A Steamy Erotic Story By Wonderstruck On Tumblr, Narrated By Russil Tamsen! 3 Mins. Original Text Here.

A Public Resource is a short story-monologue written by Erika (processproduct), narrated by Russil Tamsen. 11 mins. Original text here.

Erika asked me to read this darkly humorous piece of hers (which was featured on Tumblr awhile ago) about a naive webcam girl who remains flippant even as she is literally starving. The  stranded gal entertains herself without food in her city basement during the chaotic aftermath of a blizzard. Love ya, Erika!  

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

I made Tom Robbins crack up! Score!

At the writers conference, famed novelist Tom Robbins had us do a writing exercise.

1. Write down your favorite word...  (Then we all read out our favorite words. Mine was Australopithecus. Say what?)

2. Write a first sentence of a story/novel/whatever, using that word... (Oh, if had known that's where he was heading!... So we read out our sentences. I had the class laughing.)  

3. Write a second sentence that connects to that first one and opens up the potential of the story.  (We all read our completed sentence pair.) Here's what I came up with:

"Most early hominids sported shaggy manes, but none had a more luxurious, enviable head of hair than Bob the Australopithecus. His sweaty female, Boo, however showed little interest in his chevelure and seemed far more jazzed by the rugged Javamen who had been beaching their sea canoes that morning." I didn't get a chance to explain away the time travel aspect... ;-)

The rough and tumble erotic story of disturbia by Molly Cupcakes, They'd Fucked Five Times So Far. Russil Tamsen's second audio version of the piece. 3 mins. Written text here.

It's fascinating how different acting choices by a speaker can create vastly different results. This was the first time I'd ventured two very different versions of a story, and it was enlightening. Feedback from one listener of the first version got me imagining how this flash fiction story would sound delivered in a normal narrator's voice. Using a resonant, understated approach, one that let the language do all the legwork: a very different choice from overstated version one.

To me it sounds really good this way. It might possibly be the better choice!

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

The Future of Poop, comic monologue penned by Peter Bradley, performed by Russil Tamsen. Original here. 6 mins.

This was just too fucking funny for me to pass up! The conceit is simple: earthlings in the future invent time travel technology… and use it as a waste disposal chute. We in the past, specifically our bodies, are the hapless recipients of future waste. (It’s probably going to happen, too, right?) There’s only one way to solve this problem.

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

This is a panoramic shot of most of Dear Aunt Gertrude, my comedy improv troupe. I'm sporting the orange tie to the left, to the left.

A riotous short story by Cate Doherty, given the radio theater narration by Russil Tamsen. 8 mins. Original text here.

A couple of biddies of a certain age are chatting or maybe knitting over afternoon tea, sharing the latest gossip. Marian has to relay to her friend Maggie the whopper of a story told to her by a crazy neighbor. About being kidnapped by angry fairies of the field! (And every word true, don't ya know.)

Erin go bragh, and let's have a wee bit o' fun toying with an Irish accent, shall we? Well now. A real challenge for a narrator, this one! And great fun.

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

Ladies and gentlemen: as promised, a second chapter reading from David Blanton's online novel, Casual Baby, as narrated by Russil Tamsen.  7 mins. Original text here. 

Behind a hatshop in the Big Easy, there will be a salacious encounter between the protagonist and one hip milliner/burlesque dancer who's curious and ready for some hot tongue action. But the novelist character has been feeling quite wobbly about reality.

[On a personal note: Ah, Louisiana. I managed to get rooked within 24 hrs of arriving in New Orleans the first time I visited.  Also, I'll confess to watching a couple of episodes of True Blood.]

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

Cor Blimey! This is a rollercoaster of a monologue performed by Russil Tamsen. It was written by one of our illustrious Tumblrites, Laura J. Blake. So much fun in one disaster! 7 mins. Original text here.

In the piece, a jilted, pent up Londoner struggles to apologize for decking the ex's new beau, but eventually he loses his self-restraint and goes ballistic  - while the answering machine records every stammer and twitch. Somewhere between Simon Pegg and Jason Statham. I could have done it all flat and deadpan, true, but I decided on a climactic shape instead. 7 mins. :)

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

The Old Man and The Sparrow, a touching short story by Sarah Dame (known around these Tumblr parts as flightedd), as narrated by Russil Tamsen. Original text here.

Welcome to a warm, timeless fable about a debilitated old-timer. He's rejected by his grown children and burdened with regrets, but he is finally able to let it all go in peace. In this case, it's mostly thanks to a helpful little avian friend who is willing to fly just far enough to bring back news about cherished places and lost friendships. These updates put the old man's mind to rest - for the last time.

A simple story, so I felt drawn to using the kind of fireside narration voice one might associate with children's books and bedtime stories. If this doesn't bring a little tear to your eye, you might want to check you pulse to see if you are still alive...

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!

The Old Man Bar is the opening scene of the upcoming novel by Dylan O'Toole, and is narrated by Russil Tamsen. Original here. 4 mins.

A young out-of-town writer hits a dive bar, angling for some inspiration. He meets a grouchy old dude - and what a vivid character he is, the old geezer! Coincidence promptly entangles them both in a web of misunderstandings and threatening behavior.

I think most of us have met him along the way at some point.

All rights reserved. Russil Tamsen: narrator, comic improv actor, book editor, and author of 21 ebooks. Please visit my ebookstore at QuirkEbooks.com and follow audiobooknarrator. Know a piece of Tumblr fiction that deserves a great reader? Run it by me!