Podcast: Six Stories, Told at Night

Six Stories, Told at Night

By:  K.T. Bryski

Narrated By:  Blythe Hanes

Publish Date:  2016

Format:  Podcasted Audio Drama

Genre:  Fantasy

Series:  Stand alone

First Impression:  One girls tale mixed with fairy and anothers as she learns who she is.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
*I listened to this story for my own enjoyment.

I love audio dramas. KT has added in sound effects to add to the story.

Blythe! Oh my! The emotion and character in her voice as she tells the stories. She slips into different feels to accent KT's writing. We get Sam in the here and now, worried. We get Joelle when she speaks with her French accent. We get the narration feel of old as old tales are told.

This story feels a bit of a different style but it's amazing how it all draws together! Current, past, and fairy stories mixed and easy to follow. These stories are short and quick, give or take 20 minutes each. But dang! They slip by in a moment as I'm listening enjoying the stories. I love the feel and the visions I get from them. We not only get the fairy tale of that episode but it's connected to Sam and Joelle, growing their history and friendship along with driving us to where Sam is going to find her friend.

We get stories of our characters, Joelle and Sam, along with an old, dark fairy tale. The combination of these together leads to the feel of the moment with Sam and adds flavor to emotions. The tale of when the girls were young and events of now show a great connection and friendship between the girls, setting us with the feeling of determination with Sam, to find Joelle.

Oh the background sounds that accent events of the story. Well placed. The music brings a chill to the old, dark tales as well.

One: Bonhomme Sept-Heures
20 mins
Description:
"It just takes the right story, that's all. Something impressive. A story they've never heard before." Sam's childhood friend Joëlle has vanished, leaving behind a note that doesn't make sense, a feather Sam doesn't recognize, and a lifetime of stories. Sam starts her quest with a retelling of Bonhomme Sept-Heures: a monster who steals away children out too late... Additional music by Kerri Lake (flute) and Kevin MacLeod ("Long Note One").

Thoughts:
First thing that caught my attention, the sound effects. Good gracious do I love the sounds that go with narration. It's like I'm sitting there with them. First is the sound of fire crackling, lightly added to the back to go with the voice, just like we are sitting together listening to a story.

This is just the beginning. Sam is determined to find her friend, Joelle. Sam is convinced there is something more to Joelle's disappearance. The big project Joelle was working on had fallen through, losing it's funding, but all Joelle's been talking about is Fairyland and all that exist there.

Two: Rose LaTulippe
23 mins
Description:
"This is a lot of little stories…and at the same time, it’s all one big story. That’s how life works, isn’t it?" Sam's archival investigations prove fruitless, but a clue to Joëlle's plans comes from an unexpected source. Interwoven is the story of Rose LaTulippe: a folktale with over 200 different versions - but none like Sam and Joëlle's. (Additional music: "Long Note One" (Kevin MacLeod), "Fiddle Melody" (Andrew Duke).

Thoughts:
This story is about Rose LaTulippe and how she wanted a dance, and got it, but is then tricked at the end.

This story shows how each tale curves for each listener. Sam sways the story of Rose to her liking, influenced by her desire to help Joelle. I love the personal feel to the stories, the fairy tale we get and Sam's story to help Joelle.

Three: Le Chien d'Or
27 mins
Description:
"I am a dog gnawing my bone/ In doing so, I rest alone/ A time will come that's yet to be/ When I bite him who's bitten me..." Sam finds some of Joëlle's old audio files, and recalls the night that almost ended things. Please note: this episode includes content some listeners may find upsetting. (Additional music by Kevin MacLeod: "Long Note One," and "In a Heartbeat.")

Thoughts:
This story is closely connected to Sam and Joelle as though they are sisters and a man that is important in this past moment. The parallel between the stories and the feelings left behind are what draws Sam to make connects to where Joelle might have gone, like she's done in the past. The mention of the big, dark forest and there is one place like this that Sam knows of. The one and only forest that appears in Joelle's stories.

These stories are stories Joelle shared with Sam as they grew up, and Sam loved them which is the connection to the story. The clues are embedded in these tales and what they mean to Sam and Joelle. This story tells Sam where to go looking next, where Joelle always went to think and be alone.

This old tale is a bit more coded in words than straight forward telling, though fairy tales do leave openings for you to draw your own conclusions. ;)

Four: The Wendigo
26 mins
Description:
"During harsh winters, starving people become wendigo to survive..." Sam enters the deep, dark woods and meets a helper. Sure, she's on Joëlle's trail - but nothing's more dangerous than a Trickster. Additional Music by Kevin MacLeod ("Long Note One," "Ossuary 6: Air," "Ghostpocalypse - 1 Departure") and Kerri Lake (flute).

Thoughts:
Into the dark woods Sam goes, and she crosses paths with Coyote, the trickster. The clues Joelle left for Sam come in handy, we see them connect to Sam being on the right path. One clue fits when Coyote transforms into a raven, matching the feather Joelle left behind.

This story shows when Joelle and Sam's friendship started to stretch thin and cool between them. Life changes, but they tried...

From the beginning of this story, my attention is drawn in. I love the feeling described with the woods at night and how Sam feels. It's written together and gives the feel we are to have, nervous and a slight bit anxious. Blythe vocalizes these words with the same trepidation we feel.

