KUNG FU ACTION THEATRE

Hello all! Miss me? What do you mean who am I? Has it been so long? Hmm, yeah, I guess it has, hasn’t it? I’m Rob, and I bid you welcome to the sixth episode of Kung Fu Action Tales! Yep, we’re still here, and despite problems personal, professional, technical and supernatural this podcast is not yet dead! Well, maybe not supernatural, but you get the idea. It’s been a long couple months! Before we get on with tonight’s reading, I wanted to go over a few things. First, this podcast isn’t dead, but will be a little intermittent because with the exception of tonight it’s pretty much turned into a one-man writing show, and in addition to paying the bills this one man is a bit busy writing. More on that in a moment. This episode the charming and talented Fiona Thraille has reached into her bottomless magical bag of talents and produced a fun young adult story set in old China called The Little Warriors Without Swords. Fiona, as anyone who listens to KFAT knows, is the voice behind many of KFAT’s most memorable audio drama characters including Sister Cat and Lady Whitcombe. She also holds the title of being the only person so far who has written a KFAT audio drama besides myself- Little Gou and the Four Flowers of Shandong. Outside of KFAT, she was the writer/producer on Red Sands, a detective drama for Pendant Audio, and is also someone I’m fortunate enough to call a friend. Our reader tonight, like Fiona, is also a familiar voice. You’ll be hearing the vocal stylings of Richard Bartock, who you also heard reading last month’s Gen San-Mi Yorimasa- The Knight. After some other readers didn’t work out, Rick was kind enough to volunteer his voice to this tale, and should be commended for all the takes of it I made him do. When not serenading women with his deep rich tones, Rick is also the writer of the comic Clockwork Gods, a steampunk action story which all manly men would benefit from checking out. (And not a few ladies as well!) You can find it at http://clockworkgods.blogspot.com. Thanks Fiona for letting us tell Deshi’s tale, and to Rick for bringing it to life. I really love how Fiona manages to put a new twist on the classic tale of a town ruled by an outlaw family and the wandering hero who doesn’t quite save the day. Speaking of Outlaws, if any of you are planning on doing any Audio Dramas or Audiobook readings set in the old west, I sincerely hope you’re writing Mr. Bartok’s name down, because he was born to do westerns. Okay, so now on to the answer I promised- What have I been working on? The short and sweet answer is Twin Stars, but before you fans get up your hopes you should know that what I’m working on is the novel form, not more audio drama. It’s not impossible there may be another Twin Stars audio drama or two in the future, but right now almost all my creative energies are about expanding Twin Stars into prose format. I have to say, it’s really quite liberating, and I hope you like what I come up with. With luck, Book One will be finished before the new year, and I’ll be able to dive into Book Two, and of course…Book Three and beyond. Now, I did say most of my creative energies, but not all- there is one other creative project I have on the go right now, and it ties into both the KFAT website and this podcast in a way. I’ve rebuilt the KFAT webpage to reflect the podcast’s more prose focus, and I’ve also started to release a weekly webserial version of the Inuyama Rebellion. Yep, the same story you heard back in Episode Four is continuing on the KFAT webpage each Monday, so some check it out! If you’re not into webfiction, however, and you feel like being patient, you can also hear the rest of the Inuyama Rebellion here on the KFATale podcast in the near future, but I wanted to let the text version get well ahead before I released the audio one. Once the Inuyama Rebellion is finished in either November or December, I’ll be starting a new story on the page, and plan to keep doing it for some time....

