The first chapter of The Man Who Did Too Much. (Cozy mystery suspense by Camille LaGuire.) In which we meet George, the man who did too much, and Gwen, the woman for which he does too much, and get a hint of the other protagonist, and series detective, Karla Marquette (the woman who watched too many movies). Download the episode directly from the I…

"The Bellhound" a contemporary fantasy story. The narrator doesn't want a dog, can't afford a security system, but a witch offers to create for her something that combines the best -- and worst -- aspects of both. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 15 - The BellHound. (35 minutes) Subscribe to thi…

An excerpt from Beneath the Canyons by Kyra Halland. A mix of high fantasy and classic western. Bounty hunter Silas Vendine is on the trail of a renegade wizard. When his search leads him to the little town of Bitterbush Springs, he joins up with Lainie, girl with nascent magical powers. Beyond the Canyon is the first book in the Daughter of the Wi…

It is good to be back, after my month off for jury duty! This week's story is a psychological thriller by Anton Chekhov: "The Bet. It's an odd story, quiet yet tense, but also not a modern thriller. It's the sort of story that you might want to think about or talk about afterwards -- especially about the choices these characters made, and whether t…

Reading In The Attic is going on hiatus for the month of March, due to me being called to Jury Duty! I was actually planning to slow down the posting schedule for a bit anyway (I need to get some writing done), but the call of duty made me realize I just needed to set it aside for a little bit. We'll be back on March 31! I also created an audio ver…

Conclusion of the light winter thriller: Harsh Climate. In this last episode: Denver has finally connected with the police... but The Boss has a new plan to kill Kevin and run, with only Vicki in his way. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 11 - "Harsh Climate" Part 7. (30 minutes) Subscribe to thi…

Continuing with the light winter thriller: Harsh Climate. In part 6 of Harsh Climate, Vicki's in a tight spot, after the Boss hog-ties her, while Denver dances with fire, and with his arch nemesis, CJ. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 10 - "Harsh Climate" Part 6. (27 minutes) Subscribe to this p…

Continuing with the light winter thriller: Harsh Climate. In part 5 of Harsh Climate, Vicki and Denver have to come up with another plan, as first C.J. proves his worth to the Boss, and then Sly does. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 9 - "Harsh Climate" Part 5. (25 minutes) Subscribe to this pod…

Continuing with the light winter thriller: Harsh Climate. In Part 4, the ransom call throws everybody's plans for a loop. I have to admit that this is my favorite episode of the story, mainly because it throws all the characters for a loop. If you are the sort of person who likes to skip ahead and sample bits from later in the story, I'd say this i…

Continuing with the light winter thriller: Harsh Climate. In part 3, Vicki realizes that she has to return to the house to save Denver's life. We also learn a little more about Kevin's family and the plans of the kidnappers. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 7 - "Harsh Climate" Part 3. (24 minute…

In part 2 of Harsh Climate, Vicki arrives at the farmhouse and has a bit of trouble, while Denver takes the long way around. We also meet the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 6 - "Harsh Climate" Part 2. (21 minutes) Subscribe to this podcast via iTunes. Subscrib…

This week we begin "Harsh Climate," a light thriller about a pair of runaway teens who stumble across a kidnapping plot while seeking shelter from cold weather. I first wrote those as a low budget screenplay -- with less emphasis on the effects and more on the actors, and limited location. This is the novella version, and should take seven episodes…

Fans of Mick and Casey will be happy to learn that week's story is "The Hoosegow Strangler" - the first Mick and Casey mystery ever published. It's a locked-room puzzle, when a man is murdered right under Mick and Casey's noses, they have to solve a locked room mystery to save their reputations. For those who are new to Mick and Casey, you can find…

A noir Christmas tale. Also, a Catly Christmas Carol. "Deadmen Don't Eat Fruitcake" -- two tough guys face down a wily old lady, in this noir crime story about jewels hidden in a fruitcake. And yes, I actually sing for you, in this episode -- a Christmas carol I wrote for my cat's webpage - "We Three Cats." Download the episode directly from the In…

Three very short stories today. First up, Hemingway's 6-word story about the baby shoes, and the story I wrote in response: "The Unexpurgated Story of the Baby Shoes Which Were Sold Unused." Finally a dark micro-fiction story: "You Kids, Get Off My Lawn." Download the episode directly from the Internet Archive: Reading In the Attic, Episode 2 - Bab…

The first story in the Reading in the Attic Podcast, is "For Belgium" by J.J. Bell. It was first published in The Strand in the summer of 1915. And, as I mention in the podcast, I so loved one of the original illustrations by Dudley Tennant, that I adapted it for use in the header of my writing blog, The Daring Novelist. (I also used that illustrat…

Welcome to the Reading in the Attic, a weekly podcast in which I read fiction to you. Most of the fiction will be my own, but I'll also be reading old stories I find in old magazines on sites like Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive -- and also physical magazines I manage to acquire. I will also occasionally read a new story or novel excerpt…