All posts by Ed Jowett

Stories about not belonging: the Outsider’s View – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/being-forbidden?ref=etv2uk

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about Being Forbidden, and in particular why this story matters to me more than I originally expected.

There are not many opportunities where I get to tell a story that focuses so strongly on emotion rather than action or plot.

But Being Forbidden is a story about not belonging anywhere, and that theme resonated with me more deeply than I anticipated. As a creator, I often sit slightly outside established groups. I am not only an audio creator, I also make games, which means I do not quite fit into either space. Even outside of creative work, I have often found myself on the edges rather than at the centre of things.

Being able to explore those feelings, and to tell a story where not quite belonging is a core part of the narrative, has been incredibly rewarding.

If you are someone who has ever felt like you were never quite part of the main group, never fully inside the circle, I think Being Forbidden may speak to you as well. Don’t miss it.

– Ed

Being Forbidden – on Kickstarter Now! – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/being-forbidden?ref=etv2uk

Hi everyone!

I am incredibly proud to announce that Being Forbidden is finally ready to come to you on Kickstarter!

We have some exciting rewards available for this audio drama:

A three-hour audiobook, read by the lead voice actor from Being Forbidden, designed to fully immerse you in the world.
The opportunity to become a Producer on the project – have your name included in the credits!
Our unique Digital Memory Card (only a limited number available!).

Being Forbidden is a deeply moving and distinctive audio drama, written by two people utterly dedicated to an amazing story in this universe.

You are going to love it.

Join us on Kickstarter today – you will not regret it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/being-forbidden?ref=etv2uk

EraScapes in 2025 – End of Year Round-Up!

Hi everyone!

Looking back, 2026 might feel like a quieter year for EraScapes at first glance, but when you actually look at what we have been working on, I do not think that is objectively true… on this end, at least!

I wanted to take you through what we have done this year and what is coming next, because there are a lot of stories very close to being delivered.

To begin with, Pulse of the City funded this year. This is a short set in the world of Era: Hitman, a setting I have historically struggled to adapt to other media due to how deliberately ridiculous it is. Thanks to the writing talents of M. Sefton Smith, with a little help from myself, we were able to work with an excellent cast of voice actors to bring it to life. If you missed it, it is well worth a listen.

Beyond that release, this year has been largely devoted to creation, recording, and editing.

Writing on Dark City Season Two is underway. We know how much you enjoyed the first season, and Erin Nicole Lundquist, who voiced our main character, very much enjoyed returning to the role as well.

We have also completed recording for Being Forbidden, an audio drama set in the Forbidden universe, and Hell on Earth, an audiobook in the same setting. D Cassellian was an absolute pleasure to work with and we are now fully prepared to bring both projects to you in January’s Kickstarter.

In addition, we are on the verge of launching Radio Free Taranis Season Two, continuing the story with Jennifer Hale returning in her guest role alongside Leo Cosh as Midnight Terry. I am incredibly excited to share the next part of this arc because I know you are going to love it!

We have also completed recording and editing on a brand new audio drama, Auditor, set in the Consortium universe. This ten-episode series follows an individual who never intended to become involved in politics, only to find themselves gradually drawn into resistance movements and Consortium machinations. Auditor will be coming to Kickstarter in the middle of next year.

We are preparing to release Bug War Part Three, which was completed some time ago but never fully launched, as well as Stranded, an audio drama previously available on Patreon that we are now ready to bring to a wider audience.

There is still a great deal ahead for EraScapes, so I hope you will join us as these projects come to fruition. Thank you for continuing to support what we do, and as always, stay safe out there.

– Ed

Why Emotion lands stronger in Audio than Writing

Hi everyone!

I wanted to briefly talk about why emotion often speaks more clearly in audio than in writing, along with a little communication science.

I love novels, and I enjoy writing them, but audio has a particular strength when it comes to emotional communication.

Why? Because only a small fraction of human communication is purely verbal. Words alone carry very little compared to tone, pacing, hesitation, emphasis, and silence – only about 2% of communication.

When we speak to someone, tone of voice contributes many times as much to the meaning, which is one of the reasons I will often walk over and talk to someone rather than sending a written message in a work environment.

Novels give the reader enormous freedom to interpret tone, emotion, and intention their way. That flexibility is powerful and beautiful.

Audio drama is different. It delivers much more of the emotion the actor, director, and writer intended. You hear the pauses, the breath, the strain, the uncertainty. The emotional intent is far more explicit.

