Giveaway – Page 2 – Book Journey

Morning Meanderings… by the time you read this I will be gone…

Published on September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Good morning! Welcome to the Thursday of Banned Books week. But wait… where am I??? I have left at 4 am this morning for the book sale at the Library.

Why so early?

Because I am in competition to be first in line. I know.. I know… ridiculous for sure… but honestly… it is fun. In the spring I missed my number one spot by 5 minutes because this girl *finger pointing at me* stopped to get coffee. I know! I really need to control my caffeine urges!

But now…

I have a strategic plan… I have joked for years about camping out the night of the sale… and this time. I am doing it.

Mmmmm hmmmm….. that’s the way we I roll.

SO thats what I am doing.. more on the sale and all that later…. for now.. lets add our newest contributors to Banned Book Week:

Kym at My Book Nook shares her thoughts on the banned book, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Erin at Quixotic Magpie talks about the banning of Judy Blume’s Blubber. (She has a great quote about bullying on this post!)

Over at Eclectic Alli there is talk about Favorite Banned Books!

Kelly from the Well-Read Redhead brings us information on Go Ask Alice -who the author is not so anonymous after all… AND she has a giveaway!

Bex from An Armchair By The Sea writes about why Banned Books Week is not to be celebrated – great post and GIVEAWAY!!!

My close encounter with Of Mice and Men and a Giveaway too!

And of course do not forget the posts and giveaways from earlier this week… they are still going on!

That’s it… because really… I am not here anyway! 😀 Banned book post later today!

ATTEMPTED BANNING – Of Mice and Men… Under ATTACK

Published on September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Earlier this week this post was on Books Are My Thing. I am now posting it here as well as it is my personal story about a book banning that hit way too close to home and I think it is important to share the details of how a group can fester into attacking a book. ~Sheila

I am a huge advocate of Banned Books. Ever since I discovered these books about 4 years ago, and what books they are and why they have been banned or challenged… I have come to love them and support them. Which is why – I was all the more disheartened by a happening in my own home town of Brainerd Minnesota this past February.
A friend of mine had called me and said that a mutual person we knew, I will call him Dave, was looking to put together a local team of people who would look at books for our school library. This sounded very positive to me and my friend had said that she had given Dave my name as a possible person of interest in this project. I had visions of helping to promote books for the high school and being President Of The Friends Of The Library as well as on our city Library Board, I was thrilled about the concept.
Then, the phone call came.
Dave had left me a message and as I listened to it, my heart sank. Dave mentioned that this team he was putting together was a team that would take books out of the system that he and his team deemed inappropriate, in fact – they had a book they wanted to tackle right now and hoped I would join in their fight. The book he described as being of poor quality, severe language and idea, and taking the Lord’s name in vain. As his message went on I wondered what book could it be that had him so fired up… could it be 50 Shades Of Gray (a book I have not read nor do I plan to read it so I did not know its exact contents), or maybe I thought it was Hunger Games….
When Doug mentioned the book title, my heart fell.

Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

As Dave spoke I quickly googled Of Mice And Men on my laptop to see what the issues were. I had not read of Mice and Men, but had a copy at home on my book shelf with the classics.
When I looked it up I found this:
Why Is Steinbeck’s Work Considered a Controversial Book?
Of Mice and Men offers a wealth of rich themes, insight into the deeper levels of the human mind, and an open doorway into some of the darker issues of life — death, racism, sexism, false hopes, and the harshness of poverty. For educators interested in stimulating the minds of their students and encouraging critical thought John Steinbeck’s controversial book is perfect; so, why was it a banned book? The following are complaints that have arisen in the past, are of concern to parents today, and will probably be brought up in the future:
• Use of the ‘N’ word;
• Some claim it’s derogatory towards African Americans;
• Some claim it’s derogatory towards women;
• Profanities;
• Racial slurs;
• Violence; and
• Absence of traditional values.

