My novelette, The Discriminating Monster’s Guide to the Perils of Princess Snatching, is now posted at www.podcastle.org.

This makes the second of my stories to be performed on audio.  I’m always a little worried about audio conversions of books—especially mine.  I don’t write for audio.  Stylistically, I usually use deep 3rd person POV, with lots of little stream-of-consciousness asides and add-ins.  It works fine in text (says I) but aloud?  I’m never sure.  Audiobooks aren’t just flat reading—they are performances.  The performer’s reading has to echo the inflection and emotion of the text that the normal reader’s brain would color the story with.  They have to sound like the characters portrayed in the story.  They have to read carefully, they have to read clearly, they have to infuse the spoken words with not just what’s on the page, but what is in the author’s intent.

So…worried.  Yep.

I’m happy to say that the performer for Discriminating Monster gets everything exactly right.  Dave Thompson, co-editor of Podcastle, has done a GREAT job capturing not just Vren’s voice, but MY intent as well. 

Having an audio performance of a story brings elements out of the text that even as an author, I wasn’t aware of.  For example, in this recording, it was a revelation to me just how utterly depraved Golgorath (the monster at the end of the story) is.  I mean, I wrote the guy—I should know what he is, right?  Dave adds shadows and depth to his portrayal that make Golgorath so much more monstrous than he was in text.

And his performance of Vren and Greta’s relationship was illuminating.

Of course, it also brings out weaknesses.  Such as: I ramble.  Especially in the last third of the story…

Anyway—fantastic reading.  Highly recommended. 

Audio recording of The Discriminating Monster’s Guide to the Perils of Princess Snatching.