The Melting Potcast

Balticon Bonus Episode 8- The Craft of Writing

An amazing presentation/discussion on the craft of writing with Connie Willis from Balticon 50! You need to listen to get everything out of it!


Don't forget that voting is still open for our second Cookoff Challenge. You can vote on Facebook and Twitter! Hurry, because it closes  on August 21st!

Episode 33- Our Second Anniversary!

Two years already we've been doing The Melting Potcast, and we have no intention of stopping! As proof, A. F. (whose birthday is today, too) and Erin (whose birthday is NOT today) bring you the stories for our second Cookoff Challenge. Two authors, head to head, for prompt #8- Aliens have given you a supersense. How do you use it.

Sniffing Out Trouble by Scott Roche
Head Lights by Austin Malone

Sorry, but we're still not playing a Mystery Meal this episode. They ARE coming, we promise! We bring you A Little Seasoning with Chris Lester, author of Making the Cut (and other great books) and host of The Metamor City Podcast.

Don't forget to check out our Patreon, and leave us a review on iTunes! It really does help!

Bumper- Tee Morris
Promo- The Roundtable Podcast

Episode 32- Main Ingredient- The Cost of Freedom and Botched Recipes

Once again, we have no idea where A. F. has disappeared to, so it falls to new mother (again) Erin to host an episode. Before the rigors of Mommy-Brain set in, here's what this midmonth episode brings!

Main Ingredient story- The Cost of Freedom by Jeff Brackett

Deep in cyberspace, a hacker encounters a frighteningly tough defense system: a soldier named Guardian. Sean has no choice but to fight... and to figure out how to beat the most advanced program he's ever seen.

And then, since it's Erin, you know you're getting another batch of Botched Recipes!

Promo- Weekly Podioplex
Bumper- Nutty of the Nutty Bites Podcast

Special thanks for the music:

Blipotron Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Episode 31- Stoke the Fire Prompt #6, A Little Seasoning

The oven timer FINALLY went off! Grillmistress Erin and Theo have welcomed their little bun in the oven into the world! We have a new Junior Chef in the kitchen, so it's only A.F. today, bringing you two new Stoke the Fire stories. These are for Prompt #6- Why is everyone afraid of the mailman?

"Special Delivery" by Terrie Keenan
"Postal" by Linton Bowers

Both are brand new Word Chefs, so hooray for new blood!

A.F. also brings on the first interview from Balticon 50, A Little Seasoning with Michael R. Underwood, author of Geekomancy and the Genrenauts series.

Prompt #8 is now closed. Now opening is prompt #10- An animal from outside your local ecosystem has entered nature and is breeding uncontrollably.

Keep your eyes on our Facebook and Twitter feeds for requests for our next Mystery Meal!

Promo- The Street by Paul E. Cooley
Bumper- Mary Ellen Warren of Reader/Writer

Balticon Bonus Episode 7- Creating Believable Villains

Sorry to immediately have another panel episode for the midmonth, but we're still reeling from Erin's pregnancy, and things will be a little touch-and-go for a few months as we settle into having the baby around. You'll probably be hearing more A.F. than the others, and maybe even some new voices helping fill the gaps while the whole maternity thing is still fresh.

We will have a new Stoke the Fire episode on July 1. For now, enjoy the first of our recorded panels from Balticon 50: Creating Believable Villains with Maria Snyder. It is a longer one than we're used to (an hour 20 minutes as opposed to the usual 50 minutes) and there's some visual stuff you won't be able to see (unless you have some sort of magical powers) but there is a ton of great information here. Enjoy!

Episode 30- A Little Seasoning and Mystery Meal

A. F. just got back from Balticon, and there is much sleep to be had. There will be tons of great audio in the year to come, between panels, interviews, and other fun. But for now, it's time to play another bit of Seasoning from last year's Balticon.

