I love discovering new and new to me authors with this feature. I even snagged an ARC of AJ's upcoming release. Can't wait to share my thoughts with you on it. ~ Lynn

First Shift ~ The Wolves of Rock Falls Bk 1
By AJ Skelly
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2021

AJ Skelly is an author, blogger, and lover of all things fantasy, medieval, and fairy-tale-romance.  And werewolves.  She has a serious soft spot for them.  As an avid life-long reader and a former high school English teacher, she’s always been fascinated with the written word.  She lives with her husband, children, and many imaginary friends who often find their way into her stories.  They all drink copious amounts of tea together and stay up reading far later than they should. ​

Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Etsy ~ Website

I am obsessed with this series!  Rachael Amphlett is a brilliant crime novelist and when she pairs her extraordinary work with the talented Alison Campbell, it is BRILLIANT! Their collaboration delivers an edge of your seat thriller.  I highly recommend you check out this sereis!

Author: Rachel Amphlett
Narrator: Alison Campbell
Length: 7 hours 56 minutes
Publisher: Saxon Publishing⎮2019
Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural
Series: Detective Kay Hunter, Book 8
Release date: Oct. 15, 2019

 When a faceless body is found floating in the river on a summer's morning, Detective Kay Hunter and her team are tasked with finding out the man's identity and where he came from.
The investigation takes a sinister turn when an abandoned boat is found, covered in blood stains and containing a child's belongings.
Under mounting pressure from a distraught family and an unforgiving media, the police are in a race against time - but they have no leads and no motive for the events that have taken place.
Will Kay be able to find a ruthless killer and a missing child before it's too late?
Cradle to Grave is the eighth book in the Detective Kay Hunter series by USA Today best-selling author Rachel Amphlett and perfect for listeners who love fast-paced murder mysteries.
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​About the Author: Rachel Amphlett
Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.
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About the Narrator: Allison Campbell
Alison Campbell is an actress based in Bristol, U.K. She has lent her voice to 50+ audiobooks, cartoons, documentaries and dramas. She can be found treading the boards across the country, in everything from Shakespeare to hip hop kids adventures. On screen she has appeared in dramas and science documentaries, her most recent co star was a CGI elephant. She can also be found performing the Natural Theatre Company's award-winning surreal brand of interactive comedy around the globe.  
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​Author: Peter J. Thompson
Narrator: Gary Tiedemann
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes
Publisher: Peter J. Thompson⎮2019
Genre: Suspense
Release date: Jan. 30, 2019

​

A corrupt corporation. Ruthless assassins. Will the family that runs together... die together?
Fifteen-year-old Zach Monaghan has a target on his back. In the witness protection program for his father's whistleblowing, he's now run away, back to his old home in Chicago.Zach wants to get back to his friends and to Lindsey, the girl he'd met right before being whisked off in the middle of the night. But escaping his fake identity won't last long if two contract killers catch up to him...
Big Joe Gorski has climbed the ladder from street thug to tycoon. Now he's got it all--riches--status--police, and politicians in his pocket. But life at the top is suddenly unsteady and one slip can bring it all down. With a scheming partner, politicians who won't stay bought and Feds breathing down his neck,Gorski has to move carefully. But being careful goes against his nature. He's a raging bull and he'll do whatever it takes to keep what he has ... let the bodies fall where they will.
As the ruthless killer draws closer to Zach, surviving the greedy corporate plot may force the whole family to get their hands bloody...
The Runaway is a fast-paced thriller with dizzying twists and turns. If you like non-stop action, high-stakes tension, and large casts of compelling characters, then you'll love Peter Thompson's gripping novel.
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​Audiobook Review
Story 5 Stars
Performance 5 Stars
Overall 5 Stars 


Thompson delivers a heart-pounding thrill ride in The Runaway. All the characters are well thought out with complex stories if their own. It is an edge of your seat, thrilling, suspense, novel. I look forward to checking out other works by this author.

The narrator, Gary Tiedemann, really made this story come to life. He individualized each character and made them seem authentic. The heightened suspense kept me on edge. 

​About the Author: Peter J. Thompson
Peter Thompson grew up on the east side of Chicago, in the shadow of the steel mills where the air was sooty and smelled of sulfur. His life wasn’t always so gritty, but the grit and realism finds its way into his thrillers. He has always loved stories of every kind, and one of his joys is finding a way to get inside character’s heads, seeing the world as they see it and feeling their triumphs, pain, and fear. He visualizes his characters when he writes, and they are larger than life in the big screen of his imagination.