Still, the students were High School Students that they were trying to remove this book from. That did not make sense to me. Clearly Dave did not know my stance at all with Banned Books, or my role at the Library. Not only was I not interested in his attack team – I was against what he was trying to do.
In the end, Dave did go ahead and have his day of trying to remove the book from the library and he failed. (See newspaper article)
For myself, it was pretty amazing to see firsthand what people try to do because they feel something should not be read.Honestly, I still get upset when I think about. What Dave and his group should do is check out the banned books list… I know for a fact there is at least one book on that list that they would hate to see not made available to the public. Why is it ok for anyone to think they can pick and choose for all?
Banning books is wrong. Just because you or I choose not to read something does not give us the right to say that NOBODY can read it. Books, like Of Mice and Men are part of our culture and history. I for one will be reading this book this year during Banned Books Week.

*puts away soap box… off to read a banned book*

Note: Commenting on any of my banned book related posts this week will enter you into my giveaway. (one entry per relevant comment)

Also – this posts comments will enter you into a chance to win a copy of Mice and Men. It’s the least I can do. 😉

Morning Meandering… Half Way Through The Banned

Published on September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Wednesday! I feel…..

good and going too many different directions for sure. Why did banned book week have to fall in such a busy week? Board meetings, helping friends, dinner out, movies, and the book sale. I think next year I need to plan a week at the cabin so I can just read what I want to read…

and really…. isn’t that what banned book week is all about? Being allowed to read what we want to read?

Today I add another group of fellow passionate Banned Book Bloggers to the mix. Please check out these amazing posts:

Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! Posted about censorship with some great quotes!

Jenna from Lost Generation Reader has a giveaway for a banned book of your choice!

Vicki at Reading At The Beach has a review of the banned book, The Call Of The Wild by Jack London

Felicia at The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog talks about Book Banning In Texas as well as her super cool library and banned books AND a super cool giveaway too!

Sue at Book by Book shares her thoughts on Book Banning and what she is reading this week – great thoughts on banning!

Holly At Gun In Act One (what a fun blog name!) writes a passionate post about the ridiculousness of trying to protect our kids from reading about drugs, alcohol, etc.. when the outcome of this use in the books is truly a reason to not do any of the above! Seriously – check out this fun and meaningful post!

Ya hoo! Let’s give it up for our great supporters of Banned Books! Ya’ all complete me :). And do not forget to check out those who have posted earlier this week. There are fun posts and giveaways and I would not want you to miss out. 🙂

And since Felicia posted pics of her libraries Banned Books window… I figured I would post mine as well. This is the window currently set up at the library. Note that Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is front and Center… a personal attack on that one right in our town – more on that later today. 😉

Have you picked up a banned book yet this week? If not… are you sure? Chances are you have read a banned/challenged book this year.

*Note: Commenting on any of my banned book related posts this week will enter you into my giveaway. (one entry per relevant comment)

Lord Of The Flies by William Golding (Banned Books Week 2014)

Published on September 21, 2014September 21, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)47 Comments

Originally published in September of 1954, a dystopian type novel where a group of British boys are stuck on an inhabited island who try to given themselves while waiting for rescue with disastrous results. Lord Of The Flies has been called an early Hunger Games.

When a plane full of English school boys crashes onto a deserted island with no adult survivors, the boys ages 6 – 12 have to figure out a way to survive.

When Ralph, one of the older boys is voted to be their leader, and the runner up to his leadership Jack, a boy who will put in charge of the other boys and call them “hunters”, it looks like they are off to a good start. They are each assigned duties like building a fire (so a passing boat might see the smoke), gather food, make shelter, and eventually hunt the wild pigs they find on the island.

Of course, boys will be boys, and the system quickly deteriorates as most of the survivors would rather swim and lay in the sun. When Jack takes a team of boys hunting instead of maintaining the fire as he was supposed to things start to change for the worse. Soon Ralph is being challenged by his authority and Jack feels that perhaps since he can provide food that he is the better choice for a leader. The boys split into two different areas of the island.

While Ralph maintains Piggy, a heavier but also brilliant boy who with the help of his glasses can make fire, Ralphs team are not hunters. While Jack leads a team that is fed well by the hunt, they are unable to make fire. Unable to work together the two groups of boys turn savagely against each other; crazed from the heat and lack of basic survival needs with no adult supervision, the boys go too far…

and there is no turning back.

In my quest to read all banned books during banned books week, this is a small (202 pages) book that has been on my classic shelf for a couple of years, waiting its turn to be chosen. As I left for the cabin on Thursday afternoon, I grabbed this one off the shelf.

