The Cubby House & "A Bedtime Story"
In February I was happy to report ("The Cubby House & 'A Returning Appetite' ") on a presentation in The Cubby House (their Facebook profile) podcast of an excellent reading of my earliest published story "A Returning Appetite" (by Jay Neal, my nom de porn).
Well, I have more happiness to report. The cubs from down† under have outdone themselves with their podcast of my story "A Bedtime Story".* Cubs Jack, Cookie, and Ryan were joined by visitor Mike and brought the story to life as a radio drama, complete with fabulous sound effects.
Rain has an important symbolic role in the story and I loved how the sound of rain faded in whenever the action moved outdoors and then faded out as the action came back inside. Other sound effects were creative, charming, and appropriate, and the guys happily didn't overdo them either, at least to my taste.
I will invite you to listen to this delightful production in just a moment, but first I should mention that the story does contain adult situations (i.e., graphic gay sex) in prose, adult language (even four-letter words that have other than four letters), some violence towards a one-armed woodsman by a knight in leather (decapitation), and a happy ending that may make the listener feel sentimental. It is also, if I may say so, very funny.
Here is a direct link to download the mp3 file: Cubby House – Show 13A (28-3-09) – Sideshow For Prince Orsino and Mike.mp3. To listen online, visit the Cubby House Archives, locate episode 13a, and click on the blue "Listen" button. Note: No cubs were actually harmed in the making of this verbal drama, but they were all over 18 years of age at the time.
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† Melbourne, to be precise.
* "A fairy tale about the melancholy of Prince Orsino, the rain it brings to his kingdom, what the town does about the problem, and how the prince finally finds lasting happiness." This has been my most published story so far:
- first published in American Bear, issue #40, December 2000 – January 2001;
- anthologized in Best Gay Erotica 2002, stories selected by Neal Drinnan, edited by Richard Labonté (Cleis Press, December 2001).
- anthologized in Best of Best Gay Erotica 2, Richard Labonté, editor (Cleis Press, 2005).