Desideratum Theresa Bakken

This is a story about a family on the Lower East Side of Manhattan a hundred years ago. Their lives in the densely populated tenements offer a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of immigrant life in early 20th-century America.  We’re talking to author Gail Lehrman about her novel Across Seward Park.

I found so many essential things in this conversation. For me this is not just a chat about a historical fiction; it's a mirror reflecting our own times, our own challenges, and our own capacity for greatness. In her storytelling, Gail Lehrman explores the potency of words as tools for persuasion and instigation. She delves into the conflicts that arise when ideology meets practicality, and she explores the delicate balance between self-interest and altruism. I hope listening to this conversation and the audio excerpt will inspire you to seek out the rest of the story in Across Seward Park. Thanks for listening.


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Ever wondered what makes a story both romantic and riotously funny? This episode invites you into the minds of a creative couple who turned a series of "what ifs" into a comedic and heartfelt narrative. Learn how they intertwined their personal experiences with a fictional couple's chaotic journey, reflecting on the deep connections and empathy that arise from shared struggles. As they dissect their characters' misadventures and moments of empathy, you'll be enticed to explore the audiobook that brings us closer to understanding the complexities of love.

We’re talking about the romantic comedy Emergency Contact with co-writers New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne and her real life husband Anthony LeDonne.

Thanks to Pozotron and BlackStone Publishing for sponsoring this episode. The audiobook scenes from Emergency Contact in this episode come from BlackStone Director and Producer Jesse Bickford and Kyle Willoughby.  The narrators are Tim Paige and Brianna Cohen.

Thanks for listening.

https://www.pozotron.com/

⁠https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/⁠

https://www.briannacohen.com/about

https://timpaige.lpages.co/ttp-welcome-page/

https://www.laurenlayne.com/








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This is a mystical story about a magical circus.  Not the kind of magic that involves pulling rabbits out of hats, but the kind where individuals' inner talents manifest into genuine magical abilities—known as sparks. These sparks choose to use their gifts not for conquest but to inspire and bring joy to those who need it most. But, this story is not all whimsy and light. This historical fantasy takes place in the hopeful but ominous years between World War 1 and World War 2.  We’re talking about the audiobook for The First Bright Thing with narrator Petrea Burchard and author JR Dawson.

You’re going to hear author JR Dawson (Jen) open up about her personal experiences with theater, which served as an outlet for her creativity and weirdness. She speaks passionately about how theater education validates and how it influenced her characters and setting in this debut novel.

You'll also hear from narrator Petrea Burchard about her performance and how she connected to this magical story. She and Jen both gush about her co-narrator's (Tim Campbell) performance too. You'll hear a clip from Tim voicing the dark Circus King.

Thanks to all the fine folks at Tor Publishing Group including producer Steve Wagner for sharing the spellbinding clips and for bringing The First Bright Thing audiobook to life. I hope you’ll want to listen to the rest of the story wherever you get your audiobooks. When you buy your audiobook from libro.fm you can can chose a local book store to support and when you follow this affiliate link you also support this pod.

I also want to sincerely thank this episode’s sponsor Pozotron. Pozotron provides fantastic services for audio artists and producers like me. I use Pozotron for prepping and proofing the audiobooks I narrate. I use exactly what I need each month through their subscription service. You can sign up for a free demo of all they offer at pozotron.com. 