At first Lord Of The Flies took a few pages to sink into the rhythm. The book starts out after the crash. (Think LOST). You do not receive a lot of back story here as to where they were going, but you do pick up that they are a choir.

As the book starts to movie forward you have Ralph who is mainly given leadership because he has the conch shell which calls the wandering group together. Piggy, who is constantly and sadly made fun of throughout the book, is a young voice of wisdom. Jack, comes along as a stronger boy one who wants recognition and quickly finds he is skilled at hunting which impresses the other boys.

According to author William Golding, Lord Of The Flies was written to trace the defects of society back to human nature. (There is a wonderful back story to the book in the final pages)

I read the book in the space of a couple of mornings at the cabin. The book easily held my attention as the frustrations quickly rise when Ralph discovers that it is a lot of work to try to get things done hen only a few are doing the work. When the boys turn against each other and start acting live savages (one group turning to wearing face paint made from berries and mud on the island, all society acceptances seems to flow away.

Towards the end of the book my eyes were flying across the pages wondering what was going to happen.

I am so glad I had an opportunity to read this book called by Time Magazine in 2005 “One of the top 100 books of all time” and having won many awards.

SO why was this book banned?

Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).
Challenged at the Sully Buttes, SD High School (1981). Challenged at the Owen, NC High School (1981) because the book is “demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal.”
Challenged at the Marana, AZ High School (1983) as an inappropriate reading assignment.
Challenged at the Olney, TX Independent School District (1984) because of “excessive violence and bad language.” A committee of the Toronto, Canada Board of Education ruled on June 23, 1988, that the novel is “racist and recommended that it be removed from all schools.” Parents and members of the black community complained about a reference to “niggers” in the book and said it denigrates blacks.
Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.
Challenged, but retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English reading list in Bloomfield, NY (2000).

Leave a comment on this post and not only be entered to win one of the banned book week prizes, but also one commenter on this post between now and next Sunday will be entered to win a copy of this book sent directly to your home from Amazon.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on the comparisons to Hunger Games?

If you have not read it, would you consider reading it? Why or why not?

Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Perigee Books; Reissue edition (July 27, 1959)
Language: English

Morning Meanderings… Books in and Banned Book Week is ON!

Published on September 21, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)49 Comments

Good morning – happy Sunday… all of that 🙂 It has been a wonderful weekend away at our cabin with my friend Wendy – watching movies, exploring the area… waiting for the roofer dude. Now home and prepping for this amazing week (the fall book sale is at the Library!) and I had books and audio come in this week:

You can see there are two books there with the word Christmas in them as well as a book called Winter Falls. Eep! I am so not ready for cold and snow! 🙂

I am super giddy excited about today because it is the official kick off to Banned Books Week which you know I LOVE and take a huge part in every year. I will have guest posts going on here, linking up other Banned Book Week posts each day, writing about banned books and banned book reviews as well as the occasional giveaway. YOU will not want to miss out on a post – this is going to be FUN.

AND It is not too late for you to check out about this fun week and join in!

Each year during this week I only read banned books. So much fun and I read such great books – classics, and more. I think this week is so important to be educated on what constitutes a banned/challenged book that I have also decided to make it a tab at the top of Book Journey so you can read all my banned book reviews through the years! I think you may be surprised by what books are considered banned. In fact, this morning you can read about a personal banned book experience that happened right here in my home town this year over at the amazing Krystal’s Books Are My Thing. She as well will be having a lot of fun things happening for banned books week so please stop over and see what she is doing as well.

It drives me absolutely batty that I can not find an all-inclusive banned books list that I can link too, but here is one and perhaps one of these days I will start my own banned books list as I run across them.

I hope you plan to read a banned book this week (at least one!) in honor of banned books week! They are not hard to find and they do not have to be long (Charlotte’s Web, Little Red Riding Hood, The Giving Tree, Winnie The Pooh, Harriet The Spy, Alice In Wonderland, Where The Wild Things Are, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham, The Wizard Of Oz…)

All comments this week will go on banned books posts (including this one) will go into a drawing at the end of the week for you choice of:

$10.00 towards a Banned book of your choice.

So what are you waiting for? Jump in and join the banned!

