Shows
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 33 - The MuseThis week we return to some of my own original writing, and I am really proud of this week's episode.Struggling with a little bit of writer's block after Christmas, this was the story that pulled me out of my slump and helped get my head back in the game.Inspired by a random prompt I found online, and written on a bus, and in a tattoo chair during a long session, this was one of the more enjoyable pieces I have had the pleasure of writing recently. And it got published in...2025-05-1934 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 32 - Carmilla (Part 06)This week we reach the climax of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's classic novella Carmilla.General Spielsdorf completes his story and reveals the mystery behind his niece's death and the travels he has undertaken in the interim. The group gathers in the ruins of the Karnstein castle, and Carmilla flees once she is recognised for what she is.And with the help of a mysterious stranger, the group work to banish the evil entity, once and for all. The story of one of the greatest vampire tales draws to a close...2025-04-2826 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 31 - Carmilla (Part 05)Episode 31 of Tales Under A Broken Sky is now live!Join us by the hearth for the penultimate episode in our reading of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Gothic Masterpiece Carmilla. In this week's episode, General Spielsdorf relates the story behind his neice's death, which bares striking similarity to the situation currently in Laura and her Father's household. The story is now rapidly approaching his climax, and the atmosphere is tense, charged and expectant, as Carmilla is expected to be joining the group presently when she awakens from her slumber. 2025-04-0629 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 30 - Carmilla (Part 04)This week we continue to read Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, exploring Chapters 8, 9 & 10The action is starting to kick off now, with the search for Carmilla after she goes missing from her room. The doctor arriving to check up on Laura's unusual lethargy and tiredness, as well as the return of General Spielsdorf from his long and unusual travels.The stake are beginning to rise, and with the reappearance of the general, the tension is now palpable.Join us by the hearth why don't you, as we delve deeper into the gothic...2025-03-3126 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 29 - Carmilla (Part 03)This week we revisit Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and read through Chapters 6 & 7. In this episode, we learn more about the situation in the house, including some unsettling dreams that the young ladies are having, as well as a number of suspicious actions on the part of CarmillaContent Warning: DeathTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:38 - Carmilla - Chapter 0600:09:09 - Carmilla - Chapter 0700:20:11 - Background Discussion00:21:42 - CTA00:22:03 - Outro2025-03-2122 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 28 - Dawn and the Spectre of DeathThis week, we take a break from Carmilla and turn our attention to one of my own stories, which recently appeared in Vol. 3 of The Dark Corner; Dawn and the Spectre of Death Dawn is just beginning to peak its head, but for a lone stranger stranded on a mountain, the nightmare is just beginning. Content Warning: Demonic Presence, Death, depictions of self-harm, tortureTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:37 - Dawn and the Spectre of Death00:09:02 - Background...2025-03-1511 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 27 - Carmilla (Part 02)This week we revisit Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and read through Chapters 3-5. In this episode, we learn more about Carmilla, her disposition and her personality. In the process, we discover a slow, creeping dread, that something is not right with the situation. Content Warning: DeathTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:45 - Carmilla - Chapter 0300:15:36 - Carmilla - Chapter 0400:37:32 - Carmilla - Chapter 0500:45:02 - Background Discussion00:47:46 - CTA00:48:09 - Outro2025-03-0748 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 26 - Carmilla (Part 01)This week's episode is the first part of my reading of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's classic gothic horror story, Carmilla.The classic work's of horror strongly favour in my favourite stories of all time, and Carmilla is one of thtose that has inspired so many tales over the years.I am looking forward to digging in and exploring this work more over the next couple of episodes.Join me by the hearth why don't you, and let me tell you a tale...Content Warning: Death2025-01-2829 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 25 - A Tale By The Hearth - The Banshee This week, we try something new. A new format I've been thinking about for a while now, A Tale From The Hearth, short stories told around the fire to pass the cold winter nights. In The Banshee, a grandfather relates tales of his family's banshee to his grandson as they sit by the fire.
Content Warning: Cursing, Death
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:41 - The Banshee00:07:38 - Background Discussion00:10:07 - CTA00:10:29 - Outro2025-01-1410 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 24 - Eternal SunshineThis week's episode is a special one for me.
Earlier this year Eternal Sunshine became the first short story submission I had accepted, and the first piece of writing I earned anything from.
This was a wild one to record and produce, but I (totally unbiased as I am) think it turned out great!
