Blog Archives - 2 Girls & A Book

Release Blitz ~ Unbroken by Daphne Moore & Mari LaRoche

6/29/2021

Title: Unbroken
Author: Daphne Moore & Mari LaRoche
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: June 29^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Blurb:

A champion.

A pharmacist.

An enemy who will stop at nothing to triumph in the Reckoning.

Captured by twisted creations of an amoral scientist, ancient warrior Storm and cautious Persephone still can't trust each other. Storm lost his fated mate for centuries ago. He did not imagine he would find another, much less that they would find themselves imprisoned. Persephone's heart and mind have already been scarred by a lilim, one of the supernatural kins. Even as she hopes for a connection, she cannot trust Storm completely.

Yet in order to survive, and regain their freedom, they have to work together, even as both fear the passion growing between them can only be temporary. Can their fragile bond guide them to freedom, or will their wounds doom them both?

NOW LIVE & AVAILABLE ON KU!

Daphne Moore has been a storyteller from her preliterate days. She writes them down now for those out of earshot.

She lives in Ohio, in a small suburb, raising roses and children. She's an aunt to a bunch of humans and two cute dogs.

Author Links:

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Mari LaRoche is an emerging fantasy and paranormal author who has been making up stories since she could talk. Her stories: "Secrets and Gold" (Seven Deadly Sins: Avarice), "Witches and Kings" (Seven Deadly Sins: Lust), and "The Ghostly Loch" (Secrets In Our Cities) appeared first print under her former pen name, Mari L. Yates, with "Secrets" and "Witches" being republished in Taradiddles: An Anthology of Short Fiction, a textbook currently in use at a local community college. Her most recent story "Pigwitch Now" can be found in Beyond the Veil: An Anthology. She is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, presents workshops to local community college students on the challenges and rewards of creative writing, and is currently pursuing her BA in Creative Writing at SNHU. When not found with a book, camera, or laptop in her hands, she loves to cuddle with her three cats, travel through Canada, and collect feline and dragon tattoos.

Author Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub

NOW LIVE & AVAILABLE ON KU!

Fatal Infraction by Kevin G. Chapman

6/29/2021

Author: Kevin G. Chapman
Narrator: Kevin G. Chapman
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes
Publisher: First Legacy Studios⎮2021
Genre: Thriller
Series: Mike Stoneman Thriller, Book 4
Release date: May 24, 2021

He took a knee for social justice. Now, he's dead.

Controversial quarterback Jimmy Rydell’s body was found naked - on the Central Park carousel. Who killed him? How did he get there two days after he disappeared? And why was the body frozen?

Jimmy’s team just wants to move on, after collecting on the $20 million insurance policy. Jimmy’s teammate - the one who threatened to kill him - swears he wasn’t there. Jimmy’s bodyguard had the night off. Somebody is going down for this if NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson can find a theory that explains all the bizarre facts. They just hope the case doesn’t tear the team, and the city, apart first.

Buy Links
Buy on Audible⎮iTunes⎮Scribd⎮Nook⎮Google⎮Kobo⎮Chirp

About the Author/Narrator: Kevin G. Chapman
Kevin G. Chapman is, by profession, an attorney specializing in labor and employment law. He is the most recent past Chair of the Labor & Employment Law Network of the Association of Corporate Counsel, leading a group of 6800 in-house employment lawyers. Kevin is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education seminars and enjoys teaching management training courses.
Kevin’s passion (aside from playing tournament poker) is writing fiction. Kevin’s first Novel: "Identity Crisis: A Rick LaBlonde, P.I. Mystery," was self-published through Xlibris in 2003, and is now available via Amazon.com as a Kindle e-book. His second novel, A Legacy of One, published in 2016 and was a finalist (short list) for the Chanticleer Book Reviews' Somerset Award for Literary Fiction. A Legacy of One is a serious book, filled with political and social commentary and a plot involving personal identity, self-determination, and the struggle to make the right life decisions. Kevin’s next novel, Righteous Assassin (A Mike Stoneman Thriller), was a much more "fun" read -- it's a page-turner. It has some serious sub-themes, but it's a serial killer chase and it's intended to be enjoyable and easy to read. It was named one of the top 20 Mystery/Thrillers of 2019 by the Kindle Book Review! Kevin has just recently finished book #2 in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series, Deadly Enterprise, which was published on December 2, 2019. He has recently completed the narration of books 1 and 2 in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series for audiobook release in 2020.
Kevin has also written several short stories, including "Fool Me Twice," the winner of the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association's 2010 Legal Fiction Writing Competition, which was the genesis of the character Mike Stoneman, the protagonist in Righteous Assassin. He has also written one complete screenplay (unproduced so far) and has another screenplay and two more novels currently in the works, one of which is a sci-fi space opera epic.
Kevin is a resident of West Windsor, New Jersey and is a a graduate of Columbia College (‘83), where he was a classmate of Barack Obama, and Boston University School of Law (magna cum laude ’86). Readers can contact Kevin via his website at www.KevinGChapman.com.
Website⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads

Giveaway Offer: One lucky subscriber will win a free copy of book #1, book #2, or book #3 of the Mike Stoneman Thriller Series, Righteous Assassin, Deadly Enterprise, or Lethal Voyage. The winner can choose and ebook, audiobook, or a personally autographed paperback (US shipping only). To enter, visit Kevin’s contest page and be sure to say that you saw the offer on this blog! https://kevingchapman.com/free-book-contest-page/

