I’ve spent years creating fictional worlds, putting characters through situations I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and occasionally wondering what that says about me.
Apparently, writing the nightmares wasn’t enough.
Now I’m narrating them, too.
If you’ve followed my writing for a while, you know I don’t tend to write particularly comfortable stories. Whether it’s survival, complicated relationships, or the darker corners of human behaviour, I’m interested in what happens when ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
And lately, I’ve been exploring another way to tell those stories.
Welcome to Rural Menace Stories
It’s a collection of original narrated psychological horror stories set in forgotten towns, along lonely roads, and among communities where everyone knows everyone.
Or at least they think they do.
The stories aren’t all about things that go bump in the night. Sometimes they’re about the neighbour who always offers to help. The volunteer everyone trusts. The person who knows more about a disappearance than they’re willing to admit.
Those are the characters I find particularly interesting.
Because there’s something unsettling about discovering that the person you trusted most was the one you should have questioned.
Why audio?
There’s a difference between reading a story and hearing someone tell it.
On the page, readers control the pace. They can stop, reread a sentence, or skip ahead when the tension becomes unbearable.
With narration, I get to control the silence.
The hesitation before someone answers a question.
The change in a character’s voice when they realize they’re no longer safe.
The moment when a perfectly ordinary sentence becomes something much more disturbing because of how it’s delivered.
I’ve been learning that writing for narration requires a slightly different approach. A sentence that looks wonderful on paper doesn’t always sound natural when spoken aloud.
And occasionally, I discover this after reading the entire thing.
That’s been an education all by itself.
When the audience wants more
One of my recent stories, The River Watch, follows an eighteen-year-old girl attending an annual community gathering beside a river.
Nobody celebrates. Nobody brings their children. Everyone stands along the bank, waiting.
And what comes out of that river raises more questions than answers.
The short version recently passed 1,100 views on YouTube, and viewers have started asking questions about the characters.
Especially the mother.
That means a story I originally wrote as a short horror piece is now being expanded into a full-length narrated episode.
Sometimes the audience notices a door you’ve left open.
And sometimes you have to go back and find out what’s behind it.
What’s coming next?
Rural Menace Stories will continue with original short horror fiction alongside longer narrated episodes.
I’m also exploring ways to bring more of my existing fiction into audio, because some stories deserve to be heard as well as read.
The books aren’t going anywhere. Writing remains the foundation of everything I do.
The microphone is simply another way to share the words I’ve created.
And yes, I’m still writing.
Apparently, I just needed another creative project to add to the collection.
Come Listen
If you enjoy psychological suspense, unsettling small-town secrets, and stories that leave you wondering what happens after the ending, I’d love for you to explore Rural Menace Stories on YouTube.
You can also find longer audio episodes on Spotify.
Whether you’ve been following my books for years or you’re discovering my writing through a two-minute horror story, thank you for spending a little time in the worlds I create.
Just remember that when someone in one of my stories tells you everything is fine, there’s a very good chance they’re lying.
Until next Wednesday.
L.A. Keane 🖤
Writer. Narrator. Creator of Rural Menace Stories.
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