Eternal Sunshine
The last survivor of a rescue mission to a distant planet struggles to survive the infernal heat of the world's dying star.
Following the trail of those they came to...2024-12-3130 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 24 - Eternal Sunshine - TrailerEpisode 24 of Tales Under A Broken Sky goes live tomorrow at 18:00GMT
This one is super special to me, so if you have half an hour, I'd love if you'd check it out!
Here's a brief trailer to tickle your fancy, whet your whistle, and garner your interest!
Enjoy!2024-12-3000 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 23 - The Witches of Killdanoe - Part 02This week, We're returning to the town of Killdanoe as the search for Julia Burns continues.
As divers work to recover her body from the lake, James Galvin works over the details of the case and uncovers a disturbing truth.
Maisie Horgan returns home after learning about the death of her best friend's mother only to find tensions high and anger flaring in the peaceful town.
Everything is about to change...
Content Warning: Cursing, Violence, Death, Murder
Table of Contents:Part 01Part 02
Timestamps:00:00:00...2024-12-2023 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 22 - Behind The Broken SkyThis week, we're doing something different.
Due to some life/work committments, I'm a bit behind scripting the next story, so instead, I've put together a behind the scenes look at how I write and produce an episode of the podcast.
I've learned a ridiculous amount over the last year, and there is still so much more out there to learn, so putting this together was an interesting introspective on my process and workflow and how they have evolved over time.
Join us by the hearth!
Transcript Available...2024-12-0624 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 21 - The Possessed (Part 02)This week, we return to The Possessed for the second instalment in the series.
The story picks up where we left it at the end of the last episode as our cast of characters struggle to come to terms with the dark presence that has suddenly entered their lives.
A dark presence presides over the end of the world.
A professor spirals further and further into madness.
A former priest questions and reconsiders his faith.
A psychologist struggles with his own inner demons.
A...2024-11-2245 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 20 - The Power of Fantasy, Horror & Science FictionThis week, we celebrate a milestone. I finally reached Episode 20!
So, instead of a story this week, I am going to be sharing my thoughts on the podcast, what Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction mean to me as genres, and where I see their role in wider society.
This also marks the first time I have posted a video for an episode of the podcast, I thought it would be something different, and it felt more suitable to the content that simply talking in to a microphone for thirty minutes.
That said, I...2024-11-1029 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyIntroTurn off your lights, close your blinds, and settle down in some candlelight...
Join your host Keith (@LooseVerse) as they explore the surreal, the fantastical and the speculative through the mediums of storytelling and poetry. Tales Under A Broken Sky is a fortnightly Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction show, independantly written, recorded and produced in the Southwest of Ireland, and dedicted to the spooky, the macabre and the fantastic.
https://linktr.ee/LooseVerse2024-11-0700 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 19 - The Devil’s in the d20Look, if you’ve been around a while, you’ve probably heard the rumours. You know the ones. The whispers about a late game at the convention, not on the schedule. You’ve probably heard about them from a friend of a friend of a friend. Someone you haven’t seen in a long time.
Look, they say that the Devil himself runs those games, wagering for your soul with each roll of the dice.
Look, I didn’t believe the stories. It was just an urban legend. A thing the organising committee spread to make thing...2024-10-2621 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 18 - Pretender (Chapter 02) - A Royal VictoryThis week, join us for the next installment in Pretender.Former-Prince Cassian has won an important battle, increasing his hold on the heartland of the empire.But war has ravaged the people of his kingdom; disease and hunger are rife, the usurper is conscripting heavily to fill his army's ranks, leaving entire towns devoid of hope, and despite Cassian's best efforts to help his people, his every advance only seems to increase their suffering.The success of his campaign to reclaim his kingdom hangs in the balance, plagued by threats from within as...2024-10-2328 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 17 - The Old Gods Are Dying (Chapter 02) - Returning HomeThis week, join us for the next installment in The Old Gods Are Dying
After ten long years away from home, Fiachra is summoned by his grandmother Maeve to visit his dying grandfather.
Returning to the small farmhouse of his childhood, Fiachra is greeted by memories of a past he wishes to forget. And struggles with feelings of grief and regret as he sits by Domhnall's deathbed and prepares to say goodbye.
