Gallery of Curiosities

The Night Bazaar by Shaun van Rensburg

Two misfit kids explore a mysterious market. Nat Titman narrates
 
 
Author Shaun van Rensburg is currently studying creative writing at the University of South Africa. He has a strong interest in the fantastic and feels that monsters are usually misunderstood.
 
Narrator Nat Titman is an amateur illustrator, singer, songwriter, storyteller, lapsed podcaster, occasional public speaker and full-time IT professional based in Nottingham UK. Their band's debut album Going through Changes is an eclectic mix of folk and synthpop, inspired by life’s struggles and the fantasy fiction that gets us through them. Find Nat on Twitter at @quarridors or find their creative works at quarridors.com
 
Theme song: Ashes Ashes by Deus Ex Vapore Machina, used by permission
Waterkeep Night, Desert Bazaar, March of the Faithful by Tabletop Sound
Martini with Dean by Matthew Creid/(Pond5.com)
 

The There-It-Is Store by Adam Gaylord

We're all going to want a There-It-Is store when it's time to go back to work. Tabatha Wood narrates.
Author Adam Gaylord lives with his beautiful wife and kids in Colorado. When not at work as an ecologist, he’s usually writing, cooking, drinking craft beer, drawing comics, or some combination thereof. Look him up on GoodReads or find him on Twitter @AuthorGaylord.
Narrator Tabatha Wood is a former English teacher and library manager, living in Wellington. She writes weird, dark fiction and uplifting poetry.  Despite her obsession with the strange and unusual, she considers herself mostly harmless, although she does take great delight in shocking people with her stories every chance she gets.
Cover art by Martini Discovolante.
Music:
Martini with Dean by Matthew Creid (pond5.com)
Streetlight on a Dark Road by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
String Impromptu Number 1 by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Two Steps Forward by Holley Schofield

You may be shut in, but you can still dance! Wilson Fowlie narrates a diesel-era delight.
Author Holly Schofield travels through time at the rate of one second per second, oscillating between the alternate realities of city and country life. Her short stories have appeared in Analog, Lightspeed, Tesseracts, and many other publications throughout the world. She hopes to save the world through science fiction and homegrown heritage tomatoes. Find her at hollyschofield.wordpress.com.
Narrator Wilson Fowlie has been reading stories out loud since the age of 4, and credits his parents for any talent he has for it. He's been narrating for podcasts since he answered a call for readers for PodCastle in 2008.
He’s narrated dozens of stories for many podcasts, including all of the Escape Artists shows. Wilson fits all this narrating between his day job as a web developer in Vancouver, Canada, and directing a community show chorus called The Maple Leaf Singers. https://www.mapleleafsingers.com/
 
Music:
Boogie Woogie Rhythm and Blues by AndyL/Pond5
Incidental Background Music for Bohemian Tea Rooms, Greatest Jazz by BackgroundMusicMaster/Pond5
 

Gallery Lockdown #1

While we wait for the CoronaCon curve to pass, we will be doing some extras with Osgoode and the staff. Not all the staff have decent microphones so audio quality will vary. Some may have stories. This one does not. 
 
Zen Room music: Raga Kirwani – Alaap, Jor and Vilambit Grat (with Tabla) in Sitarkhani Taal by Soumitra Lahiri and Shailendra Mishra/FreeMusicArchive

Year of the Teacup Dragon by Suzanne J. Willis

A woman recalls her childhood during the London Blitz, and the strange pet who saved her. Bryony narrates an urban fantasy for all ages. Content note for wartime sound effects.
Author Suzanne J. Willis is a Melbourne, Australia-based writer, a graduate of Clarion South and an Aurealis Awards finalist. Her stories have appeared in anthologies by PS Publishing, Prime Books, Falstaff Books and Metaphorosis, and in SQ Mag, Mythic Delirium, and Lackington’s. Suzanne’s tales are inspired by fairytales, ghost stories and all things strange, and she can be found online at suzannejwillis.webs.com
Narrator Bryony is a twenty-something Londoner who has loved stories in all forms her whole life. This love has led to a Masters degree in English Literature and a decade-long hobby of narration and performance. She teaches English and maths, and her biggest dream is to successfully land a Salchow jump in figure skating.
Theme song: Ashes Ashes by Deus Ex Vapore Machina
Osgoode’s Chorus: Circus Clowns Lighter Edit by Zev Weinstein/Pond5
Immersed by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3900-immersedLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Relent by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4274-relentLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cargo Plane Cabin Ambiance by Mike Koenig/Soundbible
Cinematic Suspense Series Episode 002 by Sascha EndeLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5789-cinematic-suspense-series-episode-002License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Childhood by Sascha EndeLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/448-childhoodLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cinematic Suspense Series Episode 004 by Sascha EndeLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5798-cinematic-suspense-series-episode-004License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 
Need more Gallery? You can listen to outtakes and buy us coffee at kofi-com/curiosities

Six Coins by Liam Hogan

There's nothing quite like the fresh bracing air of interesting times. Or the sea. Wulf Moon narrates a nautical adventure with a topological twist, and Osgoode takes us on another trip to the Zen Room. 
Author Liam Hogan is an Oxford Physics graduate and award winning London based writer. His short story "Ana", appears in Best of British Science Fiction 2016  from NewCon Press, and his twisted fantasy collection, "Happy Ending Not Guaranteed", is published by Arachne Press. Find him online at HappyEndingNotGuaranteed.blogspot.co.uk, and @LiamJHogan.
Narrator Wulf Moon feasted on fantasy as a child when he lived with his Chippewa grandmother. He begged stories from her every night—fireside tales that fired his imagination. If Moon had a time machine, those are the days he would go back to. Since he doesn’t have a time machine, he tells stories. He is podcast director at Future Science Fiction Digest. Learn more at driftweave.com.
 
