A Magic Berry (!) an Update (!) and a Brilliant Idea! (Patreon)

I haven't been out of the house in so long, I decided to drive into the mountains for a bit of a getaway. While there I found this magic berry! (photo)

Quick! Everyone make a wish! 

Seriously, I don't know what that is. But it was quite beautiful and there was only one. All the other berries were small and dark. Not nearly so magical.

Update: Today I was able to mail all the envelopes (except Australia...*cries*...soon, Australia, soon.) I also recorded the next podcast (ghostly areas) and the Bedtime Story (ghostly ghost). I'm going to edit those and then pass them off to Richard for final touches. The plan is to have both up tomorrow. 

Another update: The Brilliant Idea!

I get quite a few emails and messages from people saying my voice makes them relaxed and sleepy. I agree. Both Richard and I fall asleep sometimes while editing the show. Actually, my whole idea for the Bedtime Story was for it to be just that: Something soothing to listen to so you can fall asleep. But also, Japanese folklore! 

Now, I am a writer and a reader and I love to read those stories out loud. Add that to the fact that there are some wonderful classics on Gutenberg. Okay, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I'm not sure if you can tell where I'm going with this. 

A couple months ago, just for fun, I recorded one of my favorite stories ("The Yellow Wallpaper"), because I want to get better at reading. A lot better. So I need to practice. Then I started thinking I wonder if anyone else would like to hear what I recorded. I planned to definitely put it up here. Even though it's not related to Japan, it is a great tale. Plus some of you have said you do use the monthly Bedtime Stories for winding down and falling asleep. Two is better than one! 

Ladidah, last week I started listening to other podcasts that were in the genre of people reading stories for relaxation and sleep and I thought, Hey, I can do this! 

Wew. All that to say, I'm going to start another podcast that will just be me reading some classic tale. My son, Julyan, is on board to put some soothing music to them, and Richard is game to take out weird mouth noises and random chair squeaks. It shouldn't be a lot of work since it won't involve research and translating and retelling. 

If you don't mind, I'll put the stories up here, too, without any long-winded intro or (if I get them) sponsors. I'm really excited because I get to read; I get to practice reading so I get better at it; I get to share stories that I love; and, hopefully, I get to help people escape any stress or anxiety they might be having in these chaotic times.

What do you think? 

XO,

terrie

P.S. Richard and I talked about it and we're aiming for Levar Burton quality audio. 

Tl;dr: Soon I'll be putting up extra content, an extra story (or two?) a month. Although these new ones won't be Japanese-themed (necessarily), they will be good quality and made to help you relax or sleep.