This Is Where I Leave You by Johnathon Trapper

Published on September 13, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

I was recently asked, “How do you read all the books you receive for review?” And, if I am honest, I admit I can not read them all. When I accept the book for review I have the best intentions to read and review the book… but life does happen – jobs, family, friends, commitments, homes, and so unfortunately – some books are missed and unfortunately – as in the case of this one, that is a sad mistake that I am so glad I had an opportunity to correct. ~Sheila

Synopsis – Judd has just walked in on his wife having sex with someone. Someone who is not him. Someone – who is in fact, Judd’s boss. And Judd’s life just fell apart.

Soon after, Judd receives a phone call from his sister that his father who has been ill for some time, has died and the family; Judd, his sister Wendy, and brothers Paul and Phillip are to gather at the family home with their mother for this final good-bye.

Judd’s mother says that in his fathers final wish he wanted the family to sit Shiva; a Jewish tradition where the family remains together int he home for seven days mourning the loss of their loved ones while friends and family come and pay their respects. Judd’s family is not the type that can spend more than a few hours together without wanting to kill each other so this should be interesting.

Wendy, the only daughter, comes in tow with her three children and her business husband who can not stay off his phone long enough to mourn anything… except maybe the possible loss of a few dollars.

Paul, the oldest son comes with his wife Alice who is desperate to be pregnant but so far no matter what doctors she see’s and what pills she takes, nothing has happened for the couple.

Phillip, the youngest of the brothers and by far the most free-spirited comes with a much older woman who he is hoping will help him settle his wild ways and lack of interest in any kind of responsibility.

And then there is Judd, broken marriage, no job, living in a smelly basement apartment wishing hateful things on his boss and mourning the loss of the woman he loved….

Really…

what could possibly go wrong?

The internet is a buzz with the upcoming movie for this book, This Is Where I Leave You. The casting looks wonderful and with it opening next week I had a vague recollection that I may have this book on my shelves. I did… and I started reading it right away.

This Is Where I Leave You is that book that you will not want to put down. It opens with a funny conversation between Judd and his sister Wendy… and it keep rolling from there. The family is dysfunctional, and funny, and keeps you on your toes… if it could happen… it will happen. I flew through these pages finding a real enjoyment in Johnathan Tropper’s words and the whole time wondering, “what else have I missed from this witty author?”

Do not hesitate on picking up this book that is a quick enjoyable read of a family that really… could be anyone’s family. And then… do not miss out on the giveaway I posted earlier this week for a chance to win a movie package.

Seriously…

why are you still here?

Go! Get this book!

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (July 6, 2010)
Language: English

Morning Meanderings… SQQQQUUEEEE Package In The Mail!

Published on July 22, 2014July 22, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

Mmmmmmmm coffee.

It was a long stormy night here. By the time I went to bed the wind was picking up and a lot of thunder and lightning. With temps in the 90’s and the high humidity as well it had been said that we could get winds up to 70 miles per hour in this storm which yes… is a bit concerning. I sat up in bed and watched out the window for a while worried about my trees, deck furniture, the wild rabbits….

alas, sleep won over.

This morning, things look good.

There are a few branches around but all is well. I walked out and checked my crazy apple tree too; the one I have propped up with stakes to help its heavy branches and it is fine.

*whew*

In other news…. don’t you love receiving packages in the mail? I love it! Books thrill me…. every time. It never gets old! And the occasional package shipped from a friend or a fellow book lover is another level of exciting! These are a little more personal because they are planning something just for the receiver.

I had signed up for The Book Monsters Christmas In July for just this reason. I was given my swap partner which was Tula at Primary School Library Diva, we exchanged a wish list and a little bit about ourselves. SO FUN!

My package arrived yesterday…

Fun right? YAY!!! The Rowell book is one from my wish list! SUPER exciting stuff! A fun magazine, Skittles, and a cute little card. Thank you Tula! LOVE it!!! I hope you love yours too 🙂

Finally this morning, I hope you seen my post I put up yesterday afternoon about the Page Girls Birthday Week and Giveaway. It is pretty sweet and a fun site to check out. (And to be clear the pic is of my blowing a party horn…. lol… there has been some confusion about what is in my mouth or in front of my face. ) 😀

Have a super Tuesday!

Page Girl’s Birthday Week Celebration and Giveaway!!!!

