Get ready for more true crime on Audible!

When it rains, it pours!  I just had the second book by Ellen Harris that I recently recorded go on sale on Audible.  This is another true crime book and is titled:  Dying To Get Married: The Courtship and Murder of Julie Miller Bulloch.  A great read from Crossroad Press. 

Dying to Get Married is a modern day morality tale of the perversion of an American dream. Julie Miller was a successful executive, who, through a newspaper ad, met who she thought was "Mr. Right". Little did she know that he had a violent past and a predisposition for bizarre sexual rituals. This tragic true-crime tale will shock its horrified listeners.

Despite how gruesome this killing was, the murderer is actually free today.  Yikes.  

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New true crime book just released on Audible!

My latest recording just hit Audible late yesterday.  This one is in the true crime genre and was published by Crossroad Press.  This is one of two books by Ellen Harris that I've recently narrated:  Guarding the Secrets: Palestinian Terrorism and a Father's Murder of his Too-American Daughter.

Guarding the Secrets recounts the terror-stricken life and murder of 16-year-old Tina Isa, who was condemned by her other family members for becoming Americanized, before her father, an accused Palestinian terrorist, murdered her in November 1989.

The killing was recorded by accident due to the FBI having bugged the house in an attempt to prove the father's ties to terrorism.

The events leading up to the murder are expertly told by author Ellen Harris, including Tina's older sisters urging their father to kill their younger sister.

This one just kept unraveling this family's secrets straight to the end.  To listen to the sample and or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

Full-cast production of a children's classic from The Online Stage!

Being a part of this production was so much fun!  Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling was just released on Audible.  Brought to you by The Online Stage -- of which I'm proud to be a member -- and produced in cooperation with Spoken Realms.  I play the role of Teshumai, mother of Taffy.

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Kipling's delightful collection of imaginative tales about natural history has captivated children and adults alike since its publication in 1902. Here the stories are presented in dramatic format by members of The Online Stage:

1. "How the Whale Got His Throat"
2. "How the Camel Got His Hump"
3. "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin"
4. "How the Leopard Got His Spots"
5. "The Elephant's Child"
6. "The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo"
7. "The Beginning of the Armadillos"
8. "How the First Letter Was Written"
9. "How the Alphabet Was Made"
10. "The Crab That Played with the Sea"
11. "The Cat That Walked by Himself"
12. "The Butterfly That Stamped"
13. "The Tabu Tale"

Featuring the voices of Alan Weyman, Amanda Friday, Andy Harrington, Ben Stevens, Christianne Lupher, Chyanne Donnell, Denis Daly, Elizabeth Chambers, Jeff Moon, Jennifer Fournier, John Burlinson, K.G. Cross, Larry Wilson, Leanne Yau, Lee Ann Howlett, Marty Krz, Maureen Boutilier, Michelle Marie, Nancy German, Noel Badrian, P.J. Morgan, Ron Altman, Sarah Bacaller, Susan Iannucci, and Ted Wenskus. Music excerpts from Scenes from Childhood and Novelleten by Robert Schumann. Audio edited by Denis Daly.

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New recording! Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music

My latest recording hit Audible a few days ago: Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music by Leigh H. Edwards published by University Press Audiobooks.  It was great to learn more about Dolly Parton and her use of gender roles in her music. 


"Dolly Parton is instantly recognizable for her iconic style and persona, but how did she create her enduring image? Dolly crafted her exaggerated appearance and stage personality by combining two opposing stereotypes - the innocent mountain girl and the voluptuous sex symbol. Emerging through her lyrics, personal stories, stage presence, and visual imagery, these wildly different gender tropes form a central part of Dolly’s media image and portrayal of herself as a star and celebrity. By developing a multilayered image and persona, Dolly both critiques representations of femininity in country music and attracts a diverse fan base ranging from country and pop music fans to feminists and gay rights advocates.

In Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music, Leigh H. Edwards explores Dolly’s roles as musician, actor, author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur to tell how Dolly’s gender subversion highlights the challenges that can be found even in the most seemingly traditional form of American popular music. As Dolly depicts herself as simultaneously "real" and "fake", she offers new perspectives on country music’s claims of authenticity."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

Two nice reviews and a new free recording on Internet Archive!

I've been busy, busy, busy with back-to-back narration jobs but I just noticed two very nice reviews for previously published books.



