Escape Pod - "EP098: Just Do It"

A fun listen. Not what I was expecting. So not what I was expecting. It's not hard to please me - it's really not. It is very hard to surprise me and this - to a point - surprised me. I saw the end from the middle but I'm used to that. Read by a pleasing, talented voice, it's an easy listen with a great sense of humor. It's not the kind of specfic that takes itself too uber-seriously. Hear it. Enjoy it. Be glad - especially for your waist-line - that the technology does not yet exist. Certain that someday it probably will.. Scary thought.

Listen to the story - it's worth the time. I'll give you a gold star if you don't want fries in those first five minutes though.

Another interesting Ear Treat

Creature Feature

For fans of movies like "Nightmare Before Christmas", I heard this very interesting band. They're not for everyone but they are morbidly fun. I had one song, The Greatest Show Unearthed, stuck in my head for nearly three days.

~Sarah Wagner

Sarah's Latest:

First Kiss ~ 3Lights Gallery ~ Full Bloom Issue

I had to change the format of the IW when my newest little one came along because I simply didn't have the time to read all the zines I was reading. I wish I could but now, I peruse them much less frequently. My grandmother, being the doll that she is, got me an Ipod for christmas and I have been playing with it ever since. Now - I can listen to all those stories I don't have time to read while I'm nursing the little one or vacuuming or doing normal mom/wife stuff. It's brilliant.

Podcasting is a marvelous thing I'm only just discovering... I like the format, what it brings, what if offers. And today, I happened across a new - to me anyway - podcast. As a writer, I like it, I can relate to it. I certainly like it better than some of the others I've been listening to.

Mur Lafferty does the I Should Be Writing podcast. Maybe it's because her voice patterns and speech patterns remind me of someone I once knew (and liked a great deal). Maybe it's because she's a writer - and one who owns her rejections in a similar fashion. Maybe it's simply that, deep down, I'm a jeans and tshirt gal too. Whatever it is - I like it. The podcast is an easy listen. Through the course of what I've listened to so far, I've found myself commiserating, giggling, and wondering what my own inner editor is wearing...

If you are, want to be, or are curious about the motivations and frustrations of a writer, I recommend it.

Until the next time I write...

~Sarah

Stranger Things

I love short stories. I love fiction in all its forms. I think that's why I am so enamored with podcasting. To me, listening to podcasted fiction is like listening to the old radio shows my Pap used to tell me all about. And now, there's something a little different. A video podcasted TV show. I'm not exactly sure what to call it. I was always a fan of Outer Limits, the Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, shows like that where it was a rare thing to have a story take up more than one episode. I could miss one and not be lost. I could jump in anytime and not have missed the back-story so integral to the plot. That's what makes Stranger Things really wonderful. At least the idea of it. We need more shows like this.

Episodic reviews I don't want to do - yet. I'm waiting for them to get their footing first. I'll say this - it's worth watching. The show and the podcast itself. It will be interesting to see where they are in a year - what kind of stories they find and are able to do. And then we'll see if I'm still enthralled.

Until the next time I write

~Sarah Wagner

I am currently undergoing a complete Time Management Makeover. The Imagincary Word won't ever be the same as it was, but it will be something. I have decided several times that it is too important to me to allow it to just die away, drift off into the ether that is the internet. For now, until I can figure out my time, my schedule, the IW will be in a state of constant evolution. Until I find something I can manage and that is worth doing.

For today, for this beautiful month of March, I'm going to point you in the direction of something a little different...

~Sarah Wagner

I am a huge fan on interactive fiction. Games like King's Quest and Gabriel Knight always enthralled me. I like a good puzzle. Something that makes me think - really think. Unfortunately, games like those are hard to find anymore. There aren't many really great games widely available for people like me - the video game challenged. I take that back. The games are available - just not on any shelf in any store.

Interactive Fiction is generally found online as shareware or freeware. It's pretty simple - no graphics, no sounds effects, no big bang effect. The shock and awe is delivered by the story - by the wicked good, hair-pulling puzzles.

I came across a fabulous game not too long ago. It took me a while to figure out how to get the key but this maddening game is wonderful. Anchorhead by Michael S Gentry, is run on a z-code interpreter and has no graphics, no wild action sequences. But it's got a great story, kick-my-butt puzzles, and an awesome trenchcoat.

I'd recommend the game to anyone itching for a clever little horror story and a decent puzzle or two.

Download it HERE , HERE, Or see the article in Wikipedia for more information.