Second Hand Stories

I'm sure everybody will be checking their phones after they listen to this creepy story. Rebecca Linam's "When the Signal Ends" is narrated by Jimmy Cooper, a college student at William & Mary, who was advised by Professor Elizabeth Wiley, a professional audiobook narrator. Happy Halloween!

We asked for a creepy story and Nicholas MacDonnell came through! "A Wedding Story" features some technology in an antebellum setting, providing a mystery even Coll and Jim can't solve. Slow down and listen up on Friday October 13th!

It's October which means it's scary story time! Listen to Colleen make her narratorial debut for Trista Hurley-Waxali's "Solid." We're hoping she wrote it as an absurd humor piece and not on a day when she was mad at her boss...

We've been talking Lisa Heidle up for weeks now it seems and her story "Cranes Equal Life" does not disappoint. Saying too much about the story would ruin the fun, but be sure to stick with this one. Note: there was some recording interference around minute 20 or so, it only lasts a few seconds and hopefully you can figure out what I'm trying to say from context.

Justin Voelzke's "Black Jacket Mafia" isn't your typical mafia story - I don't think anybody says "Badda Bing!" even once...although Colleen does threaten to leave a horse head in someone's bed. Slow down and listen up!

We made a long episode before the long weekend to celebrate our long year of podcasting! Listen to sixteen of our contributors from this past year compliment us on how great we are. We're so thankful to them, as well as all of our listeners and contributors! (Even you, Mystery San Francisco Super Listener.) Special thanks to the following contributors who participated in this episode: Ryan Jiorle, Covered Eyes, Episode 1, Heart Failure, Episode 15; Daniel DeLeon, Fruit on a Vine, Episode 26; Clayton Bradshaw, How to Care for Hyacinths, Episode 18; Lynn Knight, The Stetson, Episode 9; Theodore Carter, The Great Escape, Episode 16; Carol Guess, Somehow Always Getting it Right, Episode 12; Nicholas Patrick MacDonnell, Man's Best Friend, Episode 10; Lisa Heidle, The Wailer, Episode 3; Dianalee Velie, Angel's Choice, Silent Night, Episode 8; Doug Hoekstra, Mr. X, Episode 20; Edna Garte, The Chelmites Look for Justice, Episode 14; Gary Beck, Intrusion, Episode 11, The Man Who Shot Stonewall Jackson, Episode 18; Derek Lazarski, Fake Things Aren't Real, Episode 21; Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, Flowers for Madame, Episode 13; Sarah Bigham, Memories of Smoke, Episode 6; and Laura Copan, Lilith the Bigfoot, Episode 3.

These episodes are getting longer and longer! Coll and Jim had a lot to put back together after listening to Samantha Melvin's "Reassembly Required." (And Jim isn't putting the episodes together early enough for Chloe to actually edit them...) This story deals with family, culture, and communication (or lack-thereof). Lots of calls to action at the end of this one: look for Samantha's upcoming work on Twitter at twitter.com/tiny_text; wish Colleen a happy birthday; send us some scary Halloween stories; and be sure to tune back in next week for our one year anniversary episode!

New theme! Have you ever had to "play the game" to get what you want? It's August, it's hot, and Colleen is on fire discussing Lyle Roebuck's "The Crab." Make sure you listen to hear Lyle's Frank Underwood impression and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/LyleRoebuck.

Danika Miller dazzles us with her delectable dance story "Dollface"! (There are amazing amounts of alliteration in this story.) Colleen and Jim discuss the body image themes present in "Dollface" and compare them to those in last week's "Fruit on a Vine."

Identity is a loaded word. Positive or negative, known or unknown, our unnamed narrator struggles with understanding her identity in Episode 26. Get your wine on with Daniel DeLeon's French vineyard story "Fruit on a Vine."

Colleen learns how Jim pairs together stories of octopus love and a Viking promise in Episode 25. Last week, you heard "Vikings" by Rachel Brough, and this week you'll hear "Three Hearts" by Melissa Palmer, which is part two of the pair of themed episodes. What's the theme? Slow down, listen up, and find out!

A viking and an octopus walk into a bar...Jim swears there's a punchline here but Colleen isn't so sure. This week, Rachel Brough tells us about "Vikings" (just in time for the new GOT premiere!) and next week Jim will tell us how vikings related to the octopuses in Melissa Palmer's "Three Hearts." Be sure to tune in to both episodes!

What would ruin your perfect day? Zachary Slingsby's story, "Apricot Iced Tea," follows a mother who can't seem to have the day she so perfectly orchestrated go right. You're in for some relationship assessing, parenting struggles, and a big issue with bladder control for Episode 23.

I had a conversation with Kris Baker Dersch or the No Extra Words flash fiction podcast. We give you a look under the hood about what the challenges of fiction podcasting are and why we love it. Check out Kris and No Extra Words at noextrawords.wordpress.com and wherever you get your podcasts! If you like this show, you'll definitely like hers too so give it a listen.

Some kids are just up to no good, while others seem to stumble upon trouble. But kids will be kids right? Ponder this with us while listening to "Everyone Hated Miss Loretta" by Susanna Solomon and "Fake Things Aren't Real" by Derek Lazarski.

Buckle up, Episode 20 is here to take you on a wildly emotional ride. Father-son relationships, steamy affairs, illness, and secrets, these three stories cover it all. Think of each like its own soap opera, without the bad lighting and various people waking up from a three year comas. Take a listen to "Silver Spoons" by Claude Smith, "Mr. X" by Doug Hoekstra, and "Greetings Black Wolf" by Dennis E. Thompson.

Listen to Dan Leach's suburban hell-raisers try to pull off a classic prank in "A Multitude of Sins." We hope it gets you in the summertime mood!

This four-part episode focuses on stories of war and combat and the various effects it has on the psyche. With Memorial Day right around the corner, we figured it was the perfect time to run these stories, some of which are written by veterans. Claude Smith ("R&R") leads off the episode, followed by Clayton Bradshaw ("How to Care for Hyacinths"), Christine Estopare ("Fate and Starlight"), and Gary Beck ("The Man Who Shot Stonewall Jackson"). As a warning to our listeners, all but one of our stories grapples with suicide in one way or another and deal with some mature content and themes.

Our Mother's Day episode! Listen to a story about an expecting mother trying to enjoy a last summer's day with her tween son ("A Meandering Blue" by Amy Ballard, www.amyballard.com) and another about a boy's constantly evolving relationship with his mother and step-mother ("Boy" by Carole Glasser Langille). Rate and review us on iTunes! Slow down and listen up.

Theodore Carter's ("The Great Escape") debut is magical, and Michael Anthony's ("White") is supernatural. Slow down and listen up to these fun stories about make-believe and intrigue!