Podcast Spotlight: Sister Zombie, A Memoir by Anna Appleby
Sister Zombie, A Memoir by Anna Applebee is an enigma of a fiction podcast. Aping old-school radio plays, the titular Applebee (performed by Angie Morency) recites her memoir over an impressive array of royalty-free songs. The memoir, at least as presented in the first of the show’s 47 chapters, sets up Applebee as a prose-obsessed figure with the flowery verbosity of a Victorian novelist. Also she’s a zombie… I think. Each of my three re-listens of the pilot left me second-guessing my interpretation of Applebee’s Dickensian verbal wandering when discussing her “current, horrible state.” Had the title of the show not contained the z-word I might not have perceived this as anything remotely supernatural to begin with, instead thinking it possibly a particularly wordy commentary on mental health.
The sole link plugged in the show proper leads to a fun early-2000s-styled website designed to give credits for the many royalty-free songs used. Most strange, and notable in its absence, Sister Zombie has no description, nor any transcripts. It feels like a TV series dropped on Netflix with no summary, poster, or trailer to indicate what the show actually is. Nothing that can’t be changed after the fact, but still odd.
We were fortunate to talk with Harold Brodie and Angie Morency about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.
DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?
BRODIE: Sister Zombie is my first and only podcast. The idea to make a podcast originated after the Sister Zombie manuscript was already finished. It occurred to me that Anna’s way of speaking was well-suited to a spoken-word medium. It had a certain style and drama to it. A singular voice, if you will. A more mundane reason for making the podcast was the pandemic. Like many, I became unemployed in April 2020. I then came up with this idea, had the time, so said to myself, why not.
MORENCY: I have been acting pretty much my whole life, I went to school in NY for theater and film. After my son was born, I started getting into voice over. I’ve done various voice over projects but I really enjoy doing audiobooks. That has also led me to starting my own podcast called Angie’s Cozy Corner, where I read short stories and poems that are
in the public domain. I auditioned for Harold’s audio drama and was lucky to get involved with the Sister Zombie podcast.
DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Sister Zombie, A Memoir by Anna Appleby?
BRODIE: It’s like a dark bedtime story for adults. I love the idea of the old fashioned radio-play. It can guide listeners through a world of their own imaginations. Sister Zombie plays on a few levels that I think listeners will enjoy. It’s a tale of psychological horror. It’s a coming-of-age drama. It has darkly comedic and satiric elements. It explores the very nature of human identity. It’s a story told in a singular voice, Anna’s, who has literary aspirations, and sees the world in her own unique way. We also tried to make it a pleasant listen, in that the cadences flow rhythmically, and the music is always there, lifting and guiding and augmenting where appropriate. I think there’s a lot going on, and it will reward repeat listens.
MORENCY: Sister Zombie is such a unique story. I am usually really good about guessing what is going to happen in a story but every time I thought I knew what was going to happen in SZ, I was completely wrong. Harold has created a beautiful, entertaining and hilarious story that is not your typical zombie story.
DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?
BRODIE: This is a brand new podcast, so I can’t really answer this yet. My mom really likes it though.
MORENCY: The people who I know who have started listening to it say it’s funny, very suspenseful and the characters are well developed. The sounds and music have really added to the emotions of the story and you feel what the characters are feeling.
DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?
BRODIE: For post-production, I used Avid Media Composer. I’m an editor and have been using Avid for over twenty years, so that was the natural choice, mostly because I could work quickly, which is a big consideration with this sort of volume of material. I didn’t apply EQ or compression or any other effects (besides fades) to either the voice or the music (except for one scene, where Anna was speaking to a crowded gymnasium, I added echo/ambience to her voice there). I wanted it to sound as dynamic and natural as possible. I left a lot of breaths in Angie’s voice, for example, because it felt real and intimate to do so. It took some time in mixing to get the levels to a reasonable point, only because my skills in that area are limited, so several passes were made.
MORENCY: Half of a closet has been turned into my recording studio, lol. My husband lined it with acoustic foam and I am able to comfortably sit or stand in it. I use a Rode microphone, a Steinberg UR22 audio interface and I use TwistedWave as my recording software.
DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?
BRODIE: By far the biggest challenge is right now, right after the podcast has been released. How does one get listeners? Well, that’s the reason I’m here now, answering your questions. I’m not a natural salesman, nor do I have a social media presence, so I just keep plugging away each day, trying to get it out to people any way I can find.
MORENCY: Definitely getting the word out. There are so many podcasts out there and a lot of them have big names and good support behind them, so trying to get your name in that group is a challenge. Also, I would love to have more time to devote to recording, but I also work full time, so I don’t get to put as much time towards it as I would like to.
DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?
BRODIE: To the moon, baby.
MORENCY: I would just love to see it take off and become something people recommend and talk about. Harold created such a fantastic story, I would love to see it get a big following. It would be really cool to go to cons as well to talk about our podcast.
DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?
BRODIE: Right now I’m busy on a new writing project, so all my free time is concentrated on that.
MORENCY: Honestly I am listening to Sister Zombie, lol. It’s really great just sitting back and getting to enjoy it as a listener. I had so much fun recording it, but now it’s a whole new journey. When I am not listening to SZ though, I really love listening to Scott Sigler. He was one of the first podcasters out there in the world and his stories got me hooked on podcasts. I also really love The Leviathan Chronicles by Christof Laputka and Thrilling Adventure Hour by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker. Obviously I lean toward story based podcasts.
DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?
BRODIE: A few times in the production of this podcast, I thought we were making what I coined an “anthem for the introverted.” So there’s that. Angie Morency deserves to be a star, she has mad voice talent and I hope the podcast succeeds just to boost her career. Also, I’d like to mention the many composers who contributed to the podcast, somewhere over fifty in number. I encourage people to go to
SisterZombieSounds.info to check out their amazing work. And, as the website says, this podcast is best enjoyed in a quiet, safe place with good headphones.
MORENCY: I really do think people will love this story as much as I do. It is so well written and I love how Harold added music and sound to it, you really get sucked into the story. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!
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