That means if you are directing or acting, you need to understand the underlying motivation of a scene. Look deeper than the words. Work out what is actually being communicated. You won’t regret it.

– Ed

Giving Feedback for Audio

Hi everyone!

Today I want to talk about giving feedback in audio production. I am in the middle of doing exactly that for one of our upcoming projects, Hardcastle’s Hell.

When I received the latest file, I was told it represented the broad direction of the scene, but I was not told what was final and what was not. The file included dialogue, sound effects, and some early soundscaping.

There were a few pacing issues in the dialogue that needed adjusting, and I also had notes about the soundscaping. In one section it was missing due to a small misunderstanding about the context. So I mentioned it to my amazing editor, Jeroen!

Here is the key point:

If you are giving feedback and are in doubt, give all the feedback you have.

Obviously, do that in an empathetic way that accepts some elements may be preliminary… but if something’s not working for you, don’t assume it’s a placeholder!

It is always better when the editor explains what is final, what is a suggestion, and what is a placeholder. When that does not happen, give every comment that comes to mind. If you do not, you may end up regretting it when something unintended makes it into the final mix.

Clear communication saves time, money, and frustration for everyone involved… so do everything you can to get clarity from your editor, then be as clear as possible back!

– Ed

A Very Trout Christmas (FREE Audio Short) – https://erascapes.com/product/a-very-trout-christmas-era-lyres/

Hi everyone!

Today I wanted to talk about one of my earliest audio projects: A Very Trout Christmas.

I made it around the same time I was writing the Definitive Edition of Era: Lyres. It was a fun little experiment, the sort of thing I’ve since done again with Elemental Evil and Pulse of the City, where we decided to bring the world to life in audio form.

I’m mentioning it because everyone seems to be getting into the Christmas mood, and this is a Christmas story set in the Era: Lyres universe.

It’s completely free, so check it out on our store: https://erascapes.com/product/a-very-trout-christmas-era-lyres/

Special thanks to Heike, who helped with both writing and playing the main character, A Trout.

Enjoy!

– Ed

Lead Time leads to… a packed 2026 for EraScapes! – https://www.patreon.com/EraScapes

Hi everyone!

Today I’d like to talk about lead time. I might be different from many people who create podcasts or audio dramas, because I hold myself accountable when something we recorded a long time ago still isn’t released.

I’m embarrassed to admit that there are things we recorded before COVID that I still haven’t managed to get out the door. I am working on them… but I’m stretched quite thin, and audio can’t always be the first thing on my schedule.

That said, I’ve put together an ambitious plan for next year, and I’m hoping to bring you a large number of audio dramas, including: The Bug War #3, Radio Free Taranis Season Two (featuring special guest star Jennifer Hale)

and “Being Forbidden” – a unique audio drama set in the Forbidden universe, plus an audiobook that includes short stories and world background created for the rulebook, delivered as an appendix to help you understand the world even better.

And these are just three of the projects I’m aiming to deliver. We’ve created some incredible stories over the years, stories you haven’t heard yet, and I’m determined to start bringing them to you.

If you want early access or behind-the-scenes previews, make sure you check out the Erascapes Patreon (), where you’ll also find our brand-new podcast about how we make our creative projects a reality.

See you there.

– Ed

The Importance of Helping Others Create

More than any other part of what I make, audio dramas are about collaboration. You can’t define every detail yourself — in a book, you can see and fix everything; in audio, it’s what you can hear and what you can’t.

That means relying on people with stronger expertise.

I work with other writers. I give flexibility to audio editors. I let actors shape their characters, so they can do it their way, not just echo my voice.

That openness has become an essential part of being a creator at my stage.

Recently, I offered someone the chance to build their dream… within limits, sure, but enough to fulfill their creative desire.

If you’ve been creating for a while, think about doing the same. Someone once gave me that chance, and it caused a quantum leap forward in what I could do.

When you plan your next project, ask:

“Is there someone I can lift up through this?”

It’s always worth it.

– Ed

AI Music in Audio

Hi everyone!

Today I’d like to talk about AI music.

AI is the next big thing, right? It’s taking over the creative industry. Anyone can write a book, anyone can make a song, anyone can deliver amazing artwork.

You may not be surprised to hear that I’m quite biased on this subject.

What do I think of AI music and other content?

I’d like to put aside the obvious legal issues and accusations of theft and focus on the value of the output.

