Almost a year ago, I got an email from Matt Wallace asking me to send him a story.  Now, if you've read this blog, you probably know I absolutely love Matt Wallace.  I love his writing, I love how funny his blog is, and I love that he's a tough guy who wants to be Claire's bodyguard.  But all the stories I had written were out, and I had nothing to send him.  So I did what anyone in my position would do: I lied and told him of course I'd send him something. 

Being a fan of Variant Frequencies, I thought I had an idea of the kind of stuff they (and Matt) liked.  So I wrote "Saint Darwin's Spirituals," and told him it was a weird story with "golems and ghostfucking."

I guess he liked it, because now "Saint Darwin's Spirituals" is out in not one but TWO places: Murky Depths and Variant Frequencies!  How is it in two place at the same time?  Well, Matt is using VF and MD to drive up publicity for each other, and I, your sometimes not-so humble blogger, am his space monkey.  But what a fortunate space monkey I am!  Look at the killer-kahn cover art by the one and only Vincent Chong Saint Darwin garnered:



Yes, I know that's the same image x2, but you'll have to forgive me.  Nobody would let me actually see it until the magazine came out this weekend.  And I LOVE that picture!  I love that if you look really really closely in Lucy's goggles, you can see something in them, and one looks like she has a rope around her neck.  That is some serious detail, and it makes me super happy that Vincent Chong liked the story that much. 

But enough of that.  Hopefully, you want to get the actual story.  There's two ways you can experience it -- podcast via Variant Frequencies (NSFW without earbuds) and in print via Murky Depths.

The podcast is absolutely free.  If you know me, you know how much I love podcasts.  They bring a whole new level of intimacy to a story.  And Variant Frequencies is a very, very special podcast.  Rick Stringer puts a hell of a lot of work, sweat, and talent into bringing people together to perform a story.  In this case, the cast includes Maia Witaker, Ali Groves, and Dani Cutler.  If you listen to VF, Escape Pod, or Pseudopod, you've probably heard these women perform before.  They absolutely kick ass here and are helped along by Rick and Anne Stringer.  Plus, they somehow got music from my new favorite steampunk band Abney Park!!!  In short, it's a great listen, and it doesn't cost you anything.  They don't even have a donations button.  But if you dig the production, drop a comment on their site or their forum.  We all appreciate it. 

(I should warn you, in case the golems and ghost-fucking line didn't spell it out  -- this is the most mature story I think I've written.  It is NWSF in audio form.  In fact, listening to it on my ipod the other day, I'm pretty sure I actually blushed at one point.  I knew I'd written a risque, even sexy story.  But hearing people read and perform it brought it to a new level.  Emma is currently trying to keep my parents and hers from reading it.)

Finally, the magazine: Murky Depths is a relatively new genre zine I've been a subscriber since it first came out.  It's a mix of prose dark speculative stories and comics.  It is a really nice magazine to hold in your hands and flip through.  It is a little pricey, but not only do you get my story, you get Mur Lafferty's very first comic strip, a Depth Charge column by Matt Wallace, other fiction from Edward Morris, and killer art by Luke Cooper.  If you want to check out a free sample pdf, you can grab one at their site.  Just click on the Murky Depths Shop and select freebies (also potentially NSFW). 

Also, apparently to further my space monkey status, Murky Depths and Variant Frequencies are running a contest in which you can win a free issue of Murky Depths 4, complete with signatures by me and Vincent Chong.  (Check out the end of the Variant Frequencies podcast for specifics -- this post is way too long already.)

That's all I've got right now.  (Heh. As if you wanted anymore.)  I hope you check out the story and I hope you like it.  I'm very proud of this one.  It's one of the first things I go to write specifically for someone else, to something of a deadline (even if it was self-imposed), and the faith Matt Wallace, and the Variant Frequencies and Murky Depths teams have really blown me away.

A couple of days ago, the one and only Mr. Matt Wallace made a case for the coolness that will be the Murky Depths and Variant Frequencies cross-over/release of "Saint Darwin's Spirituals."  I highly recommend you check out the post, for a couple of reasons.  1) It's the epitome of why I love this guy (which honestly has nothing to do with the nice things he said about my stories).  2) He tap-dances with the one and only Warren Ellis in the comments section, and comes out leading (which in my opinion, is worth reading just on its own merits).  3) Matt says the simultaneous distribution of podcast/print on the same day is a first.   4) Finally, he spills what I was pretty sure was some kind of mirage -- that Murky Depths #4 will have a cover by Vincent Chong inspired by "Saint Darwin's Spirituals."  Chong's done covers for John Scalzi and Richard K. Morgan and  I am absolutely flattered and humbled he dug my story.  So much so, when I first found out, I didn't post anything, because I was pretty sure Terry Martin, the editor of Murky Depths, and Vincent Chong would change their minds and come up with something else to illustrate.  So far, I'm still taking it on faith because I haven't actually seen the cover, because the editors are really big teases.  But you gotta have faith, right?  Even if you hated Eli Stone.

And although I haven't seen the cover yet, I *have* heard a preview of VF's production of "Saint Darwin's Spirituals" and it is awesome.  It's got a killer soundtrack by steampunk band Abney Park, which is cool in and of itself, but it also has some amazing voice talents that really make me geek-out, including Rick and Anne Stringer, Maia Whitaker, Dani Cutler, and Ali Groves.  All very cool people I've heard on VF, Escape Pod, and other places, and I'm thrilled that they took the time to  work on my little story.  (It's really interesting to note that pretty much all the characters in this story are female -- something I hadn't really noticed until hearing the preview.)  Rick Stringer and the rest of the VF team really put a ton of work into this production, and it shows.  I can't wait for you guys to hear it.