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Sedition by E. M. Wright

6/9/2021

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​Author
: E. M. Wright

Narrator: Micah Cottingham
Length: 7 hours 57 minutes
Publisher: The Parliament House⎮2021
Genre: Science Fiction; Young Adult
Series: Children of Erikkson, Book 1
Release date: Mar. 29, 2021
She was created for more than slavery; she was built for rebellion.
In an alternate Victorian England, clockwork cyborgs provide the primary source of labor for the upper class. Known as biomatons, they are property by law and have been manipulated and mind-controlled into subservience. 
Taryn Roft, a 17-year-old girl, attending classes at Grafton's School of Mechanicks in London has a secret. What's even worse - she cannot remember anything before her 12th birthday.
When a mysterious privateer discovers her secret, he offers her an ultimatum: accompany him to his airship, or her secret will be revealed to everyone. For Taryn, it's not much of a choice. Facing prejudice and cruelty may be nothing new to the only girl at an all-boys' school, but the further from home she gets, the darker her situation becomes.
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Character Interview with Taryn Roft

What is your full name? Do you have a nickname (if so, who calls you this)?
My name is Taryn Roft. I do not have a middle name, or if I ever did, I have forgotten it. My best friend Royal calls me “Tiger,” on account of the way I growled at him the first time we met and my red hair.What is it like attending an all-boys’ school?
The professors are biased. The boys see me as an object to taunt or conquer—a girl to take out to dinner to prove that they can, but never someone they would truly consider courting. Still, it is not all bad. I am learning more than I ever hoped. Royal can be overprotective, but he helps me stave off the worst of the bullies. And I will have so many opportunities when I graduate.What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?
Royal pulling me off the streets when I was twelve. There were days when I was certain I would not see my thirteenth birthday. And then he found me and his father saw something in me, and the rest is history. What do you want to do when you graduate?
I am hoping to get a job as a mechanick. I would love to work on an airship, but those jobs are really hard for girls to get so even just working in a clockmakers’ shop or on an estate would be nice. Lord Stokker has promised to help me find something, and I think perhaps Royal is hoping his father himself will employ me so I will not be far away. If you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing, what would you say?
It gets better. Do not give up, because it gets better. And there will always be things you will have to hide. There will always be parts of yourself that must be a secret. But you will have people who care about you, so it gets better.
What do you hope the future looks like?

Freedom for the biomatons. I do not know how that will work, as their labour runs the country right now, but we abolished slavery before. We can do it again.If you could do one thing without consequences, what would it be?
I would tell Royal my secret. I have wanted to tell him so many times. It is so difficult to keep a secret from my best friend. But I cannot risk it, not knowing what I do about the way my kind are treated. So if I could tell him without consequences, I would.

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​About the Author: E. M. Wright
E.M. Wright is an author from Portland, OR. When she's not writing, she can be found daydreaming, taking long walks with her husband, or working on a musical-in-progress with a friend. She writes books in the hopes of inflicting her imaginary friends on other people so she can eventually sleep in peace. Sedition is her first novel.
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About the Narrator: Micah Cottingham
Micah Cottingham was born in North Carolina alongside the dogwoods and tobacco. Most of her adult life has been spent outside of the state, traveling and living in most of the 50 states as well as living abroad. Micah is a Musician and Voice Actor and will use any excuse to spend the day outside. In her free time she enjoys slacklining, hiking, and anything that leaves room for creativity. Currently, she is recording a new album and working full time as a Voice Actor.
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Skin Curse, The Gate Cycle by Kristin Jacques

6/6/2021

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Author: Kristin Jacques
Narrator: Amie Lyn Hornick
Length: 9 hours 13 minutes
Publisher: The Parliament House⎮2021
Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: The Gate Cycle, Book 2
Release date: Apr. 21, 2021
The Children of the Gate wait for the call to Rise.
Azzy Brimvine knows her brother is in the vast city of Avergard. She must find him, but time is not on their side.
In the House of Seven Smiles, Azzy struggles to understand the constraints and limits of her power. She finds the whispering voices that guided her for so long, suddenly silent. The enigmatic Lord Wallach is both a frustrating ally and a dangerous mystery, and a strange entity lurks among the household servants. The haven Azzy sought may not be as safe as she thought...but is anywhere truly safe in the Above? 
The city of Avergard is full of monsters and secrets, and a dark history festers at its root. A yawning pit nestles in the house of a scheming lord, who will use Armin's dangerous gifts to raise history, and raze the city to the ground. As Azzy finds herself and her brother pulled into these machinations, she must navigate the politics and society of Avergard's brutal ruling class to save her family and friends before the Gate consumes them all.
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Interview with Kristin Jacques

How did you select your narrator?
I had the pleasure of working with this narrator on the first book in the series, Marrow Charm, and I was so happy she was willing to do so again!

Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
When I was first writing this series, I was heavily inspired by alternate history ideas and what if such and such happened. A lot of those ideas changed in the process, but a lot of the creatures in the story were inspired by popular myths and folklore, such as Skin Walkers.

How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
It hasn’t been easy! I take breaks. I make time for mental health days. Aside from writing I also have two kiddos with special needs and their needs supercede everything else. Sometimes I have a hectic period before a deadline but I love telling stories and that keeps me going.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I do like to listen to audiobooks when I can. I like the idea of hands free reading. It allows me to multitask and get things done around the house, or work out while still engaging that imaginative side of my mind.

If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
Yes. Absolutely yes. Probably not to the distant past though. Maybe to my earlier childhood so I can see the people that I’ve lost.

What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
That’s such a ridiculous argument. The origins of storytelling were verbal. If anything, audiobooks take us back to our roots where we absorbed stories told around the hearth. It’s how all our first stories were told.  

How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
I like to treat myself to something I normally don’t indulge in, like donuts. Sometimes I won’t watch a movie or series I’m dying to until I meet a deadline.

What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
Getting out of a writing slump is hard. Sometimes I let my mind do scene work, if I find myself particularly stuck, skipping around the plot to see how a specific scene will play out often helps me back track and connect the plot points. Reading slump, I actually reread a lot if I’m feeling in a slump. Sometimes revisiting old stories lets me move onto new ones.

In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
I actually find stand alones harder to craft than series. Series really lets me explore character arcs and flesh out everyone I want to flesh out. Containing a story into a single work is its own craft.

What’s next for you?
I am ramping up for the summer release of Poison & Poultice, a novella set in the Gate Cycle universe, and pushing through Book 3, Blood Vow, which releases February 2022.
About the Author: Kristin Jacques
Kristin Jacques is speculative fiction author and content creator from New England. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Wells College.  
Her contemporary fantasy Ragnarök Unwound was published with Sky Forest Press in January of 2019. Her award-winning dark fantasy Marrow Charm was released from Parliament House Press in October 2019. In November 2019, Marrow Charm won the Fantasy Fiction category at American Bookfest.  In 2020, she signed a four-book deal with City Owl Press for the paranormal series Midnight Guardians.
When not writing, she is juggling two rambunctious boys, spoiling her cats, and catching up on a massive TBR pile. She is currently working on projects full of magic, mystery, and delight.
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About the Narrator: Amie Lyn Hornick
Amie Lyn Hornick is a professional audiobook narrator and producer with a true passion for bringing stories to life through engaging and versatile presentations. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with double majors in English and Psychology, she spent the next few years working in marketing and graphic design. For the last two years, however, she has completely immersed herself in the audiobook industry and has loved every minute of it. Based in Upstate New York, Amie spends much of her free time playing far too many video games and exploring the Adirondacks with her husband and two incredibly cute rescue dogs (who don't quite understand why their mom spends most days speaking in weird voices).
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The Memory Keeper by Jenny Hale

6/4/2021

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Author: Jenny Hale
Narrator: Melie Williams
Length: 8 hours 13 minutes
Publisher: Harpeth Road Press⎮2021
Genre: Romance
Release date: Feb. 18, 2021