As a writer, I read what ChatGPT or any others output, and I think “this has no soul”. That is not something I can easily put into words for someone who is not a writer, but I guess I can say does not carry the weight of human experience with it. It is “magpie content”, stolen from everywhere in order to make what it is.

And that brings me on to music. When I am making an audio drama, I want music. I want great music that makes people feel and think.

I have been experimenting with AI music because I want to understand what it feels like not least because I am no sort of a composer! I therefore hire people to do this work… but I have had people submit AI work to me as their own. That’s extremely disappointing and I think I need to be prepared.

What did I find by experimenting with AI Music?

What I found keeps making me remember a rather aggressive article I once read about Nickelback. The article claimed that nobody likes Nickelback, but that they put together their songs in such a way that everybody was nostalgic about some element of them.

Now, I don’t know if that is true. I’m no music expert. But I do feel that when I create a piece of music with AI these pieces are soulless (for the record, I will never be using these in a commercial environment – it is complete wrong in my opinion). It is emotional white noise. They lose something compared to a track from someone who inserts their own lived experience and style into the music.

So what did I decide?

Having looked into it, I have to say that I’m distinctly anti-AI music in my creative endeavours. I don’t think it carries the weight of emotion that other music can. While I can understand why some people garner emotion from it, I believe that to be insertion: “That thing makes me think of this thing that prompts my emotion”. I’ve ever heard someone refer to things that aren’t there in the attempt to make that music better.

You might argue that’s the same as any other piece of music, but when you are firing a shotgun, you’re going to hit more things less deeply than when you’re firing a rifle at a specific target.

Don’t use AI music. Go out and support artists who are trying to create, who are trying to build something. Even if you don’t care about the business side and supporting people, you will not be doing yourself any good if you rely on AI.

– Ed

Pulse of the City – Our Latest Audio Short on Kickstarter now: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/pulse-of-the-city?ref=25hh09

Hi everyone!

I’m pleased to announce that our latest audio drama, Pulse of the City, is currently on Kickstarter! This story is based in my Era: Hitman roleplaying game universe and was written by the up-and-coming Em Sefton-Smith.

It’s been an amazing experience bringing this to life, working with Em, along with lead actors Chloe and Krissie, both of whom did an amazing job bringing these characters to you through audio.

You should check it out! It’s only £2 on Kickstarter (about $2.50)! I know you’ll absolutely love it, and it would be great to show Em that their writing is something worth paying attention to. I believe a lot in Em’s work (because I know you’ll love it), so I’ve already worked with them on another project.

Check out Pulse of the City at the link, and I’ll see you next week!

– Ed

Released: VOICES FROM THE VOID! https://erascapes.com/product/voices-from-the-void/

Hi everyone!

I wanted to announce something quite special today: I have recently completed work on a book called Voices from the Void.

I mentioned it in a previous post – it’s designed to help anyone who wants to create, write, voice, produce or direct audio content. Whichever role you’re taking on, I’ve included absolutely everything I know about bringing that aspect of the project to life for you.

It’s available in digital format immediately, and a printed version will follow before too long. You can check it out at the link in the title.

Have a fantastic day, and good luck with any projects you have on the go (doubly so if it’s your first!).

– Ed

Editors… and their value to your project!

Hi everyone!

Today I’d like to talk about editing and just how important a good editor is to what you create.

Editing is more than just mixing, mastering, or adding sound effects. It’s all of those things, yes – but the first part of editing is choosing the right takes.

While I, as the director, may often suggest or request a particular take, very often it’s the editor who finds that perfect one and weaves it seamlessly into the rest of the performance. A good editor is worth their weight in gold.

Treat them well! Bend over backwards for them if they need files labelled in a specific way so their process works smoothly, or if they need extra details about which take to use. A few extra minutes of your time can pay off massively.

In short, don’t undervalue what your editor does because, more often than not, they’re doing far more than you realise!

I’d like to take a moment to extend my thanks to all of the editors who’ve worked on EraScapes projects over the years – you’ve helped make them what they are.

Have a lovely weekend, and don’t forget just how valuable your editor is!

– Ed

EraScapes on Patreon – https://patreon.com/erascapes

Hi everyone! Did you know we have an EraScapes Patreon?

I’ll admit it! I’m not great at marketing.

But our EraScapes Patreon has been around for a while now, and it’s packed with audio adventures.