This month on KFATales, we're taking a trip back to Old Japan, but leaving the Intrepid Jiro and brave Masato for a time to look instead at one of the legendary Samurai from Japanese history- Gen San-Mi Yorimasa. This story is from the collection Warriors of Old Japan and Other Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, which was published in the early 20th century. KFAT did a reading of the stories of this book in 2009, and this was one of my personal favorites. This particular story is read by Richard Bartok III, who many of you may know as Brad Ryans in the KFAT series D-Ranger, and who is also the writer/creator of the webcomic Clockwork Gods. Ms. Ozaki's bio can be found on the KFAT website, and I highly recommend listening to it. The Inuyama Rebellion will return next episode! Rob

Hi everyone and welcome to the third episode of Kung Fu Action Tales, I’m your host Rob Paterson and I’m here to take you on a journey into the realms of Aisa that might have been or never were. This week we’re experiencing a new realm in Asian adventure stories courtesy of author Winnie Kaw, who has kindly offered one her stories for our listening pleasure. Winnie herself is a developing writer at the age of twenty-one, but hardly an inexperienced one, having had one of her original plays performed at an awards show while still in high school and having been accepted into the Orange County Playwright’s Alliance in 2008 for her adaptations of the Chinese classics The Love of the White Snake and The Butterfly Lovers. She also presented an original Chinese Fantasy Novella in 2009 at a California Honors Symposium held at Stanford University- not bad at all! I think we can expect to hear her name a lot more in the future as well, as she’s currently a junior creative writing major at Chapman University. Winnie’s story, the Paper Dragon Breathes Fire, will be read tonight by Ty Konzak, who like last month’s Fiona Thraille has been one of the hearts of Kung Fu Action Theatre’s audio dramas over the years. Ty spends his days in his secret identity as a mild-mannered Oncology Technician in Fargo, North Dakota, but when the sun goes down and the moon is high he turns into the voice acting machine spoken of in reverent whispered tones we know today as Aramek. Ty has done more voices for KFAT than I can list, from his first roles as Malarek in D-Ranger and Rong Li the Master of Thunder in Little Gou’s adventure of the same name, to his recurring role as Kip in Twin Stars. Listening to Ty work the magic voice he developed over 3 years of radio has been one of my great pleasures when doing audio editing, and I never cease to be amazed by the variety of voices he can come up with. He says he loves to do villains and silly voices, but I have yet to hear anything Ty couldn’t pull off. And this is why I chose Ty for tonight’s reading. The Paper Dragon Breathes fire is a hard story to explain. My first thought would be to compare it to King Lear, and I think the Shakespeare analogy aptly fits Winnie’s incredibly dense and magically poetic style of writing in this story. But, there’s more to it than that. Winnie has captured the essence of a dynastic change, something that occurred frequently in Chinese history, and while such events are often times of triumph they are also equal parts tragedy caused by the all too mortal failings of man. I must confess, when I first started to read Winnie’s story I was a little overwhelmed and not sure what to make of it, but as it went on it all began to make sense and I by the end I was touched by the elegance of the whole thing. Perhaps you will have a similar experience....enjoy!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the second episode of Kung Fu Action Tales! I’m your host, Rob Paterson, and tonight we’re bringing you not one, but two tales of adventure from Old China. The first is a short story called The Man Who Was Never Afraid, and the second is a sample from a recently published new Young Adult WuXia novel called Shrouded Path. A few notes: 1. First, I’d like to thank the people who have been submitting stories to KFATales, it’s great to see that people out there are interested in exploring the wonders of old Asia. That said, we’re always looking for new stories, so please, if you have a tale of Asian adventure you’d like us to help share with the world- send it in! And we’re not just stories set in China or Japan, either! If you want to show us the adventure possibilities in old Indonesia, or the Philippines or Mongolia, then take this as your chance to show it to the English speaking world. I know that most Asian cultures had rich martial traditions, I’d love to hear some of their tales, and I know many of your fellow listeners would too! So get to work people! Time’s a wasting! 2. Speaking of listeners, I’d love to have some feedback from you lads and ladies about the stories we present here on KFATales, and I’m sure the other writers would too. So please feel free to drop by the website and post your comments on our shows, or send us an audio message at kfactiontheatre@yahoo.ca and I’ll even play it on air during the next episode and do my best to answer any questions. 3. And third, as always, KFATales is brought to you by KFAT’s own line of e-books which can be found on the Kindle or other major e-book retailers. Alright- on with the show! Opening Music- Mystic Asia by Dj Svenzo Our first story is called The Man Who Was Never Afraid The author, Brian Dolton, describes himself as an Englishman, now living in New Mexico, and writing stories which are mostly about an imaginary China. This makes perfect sense to him. He’s had work published in the Intergalactic Medicine Show, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fantasy Magazine and many more – but says for those who find Yi Qin an interesting character the best place will be upcoming issues of Black Gate magazine. Issue 15 is due out early this year and will contain one story, and others are already slated for issues 16 and 17. As for this story itself, it was published at Abyss and Apex, issue 20, October 2006. The first reader, Fiona Thraille is a talented actor and writer who hails from the United Kingdom and has been heard in our audio dramas as Sister Cat in the Little Gou adventures and Lady Whitcombe in the Twin Stars series. Outside of KFAT, she’s had numerous roles with Pendant Productions, and written and produced her own mystery audio drama series entitled Red Sands. Our other author of the evening is Aron White, who will be reading an excerpt from his new novel Shrouded Path. According to his blog at aron-white.blogspot.com, Aron lives in Seattle and assumes his secret storyteller identity whenever possible. Originally from the Motor City, he’s always had a soft spot for Chevys, enjoys collecting vintage movie posters and is a member of Knights of Columbus. Some day when his regime comes to power he plans to require society to read more books and watch less television. His first novel, Shrouded Path, is a young adult adventure set in 16th century China, and tonight we’ll be hearing the prologue and the first chapter. Enjoy! Alright then. I do believe that brings this month’s exploration into the worlds of Asian Adventure to a satisfying close. As always, thanks for listening, and tune in next month to hear Winnie Khaw’s entrancing story of the fall of a dynasty in The Paper Dragon Breathes Fire.