Self-Narrating (four books in)
Kevin G. Chapman

Two years ago, I was trying to talk up the first two books in my crime-thriller series to some colleagues at a conference. At least a dozen people asked me: “Is it available as an audiobook?” (OK, the question was really “Is it available on Audible,” but I’m trying to be more inclusive here.) I had to give the answer I had been giving ever since the question was first asked of me after the publication of Righteous Assassin, the first book in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series. I said, “No, not yet.” I said “yet” because I kept telling myself that it could happen someday. But, the up-front cost of hiring a narrator, booking studio time, and hiring a professional engineer/editor was beyond my marketing budget. So, I asked my wonderful wife, Sharon, to buy me a home recording studio kit for the holidays (under $250). In early December of 2019, I set up a studio in my basement (following the advice from all the blogs and You-tube video tutorials I could find) to start narrating my own books.
I made a ton of mistakes narrating Righteous Assassin. The biggest was that I didn’t change the settings on my audio capture software to set the microphone input to my newly purchased professional microphone. Instead, I recorded the whole book with the software set on the default microphone – the one built-in to my laptop computer. Ugh. By the time I realized the error, it was way too late. I did much better when recording Deadly Enterprise, book #2 in the Mike Stoneman series. The audio quality was much better, and by book #2, I had developed a pretty consistent voicing for all the main characters. I finished the narration for books 1 & 2 by January of 2020, and the books were available in audiobook format by April. (Although, there was a lengthy fight with the QC gatekeepers at ACX first.)
For book #3, Lethal Voyage, I wanted the audiobook version to be available on launch day – at the same time as the Kindle edition and the paperback. So, when I finished the writing and editing in July of 2020, I immediately set up my basement studio and narrated the audiobook. It was much easier the third time, and I had a ton of fun working out the new voices and reading all the chapters of the new book. It’s absolutely true that things get easier with practice. This time, the ACX review took 4 weeks, but I got approved without a fight or re-submission.
By the time I started narrating book #4, Fatal Infraction, I was confident that I had it down pat. Think again. I had a printout of all the instructions and reminders about the audiobook production process. Did I re-read my notes before I started? (You can guess, right?) When I finished the last of 41 chapters and sat down to work on the mastering of the edited tracks, I pulled out the reminder/instruction sheet and the first note was: “Check the first couple chapters to ensure that the volume (RMS) level is high enough. If the level is too soft, you won’t have the ideal amount of head space for the mastering and will have to crank up the volume first, which will diminish the fidelity.” Did I check the first couple of chapters for volume before I narrated the whole book? (In the immortal words of John Belushi: “Noooooooooooo.”) So, I had to boost the volume of the tracks as the first step in the mastering process. The tracks came out fine – but they could be slightly better if I had read my own advice. (Grumble.) Aside from that, things went pretty well. My beta readers found few mistakes in the narration this time around, which is a good thing.
There will be at least one more book in this series, Perilous Gambit, which I will narrate myself. We’ll see if I can land a traditional publisher for the next series, which might undertake a truly professional audiobook (is Tom Hanks available?). We’ll see. For now, I’ll have to just try to get it as perfect as I can the next time.

The Icing on the Cake by Linda Seed

6/29/2021

Author: Linda Seed
Narrators: Avie Paige, Travis Baldree
Length: 7 hours 47 minutes
Publisher: Linda Seed⎮2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Otter Bluff, Book 1
Release date: Mar. 27, 2021

She’s a baker without a kitchen. He’s got a double oven to spare. It’s a recipe for success, until his mother starts stirring up trouble....

Cassie Jordan has a sweet dream to open a bakery specializing in wedding cakes. The problem is, the Airstream trailer where she lives has a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, and her job as housekeeper for a vacation rental agency doesn’t pay enough for her to find other arrangements.
When the renters at one of the houses in her care cancel their stay, leaving the house empty and its top-of-the-line kitchen unused, who could blame her for seeing it as an opportunity? But Cassie’s unsavory plan starts to look like a mistake when the owner’s son shows up unannounced, catching her with her pants down - literally.

If Cassie can sweet-talk her way out of trouble, setting up her business might be a piece of cake. If not, it’s going to be a bitter setback....

The Icing on the Cake is a stand-alone novel in Linda Seed’s Otter Bluff small-town romance series.

Buy Links
Buy on Audible

About the Author: Linda Seed
Linda Seed is a former journalist who began writing contemporary romance in 2015 with Moonstone Beach. Her debut novel has been downloaded more than 220,000 times. Linda lives with her husband, the art writer John Seed, and their kids in the Central Coast town of Cambria, California, where all of her books are set. At a time when close personal relationships are increasingly hard to find, Linda aims to write a better world full of the love, loyalty, and companionship that we all long for.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook

About the Narrator: Avie Paige
Aven is an audiobook narrator living in her off-grid tiny house in rural Eastern Canada, surrounded by forest and chicken friends, and honeybees. She loves books so much she's listening to one almost every minute she's not narrating one (she narrates romance as Avie Paige). She narrates live on Discord with other romance narrators on the Haven server. She is longing to travel and hike in mountains again, and dreaming of sleep in the lava fields of Iceland under Northern lights again, her favorite place in the world. Her past lives include being a carpenter, firefighter, tax accountant, and competitive snowboarder.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

About the Narrator: Travis Baldree
Travis Baldree is a multi-award-winning audiobook narrator with a warm and versatile voice and a facility for character and accent. He is the voice of the best-selling Cradle series by Will Wight and over 150 other audiobooks. He narrates live almost every day on his Discord server.
Travis is also a former game developer, creator of Torchlight, Fate, & Rebel Galaxy, and co-founder of Runic and Double Damage games. Travis Baldree lives in the Western US with his family and the cutest dog.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Interview with Linda Seed

1. Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?

I have teenage daughters who love to watch YouTube shows. Their particular favorites are Rhett and Link, who do the Good Mythical Morning show. They just love those guys, and looking into them, I learned that Rhett and Link were childhood friends. That gave me the idea for Ike and Brian and their YouTube show. It just seemed like such a fun and happy way to make a living. I also liked the idea of a character who’s a man-child on the surface, but who has inner depths.

