Just launched! Interference by Eric Luke
SOMETHING wants in. To your head. Through this audiobook.
Ethan, a digital sound engineer in Los Angeles, becomes aware that his life is unraveling when the audiobook he’s listening to reveals his deepest, darkest secrets, escalating until the narrator addresses him directly, threatening to destroy him from within. Vivian, a single mother running an antique store in San Francisco, listens to her audiobook to distract herself from missing her young daughter, but is shaken when the narrative is interrupted by her daughter’s voice, faintly calling for help.
Ethan and Vivian are drawn together as they fight to solve a generation-spanning conspiracy that begins with a boy listening to the Orson Welles broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938 and evolves through the latest innovations in digital technology, unearthing the mind-bending concept of a POSSIBILITY PARASITE bent on unleashing an explosion of APOCALYPTIC META HORROR.
From Eric Luke, screenwriter of EXPLORERS, and comic books GHOST and WONDER WOMAN: an experiment in audio horror.
INTERFERENCE. Just click PLAY…
August 20th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Just started listening to this….digging it so far. My first Podiobook in way too long.
August 20th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Thanks Phil. Means a lot. This comes full circle, as Harvey was the one I listened to here that got me stoked, showed me how how self-recorded audiobooks are in many ways more exciting, vital than many mass-produced ones… and sparked the idea for Interference. Thanks again. : )
August 23rd, 2012 at 10:24 am
Wow. Welll, that’s awesome sentiment. Glad to provide a little inspiration! Hopefully, I’ll be back on here with something new before too long.
August 24th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Absolutely enjoyed this story! Enjoyed the audio engineering references being a sound girl myself. You made me an utter zombie (typing mindlesslly in my office cubicle – hidden behind my own mountain of fast food clutter – eyes glazed, jaw slack, lips turning blue – j/k
It was a great roller coaster ride! Looking forward to more! Hope you upload another one soon!
August 24th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Thanks! I love the image of you zombified: yet another level of reality. I’m at work on the next one: an idea that’s really taken hold. Heh heh. Thanks again. And tell your friends!
August 30th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Wow… What a premise…and the use a the different recordings makes it felel very real. Love it …..
September 2nd, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Thanks Connie. Lots of work/thought went into the production to make the different levels of reality clear: the audiobook within an audiobook… meta horror! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks again.
September 6th, 2012 at 9:12 am
Very well done, Eric. I absolutely enjoyed it. I loved the idea of using audiobooks to talk to and control listeners. It was very creepy. I hope you have another book in the works. I can’t wait to hear it.
September 6th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Great to hear, Kevin. Thanks! Audiobooks are a powerful format that we become emotionally attached to for many hours of our lives. I’ve got the next one in the works, and it’s as self aware as this one. Again, thanks for listening.
September 9th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Ambrosia! More please and soon
September 9th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Thanks. : ) Still looking for best ways to get the word out about Interference. I’m on Twitter as @Quillhammer. Hard at work on the next one; getting more interesting with each concept. Thanks again!
September 26th, 2012 at 2:06 am
Wow. This is really uncanny. Like Ethan, I was an out of work post production sound mixer in Hollywood. I’ve been to the Formosa Cafe. I used to go to the Warner Hollywood lot (back when it was Warner Hollywood) all the time. When I was out of work, I discovered podiobooks.com. I had the same critiques at that time…low production quality, hearing the “goings on” inside of the house of wherever the book was being recorded. The loud room tone. Thankfully the production value has gone up on just about everything on here, and the audio quality on this one is top notch. I’m only two episodes in and I’m hooked. I can’t wait to finish this!
September 26th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
This is great, Dave. So many levels of reality going on here. I was deep into that world too at one time in my life: post production, West Hollywood backlots. My film Explorers was mixed across the street from the Formosa and we used go their for lunch every day. Must have been spooky to hear all those details. Hopefully, as the story progresses, not too many more details will be the same. : ) Great to hear from you.
October 20th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Wow, what a book! I’ve litterally just finished listening to it and it was awesome! You managed to do something really special with all the levels of reality that made this such a fun fright to listen too!
