Going Public…in Shorts – 6/17

Adam Verner joins us today, offering Brown Wolf, by Jack London. Adam also joins the Anita at Anita Loves Books today, so be sure to check it out!

 

Listening & Downloading 

Brown Wolf is offered in full for online listening through June 23rd. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

 

Brown Wolf, by Jack London

Jack London returns to his favorite theme of relations between man and animal in this short story.  In the style of Call of the Wild and White Fang, London writes of a couple in Southern California who take in a stray sled dog from Alaska.  When his true owner shows up, the meaning of loyalty is tested.

 

 

Adam Verner is a full time narrator and voice talent with over 100 titles recorded for companies such as Blackstone, Brilliance, AudioGO, Tantor, Oasis, Audible, HighBridge, eChristian, Dreamscape, McGraw Hill, and Zondervan. He is the recipient of AudioFile Earphones awards for Pavilion of Women, by Pearl S. Buck, and The Big It, by A.B. Guthrie, Jr.  He holds his MFA in Acting from the Chicago College of the Fine Arts at Roosevelt University.

 

Today’s Blog Host: Anita Loves Books

 

Anita Loves Books came to be 5 years ago and began as a blog to share my thoughts about life, parenting, having older parents and more.  Eventually I began to share my love of reading and books.  Now the blog title has evolved to reflect that.  Other book bloggers opened my ears to audio books and I’ve never looked back!! I read and listen to a variety of literary, historical and women’s fiction.  I formerly worked for a major bookstore chain, but the lack of time to actually spent selling books led me to leave that position…anyone want to open a great indie in Central Florida? I have two daughters in college and a high school son that is giving me gray hair. Anita can be contacted via email at Anitaglebeau@gmail.com

Going Public…in Shorts – 6/16

Kaleo Griffith joins us today, offering The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, by Mark Twain. Kaleo also joins the Melanie at Overreader today, so be sure to check it out!

 

Listening & Downloading 

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is offered in full for online listening through June 22nd. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, by Mark Twain

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain, his first great success as a writer, bringing him national attention. How It All Goes Down: A man from the East comes to a western mining town. At the request of a friend, the narrator speaks with Simon Wheeler in order to ask after a man named Leonidas W. Smiley. Instead of giving the narrator the information that he asks for, Wheeler launches into a tall tale about a man named Jim Smiley. The story goes something like this: Jim Smiley was a man who would bet on anything. He turned a frog into a pet and bet a stranger that his frog, Dan’l Webster, could jump higher than any other frog. While Smiley wasn’t looking, the stranger filled Dan’l Webster with quail shot, and Smiley lost the bet. Before he could figure out what happened, the stranger disappeared with the $40 he won by cheating. Sick of the long-winded tale about Jim Smiley and his frog, the narrator tries to escape from Wheeler before he launches into another story. The narrator realizes that his friend probably intended for him to suffer through Wheeler’s tedious tale.

 

 

Kaleo Griffith is a classically trained, multiple award-winning Voice Artist and Actor living in Los Angeles. He has been called “Powerful, with the presence of a young Timothy Dalton” by The Hollywood Reporter. Griffith graduated cum laude from Franklin Pierce University with a B.A. in Theatre, holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Rutgers University, and is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He has also lived and trained classically in the UK through Roger Williams University.  Film & TV include:   Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio; Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Diagnosis X, a “Host” on HGTV,  and several soaps, Griffith has performed in over 50 professional theatrical productions across the country– like Pasadena Playhouse and South Coast Repertory Theatre- and working with veterans like Richard Chamberlain, Jessica Walter & Lois Nettleton. Voice work encompasses many commercial campaigns and audiobooks. Griffith recently won two “Earphones” for his narration work on Pamela Clare’s Extreme Exposure and  Karen Russell’s(Pulitzer Prize finalist) Vampire’s In The Lemon Grove. Griffith is currently shooting the feature/western Six Gun Savior-with Eric Roberts and enjoying narrating so many wonderful audiobooks.

 

Today’s Blog Host: Overreader

Melanie Cremins has: teenagers, pets, a spouse, a job, and a really, really large number of books. She writes about them at dakimel.blogspot.com and tweets about them @dakiMel, and sometimes reviews them in various official places like the Minneapolis StarTribune, even though she lives in Houston. She’s a PRO member of RWA and her short fiction has been anthologized.

 

Going Public…in Shorts – 6/15

Hillary Huber joins us today, offering The Necklace, by Guy de Maupassant. Hillary also joins the AudioGals today, so be sure to check it out!