You can support us with a monthly pledge or even listen to several free, unique episodes, such as Stranded, which isn’t available anywhere else.

If you love audio stories and want to try what we create, there’s no better place than https://patreon.com/erascapes. I’ll see you there!

– Ed

A Few Thoughts on Casting (from an Indie Creator)

Hi everyone!

I thought I’d talk briefly about casting today. I don’t discuss it as often as writing or directing, but it’s sometimes an amazing experience.

I’ve cast a number of audio dramas now, as well as a movie. Sometimes I already know who I want for the lead.

Sometimes I put out an open call and listen to everything, even thinking about applicants for larger roles that are not this one. Casting can be incredibly rewarding: that moment when someone embodies the character more than you ever expected. They say a few lines and you know that’s the one!

That happened to me recently. I had over a hundred applicants, and the first one I listened to set the bar instantly. Still, I gave every single one a fair hearing – that’s important – and I gave feedback to all of them.

Note: as an indie creator, please don’t leave people hanging. It’s a terrible habit in our industry, and it’s not okay.

Not every role is obvious. In that same project, one character went to someone who hadn’t landed a previous part, but I’d remembered his work and knew he was perfect for it. Another role gave me huge trouble; I listened to so many voices.

Here’s some advice for you: many actors deliver the same read. What I’m looking for is uniqueness. I don’t want standard pronunciation in a polite monotone, I want character. If you’re the wrong person for this role but you bring a distinctive voice, I may even write something for you!

That actually happened with one of my recent audiobooks, Era: Forbidden – Hell on Earth. The actor didn’t fit the original part she applied for, but I adored her voice. I asked her to do a different project instead, and we made a massive audiobook together – a far better use of her talent than a tiny role in a larger cast audio drama.

So listen to what you’re given. Think about how you’d like to use it. And if your instinct after thirty seconds says, “This is the same as the others, it’s not right,” that’s fine. Put it aside, reply politely, and move on. You can always put out a second casting call if you don’t find anyone at all.

Good luck out there, casters and voice actors alike.

We want to hear unique voices. Give me yours!

– Ed

Hardcastle’s Hell!

Hi everyone!

I thought today I would talk a little bit about Hardcastle’s Hell.

Some years ago, I worked with Leo Cosh on creating Hardcastles Havoc.

Years later, now that we’ve been working together for a long time, I decided that I would offer to continue that. We decided that we would both like to write something new and enhance the original version and expand on it.

We’ve been working with the amazing Jeroen Roffel now that we have captured all the voice work in order to achieve that (and I can’t wait to announce the voice actors! The cast is great!).

It’s quite an interesting setup, because we’ve got one opening section and then five different “possible” endings. Of course, only one of these is canon, but all are really interesting outcomes.

I thought it would be great fun to deliver five possible stories about Hardcastle and his difficulties in overcoming his desire for fame after having to accept that he was not going to be able to have it! When he’s discovered, or at least his alias is challenged, he is has several options to deal with it, and we explore every single one of those.

I’m excited for Hardcastle’s Hell. I know you’re going to love it, so keep an eye out, and we’ll bring it to you very, very soon now.

Thanks for reading!

MCM 2025-05 – Audio Drama Panel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKAYPNP7uIs

Hi everyone!

I wanted to take a moment to let you know about the panel that Leo and I did at MCM Comic Con called How to Voice, Direct and Produce your own Audio Drama.

It’s up on YouTube thanks to the efforts of our friend, who was in the front row of the audience and recorded everything that we did. It’s about 45 minutes long and it contains a lot of useful information, so I strongly recommend that if you’re thinking of creating an audio drama, you go check this out and find out how it is that we make sure that we have the best chance of succeeding.

– Ed

Voices From The Void

Hi everyone!

I thought I’d talk to you today about an idea that I’ve had. It was really inspired by the “How to Voice, Direct and Produce your own Audio Drama” panel that Leo Cosh and I did last weekend at MCM Comic Con.

I had a lot of fun, and we got a lot of enthusiastic questions from the audience about the things that we recommend to help deliver something awesome.

So I’ve been thinking about it, and I wonder if creating a small book similar to “The Writer’s Journey” or “How to be Creative” about audio drama and what I go through to produce them might be a fun idea.

I’d include the things I watch out for and think about while making EraScapes productions and beyond!

I’m curious what you think: would you be interested in seeing that?

