Exclusive Interview with Shane Gericke author of The Fury

Author Interview, ,

By Pat Davis

Author Photo
Author Shane Gericke

Today we talk with Shane Gericke, author of The Fury, released on September 4th in print, eBook, and audiobook by Tantor Media. The Fury weaves a multi-layered web that entangles the Deepwater Horizon disaster, global terrorism, Mexican drug cartel kingpins, Adolf Hitler, human experimentation, cops, robbers, and a brave Chicago policewoman who risks her life to stop a madman. Shane, thank you for joining us today!

It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m delighted with the extraordinary effort Tantor invested in publishing The Fury. From cover design to editing to interior maps to the narration of the audiobook, this ride is an author’s dream come true. Talking about it here is a privilege.

The Fury has been endorsed by David Morrell (author of First Blood, which introduced the iconic character “Rambo”) and Steve Berry (author of The Amber Room and the Cotton Malone series). They are two of the best—and bestselling—writers in the thriller genre, and they both chose to endorse The Fury. Your reaction?

Pure admiration and gratitude. Not only did Steve and David enthusiastically endorse The Fury, they spent a fair amount of time showing me a subtle, but crucial, way to refine my writing style, which elevated the book from “Well done” to “Un-put-down-able!” That was an extraordinary gift, because top-ten international bestselling authors are swamped with their own work demands. The thriller community has a lot of heart.

Can you give us a quick rundown of the plot? Continue reading Exclusive Interview with Shane Gericke author of The Fury →

Full Circle: The Story Behind My Narration of Divorce Poison

Narrator Corner, , , ,

By Daniel Penz

There are a few, precious times in one’s life when one can give back, specifically, to one who has done… much for… uh… one….

Narrator Photo
Narrator Daniel Penz

Oh heck… That’s way too many ‘one’s.

But now is… ummm… one… of those times.

Back when I was going through some of the most difficult times of my adolescence, my father (with the wrong kind of PhD to help him really understand his kids) reached out to the RIGHT kind of PhD, one with the sort of training who COULD help me figure out my path.

That man was Dr. Richard A. Warshak, and it’s no great stretch of the imagination to say he probably saved my life. (No, I was never THAT bad, but there were times…)

Continue reading Full Circle: The Story Behind My Narration of Divorce Poison →

When Punk Rock and Science Collide

From the Bookshelf, , , ,

By Dan Totten

Punk rock is a nihilistic representation of individuality and self-reliance at its most extreme, and a fun takedown of society’s conventions at the other end of the spectrum.  Science is the quest for knowledge and understanding through experimentation and observation. The two are often thought of in completely separate spheres, which is funny because science was punk from the moment the first person asked, “What are those sparkly things in the sky?”

Author Greg Graffin
Greg Graffin is the lead singer and a songwriter in Bad Religion.

Punk is not just about being angry and rebellious.  It’s about being skeptical and questioning the status quo.  It’s about not taking things at face value without proof. That’s exactly what science is. Nowhere is this connection embodied better than in the lead singer of Bad Religion, Greg Graffin, who also holds a PhD in Zoology from Cornell University.

Graffin, at the age of 15, was a founding member of the band, and has been at it since 1979 aside from a short break in 1985-86.  During this time he was also getting an undergraduate degree in anthropology and geology from UCLA, a master’s degree in geology also from UCLA, and ultimately his PhD.  He has taught classes at both UCLA and Cornell. Continue reading When Punk Rock and Science Collide →

Fall in Love with Audiobooks

On the Screen, , , , ,

By Sarah Barning

Here in New England, fall is beautiful; the leaves start turning, the air is crisp and there is always a lingering smell of cinnamon and spices. After a day of mulling cider on the stove, I love to curl up with a good book or listen to an audiobook in the background.

Fall DayWith Halloween approaching, I am trying to get my hands on everything vampire! The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris is one of my favorites. They have everything from vampires to werewolves, shape shifters and fairies. I love holding the much treasured books in my hand. I get so excited to flip onto the next page to see which supernatural creature is waiting for me and what the next big scandal will be in Bon Temps, Louisiana. As some of my top books, I was delighted to find out they were already on audio. Narrator Johanna Parker confirms everything that I imagine when reading the series. Her southern drawl for Sookie and her emotions really bring my visions to full force. Listening to the audiobook brings my imagination to a whole new level, and I enjoy the story much more. I listened to the first three books in the series in one week. That is a record!

Dead Until Dark Cover
Dead Until Dark Book 1 in the Sookie Stackhouse series

It is great when one of your favorite books gets made into an audiobook. What is your favorite book that you love even more on audio?

The Sookie Stackhouse series is available on audio from Recorded Books.

The Missing Marines of Tarawa

From the Bookshelf, , ,

By Iain Martin

Tarawa atoll
Tarawa atoll, Kiribati, is seen in a 2004 file photo. AP photo

A remarkable event happened late in July on a tiny island in the Pacific called Betio when the remains of thirty six U.S. Marines were flown back to the United States after being declared missing for seventy years. Among the fallen was Lt. Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., who had been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an assault against a massive Japanese bunker.  Among the team that recovered the lost gravesite was Bonnyman’s grandson, Clay Bonnyman Evans.

