Episoder
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Edge Clinging
For Appaloosa Radio
As we age, we lose both our mobility and our self-confidence, and in losing our self-confidence, we stick very close to the edge of the pool. -
Appaloosa Radio Online offers
Alligator
A story from Nell Trustmon’s Magazine “Broken Tree Tales”
In rural mining communities like Boyce, Colorado, the arrival of the “Alligator Man” created a community-wide celebration. How could any of the Lithuanian miners continue to work in the deep, hard rock silver mine when there was a real, live alligator in town? Gotta see that!
Alligators were hardly rare in places like Florida or the bayous of Louisiana. And almost anyone who visited a zoo in one of the major eastern cities could see a tropical display featuring gators. But, here in the high western Rockies, the alligator was a very rare sight.
The alligator came courtesy of a showman and promoter named Clyde Chantt who claimed to have a Ph.D. in reptile herpetology from a university that no one had ever heard of. “Professor” Chantt (as he preferred to be called) travelled among the mining towns of the West driving a 1917 Ford Truck, pulling a large, brightly painted metal tank filled with water and containing a 15 foot alligator. He charged patrons fifteen cents each to watch his “demonstrations” of the reptile’s cunning capabilities. Each “demonstration” ended with Professor Chantt climbing a tall metal ladder next to the alligator’s tank, and then holding out a long fishing pole with a hunk of chicken attached to it. He would encourage the animal to perform, and within a minute or two, the alligator would jump up out of the water ten feet or more and grab its meal from the end of the pole.
In the evenings, after the last feeding demonstration, local children would often slip beneath the canvas fence that the Professor had set up to block the view of the non-paying spectators, and in a mixture of awe and fear, watch the alligator.
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Story was originally webcast in August 2022. This revision has new voices and music. -
Mangler du episoder?
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Appaloosa Radio presents an original musical story
Surprise Valley
The hippie resort of perpetual happiness
Here is another great song from Act 2 of the musical.
You can download the full show on Appaloosa Radio Online.
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Peace and perpetual greetings! Featuring new tie-dye songs in the hip style of the early 1970s.
Appaloosa Radio presents an original musical storySurprise Valley
The hippie resort of perpetual happiness
Here is a favorite song from ACT 2! -
The Road of Life Has Many DetoursA very personal story by Gisela Butler
The pick-up truck came over the center divider and became airborne. I could see the wheels of the truck coming in my direction. I just said, “Oh my God, please…”
Instantly, I ducked towards the passenger side. Then I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my ribs. I lay there in pain going in and out of consciousness. That’s all I remember.
I later woke up as my clothes were being cut from my body. Lying on a gurney on my stomach, I figured I was at the hospital. Later, my husband came in.
The doctor gave me morphine for my pain. I was not talking much, just sleeping a lot. Every time I woke, I was in lots of pain but got medication immediately. Pain was my reminder that I was still alive. I knew I had been in a car accident but had no idea how badly it affected me. I also knew my husband was there in the ICU almost all day.
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This story originally appeared in the anthology, From a Writer’s Finger to a Butterfly’s Wing, published by the Sacramento Suburban Writers’ Club, 2016.
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Do you love Interactive Collaborative Fiction?
Interactive Collaborative Fiction is the art of jointly shaping a narrative through collective storytelling.
Appaloosa Radio Online, in collaboration with the Sacramento Suburban Writers, is launching an exciting new forum for Interactive Collaborative Fiction (ICF) and is seeking “Story Pilots” to guide the journey. ICF is a process where narratives are shaped collectively, not by a single writer, but by a community that evolves the story over time. Think of it as modern-day campfire storytelling, now facilitated through platforms like Instagram.
We kick off our ICF forum in February 2025 with three captivating story starters:
Code: Turquoise: A political thriller set in contemporary times, revolving around the assassination of a newly elected U.S. President just ten days into office by a foreign power that had previously supported him.Chambray: A fantasy romance where Princess Lis is kidnapped by a brigantine she-wolf pack and taken to Quericus, where she is forced to join the harem of Subus.Splotches: A science fiction tale exploring civilizations' relentless pursuit of speed, only to discover that greater velocity brings splotches—twisting the very fabric of space-time and creating billions of unrepairable holes.As a “Story Pilot,” your role will be to facilitate collaboration, allowing multiple contributors to develop the plot, generate dialogue, and enhance character development. You will also manage the Instagram platform for the story.
