Episode 20
Submitted by Mike on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 15:30
in
Episode 20: While burying the dead, David and Lydia reach an agreement about how to proceed. But how long will that last?
Click on the bloodstain to hit the MP3
- Mike's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Smooth
It's great being 5 hours behind your time! I just got to hear 20 and I think it is one of the best as far as ambiance and character empathy goes. Boy that hangover description took me back to... ah... olden days. I don't want to give anything away so I'll limit myself to saying that you so know how to move things along. Taking us around the action as the cinematographer who moves the camera and lights the scene... to pull us all in. ¡Bravo Mike! ¡Buenisimo! Thank you!
excellent!
I was in New Orleans over Halloween weekend with internet access only available on my phone. I was DYING to get this episode! The weekend in New Orleans really put me in a vampire mood, and this episode didn't disappoint.
One of the reasons why I am enjoying this so much is because David's character is so realistic. If I were in his situation, it seems like I would handle things exactly the way he has. The juxtaposition of the incredibly normal right next to the surreal is outrageous fun.
Thanks for another great episode. I will have to really savor the next one, as I understand it will be the last one for quite a while.
Amazing. Simply, amazing.
You manage to create so much life in your characters. In some fiction, differentiation between characters becomes blurred, but you manage to create such individual charcteristics that it shines through. I never have to wonder who I'm listening to. I also so much enjoy the presence of the Lord Underwood even when he isn't there. The mere thought of him is always present and the note on the table was genius. I would find a way to drag the coffin up into the sunlight... Either that or rug up a bunch of mirors to bath the celler in light... Let him burn!
Bennett!
I swear, I'll never drink again. Ha! We've all been there. Psyched for the last episode in this section, bummed that we'll be without new episodes for a while. Oh, and tell David to buy a back-hoe. And what the hell are baseball boots? Could they be what we call Chucks (Converse All-Stars)? Big ticker-tape parade in NY today for the Yankees. Too bad I'm a Mets fan. -Uncle V
Baseball Boots etc
Many thanks, all.
Your feedback is much appreciated - probably more than you realise, actually - so, again, many thanks.
To answer Uncle Velvet's question; yes, "baseball boots" is a colloquial British term for "Converse All-Stars". It's used to create a distinction between them and regular running shoes, which tend to get lumped-together under the general term, "trainers". I haven't worn anything like that for years because it's always raining in Dublin and my feet would get cold and wet too often.
Well done (as usual) and views from the peanut gallery
Hey Mike,
You have done an outstanding job of giving us David's reluctance to toe the party line w/o making him seem like a wuss. When you stop to think about it, that is quite a tightrope to walk and you've done it flawlessly. Bravo!
Two suggestions from the peanut gallery:
1. Was kinda hoping that we could have an episode or three of David reading the diaries of past Finches (sp?) and have a few adventures of u&f in self-contained 1episode hits. The possibilities are immense. U&F in ww1, meeting Napolean, etc.
2. Just an unwanted criticism from an illiterate redneck truck-driver but the episodes that cut to the bar really mess with the ambiance and flow of the story. I am sure you have it all planned out and it is probably safe to say that russian cuisine is on the menu eventually, but, for me at least, the side-plot is (i tried to think of a less offensive "writer cuss word" to use but was unsucessful) uninteresting. Pls don't misunderstand: I LOVE THE STORY and, frankly, your presentation as an orator is FLAWLESS. Your unique style of speaking is fantastic and, honestly, I would <probably> d/l an episode of you talking bad about my mama just to hear you speak. But, for me at least, the bar episodes are a buzz-kill.
Enjoy your well-deserved break and come back re-charged.
Larry
Two Points
Hi Larry
To reply to your two points:
1. Yes, I agree. I've had innumerable ideas along these lines and even plotted out a couple of shorts that I hope to include in the next season of Hall of Mirrors. Maybe a Christmas special, even. The possibilities are, as you say, immense.
2. With regards to the sub-plot: it's necessary - there isn't an ounce of fat in U&F (God knows I've tried to trim as much as I can without cutting flesh). Everything has a purpose and will all make sense in time. Another thing to consider is, I get a lot of email from people who love the sub-plot, so the old showbiz saying, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time", comes to mind :-)
Delicious
This is keeping me on tender hooks and hungry for more. Is certainly twisting in a way I didn't expect but that is what I love the most.