Hi All! Rob here. Welcome to the first episode of Kung Fu Action Tales, KFAT’s newest monthly Podcast where we will explore new realms of Asian Historical Adventure Fiction. As you may have heard, KFAT has recently made the jump from an audio drama production group to prose fiction, and in keeping with the KFAT theme I wanted to shift the podcast feed over to something that reflects our new style. On this podcast I hope to have new stories of action, adventure and intrigue set in old Asia, but perhaps also moving into other areas as the podcast evolves- we’ll see as we go. And I do mean we’ll see! This podcast isn’t intended to be just me, but I hope it will become a community project similar to Podcastle or Escape Pod where each show has new writers and new storytellers showcasing their visions of Asia and beyond. If you’re a writer, and you’re interested in submitting a story, please check the submission guidelines on the KFAT homepage or write to me at submissions@kungfuactiontheatre.com. We’re not recruiting readers yet, since many of KFAT’s actors have been willing to donate their time to do readings for this podcast, but if we do need them in the future I’ll be sure you let you know. Okay, now on with the show! Tonight’s very special adventure is a fitting one. I say that because KFAT’s very first audio drama was Little Gou and the Emperor’s Cousin, and tonight’s story, Hot Soup, is an adaption of that very tale. Of course, some of you may have already heard the original Audio Drama, but don’t worry, this adaption takes the story to new heights and new directions with the power of prose. Don’t believe me? Then sit back, relax and enjoy Hot Soup. The very first Little Gou short adventure story. Then, after the show, make sure you listen for my thoughts about this story, and converting an audio drama adventure to prose, and the challenges therein.

Long story short- I've decided to stop writing and producing audio drama to focus on writing fiction and other parts of my life. Instead, the KFAT podcast feed will start featuring a new segment- Kung Fu Action Tales on February 1st, 2011, which will consist of short audio fiction written by myself and other writers.

A Sample of the new Book Butterfly Swords by award-winning author Jeannie Lin. Journey to the very edge of honor, loyalty . . . and love During China’s infamous Tang Dynasty, a time awash with luxury, yet littered with deadly intrigues and fallen royalty, betrayed Princess Ai Li flees before her wedding. Miles from home, with only her delicate butterfly swords for a defense, she enlists the reluctant protection of a blue-eyed warrior… Battle-scarred, embittered Ryam has always held his own life at cheap value. Ai Li’s innocent trust in him and honorable, stubborn nature make him desperate to protect her – which means not seducing the first woman he has ever truly wanted….

