By Margaret S. Hamilton
Last
fall, I submitted my annual Halloween/holiday short story to Kings River
Life. Lorie Lewis Ham published my first short story in 2014, and to commemorate
the event, I submit a new story every fall.
Lorie
gave me two options: immediate publication or waiting till May for podcast
publication. I chose the latter, and after several rounds of edits, the story
was ready for the narrator.
A talented and versatile actress, Donna Beavers, recorded the podcast story, ably
handling the many different voices: my intrepid amateur sleuth, Lizzie
Christopher; her Jericho PD sidekick, Officer Bethany Schmidt; Lizzie’s husband
and children. With two seniors, Jeb and Essie, thrown into the mix plus members
of Bethany’s family, it’s a well-populated story.
I wrote
the story as a reflection of daily life in suburban Ohio. The Cincinnati area
is a hot point of both drug and human trafficking with many local communities
affected. I threw in a reference to the “Run Hide Fight” training at schools
and workplaces. Nupur Tustin, who had recently completed a law enforcement
ride-along, supplied a crucial detail about drugs smuggled between the pages of
books. In the story, senior citizens, living in poverty, are lured into drug
distribution because they can’t keep up with the high cost of prescriptions and
winter utility bills.
I’m
pleased with the podcast and hope you enjoy it too!
Readers,
do you enjoy listening to podcasts? Writers, have you published your work as a
podcast or audiobook?
Red Buckeye, Blue Ash, Ohio
What a timely story idea! I was on a podcast ten years sgo in the Chicago area talking about my first book—a memoir. Now I listen to podcasts every day, mainly for news, sometimes for entertainment.
ReplyDeleteSusan, my kids enjoy podcasts but I haven't experienced them until now. It's a different and enjoyable experience.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much always listen to KRL's podcasts. They're fun.
ReplyDeleteThe actress here did a great job with a great story.
Thanks, Kathleen. I'll have to make the KRL podcasts a part of my regular routine. I've realized how lovely it is to take a break from the computer screen.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy listening to podcasts, and I've been interviewed on the Cozy Ink Podcast as an author. I've never participated in a podcast where my book has been read though.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Margaret!
Jackie, thanks for stopping by WWK.
ReplyDeleteHi Margaret, congratulations! I haven't listened to many podcasts, so this was a treat. I can see myself getting hooked on them. I loved Donna Beavers' voice and think she did a great job.
ReplyDeleteShari, if I write a podcast story in the future, I'll limit the number of characters. Donna did an excellent job capturing the different voices, especially the seniors.
ReplyDelete