A major reason I’m considering writing it is that it may help people, which ultimately is the reason that I do much of what I do – I truly believe that everyone can be creative, they just have to find the right way in which to express themselves.

So if you think I should create this book, go ahead and drop me a comment. I’ll be very interested to know.

Until next week, if you want to hear more, you can check out our panel from MCM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKAYPNP7uIs

– Ed

Audio Drama Coming Soon: Auditor

Hi everyone!

During COVID, I worked with a number of writers to expand our audio drama library (and to have a little fun directing something new!)

Writing and directing audio drama is very different from working on a Tabletop RPG, novel, or comic. There’s a lot more live feedback: you collaborate directly with actors, see what they’re enjoying, and adjust as you go. It’s a rewarding experience and a very different kind of storytelling.

When I met with El, I was pitched a science fiction story with an unusual approach: a government auditor, assigned to a backwater colony to check the books and make sure the right people are paying the right taxes. No one cares about them. They’re invisible. That’s exactly what made them interesting.

But Auditor is also about something deeper: radicalisation. Not the loud, obvious kind but the slow, creeping shift in someone’s beliefs. It’s about how people become entrenched in their views, shaped by the people around them, the information they consume, and the narrative they tell themselves about the world.

By the end of Auditor, Robin – the titular character – isn’t the same person they were when the story began. And that is what makes the story so compelling.

With editing nearly complete and an incredible voice performance at the centre of it, Auditor is coming sooner than you think. I believe it’s a story that could shift the way you see the world—just a little.

Keep an eye out for Era: The Consortium – Auditor.

– Ed

Creativity Advice: How much exposition in an audio drama is right?

Hi everyone!

This is an excellent question. I was asked it recently at a panel at a convention, so I thought I would take a moment to write an article about it and let you know what I think.

When you’re building an audio drama, you don’t have the visuals on screen. In comics, in movies, you can “show rather than tell”, but in an audio drama, you have little choice!

There are a few things you can do, which maybe I’ll go into in another article in a bit more detail, things like soundscaping, things like sound effects, or having the footsteps really precise and walking away from the from the microphone. However, that’s not going to be a catch all for everything that you need in order to tell the story.

So how do you do exposition? There are a few choices.

One of them is narration, which I generally choose not to use in an audio drama, but I will use in an audio book. (In fact, by my definition, that’s what differs between an audio drama and audiobook.)

Secondly, you can have the characters explain what they’re doing.

A more skilled way of doing it – the best way for an Audio Drama in my opinion – is that, rather than a direct explanation of “I am now going to pick up this thing”, is to think about what an average person would say when doing that thing.

For example, you slip in the shower! You don’t say, “I slipped in the shower”. You say, “ow”, and you hear some sound effects.

And then you might hear the character say something like, “Oh, I feel like such an idiot”. So now you know it was an accidental slip in the shower.

Building your dialog around what you want to display is a very important aspect of delivering a really good Audio Drama without excessive exposition!

– Ed

Audio Dramas, Podcasts, Audio Books and more… My interpretation of the terminology in the audio industry!

Hi everyone!

You wouldn’t believe some of the looks I get when I say we make “Audio Dramas” at a convention. Having just done one, it particularly stuck in my mind, so I thought I’d do a little disambiguation today, for your benefit.

(And also mine – it doesn’t do me much good writing to the internet if you have no idea what I’m talking about!)

So, how do I refer to things? Well, it’s my method of distinction and I know mileage varies, but this is what I think:

An audiobook is a story, usually one that was not specifically written for audio. It’s read by a narrator and may either have multiple characters voiced by the narrator or different actors. But it’s likely to include “he said” at some point in the book, as well as significant narration in the way a novel might be written.

An audio drama is written specifically for audio, and may have narration to set the scene (I don’t like to include it, stylistically, but some people do and that’s also fine!). It usually features multiple actors in different roles.

An audio podcast is often very similar to an audio drama, but it’s usually separated into episodes which are an idea length for a podcast (usually ~15-20 minutes), and is written accordingly. As a result, it can be a slightly more restrictive format.

Then you have adaptations, where someone has taken a movie or novel and adapted it to become an audio drama (I’ve done this, too! I’ve adapted some of our comics for audio).

So I hope that clarifies how I refer to things and helps make sense of what I’m talking about!

– Ed

Artwork from the Audio Drama “Stranded“! Check it out for free at https://patreon.com/erascapes

Hardcastle’s Havoc and Hell

Hi everyone!