Thanks Mike
Trillianne xxxxx & Devil Child xxxxx
PS - Hope the next one will be a long one, will we be having a Q&A at the end again, really like them too.
Scrumptious x
Thank you Mike, as always, leaving us on tender hooks
The twists and turns are amazing, as is your writing 
If you need anymore Medical assistance, feel free to ask me 
Always a pleasure. Looking forward to 21 and the end of part 1 
Take care
Angel x
Trillianne xx
So lovely to talk to you again without moderation
Opps, did I actually say that out aloud? lol The Garden 'may' need us tending it, getting rid of the fallen leaves and tidying it up a little 
So looking forward to 21, really enjoyed 20 and the 'hanging'with baited breath.
Speak soon
Angel xxxx
Our Garden
Angel Babe!!!!!
Well it has been some months since we tended the deadly nightshade, needs trimming I think, I'm sweeping my cave as we speak and caming again for the day.
Don't forget a cloak or two, the weather has taken a turn for the colder and that pesky blue sky is too bright and giving me a headache.
Catsh up soon
Trilli babe xxxxx
The moderator is watching
Please keep your comments on topic only.
I am watching...
exited!!
i can't possibly get enough! i'm alwase looking forward to the next :)
Thanks!
Great episode as always!
I just listened to the final episode of Sleepless, and I have to say that I envy your instinct for story structure. I've always wanted to write a novel myself (and I made a couple of pitiful attempts in my early teens), but I doubt my ability to spin a sufficiently intricate yarn.
Keep 'em coming, Mike! I love your work!
Don't be put off
Hi Consolamentium
Many thanks, but don't let your earlier disappointments put you off writing. Everyone's first efforts lack Zing. Mine were hilarious - in a bad way - but I kept at it. Start small with 2 or 3 page stories, and build it up to 4 or 5 pages, 10 or 20 pages, 100 or 700 pages etc. Also - go back over those early works to check for good bits; even the worst stories often have one or two good lines or ideas. You'll be surprised :-)
Thanks for the advice and the
Thanks for the advice and the pep talk! I get some excellent ideas for surreal supernatural horror stories now and then (usually from my dreams), and I'll get to work and see what I can make of them ASAP.
All the best!
Not To Be Pushy But....
Hi Mike! Err..... hmmmm..... If you posted 20 on the 2nd, then, it would seem that next Monday would count as the end of a fotnight, no? ;->
Double-sized
Hi Paco,
I know, I have the date on a post-it note on the wall in front of my computer. I want to get the episode finished on time, but it's double-sized and full of very tricky material. If I rush it, I'll mess it up; the spell will be broken and people will be crying for my head on a stick.
I'm going as fast as I can, but I won't be posting the material until it's ready
Great stuff
I had been lagging behind in my listening..due to my work schedule and my attempts at "Nano ing" ..
The latest-chapter 20- is another magnificent outing from the master of characterization....and another clever turn in the course of events.
David remains so wonderfully naive and charmingly real. A lamb in a land of piranhas.
I am going to miss him and Underwood and Lydia and all the colorful characters of Underwood & Flinch...
Have you any idea on how long the space between Book 1 & 2 will be?
Downtime
I don't know, Roxie.
There's a lot of story to tell and some huge distractions like Christmas and New Year coming up. Mind you, saying that, my job is under threat at the moment since the school I work for has been bought by another company and people are going to lose their jobs. If I lose mine, I'll be legitimately unemployed, so I'll be able to write for five or six hours a day. Which would be nice. I'd be broke, but Part Two would come a hell of a lot faster.
New promotional item?
I like the sound of that Mike Bennett head-on-a-stick. Everyone should have one! We could just wave it around whenever there's a delay. Or, you know, poke it with sharp objects.
OUCH
Gee..I'm not hoping for you standing in a paupers line just to get our story...unless, of course, it prompted a whole domino effect in which the added time added a whole lot of shine on you.
Ya never know about that whole butterfly effect thing..