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 11 – Showdown (Part 3) (Book Two Finale) Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Death, tragedy and betrayal lay waiting as Ping An and Commodore Vasquez duel in the skies over Hannah’s World. Starring: Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Cmdr. Vasquez- Justin Charles Lt. Harrison- Andy Welch Squire Yuki- Tisch "TC" Parmelee Ketch- Steve Riekeberg Ruth- Tomoyo Ichijouji Hassan- Daniel Whitelaw Davis- Althea Aseoche Jerry- Andrew Buckley Dan- Mackenzie Haa Captain Argus- Gareth Bowley Captain Halifax- Calm Proto Opening Music: Beyond Infinity by Peter Chen Closing Music: Victorious Day by Maestro Rage Additional Music: • Breaking the Seige (Celestial Aeon Project) • Red Fields (Celestial Aeon Project) • Grave Blow (Kevin McCleod) • Caverns (Celestial Aeon Project) • Lone Harvest (Kevin McCleod) • Thrall's Theme (Celestial Aeon Project) • Song of Mourning (Celestial Aeon Project) • Hold the Line (Celestial Aeon Project) • Grave Matters (Kevin McCleod) • Quiet Panic (Kevin McCleod) • Longing and Concern (Kevin McCleod) • Undeniable Tragedy (Newgrounds-101084) sound effects: sounddogs.com freesound project 1862_Matt_G_Starship_Flybys_Pass_bys Sound Ideas Series 6000 Sound Effects library Premium SFX series special thanks to Bill Hollweg others recorded by members of Kung Fu Action Theatre Come join the KFAT Facebook group! Or follow us on Twitter at kfactiontheatre! This recording is licensed under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. So pass it around, please! This story and all its characters within are copyright 2010 Robyn Paterson, all rights reserved. For more audio adventure come to Kungfuactiontheatre.com, where theatre is spelt with an “re” at the end because that’s how it’s done with style! This episode is dedicated to Althea Aseoche, Jeremy Yenser and James Mathews who have helped keep the fight going with their kind donations to help cover KFAT web costs.

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 10 – Showdown (Part 2) Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Ping-An’s forces fight for survival under the relentless onslaught of the Pacification Fleet- the last line of defence for the inhabitants of the helpless Hannah’s World. Starring: Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Cmdr. Vasquez- Justin Charles Lt. Harrison- Andy Welch Squire Yuki- Tisch "TC" Parmelee Ketch- Steve Riekeberg Ruth- Tomoyo Ichijouji Hassan-...

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 9 – Showdown Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson The Pacification Fleet is coming, and Ping-An’s fleet rushes to prepare to face them- but with the deadliest fleet in the Empire arrayed against them, will all their efforts be enough? Starring: Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Cmdr. Vasquez- Justin Charles Lt. Harrison- Andy Welch Squire Yuki- Tisch "TC" Parmelee Ketch- Steve Riekeberg Ruth- Tomoyo Ichijouji Hassan- Daniel Whitelaw Davis- Althea Aseoche Jerry- Andrew Buckley Captain Argus- Gareth Bowley Captain Halifax- Calm Proto Dan- Rebelcheese Opening Music: Beyond Infinity by Peter Chen Closing Music: Victorious Day by Maestro Rage Additional Music: 1. Thrall’s Theme (Celestial Aeon Project) 2. Epic Unease (Kevin McCleod) 4. Western Streets (Kevin McCleod) 5. Caverns (Celestial Aeon Project) 6. Power Restored (Kevin McCleod) 7. Alphaanimalbbasuite (Denny Schneidemesser) sound effects: sounddogs.com freesound project 1862_Matt_G_Starship_Flybys_Pass_bys Sound Ideas Series 6000 Sound Effects library Premium SFX series special thanks to Bill Hollweg others recorded by members of Kung Fu Action Theatre Come join the KFAT Facebook group! Or follow us on Twitter at kfactiontheatre! This recording is licensed under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. So pass it around, please! This story and all its characters within are copyright 2010 Robyn Paterson, all rights reserved. For more audio adventure come to Kungfuactiontheatre.com, where theatre is spelt with an “re” at the end because that’s how it’s done with style!

