Lately I’ve been fascinated by listening to old broadcasts of 1940’s radio dramas. You probably heard about them. It was during an era when the whole family gathered around the RCA radio console to thrill or terrify themselves nightly. I especially have been intrigued by a program simply entitled, Suspense. Aptly named, it delivered taut, well-crafted half-hour dramas for 22 years on the CBS Radio Network.

One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio—it was subtitled “radio’s outstanding theater of thrills”—it focused on suspenseful scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era. 945 episodes were broadcast during its long run, and even today they hold up well for their overwrought dramatic sound effects and hyperactive organ music.

I fell in love with the pace and melodrama of the episodes and that inspired me to create a series of short stories that pay homage to those. You will find these on my site as individual—non-connected—stories of “mirth, mystery, and madness.” At present they are only available as Kindle downloads but plans are in the works to publish collections of them as anthologies.

They are quick reads, fast-paced, and feature memorable characters. Hopefully I’ve done those mid-century writers proud.