• Clarkesworld Magazine – The Things by Peter Watts [subscribe]
• Podcastle – Restless in my Hand by Tim Pratt [subscribe]
• Tales of the Children – Swimming Lessons by Gabrielle Harbowy [subscribe]
• The Tank by Scott Sigler
• The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine – A Princess Of Earth by Mike Resnick [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Novella Form)

• Tattoo by Paul Elard Cooley [subscribe]
• 7th Son: 7 Days by J.C. Hutchins [subscribe]
• Heaven – Season Five: War by Mur Lafferty [subscribe]
• Personal Effects: Sword of Blood by J.C. Hutchins [subscribe]
• Title Fight by Scott Sigler & Matt Wallace [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form)

• 7th Son: Descent (2009 production) by J.C. Hutchins [subscribe]
• Captain’s Share by Nathan Lowell [subscribe]
• Infected by Scott Sigler [subscribe]
• Underwood and Flinch by Mike Bennett [subscribe]
• Secret World Chronicle by Mercedes Lackey, Dennis Lee, Steve Libbey, and Cody Martin, with the reading done by Veronica Giguere [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form)

• The Metamor City Podcast – Whispers in the Wood by Chris Lester [subscribe]
• In The Gloaming by Nathaniel Tapley [subscribe]
• Batman: The Ace of Detectives by Pendant Productions [subscribe]
• Sea of Stars: A Voyage of the Space Cruiser Argo by Devin Cox [subscribe]
• The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd by Grant Baciocco & Doug Price [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form)

• Star Trek: Outpost by Daniel McIntosh & Tony Raymond [subscribe]
• Twilight Theatre – Sides by Mike Murphy [subscribe]
• We’re Alive by KC Wayland, Shane Salk, & Greyson Stone [subscribe]
• The Byron Chronicles by Eric Busby [subscribe]
• Decoder Ring Theatre by Gregg Taylor [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Video Story

• Calls for Cthulhuby Brand Gamblin [subscribe]
• GOLD: Season 1 by David Nett & Andrew Deutsch [subscribe]
• Grant’s Advent Calendar by Grant Baciocco [subscribe]
• The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd by Grant Baciocco & Doug Price [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast

• The Drabblecast edited by Norm Sherman [subscribe]
• Erotica à la Carte edited by P. J. Ballantine [subscribe]
• The Crypt edited by Scott Sigler [subscribe]
• Escape Pod edited by Mur Lafferty [subscribe]
• Variant Frequencies edited by Rick Stringer [subscribe]

Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team

• Brass Needles hosted by Miss Kalendar [subscribe]
• The Dreamer’s Thread by Starla Huchton [subscribe]
• The Gearheart by Alexander White [subscribe]
• In The Gloaming by Nathaniel Tapley [subscribe]
• ShadowCast Audio Anthology by Jason Warden [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (Specific)

• The ScapeCast featuring Brent Barrett, Chris Polansky, Hank Shiffman, Kevin Bachelder, Kimberly Thompson, Lindy Rae, Michael Falkner, Sammy Mohr, & Wendy Hembrock [subscribe]
• The Signal featuring Kari Haley, Kevin Bachelder, Kara Helgren, Les Howard, Jutta Jordans, Dave Tomasic, Andy King, Nick Edwards, Miranda Thomas, Helen Eaton, Anna Snyder, James Parkinson, & Jill Arroway [subscribe]
• The Babylon Podcast featuring Tim Callender, Summer Brooks, & Jeffrey Willerth [subscribe]
• The ForceCast featuring Jason Swank & Jimmy “Mac” McInerney [subscribe]
• The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast featuring Chris Lackey & Chad Fifer [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (General)

• Television Zombies featuring Tina, Chris, Jeff, & Chuck [subscribe]
• PodCulture featuring Brad, Glenn, Christina, & Adam [subscribe]
• Galactic Watercooler featuring Audra, Chuck, & Sean [subscribe]
• Geek Radio Daily featuring Billy Flynn, The Flynstress, & The Bruce [subscribe]
• WhatTheCast featuring Brian, Stephen, Crispy, & Patrick [subscribe]

Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation

• The Dead Robots’ Society featuring Justin Macumber, Ryan Stevenson, Terry Mixon, & P.G. Holyfield [subscribe]
• Writing Excuses featuring Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Eric James Stone, Howard Tayler, & Stacy Whitman [subscribe]
• The Henson.com Podcast featuring The Jim Henson Company, Grant Baciocco, Producer [subscribe]
• I Should Be Writing featuring Mur Lafferty [subscribe]
• Unleashed featuring James Melzer [subscribe]

Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast

• The 365 Days of Astronomy featuring the Astrosphere New Media Association [subscribe]
• The Command Line Podcast featuring Thomas Gideon [subscribe]
• Skepticality featuring Derek Colanduno & Robynn “Swoopy” McCarthy [subscribe]
• The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe featuring Steven Novella, Robert Novella, Rebecca Watson, Evan Bernstein, Jay Novella, & Perry DeAngelis [subscribe]
• Skeptoid featuring Brian Dunning [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast

• Dragon*ConTV featuring Brian Richardson & crew [subscribe]
• Bell’s In The Batfry featuring John Bell [subscribe]
• Teknikal Diffikulties featuring Cayenne Chris Conroy [subscribe]
• Comedy4Cast featuring Clinton Alvord [subscribe]
• Frequency of Fear featuring Zombie Astronaut [subscribe]

Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast

• The FuMP featuring Devo Spice, Possible Oscar, Raymond and Scum, Rob Balder, Robert Lund and Spaff.com, the great Luke Ski, Tom Smith, & Worm Quartet [subscribe]
• Radio Free Hipster featuring Z. [subscribe]
• Wander Radio featuring Jack Hosley [subscribe]
• Wandering Geek Podcast featuring Curt Ardent & Scott Langsten [subscribe]

All good things must come to an end. On May 30, 2010 we will be doing a live show at Balticon 44. That will be the final episode of Variant Frequencies. We hope that any of you who will be at Balticon 44 will come join us for this farewell performance. It is an opportunity to celebrate and say goodbye, instead of simply fading away.

We can’t thank the Farpoint Media family enough. It has been an honor and a privilege to be associated with this wonderful group of people. We will keep the site going as long as FPM is willing to let us. That will keep all of the stories available. It will also leave open the possibility of one day returning if I get the bug again.

Then we have the amazing writers: A.R. Yngve, Adrian Grey Marsden, Bryn Sparks, Carmelo Rafala, Christa Faust, D.K. Thompson, Darren Reid, David Tallerman, Dennis Egan, D.J. Burnham, James P. Hogan, Jason McDowell, Jonathan C. Gillespie, Johathan McGoran, Michael Natale, Ray Banks, Scott Sigler, Seth Harwood, Matthew Warner, Jack Mangan, D. M. Moehrle, Michael A. Stackpole, Ray Banks, Jack Westlake, and of course the two authors for which this podcast was originally started, Anne Stringer and Matt Wallace.

Variant Frequencies could not have existed without the incredible voice talents of: Stacey Griffith-Livingston, Tom “DevoSpice” Rockwell, Ian Jones, Anne Stringer, Maia “KnitWhitch” Whitaker, Anton Buntic, Heidi Jones, Jan Dalton, Evo Terra, Neil Stringer, Adrian Grey Marsden, A.R. Yngve, Jeff Frank, Scott Sigler, Ali Groves, Rich Sigfrit, Dani Cutler, Nan Worthington, Tee Morris, Mur Lafferty, Michael R. Mennenga, Chuck Tomasi, Leann Mabry, J. Marcus Xavior, John Cmar, Jack Hosley, Tony McCartney, Matthew Wayne Selznick, Will Hoffacker, Phil Rossi, Jack Ward, Lonnie Ezell, Ciaran O’Carroll, Nobilis, Paul S. Jenkins, Lorrie Mennenga, TD-0013, P.G. Holyfield, Seth Harwood, Thomas “cmdln” Gideon, Marck Pearlstone, Matthew Warner, Heather Welliver, Kreg Steppe, Matt Wallace, J.C. Hutchins, Chris Lester, Marilyn Taylor, Michael A. Stackpole, Sean “Dogg” Robertson, Benjamin Grundy, Christopher Mott, and Alasdair Stuart.

We also had some beautiful artwork by: Deena Warner, Paul Drummond, and Vincent Chong.

A major part of Variant Frequencies has been the music. We have been honored to feature music by: Abney Park, Cagey House, Evan Tate, Greg Seaman, Mue Sephei, Neil Stringer, and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.

