Fast Asleep with Gena Marie

Agatha Christie's "The Tuesday Night Club," relaxing storytelling

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

294 - From the world's most published author, tuck in for the first of the original Miss Marple mysteries.

Shirley Jackson's "Men with Their Big Shoes," relaxing storytelling

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

293- Is poor, young Mrs. Hart being blackmailed? Tuck in as this hypnotic author takes us through the transformation of her idyllic life.

"Day of the Butterfly" by Alice Munro, relaxing storytelling

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

292 - Tuck in to see how cruel girls can be. “A game developed: 'Let's be nice to Myra! What do you wash your hair in, Myra? . . . she washes it in ...

"Broker's Special" by Stanley Ellin, relaxing storytelling

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

291 - "Judge Hilliker had once told him . . . 'Guns? . . . Knives? Blunt instruments? . . . there is just one perfect weapon -- an automobile...

"The Bloodstained Pavement" by Agatha Christie

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

290 - Miss Marple knows: "There is a great deal of wickedness in village life." Tuck in for another captivating Marple mystery!

"The Golden Castaways" by Lloyd Osbourne

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

289 - "All I did was to pull him out by the seat of his trousers . . . (and) he called me a hero! . . . I departed in a blaze of glory." Tuc...

"East Wind" by Daphne du Maurier

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

288 - "Perhaps he was drowned, or picked up by some passing ship; no one could say, for he never came back. No one who left the island returned.&...

"Miss Marple Tells a Story" by Agatha Christie

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

286 - The Queen of Crime and Mystery has graced one of her best upon us. Tuck in and find out "whodunnit."

"The Hint of an Explanation" by Graham Greene

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

285 - Spoken to a bewildered little boy, "You wouldn't ever be safe in your own house. I know ways to get into houses when people are asleep....

"The Utterly Perfect Murder" by Ray Bradbury

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

284 - ". . . on my 48th birthday, lying in bed that night beside my wife, with my children sleeping through all the other quiet moonlit rooms of ...

"Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, part 2, relaxing storytelling

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

283 - “He had been sent to the bank with Denny & Carson's deposit. There was nearly a thousand (dollars) which he had . . . quietly transferred to h...

"Louisa, Please Come Home" part 2 by Shirley Jackson

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

281 - "How do we know what the family is keeping secret? Or if she was kidnapped by a homicidal maniac, why should he send a ransom note?" Tuck in for...

"Louisa, Please Come Home" part 1 by Shirley Jackson

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

280 - Her family is begging her to come home, but . . . what if she can't? Tuck in for another gem from the most requested author. (Conclusion next w...

"The Crown Derby Plate" by Marjorie Bowen

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

279 - "When she brought her glance back to the door . . . it had been opened and someone, obscured by the darkness, was looking at her intently.&...

"The Mouse" by Saki (H. H. Munro)

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

278 - "A warm, creeping movement over his flesh betrayed the unwelcome and highly resented presence of . . ." Tuck in for the --anything bu...

"Taking of the Veil" and "Honeymoon" by Katherine Mansfield

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

277 - Have you, too, suffered for love? Take heart and tuck into not one, but TWO tender love stories from the "young upstart" author.

"If I Were a Man" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

276 - ". . . she was wishing heart and soul she was a man. And all of a sudden she was!" Tuck in for this mind-bending story.

"The Cat's-Paw" by Stanley Ellin

26 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

275 - For his employer, Mr. Crabtree was the definition of a cat's-paw: a person used for the purposes of another; a tool. Tuck in for another perfect...

"Vengeance Is Mine, Inc." by Roald Dahl

19 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

274 - "Then it happened. I stopped short . . . I had the whole brilliant magnificent plan worked out." Tuck in for Vengeance Is Mine, Inc., ...

"The Inn" by Guy de Maupassant

12 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

273 - "It seemed to him as if the silence, the cold, the solitude, the winter death of these mountains were taking possession of him . . ." ...

"A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

272 - The sweet little boy in this week's story will grow up to write an infamously terrifying non-fiction novel that will change his life forever, bu...

"The Burglar's Christmas" by Willa Cather

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

271 - A mother's love on Christmas . . . "To-night you have come back to me, just as you always did after you ran away . . . I never asked yo...

"The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

270 - It's a Wonderful Life . . . Frank Capra's magical movie is based on this heartening short story. Enjoy the story-behind-the-story as you...

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

269 - " 'But the law requires you to tell what you're going to use it for.' Miss Emily just stared at him . . . until he looked away ...

"Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen" by O. Henry and "The Romance of a Busy Broker" by O. Henry

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

268 - "Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years the Old Gentleman had come there to find Stuffy Pete on his seat. . . But now he looked up at the Ol...

"Shut a Final Door" by Truman Capote

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

267 - "Met the divinest man. Danced with him six times, a divine dancer . . . and he is terribly, divinely good-looking," gushed the heiress...

"The Piece of String" by Guy de Maupassant

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

266 - "The good man was choking with indignation and fear. '. . . how can they tell such lies as that to slander an honest man?'" T...

"The Woman's Ghost Story" by Algernon Blackwood

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

265 - From the master of ghost stories: ". . . I saw that there was some one else in the room besides myself. A man's figure stood between me...

"The Specialty of The House" by Stanley Ellin

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

263 - Is ten years too long to wait . . . for a tour of your favorite restaurant's kitchen? Our author didn't wait long to be published. Tuck in for h...

"The Damned Thing" by Ambrose Bierce

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

262 - Our first story of the season: "Inexpressibly terrified, I struggled to my feet . . . and may heaven in mercy spare me from another sight like t...

"The Hitchhiker" by Roald Dahl

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

261 - He was more than a hitchhiker . . . soooo much more.

"A Cup of Tea" by Katherine Mansfield

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

260 - A beautiful, "battered" little creature, not in the least like the . . . average beggar, approaches wealthy Rosemary. Rosemary's r...

"Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

259 - This controversial author shied away from nothing, including the unrest of the 1960s. Tuck in for her intriguing "bus ride" of a tale....

"The Torment of Three Sleepwalkers" & "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

258 - Tuck in for the creator of "magical realism" . . . "At night, we heard the steady murmur of her body, heavy, moving between two d...

"Marsh Rosemary" by Sarah Orne Jewett

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

257 - She thought he was dead. Instead he had just . . . left her . . . for another woman. Tuck in for the poignant tale from Maine's beloved aut...

"A Drive in the Country" by Graham Greene

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

256 - "He took her arm and ran her into a blind unlighted alley . . . " Tuck in for the the adventure and its startling ending. Content warning: e...

"Swamp Terror" and "Parting of the Way" by Truman Capote

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

254 - "Whut would yo' ma say if she knew you was out here in these spooky ol' woods lookin' for some ol' convict?" Truman Ca...

"The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Joyce Carol Oates, Part 2 of 2

05 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

253 - It's 1972 and "cheating" on your spouse is not only common, it's expected. Tuck in for the conclusion of "Peace and Love," Joyce Carol Oates-sty...

"The Lady with the Pet Dog" by Joyce Carol Oates, Part 1 of 2

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

252 - No, this one is not by Chekhov, but like that version there is sex outside of marriage -- 1972 style along with the social movement that excused...

"Strange Moonlight" by Conrad Aiken

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

251 - Our author's childhood was anything but easy, yet he was very accomplished. Delve into his past, then tuck in for his poignant, most autobio...

"The Unnatural Mother" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

250 - A flood . . . and a mother's choice . . . From the author of another engrossing tale, "The Yellow Wallpaper," tuck in for the details of Mrs. Gi...

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" by D. H. Lawrence

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

249 - Daughter Mabel was unconcerned about her future; she clearly had unexpected plans in mind. Tuck in and decide which assessment rings true: D.H. ...

"Pillar of Salt" by Shirley Jackson

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

248 - A little apartment fire . . . a dismembered leg . . . and suddenly New York City has lost its appeal for Margaret. The beloved author again give...

"The Attic" by Algernon Blackwood

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

247 - ". . . a chill ran down my spine, but what frightened me more than . . . the eerie cry was . . . mother." Why save Algernon Blackwood ...

"The Bridal Party" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

246 - She left him . . . for a wealthy man . . . and now she's invited him to her lavish wedding in Paris. Tuck in for the champagne-fueled mayhem...

"The Other Woman" by Sherwood Anderson

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

245 - Known for his self-revealing works (and his four marriages), our author makes use of his expertise in this scintillating story.

"The Way Up to Heaven" by Roald Dahl

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

243 - "She noticed with a kind of horror that he was staring intently at . . . the corner of her left eye where she could feel the muscle twitchi...

"Zero Hour" by Ray Bradbury

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

242 - "The explosion! The house shook with the dull sound. There were other explosions in other yards on other streets." Tuck in for this st...