Content Warning: Supernatural Horror
Transcript Available Here
Table of Contents:PrologueChapter 01 - A Long...2024-10-1233 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 16 - A Deal With The DevilMark Winthrop is having a bad day.Tired, hungry and forced out of his strict daily routine by a series of unlucky circumstances, he finds himself the victim of a mugging, and bleeding in a dark alley. A mysterious stranger comes to his aid, but Mark's so-called rescuer has other, more sinister motives.
Content Warning: Blood, Bodily Harm, Cursing, Supernatural Horror
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:47 - A Deal With The Devil00:46:47 - Background Discussion00:49:40 - CTA00:50:05 - Episode 12 Trailer00:52:58...2024-09-2553 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 15 - The Forest Of The Red WolfAfter taking a foolish bet, James Stanley finds himself out in the old forest late at night.
Cold, scared and stalked by a creature he previously thought existed only in his grandfather's mind, he comes face-to-face with both the beast he fears and the shadows of his past.
Content Warning: Blood, Profanity
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:48 - The Forest of the Red Wolf00:23:20 - Background Discussion00:29:05 - CTA00:29:37 - Episode 15 Trailer2024-09-1042 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 15 - TrailerAfter taking a foolish bet, James Stanley finds himself out in the old forest late at night.
Cold, scared and stalked by a creature he previously thought existed only in his grandfather's mind, he comes face-to-face with both the beast he fears and the shadows of his past.
Episode 15 will be going live in the next day or so. Until then, enjoy another brief trailer for this episode2024-09-0902 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 14 - The Telltale HeartThis week we revisit one of the true classics of the genre, and the first horror story I ever read.
The Telltale Heart, By Edgar Allen Poe. This story is a masterclass in slowburning tension. It builds and builds until everything begins to fall apart. This remains probably my favourite horror short ever, and the thoughts and feelings stirred by this story echo for days.
Join me as we descend into madness...
Content Warning: Murder, Madness
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:48 - The Telltale Heart00:23:20...2024-08-2533 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 13 - The Witches of Killdanoe (Part 01)This week, we have the first installment in a new series exploring a (fictional) modern day witchhunt in a small town. Join me as we venture into the town of Killdanoe.
A missing woman.The discovery of her body.And a shocking arrest.Things are starting to go wrong in the idyllic town of Killdanoe.
Tensions mount as a long kept secret comes to light.
Anger, betrayal and prejudice emerge with devasting consquences for the once tight-knit community.
Life will never again be the same. But will those changes be for...2024-08-1129 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 12 - Pretender (Chapter 01) - Biting The HandThis week, join us for the second installment in serialised story Pretender.
The Master Thief Darian and his young apprentice Dog plan to rob the estate of a wealthy merchant. Despite his misgivings about the job, and his growing paranoia, Darian decides to go ahead with the plan.
But nothing is what it seems, and Darian is in more danger than he realises.
Content Warning: Violence, Bloodshed, Death, Gore
Transcript Available Here
Table of Contents:PrologueChapter 01
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - Biting The...2024-07-1738 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 11 - The Old Gods Are Dying (Chapter 01) - A Long WinterJoin us this week for the second installment of The Old Gods Are Dying.
When Maeve's husband and grandchild don't return home from a trip up the mountain, she is forced to spend the winter alone.
Harrassed by an evil presence, she is forced to rely on her husband's teachings to survive until he returns.
Content Warning: Supernatural Horror
Transcript Available Here
Table of Contents:PrologueChapter 01 - A Long Winter
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:43 - A Long Winter00:21:54 - Background Discussion00:26:12...2024-06-2832 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 10 - TeaserA history professor wakes to a world of pain and anguish.
2024-06-0200 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 10 - The Possessed (Part 01)The first part in a new serialised story, set against the backdrop of an ancient celestial war fought between angels and demons, with humans as the unwitting pawns.
An evil presence revels in its victory.
A history professor wakes to a world of pain and anguish.
A former priest has a mysterious visitor.
A psychologist learns that his patient is much more than she seems.
The fate of the world hangs in the balance...
Content Warning: Swearing, Depiction of Blood, Violence & Death, Mental Health Issues, War, Fascism
Transcript Available Here
2024-05-3147 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 09 - Christabel (Part Two)Join us as we explore the second part of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's classic poem "Christabel".
Geraldine's insidious, malevolent presence begins to emerge more explictly as she worms her way into Leoline's affections and begins to estrange Christabel from her father.