Before pursuing his passion and becoming a full-time author, he tried his hand at everything from factory work, breaking cement in a construction crew, running his own pizza shop, and he was a well-regarded presence in the mortgage industry for nearly thirty years. When he isn’t writing, Peter loves, spicy food, live music, and exciting and thought-provoking books and movies. He is a fitness buff who loves to spend time with his grown sons and is looking forward to traveling the world and seeking adventures with his lovely partner.

To get in touch, find out more about future projects, please stop by www.authorpeterthompson.com. Sign up for his reading list to find out about new releases and receive free perks.
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About the Narrator: Gary Tiedemann
Gary Tiedemann is a full-time voice-actor and narrator of audiobooks, with over 60 unabridged titles narrated and counting. He has voiced countless commercials and multimedia productions in addition to spending over 10 years on stage performing improv, sketch comedy and original works of theatre. Gary is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. He currently splits his time between Florida and Chicago. See more at www.garytiedemann.com
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1. Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
   

I’ve always loved audio books, going back to when they were on cassette tape. Listening to an audio book creates a movie in your head, and I wanted this experience for my novels. I worked with ACX to create the Audiobook and it was a great educational experience. My plan was to release three stand-alone thrillers, one after the other. The first novel was Living Proof, and I put that up for audition, asking for samples with parts of three different scenes. The idea was to see how the narrator handled different situations. One part was the beginning, because it has to sound great to hook the listener. The second was an action scene, and the third was a conversation with the lead and co-lead, so I could hear how the narrator handled the back and forth and the gender switch. It was more involved than a lot of auditions, so I was amazed at the response. I only had it up for a few days and I turned it off at about 70 auditions. I listened to the full  audition from each, and there were a lot of talented narrators. Some would nail one section, though, and sound weaker in another. I narrowed it down to three that I liked a lot, and asked for one more sample from each. Gary Tiedemann stood out from the others, and he was enthusiastic about the project. He has finished the narration on all three projects now, and I love the way he tells the story, and makes the characters come alive. He is in the top tier of narrators and I know I was lucky to find him.

1. Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
   

I do. Any story that really stimulates the senses is a great candidate for audio. By that, I don’t mean flowery language, but stories that are visual make great audio. When you are listening to a story, you start playing it out in your head. It becomes a movie in your mind. With a good narrator and a good story the words fall back and the images take over. Good conversations crackle. A good narrator makes the characters real.

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

Not specifically, but I loved listening to audio and I was aware of the potential. I have always been part of a writer’s group and part of that process is reading your work out loud. You get a different feel for your own writing when you speak it. There’s been times when I’ve read over a passage and thought it read fine, but it sounded clunky when read out loud. So I think it’s important to pay attention to how the story sounds as well as reads. It’s exciting to hear my story in finished audio, and I hear it with a greater appreciation, and it sounds fresh to me.   

1. How did you select your narrator?
   

Gary Tiedemann is my narrator, and he is a true professional. I found him through ACX. I’d put up an audition and received over 70 applications in the firs few days. I asked each narrator to give a sample to see how the narrator handled different situations. I had them read part of the beginning, part of an action scene, a fight, and then a conversation between the male and female leads. Some people sounded great in parts, but didn’t fit in as well with others. Gary was one of the ones that stood out in every type of narration, and someone I knew I would enjoy listening to through the full journey until the end of the book. I narrowed it down to 3 narrators and had them read a bit more. Again, Gary stood out. We’ve worked together on three projects now, and I think we’ll be working together for a long time to come. He has a big fan base now, and I know he is going to be a big name in the audio field as time goes on. I am thankful to have found him.   

​

Danielle Lyndon, owner of a 200-year-old bookstore in Greenville, Alabama, has built a fortress of suspicion around her heart. A tragic fire has taken the lives of her beloved Grandmother and mother, leaving her with nothing but an ancient collection of magical books.

Facing what seems like an eternity of loneliness and abandonment, her life is inexorably altered late one night when a runaway teenage girl breaks into her store and Danielle receives a mysterious text message…from her dead mother.

The only person who can help her is Aaron Donnell, a reckless, tormented drifter with haunting silver-blue eyes who is searching for the burglar, his younger sister. Aaron somehow holds the answers to the mysterious texts, but he’s arrogant, dangerous, and is clearly no good for her. The problem is . . . . she’s falling in love with him.