2. What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Read or listen to some great books, and then do it some more. That’s first. The best way to learn to write, in my opinion, is by absorbing the rhythms and cadences and techniques of authors who write the work you admire. Then, just dive in and start writing. Don’t be discouraged if your first book—or your second or third—isn’t what you’d hoped. Set it aside and start a new one. Eventually, you’ll get a feel for it, and it’ll become less like work and more like imaginative play.

3. How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?

That hasn’t been a problem for me so far, fortunately. I don’t feel right—I don’t feel like myself—if I haven’t written that day. I’ve written almost every day for about six years now, and it’s so much a part of my daily routine that it’s like brushing my teeth. Sometimes I think I might like to take a break, but I only last a day or two before the characters and storylines start talking to me.

4. How did you select your narrator?

This is the eighth book I’ve worked on with Avie Paige, and I just love what she does with my stories. She and I found each other when I was taking auditions for my first audiobook, Moonstone Beach. The spirit and energy she’s brought to my books was exactly what I was looking for. It was her idea to do dual narration with Travis Baldree for The Icing on the Cake. I hadn’t considered dual narration before she suggested it, and I’m so glad she did. It adds another layer of fun and sexiness to the book.

5. How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?

The same way I always celebrate finishing a book: I start the next one. Usually the next day.

6. Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?

Find a narrator who knows more than you do about the process and lean on them. A good narrator is everything. Also, do your homework to learn about the process of creating, distributing, and marketing an audiobook. I haven’t always been the best about this, and I’ve had to do some catching up.

7. Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?

Not in my dreams, but I had a funny moment when I was working on the Main Street Merchants series, which was my first. All of my books are set in Cambria, California, a lovely beach town. I live there now, but I didn’t at the time. My family and I were planning a visit to Cambria, and I thought, “I can’t wait to get there and see all of my friends.” A split second later I realized my friends are fictional. I laughed at myself and then thought that I can only hope my characters are as real to my readers as they are to me.

8. What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?

I haven’t had a writing slump recently, but I had a long, severe one some years back. I got out of it by changing genres. That’s how I began writing contemporary romance, which is so full of fun and joy. When I started treating writing like play instead of work, things started clicking for me. I can’t say I’ve ever had a reading slump. I’m always reading.

9. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?

I love writing in series, because it gives me so much more time to get to know my characters. When I take a family or a friend group through four or more books, I really feel like they’re a part of me by the time I’m done. I think it also provides a more immersive experience for the reader. The bonus is, it’s easier to market a series because once I’ve got a reader hooked, they’ll stick with me for the whole series. I can’t seem to write a stand-alone novel, because I always wonder what’s going on in the lives of the secondary characters. I want to see them get their happy endings, too.

10. What’s next for you?

I’m about to publish the fourth and final book in the Otter Bluff series, of which The Icing on the Cake is book one. After that, I’m already thinking about my next series, which will focus on a family of doctors who open a new practice in Cambria. Five brothers, each with a different specialty. As if hot doctors aren’t enough, they’ll be finding a way to serve their patients without the interference of health insurance companies. Talk about a happy fantasy!

Release Blitz ~ Scoundrels by Shyla Colt

6/28/2021

Title: Scoundrels
Author: Shyla Colt
Genre: MFM, Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: June 28^th,2021
Hosted by: Lady Amberâ€™s PR

Blurb:

Identical twins Maddox and Hunter Shepherd share everything. Theyâ€™ve dedicated their lives to pleasure. Sex, debauchery, and fun fill their evenings and weekends. As they approach thirty and spend time with their niece, Maddox begins to want more. When Mykah walks into their lives, bringing insane chemistry and a mystique that leaves them craving more than one nightâ€”the only decision is to make her theirs.

Mykahâ€™s spent her life trying to prove sheâ€™s more than her parentsâ€™ mistake. As a result of an affair, sheâ€™s always been looked down on by her motherâ€™s wealthy family. Struggling to make her dreams come true with limited funds on her own terms, sheâ€™s headed toward burnout. An evening on the town for her birthday shows her everything she could have if sheâ€™s willing to embrace the taboo, and stand up for herself.

Can the twins convince their tight-laced beauty life is better on the wicked side?

USA Today Bestselling author Shyla Colt is a chaos wrangler, chronic crafter, and imaginary friend collector. The mom of two and a wife road trips with her weird brood when sheâ€™s not taking on a new hobby or bingeing on spooky podcasts and documentaries. She writes strong women with sass, plenty of nerdy tendencies, and the intriguing intense males who love them.

Author Links:

Amazon | Goodreads | ReaderGroup | Twitter

Facebook | Bookbub | Instagram | Website

The Sin Soldiers by Tracy Auerbach

6/27/2021

Author: Tracy Auerbach
Narrator: Rocky Taylor
Length: 10 hours 35 minutes
Publisher: The Parliament House⎮2021
Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult
Series: The Fragments Series, Book 1
Release date: April 16, 2021

Red compound makes them angry. Yellow exhausts them. Blue drives them into a state of ravenous addiction. The thief Kai knows about the chemically controlled soldiers of the Eastern forces and their savage, deadly nature.
When a robbery attempt at Club Seven goes wrong, Kai is captured by a handler and his bestial soldier boy. She wakes up inside the military base with no idea what happened to her twin brother Dex.
Things go from bad to worse when Kai is started on a drug and training regimen, and forced to take injections of blue compound. The scientists in charge plan to make her into a working soldier who will mine the mysterious power crystals beneath the desert. Kai becomes a victim of the bully Finn, a handsome but nasty soldier whose years on red compound seem to have erased his humanity.
Still, she begins to pity the Seven Soldiers, including the monstrous boy who tried to rip her to shreds at the club. They appear to be nothing more than genetically enhanced, drug-controlled teenagers.
On the outside, Dex and his tech-savvy boyfriend try to crack the soldiers’ chemical code to find a weakness that will break the system. But Kai has already been drawn deep into her new world. Strong feelings for the soldiers she’s come to know have started to cloud her judgment.
Can she escape and find Dex without becoming a monster herself?
Buy Links
Buy on Amazon⎮Audible