One is for Black Cloud: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928 by Eliot Kleinberg.  Audiofile Magazine has a blog and an article by Francisca Goldsmith, "Whither the Weather, We're Listening: Extreme Weather Audiobooks," has a nice mention of Black Cloud.  The article can be seen here. You can listen to a sample and/or purchase the book here.

The second book reviewed is a romance called The Bedwarmer's Son by Caryl McAdoo.  The audio version received a lovely review in InD'Tale Magazine.  That review may be found here.  You can listen to sample and/or purchase the book here.


Finally, a Voices of Today production of Robert Frost's poems was just released to their page on the Internet Archive.  I was very happy to be a participant in this project.  As always, books on the Internet Archive are free for downloading and listening.  The A Boy's Will may be accessed here.

My latest Audible release -- another true crime book!

My latest recording went on sale on Audible yesterday.  A Murder in My Hometown by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Morris is part true-crime and part memoir.

"On a fall evening in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1967, 17-year-old Dick Kitchel, a senior at the high school, disappeared after attending a party. Ten days later, his body was spotted by two children as it floated down the Willamette River. He had been beaten and strangled. 

The investigation into his murder played out during one of the most dramatic years in America. Life in Corvallis, a college town, had offered a protective, idyllic life to many. But in 1967 to '68, Vietnam, a presidential campaign, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the murder of Dick Kitchel changed that.

His friends thought his death was ignored because Dick was from the wrong side of the tracks. Police and the district attorney thought they knew who had murdered the boy but never made an arrest. Decades later, a cold-case detective believed he, too, had solved the case. However, once again, justice was elusive.

Now, nearly 50 years later, a classmate, New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Morris, returns to her hometown to write about how the murder changed the town and the lives of Dick Kitchel's friends."

This is the second book by Rebecca Morris that I've narrated.  The first was Ted and Ann: The Mystery of a Missing Child and Her Neighbor Ted Bundy.

To listen to a sample and/or purchase A Murder in My Hometown, head to Audible here.

A Full-Cast Children's Classic from The Online Stage

I was happy to play the role of Mrs. Hale in the children's classic, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  This story never gets old.  Produced in cooperation with Spoken Realms.


The always delightful and entertaining classic Anne of Green Gables is performed by actors from The Online Stage! Written in 1908, for all ages, by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. She published as L. M. Montgomery. 

Anne Shirley is an 11-year-old orphan adopted by a middle-aged brother and sister, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. They had wanted to adopt a boy to help with their farm on Prince Edward Island in the fictional town of Avonlea. Matthew persuades Marilla to give Anne a chance. Anne is a handful, and they fall in love with her.

The sequels will follow Anne as she grows up under their care for her.

Cast:

Narrator - Susan Iannucci
Anne Shirley - Amanda Friday
Marilla Cuthbert - Elizabeth Klett
Flora Jane Spencer, Dianna Barry, Miss Stacy - Tiffany Halla Colonna
Mrs. Rachel Lynde, Josie Pie, Miss Lucilla Harris - Maureen Boutilier
Matthew Cuthbert - Ron Altman
Gilbert Blythe, Stationmaster, Jimmy Glover, somebody - Ted Wenskus
Ruby Gillis, Carrie Sloane - Becca Maggie
Mr. Phillips, Doctor, Moody Spurgeon - Jeff Moon
Mrs. Barry - Lee Ann Howlett
Mrs. Peter Blewett, Aunt Josephine Barry, a stout lady - Marie Hoffman
Mrs. Spencer, Mrs Allan, Jane Andrews - PJ Morgan

Production and audio editing by Susan Iannucci

The Online Stage is a collective of narrators and actors who have come together to create high-quality productions of classic dramatic works in audio format.

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

A new free production from The Online Stage!

The Online Stage just released another free production via the Internet Archive.  This is a one-act play called Trifles by Susan Glaspell.  I play Mrs. Hart.

John Wright has been found dead in his bed, with a rope around his neck.  His widow admits that she was sleeping in the same bed, but claims to have slept through the whole incident.  Will the canny county attorney be able to work out what really happened?

You can stream/download the play by heading over to here.  For a list of all free productions from The Online Stage, check here. 

My latest recording -- a children's book!