Consumed with Aaron’s mysterious darkness and the prospect of locating the source of the texts, Danielle allows him to unwittingly drag her into an insane, mystical world where human trafficking is the usual, black magic reigns supreme, and inhuman power lasts forever.

Are the dark chasms of magic and eternity too wide and deep for love to cross? Is the collateral damage in their battle too high of a price to pay if it leaves someone with their soul encased in stone?

The Story
I found the blurb and story line for Soul of Stone intriguing. Soul of Stone is a quick paced, page turning read. I found myself immersed in Danielle's bookstore. Too bad it isn't real! The characters were well defined with complex backstories. That cliffhanger though...well played Traci McDonald.

I had 2 issues with this story. Set in rural Alabama the author went a bit over board with the Southern colloquialisms; especially in the first quarter of the story. It was not as prevalent in the rest of the book. Being a Southerner I can say we do not use southern jargon that frequently in our daily speech, but maybe Alabama is different. Secondly the author's over use of the like. Her descriptions and details were fantastic; however, she over used the simile.

Overall I enjoyed the story and will check out the rest of the series.

The Narrator
As I said, I am a Southerner so it is easy to spot when someone is faking or forcing an accent. I found that Amanda Stribling did a flawless job narrating this story. She really sold me on the story and I loved her accent. I hope she does the rest of the series.

​~ Lynn 

​About the Author: Traci McDonald

Traci McDonald is a blind author of clean romance novels, including Burning Bridger (Muse It Up, 2015), Killing Casanova (Crimson Romance, 2012) and the forthcoming Soul of Stone. She believes that falling in-love is the greatest risk of all, and her non-explicit romances are about hurting, healing and finding true love. Traci has been blind for 20 years. When she isn’t writing she is an editor for Ink and Quill Press and the co-host for a blogtalk radio show on The World of Ink Network. Traci is an active member of the National Federation of the Blind, on the board of her local writer’s guild, and a speaker for various writing conferences and book fairs. She is a full time wife and mother of three boys, an avid reader, and loves living in a small town on the fringes of Nevada's Mojave Desert.
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How did you select your narrator?
The setting of this story includes a well-educated, traditional southern belle. Amanda Striplings voice was intense, articulate and had a hint of ‘southern’ without being ‘Hick’.

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?
Amanda and I didn’t cross over into each other’s expertise. I write, she brings the characters alive. The only tips I gave her were to be aware of pronunciation of words, to balance her speed and accuracy and to keep the characters sounding like their age.

Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format? 
​The sound of a human voice telling a suspenseful, action, or thriller works, for me to help feel the suspense is alive.

I spent my Spring devouring the entire Detective Kay Hunter Series written by Rachel Ampheltt and narrated by Alison Campbell.  It was fantastic!  Alison needs to narrate my life.  I love her!
​~Lynn

​Loyalty has a price.

Kay Hunter has survived a vicious attack at the hands of one of the country's most evil serial killers.

Returning to work after an enforced absence to recover, she discovers she wasn't the only victim of that investigation.

DI Devon Sharp remains suspended from duties, and the team is in turmoil.

Determined to prove herself once more and clear his name, Kay undertakes to solve a cold case that links Sharp to his accuser.

But, as she gets closer to the truth, she realises her enquiries could do more harm than good.

Torn between protecting her mentor and finding out the truth, the consequences of Kay's enquiries will reach far beyond her new role…
Buy Links
Buy on RachelAmphlett.com

​5 Performance
5 Story
5 Overall


I devoured all 5 of the Detective Kay Hunter books. The series as a hole is fantastic in both print and audio. Each book is better than the previous one and that is saying something. I want more!
Rachel Amphlett is a master at weaving an intricate, diverse, crime drama. I feel like I needed a suspect board this time around. There were twists and turns and OMG moments with every turn of the page and a shocking ending. The MC, Kay Hunter, is phenomenal. When she sinks her teeth into a case she doesn’t give an inch.

I adore Alison Campbell as the narrator. She has done a smashing job with the series. Through Ali I am connected to Kay on a more personal level. She really makes the story come alive around me. 

I highly recommend this series for any crime novel fans out there. You do need to read the all the books in the series in order for the best experience. You won’t be disappointed

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore's TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Instagram

This has been such a great series!  Be sure to check it out! ~ Lynn 

Author: N.E. Conneely
Narrators: Jeff Hays, Soundbooth Theater
Length: 7  hours 25 minutes
Publisher: N.E. Conneely⎮2018
Genre: Paranormal, Supernatural
Series: A Witch's Path, Book 4
Release date: Jan. 16, 2018

Michelle has been figuring out what her life is like now that the demon has been killed, and Sylvia and Varro are dead. Even the clans of witches trying to attract her to their way of life have backed off and given her a chance to grieve. Her relationship with Elron is stronger than ever, but there are things left unsaid.

