Every Photo Tells…

When Del discovers a box full of strange musical instruments in the attic, it reveals more about her family history and holds some secrets to her own past.

by Mick Bordet

You might have noticed that Mick appeared not to have written anything for the last EPT prompt.

Now we can reveal why.

Earlier this year he spent several months creating music with some of the stranger instruments in his collection, blogging about the results and posting the music on Soundcloud. After some final edits and mastering, the music has now become a full album of instrumental gems that stride confidently between rock, classical, jazz, folk and blues.

To make the overall package more interesting, he also created some short stories about each instrument used in the album, but only when the latest EPT prompt appeared did he have the idea that would pull all these tales into one narrative, with the old house providing the perfect location for the whole story. These stories are available in eBook format in the album download (along with a set of photographs by Katharina) as well as being podcast here as a five-part special.

Available as a free eBook from Smashwords.

Listen to the album and download it from Bandcamp.

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February 2010

Across all our feeds, we’ve managed to get a total of half a million downloads since we started the podcast. This is quite amazing, given that not everyone starts with episode 1 since now we have over 100 episodes in the main feed. Apart from that, we have 5 anthologies on Podiobooks and a lot of eBooks out!

Over three years ago, on Valentine’s Day 2010, we launched the podcast with a photo that was taken in Edinburgh on Frederick Street. This is – quite literally – where it all started, so we saw it fit to be the first photo for our new project.

Some of you might not know the story, so let’s tell it again. Mick and Katharina had already been contributors of writing podcasts like 100 Word Stories and Great Hites whilst at the same time pursuing their own projects. Around that time, a photo exhibition opened in Vienna. The photographer prompted the visitors to write their thoughts of the photos on a piece of paper – the stories behind the photo, or what was going on in it – and throw the paper in a big box which was situated at the exit.

That’s where the idea for the podcast came from. Katharina had always been an avid photographer, so it was easy to get the pictures that would inspire the stories. We decided to open the podcast for submissions, but read all the stories ourselves in order to maintain a consistent level of quality. So far, it has worked well, especially for people who don’t have access to recording equipment, but would like to test the waters of podcasting their fiction.

Every once in a while a hiatus is required, to recharge the creative batteries – it isn’t easy to come up with a new story every month, even when you pick the photos that prompt them. A photo that might look promising could sit on your screen for hours without a single word underneath. But then there are others – like a duck on a plank – that prompt the most varied selection of stories. The credit for this goes entirely to Mick – there might have been a moment where Katharina didn’t know why she should take a plain photo of a duck on a plank. Somewhere between cybernetic robot assassin ducks, gangland posturing and a murder she was proven wrong.

Some photos trigger discussions about the place where they are taken that are longer than the stories submitted. That’s okay, too. In the end, it’s about uniting two different creative outlets – photography and writing – just as much as it’s about throwing two different creative people together – Katharina and Mick.

Last but not least, we want to thank you – the listeners, the readers and of course the contributors – without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.  :)

We are delighted to announce our first eBook collection of stories from EPT, which includes all Mick and Katharina’s stories from the first ten photographs, starting way back in February 2010. All ten photos are also included at the start of each chapter in full colour (if you have an ebook reader capable of colour, of course). It is available in all your favourite formats, so visit your on-line store of choice and download a copy.

Download from:
Smashwords for ePub, MOBI, PDF, and more.
Amazon (USA)
Amazon (United Kingdom)
Amazon (Canada)
Amazon (Germany)
iTunes US Store
iTunes UK Store
Once you have read the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, iTunes or anywhere else – that would really help us to spread the word!

Here’s the blurb…

Space travel, a run-down house in Milan, far too much laundry and a hot cup of coffee. What do these things have to do with the discovery of time-travel? Join the crew of The Robin to find out…

By Katharina Bordet

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A voice from the future changes far more than just one man’s life.
A young boy must say a final farewell to his faithful companion.
Dr Simon has a lab full of pixies, but they don’t take kindly to his experiments.
Visit Jacques’ Bistro, where love blooms over the seafood.
Is one of Father Ian’s parishioners really being visited by a giant?
These subjects and many more are visited in this fourth collection of stories from ‘Every Photo Tells…’, showing that every picture can tell more than just one story, by presenting a range of tales inspired by ten unique photographs.

Read by hosts Mick and Katharina Bordet, and featuring the writing talents of several guest authors, the stories cover a wide range of themes and genres. Whether your taste is for zombies or giants, modern thriller or period adventure, time-travel or lost love, there is sure to be something for you in this anthology.

The contributors are: Cole Grinnell, Richard D. Asplund Jr., R. Taylor, Scott Roche, Hugh J. O’Donnell, Odin1Eye, Dan Absalonson, Tibbi Scott, Nobilis Reed, Jeffrey Hite, J.R. Murdock, A.F. Grappin, Michell Plested, Jeri Howitt, Val Griswold-Ford and Vincent van der Zee.

NOW on Podiobooks.com!

Space travel, a run-down house in Milan, far too much laundry and a hot cup of coffee. What do these things have to do with the discovery of time-travel? Join the crew of The Robin to find out…

By Katharina Bordet

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Life is hard when all one wants to do is suicide.

By Vincent van der Zee aka. PuzzleMonkey

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An old abandoned building and two people hunting ghosts.

By Val Griswold-Ford

Find her website at vg-ford.com

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A small being finds something worth living for in his deteriorating world. Or is it?

By A.F. Grappin

Find his website at afgrappin.blogspot.com

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Is the place where you were created your home? A man goes back to find out.

By Michell Plested

Find his website at www.michellplested.com

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