Today I’m going to talk about Hardcastle’s Havoc and Hell! Hardcastle’s Havoc is the very first audio drama that EraScapes ever created. And when I say EraScapes, I really mean Leo Cosh, who wrote, directed and edited the original version of Hardcastle’s Havoc.

Hardcastle’s Havoc is a story of a disenfranchised individual who has been removed after being CEO of one of the largest companies in the Consortium. He is upset and angry about this situation and intends to wreak his revenge on those who got rid of him.

He chooses to hire a an assassin in order to eliminate one specific individual and reveal the truth: that he was removed without cause.

Unfortunately for him, the assassin does not do what he expects…

This tight little story was written by Leo, and I gave some advice on improving it at the time. It more or less stood as it was until about a year ago, when Leo and I decided that we would like to both update Hardcastle’s Havoc with the skills that we’ve learned over time, and secondly, work on a sequel to it which we named Hardcastle’s Hell.

Thanks to my progression in writing skill over the last 12 years, I have come up with a kind of story that is a little different: it’s one introduction with five possible endings to the story.

Obviously, only one of them is canon, but it’s a lot of fun to bring such a number of possibilities to life.

Hardcastle’s Havoc and Hell have already been recorded with some amazing voice actors and are now in an editing run with the first few scenes complete.

I’m excited to bring these audio dramas to you when they’re ready, and I don’t think it’ll be too long now.

Don’t forget to check out our Patreon at https://patreon.com/erascapes for free audio dramas and material!

– Ed

Travel through time to save the future with us in Counting Down From One, our latest Audio Drama! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/cdfo-audio?ref=a7ud28

As you know, we love telling stories!

We’re lucky enough that the Audio Drama of our critically-acclaimed comic, Counting Down From One, was a target for an awesome cast dedicated to bringing it to life!

Enter an uncertain universe, where travelling back in time is the only way to save the future.

All the team has to do is kill “Benjamin Hayden”, a well-known individual who is always a few chess moves ahead of everyone else.

But as the team attempts to eliminate him, they seem plagued by bad luck as the universe grinds down against them.

Will they succeed?

And even if they do, will they survive?

Find out now!

– Ed

Enter a Noir Detective story with immersive audio with the new Era: The Chosen Audio Drama – on Kickstarter now!

Hi everyone!

We’re never going to give up on telling stories! We’ve been working for 3 years on a new audio drama that I know you’re going to love.

This project has been incredibly lucky to bring in the fantastic talents of Erin Nicole Lundquist, Lawrence “MasakoX” Simpson and Ryan Negrón, along with a fantastic co-writer to work with me, Leanne King.

The story we came up with focuses on being an outsider in the world of the Chosen, with no awareness of the Anonassi. So the actions of the five Chosen families seem very, very strange, right?

THE WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE IS MISSING!

Jack Bennet (Lawrence “MasakoX” Simpson) is a true genius – there’s no mystery he can’t solve.

But when he goes missing, his daughter asks her friend Olivia (Erin Nicole Lundquist) to find him.

Assuming he’s just out on a case, the cynical but ambitious young detective begins by searching his office…

How do you start (and complete!) a Creative Project?

We believe that everyone has the ability to create! We feel that people should be helped bring their stories and visions to life as a creative project!

After a decade of experience in publishing a variety of critically-acclaimed books, games, comics and audio dramas, we want to help others do the same!

Our veteran creative team have been on stage at conventions all over the UK. We have run over 30 panels at MCM Comicon, plus at UK Games Expo, StrategyGamingCon, and even Animé North in Canada!

Unfortunately, these panels don’t give us the time we want to explain everything in detail!

We have therefore decided to create a podcast to detail how you start, work through and complete your creative project. 17 episodes of this podcast have been recorded, but we want to deliver you the best possible quality production, so we’re seeking a small amount of funding for editing and distribution. This will allow us to bring the podcast to anyone who wants to learn how to be creative!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/creative-podcast?ref=eo9ocp

We look forward to seeing you there!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/creative-podcast?ref=eo9ocp

Violete: Unstoppable Audio Drama is on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/violete-unstoppable-audio?ref=9se9ua

Hi everyone!

We’ve just launched our latest Kickstarter, which is a brilliant audio dramatisation of Violete: Unstoppable
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/violete-unstoppable-audio?ref=9se9ua

It’s the third and final of our Empowered shorts, so check it out and don’t forget to spread the word!