On the way to her parents' wedding, the delicate calm she’d been living in is broken. Witches are out for her blood, her family is caught in the crossfire, and friendships are threatened. Work doesn’t let up either, and she partners up with Elron to deal with magic gone wild. Michelle finds that her problems are larger than one clan of witches, and is forced to choose between the people she holds dear and the way of life she loves.

This is the fourth book in a series, following A Witch's Trial. It is a standalone novel, however, your experience will be greatly enhanced if you've heard the previous books.
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5/5
​I have to say this installment is my favorite. First off, can poor Michelle just have a moment to breath and enjoy her new relationship with Elron? The answer is NO! A Witch's Concern is non stop action from page one. The drama. The Grandmother. The kidnapping. OH MY! I LOVED IT. The author has created quite a fun and intriguing series. 

There were two narrators; Jeff Hays and Laurie Catherine Winkel. Both did a phenomenal job bringing the story to life. The danger. The destruction. The violence. It all sprang from my speakers. I didn't want to get out the car, lol.

About the Author: N.E. Conneely
N.E. Conneely lives in northern Georgia with her dog and a mountain of books. They sweat through the summer and freeze through the winter, and life as they know it comes to an end when so much as a single snowflake falls out of the sky. For fun, N.E. plays with her dog, reads, knits, crochets, paints, and does tie-dyeing and origami. She makes a great pizza and is currently negotiating with her husband about raising sea monkeys and growing a vegetable garden.
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​About the Narrator: Jeff Hays
Jeff Hays has made a name for himself in the audio book world by creating immersive experiences out of his productions. His versatility and authenticity in voicing characters, expressive low-impact narration, and dedication to offering the highest quality audio possible has earned him a loyal following of listeners. Having been fascinated with sound since he can remember, Jeff takes his background of composing and producing music, and his continual consumption of the avalanche of fictional media we all experience in these modern times, and uses it to inform his style of story telling in the audiobook realm.

And now, having produced more than 80 audio books and perfecting his craft, using the namesake of his live streaming narration show, the Soundbooth Theater shingle has been hung. Soundbooth Theater is dedicated to applying Jeff's production methods to new audio books with other budding narrator talent, and expanding his scope from audio books, to voicing and producing animation.
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About the Narrator: Laurie Catherine Winkel
​Laurie got into voiceover by studying with the legendary dialect expert Paul Meier and hosting the teen program for a nonprofit for the blind, Kansas Audio Reader. She speaks French fluently and, before diving into audiobooks, lived and performed for some time in France. She's racking up some bizarre credits, playing a range of characters onscreen from Disney princesses to horror scream queens, and proving her audio versatility by narrating everything from cowboy romances to action-packed GameLit fantasy trolls. You can also catch her in a few VR video games. Her favorite is playing confident, power-hungry, whip-smart anti-heroines.

Like Jeff Hays, she hails from the Kansas City area but currently lives in Atlanta.
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Evil comes in many forms…
One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.
Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.
But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

About the Author: Donna Galanti
Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna enjoys teaching at conferences on the writing craft and marketing and also presenting as a guest author at elementary and middle schools. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com.
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About the Narrator: Chase Bradley
Chase was born and raised in a quiet town in upstate New York. He concentrated on musical pursuits through most of his younger years, excelling in anything that had to do with using his voice. He attended college in Potsdam, NY, where he studied Wilderness Leadership, Sociology and Vocal training at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Chase’s dream since he was a kid was to be a voice over artist and professional musician, but after college he decided to spread his wings and explore the world a bit first. He worked as a mountain guide in Alaska, leading Ice Climbing, Mountaineering, and Backpacking trips. He traveled all over North and South America for work and and pleasure, climbing and skiing everything that stood in his way. After meeting a beautiful woman (in Alaska of all places!) and falling in love, he settled down in Lake Tahoe California, where he currently resides with his wife and two children. Chase has finally returned to his roots and works as a full time voice over artist, and plays weekly shows with his band. Things have come full circle, and the dream has been fulfilled. Chase does commercial voice over work, but has found that his true passion is narrating audiobooks. He has narrated 14 audiobooks to date, with more to come! Chase is constantly looking for ways to improve his narration, and deliver the best possible performance for the authors and listeners.
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