The Big Red Balloon Podcast was launched in January 2026. My goal was simple: publish one new adventure story for young listeners (10+) every month.
So far, I’ve managed it.
Now, with seven stories live, I thought I’d look back on the journey so far and share a few behind-the-scenes insights for curious listeners, readers, and friends.
Where to Listen
The Big Red Balloon Podcast is available on:
Why Did I Start the Podcast?
Well, I have written many short stories over the years. Some have been published; others have never made it out into the world. I wanted to share a collection of my stories and also try my hand at narration.
I was curious: could I read my own stories in a way that young people would enjoy listening to?
There was another reason too.
The Dragon Odyssey
I was also thinking about a larger project: a novel currently in progress. If the short stories could find an audience, perhaps the novel could too, with each chapter eventually becoming a podcast episode.
Many of the podcast stories are set in the same fantasy world as that novel, The Dragon Odyssey. Several familiar characters appear across both projects, including Edi, Boy, and Jark.
The world itself is called Felgistor, an oceanic planet of dragons, ice giants, wilderness, and scattered settlements stretched around a great ring of mountains. It is a dangerous place, and many of its people spend their lives travelling ever west in service to the empire.
If you’re new to the podcast, you’ll find a mixture of fantasy adventures, humour, mystery, dragons, zombies, pedal trains, hot air balloons, and the occasional talking dog.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The novel is planned for 2027. For now, let’s focus on the podcast stories released so far.
Zombie Island
The Blurb
When two young adventurers seek food and shelter in a snow-covered village in the middle of a mountain lake, it appears the village is abandoned. Or is it? Find out what happens when Edi and Boy discover that if the zombies catch them, they might become the next meal on the menu!
The Opening
Edi came across Boy rolled up in a short length of carpet by the lake shore. His curly black hair sprouted from one end of the carpet. His feet—one in a green sock; the other, in brown—stuck out from the other end. His leather boots were strewn nearby. He was snoring. It was early morning. Snow was falling. It blanketed the woods and closed the mountain pass to the plains below.
Edi shivered in her hooded cloak and circled him cautiously, holding out her wooden staff. “Hello?” she said.
Boy kept snoring.
She prodded him with her staff. “Wake up!”
Boy stopped snoring. He poked his head out and looked up at her, his brown eyes blinking. “Er…who are you?”
She nodded toward the lake, where a short pier held a rowboat. “That yours?”
He unrolled his carpet cocoon—royal red with a green-eyed dragon motif—stood up and looked. “I got here last night. Didn’t even see it.”
Author Insights
Edi is actually Edith, a princess and rightful heir to the throne of the Dragon Empire. She appears again in a later podcast story, Something About Edi, and is also one of the main characters in The Dragon Odyssey (planned for 2027).
Boy, meanwhile, is an orphan searching for clues about his identity. Pairing these two unlikely travelling companions together was great fun. Edi is practical and determined; Boy is curious, impulsive, and often a little bewildered by the world around him.
Writing this story was exciting. Zombies, after all, are both scary and fun.
The Aeronaut
The Blurb
A daring hot air balloon adventure where apprentice aeronaut Elfi must face not only her fear of heights but also a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Can she help Master Aeronaut Erlan Arkingskor ward off the dragon, or will they go down in a ball of flames? Listen in to find out!
The Opening
I have never flown in a hot air balloon before, never even dreamed of it. And as for becoming an aeronaut—spending my days flying from village to village around Felgistor to deliver the Royal Airmail—well I would have thought that utterly ridiculous. For one thing, I’m scared of heights. Not that I’ll ever admit it. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a coward. But it’s a bit late now.
“Elfi!” Master Aeronaut Erlan Arkingskor yells above the roar of our balloon’s burner. “Another flower!”
“Another?” My stomach churns with every sway of our balloon high above the autumn-coloured treetops “Hurry now! We’re drifting too far north.”
Author Insights
Like Elfi, I have never flown in a hot air balloon. It must be exhilarating. One day I’d love to try it.