Published on July 21, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Life has been hard here lately, I am not going to lie. So when Cecily from The Page Girls asked if I wanted to be part of their launch celebration I jumped at the chance to be part of the fun.

I like fun.

The Page Girls is a lit magazine with themed weekly issues with short stories, book reviews, essays, videos, cocktail recipes, and more. (Which one of these topics catches your attention? 😉 )

This week – as their official kick off they are having daily giveaways, fun discussions, and more!

As part of this weeks celebration they allowed me to join in on the giveaways! I will be giving away an E-Book copy of Here For The Cake and a set of these super cute coasters 🙂

SQQQQUUUEEEE right? and the coasters match the book cover so how sweet is that?

To enter this giveaway please pop over to The Page Girls and look at their site. Come back here and leave a comment on something you seen or liked on their page. 🙂 That is it. I will draw a winner on Saturday morning and send that winner the link to the E Book and the coasters.

Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf (Summer Reading and Book Club Worthy!)

Published on July 16, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

Social Worker Ellen Moore is used to seeing the worst side of the human race. It has been her job to protect the children of her community and it is a job she does well while also managing her busy family life with a husband and children of her own.

One blistering hot day while trying to help a family in need, one moment of distraction, one slip while trying to do too much at the sale time, Ellen’s world comes tumbling down around her putting her on the other side of her world in the craziest of ways. Suddenly life is speeding by as a blur as events unfold and her careless actions could cause the life of one of her own.

In another story line, ten year old Jenny Briard lives moment to moment. Since her mother disappeared one day she has lived with her abusive father and lives moment to moment wondering where she will be sleeping that night and if there will be food. When Jenny takes to the streets in search of where she believes her mother may have gone, her life becomes entangled with Ellen’s.

Ellen can not explain the appearance of this wayward child who has wormed her way into her life but she does not have time to deal with that in the midst of her own turmoil. Jenny certainly does not want a social worker looking to closely at her and fears being sent back to the man she is trying to escape. What neither Ellen or Jenny knows is that the timing of their encounter is right on time.

I simply adore Heather Gudenkauf’s writing. She writes true feeling life stories that could be anything you would see in your local newspapers. Tragedy. Justice. Truth.

When this book was offered for me to read I was super excited to have a chance to dig into another of these amazing stories. I had no idea that once I opened the book, I was not going to put it down until I closed the last satisfying page. (*note that during this reading there is some awkward making of lunch with one hand while my other held the book open) 😉

Interesting, fast paced, heart pumping action, what unfolds in this story line is truly something you can imagine really happening. Heather Gudenkauf’s Little Mercies grabbed me and made for gush worthy summer reading.

Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA (June 24, 2014)

Book clubs – this book would make for an amazing discussion. Download the Book Club Kit (PDF)

I have a giveaway going for a package of Heather Gudenkauf’s books. Please comment on that post for an entry and receive a bonus entry for commenting on this one as well. I will announce the winner of the package on Friday July 18th.

How To Become A Narrator by Narrator Robert Fass (included in the June Audio Month Giveaway)

Published on July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Yes, yes… I know it is July. If you read my morning post you will know that I inadvertently missed posting one of our awesome narrators responses for the June Audio Book Month features. Robert Fass was also one of the narrators that was at the Narrator Luncheon in New York in May. I had the pleasure of meeting him, but did not have enough time to really chat much with him. Now, Robert has graced Book Journey with his thoughts on Narrating – a question that seemed to pop up frequently throughout the comments last month. How does one become a narrator? Please welcome, Robert Fass.

I’m Robert Fass, and I started narrating professionally in 2005, though it took a number of years before I started making a living at it.

I have completed around 80 titles at this point, across just about every genre, including:

THE UNWINDING by George Packer (2013 National Book Award winner for nonfiction)
DOUBLE DOWN: GAME CHANGE 2012 by Mark Halperin & John Heilemann
SNOW WHITE MUST DIE by Nele Neuhaus (bestselling German crime thriller)
SAY HER NAME by Francisco Goldman (fictionalized memoir – listed in AudioFile Magazine’s Top Ten
Audiobooks of 2011, Earphones award winner)
IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY by Ned Vizzini (YA)
THE LIEBERMANN PAPERS series of historical mysteries by Frank Tallis
EMPIRE OF LIBERTY by Gordon S. Wood (Audie winner for history, 2011)

I am one of only two narrators approved by the authors’ estate to narrate the Ellery Queen mysteries (I’ve narrated 10 so far), plus works by John Steinbeck, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Carlos Fuentes, Jeffery Deaver and more. Along the way, I’ve had 7 Audie nominations and won twice.

