It's December, kids. It's the holidays. I love Christmas. I love Christmas stories, movies, and especially songs and the Christmas episode of TV shows. I've put more effort into my holiday playlists of both than most people do into raising their children.

So I like hooking up something special each year around the holidays. Last year for December I did The F'n Advent over in my old, currently out-of-service LiveJournal. A blog post a day. Like any one-thing-a-day format it was hit and miss, but people seemed to enjoy it.

This year kicks it squarely in the grapes.

First, the exposition: The Failed Cities Monologues was my first novel released out into the wild (and it is a novel, at least to me), first on Variant Frequencies and then over at Podiobooks. It was different, it was experimental, it got me fans, praise, and a foot in the door at a few places. It has a special place in my otherwise black, black heart.

A few years ago I wrote a Christmas novella entitled The Failed Cities: Hath a Darkness. That's right, a Failed Cities Christmas story. It was told in the same narrative style and released as a free, special edition eBook. It takes place after the events of the original story. Ethan, Truck, Sterne, The Maven, Ferus, Detective Klimenko, all return. Joining them is a couple of surprises. Well, more than a couple. I hope.

So this year for the holidays Rick Stringer at the Variant Frequencies podcast, the original home of the Failed Cities and all of my short podfic, gathered all the original cast members together to record Hath a Darkness for release as an audio novella. It's like a Failed Cities reunion show and a holiday special all wrapped up like a fine sushi roll of pure spicy awesome.

The first episode has just been released over at Variant Frequencies and people are already digging the fuck out of it. Paul Elard Cooley has even posted an audio review over at his Shadow Publications site. There are seven more episodes to follow throughout December exclusively on the Variant Frequencies podcast. What can you expect? Blood, joy, betrayal, innocence, redemption, twists, turns, high-speed chases, carnage, chaos, pathos, presents…

All that good shit.

This is a very special presentation, into which a ton of effort was put forth by a ton of quality people, least among them me. We all hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas, happy Kwanzaa, a blessed Solstice, and to all you non-denominational folk, come in out of the cold and listen to a good story.