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This is a story about a woman using all her abilities to complete a spy mission and also get exactly what she wants.
We’re talking to Helen Day about the sexy and determined characters she narrated as Hedra Knight for the Regency Romance The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard. I loved learning how Helen physically gets into character, how she performed so many different action and spicy scenes, and how performing world tours with Cirque du Soleil was part of her storytelling journey. Thanks to Dreamscape Media you’ll hear several fun moments from the audiobook.
I want to thank the Colorado Sun for shining their light on author Amalie Howard’s work. I listen to the Daily Sun Up podcast and on Sundays I check out the SunLit features on authors put together by editor Kevin Simpson. You can check it out at coloradosun.org or look for the Daily Sun Up wherever you found this podcast. The Duke in Question was a Colorado Book Award finalist in the Romance category. I love that Colorado Humanities celebrates storytellers in my home state. You can find the winners and finalists in all the genre categories at coloradohumanities.org. 
A big thank you to author Amalie Howard,  narrator Helen Day reading as Hedra Knight, and all the fine folks at Dreamscape Media for bringing The Duke in Question audiobook to life and sponsoring this episode. Dreamscape Media’s catalog includes bestselling audiobooks, children’s educational videos, prominent independent authors, and much much more  They strive to publish and distribute titles that both inspire and entertain listeners, readers, and viewers around the world. I’m honored that they support this podcast and I hope you’ll connect with them. Visit them at dreamscapepublishing.com to sign up for their weekly newsletter that has audiobook news, deals and giveaways.  As always, thank you for listening.

https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/

https://coloradosun.com/sunlit/

https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/
https://www.instagram.com/littlebird7/?hl=en
https://amaliehoward.com/


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This is a thriller. It’s the story of an FBI agent and a homicide detective working together to catch a serial killer with a chilling perspective on killing.

You'll hear narrator Erin deWard bringing all the chills and characters to life in your ear. We'll talk about why and how she does it, and you'll hear author Leanne Kale Sparks talk about how she maps out and finds the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' in her crime stories.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media you’ll hear several tense moments from the audiobook. Dreamscape is an independent, award winning audiobook publisher. I’m honored that they support this podcast and I hope you’ll visit them at dreamscapepublishing.com where you can sign up for a weekly newsletter that has audiobook deals and giveaways.      

Thanks to The Colorado Sun for shining their light on Leanne Kale Sparks work. I listen to the Daily Sun Up podcast and on Sundays I check out the SunLit features on authors put together by editor Kevin Simpson. Check it out at coloradosun.org and look for the Daily Sun Up wherever you found this podcast.

The Wrong Woman won the Colorado book award in the thriller category. I love that Colorado Humanities celebrates storytellers in my home state. You can find the winners and finalists in all the genre categories at coloradohumanities.org. 

A big thank you to author Leanne Kale Sparks, narrator Erin deWard, audiobook Producer Erick Black and all the fine folks at Dreamscape media for bringing The Wrong Woman audiobook to life and sponsoring this episode. Dreamscape Media’s catalog includes bestselling audiobooks, children’s educational videos, prominent independent authors, and much much more.  I connected with author Leanne Kale Sparks through Kim Weiss at PR by the Book. You'll find links for all these great folks below.

As always, thank you for listening.



https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/

Colorado Humanities home of the Colorado Book Award

https://www.erindeward.com/

Erin deWard

https://www.leannekalesparks.com/

Leanne Kale Sparks

https://coloradosun.com/sunlit/

The Colorado Sun

https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/

Dreamscape Media










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This is a story about a beautiful, powerful woman who captured the imagination of historical fiction author Shana Abè.

We’re talking about Arabella Huntington, the intriguing woman at the heart of An American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age Inspired by the True Story of Arabella Huntington Who Became the Richest Woman in the Country.

This week we return to a favorite author of mine. Shana Abè first wowed me with her story about the 2nd Mrs Astor who was widowed by John Jacob Astor as she survived their honeymoon aboard the Titanic. In Shana’s new novel An American Beauty, she introduces us to another remarkable woman from history. The way she brings Arabella Huntington’s life into focus got me thinking about how we can all invent and reinvent ourselves.

I hope spending time with Shana Abe made you as happy as it did me. A big thanks to Shana, her publisher Kensington Press, her incredibly talented narrator Gail Shalan, Gail’s director Hilary Eurich and all the fine folks at Tantor Audio for bringing An American Beauty’s audiobook to life. 

 https://www.gailshalan.com/

https://www.shanaabe.com/




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