 

Listening & Downloading 

The Necklace is offered in full for online listening through June 21th. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

The Necklace

The Necklace tells the story of Madame Mathilde Loisel and her husband. Mathilde always imagined herself in a high social position with wonderful jewels. However, she has nothing and marries a low-paid clerk who tries his best to make her happy. Through lots of begging at work her husband is able to get a couple of invitations to the Ministry of the Public Instruction party. Mathilde then refuses to go, for she has nothing to wear.

 

 Multiple Audie Finalist, Earphone Award winner and one of AudioFile’s Best Voices of 2010 and 2011, Hillary has recorded over 150 titles from a little cell in her basement. Her narration consistently garners glowing reviews.  “Hillary Huber’s narration is lyrical enough to be set to music.”  (AudioFile)

 

Today’s Blog Host: AudioGals

We’re three gals who love to listen to audiobooks – romance in particular. Hence, AudioGals is dedicated to all things romance audio – reviews, opinion and commentary pieces, written and recorded interviews or multi person chats, narrator bios, wish lists, and talk of upcoming releases. Seven audio reviewers provide their thoughts on their latest listens while we also feature general trends and happenings in the audio industry. Brenda, our tech guru, adds technical advice and tutorials to make your listening easier. Occasionally, we feature other genres such as women’s fiction, urban fantasy, suspense, and mystery. We celebrate the excellence in romance audio and look forward to discovering audio treasures together. We hope you will join us in our journey!

 

Going Public…in Shorts – 6/14

Another double feature today! Diane Havens offers The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, and is featured over at author Michael Stephen Daigle’s blog , and Scott O’Neill offers The Nice People, by Henry Cuyler Bunner, and is meeting up with author J.T. Kalnay. Be sure to check them both out!

Listening & Downloading 

The Selfish Giant  is offered in full for online listening through June 20th. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

The Selfish Giant

Oscar Wilde writes fairy tales in their purest sense. It has a strong moral center aimed at adults more than children. “The Selfish Giant”  involves a giant who leaves his home for some years time to return to find his garden is being used as a playground by the village children. He shuts them out, and upon doing so, the seasons refuse to change on the giant’s property. Winter settles in to stay. The appearance of one mysterious child melts the giant’s heart and he sees the error of his ways. Strong Christian imagery at the story’s end might surprise some who aren’t familiar with Wilde’s social philosophy and religious beliefs. What we do learn is that in Wilde’s view, even fairy tales won’t have a traditionally happily-ever-after ending, not even for those characters transformed by redemption

 

Diane Havens is actor, poet, playwright and educator. She’s spent some years onstage off-Broadway, highlighted by a two-year stint with the Light Opera Company of Manhattan, performing Gilbert and Sullivan in repertory. She’s also had the good fortune to have studied with and alongside Olympia Dukakis and Joan Allen. Diane has also taught drama, English and media studies in the NJ public schools, and has directed youth theater, as well as college productions. She now helps develop tools to assist teachers in bringing literature to life. Her collaboration with Canadian actor Robert Jadah on a literature podcast series, Acting It Out, won them a Voices.com Voicey Award. Active in social and civic causes, she’s recorded textbooks for the blind and co-founded the Hear the Bill project, coordinating voice actor volunteers to record free downloadable audio of the health care reform bills as they were being debated, as a public service. She’s narrated both fiction and nonfiction audiobooks, among which is a best selling version of the Book of Psalms, from the KJV Bible.

   

 

Listening & Downloading

The Nice People is offered in full for online listening through June 20th. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

 

The Nice People 

Suspicions abound surrounding a young couple’s perceived duplicity at an eastern seaboard summer boarding house in this classic turn of the century tale of good intention.

 

A recent Audible Approved Producer recipient, Scott O’Neill has narrated 24 audio books in genres as wildly diverse as comic satire, young adult, romance & mystery/thriller to non-fiction titles incl.: Creating the Perfect Design Brief: How to Manage Design for Strategic Advantage and Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir. A native of the Pacific Northwest, Scott is a seasoned veteran of many regional stage productions including Seattle’s long running production of “Tony ‘N Tina’s Wedding”, and the one man show: “Apre`s Moi, le De`luge” at ACT theatre. Soon to be released on Audible is the atypical romance: The Topsail Accord, by J.T Kalnay, co-narrated with Dawn Harvey.

