Happy five-year journal birthday!

[cleolinda]

So for today's (final) journal flashback, I wanted to go back to two (very) short stories I posted last Halloween--except this time, with the audio readings I'd wanted to do then.

The Hot Door (4:36)

I'm not sure why, but for some reason this story seems a lot better to me spoken than written. A lot. So listen to the audio before you read the text, if you don't mind. And as I mentioned at the time,

Note: This door, as described--in the back of a closet, leading to an attic, sealed over with duct tape--is actually in my house. It's in my sister's room. I've never pulled the tape off, though.


Strength (Bell Donner Gives Her Word) (5:29)

I'm still really happy with this story, text or otherwise, and I let my Southern accent come out to play on this one. This is genuinely what I sound like, you know, when I'm playing around being extra-Southern; it's not my everyday conversational accent, which is a lot lighter and more citified (no, really, I swear! "The Hot Door"! That's what I usually sound like!).

The title of the story may make more sense if I tell you that it was inspired by this tarot card (this is the Morgan-Greer artwork):

Or the inverse of it, rather--the lady not holding the beast. I added the subtitle just because "Strength" seemed so generic. I do like the idea of writing a series of short-short horrorish stories based on tarot cards, but I haven't really thought of anything else yet.

By the way: I made a mistake in the reading. I accidentally inserted the word "down" into the phrase "then back to town again," which wouldn't matter except that if I were going to specify at all, I should have said up. But this was the best reading I recorded, and quite honestly, I decided, to hell with it. So, you know, just mentally asterisk that.

Comments

[jenni-talula.livejournal.com]

Happy journal birthday Cleolinda!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Happy journal birthday! And here, a present:

In the window of the Hot Topic in the Fashion Square Mall, there is a large photo of James making his angry face with "YOU BROUGHT A SNACK" below. If I hadn't been so horrified, I would have taken a photo for you with my phone.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

OMG.

[v827.livejournal.com]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96356392

For the linkspam: NPR tells us all about Modern Vampires, with an emphasis on Twilight and Southern Vampires (True Blood), and commentary from the author of Our Vampires, Ourselves.

[v827.livejournal.com]

Also, Happy Journal Birthday!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Happy journal birthday!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[hulamoth.livejournal.com]

happy birthday!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[yadvocacy.livejournal.com]

Hey there! :) We noticed you are an author, editor, or are interested in literature, so we would like to extend an invitation to you to join our new LiveJournal community yauthors. The community is to allow Young Adult authors to network with one another, as well as give advice to those aspiring to become published. For more information about the community, go here (http://community.livejournal.com/yauthors/profile). We hope to see you there!

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ birthday! I love the audio for "The Hot Door."

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! I was wondering if anyone was even downloading the clips. : )

[elbales]

I did. Thank you! And happy journal-birthday.

[missteddy16.livejournal.com]

Happy journal birthday.

[entropy-and-me.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting the audio clips! I had the read the stories last year but they are still chilling and very effective when read aloud. You have a really good voice for audiobooks and the like. Maybe you'll get to read your own novels aloud for the audiobook version someday. :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks. (I'm really surprised by how much better the first one sounds out loud to me, whereas it seems kind of dead on the page.)

Maybe you'll get to read your own novels aloud for the audiobook version someday.

I'ma have to start learning a British accent now if that's to be the case.

[vwlphb.livejournal.com]

Happy journal-birthday!!!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[anavidfan.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ Birthday! I clicked on The Hot Door link, planning on starting it even though I wasn't sure I had time to listen to it all. I found myself listening to the whole thing, leaning forward on my couch, intrigued, and then found I had no choice but to listen to Strength in its entirety as well. Now that's a good story teller! Way to hook 'em and reel 'em.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks.

[scornedsaint.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ birthday! I can't wait to listen to the recordings.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ Birthday!

Listening to your stories (which I very much enjoyed) I was struck by how much your accent reminded me of what Anna Paquin seems to be trying to sound like on True Blood.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks. Mine's natural Alabama; I don't know what they're having her try for.

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

I don't know what she's trying to sound like, either. It really bothers me though, that awful, generic "Southern" accent that most actors end up using, as if people from Louisiana sound exactly like people from Alabama or North Carolina.

[supersyncspaz7.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ-versary!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[gannet-guts.livejournal.com]

Oh man, awesome accent. I may have said this when you first posted the stories, but I'll say it again: "Strength" reminds me a lot of Stephen King's early short stories. Same sort of eeriness.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow--thanks.

[gannet-guts.livejournal.com]

I think I'm thinking of "Home Delivery", but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's the voice in a way? It's distinct. Like, your story is nowhere near as gory or gross, but it's still reminding me of that.

[redcurrantbasil.livejournal.com]

On Halloween yet as well?
That is pretty dandy.
Thank you for sharing your awesome hilarity and just plain regular awesomeness with us.It has made my day,afternoon and/or evening many times.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks.

[cindyg.livejournal.com]

Happy LJ journal birthday! May you have many more years of the lulz, and the crack, and the movies, and the dolls (mustn't forget The Dolls), and all that is love about pop culture!

:)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

[thelovely2.livejournal.com]

Happy journal birthday! Can't wait for the next one, the flashbacks were a blast :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[cranberrysoda.livejournal.com]

Happy (Belated) Journal Birthday!

Downloading the audios now :)

[blackdiamants.livejournal.com]

[True Blood Related] I have NO IDEA why he didn't tell me this sooner, but my step-dad (http://njphoto.com/) shot the tin type photo of Bill and his family! He said Stephen was really nice, laid back, and Britishful. XD Right after I stopped freaking out I said, "I have to tell Cleo!"

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Aw! Hee, that's awesome.