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 From the USA Today best-selling author of The Summer House comes a story about lost loves, chasing dreams, and the people who show up when they're needed the most.
Hannah Townsend has the perfect job at a New York magazine, a small but elegant apartment in the Upper West Side, and a successful beau named Miles Monahan. This year, she’s leaving the icy city sludge for sunshine! She’s got tickets for two to Barbados, and she’s meeting Miles at the airport for a week of cocktails, sandy beaches, and the music of steel drums.
But her life is turned upside down in the span of that one morning. Hannah is rocked by the news that her beloved grandmother is very sick, and Hannah needs to come home to her small Tennessee town right away to be with her family and help run her gran’s dilapidated flower shop. If that isn’t enough to deal with, she discovers her boyfriend is seeing someone else.
On her birthday, she finds herself packed into a car on a ride-share to her hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. When everything seems to be going wrong, it’s the kindness of a handsome man from Hannah’s past named Liam McGuire that might just save her. But a new development that threatens Gran’s shop and secrets surrounding Liam could alter both their lives forever.
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​About the Author: Jenny Hale
Jenny Hale is a USA Today, Amazon, and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies. 
She was included in Oprah Magazine's "19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away" and Southern Living's "30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now." Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family. Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers. 
When she isn't writing, or heading up her romantic fiction imprint Harpeth Road, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures--her favorite pastime.
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About the Narrator: Melie Williams
Melie Williams is passionate about audiobooks. A trained singer and actor with degrees in Vocal Performance and English, she understands the written word as well as what makes a great performance. Although she loves narrating many types of books, her favorite genres are Romance and Mysteries/Thrillers.
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Halfway Hunted by Terry Maggert

6/3/2021

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​Author: Terry Maggert
Narrator: Erin Spencer
Length: 6 hours 56 minutes
Publisher: Maggert and Spencer⎮2018
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Series: Halfway Witchy, Book 3
Release date: Apr. 3, 2018
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 Some prey bites back.
Welcome to Halfway; where the waffles are golden, the moon is silver, and magic is just around every corner.

A century-old curse is broken, releasing Exit Wainwright, an innocent man trapped alone in time. Lost and in danger, he enlists Carlie, Gran, and their magic to find the warlock who sentenced him to a hundred years of darkness.

The hunter becomes the hunted when Carlie's spells awaken a cold-blooded killer intent on adding another pelt to their gruesome collection: hers.

But the killer has never been to Halfway before, where there are three unbreakable rules:
  1. Don't complain about the diner's waffles
  2. Don't break the laws of magic
  3. Never threaten a witch on her home turf

Can Carlie solve an ancient crime, defeat a ruthless killer, and save the love of her life from a vampire's curse without burning the waffles?
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Come hunt with Carlie, and answer the call of the wild.
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​About the Author: Terry Maggert
Left-handed. I like dragons, coffee, waffles, running, and giraffes; order unimportant. I write the Halfway Witchy, Messenger, Starcaster and Shattered Skies series, as well as contributing to many anthologies.
If I’m not at home, then I’m on the road, and if I’m on the road, I’ll be at a book event. I’ve written thirty-three novels and counting. I don’t sleep, but you probably guessed that already. If you want me to visit your town for an event, let me know when and where. See you out there.
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About the Narrator: Erin Spencer
Erin loves audiobooks!  As an actress, they have allowed her to creatively stretch by playing all kinds of characters, all kinds of ages and all kinds of accents!  She voiced roles in the Audie award winning title, Illuminae and was also nominated for a Voice Arts Award in the romance category.  She has narrated over 100 titles and as an audiobook director has worked on at least 100 more.  She has worked for most of the major publishers and also enjoys working with indie writers who are some of the most talented writers out there! Follow her on Twitter @ErinSpencerLA or find her on Facebook, Erin Spencer Actress.
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Magical Neighbors by Mary Ellen Spencer

6/2/2021

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Author: Mary Ellen Spencer
Narrator: Rosemary Benson
Length: 50 minutes
Publisher: One Night Stand Studios⎮2021
Genre: Children’s; Fantasy
Release date: April 21, 2021


The sudden appearance of a portly gnome on a humdrum, ordinary day definitely threw me for a loop. When this gnome began to speak to me about building him a home in our neighborhood, I know my eyes were as big as saucers, but I tried to appear casual. And I even managed to answer graciously, “Sure, I’d be glad to.” Then other gnomes who wanted to live in my neck of the woods showed up. Fairies, too! They all became part of my world. And their world became part of mine. Life’s been astonishing ever since. 

Maybe you’ve never met anyone who lives beyond fairy doors. Well, I’d like you to meet my new neighbors. They’re really quite wonderful in their own magical way. Knock on their doors and have a chat. Make friends with fairies and garden gnomes. Come spend some time with us!

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Q&A with Mary Ellen Spencer

​Q:  Were there any real life experiences behind your writing?

