Quirky – Page 2

Godspeed, Crazy Mike

July 16, 2022 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

Crazy Mike is dead behind the maintenance barn and the quaking bog man is missing. It’s up to detectives Gary Vandiver and Beatrice Mule to figure out what happened in this mystery set in a bog in northern Illinois.

Content Advisory: “Godspeed, Crazy Mike” deals with murder, speculation of suicide, divorce (including a custody battle), fraud, theft, tobacco and alcohol use, and Tourette syndrome (I only mention this because, if you’re like me and have Tourette syndrome, one of the character’s tics might set off some of your tics). Oh, and there is—of course—swearing. (But really: not that much this time around.)

Links mentioned in the intro:

Julia Lundman’s main website: julialundman.com
Julia Lundman’s commercial website: Julia Lundman – Commercial
James S. Baker’s website: James’s story site (but really, check out his artwork page, photos, and everything else!)

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Music licensed from Epidemic Sound.

Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund.

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Behind the Cut – Gerald’s Grail

June 11, 2022 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

Left Side of Image: a cross section of a cut tree on grass. Text over the tree rings reads "Behind the Cut - The Not About Lumberjacks Companion.

Right Side of Image: A ceramic chalice full of Dungeons and Dragons dice. Dungeons and Dragons books, maps, miniatures, and more dice are spread across a table. In the background, a glass Mountain Dew bottle. Text reads: Gerald's Grail - Commentary By: Christopher Gronlund.

At 10,308 words, “Gerald’s Grail” is the longest Not About Lumberjacks story to date! (And will likely hold the record, ’cause DANG…that was quite a thing to edit!)

I’ll let you in on a little secret: “Gerald’s Grail” could easily be a novel. (And trust me, I’ve given it some thought.) But…it’s not the only Not About Lumberjacks story I’ve considered making longer.

In this behind-the-scenes look at the latest tale, I talk about other Not About Lumberjacks stories I could turn into longer works…if I weren’t so busy working on the show.

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Gerald’s Grail

May 30, 2022 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

A faintly glowing clay chalice full of Dungeons and Dragons dice. A graph paper map and Dungeons and Dragons books are scattered around the table, along with other dice, pewter miniatures, and a glass Mountain Dew bottle.

Text: Gerald's Grail
Written and Narrated by: Christopher Gronlund

While knocking around an antique shop with his grandmother, a teenage geek finds something that changes his life in a most curious way…

Content Advisory: Bullying, violence (including passing mention of the Cambodian genocide of the 70s), teen tobacco and alcohol use, and — of course — swearing.

And if you’re so inclined, be sure to check out the Not About Lumberjacks Patreon. For as little as a dollar a month, all patron content is unlocked.

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Lupus Nocte, Rocking for Decades, Ludvig Moulin, Christopher Moe Ditvelsen, Jon Bjork, Philip Ayers, and Cercles Nouvelles, licensed from Epidemic Sound.

Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund.

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Christmas Miscellany 5

December 23, 2021 by cpgronlund Leave a Comment

Four stories, most of which take place during the holiday season…

“Stories of Fine Taste”: The stories behind two recipes (“Grandma’s Olive Loaf” – Something wicked is back in Kirkland’s Holler) and (“Fred’s English Muffin Garbage Pizzas” – A young boy finds out what’s behind a mysterious door).
“Reply All”: Cheryl’s not standing for office gossip about her and a co-worker.
“Drifted”: A character from the second Christmas episode ends up stranded on a mountain with something more naughty than him… (Listen to the last story of this episode if you need a reminder of a naughty little boy…)

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Frizz Oli, Earle Belo, Golden Fern, Howard Harper-Barnes, Martin Landström, and pär licensed from Epidemic Sound.

Story: Christopher Gronlund

Narration: Christopher Gronlund. and Cynthia Griffith.

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Behind the Cut – Milkboy

October 16, 2021 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

Left side of image: Rings of a cut tree in grass. Text on the tree rings reads: "Behind the Cut. The Not About Lumberjacks Companion."

Right side of image: A pour of milk missing a glass and splattering all about. Text: "Milkboy. Commentary by: Christopher Gronlund."

While “Milkboy” is based on a true story, it definitely ends up a work of fiction. When I started the story, I had no idea where to take it. Discovering what to do with the story led to a ridiculous and heartfelt tale of friendship that is one of my favorite stories on the site.

I talk about that — and much more — in this behind-the-scenes look at the latest episode of Not About Lumberjacks.

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Milkboy

October 2, 2021 by cpgronlund 4 Comments

Milkboy is based on a true story…

When two friends use a bulletin board system to create an online persona to tease their best friend, they get more than they have coming to them for their deception.

Content Advisory: Milkboy deals with emotional manipulation, stressful working conditions, infected food, passing mention of a grizzly death, demonic possession, and cartoonish violence. And, of course, there’s plenty of swearing. (A bit more than usual, in fact.)

Also, if you’re driving: be aware that anytime you hear characters in a vehicle after the mention of Yummy’s Greek Restaurant in Denton, Texas…there will be yelling, squealing tires, and even a collision. Really, from that point on…just expect the story to get louder and more ridiculous with each new paragraph.

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Birdies, licensed from Epidemic Sound. Hellish soundscape licensed from Michaël Ghelfi. Check out Michaels ambient compositions at his YouTube channel, website, or on Bandcamp.

Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund.

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Behind the Cut – Calling Out of Time

August 12, 2021 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

“Calling Out of Time” started with a tweet. Without a random thing I saw on Twitter, it’s unlikely this story would exist.

Ideas are everywhere if you’re open to them, but it’s not as easy as picking them out of the air — it helps to know which ideas are worth working through vs. those best ignored.

While there is an effort involved in writing any story, ideas aren’t so hard when you know the one simple test I talk about in this behind-the-scenes look at the latest Not About Lumberjacks story…

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Calling Out of Time

August 2, 2021 by cpgronlund 9 Comments

What would you do if you could call back in time and leave a message to your younger self?

When Amir discovers a phone booth that seems to magically appear on the corner in his neighborhood, he does everything he can to change the worst thing that ever happened to him and his family…

Also, I mentioned that I’d leave a link to Jennifer Moss’s novel, TOWN RED. Here it is!

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story – Gabriel Lewis, licensed from Epidemic Sound.

Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund.

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A Deathly Mistake

June 23, 2021 by cpgronlund 6 Comments

When Death mistakenly harvests the soul of the wrong John Smith, John’s life–and After Life–are forever changed.

Also, I mentioned that I’d leave a link to Jennifer Moss’s mighty novel, Town Red. Here it is!

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Credits:

Music: Theme – Ergo Phizmiz. Story/Bloopers – Jerry Lacey (Story) and Timothy Lewis (Bloopers), licensed from Epidemic Sound.

Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund.

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Behind the Cut – Christmas Miscellany 4

December 29, 2020 by cpgronlund 1 Comment

This year’s annual Christmas episode was anchored by a story based on real life. But what is “real life” when it comes to stories — even those claiming to be true? I discuss how fiction and truth have a way of coming together to create even greater truths in the process of their mingling.

Also, I chat a bit about 2021 plans for Not About Lumberjacks…

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