October 22nd, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Thanks Jen. Lots of care was taken with the production to fine tune the meta horror. Great to hear that it’s working for you. I’m writing the next one now, with the audiobook format firmly in mind. Stay tuned! And spread the word about Interference. Thanks again. : )
October 25th, 2012 at 6:02 am
I personally liked this book a lot. The narration was wonderful and the scenes are described in such detail that I could see the inside of the studio and could feel the chaos going on when…no I’ll stop there; it’s too shocking to spoil. It’s very rare when a book can actually make you see the face of the character. The characters are very engaging and I was intrigued by Jim Morton’s personality. It’s very different. He’s not strong, but he’s not weak either. I would have had a different ending, but for all purposes, the ending works very well and the entire book is very well written and the characters are very well rounded. Thanks for the post, Mr. Luke! I really enjoyed it!
October 25th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
This was a very good experience!
The world came to life though the narration and the care of details (such as the audiobits)!
The individuals reactions and dvelopment of their characters seemed totally plausbile too!
October 26th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Thanks Fredrik. Great to know you enjoyed it. It felt strange to be recording this in very similar circumstances to the characters in the story. I am working on the next novel, which will take place in the same continuity. Tell your friends if you think they’d enjoy this too!
October 30th, 2012 at 3:42 am
Thanks BigDave : ) It was definitely a labor of love: lots of the character traits were based on people I’ve known (but in some cases definitely DON’T want to know!) I’m glad you enjoyed it. More stories are on the way. Stay tuned, and tell your friends.
November 9th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
I am freaked out. Today is Nov 9, 2012 and I just listened to Episode 6. My wife is downstairs making a Croque-monsieur (which we first started enjoying on our honeymoon in France) for breakfast.
I am afraid to listen to any more episodes….
November 9th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Paul – This is fantastic. : ) I knew that the exact time of 12:34 on Nov. 9, 2012 would work only once, and it’s great to hear that it did (notice you posted at 12:37.) The Croque Monsieur coincidence was too much to hope for. There has been other weirdness reported by listeners (see Dave’s post above.) Hope it didn’t scare you off the rest of the episodes. I promise there won’t be any more weird synchronicity… or will there?
November 17th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Just finished listening to the podcast and all I have to say is …… WOW! I’m utterly floored and a little scared but the overall story was absolutely wonderful! I cant wait until another one is done. As a matter of fact, I’m listening to it again later today. This time, I will not listen to it before bedtime (smile). Mr. Luke, congrats on creating a story that makes you feel, wonder and truly ponder.
November 18th, 2012 at 6:46 am
Thanks so much for this Andrea. Writing and recording a novel like this is a long, difficult process: sometimes a labor of love, sometimes more like pulling teeth. Reactions like yours are what you hope for when you’re writing. Thanks again and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The next one is on the way, but first I’ve gotta pull these teeth… : )
November 20th, 2012 at 11:59 am
Look out Mr Sigler and Mr Bennett,there’s a new master in the helms.Fantastic job Eric! .. I love listening to audiobooks because you can paint your own pictures in your mind of what is happening.Man you had me scared outta me mind,lol.Such a great premise to build a story on,had me captivated from start to finish.Professional quality production and narrative made it so easy to listen to and enjoy.Again,fantastic job mate,thank you so much for your hard work.Thoroughly enjoyed the experience..5 big supernova stars for ya .. well done!!
November 20th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Hi Roscola – What a great review! And great to be mentioned in the same sentence as Messrs Sigler and Bennett. Truly rewarding to have connected like this, as the aim was indeed to scare the listener out of his/her mind. : ) I’m hard at work on the next one, but it does take time to tweak these things, especially when dealing with these different conceptual levels of perception/reality . Tell any friends you think would enjoy, and thanks again.
November 24th, 2012 at 9:47 am
I really enjoyed this book. I came to this site for Sigler but stayed for the quality authors. Really impressed with the quality of your audio performance. And, errr, thanks for not doing a hilarious falsetto female voice. You also have a great story layout. Interesting deviation from the norm. Thank you for the enjoyable experience.
