Ten years ago I wrote and produced a TV pilot that—at $2+ million dollars—was the most expensive pilot Disney Channel had ever made.

It was a musical about a vampire boy band. Don’t laugh. It was actually awesome and if you come to my house I will screen you the only copy in existence.

The boy band had already been cast but what we needed was an actor to play their manager. We saw a lot of famous faces but one actor stood out: Eric Nenninger.

If you’ve watched any TV in the last 20 years, the odds of you missing Eric are statistically impossible.

Eric’s credits include Malcolm in the Middle, Mad Men, The Rookie, Big Bang Theory, Wet Hot American Summer, The Politician, The Flash… and that’s just scratching the surface.

Eric is funny and smart and a total pro. I’ll never forget during rehearsals on the pilot where our director Adam Stein gave the cast an acting exercise. He pulled a random line of dialogue from the script and asked everyone to deliver it in as many different ways as possible.

Long after everyone else had run out of line readings, Eric just kept going. And going. And going. It was like a magic trick. When Eric agreed to come on the podcast and perform a Silver Cord Story, I shouldn’t have been surprised when he said, “Can I do two stories?” (He has since told me he’s doing a third whether I like it or not.)

So sit back and enjoy Eric Nenninger… performing the story “Softie.”

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Welcome back to the Silver Cord Stories Podcast.

Every few weeks, I’m recording and releasing an audio version of one of my original stories.

“Factory Reset” came out early last year, but since my readership has grown 750% since then (thank you!) it seemed worthy of being re-released this week and now recorded for all to hear!

As promised, some TBA talented friends will soon be reading their own favorite Silver Cord Stories in the weeks to come.

So stay tuned — and thanks for listening.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY:

Some of the best story ideas come from just asking, “What if…”

In this case, my old cell phone had been warning me over and over that it was dangerously low on storage. As a writer, rather than fix the problem, instead I asked, “What if someone received a notification that their brain was running out of room and a tech company offered to clear up some space? What’s the worst (and best?) that could happen?”

With that, I was off to the races.

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I remember as a kid a pushy realtor who was always dropping off notepads at our house. It felt like every time we came home, a fresh pile was on our front mat. Sometimes we’d pull up and he’d be scampering off to his car like a rabbit back into the shrubs.

For a decade every grocery list we had was scribbled on a Don L. Carlton notepad. And look, the fact I can still remember his name says Don L. Carlton accomplished exactly what he wanted: name recognition.

Truth be told, we all want to be known. Lisette Buckingham, the protagonist of “Monsoon,” is no different. But Lisette’s reasons go deeper. And when the high of her local fame can’t solve her existential problems… it’s just a matter of time before she bursts.

Enjoy.

For the text version of “Monsoon,” click here.

For access to all my stories, subscribe for free at silvercordstories.com.

And buy THE SILVER CORD, now on sale:

The Silver Cord on Amazon

The Silver Cord on Barnes & Noble

The Silver Cord on Bookshop.org

Thanks for listening to SILVER CORD STORIES. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This wild tale of a couple and their cruise ship addiction has garnered a lot of love the last few weeks. To say thanks, I bumped it to the front of my recording queue.

Bon voyage!

STORY NOTES:

The question I hear most often about a story is, “Where does this stuff come from?” In this case, I can thank my 70-something mother and her longtime gentleman friend, who on multiple occasions have stumbled into situations on the high seas that have netted them a fancy bottle of wine and some shipboard credit.

Unlike the Jankowskis, they’re not looking for trouble, but it finds them nonetheless.

It got me thinking about a less scrupulous couple who taste the good life… and refuse to look back.

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I am thrilled (and a little scared?) to bring you the debut of The Silver Cord Stories PODCAST!

Every episode, one of my original short stories will be read by a real human who is incredibly talented and possibly famous.

While I get busy calling in some favors, this first episode is being read… by me! And why not? “bRobert” is the only story in The Silver Cord that is autobiographical.

No matter the format, my goal remains the same: to make you laugh and stir your soul.

So push play, enjoy, and make sure to keep a lookout for Silver Cord Stories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite audio player.

—Bob

For more of Bob’s writing, you can order:

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The Silver Cord on Bookshop.org

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