"The Man in a Case" by Anton Chekhov

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

241 - Our author adored storytelling in the moonlight. Here's the first of a trilogy. You decide if there is more.

"At Twilight" by Susan Glaspell

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

240 - After seeing the beauty of 40 springs on campus, this glorious May day was spoiled for the professor by this: "Haven't you noticed . . ...

"The Kiss," "A Respectable Woman," and "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

238 - "I've stopped kissing women; it's dangerous." Or has he? Critics called Ms. Chopin's works shocking and immoral. Tuck in a...

"Someone has Touched these Roses" and "Artificial Roses” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

237 - ". . . I think I will bring a bouquet of roses to my grave." It's been 40 years since the young boy has tragically passed. Tuck in for this and ...

"The Doll's House" and "The Little Girl" by Katherine Mansfield

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

236 - It was a big, glorious doll house and should have been enjoyed by EVERY little girl -- but Kezia takes care of that. This and one other heartwar...

"Hair" by William Faulkner

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

235 - Again Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner William Faulkner awaits you. Are these his own thoughts about women, or is he merely showing us how ugly t...

"The Tooth" by Shirley Jackson

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

234 - A typical mid-century housewife in a very atypical situation . . . Hold on tight as Ms. Jackson pulls us through her doped up quest to remedy a ...

"Eveline" and "Clay" by James Joyce

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

233 - From Dubliners, Joyce's short story collection: Could both tales be about the same woman? In the first, she's young and planning a new life, and...

"Children on Their Birthdays" by Truman Capote

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

232 - The first sentence of this week's story: "Yesterday afternoon the six-o'clock bus ran over Miss Bobbit." Mr. Capote gets right to it, doesn't he...

"Fiction" Part 2 of 2 by Alice Munro

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

231 - Its true that not every marriage lasts . . . but it's what happens next in this conclusion that makes this tantalizing tale so interesting. &nbs...

"Fiction" Part 1 of 2 by Alice Munro

25 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

230 - How could this have happened?  The perfect marriage broken apart by this?   Enjoy the plot twists from Canada's Nobel Prize-winning author.

"A Story of Love" by Ray Bradbury

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

229 - From perhaps a surprising source, here's a captivating story of love, innocent love.

"The Lady with the Dog" by Anton Chekhov

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

228 - Said to be the greatest story ever written, here's a romantic tale for your special evening.

"Where is Here?" by Joyce Carol Oates

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

227 - A stranger comes to your door asking to revisit his childhood home -- now YOUR home.  Would you let him in? Tuck in and see what happens.

"And His Letters Grew Colder" by Daphne du Maurier

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

226 - From the "Lost Stories" collection: Unearthed in 2014, this startling find is said to be darker and more sinister than du Maurier's later works....

"The Enduring Chill" Part 2 of 2 by Flannery O'Connor

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

225 - The conclusion: Poor Asbury has come home to the farm to die . . . but will Mother "allow" it?

"The Enduring Chill" Part 1 of 2 by Flannery O'Connor

14 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

224 - From "the best book ever to have won the National Book Award" to you: a tale filled with outlandish, morally-flawed southern characters.

"Silent Snow, Secret Snow" by Conrad Aiken

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

223 - From the author: "This story has haunted me for over 20 years . . . be warned of its effect . . ."

"New Year's Night" by Henry Lawson

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

222 - Welcoming the New Year,  Australian-style: "They lingered awhile - arms round each other's waists... the two sweethearts of twenty years ag...

"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

221 - 'Tis the season for forgiveness.  Will Sherlock Holmes find forgiveness in this adventure? (And what IS a carbuncle anyway?)

"A Stolen Christmas" by Mary Wilkins Freeman

10 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

220 - Who doesn’t love their grandma? Here’s a tender tale of a fiercely-loving one!

"The Kit-Bag" by Algernon Blackwood

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

219 - Charles Dickens's Scrooge is not the only character to encounter ghosts at Christmas time.  The prolific Algernon Blackwood brings us this:...

"An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" by Louisa May Alcott and "As a Native American I Found a Better Way . . ."

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

218 - "The crops were in, and barn, buttery, and bin were overflowing with the harvest . . . Thanksgiving was at hand, and all must be in order for th...

"The Night Before Thanksgiving" by Sarah Orne Jewett and "Wampanoag Indian Story"

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

217- A heart-warming seasonal story . . . followed by a different perspective from the Smithsonian Institute

"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

216 - "Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers."

