Where in the World is SuperHuman Times?

Hi.

The most literal answer to the title question is "still on hiatus." Steve Wilson and the Prometheus crew are taking their collective, well-earned rest after launching this series AND continuing The Arbiter Chronicles AND spinning a few more audio folk tales. Don't worry, they'll be back -- and as far as I know, they'll be bringing the Times back with them.

Which leads me to the second answer to the title question, and what may be the dumbest entry I ever make in this blog, but if anyone ever starts listening to the things – and reading these things – I’d like to have it here.

The other day, I realized that I never specify in my scripts where, exactly, the SuperHuman Times stories take place. I deliberately wanted to give it a sense of its own world, its own reality. But as I kept writing, the stories evoked memories of various real cities where I thought they might “fit.”

So, for the benefit of anyone else who cares about such things, here’s where the episodes so far, and a few that are upcoming, are set, at least in my head. NOTE: If you’re inclined to conjure up your own locales in your head as you listen to each story, please do. That’s why audio theatre is called “theatre of the mind,” after all.

The stories thus far:

“True North” - Baltimore. (I gave the pilot the home field advantage. In fact, my parents are buried in the same cemetery as Curtis’ parents.)

“Risk Management” – Chicago. (Although the museum in which much of the story is set is based on a presentation area in the Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Had the pleasure of watching one of my comic industry colleagues deliver a great lecture there in 2006 and fell in love with the location. I can still see the pedestal with the spellbook standing in the middle of the hall...)

“Servant Problem” – Long Island (the tony neighborhoods).

In upcoming stories, we’ll continue our travels (and again, these are places where they're set in my head, not necessarily mentioned in the scripts):

“Dashing” – Hollywood. This will be bloody obvious.

“Close Encounters” – Boston.

“The Hot Property” – New York to Atlanta.

Plus, at least one major character to emerge from this twisted micro-universe will be from the Jersey Shore. (Everyone who knows me had to see that coming at some point.) And another will come from Kansas. She hasn’t told me what she’ll be doing yet, but it’s just a matter of time.

But I have it on good authority we’ll be producing these and other stories for some time to come, and I hope you’ll join us for them. If you haven’t yet, please do by clicking here. If you have: thanks for listening, and for stopping by.

-- L.

Times Marches On...

Hi. Thought I'd take a breather to update you on the latest goings-on here at the keyboard.

First off, "Dashing" -- the much-talked-up (by me) three-part Times story -- is done and on the launchpad, waiting for Steve Wilson and the Prometheus cabal to find time to do it. But it's summer. We're all on various stages of vacation. But if anyone reading this is a writer of any kind, you know that just doesn't happen with our ilk. You can't switch off your imagination. at least, I can't.

Which is why I've just cranked out the first draft revision of the next Times, a one-shot tentatively titled "Man of My Dreams." It's a fun little story about a romance novelist who thinks she's found the perfect man, until two problems rock her world: he's not who he appears to be... and neither is she. If you dig the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents series, I hope you'll check this out whenever it goes up. It's got a "twist" at the end that even I didn't see coming until I wrote the script.

And working on that got me so revved up that I almost instantly started writing the next script, another one-shot tentatively titled "Penance." It's in the early stages, but here's my pitch: a desperate researcher seeking a way to test a new cancer drug on a human subject discovers that a patient dying in his hospital is a former supervillainess known for conducting sadistic genetic experiments. In exchange for not revealing her identity to authorities who have been seeking her for years, the researcher coerces her into being his guinea pig and consulting on his work -- but she makes him promise to help her die if the drug fails to restore her health. Needless to say, the stakes turn out to be much, much higher -- but I haven't even outlined this one yet, so there's also a chance they'll just shake hands and go their separate ways, the end.

If that happens, I'll jump in front of a bus, 'cause living will be pointless. Wish me luck.

-- L.

P.S.: While you're waiting for these new Times, be sure to visit Prometheus' libsyn page and check out their latest three-parter from their flagship show, The Arbiter Chronicles. It's called "Divergence," and has one of the most original and entertaining premises I've ever encountered. Plus, The Mrs. edited all of it and has a featured role, so I love it.

That is, I love it; you should, too!