Join us in creating stories that are fun, engaging, and connect people. Volunteer to be a “Story Pilot” on this new adventure.
For more information, contact us at: [email protected]
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The Devil is in the Details --- The Art of Deception
An original story byThomas Hessler
It really wasn’t a wild prank. Nobody got hurt, some were entertained for a while, and the incident displayed a principle of human characteristics. I would do it again, and I think if you asked those who know me, they would say, “Uh, huh.”
Every so often I pick up a book about writing. I mean, some of the authors might really have something to say that is helpful. One author was explaining that no matter how unbelievable the plot might be, you sell the reader by plying them with details. The author provided several examples. And, I remembered a novel that I had read. The back cover’s summary of “the Invasion” said that in this story, the Chinese invaded the United States and created havoc in doing so. Now, this was twenty years or so ago, and the Chinese military and technology were not as robust as now. So, I scoffed. It would be hard for me to believe. Nevertheless, I read the novel and, bit-by-bit, induced by references to actual situations, detailed accounts of confrontations, familiar political history, and scene-by-scene narration, I bought into it. I remember remarking, at the time, that the author had convinced me that Chinese invasion was not a warp of reality. It could be done.
Well, sometimes you actually put into practice that which you have read and understood. Thereafter, when writing, I remembered to craft some detail to convince the reader when the plot might be stretching things. But, I yearned to prove the point in a bigger way.
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This story originally appeared in the anthology From a Writer's Finger to a Butterfly Wing -
Most Despicable Brute
An Original Story by Appaloosa Radio
From the continuing
City of 4000 Spies Series
“If Noble Son Dusko Rarrko, the Second Son of the 19th Great Nobleman of Sassko were ever to write his memoirs, telling about his entanglement in the world of espionage, he could tell of great schemes involving the greatest of empires and nations. He could also tell of well-planned assassinations that were eons in planning and implementation. He could tell of technologies stolen, and of other (even more secret) technologies created to solve the most difficult problems. He could tell of those he loved and those he had to sacrifice.
But he could also write of brutish individuals who met even more brutish ends.
He might tell the tale of Chil-ezz, a minor figure in the larger scheme, but one whose brutality was beyond despicable.
To be truthful, neither Dusko Rarrko nor the Dominion of Sassko were directly involved in the killing of J*X*Z.alpha Chil-ezz. Nonetheless, they both celebrated it. And it led to a most productive long-term friendship between the J.X.Z, city state and the Dominion.”
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On the Morning Commuter Bus
An original story
For Appaloosa Radio
CHAPTER 3
Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.
Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.
One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.
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On the Morning Commuter Bus
An original story
For Appaloosa Radio
CHAPTER 2
Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.
Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.
One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.
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On the Morning Commuter Bus
An original story
For Appaloosa Radio
CHAPTER 1Many contemporary hi-tech employees ride express commuter buses daily to and from their work sites. Larry Jay Connors is just one of the many. He is a numbers guy, a veritable filing cabinet for numbers, whose specialty is making fiscal projections, doing benefit analyses, and generating cost-to-price determinations.
Unfortunately, Larry is also a “quasi social isolate” who stares at his own shoes to avoid eye contact with others. As the story begins, Larry’s personal life has been reduced to doing his laundry, playing with his dog, and watching old movies on television.
One morning, when he boards his usual commuter bus, everything changes. He is no longer who he is. He is now living another’s life, and he is a stranger in his own body.
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Travelling
by
Pamela Hummel-Morgan
This week we visited some friends in Monterey. They had recently returned from a seven-week trip driving across Europe, putting over 6,000 miles on their rental cars.
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Tautologies
By J. J. Mounts-Miller
For Appaloosa Radio
October 2024
I have been thinking a lot about something I read in a magazine. I had read: “Brain waves spike during death.”
Researchers found that in the process of dying, brain activity increases. When it is graphed, it represents a distinct series of sharp, upward spikes. Before these spikes, there is usually a period of low-level dormancy, typically a relatively flat line of limited brain activity. Then, during death, brain wave activity spikes.