 

Today’s Blog Hosts:

Michael Stephen Daigle

I have been writing most of my life.  I was a print journalist for many  years, starting at weekly newspapers in Massachusetts and Maine, and then dailies, in Maine and New Jersey. I am now an online journalist, practicing the craft for digital news web pages, and others. I learned how to write at  newspapers.  There is nothing focusing than writing 800 words on a 45-minute deadline, nor nothing as exciting as responding to breaking news, planning the coverage in an instant and seeing the plan come together as talented colleagues  perform their craft. More to the point, I learn how to think, talk to people, separate the liars from those telling the truth, learn to research and study and have the wonderful opportunity to speak with people about their lives. There is no other experience or occupation like it.  I am currently working on several fiction projects, including completing a political novel, “The Swamps of Jersey.”

J.T. Kalnay

JT Kalnay is an attorney and an author. He has been an athlete, a soldier, a professor, a programmer, an Ironman, and mountain climber. JT now divides his time between being an attorney, being an author, and helping out with seven children. He was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Growing up literally steps from the Bay of Quinte, water, ice, fishing, swimming, boating, and drowning were very early influences and appear frequently in his work. Educated at the Royal Military College, the University of Ottawa, the University of Dayton and Case Western Reserve University, JT has spent countless hours studying a wide range of subjects including math, English, computer science, physics, and law. Many of his stories are set on college campuses. He is a rock climber and can often be found atop crags in West Virginia, California, Mexico, and Italy. Rock climbing appears frequently in his writing. JT has witnessed firsthand many traumatic events including the World Trade Center Bombing, the Long Island Railroad Shooting, a bear attack, a plane crash, and numerous fatalities, in the mountains and elsewhere. Disasters, loss, and confronting personal fear are common themes in his writing. While “boy meets girl” appears to be JT’s dominant genre, readers will experience a variety of styles and themes in his simple yet complex writing. He has been writing novels for 25 years and has only recently began to release his work under his own name. See if you can recognize his work!

Going Public…in Shorts – 6/13

Another double feature today! Robin Eller offers How to Tell a True Princess, from The Yellow Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang, and is featured over at Lakeside Musing, and Patrick Lawlor offers The Lottery Ticket, by Anton Chekhov, and meeting up with Bermuda Onion. Be sure to check them both out!

Listening & Downloading 

How To Tell a True Princess  is offered in full for online listening. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

How To Tell a True Princess

After a Prince has lost hope of finding a princess.. one arrives at his castle. The question is whether she is a true Princess.

 

Robin Eller is an actress, narrator, singer and dance educator.  She has appeared on stage, in films, television and numerous commercials. As a dancer, in addition to other credits, she traveled the world with the legendary James Brown, The Godfather of Soul.

   

 

Listening & Downloading

The Lottery Ticket is offered in full for online listening through June 19th. You can also purchase a download of this story via Downpour, with proceeds going to Reach Out and Read.

 

 

 

The Lottery Ticket 

One perfectly normal day, as Ivan Dmitritch sits contentedly reading his newspaper, his wife, Masha asks him to check the lottery numbers, to see if her ticket has won. Finding that the first part of Masha’s ticket matches the winning number, Ivan sets the paper down, deliberately avoiding looking at the last number. “We have plenty of time to be disappointed, ” he reasons,  “let’s savor the anticipation.” As the two begin to daydream about what to do with the winnings, Ivan Dmitritch begins to see that dreaming can be pre

 

Patrick Lawlor is a five-time AudioFile Earphones Award winner. Some of his audiobooks include Survivor and Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuck and The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. Paul received his training in theater from Southern Oregon University, where he studied as an actor, director, and designer. He spent three seasons in the acting company at the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

 

Today’s Blog Hosts:

Lakeside Musing

Lakeside Musing, created in 2008, is a mostly bookish blog. The primary focus is on classics, contemporary fiction and audiobooks, but anything literary is fair game. Other features include food, family, and the ever-changing lake view.

website: http://lakesidemusing.blogspot.com

email: jqsteve@gmail.com

twitter: @lakesidemusing

Bermuda Onion

I started blogging approximately five years ago at the urging of my son who was home from college for the summer.  It took me a few months to narrow my focus to books but, as an avid reader, it was a natural progression.  Through blogging, I discovered audiobooks and they’ve opened a whole new world for me. When I’m not reading and/or blogging, I help out at my husband and son’s beer store, attend author events and movies, walk, and travel whenever I can.  I can be contacted at kathy@bermudaonion.net