About the Author: Tracy Auerbach
Tracy Auerbach studied English and film in college, and education in graduate school. Some of her college poetry was published in the “Penn Review” (The University of Pennsylvania’s premier literary magazine). She went on to teach and write S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for fantasy and science fiction. Her first scholarly article, published in “Language Magazine,” was about the value of kinesthetic learning for children.
On the fiction side, Tracy’s work is featured in the online literary journal “Micro-horror,” and “The Writing Disorder” fiction anthology. Her first novel, “The Human Cure,” was published in paperback in 2014. “The Sin Soldiers,” the first book in her YA Sci-fi “Fragments” trilogy, was released July 2019 from Parliament House Press, followed by “The Crystal War” and “The Hollow World”. Her YA urban fantasy, “Sons of Fire,” came out early in 2020. When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or playing with her own children. She lives in New York with her family.
Website⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads

How did you select your narrator?
I had listened to several sample clips from auditions, and just loved Rocky. I felt like she had the kind of voice someone could listen to for a long period of time - soothing, melodic, and expressive. That was really important to me. Also, her pronunciation of my characters’ names and the places in my world was pretty spot-on, which is so important in fantasy.
How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process?
Rocky was extremely communicative, which helped the process. We had several emails going back and forth. I even told her about a few twists that come later in the series, so that she would be able to embed that into the characters early on in a subtle way. She was amazing. I feel that when an audiobook narrator and author can collaborate, you’ll end up with the best possible product.
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
I love thinking about human nature, and the crazy psychological things that go on with our weird species every day. I started to think about using these qualities (addiction, passion, rage) as weapons. What would happen if super soldiers were created – if a war was fought by players who pressed buttons on people to push vice and virtue to their limits?
I liked the idea of a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has had to start over, and the fact that these crystals end up controlling so much of the government, economy, the social system, etc.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
Absolutely not! When we consume literature, it should be in any modality we choose. Those brain “muscles” that work on visualization are going to fire off whether you read the book visually or if it is read to you. I read to my children. I read to my students. It’s all consumption of literature.
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
My characters take up a ton of space in my head. I often think of the characters and their distinct personalities, personal battles, strengths, and weaknesses before the plot is fully formed. It’s like knowing the perfect cast for a show and then building the show around it. I think about them in my spare time, and they play a huge role in my daydreams. I’m not sure if they’ve ever crossed that line into my dreams. I haven’t remembered a lot of dreams over the past few years, but it’s possible. I wouldn’t be surprised

What's your favorite:
1. Food - pie! (several different types, but I’m such a pie fan)
2. Song - Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar
3. Book - The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan ( a hidden gem)
4. Television show - All time? - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
5. Movie - The Princess Bride
6. Band - Probably The Who or The Rolling Stones
7. Sports team - meh - not such a sports fan. Sorry!
8. City - Melbourne. I loved it there, although I do have some NYC loyalty
  
  What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Keep writing! I usually already have another novel floating around in my head while one is out with beta readers. If I didn’t love writing for the sake of writing, I don’t think I could have dealt with so many rejections and still stayed afloat. Rejection is part of the publishing process, so just enjoy the whole process, and write the book that speaks to you. Even the early versions of my books that need a ton of work are fun to write, so I never feel like I’m wasting my time.
What’s next for you?
I’ve been dreaming up an adult fantasy that I’m super excited about. Also, I’ve been very busy with my “day job” and with doing some content edits and beta reads for fellow authors, so I'm looking forward to plunging back into my own writing this summer. Now that the whole Fragments trilogy has been released I’m excited about starting with a clean slate for new worlds and characters.
Do you have a favorite character you’ve written and why?
I have a definite soft spot for Charlie from the Fragments series. He was built to be this monstrous soldier, and he just continues to surprise people. I like that he takes advantage of the fact that people are constantly underestimating him, based on what he’s supposed to be. He’s also just insanely loyal to his friends, and his struggles against what he’s been programmed to be just make him a really sympathetic character.
How many books are in the Fragments series, and do you have a favorite?
There are three books in the Fragments series –The Sin Soldiers, The Crystal War, and The Hollow World, which was released in January 2021. I think that my favorite is The Crystal War, because the second book in a trilogy is where you really get to torture your characters, but you’ve grown to love them, so it’s heart-wrenching. I also love The Hollow World, because there’s always something satisfying about endings.

About the Narrator: Rocky Taylor
After more than a decade of bringing stories to life as a stagehand Rocky has transitioned from behind the scenes to behind the mic.
As a mediator, humanitarian aid worker and partner dancer, she brings a rich array of life experience and passion to her work. Often described as grounded, playful and fiercely determined, she has a knack for looking to the heart of the matter, finding the nuances within conflict and the beauty and complexity in people, whether in real life or on the page.
Articulate, capable, and easy to work with, she treats each manuscript with care and professionalism and enjoys working from her home studio.

Title Reveal ~ House of the Eclipses by Casey L. Bond

6/25/2021

Title: House of Eclipses
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen
Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services
Publication Date: August 13^th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amberâ€™s PR

Blurb:

Capture his heart.

Steal his crown.

