Audio Engineer and Horror Writer

Marisa. She/they. Audio engineer for podcasts/audio dramas, video games, and film. Owner of audio post-production studio Hemlock Creek Productions @hemcreekprod. Creator of horror audio drama "Liars & Leeches" @liarsandleechespod Past Projects: Last of Us Part 1, Dark Dice, The Chaos Protocol to name a few. Big horror fan.

[liarsandleechespod]

Looking for your next horror audio drama?

Welcome to "Liars & Leeches," an immersive, full cast, supernatural horror audio drama. The first original audio drama from Hemlock Creek Productions (@hemcreekprod), “Liars & Leeches” delves deep into the complicated horrors of grief, trauma, resilience, and steadfast human determination to uncover the truth.

Grief. Anxiety. Terror. Tonya Wright felt it all after the tragic murders of her sister and brother-in-law in a random act of gun violence. Struggling to travel outside of her home, she now lives constantly on edge about perceived threats that seem to surround her. Retreating to the house her sister and brother-in-law once shared to process her grief, Tonya soon discovers that someone — or something — has followed her there. With the help of her best friend Natalie, and others she meets along the way, can Tonya overcome her fears before they completely consume her?

You might enjoy "Liars & Leeches" if you like:

Psychological and supernatural horror like Stephen King's "The Outsider"

A creeping sense of dread or a feeling of something being "off" like "Get Out."

Tension building through sound design, especially in quiet moments like "A Quiet Place" (which was a massive source of sonic inspiration for the show)

Audio dramas such as "Dark Dice," "Dark Sanctum," "Maxine Miles," "Aftershock," "Transplanar RPG," and "Connections," as Hemlock Creek Productions assisted with audio editing for all of them.

Soundtracks like those from "Yellowjackets," "Smile," "Chernobyl," "Broadchurch," and "The Rising," all of which were used as inspirations for the music in "Liars & Leeches."

Some other facts about the show:

Season 1 is complete with a run time a little over four hours. Season 2 is currently in pre-production.

We have transcripts available for every episode of the show, as well as video versions of each episode on YouTube that are fully subtitled.

We have won awards for best horror/thriller podcast, best podcast, and best leading performance in an audio drama. We have also been nominated for additional awards including best director, best sound design (action), best supporting performance in an audio drama, and best music/score (podcast).

We have "Liars & Leeches" merch available on Streamlabs, as well as the soundtrack from season 1 available on Bandcamp.

If you're interested in listening to "Liars & Leeches," you can find us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you do listen, feel free to toss us a review there, or on Podchaser, and let us know what you think!

Don't be afraid, just have a taste.

[the-sassy-composer]

I'm very excited about the work happening with season 2 right now. If you haven't listened to Liars & Leeches season 1, now's the time, as we have some exciting announcements coming up soon.

[skyberia]

[transgender-colon-three]

[fictionfrequency1]

Audio drama fans, how many fiction podcasts have you listened to?

1-5

5-10

10-20

20-30

30-40

40-50

50-60

60-70

70-80

80-90

90+

See results

Voting ended onApr 17

This is Not a gatekeeping thing, you can love one podcast and be a podcast fan. I’m just very curious.

[mechadova-pod]

Have you had the chance to watch the pitch video for our Queer Steampunk Audio Drama?

Listen to @lumoakes pitching the crowdfunder followed by our trailer!

Check out our Kickstarter!

Transcript under the cut (or captions in the trailer-first version on kickstarter)

Hello!

I'm Lumi Oakes, I'm the writer, director, and showrunner of The Mechadova Engine! Welcome to this crowdfunder.

The Mechadova Engine is an audio drama, a scripted fictional story written for and performed through an audio-only medium. This particular story is about Log, an autistic nonbinary and mexican protagonist, who is suddenly ripped away from their repetitive life alone in a library railcar in the sky, into an adventure in a world that's not quite like the one they read about in their books. I won't spend too much time pitching it in this video, you can read more below or on our website, but it is an ultimately hopeful story about systems that isolate us, community, uncovering your past, and fighting back against a system that harms you.

I've been working on this show for years, it's incredibly important to me, and we are closer than ever to creating it and sharing it with all of you. But for that to happen we will need your help.

I have assembled an amazing cast and crew, and on this kickstarter I am attempting to raise the money necessary to pay them for their incredible work. To pay them as promised, along with rewards and platform fees, I am attempting to raise 3000 euros. This is the lowest amount I'll be able to make the show with. Without making the goal, there won't be a show.

