An Austin storyteller had a rapt audience Friday night as he discussed how it felt to create a good tale.

Michael Cotter and his wife, Bev Jackson Cotter, celebrated the release of their new book, “The Killdeer,” at a reception at the Austin Public Library Friday.

It is the third such book of stories Michael has published. Bev has helped Michael tell his stories over the years by writing them down for him as he tells them.

“She’s German, so she has a plan,” Michael joked to the audience. “I’m Irish, so I don’t.”

“The Killdeer” is a book of life on the farm throughout Michael’s lifetime, from stories of farm life during Cotter’s childhood in the ‘40s to the modern day.

“The Killdeer,” published by Parkhurst Brothers Publishing, Inc., was released last month. Copies are available at Amazon.com