Noor is the unwanted, unloved third born of the Aten, chosen vessel of the sun goddess, Sol. While she has no chance at inheriting her fatherâ€™s title, what she truly longs for is peace from his unrelenting hatred. Hope builds that she may finally be able to claim that reprieve when a missive arrives from the House of the Moon.

The new Lumin, chosen of the moon god, Lumos, seeks to broker peace with the Kingdom of Helios for the first time in ages. He envisions open trade routes and an end to archaic rivalries. His dedication to this cause extends to visions of a union between the two families by marrying one of Atenâ€™s daughters, if one of the matches is a fit.

Driven by his own twisted agenda, Noorâ€™s father is willing to sacrifice his daughters as pawns to steal the crown for him to further his despotic reign, pitting sister against sister in a brutal battle for power. But Noor must come out the victor, either by capturing the Luminâ€™s heart or stealing his crown. For whomever wears the crown of moonlight, holds the power of the moon itself. With such strength at her command, she could finally defeat her tyrannical father.

Yet this endeavor cannot be accomplished without great sacrifice. As Noor learns more about Lumin Caelum, guilt over her betrayal consumes her, burning hot as the sun itself. If only he wasnâ€™t kind, and selfless, and exactly what she wanted. If only she had greater dominion over her heartâ€¦

Can Noor carry out her plan and end her fatherâ€™s vile reign? Or will unlikely alliances allow a new day to dawn?

Praise for House of Eclipses:

"A gorgeous journey you'll want to take again and again." ~New York Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins

â€œStunning world-building, a fierce heroine, gorgeous writing, and a storyline unlike anything you've ever read. House of Eclipses will pull you in until the very last page.â€ â€“ Celia McMahon, author of The Unspoken Series

â€œHouse of Eclipses is full of compelling characters, beautiful worlds full of whimsy and wonder, an edge-of-your-seat storyline, a love story for the ages, and an ending that packs in incredible punch.â€ â€“ Ethan Gregory, One Guyâ€™s Guide to Good Reads

Casey Bond lives in West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. She likes goats and yoga, but hasn't tried goat yoga because the family goat is so big he might break her back. Seriously, he's the size of a pony. Her favorite books are the ones that contain magical worlds and flawed characters she would want to hang out with. Most days of the week, she writes young adult fantasy books, letting her imaginary friends spill onto the blank page.

Casey is the award-winning author of When Wishes Bleed, the Frenzy series, and fairy tale retellings such as Riches to Rags, Savage Beauty, Unlocked and Brutal Curse. Learn more about her work at www.authorcaseybond.com.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Pinterest | Amazon | Bookbub | Bond-Tourage | Newsletter

Living Dead Girl by Kelly Gunderman

6/22/2021

Author: Kelly Gunderman
Narrator: Veronica Orosco
Length: 6 hours 15 minutes
Publisher: Kelly Gunderman⎮2020
Genre: Young Adult
Release date: Dec. 11, 2020

In this young adult thriller perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars, Thirteen Reasons Why, and Sadie, a teenage girl is about to find out how far would she will go to get revenge on those who have taken everything from her.
When 17 year old high school senior Kaitlyn Davis is almost raped and then brutally murdered at a party by three boys she goes to school with, she uses her dying breath to swear that they will pay for what they’ve done.
When she wakes up the next morning, she is a bit blurry on the night before and gets a big surprise - she’s alive? How?
Soon, things start getting weird - it seems as though no one can see her or hear her, and no matter what she does, she can’t seem to feel anything, such as temperature. She can still move things around and touch others, and the room suddenly drops about 30 degrees wherever she is, but why?
That’s when she is forced to accept it - she’s dead. At first, Kaitlyn grieves the loss of her short life - there are so many things that she is going to miss out on, so many things that she will never get to do. But then she gets angry, and she remembers her promise to get revenge on those who had taken her life.
Setting out to give them what they deserve, Kaitlyn has no plans to stop until she gets the revenge she desires.
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Interview with Kelly Gunderman

Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
Honestly, I think that any kind of writing can become an audiobook! There are some kinds, though, like with Living Dead Girl, where there are some pretty emotional parts - in this case, I find it really important to find a narrator who can convey these emotions, or it will end up feeling dull and lifeless.
Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
When I was writing Living Dead Girl, I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to have it available as an audiobook. I thought it could be great, sure, but truth be told, I was just really focused on writing the book. The book took a really long time to complete. I thought a lot about how cool it would be as a movie, but not as an audiobook as much. After I finished it, though, I knew I wanted it to be available in all formats - especially audiobook!
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
Avoiding burn-out is really difficult, especially if you find yourself doing a lot of the same thing over and over again. For me, this is more true with editing than actual writing. When I’m writing, I can skip around to other parts of the novel, write chapters out of order, and kind of just fit everything together. However, when I’m editing, I try my hardest to stay in order so that I can see the big picture. There are times when I find myself completely tired of redoing the same parts of the book over and over again, so I will come up with new things to throw in there to keep it interesting.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I do like audiobooks, yes! In fact, I have a pretty huge library of audiobooks, and I find them essential for when I really want to read a book and not disturb anyone else - like at night. I do a lot of camping with my family, and sometimes if I can’t sleep, it’s kind of hard to turn on lights in our RV and not pester them, so I just slip some earbuds in and listen to audiobooks. I also like to listen to them when I’m doing other stuff, like jigsaw puzzles or sudoku puzzles.
Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
Yes. There are some very, very emotional parts of Living Dead Girl that just work better in audiobook format as opposed to print. One of these is a very, very emotional chapter toward the end of the book. I was really worried about how the emotional elements of this would carry over to the audiobook, and whether or not a narrator would be able to really grasp what I was going for, but when Veronica finished that chapter, I was completely blown away by how amazing of a job she did with it. She did such an awesome job with that chapter that I have to admit - I actually teared up a bit.
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
Finishing this novel felt like raising a child - part of me feels like I’m forever going to be working on it to make it better, and the other part of me is like “Yay! It’s finally done!” every time I fix a new mistake or something that I missed the first thousand times around. So to answer the question - cake. There is always cake.