So, if you have the means I would really appreciate it if you'd donate or share this crowdfunder with anyone you think might like it.

In return, there are several different rewards available for you if you donate. There are stickers, early episode releases, prints - lots of fun crowdfunder exclusive rewards which you can read more about below.

If you're not quite sure yet if this show is for you, you can listen to our full first episode on our feed right now, linked on the kickstarter and our website at mechadovapod.com.

Thank you for checking out this project. And I hope to see you around.

LOG

Log, 5826. I am feeling happy.

LOG

And for three entire years, Sherlock Holmes needed to fake his death. And John Watson didn’t even know!

TINKER

You really don’t know… Anything, do you?

TINKER

Do you want to go on a little adventure?

ZAHRA

(matter-of-factly) Hi. You're Log, right?

LOG:

Ah right! Yes! Log is who I am!

ZAHRA

How did you end up in the car where Tinker found you?

LOG

I… Don't know? I've just been there. And so have the books and The Tune!

ZAHRA

The Tune?

[A broken glockenspiel Tune plays.]

DEIGHTON

(overly friendly) May I see your ticket please?

DEIGHTON

(underlying threat) You don't happen to know anything of a Saboteur known as Tinker, do you?

TINKER

(tiredly) I don't even like this place. Sometimes I'm sick of fighting for it.

CROSS

Do you think happiness and safety comes naturally? Do you think the trains would still be moving if we just allowed anyone to break them? We are here to protect you.

Outro

[The Mechadova Engine intro music plays.]

LUMI

The Mechadova Engine is an upcoming queer steampunk audio drama about meaningless structures, community, and how knowledge is preserved and retold. Consider sharing or donating to our kickstarter linked below, or find more information at mechadovapod.com.

[the-sassy-composer]

I'm a sensitivity reader for this show and definitely think you should check out the campaign. This show is going to be special!

[james-spooky]

i hate what podcast has become synonymous with because please i’m not listening to alpha male gym bros deny climate change i’m listening to my gay blorbos go through the horrors there’s a big difference

[podcast-bookclub]

AUFICON 2026 — Presented by PODCAST BOOK CLUB

TOMORROW kicks off the start of AuFiCon 2026 at 7pm GMT / 2pm EST on the PBC Twitch channel.

AuFiCon is an entirely online convention to celebrate audio fiction, with over 20 events to attend, ranging from workshops creating a podcast on-stream to panels featuring guests from around the space.

The full schedule of events is available here - for a list of events timestamped in your local time, please see the #schedule-and-links channel in the Discord. The server is also a great place to get connected with the community, and will also be where you can get live updates throughout the weekend, as well as the home of our Artist Alley.

If you haven't already, you can still pick up a free ticket ahead of the Opening Ceremony tomorrow! The team here at Podcast Book Club is incredibly excited to bring this event to you for another year, and we hope to see you there. 🎙️✨

[hemcreekprod]

We're excited to be participating in AuFiCon again this year! Our founder Marisa Ewing-Moody (@the-sassy-composer) will be speaking at 2pm CST today about collaborative scriptwriting, and tomorrow at 8pm for sound design secrets.

[the-sassy-composer]

I had a blast speaking at AuFiCon last year, as well as listening to all the other amazing talks. I'm really looking forward to this year. If you like audio fiction, this convention is definitely worth checking out. And the best part- it's virtual and free!

[miamaimania]

Tracery: A Symphony in Bronze by Timothy Cleary

[divorce-enjoyer]

why go to the grocery store or to a restaurant when you can just get food delivered why go to the mall when you can get same day shipping on amazon why go to the library when you have kindle why make art when there’s ai why go to the cinema when you can stay at home and watch netflix. we are in a loneliness epidemic btw

[divorce-enjoyer]

the loneliness epidemic was invented by BIG SHIT to sell you more SHIT

[decompositie]

[cowgirl-yogurt]

I love when audio fiction folk draw fan art of characters of audio fiction, and it's entirely unclear how they came to that artistic conclusion of the character's design, but it also can't be argued as incorrect either because the character does not actually exist in a visual capacity.

[ageae]

[aidashakur]

[velvetvexations]

[hemcreekprod]

This week, Marisa Ewing & Melissa Pons of Hemlock Creek Productions will be joining Andee Kinzy, host and creator of the upcoming "Kicking the Bucket" podcast, for a behind the scenes livestream!

