which helps both authors and listeners find the show. Long story short, it means the podcast can continue to give you more short stories for even longer.

As always, I will have links for all of these sites in the show notes. Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

You'll want to stick around for today's episode if you like stories on the high seas mixed with mermaids and mayhem.

It's written by Kelly N. Jane, who writes fantasy with characters who wear a crown, wield a sword, and follow epic adventures. Then she stirs in some ancient mythology with a splash of romantic fairytale magic. Today you get both my brother and me as narrators because it's told from a dual point of view.

Stick around at the end or check out today's show notes to see where you can find more from the author, as well as how to enter this month's giveaway. For now, please enjoy Realm of Sea Castles by Kelly N. Jane.

Karyne and Paeter (00:01:01) -  Realm of Sea Castles is read by Karyne Norton and Paeter Frandsen. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to kellynjane.com to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (00:44:04) - I hope you enjoyed listening to Realm of Sea Castles by Kelly N. Jane, narrated by Karyne Norton and by Paeter Frandsen of Christian Geek Central. If you want to read more by Kelly, go to kellynjane.com to find more of her books. You can sign up there for her newsletter and get your own copy of Realm of Sea Castles.

As a special treat for finding Fantasy Reads listeners, Kelly has given me a link that will also get you her book, Rise of Dragons, for free. So be sure to click on the show notes so you can snag that as well.

If you enjoyed listening to Paeter narrate the story, you might also enjoy listening to his podcast, Christian Geek Central, where he discusses movies, video games, and all things enjoyed by self-proclaimed geeks from a Christian worldview.

This month we have another giveaway, and Kelly N. Jane has included a signed paperback copy of the first book in her latest series, Rune of Secrets. It's an epic fantasy adventure with slow burn romance. So head on over to https://www.findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway to enter today.

Last but not least, I want to give a special shout out to my sister-in-law, Holly, this month. She has been a huge supporter of Paeter and me getting this podcast off the ground, and not just because she's obligated to as his wife and my sister-in-law. She has faithfully listened to every episode for me to catch any editing errors. I think she's even listened to a couple twice.

You should be thankful to her, too, because she catches a lot, whether it's duplicate lines or terrible mispronunciations because, you guys, I learned my vocabulary from reading, not talking, so I don't know how to pronounce half of the unusual words or really even the normal ones. It's embarrassing.

Anyway, thank you, Holly, for all that you do. For the rest of you. If you missed any of the links, they will be in the show notes.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

Today's story holds a story within a story with a father's attempts to both comfort and teach a daughter who's destined for big things. The River of Reversal is written by SG Prince, who writes character driven fantasy and is constantly fighting to reign in her creativity. If she's anything like me, that's a kind way of saying she's constantly trying to seem normal and attentive when her mind is often in other worlds with other people, also known as characters, but maybe she's not anything like me because she also likes cooking and poetry and is casually vegan: three things I can never claim.

Today's narrator is Paeter Frandsen, host of Christian Geek Central. Stick around to the end or check out today's show notes to see where you can find more from both the author and the narrator, as well as how to enter our giveaway. For now, please enjoy The River of Reversal by SG Prince.

Karyne (00:01:19) -  The River of Reversal is read by Paeter Frandsen. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to sgprince.com to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (00:29:31) - I hope you enjoyed listening to The River of Reversal by SSG Prince, narrated by Paeter Frandsen of Christian Geek Central.

If you want to read more by Prince, go to sgprince.com to find more of her books. Her most recent release is To Poison A King, a standalone that picks up with Selene several years down the road when she's tasked to save the man she aimed to kill.

If you enjoyed listening to Paeter narrate the story, you might also enjoy listening to his podcast, Christian Geek Central, where he discusses movies, video games, and all things enjoyed by self-proclaimed geeks from a Christian worldview.

This month we have a brand new giveaway sponsored by our August featured authors. You'll want to head on over to https://www.findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway to see what all is available and to enter. I promise I've made it as easy as possible. As always, the links for anything you might've missed will be in the show notes.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.

Karyne (00:00:07) - Hi fantasy readers. This is Karyne Norton, your fellow book binger, and you are listening to the Finding Fantasy Reads podcast where you can test out a new fantasy story every single week to find your next favorite author.

I picked today's story because I'm pushing myself outside my normal genres, and I think you all should too. If you like lit RPG gaming, quests, or stories that have some sci-fi crossover, I think you'll get a kick out of The Girl in Bear Cloak Dungeon. And if you don't like those things, I still think you'll enjoy it, because I loved it and I'm not into any of those things.

Ben Green is the author of The Girl in Bearcloak Dungeon, and his storytelling started at a young age when he would tear apart his coloring books and assemble them into crossover stories with lots of drama and lots of glue. He graduated to Star Wars fan fiction as a teen, and began creating his own worlds on a brother word processor with a tiny screen and floppy discs. I actually kind of miss those things. There was something satisfying about lugging out the machine and folding down the keyboard and popping in the disc. I wonder if those will come back the way people have been resurrecting typewriters.

Anyway, I'll be narrating the story for today. At the risk of sounding slightly mysterious, I'm going to warn you that the story will be best experienced in stereo. Which means that if you're anything like me when it comes to listening to podcasts in one ear and listening out for fighting children in the other, you'll need to stick in that second earbud to get the full experience.

Stick around to the end or check out today's show notes to see where you can find more from Ben, as well as how to enter our giveaway. For now, please enjoy The Girl in Bear Cloak Dungeon by Ben Green.

Karyne (00:01:50) -  The Girl in Bearcloak Dungeon is read by Karyne Norton. Due to copyright, the full transcript of the story cannot be included here. Please go to https://www.loamseedpress.com to get your free ebook copy of the short story.

Karyne (01:07:16) - I hope you enjoyed listening to The Girl in Bear Cloak Dungeon by Ben Green, narrated by Karyne Norton. After listening, you know the world of RIMDUUM is fandom ready with amazing characters and jaw dropping settings around every corner. If it's the fantasy world you've been waiting for, go to loamseedpress.com and grab book one of the complete trilogy today.

You can also enter this month's giveaway, because Ben has generously included the entire trilogy and ebook for our lucky winner. You can enter at https://www.findingfantasyreads.com/giveaway. As always, I will have links for those sites in the show notes.

If you're enjoying listening to Finding Fantasy reads, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help me know how to improve the show, whether it's to keep the things you like or get rid of the things you don't, and it helps new listeners find the podcast. A good review can often be the tipping point to get someone to listen or subscribe, which means I can keep making more new episodes for you. If you're not sure how to leave a review, check out today's show notes for some easy instructions.

Thank you all for listening and happy reading.