A few years ago, I'd drive 70 km to work each day along a road that didn't see much traffic - just the occasional truck. Of an evening, I'd be extra careful driving home though, because of the wildlife. An encounter with kangaroos could do serious damage all round as I once discovered on a different road when I managed a 180 degree spin and to wipe out two tyres just avoiding three roos that were a tad short of road sense. One dark night, I came across half a dozen sheep wandering down the road followed, a few minutes later, by a large koala sitting in the middle of the road ... as a truck bore down from behind. There was no shortage of trees waiting at the side of the road either, ready to scoop you up if you swerved too sharply. However, the biggest danger by far, after 12 years of doing this drive, was falling asleep, particularly when the sun was low, and so I'd try out different strategies to keep me alert and add interest to the journey. Unlike the fella I once saw driving towards me with a newspaper spread across the steering wheel, I came to particularly appreciate the value of radio, a good supply of CDs and audio books. They kept me sane.
And so it was with more than a smattering of delight that I came across The Narratives Library recently, and the opportunity to contribute a few audio recordings of my own.
Set up by Karena Wynn-Moylan in conjunction with Bay FM 99.9 and Arts Canvass, which Karena presents each Thursday, The Narratives Library "provides a permanent, online resource for community radio stations, educational institutions, book clubs, writers and readers – anyone who is interested in books, stories and writing." Arranged into a variety of themes or categories, the library houses a growing collection of recordings of authors reading excerpts from their books.
The Snowing and Greening of Thomas Passmore and The Grease Monkey's Tale are both represented under Love, Romance, Sex & Relationships. A further Snowing and Greening excerpt can be found under the Strange and Fantastical category, and a second Grease Monkey reading is located in Crime Fiction and Fact.
I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I enjoyed making them.