Transcript Available Here
Part 01 Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:45 - Christabel (Part 02)00:19:16 - Background Discussion00:24:42 - CTA00:25:09 - Episode 10 Trailer2024-05-0528 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 08 - Christabel (Part 01)In this episode, we explore the first part of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's long poem, Christabel, a creepy, unsettling journey into the supernatural and the loss of innocence.
As with many gothic works, the atmosphere and tone of this classic are chilling and disturbing in equal measure. This was my first re-read of this poem in years, and the effect was still the same.
Transcript Available Here
Part 02 Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:44 - Christabel (Part 01)00:20:36 - Background Discussion00:24:34 - CTA00:25:02 - Episode 09 Trailer2024-04-2728 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 07 - Come To MeA young woman drunkenly accepts a dare to enter an old, and presumably, haunted house. An ardent skeptic, she dismisses the stories off-hand, and breaks into the crumbling building, determined to prove her friends wrong.
But her nerves prove less resilient than she believed, and the house slowly worms its way into her mind. And her soul.
Content Warning: Foul Language, Supernatural Horror
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - Come To Me00:20:20 - Background Discussion00:23:22 - CTA00:23:53 - Episode 08 Trailer2024-02-2526 minTales Under A Broken SkyTales Under A Broken Sky - Episode 07 - TeaserEpisdoe 07 is going live this weekend, I had a lot of fun with this one, especially playing around with backing music and ambaince2024-02-2300 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 06 - Pretender (Prologue)Join us for a new serialised story set in a fantasy world, riddle with war, politics, thieving and assassination.
Darian is a former member of the Thieves Guild, and protege of the Master Thief Alaric. Having left the city and his former life behind, he vows never to fall under the thumb of his former master again.
But when a job goes awry he finds himself thrust back into a world he thought left long behind. Treachery lurks around every corner, and Alaric's plans are never what they seem.
Content Warning: Violence, Death...2024-02-0525 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 05 - The Old Gods Are Dying - PrologueJoin us for the first chapter of a new serialised fantasy story, inspired by the myths and legends of ancient Ireland.
The old gods are dying, and an ancient evil is once again making its presence felt upon the world. Few remain who remember the stories of its last coming, and even fewer still with the knowledge and strength to face its dark presence.
Years earlier, a young boy finds himself alone on a mountain, lost amidst a deep fog and the sounds of an ancient battle. An oath is sworn in desperation to a...2024-01-2623 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 04 - Virtual HellA police officer investigating a series of unexplained deaths wakes to find that his investigation had gone horribly wrong.
Captured and subjected to endless torture, the lines between reality and nightmare begin to blur
Content Warning: Violence, Death, Torture, References to Suicide and Murder
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:48 - Virtual Hell00:17:24 - Background Discussion00:22:07 - CTA00:22:29 - Episode 05 Trailer2023-12-2824 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 03 - The RavenIn the first of my readings of classic works of horror, we visit Edgar Allan Poe's seminal poem "The Raven"
Join me as we enter a world of love, loss, dark magic and messengers from beyond the grave...
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:47 - The Raven00:12:40 - Background Discussion00:18:47 - CTA00:19:12 - Episode 04 Trailer2023-11-3020 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyTales Under A Broken Sky - TrailerTales Under A Broken Sky - Trailer2023-11-1400 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 02 - GhostsWhen a young man starts to see ghosts everywhere he goes he becomes understandably frightened. But over the course of the year, his initial discomfort becomes a sense of belonging and companionship. Until a fateful day, when everything changes...
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - Ghosts00:22:47 - Background Discussion00:26:53 - CTA00:27:20 - Episode 03 Trailer00:29:29 - Outro2023-11-1429 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 01 - SpidersDriving up a dark road, late at night, a young man fears he may have hit someone. He returns to the scene to investigate, but is not expecting the nightmare that follows
Content Warning: Body Horror
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:43 - Spiders00:14:35 - Background Discussion00:19:06 - CTA00:19:33 - Episode 02 Trailer2023-10-2722 min
Tales Under A Broken SkyEpisode 00 - IntroductionTales Under A Broken Sky explores the surreal, the fantastical and the speculative through the mediums of storytelling and poetry.
Join your host LooseVerse as they introduce the show and the motivations behind it.
Transcript Available Here
Timestamps:00:00:00- Intro00:00:44 - Introduction and Motivation00:07:17 - Episode 01 Trailer00:08:35 - Outro2023-10-2108 minTales Under A Broken SkyTales Under A Broken Sky (Trailer)2023-10-2000 min