Sinister Minutes

S3 E2 Promo

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:15:00 GMT

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She Takes Your Voice First - Ruined Abbey

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:15:00 GMT

Today's story, She Takes Your Voice First, is all about the great outdoors. Four guys, four kids, and a canoe. What could possibly go wrong? Was 'pretty much everything" one of the possible answers? After that adventure, Tim takes us on a different kind of excursion to a very special "Ruined Abbey"

Today's guest author, Nicholas Kellogg weaves chilling tales from his home in Connecticut, where he lives with his partner and balances fatherhood, with two toddlers under five and a full-time job. Early morning prior to work, he creates nightmares while many are still having them. Drawing inspiration from the eerie realities of everyday life while exploring the darkness beneath the ordinary. Nicholas will soon be publishing his debut novel: Green, with Wicked Tales, an imprint of DAOwen Publications.

Image by Tapani Hellman from Pixabay

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Truth and Consequences - Eldritch Spinach

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:45:55 GMT

Truth and Consequences is all about a worker who only thinks he's had a horrendous day. But as anyone who's ever had a bad day at work knows only too well, things can always get...far worse. After that adventure, Tim takes us on a culinary adventure with a delightful helping of Eldritch Spinach.

Image by Jean-Louis SERVAIS from Pixabay

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Fear - Hide!

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:15:00 GMT

Fear, culled from the very first issue of Weird Tales magazine, released in March of 1923. How will you react when faced with your greatest fear? Will you freeze in place? Will you run? Or will you face it head on, with the certainty that either the thing you fear or your fear itself will consume you?

If you need an alternative solution to facing your fear, Tim has a suggestion, with a piece called "Hide!"

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Letters to a Recluse Playwright - Something Under

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:15:00 GMT

A theater experience that pulls ever so gently at the fragile strings that hold our minds a hair's breath away from utter insanity. What if the play itself was enough to cause something to happen, if the words spoken upon the stage invoked something dark and ancient. Later, Tim takes us down a dark and twisty path to show us "Something Under."

Recluse Playwright comes to us from guest author William Edwin Cherico, a writer and filmmaker from Connecticut. He's been a lifelong fan of the works of HP Lovecraft and loves to get scared. He can be found at @WillChericoWrites on Instagram and @willcherico.bsky.social on Bluesky, and his own website at https://sites.google.com/view/william-edwin-cherico-writing/home?authuser=0

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Funny Forest Friends - Don't Look

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:15:00 GMT

Today's story is all about television, and takes place during its heyday, a time when most people only had three or four channels to pick from. So pull up a spot on the carpet close to the set, grab a bowl of sugary-sweet cereal, and let's go watch Funny Forest Friends!

Our tale comes to us from guest author Nathan Poole Shannon, who's an emerging writer of the strange and macabre... like water or ghosts he is slowly carving out his way in fiction. You can find him on Facebook as Nathan Poole Shannon, Author, and follow the eerie journey as it progresses!

Then, it's time for "Don't Look," in which Tim takes you on a journey for which you're sure to want to keep your eyes open...

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The Well - Night Terrors

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:15:00 GMT

In "The Well," there's some really weird shit going on. Over there. Just beyond the edge of town. Might better tell the sheriff. Or maybe not.

Then, just when you thought it was safe to go to sleep, Tim's blasting us with Night Terrors.

"The Well" was written by E.B. Sommer, whose work has been featured in The Daily Tomorrow, Manawaker Flash Fiction Podcast, and The Stygian Zine. She is an Associate Member of SFWA and can be found at www.ebsommer.com

Cover art based on an image by Volker Glätsch from Pixabay

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Directions - It Came From the Box

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Directions is all about the ways we get from point A to point B, and how much we rely on our phones to get us there in the most efficient way.

After getting lost in the narrative, Tim leads us down a dark path with a piece he calls It Came From the Box.

Graphic based on an image by Jiří Groh from Pixabay

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Open Market - The Box

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:15:00 GMT

In the strongest communities, each of us pitch in and do what's best for one another. Sometimes that requires a little sacrifice. Sometimes the sacrifice isn't so little. Open Market was written by guest author Brett R. Scott, who workshops their stories on Reddit, under the name Miss Mnemosyne.

Then it's time for Tim to take us down a dark, chill set of basement stairs and lock us away in a piece he calls The Box.

Cover art adapted from an original image by Michael Kauer from Pixabay

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The Mother - Midnight Ripples

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Guest author Harvey Carnell provides a tale of a modern family called "The Mother." How DO we get into that attic? And just how reliable is our narrator?

After that, Tim provides some dark chill with a piece called Midnight Ripples.

Harley Carnell lives and writes in London. His Pushcart-nominated fiction appears in Penumbra, the NoSleep Podcast, Bards & Sages, and Riptide Journal, among others. His non-fiction appears in Gamut, Aurealis and the Lovecraft Annual. Find him at https://www.harleycarnell.com

Image by Kathrin from Pixabay

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Marked Ch 1 - Cortege

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 14:15:00 GMT

A guy who decides to make a deal with a demon...as part of his plan to increase the traffic on his channel. Chapter 1 of Marked.

Then, a musical interlude from Mr. Parker, with a seven fugue piece called Cortege.

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Dagon - Festering Fingers

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Our favorite old xenophobe, Howard Philips Lovecraft. A musical piece called Festering Fingers wriggling its way into your track-or-treat bag. Plus a couple of short-shorts inappropriate for even a purple people eater.

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Duet - The Knife

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Duet - a fairy tale about a princess and the musical challenges she's willing to tackle to meet her prince. Then, a composition that cuts right to the bone - The Knife.

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Both of Us - Poppet - Pandemonium 4

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Both of Us, by Zachary Reisch, features a woman whose inherited illness causes her romantic relationships to come with a painful price. In Poppet, a bayou witch is hired to craft a voodoo doll...of a creature most certainly not human. Finally, Tim's gearing up to blow us all away with a piece of sinister music he calls Pandemonium 4.

Zachary Dein Reisch writes speculative fiction in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cover art based on an image by 💚🌺💚Nowaja💚🌺💚 from Pixabay

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Smoke + Coffee - Undertow

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:15:00 GMT

A strange bar, stranger patrons, and a band that's ready to play all night, whether anyone wants them to or not. Then, dip your toe in the dark swirling waters of Tim's musical madness.

Smoke + Coffee was written by Glenn Dungan, who is currently based in Brooklyn—where he exists within a Venn-diagram of urban design, sociology, and good stories. When not obsessing about one of those three, he can be found at a park drinking black coffee and listening to podcasts about murder. For more of his work, see his website: whereisglennnow.com.

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Killing Spree - Cellar Door

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:30:00 GMT

A '70s metal band plays their killer hit single - right up until the incident that leads to their premature and abrupt end. Then Tim cracks open the Cellar Door - do you dare listen to what's down there?

Guest author John Kuyat is a NYC-based horror and speculative fiction writer. His work has appeared in Horror Tree's Trembling With Fear, Graveside Press's Howl: A Shapeshifting Anthology, Dug Up Magazine, and Flash Phantoms. You can find him on Instagram at @john.docx.

Image by microart1 from Pixabay

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The Monkey's Paw - Cryptic Transmission

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:15:00 GMT

The storytelling world is filled with wishes that suck, and today's tale is no different. Then, a journey into sound.

Image by Rolf Dobberstein from Pixabay

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Eraser - Sonic Chlithonic

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 13:15:00 GMT

If there was a way to remove yourself from everything, to erase it all, would you do it? Then a little eldritch jam with Tim's Sonic Chlithonic.

Image by Eden Moon from Pixabay

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Aunt Clytie's Canning Jars - Ectoplasm III

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Guest author K.G. McAbee serves up a tasty treat, a meal she calls Aunt Clytie’s Canning Jars. Then it's time to clean up a sticky mess with Tim's Ectoplasm III.

K.G. McAbee is multi-published in a variety of genres, but she especially loves horror, no doubt due to her early passion for Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee. She lives in a haunted log cabin in upstate South Carolina and spends too much time reading and drinking iced tea when she really should be writing. Her latest novella is called HELL BELOW ZERO, which may or may not be an homage to John W. Campbell’s WHO GOES THERE. Visit her at https://reamsofdreams.substack.com/ or https://linktr.ee/kgmwriter for more information.

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Waiting Room - Tone Poem: It Bites

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 13:15:00 GMT

A corridor filled with machines that gurgle for no apparent reason, smells of alcohol and bodily fluids, and the most unflattering garb anyone could ever have envisioned. It's time for your annual checkup, if you survive the "Waiting Room."

After your checkup, Tim's got something to send you right back to the doctor, a piece he calls Tone Poem: It Bites.

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Tell-Tale Heart - Conqueror Worm - Mummy Dust

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Edgar Allen Poe continues to amaze us in how well he captures descent into madness, from the point-of-view of the one descending. If The Tell-Tale Heart doesn't bring you to the edge, perhaps the bleak view of the Conqueror Worm will. Tim rounds us out with a fresh sprinkling of Mummy Dust.

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Fairy Godmother - Perilous Parking - Was that a Creak on the Staircase?

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:15:00 GMT

A child waits for someone special in a hospital hallway that gathers the fewest visitors. Then, it's haunted house season and the kids have decided to check out the newest attraction. Finally, if you're alone in the house and hear a strange noise, Tim will put your mind at ease with his latest.

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

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Sinister Minutes Live!

Fri, 30 May 2025 13:15:43 GMT

A collection sinister stories, pernicious poetry, and macabre music captured live at Black Masquerade (Nov 2024) and Mayfaire (May 2025). Includes (in order):

Dryad

Counting Birds

Funereal

The Poet

Ode to a Mosquito

Octopus, Cow, or Duck

Gerbil

Flash Funeral

MidSummer

Numbers

Let it All Burn

Remember

Dark Reflection

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Best Served Cold - Tempus Fugit - Mouse - Eldritch Porridge

Fri, 16 May 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Revenge is a dish best served...by a excellent chef. A rodent makes a dapper first impression. A prison break. And musical porridge unlike anything you've sampled before.

Poetry, artwork, and more from guest author Branwen Drew can be found at https://branwendrew.substack.com/p/links

Image by Dieter from Pixabay

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Blood on the Keys - Insidious Mistress

Fri, 02 May 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

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Elmo the Ghost Cat - Nightmare III

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:15:00 GMT

A bad-ass feline, faithful to his pet human for the duration of a life well lived—and then well beyond. Plus fodder for a night of insomnia with "Nightmare III"

Elmo the Ghost Cat by guest author Ashtar Deza

Image by Birgit from Pixabay

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Close to the Bone - The Empty Crypt

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:15:00 GMT

Witchcraft, conjuring demons, desecration of the dead, murder, revenge, and the wonderful world of maceration. Plus today's disturbing musical interlude, "The Empty Crypt."

Image by Bernhard Renner from Pixabay

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Heart of Fire - Graveyard Procession

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 13:15:00 GMT

How should you react if you wake to find a giant dragon cramped into your room, unable to stretch without sinking its talons into everything, unable to yawn without incinerating the entire building?

After today's story, new music called "Graveyard Procession."

Image by Curious Hunter from Pixabay

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Going Home - Eldritch

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:15:00 GMT

How far would you go to help a friend discover the true meaning of life?

If the story doesn't leave you unsettled, the music just might.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

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The Boarded Window - An Inhabitant of Carcosa - Pandemonium 3

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Two tales today from a master of short horror fiction, none other than Ambrose Bierce:The Boarded Window delves into death on the frontier, and An Inhabitant of Carcosa covers the aftermath of a nasty illness. Then stick around for some new music from the maestro, a piece called "Pandemonium 3."

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Golden Apples - Selkie - The Gorgon - It's Getting Closer

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Three tales today! Golden Apples, about a Norse goddess with some tasty recipes. Selkie crosses the North Sea to a remote point in Scotland: try the haggis! The Gorgon takes a familiar tale and sets it firmly on...er...its head. Clsing out the show, new music from Tim called It's Getting Closer.

Art by Mert Özbağdat from Pixabay

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A Need for Disorder - Midnight Visit

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:15:00 GMT

Guest author Maurice Forrester steps up, rolls the bones and throws us a tale called A Need for Disorder. After the story, stick around for new music from Tim, "Midnight Visit."

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Life Coach - Shake My Bones

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 14:00:00 GMT

A tribute to all those people who fill our lives with feel-good, empty platitudes. Plus a track from the maestro with a more industrial grind.

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Hell of a Holiday - Lady in White

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:15:12 GMT

A Sinister Minutes tribute to the season and all its wrappings, brought to you by the very corporations who profit from every aspect of human endeavor, from cradle to grave, ready to dispense joy and misery. Plus "Lady in White," lovely disturbing music from the maestro. Happy holidays!

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Box of Hope - Delightfully Intense - Why is the Cellar Door Open?

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:15:29 GMT

Bridging the gap between holiday sentiment and Friday the 13th horror with a bit of unboxing: In A Box of Hope, a woman considers the thrill of December bridge jumping. In Delightfully intense, a young lad is left in charge of a very important opening. Finally, Tim's added a horrifyingly lovely musical composition called "Why is the Cellar Door Open?" that might just make you think about the boxes you've got stored down there in the dark.

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Can't Leave Without You - Under the Bed

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 13:30:17 GMT

A heartwarming, coming-of-age story about a young woman who just wants to do her own thing. Plus a disturbing piece of music that will leave you looking "Under the bed."

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Thicker than Water - Room for a New Tombstone

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:15:00 GMT

A story for everyone who's ever had to return to roots they thought they'd forever banished from their hearts and minds, plus a sinister musical foray called "Room for a New Tombstone."

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The Hum - Nobody's Bones

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 13:15:42 GMT

The first reports of the phenomenon known as "the hum" began to appear back in the 1970's. Fifty years later, all we can agree on is that it exists, and only some people hear it. Here's our Sinister Minutes take on things, and then a tone poem from Tim that you should all take a minute to listen to.

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A Carafe of Cabernet - Dead Gentleman Caller

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:15:06 GMT

Guest author Kerrie Strong provides us with a delightfully spooky vintage, a modern take on a Poe classic. Plus a musical interlude from Tim to bring us ever closer to Halloween.

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The Cask of Amontillado - Dark Flight

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 13:15:33 GMT

Fortunato, renowned wine expert, called upon to offer his esteemed opinion on a very special vintage. Plus a delightful musical interlude to set the October season.

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Camp Howard - Goblin Feast

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:15:16 GMT

It was supposed to be a quiet, pleasant vacation at the cabin...until the neighbors started chanting and the lake began to boil.

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The Music of Erich Zann

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:15:43 GMT

What drives the old man to compose the unsettling music that he does? Why is he so secretive about his work? And what horrific sights might be seen through his window?

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Homecoming - Cold Hard Cache

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:15:55 GMT

Romance blooms amongst high schoolers in a tale called "Homecoming." It's a tale of patience, of waiting a whole year for just the right moment.

Then it's on to dating in the modern world with a story called "Cold Hard Cache." Taking a date to dinner and a movie is so 20th century. Nowadays, there's ample opportunity to take a prospective partner exploring through all sorts of hidden places: some of them way out in the wide open spaces, others buried deep inside.

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Changeling - Sleep - Pretty Bullet - Shadow People

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:15:20 GMT

A whole bunch of goodies await in this episode!

We kick off with the Changeling, bringing up ancient folktales about the Fey and what it's like to deal with them.

Moving on from that, our brains need sleep in order to recharge and reboot. The story Sleep is all about the kinds of things that might happen when insomnia wins the battle.

Pretty Bullet, the third tale, is a story of rapid-fire enlightenment: who has time for a lifetime of learning?

Shadow People is a musical closing, a little something to keeps the mood going well after the podcast has ended.

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Bayou Gold

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:15:01 GMT

Pirate legends. Bourbon Street. Treasure maps. Welcome to New Orleans, home to good food, an endless party, and an underworld that sets its own rules.

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The Tyburn Jig

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 13:15:14 GMT

A last dance in which everyone gets to kick up their heels. No formal attire required, we'll provide some very special neckties for everyone. They're quite adjustable, so one size fits all.

Originally presented live as part of the Holland Patent Mayfaire on May 18, 2024.

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Beautiful - Part 3 of 3

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:15:43 GMT

A young woman bargains with a Norse goddess - and gets what she asks for. Or does she?

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Beautiful - Part 2 of 3

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:15:46 GMT

A young woman bargains with a Norse goddess - and gets what she asks for. Or does she?

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Beautiful - Part 1 of 3

Fri, 31 May 2024 13:15:06 GMT

A young woman bargains with a Norse goddess - and gets what she asks for. Or does she?

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Mothers Day - Mamas Boy - The Visit

Tue, 21 May 2024 18:48:54 GMT

A Sinister Minutes dedication to the season of Mother's Day

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Akamana - The Watch

Fri, 03 May 2024 13:15:12 GMT

Technology running amok. We're reviewing the latest and greatest app, all set to plug directly into your brain. Following that, we'll look at a group called the Watch, performing their own very special brand of public service. As always, sit back, get comfortable, and as you listen, please remind yourself that we are NOT okay.

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Deathbed

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:15:59 GMT

Who do you trust enough to pull the plug?

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The Thing - Roses - The Consultant

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 13:17:13 GMT

Three dark tales of very different women: one whose maternal instincts are awakened in an unexpected way, one whose romance has been spurned, and one whose dedication to her career goes well beyond. Sit back, get comfortable, and as you listen, please remind yourself that we are NOT okay.

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Firebug

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:18:09 GMT

When the flames begin to play their song, will you join the dance?

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