Renowned fiction podcaster Tall Tale TV has published my short story “Winter Star.” Here’s what managing editor Chris Herron had to say: “Have just read your story. I loved it. It feels almost nostalgic in the way you wrote it. Like an 80’s sci-fi movie.“
I’m honored. I was aiming for a retro feel, something along the lines of Stand By Me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Super 8.
It’s 1988. High school senior Trey Evans borrows his father’s pickup to haul a shortwave radio to the top of Winter Star Mountain, one of the highest peaks in the southern Appalachians. Trey and his friend Booney hope to intercept rare, elusive transmissions with the help of their high altitude monitoring post and a once-in-a-lifetime solar storm.
But their efforts attract unexpected attention from a mysterious visitor.
Tall Tale TV features sci-fi and fantasy authors from around the world. The site was a finalist for the now-discontinued Parsec Awards, which recognized outstanding science fiction podcasters.
This little story is my love letter to the glory days of shortwave radio. In its heyday, shortwave was the Wild West of the radio spectrum, where you might hear spies, drug smugglers, or NASA. There’s also a wistful nod to my camping expeditions of long ago to the dark, magnificent Appalachian Mountains.
Nostalgia, suspense, adventure — it’s all there. It’s also available on YouTube and Facebook.
M.C. Tuggle, Writer 
Fantastic! I really like your writing style. It’s available on Spotify as well, here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ic0bGVs5rbKQyeLRS6QHK?si=yGa3r_17RNeXkQlBCXde9Q
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Thank you, Patrick!
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Friend of mine when I was a teenager had a shortwave radio. It picked up phone calls sometimes, probably from car phones. One time we listened to someone ordering a pizza, and we called the pizza place as them and cancelled the order.😂
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That’s a good story, Mike!
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I appreciate that, Audrey! Thank you for reading and commenting.
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Patrick Walts,
Cordless phones originally operated just above the AM broadcast band, so your friend had a shortwave receiver capable of picking up 1700 khz. And back then, there was no encryption, so it was like using a PA system to communicate. Calling the pizza parlor to cancel is hilarious!
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A very worthy 12 minutes of tale. You drew me in with the music references and kept me tuned in to finish with a reward. Nice work.
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Thank you very much, Doug. The music we had back then deserves to be remembered.
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I echo that thought about the “music we had,” though it may be apropos to say I ‘reverb’ that thought! 😉
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This was terrific, Mike. The story kept me glued, and the many references to the past made me smile and remember. Congratulations!
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That is so kind of you, Jennie. Thank you!
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You are welcome, Mike.
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