William E. Spear has written for audio since 1994. His book, "Lit Between the Ears, Volume One: Chekhov, O. Henry, Spear and Tarkington On the Air," was released on July 31, 2006. He founded Two Plus Plus Productions LLC in 2006 and is President. He founded Hunterdon Radio Theatre in 1999 and has written over 15 plays since. Spear's work has been broadcast in New York and New Jersey and his plays have been published on web sites across the country.
It is my hope this finds you in good health and good humor.
A selective listing of stories at various stages of development, and with scheduled publication dates in 2025, may be found below:
BEYOND REACH – When two seventy year old strangers recite poetry at each other, anything can happen.
THE SEVENTH PIECE – A match to the end. Or dinner. Whichever’s first.
THE DAVIDSON HOUSE SPIRITS – A ghost skeptic discovers a haunted train.
FREAKS FROM ANOTHER PLANET – Two friends reflect on parenting and grand parenting as if they were discussing alien life forms.
PLASTERED – Dinner, interrupted.
THE ‘JUST ONE MORE’ – The most wanted is not always the most needed.
Q27R – The rocket ship is just a daydream. Right?
PAPER PLACEMATS AT THE STACK-EM UP DINER – First came the paycheck. Then the crossword puzzles.
Others – Stories scheduled for release in 2026 and 2027.
Updates and notices will be released here and other platforms.
Thanks for your attention and enjoy the New Year.
About the Author William E. Spear, Jr., born in the Midwest and raised on the East Coast, influenced by classical music, the Temptations, and Bob Seger, writes quiet stories; the ones that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Written and Narrated by William E. Spear Produced by The Three Fifty-seven 27 May 2024 Released: 28 May 2024
I WILL NOT DANCE, Episode 04 – Raucously, Still
(Cold)
The Three Fifty-seven finishes its commemoration to individuals who died while serving the country.
My name is William Spear and this series is titled I WILL NOT DANCE. Over four episodes, an Unnamed Service Personnel told of leaving family and dying in battle.
The events are set in the Second World War and the Narrator is from New Jersey, U.S.A, but the story could be told of many conflicts and the warrior could be from any country.
Previously, the Unnamed Service Personnel spoke of dying in France: “I was shot. Killed . . . alone and far from home.”
What happened to the memories before the war? Family and Friends whose two hundred feet crescendoed in a wedding hall? Rhythms and sounds of gray mornings and frosty evenings? Rich tapestries of aromatic foods filling the air?
Listen beyond the sadness of forever echoing funeral music or never ending melancholia for a lost relative. Listen to the Fourth and Final Episode titled RAUCOUSLY, STILL.
(Theme for A LONELY DEATH comes up and goes under)
Herrlisheim. Bloody, bloody Herrlisheim. France. Where I Died. Middle of January, Nineteen Forty-five. Three thousand, eight hundred, and sixty-one miles from home. Shot while bat’ling Operation Nordwind. The snow turn’d Red beneath me.
In that moment, the wintry cold disappeared. I could Not feel a thing. Shocked from me. But slowly, rumb’ling tanks Were sensed. Falling back. Carrying bodies. Attacking. Machine guns harvesting anyone opposed. Ending Lives of others.
We were Mister McRae’s poppies. Twenty-nine later Years and crosses without. We handed cooling guns to Those still flamed by battle. The tank rumb’lings and machine Gun strafings faded. We lay in silence until- There! In the distance.
Voices filling my emptiness. Some older, and much Older. Others my age. Others, too, I could not place. Ah! Fam’lies and individuals, before and since. Celebrating with brash laughter in and around East Bréifne. Cavan.
From Epinal, with crosses, I hear them living. Sweet Sounds. Jersey City. New Jersey. America and Beyond. Those embracing old worlds and new, I revere, Cheer, and celebrate you. However, remember this:
I will not dance . . . cannot dance, unless you laugh with me.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
That was Episode Four titled RAUCOUSLY, STILL. It was written and narrated by William Spear.
Music was through the courtesy of Serge Pavkin and Laurent Buczek.
The series I WILL NOT DANCE was produced by The Three Fifty-seven.
Before ending, The Three Fifty-seven offers its remembrance of, and honor for, the men and women of every generation who gave their lives in military service to our country.
We commemorate them and, yes, we laugh with them. Not only on Memorial Day but throughout the year.
Thank you for listening.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
Written and Narrated by William E. Spear Produced by The Three Fifty-seven 21 May 2024
I WILL NOT DANCE, Episode 03 – Deep Percussions
(Cold open)
The Three Fifty-seven continues its commemoration to individuals who died while serving the country.
My name is William Spear and this series is titled I WILL NOT DANCE. Over four episodes, an Unnamed Service Personnel will tell of leaving family and dying in battle. Although the events are set in the Second World War, and the Narrator is from New Jersey, U.S.A, the story could be told of any conflict and the warrior could be from any country.
Previously, before shipping out, the Unnamed Service Personnel visited Family members and Friends and savored the sights, sounds, and foods of Jersey City. When those days dwindled, the Narrator realized “The time had come . . . I was now Uncle Sam’s.”
