Tag Archives: skyboat media

Inks, Scrolls, and Secrets – A Week at the Raven Feather Salon – Now on Lightspeed 🪶

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Featured this week on Lightspeed Magazine is A Week at the Raven Feather Salon by Carrie Vaughn — a beautiful new fantasy story that I had the joy of narrating. 💫

At the Raven Feather Salon life slows down. Tea brews, buns bake, poetry is read, scrolls of protection are inked, and the soft melody of a lute drifts through the air.  ✨

But life wasn’t always like this for Sparrow. Not long ago, she was on the battlefield, inking protective scrolls for the army. She’d had enough of blood and war — and walked away at the height of her powers.

Until now.

When her old friend Major Kin rushes into the salon, everything changes. A spy has infiltrated his ranks, and Sparrow may be the only one who can uncover the truth. But doing so means risking everything she’s built… and the people she’s come to care for.

To listen or read A Week at the Raven Feather Salon head over to Lightspeed Magazine’s June 2025 Issue 181.  Big thanks to the wonderful team at Skyboat Media for sending this gem my way. 💜🪶

It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand – PART TWO – goes Lightspeed! ⚡🪐

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🚀 The story continues …

Part Two is out! Dropping this week on Lightspeed Magazine is the next installment of It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand by Lowry Poletti, a really unique sci-fi story podcast I so enjoyed narrating. If you’ve been following along, you know things are getting interesting …

To find out what happens next, head on over to LightspeedMagazine.com, where you can listen to or read Part Two now.

 Click here if you missed my post about PART ONE.

Transmission complete. 😉🎧🪐

A Bird, a Ship and a Question of Trust – New Story Podcast Drops on Lightspeed 🚀

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It Holds Her in the Palm of ne Hand Part 1_WPIMAGE🚀 BUCKLE UP—we’re going to Lightspeed! 

Dropping this week in the February issue of Lightspeed Magazine is a new story podcast that I had the absolute pleasure of narrating for Skyboat Media!

It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand by Lowry Poletti is a mesmerizing sci-fi novelette that turns the familiar “first contact” idea on its head.  Set in deep space, on the planet Miphre, It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand follows an uneasy, even antagonistic, relationship between humans and gastors – intelligent birds whose true intentions remain a mystery.  Are they allies? Manipulators? Something else entirely?  Lightspeed is serializing this story over the next two weeks, and Part One is out now!

To listen or read It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand – Part 1, head over to LightspeedMagazine.com, Issue 177 – link is here.

Huge thanks to Lightspeed Magazine and Skyboat Media for the opportunity to bring this thought-provoking story to life.

Until next time, see you on the bit stream! 🎧✨

Hugo Award Finalist: The Sound of Children Screaming

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The Sound of Children ScreamingAbsolutely thrilled and overjoyed for Rachael K. Jones and her well-deserved 2024 Hugo Award nomination for Best Short Story with The Sound of Children Screaming. Narrating this powerful piece for Nightmare Magazine (October 2023) was an honor I won’t soon forget. 🎙️✨

As an audiobook narrator, some stories truly leave a lasting mark, and this is one of them. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a chilling, important tale that resonates deeply in today’s world. Inside Thurman Elementary, a mysterious portal traps a teacher and her students in a world suspended in time, with The Gun just beyond the classroom door…

The Hugo Awards take place this Sunday, August 11th, in Glasgow, Scotland at the 82nd Worldcon.  So wish I could be there!  Sending out big congratulations and lots of #HugoAward love ❤️ to all the nominees.

If you haven’t yet, you can read or listen to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 in Issue 133 of Nightmare Magazine by going to Nightmare-Magazine.com or hitting the link here!

Special thanks to Stefan Rudnicki and Skyboat Media for entrusting me with this unforgettable story. ✨

Summertime … is the time to go Lightspeed 🚀

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LS July Issue 2024 copySummertime 🏖️ is perfect for escaping into a new story podcast!  So delighted to be featured in the July Issue of Lightspeed Magazine, narrating three different story podcasts:  one fantasy and two science fiction tales.  Huge thanks to Stefan Rudnicki, Skyboat Media and Lightspeed Magazine for sending these beautiful gems my way.  

For a flash fiction story about magic, melody and love caught in the cycles of time, check out Songs of the Sorrow of Thorns by Amayah Perveen.  It’s hauntingly beautiful.  

If you’re in the mood for something lighter, don’t miss The Only Writing Advice You’ll Ever Need to Survive Eldritch Horrors by Aimee Picchi, out today!  This story was a blast to record.  Our heroine secretly fights crime (Eldritch Horrors!) at night under the guise of being an accountant.   When her boyfriend breaks up with her over her suspicious 3am “accounting emergencies,” she puts pen to paper and writes him a letter. 

Lastly, if you love heist stories,  The Heist for the Soul of Humanity by Filip Hajdar Drnovšek Zorko may be just what you’re looking for.  Out in the solar system, Josephine Foster and her team of female thieves plot to steal Orion’s Sabre, but the real prize is much more valuable.  Releases on Lightspeed July 18.

Grab your beach gear, headphones, or tablet and head to LightspeedMagazine.com to listen to or read these stories for free.

Buckle up … we’re going to Lightspeed! 🚀

New Story Podcast Drops on Nightmare Magazine!