As a bit of a break -- but not for long -- from true crime, I recorded a children's book now for sale on Audible.  Winston's World: Trilogy by Sam Jerris also features an original score by Corinne Aquilina.

Winston is an inquisitive dog who shares an adventure with a dancing teddy bear, Timothy. Every full moon, a guardian owl, Hoot, brings Timothy to life under a full moon. This trilogy brings the two ragamuffins together in a bonding friendship with mischievous fun.

Great for kids ages 5-7.  To listen to the sample and or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

A new audiobook out and my finalist medal for the 2018 ABR Listener Awards

My latest recording went on sale on Audible today.  A Special Kind of Evil: The Colonial Parkway Serial Killings by Blaine L. Pardoe and Victoria R. Hester is in the true crime genre from WildBlue Press.

"For four years a killer, or killers, stalked Virginia’s Tidewater region, carefully selecting victims, sending waves of terror into the local community.

The Colonial Parkway Murders - the name given eight murders that took place in the Tidewater region in the late 1980s, two of which were on the historic Colonial Parkway, the nation’s narrowest National Park. Young people in the prime of their lives were the targets. But the pattern that stitched this special kind of evil together was more like a spider web of theory, intrigue, and mathematics. Then, mysteriously, the killing spree stopped. The nameless predator, or predators, who stalked the Colonial Parkway stepped back into the mists of time and disappeared.

Now, father-daughter true crime authors Blaine Pardoe and Victoria Hester blow the dust off of these cases. Interviewing members of the families, friends, and members of law enforcement, they provide the first and most complete in-depth look at this string of horrific murders and disappearances. The author-investigators peel back the rumors and myths surrounding these crimes and provide new information never before revealed about the investigations."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

In other news, I received my finalist medallion for the 2018 Audiobook Listener awards from Audiobook Reviewer this week.  My recording of Black Cloud: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928 by Eliot Kleinberg made the cut in the history category.  

You can listen to a sample of my book here.

The winners in all categories will be announced at the Hear Now Festival to be held in Kansas City, MO from June  7-10, 2018.
 
Good luck to all of the finalists! 



 

 

'Black Cloud' nominated for a 2018 Audiobook Listener Award

I was thrilled to discover that my narration of Black Cloud: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928 by Eliot Kleinberg has been nominated in the history category for a 2018 Audiobook Listener Award.  Reviewer Paul Stokes via his website Audiobook Reviewer (ABR) has done so much to bring attention to indie audiobooks.  The Audiobook Listener Award consists of 5 nominees in each of 17 categories.  The winners will be announced at 'HEAR Now: The Audio Fiction & Arts Festival' on June 8, 2018 in Kansas City, MO.  

Very happy to be nominated.  I hope this will cause more people to listen to or read all of the finalists but, of course, I would particularly like to see more listeners/readers know the story Black Cloud tells of a horrific event in our history.

The ABR website with all nominees can be accessed here. 

You can listen to the sample and/or purchase Black Cloud here.

A Free Classic from The Online Stage!

I had the pleasure of playing the part of the Nurse of Ksenia in Boris Godunov by Aleksander Pushkin.  This is the latest production to be added to the Internet Archive page of The Online Stage.  Being a part of this group has enabled me to push myself in voice acting in new ways.  The Online Stage has a pretty healthy catalog of productions available for free listening via the Internet Archive.

Boris Godunov

A Drama in Verse

By Alexander Pushkin

Rendered into English verse by Alfred Hayes

Presented by The Online Stage

In January of 1598, Feodor (Fyodor) I, the heir to Ivan the Terrible, died at the age of 40 and with him ended the Rurik Dynasty in Russia.  Feodor’s death came seven years after his half-brother Dmitry of Uglich died at the age of nine under mysterious circumstances from a stab wound to the throat.

During Feodor’s reign, Boris Godunov, Feodor’s brother-in-law, essentially ruled the country.  After Feodor's death Boris was crowned the tsar of all Russia.  The country then plunged into what was later called “Time of Troubles”, marked by famine, plague, political intrigue, and general disorder and unrest.

Pushkin’s poetic drama takes us back to the beginning of Time of Troubles and the appearance of the first pretender to the throne, who claimed to be the miraculously surviving tsarevich Dmitry (Dmitry).  The true identity of the “False Dimitry” is not clear.