We’ll be offering loads more samples as the days and weeks pass, so be sure to keep checking in.

– Ed

#AudioDramaSunday Experience a Titan’s Rise in the Consortium!

This #AudioDramaSunday, join Elliot Draigon as he enters Consortium society on Taranis, something which is much harder than he could ever realise as a 10-year-old child! A Titan’s Rise is one of our major audio dramas. It’s the best time to get acquainted with it, because we just funded Season 2!

https://erascapes.com/product/a-titans-rise-1/

The Plot of A Titan’s Rise

A Titan’s Rise is the story of a cyberpunk future where corporations rule three solar systems, and a boy who is separated from his parents by the actions of the corporation-controlled Senate of the Consortium.

We follow Elliot’s life as he grows up alone on Taranis. He quickly learns that his new home has huge secrets, that everyone around him has a hidden agenda. Even an intelligent and driven young man like Elliot is not free of the corporations’ influence on Taranis. As a result, this young man fights back, trying to make his own destiny. His path leads him to Smertios Security, where he trains for the one thing he cares about: commanding a starship.

When the starship Elliot serves on is called into battle to fight the largest enemy fleet encountered in centuries, he is already one of the senior officers. His actions in the fight influence the outcome of this battle, and the shape of the Consortium for years to come.

Can he become the person the Consortium needs him to be? Only time will tell…

It’s a full-cast Audio Drama, voiced by professional voice actors.
Each of the 4 episodes is 20 minutes long, for a total running time of about 1h20m.

Elliot Draigon is destined for greatness…

A Titan's Rise Part 2... coming soon! — *One day, Elliot will be a powerful voice in the Big Eight! But he has a long way to go.*

Check out what Part 2 has in store here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/a-titans-rise-season-2

#AudioDramaSunday Survive the Post-Apocalypse through Life on Gaia

This #AudioDramaSunday, you can experience the post-apocalypse in the safest possible way: listen to it, read by a scotsman! Life on Gaia explores the wasteland from our Tabletop RPG, Era: Survival.

https://erascapes.com/product/life-on-gaia-an-anthology-of-era-survival-stories/

We have produced both the original Audio Book and a smaller book with several extra stories: Tales of the Outlands.

The audio books have also been released on Audible, so you can get hold of them here:
US: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07XVDH3C9/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-164475&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_164475_rh_us
UK: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B07XVCTS4J/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-164475&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_164475_rh_uk

Life on Gaia Tales of the Outlands Cover Image — *Both Life on Gaia and Tales of the Outlands are also available on Audible!*

The amazing Leo Cosh reads the stories, bringing the characters to life with his own take on their personalities.

Thanks to careful and detail-oriented directing and editing by Ed Jowett, this horrifying world has come to life in vivid detail!

The Plot of Life on Gaia

A hundred years ago, a biological weapon was set off… or did a parasite evolve? Who cares, really? It was airborne, infectious and attacked Humans – that’s the point.

It’s been a century, 100 years, since the parasites first spread across Gaia. No-one knows where Infection came from and, honestly, no-one cares all that much anymore. Over the last ten decades, one thing has become clear: there will never be a cure.

The number of Humans left alive dwindles every day. Society has splintered, forming Factions. Some promise to save us, offer medicine that can temporarily immunise people against Infection, while others are bent on imposing totalitarian regimes across what remains of society.

This collection of stories is set in the aftermath of a cataclysm. Survivors adapt, and some have goals beyond living each day as it comes, while many form factions, some allied and some pitted against each other in the struggle for limited resources.

This anthology explores the world, factions and dangers of Gaia. Join those who fight to save humanity, those who wish to cleanse the world in flames and those who hide underground waiting for time to be their saviour.

Therefore, in this world, surviving is a matter of wits and cunning….

The Cast

Leo Cosh as the Narrator and Characters

Ed Jowett as the Announcer

#AudioDramaSunday Experience the Consortium with Radio Free Taranis

This #AudioDramaSunday, you can enter the Consortium with Midnight Terry as your guide!

Radio Free Taranis is an audio drama based around the life of a disenfranchised member of Taranis’s population. Midnight Terry speaks to anyone who wants to listen every week via pirate radio, informing them of the Big Eight’s activities, the Resistance’s faults and making suggestions about how people can more constructively stand against the Consortium’s evil.

This is a great way to get an idea of how the ordinary people on Taranis see the Consortium and truly experience the world as created!