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Ready to descend the shadowy stairs?  Dropping today in the February issue of Nightmare Magazine is a spooky new story podcast that I had so much fun narrating. 🌙

Preamble to the Death of a Small God, written by H.B. Menendez and produced by Skyboat Media, follows an outcast … the last of her kind, navigating a forest haunted by pursuers until she stumbles upon a house nestled between ancient oaks.  This house, and the lingering spirit within, becomes her refuge, but its mysteries … are as enigmatic as its welcome.

Grab your flashlight and come with me over to Nightmare-Magazine.com, where you can listen to, or read Preamble to the Death of a Small God.  #storypodcast #newrelease

 

 

Thrilled to be Featured in the February Issue of Lightspeed Magazine

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Final for Lightspeed Feb 2024As Lightspeed Magazine celebrates their 15th Anniversary, I’m thrilled to be featured in the February issue as both a storyteller and podcast host! 

Having narrated some mesmerizing tales for Lightspeed, today brings the release of two exceptional stories.  Buckle up … we’re going to Lightspeed! 🚀

As we launch into Lightspeed, Scarlett, written by Everdeen Mason, unveils the tale of an inventor shaping his own AI companion, posing an intriguing question: What would it be like to be idealized for a form you didn’t choose?

In our short shot, Further Examination and Capture of Candle Skulls Associated with the Baba Yaga, written by Mari Ness, narrated and hosted by yours truly, we delve into the mystery of Russian Folklore surrounding the Baba Yaga.  Trust me, she’s not the granny you’d want to encounter in the woods at night.

Lastly, in case you missed it, check out Companion Animals in Mahō Shōjo Kira Kira Sunlight, written by Stewart C. Baker, an absorbing dive into events around an American Web Series, released just last week. 

 Lightspeed Story Podcasts are produced by the award-winning team at Skyboat Media, and to whom I extend heartfelt thanks for featuring me in the February issue. ❤️

If you’d like to listen to or read these stories, head over to the February issue of Lightspeed Magazine.com, where you can enjoy them at no charge, or simply follow the link here.

Until next time, see you on the bit stream … 🚀

New Story Podcast “We’ll Never Die in the Woods” goes Lightspeed! 🚀

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Dec IssueDropping this week in the December Issue of Lightspeed Magazine is We’ll Never Die in the Woods, by Carlie St. George – a new fantasy story podcast that I had so much fun narrating! 

In the mystical realm of Hook Tree Woods, two sisters, torn apart by fate, find themselves entangled in a tale spun with curses and whispered secrets.

🐸 The elder sister, thought by villagers to be an unkind witch, bore a curse from a vengeful fairy. Now, her words summon only toads and snakes. Blame not her heart, for it was her wicked mother’s influence that shaped her path.

🌸 The younger sister, once a princess of kindness and grace, now a runaway princess, is pursued by a deceitful prince. Her words birth jewels and flowers, a gift from a benevolent fairy. Yet, her heart carries the weight of betrayal and a tower’s shadow.

👭 Sisters turned strangers, they traverse Hook Tree Woods, once bound by love, now haunted by a past of parental manipulation. As they flee for their lives, their destinies collide in a forest echoing with whispers.

🌳 Into the heart of Hook Tree Woods we venture, where the threads of sibling love unravel. Will the bonds of childhood withstand the trials, or will the shadows of betrayal consume them? The answer lies in the echoes of a love lost, as these sisters face a choice that could save or doom them.

📖 The entrance to this enchanting tale can be found in Issue 163 at Lightspeed Magazine where you can listen to, or read We’ll Never Die in the Woods at no cost.  This podcast was produced by the dream team at Skyboat Media. 💫

The Sound of Children Screaming – New Story Podcast Drops On Nightmare Magazine

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WP Issue NM_Issue 133📚✨Dropping this week on Nightmare Magazine is an incredibly compelling and hard-hitting story that was such an honor to narrate.  The Sound of Children Screaming, masterfully penned by Rachael K. Jones, and produced by Skyboat Media, courageously confronts a pressing issue head-on.

Inside Thurman Elementary, a chilling presence lurks on the other side of a classroom door – The Gun.  A mysterious portal transports Michelle, a devoted teacher, and her eight precious students to a world suspended in time, caught in the breathless moment with The Gun just beyond.

But this new world is far from ordinary; it’s a realm reminiscent of Narnia, ruled by the enigmatic Sir Miles. His intentions for the children raise unsettling questions: What if this portal offers a fate worse than the one left behind, where The Gun waits patiently? 💔

You can find The Sound of Children Screaming in Nightmare Magazine’s October 2023 Issue 133.  Listen or read this gripping story at Nightmare-Magazine.com.

New Story Podcast Drops on Fantasy Magazine: Set Yourself On Fire🔥

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Set Yourself On Fire WP Post - FinalEver been guided or visited by a presence that left a lasting mark? Maybe even saved your life? ✨

Dropping this week in the September issue of Fantasy Magazine is an incredibly profound and poignant short story podcast that I had the pleasure of narrating, called Set Yourself On Fire, written by Sam Kyung Yoo, and produced by Skyboat Media.

In this gripping story, we meet a mysterious narrator quietly observing an abusive relationship between our protagonist and her boyfriend, Shaun.  Shaun’s Jekyll & Hyde persona is all too familiar in the world of domestic violence.  We often stay, hoping for change, as our partner’s apologies and promises feel like a life line.  But in Set Yourself On Fire, there’s a twist.

The narrator is a ghostly presence, once Shaun’s girlfriend, tragically taken from this world by his hands. Her spirit lingers, desperate to prevent our protagonist from following the same path. Can she succeed? 

Head on over to Fantasy Magazine’s September issue where you can listen or read this haunting story to find out …🔥