This recording is of the English translation of “Boris Godunov” by Alfred Hayes.  The text keeps to the rhythm of Pushkin’s original blank verse very closely.  It also includes scenes (“Fence of the Monastery”, “Mnishek in Sambor”) that are usually omitted from the printed original editions.

Pushkin’s drama was later remodeled by Mussorgsky into a musical presentation, which is now considered one of the greatest of all Russian operas.

Cast

BORIS GODUNOV, afterwards Tsar – David Stifel

PRINCE SHUISKY, Russian noble – Tovarisch

PRINCE VOROTINSKY, Russian noble – Mark Crowle-Groves

SHCHELKALOV, Russian Minister of State – Bob Neufeld

FATHER PIMEN, an old monk and chronicler – Joseph Tabler

GREGORY OTREPIEV, a young monk, afterwards Dmitry, the Pretender to the throne of Russia – Tomas Peter

THE PATRIARCH, Abbot of the Chudov Monastery – John Burlinson

MISSAIL, wandering friar – Peter Tucker

VARLAAM, wandering friar – Denis Daly

ATHANASIUS MIKAILOVICH PUSHKIN, friend of Prince Shuisky – David Prickett

FEODOR, young son of Boris Godunov – Jeff Moon

SEMYON NIKITICH GODUNOV, secret agent of Boris Godunov – Ben Stevens

GABRIEL PUSHKIN, nephew of A. M. Pushkin – David Prickett

PRINCE KURBSKY, disgraced Russian noble – Ted Wenskus 

KHRUSHCHOV, disgraced Russian noble – Ron Altman

KARELA, a Cossack – Joseph Tabler

PRINCE VISHNEVETSKY – Russell Gold

MNISHEK, Governor of Sambor – Noel Badrian

BASMANOV, a Russian officer – Marty Kryz

MARZHERET, officer of the Pretender – Cate Barratt

ROZEN, officer of the Pretender – Bob Neufeld

MOSALSKY, a Boyar – Andy Harrington

KSENIA, daughter of Boris Godunov – Leanne Yau

NURSE of Ksenia – Lee Ann Howlett

MARINA, daughter of Mnishek – Grace Garrett

ROUZYA, nurse of Ksenia – Susan Iannucci

HOSTESS of tavern – Cate Barratt

Also featuring the voices of Amanda Friday, Alan Weyman, Jennifer Fournier, Phil Benson, Andrew Coleman, Craig Franklin, and Brett Downey.

Stage directions read by Linda Barrans

Music 

Excerpts from Pictures from an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky

Performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski

Recording published by the Internet Archive

Polonaise, from Christmas Eve by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff

Performed by the US Air Force Band

Recording published by musopen.org

Audio edited by Denis Daly

This recording may be freely downloaded and distributed, as long as the Online Stage is credited as the author.  It may not be used for commercial purposes or distributed in an edited or remixed form.

The Online Stage is a collective of narrators and actors who have come together to create premium quality recordings of dramatic works in audio format. For more information about our productions please visit The Online Stage.

You can hear the entire recording here.

A bit of Oscar Wilde from The Online Stage

As a member of The Online Stage, I was very happy to play a part in our latest production for charity.  Nothing like a little Oscar Wilde to ring in the New Year!  The Online Stage will be donating its royalties from the sale of this audiobook to All Hands Volunteers, a non-profit organization that addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. 


This beautiful collection contains five fairy tales by the celebrated British writer Oscar Wilde: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket." These timeless tales are performed by a full cast, and will delight listeners of all ages with their whimsical characters, moving situations, and touches of ironic humor.

Presented by The Online Stage

Narration by Noel Badrian

Also featuring the voices of Peter Tucker, Sara Morsey, Andrew Coleman, Miranda Hodges, Joseph Tabler, Russell Gold, Lee Ann Howlett, Craig Franklin, Andy Harrington, K.G. Cross, John Burlinson, Grace Keller Scotch, Ted Wenskus, Andrew Coleman, Leanne Yau, Denis Daly, Jeff Moon, David Prickett, Cate Barratt, Elizabeth Klett, Sara Morsey, Susan Iannucci, Linda Barrans, Ron Altman, Amanda Friday, Marty Krz, Chris Marcellus, Becca Maggie and Alan Weyman.

Audio edited by Elizabeth Klett.

To listen to the sample and/or purchase, head to Audible here.