Others from all walks of Life join the Narrator as they lean hard against a north wind in Episode Three titled DEEP PERCUSSIONS.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
We came from thousands of hometowns across the country. Our heartbeats echoed roots from the Mid Atlantic, The Northeast, Down South, all the Wests, and the Mountains, too. Each with mem’ries of Fam’ly and Friends as dear to them As mine to me.
We pounded and forged a single combat unit. Bound And dedicated to serve the country, fortify Europe, and defeat Axis countries. Built for lightning Speed and trip hammer power, we were then deployed as The Twelfth Armored.
Our division’s First Action was December, Nineteen Forty-four. Near the Maginot Line. France. Our Second Action included a Christmas gift of living in The frozen cold. We continued, more tested and more Experienced.
New Year of Forty-five shelled us as we swaggered through More than one-hundred-fifty days fighting. “Attitude”, My never met Fam’ly and Friends would say. “Fierce”, back in Our day. Allies praised us. Enemies feared us. We were Now the Hellcats.
We scratched forward, fell back, and clawed ahead. Relentless. Nothing stopped us. Little delayed us. ’Til Herrlisheim. Hades. We blitzkrieged the enemy’s Nordwind. With awe, They now called us the Suicide Division. Then, in The month’s middle,
I was shot. Killed . . . alone and far from home.
(Theme for A LONELY DEATH comes up and goes under)
That was Episode Three titled DEEP PERCUSSIONS. It was written and narrated by William Spear.
Music was through the courtesy of Serge Pavkin and Laurent Buczek.
The series I WILL NOT DANCE was produced by The Three Fifty-seven.
Thank you for listening.
(Theme for A LONELY DEATH comes up and goes under)
Written and Narrated by William E. Spear Produced by The Three Fifty-seven 14 May 2024
I WILL NOT DANCE, Episode 02 – Rhythms and Sounds
(Cold open)
The Three Fifty-seven offers a commemoration to those individuals who died while serving the country.
My name is William Spear and this series is titled I WILL NOT DANCE. Over four episodes, an Unnamed Service Personnel will tell of leaving family and dying in battle.
The events are set in the Second World War, and the Narrator is from New Jersey, U.S.A. However, the story could be told of any conflict and the warrior could be from any country.
Previously, the Unnamed Service Personnel celebrated a family wedding and shared glimpses of heritage back in County Cavan in Ireland.
And received a draft notice to join the military.
This time, the Narrator reacts to the notice and the prospect of leaving family. Listen to Episode Two titled RHYTHMS AND SOUNDS.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
The wedding celebration had barely stopped ringing In our ears and our aching heads when my notice came. Report to the nearest recruiting office! At Once! Uncle Sam wants you!
But Uncle Sam’s haste did not stop me from embracing Family and Friends ’round the city. From the youngest To most senior, our neighborhoods sparkled with laughter And glit’tring eyes.
Songs, too, were sung. G.I. JIVE. SUNRISE SERENADE. MY BROKEN HEART. THE RATION BLUES. Which, by the way, neither Slowed nor stopped vibrant, rich tapestries of aromas. Senses were thrilled.
Savored, too, was Jersey City’s gray landscapes. Steaming Breaths in air floated and sidewalks crunch’d from chilled temp’tures. Solo excursions captured the abundance of home. Oh, the riches.
But soon, the pattern of days and nights dwindled. Barely A few remained. Celebrations roared of unspoken Worries. Music? Fell quiet. Food? Lacked flavor. Weather? A north wind blew.
The time had come . . . I was now Uncle Sam’s.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
That was Episode Two titled RHYTHMS AND SOUNDS. It was written and narrated by William Spear.
Music was through the courtesy of Serge Pavkin.
The series I WILL NOT DANCE was produced by The Three Fifty-seven.
The Three Fifty-seven offers a commemoration to those individuals who died while serving their countries.
My name is William Spear and this program is titled I WILL NOT DANCE. Over four episodes, an Unnamed Service Personnel will tell of leaving family and dying in battle.
Although the events are set in the Second World War, and the Narrator is from New Jersey, U.S.A., the story could be told of any conflict and the warrior could be from any country.
Join us as the Narrator celebrates a family wedding and historical roots in Episode One titled TWO HUNDRED FEET.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
My cousin’s wedding was a loud and raucous affair. For ten hours – starting before the church – two hundred feetAnd hands stomp’d, clap’d, and echoed Jersey City heartbeats Back to Cavan.
Ah, Cavan! County and city in Ulster Province Of northeastern Ireland. Embraced by the counties Monaghan, Meath, Westmeath, Longford, and Leitrim. Uplands Cross’d by valleys.
The main of which nestles the River Erne, the second Longest through the province. With slate and shale hills, beyond. Catholic and Protestant churches criss cross the county. Faith runs deep here . . .
. . . And burns as brightly and fiercely as in Bréifne times. When our people became East Bréifne and fought English Colonization until the late fifteen hundreds. These were the roots . . .
. . . Swirling across the floor and toasting love evermore, Cold winds battered and driving rains soaked the parish hall, There was nothing that could break us or tear us apart. We were fam’ly.