A:  Despite suggestions over the years that I had a book in me, I just never quite saw a path forward with that idea.  Maybe it was a matter of timing or the absence of the right topic. Now I know why I couldn’t write a book before now. Magical Neighbors has required a lifetime to write, and a certain amount of serendipity.  I have borrowed experiences and words and names from my growing-up time to my interactions with my neighbors during the last few years.

Q:  How did Magical Neighbors come about? 

A: Magical Neighbors has been an inspired work. As an avid gardener, I first created a fairy garden, then I built fairy doors and gnome homes.  Stories about the fairies who live behind the doors rather magically appeared in my mind.  A little girl teared up when I told her a fairy story.  A young boy was empathetic to a fairy who was ridiculed and harassed. “I’ll be danged,” I thought to myself, “These stories have power!”  My neighbor suggested that I should write those stories down. Write a book! “Hmmmm… Maybe I could… Maybe I should..  Maybe I will…”  Then I did. Words and ideas flowed onto a blank computer screen. Of course, I had to do a bunch of rewrites.  My editor at One Night Stand Studios was definitely a tough critic.  But she made Magical Neighbors so much better!

Q:  How did you select your narrator?

A:  The first time I had Magical Neighbors read aloud to me, I liked the way it sounded, and I thought to myself, “This is good. These are good stories!” I was actually a bit surprised how alive the stories became!  That’s when I knew that Magical Neighbors was best read aloud.
One Night Stand Studios stepped up to help me find a narrator. We chose Rosemary Benson from the 53 auditions that were submitted.  We knew she was the right one to narrate Magical Neighbors. She was the right voice, and had just a touch of grit, which was perfect. We both smiled when we heard her interpretation of this book which included several accents. 

Q:  Do you believe certain kinds of writing translate better into audiobook format?

A:  I think the dialogue in Magical Neighbors makes the audiobook much more vibrant, alive, and interesting. I encourage people to not only read the print book, but listen to it as well. Because the magical neighbors hail from different places, Japan, England, the Wild West and the Deep South in the USA, the narrator created voices to match the character which a casual reader may well not do. Rosemary Benson just kicks Magical Neighbors up a notch so that no nuance goes missing. “Rosemary sounds even better than the voice in my head!” I said. “Wonderful!” Because Meg Roby’s wonderful illustrations can be accessed with the audiobook as a downloadable PDF, the stories take on yet another dimension.

Q:  Did you give the narrator any pronunciation tips?

A:  Yes, I did. Certain names could have been troublesome.

Q: Could you envision Magical Neighbors as a made-for-TV movie series?

A:  Yes, I could imagine that maybe Disney could take up the project of a 12-part series for The Disney Channel. The fairies and gnomes would require animation, with voiceover, of course. Each fairy and gnome character could be expanded for a time slot.  The scenery is beautiful as well. The Storyteller could be someone 65 or so, maybe Angela Lansbury.

Q:  Why do you think Magical Neighbors resonates in a listener?

A: Magical Neighbors taps a variety of emotions, emotions that are some of the noble elements of the human spirit.  The tap on hearts is a soft one that hints of ways that we should treat each other.
I believe that in Magical Neighbors there are stories that need to be told. Our world does not seem as gentle or as kind as it needs to be. Too much discord. The magical neighbors suggest that doing the right thing is a good thing; that we, too, can stand in the breach for those who cannot defend themselves; that character is not determined from appearance; that we can take action to be helpful and encourage others toward their success.
About the Author: Mary Ellen Spencer
Mary Ellen Spencer lives in a forested neighborhood near Harrods Creek in Kentucky with her cute husband Hank and her trusty dog Annie.  She likes to make things—fairy doors and birdhouses from gourds, men of the forest carved from stone, and woodspirits carved into cedar.  She enjoys growing things—like trees and hostas and oak leaf hydrangeas.  And sometimes stories spill out.
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About the Narrator: Rosemary Benson
Rosemary Benson is an award-winning Audible #1 best-selling narrator, singer, educator, and stage actress. She has appeared across the U.S., Canada, and Italy, and regularly performs with several ensembles and big bands. A passionate learner and audiobook fan, she is at home in many genres. Her musical ear allows her to produce myriad accents for storytelling, while her expertise in differentiating instruction guides her abilities in nonfiction. She lives across the river from Philadelphia with her husband in a house full of musical instruments and books.
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