Finally, we want to thank you, the listeners. Without you, Variant Frequencies would have had no reason to be. It has been truly an honor to have you listen to our stories. We can only hope that we entertained you, and distorted your reality…

for just a little while.

the post you are now reading is designed to dull your senses to THE TRUTH. do not live the life of the worker bee, the cog, the well-oiled piston in the MACHINE OF DECEIT!

there is a grand CONSPIRACY afoot. you have been taught to believe that you are UNIQUE, one of a kind. THIS IS NOT TRUE. long ago, a cabal of scientists created technologies to ensure that ANYONE’S MIND AND BODY can be duplicated.

human cloning isn’t NEAR. it’s already HERE. discover the truth at http://JCHutchins.net

you are being DECEIVED. break free from the cogs, flee the hive, become A PROPHET OF THE TRUTH!

kilroy2. was here … kilroy2.0 is everywhere

>>> [ CONTENT OVERRIDE CEASES ::: DATABASE STATUS: RECOVERING ] <<<

What’s this?

Hutch is once again creating new ways to promote his fantastic writing. You can get an EP recorded by one of the characters. John Smith’s “Anyman” EP can be found here:

http://jchutchins.net/site/2009/10/12/anyman-ep-track-1-unscrew-you/

There is so much more to explore on his site:

• A brand-new podcast recording of the “print edition” of the novel (with new scenes, twists, and character tweaks)
• A prequel audio short story anthology called 7th Son: 7 Days
• Serialization of the novel in PDF at my site, and the text at BoingBoing.net
• Free songs written and performed by John Smith, the musician character in the book
• And more

I think Hutch is one of the best new writers out there. You are doing yourself a huge disservice if you have not read or listened to his work. There is no excuse. It is available in just about any form that you want, and maybe even soon, on film.

Here is the promo for 7th Son: Descent.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/jchutchins/7thSonDescent_Promo_01.mp3

In December, we are going to blast your ears twice a week with The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness by Matt Wallace! The action starts on December 1 and ends on Christmas Day.

In January we will continue the Christmas theme with a fantastic story by New York Times Best Selling Author, Michael A. Stackpole.

We are just getting rolling folks. It is going to be a great season!

No matter how crazy the time or the schedules in life get, we make time to remember; and on April 1st, Jack and I are asking that you remember our fallen friend, Joe Murphy.

For those of you new to podcasting, you might have missed the audio wit and always-clever banter of my friend, Joe Murphy. He was (and still is) an amazing guy, his voice now part of the history of such podcasts, as Wingin’ It, Slice of SciFi, The Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas, and the award-winning The Case of the Singing Sword: A Billibub Baddings Mystery. He was taken from us too soon, and on April 1 we remember him.

Please, syndicate this podcast through your feeds, blog about Joe, tell a friend today about Joe Murphy, show your support in an avatar change, and let your subscribers know that you also remember Joe.

FRONT ROW SEATS by Scott William Carter

Daniel lingered in his cramped office at the University of Minnesota long after the other professors in the Math department called it a day. He was still there when all the lights under all the doors winked out and the parking lot outside his window was a bleak, snow-draped emptiness. He was at his desk when old Cal Thomas from Geography shuffled past, taking his incessant coughing with him. He stayed until the equations on shifted lattices turned to squirrelly nonsense, lines and squiggles on ruled pages, until finally he felt the thing creep into his thoughts, that black starfish wrapping its prickly limbs around whatever memories he chose to dwell upon, making his ears ring and his eyes water.

Here is the scoop from both of their sites!

Stories of the Third Wave #16 – Pallas and Stan

I have been excited about this one for a while. Many months ago, Matt Wallace approached me to write the history of Seventh City’s most famous hero and villain, and the birth of the Academy. We talked at length about what I had in my story bible, and Matt created this fabulous epic out of it. It’s long, but so worth it. Matt, author of The Next Fix, is a fine author and a good friend. (and we share a birthday, so he’s got to be good people)

But he is my nemesis and someday I will destroy him. Just not today.

OBSIDIAN: Episode 20

August 25, 2008

The black … is back.

Today marks the debut of the second half of 7th Son: OBSIDIAN, and it’s a frickin’ doozy thanks to this week’s powerhouse author. (If you’re dying to know why OBSIDIAN was on hiatus, listen to the intro of the most recent UltraCreatives interview with author/podcaster Mur Lafferty.)

Meet Matt Wallace. He’s as tall as a tree and as dangerous as Killdozer — because Everyone Knows a Machine Cannot Kill. Except the Machine. Ferociously talented, Matt is a Parsec Award-winning author — whose short story Delve is nominated for a 2008 Parsec for short story — and is best known in the podcasting community for The Failed Cities Monologues and countless contributions to the exceptional short story podcast, Variant Frequencies.