A. F. and Erin interview JRD, Jaymay, and Opopanax from SkinnerCo and the Flash Pulp podcast.

Follow that up with a brand new Mystery Meal of the creation of the monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Bumper- Nobilis Reed of the Nobilis Erotica Podcast
Promo- Kickstarter for Genrenauts Season 1 by Michael R. Underwood

Balticon Bonus Episode 6- Crowns and Swords: The Intertwined Worlds of Fantasy and Monarchy

It's almost time for Balticon 50, so here's the last of the panels we recorded at Balticon 49!


Since this was recorded, a decision has been made about whether our Grillmistress Erin will be at Balticon. Sadly, she will not be in attendance. A. F. will still be there, so don't be surprised if you get  a microphone shoved in your face!

Episode 29- Main Ingredient "Osiris O'Cyrus and the Nexus of Hells" by James Silverstein

It's May, and the Potcast crew is bringing you a new Main Ingredient story!

"Osiris O'Cyrus and the Nexus of Hells" by James Silverstein

Occult investigator Osiris O'Cyrus regales an English gentleman of an adventure into the nature of Hell. But the tale hits a little close to home when an inhuman creature is revealed.

Special thanks to Kevin McLeod of Incompetech for the music.
"The Complex" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

After that, we have a brand new Mystery Meal! Erin reads a marred version of "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

And stick around after the credits for a surprise!

Bumper- Charlie Brown, author of Quarter Moon
Promo- Mental Graffiti by Scott E. Pond

Episode 28- A Little Seasoning, Botched Recipes

It's episode 28, and A. F. is working hard on your next Main Ingredient story, so Erin is at the helm! Some of the audio quality turned out crap, due to being rushed. Hopefully this won't happen again. Sorry, folks!

First, she brings you the last bits of interview A. F. had back in October with the Archmage Ed Greenwood. It's not much, and the audio is a little wonky, and there's not really an intro, but you get the idea. There is a little bit of fun that we just really didn't want you to miss out on.

After that, Erin brings you more Botched Recipes!

We've had another challenge issued for a Cookoff! Austin Malone (you might remember him from our Valentine's episode in 2015) has challenged Scott Roche (you might remember him from our VERY FIRST episode) to a write-off for prompt #8- Aliens have given you a supersense. How do you use it?

2500 words or less, due June 30, when prompt #8 will be closing anyway. Hold onto your hats and get ready for it! And keep your eyes peeled for another open submissions Cookoff this summer!

Don't forget to check out our Patreon!

Bumper- Paul E. Cooley, author of The Black, The Black: Arrival, and The Street, among other things
Promo- Best Served Cold by John G. Walker

Episode 27- "Main Ingredient"- F.L.E.D.G.E.S. by Scott Roche, Food Critic, Mystery Meal

It's April Fool's Day, and we're not doing an April Fool's episode because we've grown into adults now.

Not really, but this is a real episode.

First up is a Main Ingredient story based on a Stoke the Fire prompt. Prompt #4- A company has just received an order of "fledges." They did not order these.

We present "F.L.E.D.G.E.S." by Scott Roche
Special thanks to Paul K. Ellis for lending his voice for this story.

After that, we bring back the Food Critic segment. A.F. tells all about Genrenauts by Michael R. Underwood. The first two novellas of the series, "The Shootout Solution" and "The Absconded Ambassador" both get 5 out of 5 spoons!

Our final segment is a Mystery Meal, torturing the infamous duel scene from Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers.

Some announcements!
Check out our Patreon and help us make the Potcast even better!
Prompt #7 is now closed. Brand new is Prompt #9, given to us by none other than Ed Greenwood!

You wake up alone at night with bite marks on your legs. What's eating you?

Finally, we release the results of our first Cookoff Challenge! Who won, David "Doc Blue" Wendt or JRD Skinner? You'll have to listen to find out. Thanks for voting, and keep your eyes peeled for our first public Cookoff!

Promo- Balticon
Bumper- P.C. Haring