Upbeat Tales

Recently sacked and single, Walt is about to learn what it truly means to be cursed. About the Author: Mike Jack Stoumbos lives with his wife, puppy, and parrot, and enjoys finding hope and humor in speculative fiction. His stories have appeared in collections from Writers of the Future, Zombies Need Brains, WordFire Press, and others. mikejackstoumbos.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Murderbugs-Arthropod-Mike-Jack-Stoumbos-ebook/dp/B0D2RQPYGH About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist.

A priest, a scribe, and a whore walk into a pub— but none of them is in the mood for a joke. Read Now in Mythaxis Magazine Issue 17! About the Author Emma Burnett is a researcher and writer. She has had stories in Apex Magazine, Radon, Utopia Magazine, MetaStellar, Milk Candy Review, Elegant Literature, The Stygian Lepus, Roi Fainéant, Rejection Letters, and more. WebsiteBluesky About the Narrator Hannah Knight is an artist, cat lover, and mother to a rambunctious toddler.

At the end of the day, even thieves and grave robbers gotta get paid. About the Author: After traveling around the world, Alex Evans has settled down to juggle an absorbing job, a lively family and the craft of writing. She loves fantasy, folklore, history and hates clichés. About the Narrator: Hannah Knight is an artist, cat lover, and mother to a rambunctious toddler.

A surprise awaits Earth's first extraterrestrial visitors. About the Author: Stetson Ray lives in a heavily fortified compound near Sugar Creek, Tennessee. About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist.

When you're serving on a faster-than-light ship, there are limits to how hard you should work on cleaning duty. About the Author: Brandon Martinelli was born severely left-handed on the West Coast. He works a regular job, and some of his free time goes towards writing. About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist.

In a world of sweets, this investigator finds that some things are sweeter. [Mild Language, Implied Violence] About the Author: Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems. He reads slush for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and writes some drabbles in between. https://twitter.com/KaiDelmashttps://www.patreon.com/kaidelmas About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist. https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight

In a world of sweets, this investigator finds that some things are sweeter. [Mild Language, Implied Violence] About the Author: Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems. He reads slush for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and writes some drabbles in between. https://twitter.com/KaiDelmashttps://www.patreon.com/kaidelmas About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist. https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight

The best way for two mothers to find their purpose may be to walk a mile in each other's shoes... or paws! About the Author: Vivian Chou is a science advocate by day and a science fiction/slipstream writer by night. Her work has appeared in Fusion Fragment, riddlebird, and Heartlines Spec, among others. She prefers to fuel her writing with naps, exercise, and dystopian dread, but usually manages with black coffee and chocolate. www.vivianchouwriter.com About the Narrator: Hannah Knight is a full-time homemaker and recent entrant to the world of audio narration.

A dragon, a knight and a maiden: a tale as old as time... or so you thought. About the Author: Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems. He reads slush for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and writes some drabbles in between. https://www.patreon.com/kaidelmashttps://twitter.com/KaiDelmas About the Narrator: Hannah Knight is a full-time homemaker and new entrant to the world of audio narration.

Grief can be all consuming... but not nearly as much as smoke demons. [ Content Warning: Language ] About the Author: Chris Daruns works as a paramedic in Colorado when he's not writing or goofing off in the mountains. His short story collection, We Were Always Monsters, can be found on Amazon. About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist.

A soldier visits graves of the fallen to pay his respects. About the Author: An avid explorer, author, and alien enthusiast, M.V. Viltch is a military academy graduate and ex Naval Reservist currently working in the maritime field. No experience with aliens just yet, despite best efforts. https://mvviltch.com About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist.

What can one woman really gain from a coffee-obsessed ghost? About the Author: Nicole Hebdon's fiction has been published in The Kenyon Review, The Saranac Review, The New Ohio Review, The Antigonish Review, Joyland, Carve, and F(r)iction among other places. She received her MFA from SUNY Stony Brook, and her thesis was a runner-up in the 2017 Serendipity’s YA Discovery Contest. Since then, her short stories have been finalists or runner-ups in several contests including the 2022 St. Lawrence Book Award, and Chestnut Review’s 2021 novella contest. About the Narrator: Hannah Knight is a full-time homemaker and an Upbeat Tales fan community member, who volunteered her narration skills upon learning about this story. Thanks Hannah!

A lightning story about one man's relationship with his workplace. Then, an interview with Rachel Handley, Editor in Chief of Crab Tales Magazine and author of Possible Worlds and Other Stories. About the Author: Rachel Handley is a science fiction writer, poet, and academic philosopher based in Dublin, Ireland. Their poetry and fiction has been published internationally in venues such as 365 Tomorrows, Arlen House, and Poetry Ireland among others. Their debut philosophical short story collection, Possible Worlds and Other Stories, was published by Ellipsis Imprints in December 2022. Two of the stories from her collection, The Sound, and The Man of the Sand, have been nominated for awards. The Sound was long-listed for The British Science Fiction Association's Best Short Fiction Award, and The Man of The Sand was nominated for The Pushcart Prize. Rachel is Editor-in-Chief of Crab Tales Magazine. About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist. His most recent work is Nix, a cybercrime technothriller about a family man tech executive who’s life gets turned upside down when his AI and Robotics company draws international attention. ⁠https://eddieknight.dev⁠⁠https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight⁠

This melancholic comedy shows that the magics of finance are sometimes more powerful than any a wizard can summon. About the Author: Rick Danforth is a BSFA award shortlisted author from Yorkshire, England, where he works as a Systems Architect to fund his writing habit. When not working valiantly in the plot mines, he can be found doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a type of involuntary yoga with uncomfortable pyjamas. His short fiction can be found in Hexagon, Translunar Traveler’s Lounge, and many other places. https://rickdanforth.com⁠https://twitter.com/Rick_and_Write⁠ About the Narrator: Eddie Knight has been a technical leader in organizations ranging from financial services to software security, enabling him to gain the wealth of experience and insight that he brings as a speaker, author, and strategist. His most recent work is Nix, a cybercrime technothriller about a family man tech executive who’s life gets turned upside down when his AI and Robotics company draws international attention. ⁠https://eddieknight.dev⁠⁠https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight⁠

JK is a wargame prodigy in his final semester of high school, but one of his final assignments has led him out into the wild— where he finds something unexpected. Author: Narrator: ⁠https://eddieknight.dev⁠⁠https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight⁠https://www.audible.com/pd/Nix-Audiobook/B0CC75QH7T Upbeat Tales: ⁠https://upbeattales.com⁠⁠https://twitter.com/UpbeatTales⁠

This dark comedy flips the tables to put us in the mind of a door-to-door dealer. (Content Warning: Violence, Language) Author: twitter.com/Cipher_Write Narrator: ⁠https://eddieknight.dev⁠ ⁠https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight⁠ Upbeat Tales: ⁠https://upbeattales.com⁠ ⁠https://twitter.com/UpbeatTales⁠

This lightning story takes a peek behind the scenes in a gathering of the rulers of darkness. Author: https://rickdanforth.com https://twitter.com/Rick_and_Write Narrator: https://eddieknight.dev https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight Upbeat Tales: https://upbeattales.com https://twitter.com/UpbeatTales

This jovial and comedic tale follows a salesman with divine deals. Author: https://rickdanforth.com https://twitter.com/Rick_and_Write Narrator: https://eddieknight.dev https://twitter.com/the_eddieknight Upbeat Tales: https://upbeattales.com https://twitter.com/UpbeatTales