Listen Up: There was a Woman Dwelt by a Graveyard

Inspired by both M.R. James and Robert E. Howard, I wrote a collection of western themed ghost stories told in a bizarre mashup of those two writers titled Whispers Out of the Dust.

I loved James way of bringing you in to the English countryside and telling you about this very true story told by an old man or validated by this manuscript found in a musty library. As much as I loved those stories, there was an aspect I could never duplicate; I didn't grow up in 19th century England, I don't know that place as well as others for the sake of truly bringing you into that space, but I do know the American west and that ties me closer to my favorite writer Robert E.  Howard.

Howard was a Texan and wrote about what he knew (and so much more) and I could relate to that.
Jumping off from that I know the American west, so I found an intriguing place that was perfect for my backdrop. A real old west ghost town drowned beneath the waters of Lake Mead. - St. Thomas, Nevada. It was founded by Mormons (like me) and gave me a great place to start from because I know that history like James knew the Church of England, like Howard knew Texas boom towns.

So Whispers Out of the Dust has a score of shorts and among them was a piece inspired by James that was in turn inspired by Shakespeare - There Was a Woman Dwelt by a Graveyard.

My good friend Jason King shared it for a flash fiction Friday and then surprised me with a audio reading of it.

So one of the few audio formats of my work out there yet - here is "There Was A Woman Dwelt By A Graveyard." Enjoy



I plan on making sure more of my books become available in Audio this later year. I suspect that market is just going to keep growing, just like I listen to more audio books myself each year.