I’ve always imagined what it would be like to float over forests and mountains, watching the world drift by beneath you. Of course, unlike Elfi, I’m reasonably happy keeping both feet on the ground.
The Aeronaut was first published in The School Magazine (Australia), Touchdown imprint, in July 2023.
Calypso
The Blurb
On the longest wave of the Bay of Dreams, a young sailing apprentice tastes freedom and meets a girl who feels like a myth come to life. Calypso is a story of thundering surf and twin moons, first love, a hint of magic, and the moments that stay with us long after the tide has turned.
The Opening
A sparkling blue wall of water—taller than the lighthouse on the bay’s rocky western point—glided silently across the ocean and lifted the surfboat high.
Passengers gripped their chairs along the wooden deck. Some whooped and cheered. Others shrieked as the boat climbed the wave’s steep face.
“Down sails!” Captain Zakaretti—all dreadlocks and bushy beard—hollered as he gripped the tiller at the stern.
“Down sails!” Jark called back. The surfboat tilted almost vertical—a dizzying drop toward the wave’s belly. He held firm in his dragon-leather sandals and winched the sail. It folded neatly down on itself as the wave’s foaming lip scooped up the boat and sent it surfing down its face.
“And we’re away!” the captain cried above the thundering surf.
The passengers cheered as the boat sped along.
Author Insights
When I was young, I used to go surfing. I wasn’t very good at it, but I still remember the first time I got to my feet and rode a wave. Unforgettable.
Looking back, Calypso was almost certainly inspired by those days. The feeling of catching a wave, however briefly, feels a little like flying.
The main character, Jark, is one of several podcast characters whose story continues in The Dragon Odyssey.
Doctor Dog
The Blurb
Ever wondered what would happen if our pets took over the world’s most important jobs?
In this wonderfully strange and humorous tale, our young hero visits the doctor… only to discover he’s a dog! What follows is a hilarious short story with a surprising twist.
The Opening
Grandma once told me not to stare.
“It’s impolite,” she explained. I couldn’t have been much older than six or seven at the time. The woman at the bakery had just dyed her hair emerald green. It was impossible not to gape at the top of her head, which looked to me like the farthest and strangest reaches of an enchanted forest.
But that was not half so astonishing as what I now set eyes upon. I had just been called into the doctor’s examination room. Dressed in a white medical coat, with a stethoscope around his neck, the doctor was a dog! A very large bulldog with baggy jowls, a snaggle-toothed underbite, and a deeply wrinkled forehead. He was seated behind his desk and appeared to be reading my medical records when I came in. He ushered with his paw for me to take a seat on the other side of his desk.
Numb with shock, I sat.
Author Insights
I have already written about this rather silly story. You can read more about it here.
The inspiration came from me wondering about falling birth rates and what seems to be an ever-growing number of pet owners. It sometimes feels as though dogs and cats are becoming more important members of the family than ever before.
Of course, there is also the eternal divide between dog lovers and cat lovers. Having written a story about a very unusual dog, perhaps one day I’ll have to write a similar story featuring a particularly clever cat.
Learning to Fly
The Blurb
On a remote island at summer’s end, Jark spends his days dreaming of the sea and of escaping the island. When he meets an apprentice sorcerer named April Weathers, he thinks his chance has finally come. But Jark isn’t the only one who wants to take to the skies. His fierce beach rival, Indigo, has plans of her own, and April is about to teach them both that “learning to fly” isn’t exactly what they expected.
The Opening
With her purple sorcerer’s cloak flapping in the breeze, April Weathers arrived by boat at the end of my first summer on the island. I watched her step down the gangplank, her wooden staff in hand, a slender wrist adorned with clanging silver bangles, frizzy ginger hair with a seagull’s feather stuck in it, and a pale look on her freckled face.
I had heard about sorcerers and their powers. They could do anything! So when she stepped onto the pier, looking far more giddy than magical, I saw my chance to escape the island: she could teach me to fly.
Author Insights
This story steps back a few years in the life of Jark, the hero of Calypso.