This has taken me into an extended philosophical meditation about logical truth and the nature of consciousness.
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Here are four micro-stories that I worked up for the Summer 2024 Micro-Write Challenge. All are extremely short, ranging from 116 to 465 words.
They are:
· Shoes – a basketball story
· The Man with the Perpetual Cough – a western character sketch
· Risk Averse – taking risks as a senior adult
· My English Teacher was a Space Alien – a fictional memoir
Enjoy!
J.J. Mounts-Miller
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Appaloosa Radio offers
An original musical story
Skirts Swayin’
Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music
It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.
A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.
Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.
They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.
This is Mollie’s story.
Act 1
- Deep in the Heart of Texas ##
- Panhandle Rag ##
- Thanks for Your Letter ##
- Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye ##
- Oh, Miss Mollie ##
- Star Spangled Banner ##
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Times is Hard
- Feelin’ Rhythm in the Air
- Swingin’ Western Style
## - historical music from 1945 Armed Forces Radio broadcast
Act 2
- Lonesome Prairie Polka
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Brandin’ My Man with Love
- Breakfast for a Texas Man
- Crystal Springs
- Dr. Lawson’s Little Pills
- Zip-Zip Zipper *
- Pass them Biscuits
- Country Howdown
*Historical music performed by Light Crust Doughboys
Act 3
- Truth Wars Against My Heart
- Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins YY
- When I was Young and Handsome YY
- Galveston-Town Blues
- Hand and Hand, We Face the Sea (Glorious Morning)
- Melody Ranch Two-Step
- San Antonio Rose zz
- Fort Worth Molly
- Silver Wings
YYHistorical music performed by Texas Jim Robertson
zzHistorical music performed by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction built around historical circumstances. Molly Perkins as depicted in this work is a fictional character. She does not represent any person alive or dead.
Original music composed using Suno-AI and Soundful software.
Historical music was drawn from the American Armed Forces Radio Network Archives, Archive Number 3, 1945. It was accessed through the Internet Archive. Org website on May 11, 2024.
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Appaloosa Radio offers
An original musical story
Skirts Swayin’
Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music
It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.
A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.
Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.
They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.
This is Mollie’s story.
Act 1
- Deep in the Heart of Texas ##
- Panhandle Rag ##
- Thanks for Your Letter ##
- Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye ##
- Oh, Miss Mollie ##
- Star Spangled Banner ##
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Times is Hard
- Feelin’ Rhythm in the Air
- Swingin’ Western Style
## - historical music from 1945 Armed Forces Radio broadcast
Act 2
- Lonesome Prairie Polka
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Brandin’ My Man with Love
- Breakfast for a Texas Man
- Crystal Springs
- Dr. Lawson’s Little Pills
- Zip-Zip Zipper *
- Pass them Biscuits
- Country Howdown
*Historical music performed by Light Crust Doughboys
Act 3
- Truth Wars Against My Heart
- Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins YY
- When I was Young and Handsome YY
- Galveston-Town Blues
- Hand and Hand, We Face the Sea (Glorious Morning)
- Melody Ranch Two-Step
- San Antonio Rose zz
- Fort Worth Molly
- Silver Wings
YYHistorical music performed by Texas Jim Robertson
zzHistorical music performed by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction built around historical circumstances. Molly Perkins as depicted in this work is a fictional character. She does not represent any person alive or dead.
Original music composed using Suno-AI and Soundful software.
Historical music was drawn from the American Armed Forces Radio Network Archives, Archive Number 3, 1945. It was accessed through the Internet Archive. Org website on May 11, 2024.
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Appaloosa Radio offers
An original musical story
Skirts Swayin’
Celebrating the infectious rhythms of Western swing music
It happened in Fort Worth, Texas in the summer of 1928. It could not have happened anywhere else. It could not have happened at another time. No one else could have done it.
A cigar salesman with a rich baritone voice, a barber who was also the best fiddle player in Texas, and a fifteen-year-old waitress who loved to dance.
Together, they created a style of music that still exists today. A style of music that is now the official music style for the state of Texas. Some called it Texas Swing. Most people just called it dance music.
They were Milt Brown, Mollie Perkins, and Jim-Bob Wills.
This is Mollie’s story.