November 24th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Thanks Kat! And thanks for noticing the deviation. Always good to be recognized as a deviant. Especially when writing horror. : ) Tell your friends if you think they’d be interested. Still looking for the best ways to spread the word. I’m on FB and Twitter as Quillhammer. Thanks again.
November 26th, 2012 at 9:53 am
I was in bed yesterday about the fall asleep, listening to the first episode. Just as I was about to fall asleep, something in the podcast “kicked in” and all of a sudden I was wide awake, my heart thumping and the hairs on the back of my neck standing, looking outside my window for some sort of…sign…you made my reality bleed into your story for a very tense and surreal moment.
Everyone should listen to the first episode in bed, right before they sleep.
Mr. Luke, thank you!
November 26th, 2012 at 7:58 pm
Erochu – Wow, this even creeped me out! What a great image, you looking out the window. This quote could go on the poster: “Everyone should listen to the first episode in bed, right before they sleep.” Thank you for listening. Hopefully further chapters won’t get in the way of your night’s sleep, or… maybe they will! Thanks again, and spread the word. : )
November 26th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Just finished listening and I can’t wait for the next book! Novel concept and I appreciated your writing and narrative style — and I’m not really a Horror fan. There were times I had to listen to the episode again because, at the end I thought — “I couldn’t have heard that right.” LOL Your work was engaging, interesting, well written and well delivered. Thanks for sharing and keep writing.
November 27th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
New interview up on Mythic Scribes about writing INTERFERENCE. Also touches on EXPLORERS.
http://mythicscribes.com/interviews/secrets-story-structure-eric-luke/
November 29th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for this review Eve! Great to hear it’s reaching across genre boundaries to non-Horror listeners! And that the surprises even warrant a second listen. The next novel will definitely be set in the INTERFERENCE universe. Stay tuned!
March 15th, 2013 at 8:26 pm
I realllly dig this book. Story, writing, narration all done very well. Creepy send off too at the end. Well done.
March 16th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
Thanks Anthony. Great to hear that it connected! Tell any friends you think would enjoy. Still hard at work on the next one. And thanks again.
March 22nd, 2013 at 3:05 pm
I listen to audiobooks on my long commute every day. It is so different from anything I have ever experienced. I posted a review at iTunes about how it reminded me of The Twilight Zone episodes of the 60s. I was totally hooked after the first 10 minutes-excellent writing and narration. While listening I kept saying I could totally see this as a movie-but changing my mind by the end. It is so much better “watching” it unfold in my mind. This is one book I will definitely listen to more than once and highly recommend! Thank you for a truly engaging book!
March 22nd, 2013 at 5:51 pm
Thank you so much for this great review Sandie! This is the kind of response every writer hopes for. : ) I was inspired by the old Twilight Zones, and even thought of the opening music when I wrote the Interference theme. Please tell your friends if you think they’d enjoy this, and thanks again. I really appreciate it. And yes, I think this would make a great indie horror film!
April 12th, 2013 at 11:55 pm
I am listening to one of THE BEST podcast books I have ever listened to…… Interference written and read by Eric Luke.
Nathan Lowell is a master and well revered in our community, however, Eric Luke is a master as well. Philosophy, free will, podcast novels, and horror all wrapped up in a well written and excellent production of a podcast. I HIGHLY recommend it.
April 16th, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Thanks again for this great review Arlene. I’m realizing just how much great reviews are the life blood of this distribution model. You can’t force the process; you hope for reviews like yours to help get the word out. Thanks again. Very much appreciated. : )
April 23rd, 2013 at 6:46 pm
I LOVED this audiobook! I’m not normally a big fan of audiobooks, but I have a hard time imagining consuming this story any other way. This story had such a cyberpunk yet retro storyline that calling it horror doesn’t completely do it justice. I can’t wait for another one!
April 24th, 2013 at 12:01 am
Thanks Molly! Great that you enjoyed it, and thanks for the cross-genre recommendation; I was aiming for a number of targets and it’s so nice to hear I hit them all. Your response is music to my ears. The next one is on the way. : )