Day 45: The Wicked Library Live Halloween Event

Last evening, we traveled up to the Dormont neighborhood of Pittsburgh for The Wicked Library Live Halloween Event. As expected, it was a rollicking and glorious time!


Podcaster extraordinaire Daniel Foytik!

This was the second year for the live Halloween event, hosted at the wonderful Rickert & Beagle Books. Sadly, we couldn't make it to the event last year, but that just meant we had to be there this year. For the 2016 Halloween special, there are six stories slated for the podcast, and three very talented voice performers graced us with their awesome talent for just over two hours of majorly frightening entertainment. The evening kicked off with podcaster and Wicked Library host Daniel Foytik welcoming us. Daniel performed four of the night's stories from authors Brookelynne Warra, Aaron Vlek, Jon Grilz, and Alexander Andriulli. The Wicked Library founder Nelson W. Pyles was also on site and took the microphone for a wonderfully creepy tale by the talented Lydia Storm.


Not to spoil too much, but this one was about duplicates
and Halloween candy, and wow, oh wow, was it eerie.

Although I was merely an audience member last night, this was actually a very big night for me, too. The inimitable Cindy Lowman was the third performer, and she did a story written by me! An author, producer, and voice actor, Cindy has already delivered stunning renditions of two of my stories in the past: last winter's "Girl, Alone at Play" for The Lift and this October's "The Man in the Ambry" at The Wicked Library. I have been so consistently in awe of Cindy's ability as a voice performer, and to have her perform my work is such a true honor. But to see her do it live is another incredible treat altogether. Needless to say, I was so excited not only to witness her performing live but to also meet her for the first time in person! Seriously, it was like meeting a celebrity. My story, "One Wish for the Wishing Well," is the longest story of this year's Halloween special for The Wicked Library, and this was the first time I've ever watched someone else perform my work live. To be honest, it was a most surreal and incredible experience, especially since as always, Cindy knocked it right out of the park. As I've said before, I hate to be one of those people who cries at their own work, but it took all my composure not to tear up before the end of her performance. It was that good. What an honor to have such a fantastic voice actor performing my work for an audience.


The fabulous Cindy in her element!

During intermission, Bill and I browsed the awesome inventory at Rickert & Beagle Books, and look what we found! Books from Pittsburgh area horror authors Nelson W. Pyles, Mike Watt, and Stephanie M. Wytovich!


Pittsburgh horror is the best kind of horror, don't you know?

For the second half of the show, Daniel Foytik returned to the microphone and performed the rest of the evening's spooky tales. After the official podcast for the show was recorded, there was an extra special surprise for those of us in the audience: Cindy took the microphone again, and performed the Halloween special for The Lift, "The Last Costume Change," which also happens to be one of my stories! Really! Two Gwendolyn Kiste stories performed live in one night! It was both a little overwhelming and absolutely one of the coolest experiences as an author that I've ever had.


Big thanks to Daniel Foytik for choosing my stories for this event! And of course,
thanks to Cindy and Nelson as well as Chris who owns the bookstore!

For those of you who couldn't be in the audience last night, the Halloween special from The Wicked Library will debut on World Audio Drama Day on October 30th! So stay tuned for more Halloween podcasting goodies, because they are most certainly on their way! Mwhahaha!