My short story, “In Sickness & In Slaughter,” is on the roster to air on Tales to Terrify, a weekly podcast. I just received news a couple weeks ago that these lovely people accepted my piece.
I have so many reasons to be excited about this. This short story is the first I have written in quite a long time; when I started writing fiction, I started with short stories and, in fact, got a handful published. This is also the first time I will be paid for a short story, which is a big milestone for me.
And–this is the most exciting part–my story will be narrated.
I cannot wait!
“In Sickness & In Slaughter” was originally a much longer work. It’s one of the handful of things I wrote during the pandemic, and one of only three pieces that survived to publication. I intended this to be a novella originally and even had a cover done, but upon closer inspection I determined it was better in this shorter format. Which has definitely worked out!
Here’s a nice little synopsis:
After a night committing unspeakable horrors, Alice Mayhorn has returned home, delirious and covered in gore, to her husband, Eugene. Once she falls unconscious, he cleans up the mess in his house and the bloody evidence coating her body, making her perfect and beautiful once again. His job is to protect her–from being caught and the truth of her condition–but he’s about to lose it. Will he make it to the next full moon? Does he want to?
At its heart, this story is about men’s inherent fear of the power and ugliness of women’s bodies. It’s about their need to protect us, contrasted with our immense, often untapped strength. It’s about the demand for women to be beautiful, hairless, sexually attractive, and pleasing. Layered on top of all that, it’s a tale about marriage and the limits of devotion.
I’ll post any updates about the air date here. Stay tuned!
S.H. Livernois 