Five: La Corriveau
32 mins
Description:
"Whatever you do, don’t look back until I tell you. Otherwise, you’ve lost your friend forever." Sam takes Coyote's tests, and shares the last story Joëlle told her: that of La Corriveau, a witch who had seven husbands and killed them all... (Additional music by Kevin MacLeod: "Long Note One," "Heartbreak," "Ossuary 6 - Air.")

Thoughts:
Oh! I almost forgot to share thoughts on this one as I was so drawn into the story and wanted to jump into episode 6, as I had it waiting when listening to this one.

Sam is getting closer. She must pass Coyote's tests. They are a trick of the mind, but hard to follow, like walking in front of Coyote and not look back.

Sam remembers the last time she saw Joelle. Joelle didn't look good, but all she could think about is Fairyland. She wanted to know anything more that Sam knew of Fairyland... how to get there, the land of where all stories come from. Sam breaks it to Joelle, it's not real. Joelle freezes over. This feels like the breaking point of their friendship. It's sad to see it at this point, I'm attached to them both.

Like I said, I was drawn to the tale as we are getting closer to Fairyland as we follow Coyote's tests. Oh soooo close! I'm still drawn to the blend of writing and emotion of voice here. Now, I can't wait any longer! To story six!!

Six: The Storyteller's Tale
22 mins
Description:
"This is the last story." Additional music by Kerri Lake (flute music) and Kevin MacLeod ("Reminiscing").

Thoughts:
This is the end of the tales. It brings Sam, and us, to learn who Sam is and has become. She finally tells her first story.

Oh my. Blythe sounds as though she's really crying at the end, the stuffiness to her nose and voice. I love this! This is so hard to impersonate, to actually make me believe it.

Now this story brings to my mind that the search for Joelle is more a search to learn herself for Sam. Do we find Joelle? Mmm, I can't say. I do want more tales from Sam though. And to know what's inside Fairyland, I even wonder on Joelle too.


Should you listen to this podcast? Absolutely! The weaving of the stories that K.T. does here is all talent and gives the feel of an old soul traveling the world to share her words. Stories that hold your attention and heart, leading you to a conclusion that you finish in your mind. Time very well spent listening to.

Author Post: What Fairy Tales Taught Me

I'm thrilled to invite KT Bryski back to the blog to share on her newest stories with us, Six Stories, Told at Night.



Hi! I’m KT Bryski—Canadian author, podcaster, and playwright. I’m so thrilled to be back on Mel’s blog—it’s a delight every time. :)

I’ve recently released a one-woman audio drama: Six Stories, Told at Night. Five traditional Canadian folktales interweave within a larger framing narrative. Our heroine Sam is trying to save her friend Joëlle from the Faerie realm, and the only way to enter the Otherworld is to tell the Faerie Queen a story she’s never heard before. Hence, my folktales.

In preparation for this project, I read a lot of fairy tales. That said, I’ve been reading fairy tales for as long as I can remember, so it really wasn’t too different. You might say that I’ve been steeped in them. So what has a lifetime of reading fairy tales taught me?

Take the first step

For an adventure to happen, you actually have to…you know, set out on an adventure. Fairy tales usually start in a place of calm and stability: the family farm, the castle, the once upon a time. And then something happens.

And then, you have a choice. Stay by the fire and pretend things are still the same?

Or leave the safety of your cottage and venture into the woods?

There are always helpers

Sometimes, it’s a fairy godmother. Sometimes, a talking cat. Sometimes, it’s a giant’s wife, or the mysterious old crone down the lane, or a kindly king. Sometimes, it may even be your neighbour, your former high school teacher, your best friend.

But there are always helpers. Even (especially?) when you feel most alone.

Magic often comes disguised

Much like the polar bear who’s actually a prince, or Donkeyskin labouring in the kitchens (I know she’s not magically disguised, bear with me), the best things aren’t always apparent when you first see them. Sometimes, it takes a while to recognize the magic. The key is to never stop looking for it.

The deep, dark woods is never where the story ends

The deep, dark woods is the testing ground. It’s the descent to the underworld, where our hero or heroine undergoes figurative (and sometimes literal) death and rebirth. But for all the fear, trials, and pain, the deep dark woods is never the end of the story. It’s the hour of the wolf, the darkness before daybreak.

So when you find yourself there—push through. Even when the shadows are at their fullest, it is never, ever the endpoint.

A real “fairy tale ending” is transformation

So the story’s over, and you’ve got the castle, the gold, and the glory. That’s a fairy tale ending, right?

Not necessarily. Remember how the deep, dark woods is a place death and rebirth? The ending of the fairy tale is the hero/ine transformed. It’s like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis—after a time of darkness and change, you emerge as something else. Something that can soar.

Transfiguration isn’t always pretty. It’s not always gold and glory. But ultimately, I think it’s more satisfying.

Thanks again for having me, Mel. You can check out Six Stories, Told at Night wherever fine podcasts are found—and navigate the woods with our heroine.

Cheers!
KT

KT Bryski is a Canadian author and podcaster. She has short fiction in Daily Science Fiction, and stories forthcoming from Strange Horizons and Apex. Her audio dramas “Six Stories, Told at Night” and “Coxwood History Fun Park” are available wherever fine podcasts are found, and she is currently at work on her next novel. KT is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing. As you may have guessed, she also has a mild caffeine addiction. Visit her at www.ktbryski.com.