Little Gou and the Standing Engagement Written and Produced by: Robyn Paterson Starring Robyn Paterson as Little Gou Fiona Thraille [fthrll] as Sister Cat Rosegirl18 as Little Rose Ty Konzak [Aramek] as Old Man Wen River Kanoff as Tiger Fang with Perfect as Dragon Eye Drifer XGS as the Thug Amanda Price [Pyrrhical] as Inn Girl 1 and the Servant Girl and Alanna [Scarlotte] as Inn Girl 2 Intro Music: Sacred China by DJ Svenzo End Music: Stories of the Silk Road by Test Subject...

Hi all! Sorry, but due to production issues, the finale for Book Two of Twin Stars- "Showdown" will be delayed until June 1st. In its place, check out the new remastered version of Little Gou and the Standing Engagement! See you next month! Rob

Little Gou and the Kind Word Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Starring: Robyn Paterson as Little Gou Fiona Thraille as Sister Cat Alexa Chipman as Madam Lee Gareth Bowley as Tailor Hahn Jack Hosley as Fishmonger Bo Al Aseoche as Young Fung Richard Moule as Fisherman Ho River Kanoff as Farmer Lin Dylan Spencer as Thug 1 Jack Ward as Thug 2 Intro Music: Sacred China by DJ Svenzo End Music: Stories of the Silk Road by Test Subject A Music Provided by Sound...

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 8 – “25” Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Caught aboard a doomed ship, Keith Ulstead , Skadi, and a team of Valkyries race to rescue Tysen’s family before the ship is destroyed. Starring: Greg Nugent as Albert Tysen Tegan Harris as Esther Quinten Boyd as Keith Ulstead Alexa Chipman as Vaela Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard as Skadi Tanja Milojevic as the Valkyrie David Ault as Sir Fawn MacKenzie Yoon as Captain Tatomir Dylan Spencer as Benson Al Aseoche as the Shuttle Pilot Michael Armstrong as Schmidt Amanda Price as the Computer Opening Music: Beyond Infinity by Peter Chen Closing Music: Victorious Day by Maestro Rage Additional Music: Celestial Aeon Project (http://www.mikseri.net/artists/?id=48147) Fields of Tenerron Hymn of the Sky Through the Dark Portal Kevin McLeod (Incomptech.com) Dragon and Toast Aftermath We Got Trouble Dark Standoff Spiders Darkening Developments Serpentine Trek Newgrounds.com Another Once Ago (ID: 24515) sound effects: sounddogs.com Apple iLife Sound Effects Collection Sound Ideas Series 6000 Sound Effects library others recorded by members of Kung Fu Action Theatre This recording is licensed under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. So pass it around, please! This story and all its characters within are copyright 2009 Robyn Paterson, all rights reserved.

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 7 – Ghosts Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Mixed by Brushmen Returning from the Empire to Sulvan-Kay, Ping-An attempts to rally her forces for war. Meanwhile, Sophie Farmer has a fateful meeting with Captain Ketch. Starring: Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Sophie- Cathy Rinella Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Ketch- Steve Riekeberg Hassan- Daniel Whitelaw Davis- Althea Aseoche Captain Argus- Gareth Bowley Captain Tell: Michelle-Casey...

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 6 – Valkyrie Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Returning to Sir Fawn’s Factory on Polychrome, Tysen, Esther and Doctor Rossum find the planet under siege by an Imperial Battlegroup. But when they follow a mysterious signal they find the battlegroup may be the least of anyone's worries. Starring: Greg Nugent as Albert Tysen Tegan Harris as Esther Quinten Boyd as Keith Ulstead Alexa Chipman as Vaela Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard as Skadi Russ Gold as...