I have been a professional actor for over 30 years – a longtime member of the performers’ unions, trained in the classics, studied for many years with the great Uta Hagen – and I have always loved the spoken word. My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years. When my dad passed away in 1997, I began volunteering in his honor at a local radio reading service for the visually impaired here in NYC. I lucked out the first week I showed up: one of the readers for THE NEW YORKER magazine was out and I was asked to step in. It became permanent and I spent nearly every Wednesday for the next 11 years reading the best fiction, journalism, criticism, and poetry around to a national audience. It was the best training ground anyone could wish for.

My mother was a librarian and my dad was a volunteer narrator for the blind for over 25 years.

Around 2005, a fellow volunteer offered me her invitation to a seminar given by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). They were at that time seeking to bring more theatrically trained performers into the narrator community. I went and was given the opportunity to record a sample and send it to the senior producer at Brilliance Audio, which is a large producer in the mid west (now owned by Amazon). His response was that while I didn’t have the richest voice in the world, he thought I was a very good reader and might expect to find a small amount of work in this field. That was enough encouragement for me to create a professional demo CD – and I sent it to every single producer and publisher in the APA member directory. A handful of producers were impressed enough with it that they wanted to give me an opportunity to narrate for them. I was lucky to get to narrate works by some major authors right out of the gate, my first couple of titles got reviews (positive ones) and I started to make fans within the producing community. That put me firmly on the path and I chose to pursue it from there.

So… You Want To Become A narrator…

1. Know that narrating audiobooks is a craft. If you’re serious about it and you aren’t a trained actor, start taking classes in acting and vocal production.

2. Don’t think you can be a narrator simply because people tell you that you have a nice voice.

3. Get good before you cut a demo.

4. Join SAG-AFTRA so that if you are fortunate enough to find work in this field, you can begin receiving pension and health benefits.

5. Be prepared to spend long periods of time alone working your ass off in a little box. And loving it.

6. Unless you are in one of the major markets, you will very likely need to invest in a home studio which – even if you do it on the cheap – ain’t cheap.

7. Be aware that any narrator starting out today also has to be an engineer and a director, because it’s just you in the booth doing everything.

8. Know that you rarely have a choice in the material you are offered.

9. Be patient and tenacious.

10. There are many versions of this next basic piece of advice, but if you think you would like to be an audiobook narrator, the first thing you should do is to take a book off the shelf at random, open it to a random page, take it into the closet and read the entire page aloud. Then go back to the top of the page and read it again. Then do it two or three more times. If that’s your idea of a good time, you might think about taking a first step into narration. There is a more comprehensive version of this point in a video by narrator/instructor Sean Allen Pratt.

Amazing Narrator Happening… oh yes…. IT HAPPENED

An illustration of the need to be patient when starting out: when I sent my original demo around, a very senior, highly respected producer responded with tremendous enthusiasm. “You’re on my A-list! You can obviously do everything! I can’t wait to work with you!” She was quite sincere about it. But at least a year went by before a project came along that she felt was a good fit for me to audition. It was going to be a big deal, a new series that was hoping to be the next Harry Potter. We worked in the studio for a long time together, but in the end I didn’t get it. And I didn’t hear from her again for months. But one day, I got a call from her out of the blue. Unbeknownst to me, she had been circulating an excerpt from that audition as a voice sample for consideration in various projects, and it turned out that Ray Bradbury had selected me to narrate what turned out to be the last book published in his lifetime, FAREWELL, SUMMER (which was the sequel, 50 years in the making, to his beloved classic DANDELION WINE). That was the second book I ever narrated.

This is the final audio book month post. For every post you comment on in June (and this one on July 1st) that has this audio book symbol:

I will put you into a drawing for a $25 book certificate for each comment (Barnes and Noble or Amazon – your choice). Winner will be drawn this week!