Matt is also a screenwriter, and is currently working on several short- and long-form fiction projects. His short story anthology The Next Fix, published by APEX Publications, is currently available for purchase. Try Amazon.com. It will make your head explode.

This week, Matt Wallace brings us Receiver. In addition to being a perfect representation of his gritty, kick-you-in-the-balls, tear-out-your-jugular prose, Receiver is also the first full-length short story that Matt Wallace has read in podcasting. The audio was produced by Rick Stringer, creator of the Variant Frequencies podcast. Learn more about Matt’s work at Matt-Wallace.net, and find Variant Frequencies at VariantFrequencies.com.

Anne and I had a wonderful time talking with Stephen Kilbride, the host of the excellent Tea and Chat podcast. So, you want to know more about how we started Variant Frequencies? Here is your chance. If you liked it, please let Steve know.

Also, if you haven’t heard it yet, Steve recently interviewed Matt Wallace.

Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty are guests on Adventures in SciFi Publishing. Shaun Farrell does a great job interviewing both of them. If you are a Matt Wallace or Mur Lafferty fan, then you will want to check out this podcast.

Even if you have heard other interviews with Matt and Mur, you will learn new things about both of them.

Here is the description from their site:

Responding to a faint distress call brings Deck to a frozen wasteland of a planet. With bone-chilling temperatures and blinding blizzards, surely nothing could have survived in such an environment… Or could it? Isoloated from the Far Reach One, far from help, far from hope, Deck will find the answer to this and more questions during… Two Days on the Tundra of Terror!

As always, this is another great production by our friends at Decoder Ring Theatre. The Deck Gibson stories are a great example of Matt Wallace’s diversity. They are very different from the type of work you have heard by Matt here on Variant Frequencies. The series is old style pulp science fiction tales.

Scott Sigler

Infected

Recently, Anne and Rick had the pleasure of being interviewed by Wander Wolf for his podcast Wander Radio. We were honored to talk with him.

This is a rare opportunity to hear Anne talk about her craft, and you can hear some of the background of Variant Frequencies.

Check it out!

http://wanderradio.com/?p=73

Two prolific independent horror authors discuss writing scary stories… how is the genre different from others? How do you frighten with the written word? Also — we’ll be giving away a prize package featuring works by the guests and host Matthew Wayne Selznick.

Matt Wallace
Mark Leslie

WARNING: this is not work safe or child safe.

First of May – Joe Murphy Mix

This song is dedicated to the memory of podcast pioneer Joe Murphy. It’s only been a month, but we miss him so.

Please visit http://www.joemurphymemorialfund.com/ to find out more about Leiomyosarcoma and to help.

This song is:
Written and originally released by Jonathan Coulton
The brain child of Paul Fischer
Audio mix by Phil Rossi

The P-Cast Allstars are:
Heather Welliver
Phil Rossi
Martha Holloway
Debbie from Mesa
Barb Fischer
Bill Shunn
Rich Sigfrit (impressions)
Jared Axelrod
Tim Callender
Jack Mangan
Mathew Wayne Selznick
Command Line

So on with the names. I found The Secrets, Michael A. Stackpole’s podcast about writing, at TSFPN, the science fiction podcast network, and tuned in. He’s got a fabulous voice, we should see if he’ll read for us! If you’re a serious writer, listen to Michael. He’s got excellent advice and seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Three of Rick’s favorites are MyMac by Tim Robertson and Chad Perry, The MacCast by Adam Christianson and The Mac Geek Gab by Dave Hamilton and John Braun. Anybody see a pattern here? All of them give reviews of the latest Mac products, so they’re a good source of information. He’s always learning something from these guys. And their presentations are entertaining.

Rick admires Escape Pod for their impressive presentations of good spec fiction, much like our own Variant Frequencies, except they have the audience we’d love to have. I’ve also listened to several of their stories and have been inspired.

Rick also listens to Dragon’s Landing Inn by Chuck Tinsley and Lonnie Ezell, Slice of SciFi by Evo Terra and Michael R. Mennenga, Manic Mondays by Tom Rockwell of Sudden Death, a comedy rap group. (He REALLY likes podcasts.) Also a couple of Firefly ‘casts, The Signal and Firefly Talk, keeping the Serenity spirit alive.

Matt likes Shadowdance: interviews, commentary and articles about fringe culture, like vampires and magic. He also listens to Velcrotroupe and Manic Mondays for their humor. He also believes that Wil Wheaton did, in fact, invent podcasting. Wheaton’s site is currently In Exile, but Matt is positive he will return.