We danced for days . . . and then the notice came.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
That was Episode One titled TWO HUNDRED FEET. It was written and narrated by William Spear.
Music was through the courtesy of Serge Pavkin.
The series I WILL NOT DANCE was produced by The Three Fifty-seven.
Thank you for listening.
(Theme for I WILL NOT DANCE comes up and goes under)
(Theme for THE GHOSTLY GROOM plays and goes under)
My name is William Spear and this is our series titled THE GHOSTLY GROOM. It is inspired by, and interpreted from, Washington Irving’s THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM.
Lenore Katzenellen is the 45-year-old founder and president of a financial analysis firm. She is also engaged but her fiancé is killed in an automobile accident. And then calls Lenore’s house.
Her father and aunts are terrified. She is curious.
The dead fiancé’s bandaged face and head is seen outside the kitchen window.
Lenore is now intrigued. Her family is petrified.
While she is out for milk, a uniformed police officer stops at the house and tells them Lenore’s car has been found abandoned on the side of the road.
Find out what happens in the Fifth and Final Episode titled REMAINS.
(Theme for THE GHOSTLY GROOM plays and goes under)
The two aunts wailed in unison: “Our poor, poor Lenore.”
The officer continued: “There was a note.” The baron read it out loud. “I’ve gone with him.”
The officer asked who’s the “him”?
“Her dead fiancé,” sobbed the aunts. “Now she is dead.”
The aunts hugged each other and gasped in fragments. “Even worse. He came back . . .” “To keep the wedding vows. And they will have . . .” “Spirit children.”
The two looked at each other and spoke with a single voice: “Wretched, phantom, spirit children!”
Despite implication of his daughter’s death or worse, marriage to a ghost, the baron remained silent. Oddly, calmly, quiet. Rather than add to the tsunami of misery, he thought, “What would Lenore do? What would Lenore do?”
He asked where her car was found. “Up north. About thirty minutes,” was the answer.
“That’s where Geoffrey died,” said the baron.
They headed to the door and the officer stopped them. “We received a call from the hospital about a woman matching Lenore’s description.”
They piled into a car and drove to Wurtzburg hospital. The receptionist said it was too late for Lenore. More tears from the aunts.
The baron countered with, “Do you mean dead or left?”
The receptionist clarified: “I am so, so sorry. She left.”
The baron and aunts pondered the details.
One of the thinkers spoke of “needing a miracle” and another spoke of praying and the third said, “a church would be useful for divine thoughts.” Whereupon the three pirouetted, exclaimed, “Of course” and headed off.
Moments later they were careening through the cemetery of Wurtzburg cathedral.
One of the aunts pointed to a shadowy figure and the other shouted its head was covered in bandages. The baron steered the car on a collision course, cornered the fugitive between two mausoleums, and confronted the spectre: “Take me to Lenore or I will deliver you to the worms.”
With no escape available, the figure dropped to its knees. The baron would have run it over if a voice had not interceded: “Father, it’s alright.” It was Lenore!
The two hugged and the aunts made it a watery foursome. Their relief was interrupted by the sobbing figure.
The baron approached fiercely: “The police will show more mercy than me.”
Lenore stepped between them, comforted the figure, and helped it stand. She told of more details.
The figure spoke: “I am Herman Starken. My father served with you in the last war.”
The assemblage bowed their heads and offered, “We thank him for his service and may he rest in peace.”
Herman told of Geoffrey offering a ride. “Then,” continued Herman. “Geoffrey asked me to call Lenore on his mobile. When he finished, a herd of deer bolted across the road. Geoffrey swerved and the car crashed down a ravine.”
The aunts gasped and Herman continued: “My face and head were bleeding badly but Geoffrey was worse. His breathing was labored. He begged I tell you what happened. I laughingly told him he would get well and tell the story at his wedding reception. He insisted I speak with you or his soul would not rest.”
The eyes of the aunts welled. Herman again continued: “I agreed and . . . he died. I grabbed his phone and wallet, crawled out of the ravine, and collapsed on the highway. A motorist called an ambulance. You know most of the rest of the story.”
Herman added: “I hope, Sir, you and your good family, will find it within you to forgive me for any pain or sorrow.”
The baron’s anger began to rise but the aunts counseled him privately on the genuineness of Herman’s motive. The baron wavered. Lenore spoke of the respect Herman had shown for Geoffrey’s dying request. The baron, who thought his daughter was dead and was grateful she was still alive, re-considered and thanked Herman for his actions.
Upon which, Herman collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
A few days later, the real Geoffrey Ochre was lain to rest in Wurtzburg cathedral. His parents and family wept and Lenore comforted them. After the funeral, Herman went back to the hospital. He was released several months later.
However, the aunts were less fortunate. They lost a chance to tell a real life ghost story and organize a traditional wedding. But others came along. Weddings, not ghost stories.
And Lenore continued running her business.
Dear readers and listeners, this is how the story ends.
(Theme for THE GHOSTLY GROOM plays and goes under)
That was the Fifth and Last Episode titled REMAINS.
Theme music is through the courtesy of Nicky.
William Spear wrote the series and it was produced by The Three Fifty-seven.