When I was a little boy, I had a recurring dream about flying. I held a stick above my head in both hands and, when I did, I rose into the sky… just like April Weathers.
It was, of course, a beautiful dream. Looking back, it probably planted the seed for this story. So it’s fair to say that Learning to Fly was almost fifty years in the making!
The Paper Cowboys
The Blurb
Our story takes us to a winter music festival in Victor Harbor, where one small band gets the chance of a lifetime. Just one song on stage.
But when their signature paper cowboy hats go up in flames, everything starts to fall apart.
Can AJ find the courage to step into the spotlight without them?
This is a story about friendship, fear, and discovering that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply show up.
The Opening
On the night of the Victor Harbor winter music festival, a bonfire blazes not far from the outdoor stage in the recreation reserve. Its flames twirl high into the drizzly darkness, and we all huddle close for warmth. I sit well back from the firelight, comfortably unseen, gazing into the flickering orange glow, not quite believing our luck: The Paper Cowboy Hats have won a lucky draw to play. It’s just one song.
Ashley, Lainey, and I wrote the song “White Horses” ourselves. It’s pretty good. But my stomach tightens when I see the whole town rolling up in raincoats, blankets, and umbrellas to watch us play. All those people staring up at me. The bright glare of the spotlight.
The flames blaze in Ashley’s eyes when she stands up among the other youth musicians waiting by the bonfire. I don’t recognise what she’s holding until it’s too late: our paper cowboy hats.
“Burn!” she says, and tosses them into the fire.
Author Insights
I grew up playing the guitar and, for a while, was part of the school band. We played at a few events and, looking back, I loved every minute of it.
A few years ago, I wrote a novel manuscript called Woodfish. It follows a young indie folk band living in the same town as the characters in this story. The manuscript hasn’t yet found its place in the world, but I still believe its time will come.
In the meantime, I get to share The Paper Cowboys with you.
I also wrote a theme song for this story and recorded it with Sarah, a young narrator featured in the podcast episode. Here’s the song on Instagram.
Something About Edi
The Blurb
When spring finally arrives, Edi leaves a mountain village aboard the Felgistor Pedal Train, determined to build a new life far from the throne she abandoned. Disguised as a boy and hiding a dangerous secret, she soon discovers that courage, kindness, and a sharp eye with a bow can change the course of an adventure.
The Opening
All winter, Edi had been holed up in the mountain village, waiting for the snow and ice to melt.
The long months of boredom held few highlights—an occasional fierce snowstorm and one failed attack by ice giants thumping against the village walls.
The crackling hearth at the village inn had kept her warm. Archers in the towers—and the village dragon—swiftly fended off the ice giants with arrows and fireballs.
Now, with the spring thaw, the Felgistor Pedal Train had finally arrived. Seats were ready to carry eager passengers down to the coast.
“I’ve got strong legs,” Edi told the locomotive master, hoping to secure a place even though her pockets were empty. “And I’m good with weapons.”
Author Insights
Edi is Princess Edith. She also appears in Zombie Island and is one of the main characters in The Dragon Odyssey (planned for 2027).
She’s tough, courageous, determined, and fiercely independent. Of all the characters I’ve written, Edi may be the one I admire most.
There’s also a pedal train in this story. I love the idea of people riding a train powered entirely by their own effort—rolling easily down mountains and hills, then huffing and puffing their way back up the other side. What a way to keep fit!
Looking Back
So there you have it: the first seven stories on The Big Red Balloon Podcast, along with a few behind-the-scenes insights into where they came from.
One thing I’ve learned is that podcasting involves far more than simply writing a story and pressing “record”. Narration, editing, sound effects, music, publishing, and promotion all come with their own learning curve. Fortunately, that’s part of the fun.
More stories are on the way, and beyond them waits The Dragon Odyssey, the larger adventure that first inspired this project. But that’s a story for another day.
For now, thank you for reading. If you have your own podcasting, writing, or storytelling experiences to share, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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