Tall And True Short Reads

Kris Kringle – Xmas 2024

Episode 101 (20 December 2024)

Since Episode 100, I’ve taken a break from podcasting to plan a new direction for Season Five of Tall And True Short Reads, which I hope to launch early next year. Meanwhile, I’ve “gift-wrapped” the first episodes from Seasons One to Four of the podcast for this year’s bumper Kris Kringle episode.

READ SHOW NOTES

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Kris Kringle – Xmas 2024

Show Notes

Season Four: Episode 101 (20 December 2024)

The stories written and narrated by Robert Fairhead for the Kris Kringle – Xmas 2024 stories first appeared on the Tall And True writers’ website.

Read the stories:

Five Meet on Zoom: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/five-meet-on-zoom
The Last Book That Made You Cry: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/blog/the-last-book-that-made-you-cry
Once Upon A Time: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/once-upon-a-time
Some Things Change – Perth, Western Australia, 1979: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/some-things-change

Support the podcast: https://supporter.acast.com/tall-and-true-short-reads

Buy Robert’s short story collections online:

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Fairhead/e/B086HZ36NM
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/author/robert-fairhead/id1436773436
Rakuten Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/au/en/author/robert-fairhead

Episode Insight

In October 2024, I released Episode 100 of Tall And True Short Reads, Twin Souls in the Universe, marking the end of Season Four of my storytelling podcast, which I launched in September 2020.

Since then, I’ve taken a break from podcasting to focus on writing projects, including publishing my latest short story collection, One Day in the Life of Alex’s AI and Other Speculative Fiction (post on Tall And True). Please see the Show Notes for online bookstore links to this and my earlier short story and microfiction collections.

I’ve also been planning a new direction for Season Five of the podcast, which I hope to launch early next year. Watch your feed for details!

Meanwhile, I’ve “gift-wrapped” the first episodes from Seasons One to Four of Tall And True Short Reads for this year’s bumper Kris Kringle episode:

Season One – Five Meet On Zoom, released 10 October 2020: FIVE logged onto their first Zoom meeting. “Right-o, can everyone hear and see me?” asked Julian, who, as the leader, had scheduled the meeting and emailed invites, with help from his clever-clogs cousin, George.

Season Two – The Last Book That Made You Cry, Episode 33, released 13 September 2021: Penguin Books Australia posted a question on Facebook in August 2017: What is the last book that made you cry? The books could evoke tears of joy or sadness, and I immediately thought of three books, all for the latter category. And here are my top three tearjerkers.

Season Three – Once Upon A Time, Episode 59, released 16 September 2022: This story begins at the end. But my time spent observing your planet has taught me humans like to process events and information in an orderly, if not entirely predictable, sequence. So forget the first sentence, and I’ll serve you a linear tale. Just don’t skip to the end and spoil it.

Season Four – Some Things Change – Perth, Western Australia, 1979, Episode 79, released 26 September 2023: It’s only early spring, but I’m starting to sweat in Mum and Dad’s back garden. I wore my dark English suit for Dad’s funeral, and if etiquette permits at wakes, I’d like to slip off the coat. Looking around the garden for guidance, I struggle to recognise elderly aunts and uncles or my fellow middle-aged cousins. And I have no hope of placing their children and grandchildren.

After each Kringle episode, I explain when and why I wrote the story or post.

I hope you enjoy this year’s Kris Kringle collection. You can read my selected short stories, blog posts, and other writings on TallAndTrue.com.

You can also buy my short story collections, including One Day in the Life of Alex’s AI and Other Speculative Fiction, from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores. There are links in the show notes.

Season Five of Tall And True Short Reads will appear in your podcast feed in the new year. In the meantime, browse your feed or the podcast website for earlier episodes from all four seasons, and please follow or subscribe to the podcast and rate and review it via your favourite app. Doing so helps me share my storytelling.

You can support the podcast financially by making a small one-off or regular donation through the Acast Supporter Page.

I wish you a happy and safe festive and holiday season. Please share this Kris Kringle gift with family and friends and spread the good tidings about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers’ website.

Podcast Theme and Sound Effects

Royalty-free music from Pixabay.com: Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 28 ‘Pastorale’ – IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non-Troppo, performed by Karine Gilanyan.

Sound effects licensed under Creative Commons 0 from FreeSound.org: