12+ I launched the Tall And True Short Reads storytelling podcast in September 2020 with Episode 1, Five Meet on Zoom, releasing the milestone Episode 100, Twin Souls in the Universe, during Season Four in October 2024.
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The first four seasons of the podcast featured a selection of short stories, blog posts, and other writings I've shared on Tall And True.
Most were standalone episodes, but I also released multipart episodes for longer stories and posts, such as Both Sides of the Story from Season One, Two Visits to the Berlin Wall from Season Three, and Some Things Change from Season Four.
For Season Five, I'm doing something different. I'm writing and narrating a series of interconnected short stories titled The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts.
Interconnected Stories
I learned about interconnected stories from hearing the Australian author Nick Earls on ABC Radio National's The Book Show. In a 2021 episode, he discussed his five-part interconnected novella, Empires (on Amazon), and the "interconnected novel" that inspired him, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (on Amazon). I read both books and was fascinated by the possibilities of genre.
The Gotham Writers Workshop defines the interconnected or linked stories genre as:
Stories that are complete in that each story can stand alone, but when put together, they interrelate and create a larger whole.
My multipart Both Sides of the Story fits the Gotham Writers' definition. It consists of four self-contained vignettes and a fifth piece (split into two parts for the podcast) that ties together and resolves the larger story.
Although I didn't know it then, I have shared an interconnected collection of stories on Tall And True Short Reads!
However, this will be my first conscious attempt to write interconnected short stories. It will also be my first time writing stories specifically for the podcast and not adapting them from Tall And True.
First Episode of Season Five
The first episode of Season Five's The Nine Lives of Leo Roberts, Prologue – The Clinic, will appear in your podcast feed shortly. In the meantime, search your feed or the podcast website, TallAndTrueShortReads.com, to listen to 101 episodes and Kris Kringle specials from the past four seasons.
Please follow or subscribe to Tall And True Short Reads and rate and review it via your favourite app. Doing so helps me share my storytelling with other listeners.
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In addition to listening to the podcast, you can read my short stories, blog posts, and other writings on Tall And True.
You can also buy my short story collections, including the latest, One Day in the Life of Alex's AI and Other Speculative Fiction, from the Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Kobo online bookstores.
Finally, please share the Season Five trailer with family and friends and spread the word about Tall And True Short Reads and the Tall And True writers' website.
© 2025 Robert Fairhead
N.B. You might like to read this post on the last episode of Season Four, Twin Souls in the Universe.
Robert shares his writing on Tall And True and blogs on his eponymous website, RobertFairhead.com. He also writes and narrates episodes for the Tall And True Short Reads storytelling podcast, which features his short stories, blog posts, and other writing.
Robert's book reviews and other writing have appeared in print and online media. He has published three short story collections — Both Sides of the Story (2020), Twelve Furious Months (2021) and Twelve More Furious Months (2022) —, a microfiction anthology, Tall And True Microfiction (2023), and a collection of speculative fiction, One Day in the Life of Alex's AI and Other Speculative Fiction (2024).
In addition to writing, Robert's favourite pastimes include reading, watching the Sydney Swans Aussie Rules football team with his son, and walking his dog.
He has also enjoyed a one-night stand ... as a stand-up comic.