Continue reading The Missing Marines of Tarawa →

Summer Listens

From the Bookshelf, ,

By Sarah Barning

I love to travel, especially in the summer. One of the things I look forward to most on my trips is what audiobook to listen on the long car rides. While listening, you are taken to another destination. Sometimes it is fun to listen to a cozy mystery on the way up to a cabin in the woods, or Chic Lit on a girl’s trip to the beach. Ten Beach Road CoverI like to match the theme of my trip with my audiobook. Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road series narrated by Amy Rubinate, is on the top of my list this summer. Ten Beach Road, Ocean Beach, and The House on Mermaid Point are perfect summer listens. I am also looking forward to branching out of the series and listen to A Week at the Lake, which is a USA Today bestseller.

Library Journal reviewed Ten Beach Road and said, “Wax keeps the plot twists coming and makes this great escape reading, perfect for the beach.” Publishers Weekly said Ocean Beach is “Just the right amount of suspense and drama for a beach [listen].” That sounds like something everyone can enjoy.

Where is your favorite place to travel during the summertime, and what audiobooks do you like to bring with you? Tell us and two lucky winners will be selected to win the download of their choice from our Choose Your Escape Summer Listens list! (Territory rights apply to all downloads.) Winners will be selected at random on Monday August 3rd.

Why Should We Care About Libraries?

From the Bookshelf

By Deborah Fleet, Audio Proofreader (MLIS)

Bibliotech CoverBibliotech Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google
By John Palfrey, narrated by Tom Zingarelli, publication date June 25, 2015

I remember my very first library card. I got it when I was six years old from a bookmobile in New Bedford, Massachusetts. A new world opened to me via the public library and bookmobile. By the time I was nine, I learned that I could teach myself nearly anything from a book. My eyes were opened! Apply that today to not just libraries, but the digital world the Internet, Google, and YouTube have opened up for us.

Continue reading Why Should We Care About Libraries? →

Talk/Write Like a Detective Novel Day

From the Calendar,

By Charles Constant

I have loved detective fiction since I was first introduced to it during high school in a selective course named “Detective and Science Fiction.” Being high school, we read stories about the more intellectual detectives such as Sherlock Holmes, C. Auguste Dupin, and Lord Peter Wimsey. It wasn’t until later when, now hooked on the genre, I discovered Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler, who wrote the grittier, more physical, and, to me, more personal hard-boiled style of detective fiction.

Who wouldn’t want to be able to assemble the pieces of a mystery the way Miss Marple could or be able to easily see things others didn’t, like Sherlock Holmes? Of course, that would require having a different sort of brain than the one I was given. However, as a teenager, I could see myself perhaps not as a “tough guy” but at least as a tougher version of me. A guy who didn’t let things affect him the way they affected other people; a guy who always had a snappy comeback or a cleverly cool response to an insult, and in high school, such abilities would come in handy.
The idea for Talk/Write Like a Detective Novel Day came to me after I watched the rise in popularity of Talk Like a Pirate Day. Talk Like a Pirate Day was fun, but after saying “Arrrr” a few times or telling the waiter serving your breakfast, “I be wantin’ some coffee, Matey,” there wasn’t much to it . . . other than having to explain yourself.

Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler

Continue reading Talk/Write Like a Detective Novel Day →

What It Takes to Win

From the Bookshelf

By Kristen Hummel

First CoverOn May 23rd and 24th I had the opportunity to witness true athleticism at the CrossFit East Regional in Hartford. “What is CrossFit?” you may be asking CrossFit is a fitness program that consists of constantly varied, high-intensity, functional movement.  It takes movements we use every day and cranks it up a notch. The beauty of CrossFit is that it is scalable to every individual’s fitness level.

Every year since its inception in 2007, the CrossFit Games—which is like the Olympics of CrossFit—take place in July in Carson, CA. But first, the top forty athletes from each region must compete in the Regionals. This year there were eight regions: East, South, Atlantic, Central, West, California, Pacific, and Meridian. From there, the top five from each region will compete in the Games for the coveted title “Fittest Man and Fittest Woman on Earth.”

Continue reading What It Takes to Win →

Orange Is Everything

On the Screen, ,

By Sarah Barning

It seems like all people are talking about nowadays are the hottest shows on Netflix. ThereOrange Is the New Black Cover has been a lot of buzz about the upcoming season of Orange Is the New Black premiering on June 12th. The countdown is on for season three. Orange fans are in luck, because Tantor has Piper’s true story read by Cassandra Campbell. If you are new to the television series, you won’t have to wait to see what happens to the whole crew at the women’s prison. Fans of the show can discover Piper’s real story.

Cassandra Campbell knocks it out of the park with her narration.  She is spot on with all of the voices. She sounds exactly like Taylor Schilling, who plays Piper on the show. The audiobook is 11 ½ hours, so it is perfect for a long car-ride, during your daily commute, or just tinkering around.

Continue reading Orange Is Everything →