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Theme song: Ashes Ashes by Deus Ex Vapore Machina
Osgoode’s Chorus: Circus Clowns Lighter Edit by Zev Weinstein/pond5.com
Lost Frontier by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4004-lost-frontierLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Docks District, Open Water, and Age of Sail by TableTop Audio
Past The Edge by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/4997-past-the-edgeLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Zen Room music: Raga Kirwani – Alaap, Jor and Vilambit Grat (with Tabla) in Sitarkhani Taal by Soumitra Lahiri and Shailendra Mishra/FreeMusicArchive
 

Twilight of the Electric Shadows by Paul R Hardy

Things get weird in a shadow dimension populated by echoes of the film industry. Matt Dovey narrates. File under: Slipstream
Author Paul R Hardy is currently on a quest to find the adorable pets, eccentric family members and amusing work history required in an author biography. He occasionally takes short breaks to write stories for venues such as Unidentified Funny Objects, Diabolical Plots, StarShipSofa and Escape Pod.
Narrator Matt Dovey is very tall, very British, and probably drinking a cup of tea right now. His surname rhymes with "Dopey", but any other similarities to the dwarf are coincidence. He has short science fiction and fantasy stories all over the place: find out more at MattDovey.com, or follow him on Twitter @MattDoveyWriter.
 
Music:
Theme song: Ashes Ashes by Deus Ex Vapore Machina
Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antiguaLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Wiggly Worm Cha Cha by Groove Committee/Pond5
Smoking Gun by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/4378-smoking-gunLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Touching Moments One – Pulse by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Touching Moments Two – Higher by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Cinematic Suspense Series Episode 004 by Sascha EndeLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5798-cinematic-suspense-series-episode-004License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Forsaken by Mikael HellmanLink: https://filmmusic.io/song/5221-forsakenLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Fixable by Sheliah Lindsey & Scent by Maria Haskins

It's a mother of a double feature and we guarantee it won't make you feel all warm and snuggly inside. No, not at all. Alex Ford and Maria Rose narrate. Rated Dark.
Author Sheliah Lindsey was neither born nor raised under a rock, but does claim she was as an excuse for how behind she is on popular culture. She currently resides in Texas, still not under a rock despite her continued insistence to the contrary, where she divides her time unevenly between reading, writing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
When narrator Alex Ford isn't rocking around the nation in her band, Ford Theatre Reunion, she's holed up in her guest room following a different passion: recording audio books and editing manuscripts. An avid reader and writer, she delights in helping people bring their creativity to life. You can check out her exploits, mystery bruises, and a most handsome cat on facebook or instagram.  www.facebook.com/srslyjohns   www.instagram.com/srslyalex
Author Maria Haskins is a Swedish-Canadian writer and translator. She writes speculative fiction and poetry, and currently lives just outside Vancouver with a husband, two kids, and a very large black dog.  Her work has appeared in Flash Fiction Online, Shimmer, Cast of Wonders, and elsewhere. Find out more on her website, mariahaskins.com, or follow her on Twitter, @mariahaskins.
Narrator Maria Rose is a graphic designer, writer, astrologer, classicist. Sometimes saturnine, mostly eccentric. You can hear her audiobook narration work in “Messengers of the Right” from University of Press Audiobooks or at GlitterShip. Learn more at mariarosedoeseverything.com
 
Circus Clowns by Zev Weinstein/Pond5
Ticking clock sound effect by Kevin Frost
Alchemist’s Lab by Tabletop Audio
Mystic Force Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Giant Wyrm Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
 
Wish you could have heard these Mom

This Particular Evening by Manuel Royal

We're barhopping through history with the heppest cats in town. Jim Hodgson narrates. File under: Time Travel
Author Manuel Royal, like Tristram Shandy, was born with a broken nose, followed by interminable digressions.  Although his body resides in Atlanta, Georgia, his mind can be found shuffling down the alleys and circumnavigating the roundabouts of Donnetown, an imaginary midsize city somewhere in the Carolinas.  donnetowntoday.blogspot.com
Narrator Jim Hodgson is a humorist from Atlanta, GA. He writes, produces, and acts in Bad Gladiator, a full-cast audio comedy set in ancient Rome.
Music: Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod(Incompetech.com)
Theme Song: Ashes Ashes by Deus Ex Vapore Machina
Curiosisites #6 is out now in Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Trade Paperback. Visit the store page for links to Amazon.

Gentlemanly Horrors of Mine Alone by Donald J. Bingle

A haunted Englishman tells of a tragic adventure abroad to his very British gentleman's club. Matt Dovey narrates. File under: Weird West, Creature Feature. 
Donald J. Bingle is the author of six books and more than fifty shorter works in the horror, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, mystery, romance, comedy, and memoir genres. The Love-Haight Case Files, his mystery/horror/romance/urban fantasy novel (with Jean Rabe) won three Silver Falchions. More at www.donaldjbingle.com.
Narrator Matt Dovey is very tall, very British, and probably drinking a cup of tea right now. He has short science fiction and fantasy stories all over the place: find out more at mattdovey.com, or follow him on Twitter @mattdoveywriter.
Recipe inspiration for Osgoode's mid-century dinner exhibit were sighted on Midcentury Menu, Cracked, Autostraddle, Vocal Media, & The Joys of Jello. 
Full show notes at GalleryCurious.com