Just listened; very much admired the podcast format, and the host with his delectable “Vincent Price” voice. I liked the artistry of your reader.
I love the host’s pointed question, whether it was a “happy ending” or not.
Given the Victorian setting, I would say, yes, it was a happy ending. By more modern standards…I dunno! A bit of a shiver. The story isn’t properly “horror,” but it has some very subtle scares hiding within it.
Good narrative structure, good grammar (okay, one instance of “him and I” that ought to have been “him and me” – shrug: only a tiny handful of us Grammar Bobbies really care,) strong dialogue, elegant scene-setting, and, most important, the reader (listener!) can readily identify with the protagonist’s emotions at every point. The protagonist’s personality is very clearly presented.
In my personal opinion, I think this story would come across better on the printed page than as an audio-story, but that’s just a personal preference. What I listened to for 26 minutes, I would have been happier reading in thirteen.
Still, the presentation was delightful. The host is so much fun!
So tell me: in your opinion, does the story work better in print, on the page, or as an audio reading? Which do you prefer, as a method of communicating your writing, and which do you prefer, when you are partaking of a story? I am guessing – this is solely a raw speculation – that you did not write it specifically to be read aloud. Would you have done anything differently if you had intended it to be an audio story?
Anyway, you have every right to be happy with the end result: the presentation and reading were extremely nicely done. Even the music was good: it added to the overall package without intruding upon it.
Superba! Bravo bravo! (Throws a spray of roses onto the stage!)