Get three episodes for free this #AudioDramaSunday!

You can get hold of three of the episodes for free today, so head on over to our store and download them: https://erascapes.com/product/radio-free-taranis-free-broadcast/

However, if you like the story and want to hear more, please consider grabbing the whole season. Remember, we can only continue to make this awesome content with support from people like you! https://erascapes.com/product/radio-free-taranis-the-first-season-audio-drama/

The Plot

Midnight Terry is an independently-minded individual whose sister disappeared shortly after getting an excellent job at Hayden Bank. Lost and confused, he began broadcasting, hoping to reach Faith or someone who had seen her.

He quickly realised that he has more to offer than just calling for her. Taranis is crying out for help and advice, and there are very few people willing to give it. As a result, he decided that he would be that person, research the Big Eight’s and the Senate’s corruption and reveal it to the people.

Quickly becoming a hero to many, Terry teamed up with an advertiser and began improving his broadcast…

The Cast

Leo Cosh as Midnight Terry

Ed Jowett as the Edvertiser and the Smertios Security Officer

Jennifer Hale as Faith

Blue-Shift: Frenemies – Now In Audio!

Hi everyone!

Great news today for all you Blue-Shift fans out there, because the amazing EraScapes team has voiced and produced an enhanced and extended audio version of one of our best-loved comics, Blue-Shift: Frenemies!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/erascapes/blue-shift-audio-drama?ref=ajmg3e

For those of you who don’t already know the plot, it’s all about a speedster who goes out for a date, then finds herself in the middle of a group of supervillains robbing a bank… who then rescue her! Confused and lost, Blue-Shift will have to decide where the difference between “good” and “right” are.

I was honoured to be able to work with that team, and I have added additional scenes (including more from everyone’s favourite newscaster, Rajesh from Metro News!) during my adaptation of the story to audio. I’d definitely say this is a fantastic accompaniment to the current comic (which you can grab from the Kickstarter if you don’t have it yet!), even beyond what we achieved with the comic.

I hope you’ll join us there and, just in case you need more persuading, here’s a playlist of some awesome snippets from this project:
https://soundcloud.com/erascapes/sets/blue-shift-frenemies-audio-drama-samples

Enjoy, and please join us in making this story a reality!

– Ed

#AudioDramaSunday – How to approach the booth.

Hey Folks!

It’s been a while, but I’m back with another how-to for #AudioDramaSunday! We’ve been doing some recording for an upcoming project, so all of this is rather fresh!

Today, we’re talking about the all-important things you should do to make sure your time in the booth is the best possible!

1. Get Physical (No, I don’t mean punch the director!)

Before recording, get a full body warm up going along with your vocal warm up. Shake yourself out from your head to your toes, do some push-ups or squats.

If you want to challenge yourself, singing while planking can kill two birds with one stone! (It’s really difficult, though!)

2. Take care of yourself in the booth

Stretch out and stay hydrated between takes. Depending on the weather, your soundproofing or size of your recording space, it can get hot (Our studio is nicknamed the hotbox for a reason)! Be prepared to take small breaks and step out to cool down instead of rushing because of the heat!

Speaking of staying hydrated…

3. Swallow the right way.

Yes, before you look at me like I’m mad, just listen!

Swallowing before a take or taking a drink without rinsing it around your mouth will often reduce your mouth clicks. Not rinsing it around your mouth is very important, because that tends to cause a massive number of clicks.

Mouth clicks are well-known as one of the worst things a voice actor can do, so simple techniques to ensure they are minimised are super important! People have been dropped from projects (in the wider world, not from ours yet!) for the number of mouth clicks, so it’s definitely something to watch out for.

4. Use warm ups to prepare – and be ready to improvise

Get in the zone before you hit the script!

Whether it’s warming up in character or discussing key moments an the emotions in them with the team, if you keep your mind on the world you’re building it will give you more confidence to nail those takes and make you more familiar with the material.

Improvising a few bits as the character you’re playing can let you build more of a personal connection with them, as well! It can be great fun and even produce additional material you might use later – we recently did several minutes of improv for both Midnight Terry and the Edvertiser while recording Season 2 of Radio Free Taranis!

This is part of an ongoing series of articles I’m writing about our experiences of writing and performing audio dramas for the EraScapes division of Shades of Vengeance.

We’re always looking for more help, so if you’d like to get involved with our projects in some capacity, please contact us at erascapes@erascapes.com!