Marisa and Melissa have been doing audio post-production work for "Kicking the Bucket" ahead of its upcoming July premiere. This new audio drama podcast offers a fresh take on elder care, aging, and end-of-life autonomy through stories that tickle the funny bone and tug at the heart. It is a bold, timely, and hilarious series that sparks conversations, challenges societal norms, and ultimately, redefines what it means to grow old on your own terms.

In the live stream, we’ll be talking about:

🧓🏽 When adult kids start making decisions for aging parents 👶🏻 The fine line between care and infantilization 🌲 Life in a small, aging town 🎧 Plus: how immersive soundscapes bring these stories to life

🗓️ Thu 6/05 @ 10:30 AM CT 📍@kickingthebucketpodcast on Instagram + their YouTube channel

Kicking the Bucket Podcast

Videos from Kicking The Bucket Podcast, a dramedy fiction podcast (like an old-fashioned ‘radio play’) that offers a fresh take on elder car

[the-sassy-composer]

1. Very excited to be participating in this livestream and

2. Can't wait for this podcast to come out. The writing is so good, the actors killed it, and (not to toot my own horn) the post production is really coming together.

[liarsandleechespod]

Today is the final day of the crowdfund for Liars & Leeches season 2. If you want to support an indie horror audio drama, plus receive unique rewards like early access to season 2 episodes, producer credit at the end of an episode, a meet and greet with our show creator, or access to a new original Liars & Leeches story, there's still time to contribute! Visit our Indie GoGo page to learn more.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/liars-leeches-season-two#/

[the-sassy-composer]

Only a few hours left! If you'd like to help support me in making the second season of my horror audio drama, there's still some time left to contribute to the campaign.

[savagewilderness]

Eric Bogosian Dives Into Daniel Molloy, Elder Queer Representation, and All Things INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

Interview with the Vampire’s Eric Bogosian discusses Daniel Molloy, the show's representative nature, and how it mirrors his own experiences

Did a little cry in the middle bit of this...

[liarsandleechespod]

This week is perks week, where we'll be focusing on the different awards available through the Liars & Leeches crowdfund. If you're not familiar with Liars & Leeches, it is our original, supernatural horror audio drama about grief, terror, and the overwhelming power of both.

With our $75 "Pre-Show Experience" tier, you'll receive: -Previous tier rewards -Stand alone prose story- Written by our scriptwriter @kjscottwrites, this prose story takes place in the world of Liars & Leeches focusing on characters from outside of the main narrative and told from the perspective of a new Leech

To learn about this tier of rewards, and our eight other levels of rewards, visit our Indie Gogo campaign at: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/liars-leeches-season-two/x/29839204#/

[the-sassy-composer]

I'm excited for all the Liars & Leeches crowdfund rewards, but especially this one. If you're looking to learn more about Leeches and the world of Liars & Leeches, this perk is for you!

Our campaign is only going to be open for about one more week though!

[liarsandleechespod]

As we hit the approximate halfway point for the Liars & Leeches crowdfund, we wanted to take some time today to explain why we're crowdfunding for season 2, while season 1 was self funded.

Initially, after releasing the season 1 finale in 2023, our goal was to immediately begin pre-production for season 2. However, nature had other plans, and a few weeks after the finale, @hemcreekprod's studio space was completely destroyed in a flood (Hemlock Creek Productions is our production company, and created our show). Not only was about 80% of our audio equipment destroyed, but we had to completely rip out the walls, as they absorbed a ton of water and began growing mold.

Fortunately, thanks to some incredibly generous folks, we were able to replace our audio equipment and get back to working with our clients after about two weeks. However, the budget for Liars & Leeches' second season had to go towards drywall removal, decontamination, and just making the space safe again.

That brings us to now. With the chaos from the flood finally settled, we can look towards making a new season of Liars & Leeches. If you would like to help support us, and gain access to some exclusive rewards as well, visit:

Liars & Leeches- Season Two

Help us fund season two of our award winning, supernatural horror audio drama | Check out 'Liars & Leeches- Season Two' on Indiegogo.

[the-sassy-composer]

Can't believe this was almost two years ago wow. Thanks to people here that helped me to repair and repurchase my audio equipment back then, you helped save my business!

(Also rip to the office chair in that picture, still haven't found one as comfy as that one 🥲)

[handsomeamoeba]

[skyrim guard voice] i heard kendrick lamar murdered drake… with his voice! shouted him apart!