What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
Getting out of a writing slump is always more difficult for me than getting out of a reading slump. Getting out of a reading slump happens when I stumble across a novel that I’m just like “Whoa! I HAVE to read this, and I have to read it right NOW!” This usually results in me reading book after book, then. However, getting out of a writing slump is difficult for me - I can say just keep writing, but sometimes that isn’t an option for me. There are a lot of times when I just have to mull it over in my mind over and over until I can think of where I want to go with it before I even go anywhere near it again. To be honest, this can take weeks for me

What's your favorite:
1. Food - Oh gosh, definitely pizza! I absolutely love pizza.
2. Song - The Afterglow by Silverstein.
3. Book - I have so many favorite books. I have read so much throughout my life that I can’t even remember every book that I’ve said is my “favorite” over the years - there are just too many to count! I think my all-time favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, however.
4. Television show - Classic Are You Afraid of the Dark? I have my two daughters obsessed with that show, too, and we watch it together all the time. We even have our own “Midnight Society” and tell scary stories around the campfire every weekend. It is so much fun! I’m also a huge Star Trek fan (The Next Generation, Voyager, and Discovery are my favorites).
5. Movie - The Truman Show. I have loved that movie since the first time I saw it, and I have probably seen it a thousand times since then.
6. Band - Silverstein and New Found Glory. I can’t pick between the two, because I love them both!
7. Sports team - I am honestly not into sports. At all. So I don’t have any favorite sports teams!
8. City - Ocean City, Maryland will always have a special place in my heart.
  
  What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?

A lot of the time when you see this question, the first thing people say is “If you want to be a writer, you have to write.” Yes, that’s true, but there are some other bits of advice to hand out, as well. The main thing I think it is important to note is that while yes, you should write, it is also important to spend time with friends and family during the whole process. Shutting everyone and everything out in order to get a chapter written isn’t really the best way to go about it - take breaks if you need to. It’s okay, I promise. Besides, when you do this, you can find more inspiration and think of new things to add to your novel. Another benefit of taking a break every now and then is that when you come back to what you’re writing, you will have more of an ability to be able to spot mistakes or things in your writing that don’t make sense, or things that just aren’t right.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on a few projects at the moment - one involves edits for my next YA novel, and I’m currently writing another YA novel. Also, I’m working on my very first middle grade novel, which is very meaningful to me. I can see those projects taking some time, but it will be worth every moment I’m putting into them!

Kelly Gunderman

Veronica Orosco

About the Author: Kelly Gunderman
Kelly Gunderman was born a child of the late eighties in small-town Pennsylvania. A bibliophile in her own right, she is hoping to one day surpass the number of pages she has turned with those she has written of her own accord.
Having recently completed her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Development, Kelly suddenly found herself with a bit more free time than usual, and began her immediately successful foray into blogging and Freelance Writing, which subsequently led to her renewed desire to finally put her ideas and imaginings “on paper.”
Focusing primarily on the Young Adult genre, Kelly is the author of Finding Me and Living Dead Girl.
She currently resides in her original home town with her husband, their two daughters, and a few cats that constantly challenge the sanity of all with their ill-advised attempts at what can only be assumed to be world domination.
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About the Narrator: Veronica Orosco
Veronica brings both a youthful and genuine voice to commercial, narration, audio books, audio dramas, animation, eLearning courses and make-believe characters alike. A great description of her voice can be found in girl next door, wholesome, invigorating and fresh medium tone.
Her voice acting is an extension of her amazing acting skills. If you need not just a voice but an actor with that voice, look no further.
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The Silent Songbird by Elle M. Holmes

6/18/2021

Author: Elle M. Holmes
Narrator: Linnea Hubbard
Length: 7 hours 29 minutes
Publisher: Apr. 29, 2021⎮20
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: Elle M. Holmes

The stories we read have the power to change our lives.
Sadie Smith lives an ordinary life, unlike the extraordinary ones of the characters in the books where she finds an escape.
Until one story changes it all: The story of the impetuous Killian Quinn: an agent for the Zeta Defense Agency, determined to avenge his fallen partner. As she follows him further down the rabbit hole, worlds collide when she awakens with her hands tied to a chair in the face of armed men. Sadie finds herself dropped in the middle of a battle between secret agencies she didn’t even know existed, but maybe where she’s belonged all along.
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Elle M. Holmes

Linnea Hubbard

About the Author: Elle M. Holmes
Elle M. Holmes was born in Florida, and has been writing both professionally and recreationally for years before publishing her debut novel The Silent Bluebird. When she's not writing she has her nose buried in a book, taking in the sun at the beach, or finds herself stalking dog adoption sites. Oftentimes all three concurrently. She and her husband foster dogs whenever they can.
You can find her on Twitter and Instagram if you enjoy silly observations and bookish things.
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About the Narrator: Linnea Hubbard
Linnea Hubbard is a voice actor based in Southern Indiana. She has a BFA in Theatre from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, with a special focus on voice and dialects, and has performed in over 100 projects including audiobooks, video games, plays, films, and commercials. Linnea was born in North Carolina and divided her youth between Raleigh and Los Alamos, New Mexico before spending much of her adult life in Seattle. A relatively recent transplant to the midwest, Linnea spends her free time enjoying the outdoors, studying public health, and fixing up her little mid-century modern house. She has two young kids and too many cats.
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DREAM CAST

