Introduction artwork
Mercury's Wake

Introduction

  • S1E6
  • 04:40
  • April 20th 2024

Introduction - April the full Audio Book and Ebook.

(00:00) John K. Mercury

"You want me to talk about irony? You want me to feed into some kind of fascination with other people's tragedies? You want me to paint a picture? Hell, it'll take me years to tell someone what I saw. And that would have to be someone who made me feel safe, not fucking exposed. You're all killers swear."

(00:18) I am on a journey to Mars

"I'm busting through particles, deep space feels like inverted energy. I'm travelling to Mars and I'm travelling alone. As I float in the inconceivable distance, I can still see the blue green Earth."

(00:44) Imani Cosmos

"I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry."

"You're just on the first page. That's mine, by the way. And my advice is read on. You might get hooked. That's what happened to me. Apparently, that's what happens to everyone who reads John K."

(01:03) Before Chaos

"You know what the book was? The book. The killer threw it off before he sprayed gunshot everywhere. John K. I see you're reading that book."

"John K. Yes. I give it to all my strippers. Everyone gets something from it, even if they just fell off a turnip truck." 

"John K is an artefact. I'm an anthropologist. What survives inspires me. On my way up from a dig at Chaco Canyon, I discovered a blown out Cadillac. In it was a book about an astronaut named John K. Mercury. "

"Now, as far as I know, we've yet to send a man to Mars. But the thing is, this book was a Journal about an astronaut on his first mission to Mars. Yet the book, like the car, was nearly fossilised."

"Come on. Who left that book and for what reason?"

(02:02) Vegas is for opportunists

"America started with witch on slavery, the Trail of Tears, England. Where shall I begin?"

"I guess it's encouraging that Americans send romantic connections to Indigenous people who were killed off in one manner or another by their ancestors."

(02:19) Cinematic Audio Fiction

"What do you want to hear? You saw it on TV. You want to know the difference between real life and fiction? Nothing."

"Do you think what we experienced was evil?"

(02:33) Mr Invisible

"I said something, but you didn't listen, did you? Death to the hypocrisy."

(03:00) Room Service

"This is Vegas, baby."

"I mean, everything's here."

"People are here."

"And us. We're parallel universes. One positive, one negative."

(03:22) Bozzy O'Reilly

"Imani. Would you do me a favour? Would you hold my hand just a little ways?"

(03:40) "If you knew how lucky you are, you would be more god than mortal."

"When the book John Kay hit bookstores, it was an instant bestseller. I found it on the internet like everyone else in search of answers. The book was nothing, really a sad story about a nobody named John K. Mercury on the first mission to Mars. Stupid. Right? Here's the thing. Once you read John K's story, you got lost and you didn't want to return. I loved that book." 

"Until."

"Am I in the centre of the infinite or the centre of my infinite? Do I die on this mission?"

"No."

"I Am a Motorcyclist in a hailstorm Recklessly Speeding by the Grace of a Slipstream. 

"Goddammit John K."

"Mercury's wake the Journey Continues."

Chapters, images & show notes powered by vizzy.fm.

Mercury's Wake moves from London to New York City, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Kentucky, Texas, and the Nevada Desert, oh, and Mars.

Mercury's Wake

Mercury's Wake podcast by Stephanie Vlahos is an audio drama based on the mystery novel.

A white Cadillac stands like a sentinel in the New Mexico desert. In it is a book about an astronaut on his first mission to Mars. How that book becomes a bestseller is bewildering; how it impacts those who read it is a mystery yet to be unraveled.

Before Chaos tells the story of seven strangers whose chance encounters tip their lives into unexpected directions.

"The monster emerges out of the mire, spewing grim heartbreak in a voice fractured by whiskey and cigarettes. Tragedies are all the same except, maybe, how they came to be. But no one cares about that."

Over a long weekend, strangers converge in Caesars Palace Las Vegas. Peculiar weather events, UFO sightings, paranormal experiences, and real-life tragedies (suggesting an even larger reckoning) transform ordinary people into extraordinary visionaries for they discover innate powers that touch the mind-bending unknowns in our universe while solving deeper mysteries about themselves.

Author

Stephanie Vlahos avatar
Stephanie Vlahos
Author of Mercury's Wake.

I'm a storyteller. I draw inspiration from my career journey as professional opera singer, performance artist, mentor, and writer/stage director. Arguably, the deepest impressions made along the way were the fascinating people. Mercury's Wake is a unique work in that it is “author-illustrated" with lyrics and original music. Music is my version of painting.

The Audible features freely-conceived songs in the style of cherished "standards." For me, adding music is like adding a watermark, but more importantly, if all of us have a soundtrack for our lives, why not a novel?

As a Professional Opera Singer and Actor Stephanie Vlahos was known as "The Moonlighting Diva" in Los Angeles with her Performances of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.

Working as a Writer and Director she cites meeting both Dr Seuss and Rod Serling as 'influences' from her childhood. Fast forwarding past the Twilight Zone - welcome to Mercury's Wake.

About the Author

Support Us

Where can I buy Mercury's Wake - Day One: Before Chaos?

The full book in paperback, hardback, kindle or audio book is available via Amazon.