Act 1
- Deep in the Heart of Texas ##
- Panhandle Rag ##
- Thanks for Your Letter ##
- Come and Kiss Me, Goodbye ##
- Oh, Miss Mollie ##
- Star Spangled Banner ##
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Times is Hard
- Feelin’ Rhythm in the Air
- Swingin’ Western Style
## - historical music from 1945 Armed Forces Radio broadcast
Act 2
- Lonesome Prairie Polka
- Boot Kickin’ Dance Music
- Brandin’ My Man with Love
- Breakfast for a Texas Man
- Crystal Springs
- Dr. Lawson’s Little Pills
- Zip-Zip Zipper *
- Pass them Biscuits
- Country Howdown
*Historical music performed by Light Crust Doughboys
Act 3
- Truth Wars Against My Heart
- Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins YY
- When I was Young and Handsome YY
- Galveston-Town Blues
- Hand and Hand, We Face the Sea (Glorious Morning)
- Melody Ranch Two-Step
- San Antonio Rose zz
- Fort Worth Molly
- Silver Wings
YYHistorical music performed by Texas Jim Robertson
zzHistorical music performed by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction built around historical circumstances. Molly Perkins as depicted in this work is a fictional character. She does not represent any person alive or dead.
Original music composed using Suno-AI and Soundful software.
Historical music was drawn from the American Armed Forces Radio Network Archives, Archive Number 3, 1945. It was accessed through the Internet Archive. Org website on May 11, 2024.
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Cherry Blossoms at Night
a biological warfare mystery thriller
Appaloosa Radio is pleased to offer a dramatization of the first chapter of Brandon Michaels’ forthcoming novel, Cherry Blossoms at Night --- a biological warfare mystery thriller.
In 1945, the Japanese military ordered Operation PX, the release of biological weapons on civilians inside the United States in retaliation of the incendiary bombings of Tokyo. The designated targets were San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. World War II ended in August of 1945, or did it? This story captures the reality that an apocalyptic event can easily happen and for similar ill-conceived reasoning. COVID was just the beginning.
Author Biography
Brandon Michaels is an Award-winning American author. Brandon, an extremophile, has run marathons and mountain climbed on all seven continents. He has traveled to the four corners of the world visiting over 100 countries. Brandon is a retired homicide detective of 28+ years, and a licensed CA Private Investigator who writes short stories, anthologies, and destination travel articles for publications while writing his first novel. Brandon lives in Northern California with his wife Audrey.
He can be reached at: [email protected]
Credits
This dramatization was created with voices using the Eleven Labs – AI software. The theme music was performed by Audio Hero and is entitled “9-1-1 – a jazz adventure.” It was downloaded from the Royalty Free Music Apple iPhone app. Sound effects came primarily from the Pixabay website -- https://pixabay.com/
Copyright
The author retains any and all copyright use and ownership rights, present and in perpetuity. Use of this dramatization in any form is prohibited without the explicit permission of the author.
Appaloosa Radio Online makes no use or ownership claims on this material. It is webcast only with the kind permission of the original author.
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NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEE
An original story from Appaloosa Radio
Chapter 10
On Making Bad Choices
An itinerant musician gets off the Sacramento light rail train and brings his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group of frustrated and perspiring bus riders wait in the hot August sun for a very late eastbound bus. He announces, “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.” Then, he adds “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”
It surprises no one that he is killed while riding on the Interstate highway in the dark.
But then, the inexplicable adventure begins.
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A ten-chapter audio story with original music.
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NIGHT RIDER UP TO TRUCKEE
An original story from Appaloosa Radio
Chapter 9
Lorraine
An itinerant musician gets off the Sacramento light rail train and brings his bicycle, guitar, and other belongings to where a group of frustrated and perspiring bus riders wait in the hot August sun for a very late eastbound bus. He announces, “I’m riding up to Truckee. Some of my old friends are performing in a club up there. I’m hoping to do some riffs with them.” Then, he adds “I’m going to ride all night. I think I’ll be in Truckee about dawn, maybe a little later.”
It surprises no one that he is killed while riding on the Interstate highway in the dark.
But then, the inexplicable adventure begins.
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A ten-chapter audio story with original music.
- Se mer