Sadie: I’ve said it before I will say it again, this is the hardest dream cast member. But gun-to-my-head-opinion, I think as far as characterization goes Naomi Scott is probably the closest to the embodiment of Sadie.
Killian: Colin O’Donohue. He may be a little old for Killian now, unfortunately, but in my head, Colin is Killian.
Desmond: I think Dwayne Johnson would be an amazing Desmond. He’s got the commanding presence of a general, but can also play off the dad jokes and would be a great supportive big brother to Killian.
Valerie: Emma Thompson. Done. She is, was, and will forever be Valerie Stead. I wrote her with Emma Thompson in mind and it would be incredible to see her in the movie adaptation.
Bruno: This one has always been sort of fluid in my head, but if I had to choose, it would be an Andy Garcia type.
Petey: If I’m completely honest, Petey is actually based on a friend of mine (and he knows fully knows who he is and absolutely loves it as he’s a character in and of himself), so he has his own presence, but in my head Petey is very similar to a young Luther from Mission Impossible. So if I could time travel and get a young Ving Rhames, I’d have found my Petey.
Michael: While Michael may be a small character in this book, his role grows throughout the series. And in my head, I only heard Kumail Nanjiani while writing Michael.

Wyrd Gods by Susana Imaginario

6/16/2021

Author: Susana Imaginário
Narrator: Sarah Kempton
Length: 11 hours 36 minutes
Publisher: Susana Imaginário⎮2020
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Timelessness, Book 1
Release date: Apr. 30, 2020

Chronos, god of Time, and creator of the Universe, wants to destroy Eternity.
A mysterious immortal seeks vengeance.
And a reclusive Olympian deity does what no god should ever do: She answers a prayer.
As punishment, she is stripped of her powers and trapped in a mortal's body. Now a Wyrd - a fated god - she is haunted by the memories and thoughts of her host and must hide her true identity in order to survive in Niflheim, the rival Norse Underworld.
There she discovers the afterlife is not quite what it used to be. Niflheim's new ruler threatens the precarious balance of a world overrun with outcast deities and mortals alike.
To save her own sanity and find her way back to the stars, she must help the other Wyrd overcome their grievances to defeat this enemy, but those who would be her allies appear to have motives as hidden as her fragmented consciousness.
And yet it seems the greatest threat to her freedom comes from within, and the prize it seeks is her immortal soul....
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About the Author: Susana Imaginário
Susana Imaginário lives in Ireland with her husband and their extremely spoiled dog.
Her hobbies include reading, playing board games, hanging upside down, poking around ancient ruins, talking to trees and being tired.
Her work combines mythology with fantasy and psychology in a strange way.
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About the Narrator: Sarah Kempton
Sarah has worked on nearly 40 audiobooks to date across various genres, as well as other voice over work from corporate explainers to video games. She has been working as a professional actor for 14 years and is a comedy improviser having performed all over the place from London to Edinburgh to New York and even Luxembourg
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Author Interview

Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
I used ACX. It was a fairly simple and straightforward process.

Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
Yes, definitely.

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
Yes.

How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
I knew from the audition that Sarah had nailed the overall tone of the story, so I just sent her a summary of the main character's personalities, speech patterns and accents. She took it from there.
The recording process went smoothly. I would listen to the chapters as soon as they were uploaded and send feedback shortly after. This avoided the repetition of misspellings and jarring edits.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
Yes. I like the ability to multitask and rest my eyes for a bit.

Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
Pretty much every bit of dialogue and inner monologues.

What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
Nothing.

What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Just keep writing. There will be bad days and terrible days and completely wasted days, but as long as you love to write, it’s all worth it.

What’s next for you?
Complete the production of the audio version of The Dharkan (Timelessness book 2) and publish Nephilim's Hex (Timelessness Book 3) on July 1st, if all goes well.

Can you share with us something about Wyrd Gods that isn’t in the blurb?
The main character is Psyche, the goddess of the soul. I keep her identity secret for most of the book (unless the reader knows who the goddess of the soul is, of course). It's part of the mystery, but since so many people don't know about her (and therefore miss out on a lot) and her identity has already been spoiled in several reviews, I'm seriously considering changing the blurb to include this.

Quest of the Dreamwalker by Stacy Bennett

6/15/2021

Author: Stacy Bennett
Narrator: Zachary Johnson
Length: 14 hours 49 minutes
Publisher: Miramae Press⎮2017
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Corthan Legacy, Book 1
Release date: May 5, 2017