"Miriam" by Truman Capote

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

215 - Mrs. Miller: "Your mother must be insane to let a child like you wander around at all hours of the night . . ."  Miriam: "What difference d...

"The Judge's House" by Bram Stoker

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

214 - This one has it all: a stormy night, a creepy old house, and a very angry ghost.

"The Witch" and "Charles" by Shirley Jackson

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

213 - From the acclaimed author of mystery and horror, two twisted tales about tots . . .  From The Witch: "The little boy gasped and the mother ...

"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

212 - Originally intended to be a ghost story, Roald Dahl read through this piece and felt he had not "brought it off." He changed the ending (so glad...

"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W. F. Harvey, Part 2 of 2

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

211 - The conclusion: "After you spiked it through with that nail, it naturally forgot about other people and concentrated its attention on you (and) ...

"The Beast with Five Fingers" by W. F. Harvey, Part 1 of 2

01 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

210 - You were promised:  "He had just got to the top when the lights went out . . . and he heard the scuttling along the floor. . . About ten yards ...

"Escort" by Daphne du Maurier

24 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

209 - Escort: (noun) a person, vehicle, or group accompanying another for protection.   Ms. du Maurier provides you with the safety of an es...

"Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

208 - Honored repeatedly for her courageous writing, author Eudora Welty was never afraid to jump into the fray for the right cause.  In this episode...

"Wunderkind" Part 2 of 2 by Carson McCullers

10 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

207 - The conclusion for our wunderkind: "Nothing mattered much except playing music as it must be played, bringing out the thing that must be in her ...

"Wunderkind" Part 1 of 2 by Carson McCullers

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

206 - Wunderkind: a person who achieves great success at a young age.   “That was what (her teacher) had called her when, at twelve, she first came...

"The Breaking Up of the Winships" by James Thurber

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

205 - They'd had a fight, he hadn't come home, and ". . . visions of him lying in a gutter or under a table, somehow horribly mangled, haunted her . ....

"Impulse" by Conrad Aiken

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

204 - From another Pulitzer Prize winner: "And at once he was seized with a conviction that his real reason for entering the drugstore was not to get ...

"Bliss" by Katherine Mansfield

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

203 - "What can you do if . . . turning the corner of your own street, you are overcome, suddenly, by a feeling of bliss(?)"  But will the day en...

"The Clock" and "August Heat" by W. F. Harvey

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

202 - The house was supposed to be empty, but "I heard a noise. . . Whatever it was, was coming slowly down the corridor, scratching at the doors as i...

"The Phantom Coach" by Amelia B. Edwards

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

201 - From the Victorian's best supernaturalist, "I turned to the next passenger and saw - oh God, how can I describe it! - I saw that he was . . ."&n...

"Greenleaf" by Flannery O'Connor, Part 2 of 2

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

200 - You won't want to miss the gut wrenching, heartrending conclusion.

"Greenleaf" by Flannery O'Connor, Part 1 of 2

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

199 - Ms. O'Connor's story is "full of bull," the dangerous, horned kind!

"Like Mother Used to Make" and "Got a Letter from Jimmy Today" by Shirley Jackson

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

198 - Another TWO for ONE episode and this time they are from Shirley Jackson.  You're welcome!

"All Summer in a Day" and "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today you get TWO from ONE of the best, Ray Bradbury. Tuck in with that vivid imagination combined with that soothing, poetic style.

"A Diamond Guitar" by Truman Capote

25 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

196 - Prison inmates: "Nobody here can run to catch Tico. He run the fastest." The response?  "Shotguns run faster."

"Indiscretion" by Daphne du Maurier

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

195 - From the most beloved author of this podcast, tuck in for a "dark, sexy" tale of "the wrong word at the wrong time." 

"Skin" by Roald Dahl

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

194 - From an unpleasant man: a passion for art paints us a thoroughly-entertaining and prickly tale. 

"W. S." by L. P. Hartley

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

193 - The police asked . . . "if there was anyone who had a grudge against him.  'No one that I know of,' Walter said.  Hmm . . .

“Three Girls” by Joyce Carol Oates

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

192 - You will find yourself in those stacks of books. What will you do when you discover that incredibly famous woman in disguise?

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

191 - A wild dream? Or something more. This one makes all the lists!

“Day of the Butterfly” by Alice Munro

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

190 - From one of your favorite authors, isolation and the dark side of young girls . . .

“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

189 - Greenwich Village is the setting for this, one of nearly 600 stories from William Sydney Porter or our friend, O. Henry.