D-Ranger: Episode Three – The Lost Broadcast! Battle on Tokyo Tower! Brad and Pixelle travel to Tokyo to visit Brad's old friend Matt, and find themselves caught in the schemes of the the mad musician Ulysses Jinn! A Kung Fu Action Theatre Production In association with 1st Draft Productions (1stdraftproductions.com) Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Mixed by Justin Charles Starring Richard Bartok: Brad Ryans Elgie: Pixelle Ty Konzak: Ullysses Jinn Justin Charles: Mister...

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 5 – Enemies and Allies Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Mixed by Brushmen Continuing from the previous episode- With Tysen, Sophie and the Professor in the hands of Captain Kilpatrick of Fleet Security, Esther and Ping-An strike a bargain to rescue them. But Captain Kilpatrick has a few surprises in store, and carries news of a threat to millions. Starring: Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Tysen- Greg Nugent Sophie- Cathy Rinella Esther- Tegan Harris Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Professor Rossum- Ty Konzak Lt. Kilpatrick- Natalie Van Sistine Agent- Richard Bartok Opening Music: Beyond Infinity by Peter Chen Closing Music: Victorious Day by Maestro Rage Additional Music: 1. Sancho Panza gets a Latte (Kevin MacLeod) 2. Lone Harvest (Kevin MacLeod) 3. 5ive Style (porksoda, newgrounds.com:34219) 4. Serpentine Trek, Exciting Trailer (Kevin MacLeod) 6. Poise and Grace (Peter Chen) 7. Interloper (Kevin MacLeod) 8-11. Beat On Classic (Drawoh, newgrounds.com:115434) 12. Alpha Animal BBA Suite (Denny Schneidermesser), untitled (Brian Hedler, bwonderve on VAA) sound effects: sounddogs.com Apple iLife Sound Effects Collection Sound Ideas Series 6000 Sound Effects library others recorded by members of Kung Fu Action Theatre This recording is licensed under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. So pass it around, please! This story and all its characters within are copyright 2009 Robyn Paterson, all rights reserved. For more audio adventure come to Kungfuactiontheatre.com, where theatre is spelt with an "re" at the end because that's how it's done with style!

Twin Stars: Book 2, Episode 4 - Higher Education Written and Produced by Robyn Paterson Mixed by Brushmen Tysen and Esther travel to Versagan University on Hanna's World in search of an old associate of Sir Fawn, but what they find is a fateful encounter that will decide the lives of millions. Starring: Tysen- Greg Nugent Ping-An- Melissa D. Johnson Sophie- Cathy Rinella Esther- Tegan Harris Betsey- Niko Ford Tomlin- Nick Patrella Professor Rossum- Ty Konzak Lt. Kilpatrick-...

Twin Stars Book Two, Episode Three - Bystander Effect Starring: Ping-An: Melissa Johnson Betsey: Niko Ford Tomlin: Nick Patrella Cmdr. Vasquez: Justin Charles Lt. Harrison: Andy Welch Mike: Peter Katt Kelly: Allison "Snowfender" H. Ronaldo: Bill Hollweg Jack: Phantasm Trooper: Robyn Paterson Darla: Niko Ford Opening Music: Beyond Infinity by Peter Chen Closing Music: Victorious Day by Maestro Rage Other Music: Kevin Mcleod We Got Trouble Stoneworld Battle A Turn for the Worse Creeping to the Ship Time Passes Dragon and Toast Double Drift Achilles Heavy Interlude Newgrounds.com Audio Portal 181679_DCFightforFreedoms 221569_FF8Landing 171616_Champion Road 190201_WithGunwithCrucifix Sound Effects: soundsnap.com freesound project and Purchased from Soundeffectslibrary.com This recording is licensed under a creative commons non-commercial share-alike license. So pass it around, please! Come join the KFAT Facebook group, check out the KFAT forum on Audiodramatalk.com, or visit the Twin Stars homepage for more info on your favourite Stars. This story and all its characters within are copyright 2009 Robyn Paterson, all rights reserved.