Cara has been a prisoner all her life, shackled by a broken soul and fear of her father's temper. When a mercenary captain is taken prisoner, he sparks something in her she doesn't recognize - rebellion. Determined to save the captain's life, she flees with him intent on leaving her past behind. It isn't love that drives her father's zealous pursuit, but a hidden magical birthright she never knew about. Now she must solve the puzzle of her past before her father kills everyone she loves in his bid to reclaim her.
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About the Author: Stacy Bennett
Stacy has always been a nomad, but is currently residing in New Jersey. For now.
She enjoys multilayered tales with simple structure and deeper intent, stories of soul and psyche and heart. There’s nothing better than a book that convinces you its inhabitants are as real as you are. Then again, maybe we are only characters in someone else’s tale.
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About the Narrator: Zachary Johnson
Lover of mathematics, devourer of science fiction, and connoisseur of the dad joke. When he's not doing math for business or fun, he's devouring science fiction and fantasy, reading up on scientific advancements, going for a jog, or, on all too rare occasions, taking a refreshing swim at the beach. At your service, you shall have an able storyteller and gifted conveyor of information. Experienced in narrating fiction, from the romantic to the post-apocalyptic, and nonfiction, from the historical to the corporate, and armed with the tools to make it all sound great, Zachary promises that, no matter the job, you'll be
read-iculously pleased!
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When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
I don’t think I really knew that I wanted to do it for a living until I had done it on and off for a few years. I dabbled with 4 or 5 a year for 5 or so years, sort of getting to know the craft, albeit very slowly. I walked away from it a couple of times, not really thinking I could make a living at it. Then COVID hit, and I took some time off from my day job, and right before my leave of absence started, I got an email from an author I worked with briefly in the past that basically said “Hey, I’ve got these 10 books I want to pay you a lot for. Want ‘em?” So I took some time to think about it, by which I mean I almost immediately said to myself “Guess I’m a narrator now!”
A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
Any acting experience is a boon, for sure; I have two years of training in on-stage acting myself, and it’s been nothing but helpful. But there are narrators who I know and others who I don’t who are widely respected experts at their jobs who have no theater background at all. And besides those stage acting classes and a play or two I was in in middle school (one of which involved me playing an extra with no lines), I don’t have any background in theater whatsoever. I’m just some math geek who pretty much fell into this line of work. I think that it’s mostly about finding the right people to teach you the craft, developing an appreciation for said craft, and then learning how to bring your personality and uniqueness to the story and characters more than anything else. A theater background or some stage training certainly helps with that; they’re invaluable for learning how to fully explore your psyche in ways that enable a person to bring interesting aspects of themselves to each story and character, but even then, there’s a learning curve involved in transitioning from the stage to the booth. On stage, you have fellow cast members to act off of, the freedom to explore your vocal range volume-wise and plenty of space to move and gesticulate. In the booth, it’s all you (unless you live stream your readings on Discord, which I do, and which anyone reading should totally come to; it’s a fun time!), space is limited, and moving too far off mic, hitting your equipment by mistake if your gestures are too wild, or unleashing your full vocal power might result in unusable audio. I guess the TL;DR is, in my opinion: Very helpful, but not essential.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
It’s really important for me to do the things that everyone always says you should do when you’re in business for yourself, of course. Sleep, eat right, get outside, exercise, devote time to taking days off and spending time with people I love, find hobbies and interests outside of my work (card magic is a new favorite of mine, and I also blog from time to time to satisfy my urge to write stuff), and so on. Anything that provides a healthy distance from my work for a little while and mitigates some of the more isolating aspects of it. But I think what’s most important for me is to never forget how fundamentally fun my job is. Sometimes I get incredibly lucky and just fall in love with a story I’m narrating, as was the case for “Quest of the Dreamwalker,” and really anything Stacy Bennett writes, as is currently the case for “Golden Darkness Descends” by JMD Reid and “Into Neon” by Matthew Goodwin, two incredible tales I’m in the process of narrating at the time of this interview, and it’s just so easy to look forward to work. Who wouldn’t want to play around like a kid and pretend to be all sorts of fun things, from evil goddesses to cyborgs, to fire conjurers, and all manner of awesome stuff. But it’s ultimately still a job, and it’s inevitable that once work and pleasure mix, there’s this almost Pavlovian association with stress that one can develop that really erodes one’s enjoyment of their vocation if they’re not careful. I think one way I’ve learned to combat that is to play with ways that make my work fun again. For example, I’m in the process of introducing narration to my blog posts, and making YouTube videos to show off my skills, and maybe even doing some content that showcases other aspects of voiceover, and that’s all very low stakes and fun and doable on my days off and reminds me to be grateful for the job I have.
What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
Stacy actually reached out to me, and I have to admit I was intimidated. Up until then, I hadn’t taken on a project more than ten or so hours, and I really didn’t know if I could handle a project that was upwards of fourteen hours, especially because I was still doing my own editing at the time. But then I read the audition script and knew I had to do it. It was just brilliant. Within a page I was immersed in this world she’d clearly spent so much time and energy and love creating and I was so honored she wanted to entrust this no-name narrator with it that I almost immediately said yes and sent her an audition. And the rest is history. And there’s Call of the Huntress in my future, so it was easily one of the best decisions I ever made.
How did you decide how each character should sound in this title?
I do have a repertoire of archetypes, accents, and vocal quirks and qualities, like pitch, gravel, breathiness, nasality, and so on that I can adjust, combine, and really just play with to suit each person, but I realized over time that a character is more than simply an amalgam of vocal qualities. Those are more just toys to play with once an examination of the character done during prep gives proper insight into their personality, motivation, and so on (and sometimes if you’re lucky, the text will just plainly tell you what the character sounds like). That inner “soul” of the character is going to inform how they sound more than anything else. It’s often the case that the right tools to polish the voice to the proper shine, like the aforementioned vocal idiosyncrasies, will follow naturally from that study. One of my favorite things to do, though, is play with tonal contrast. I love, for example, having a character who’s on the small side have a deep, rumbling baritone (if it suits their personality), or a gentle talking panda with the over-the-top accent of New York City beat cop (which may or may not be an upcoming project of mine that I may or may not be REALLY excited about). It’s just fun to me. I also like to assemble a list of major and recurring characters in a story and compile a demo reel of what each one is going to sound like before I ever start narrating. That way I can keep things consistent. But of course, you also have to look at how a character develops throughout the novel or series you’re reading. They may me a completely different person, and, for (a rather depressing) example, that innocent kid at the start, might be jaded and brooding by the end, so even things that might seem inherent to that character’s voice, like pitch and cadence, might change pretty strikingly by the time you get to the end of their story. It might go the other way, too. Maybe the brooding bad boy learns to lighten up a bit! For this specific title, I leaned pretty heavily on certain archetypes, like the booming British baritone for the antagonist, but that’s in large part because the character read that way when I was preparing the text. There was also a sort of domino effect in some cases. Like when I decided Archer should have a quasi-Scottish sound to his voice, it necessarily followed that so would everyone from his home village. Which made at least part of the process of choosing voices for them at least a bit simpler, but each still had a unique vibe to their personalities depending on age, status, life experience, and so on.