Audiobook Tour: #Wrong Side of the Storm - #Mothman Mysteries, Book Two @mogdocnews @AnAudiobookworm

Author: Bryna Butler

Narrator: Michael Mola

Length: 3 hours 2 minutes

Series: Mothman Mysteries, Book 2

Publisher: Swancrest Publishing

Genre: Paranormal Mystery; YA

The Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery Series audiobook tour, Book 7, #The Death in the Drink @Shea_MacLeod, @YvetteKeller @AnAudioBookworm

Author: Shéa MacLeod

Narrator: Yvette Keller

Length: 4 hours 9 minutes

Series: The Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries, Book 7

Publisher: Shéa MacLeod

Release date: Aug. 23, 2018

Genre: Cozy Mystery

A local costuming guild has arrived in Astoria for a long weekend of recreating their favorite time period - the Regency. Think Jane Austen, sailing ships, high tea, a costume ball, and...a dead body.

When the guild’s nastiest member winds up dead in the drink, Viola is convinced it’s no accident. And after the husband of the deceased gets into a brawl on the front lawn of the town’s most well-known landmark, she knows something’s up. Armed with nothing more than a folding fan and her wits, she sets out to unveil the killer before somebody else winds up in Davy Jones’ locker.

Viola Roberts cozy mysteries:

1. The Corpse in the Cabana
2. The Stiff in the Study
3. The Poison in the Pudding
4. The Body in the Bathtub
5. The Venom in the Valentine
6. The Remains in the Rectory
7. The Death in the Drink

Shéa MacLeod writes urban fantasy post-apocalyptic sci-fi paranormal romances with a twist of steampunk. Mostly because she can’t make up her mind which genre she likes best so she decided to write them all.

After six years living in an Edwardian town house in London just a stone’s throw from the local cemetery, Shéa headed back to her hometown of Portland, Oregon. She plans to live out her days eating mushroom pizza, drinking too many caramel lattes, exploring exotic locales, and avoiding spiders.

Shéa is the author of the Viola Roberts Cozy Mysteries and the bestselling Lady Rample Mysteries.

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Yvette Keller’s first job as a narrator was reading aloud to keep her little brother out of trouble. Her favorite party trick is reading words upside down. Little kids need to see the pictures. Yvette lives in her beloved home town of Santa Barbara, using a lifetime of vocal stamina in her home studio. She produces technical VO industrials for Mesa Steps Consulting clients in addition to audiobooks. A lifetime of reading and speaking has proven one thing: Yvette loves stories. She is thrilled to be making books accessible and engaging through her narration work.

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Shea McLeod - I want to have a word with you.  You have turned a former PNR, Romance, UF, YA reader into a cozy mystery fan.  How dare you!  What were you thinking?  Creating a highly relatable 40-something writer who enjoys her coffee, wine and friends and seems to be coming into her own in her middle aged life... the thought is preposterous.  And yet, oh so delightful.

Thank you for returning us to Astoria in The Death and the Drink.  Thank you for making sure that Cheryl remains a girl's BFF, ride or die to the end - even if it means slapping on historical garb and spending the weekend with Regency re-enactors.  Thank you for letting Cheryl and Bat and Viola and Lucas continue to grow into their respective relationships.  Thank you for letting Viola take self defense classes and send Bat into near apoplexy.  Thank you for letting us watch the scooby gang solve another murder mystery with the same humor and hijinks we have come to love in this series.

The writing of this mystery is excellent. The dialogue is full of sass and snark and the relationships between the female friends and their beaus' are delightful. This translates to an easily readable story and Yvette Keller does an outstanding job of bringing all the characters to life. My ears now only hear Ms. Keller's voices when I think of this series - she has developed a perfect pace and pitch.  I found the the entire performance to be quite enjoyable. For cozy mystery fans, this is a definite must for your To-Be-Read pile!

I give The Death in the Drink a 4 Chocolate Dipped Strawberry rating - with a small hot toddy to be enjoyed with friends!  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Yvette Keller. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Viola Roberts' Top 10 Ways To Catch a Killer

1. Social media stalking
2. Identify their lawn clippings
3. Invite them to a seance
4. Pretend to buy real estate
5. Tackle from moving car
6. Hit them with a kayak oar
7. Jump out a window
8. Check their closets
9. Cosmetics, cosmetics, cosmetics
10. Slow speed car chase

THE CORPSE IN THE CABANA

May 9th:

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Lomeraniel

May 10th:

Viviana MacKade

May 11th:

Valerie Ullmer

Page Princess

May 12th:

Jazzy Book Reviews

Turning Another Page

May 13th:

Lone Tree Reviews

Audiospy

Mystery Thriller Week

May 14th:

T's Stuff

eBook Addicts

May 15th:

Guilty Indulgence Bookclub

The Book Addict's Reviews

Lily G Blunt

THE STIFF IN THE STUDY

May 16th:

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Lomeraniel

May 17th:

Viviana MacKade

Audiospy

Mystery Thriller Week

May 18th:

Valerie Ullmer

Page Princess

May 19th:

Jazzy Book Reviews

Turning Another Page

May 20th:

Lone Tree Reviews

Books and Life

May 21st:

T's Stuff

eBook Addicts

May 22nd:

Guilty Indulgence Bookclub

The Book Addict's Reviews

THE DEATH IN THE DRINK

May 23rd:

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Lomeraniel

May 24th:

Viviana MacKade

Audiospy

Mystery Thriller Week

May 25th:

Valerie Ullmer

Page Princess

May 26th:

Lone Tree Reviews

Turning Another Page

May 27th:

Jazzy Book Reviews

The Book Addict's Reviews

May 28th:

T's Stuff

eBook Addicts

May 29th:

Guilty Indulgence Bookclub

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RATING XX Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries This book was given to us by the author.

ONLY KEEP THIS IF REVIEWING AUDIOBOOK...

Audiobook Book Blog Tour #Venus Shining @JenniferAlsever @AnAudiobookworm

Author: Jennifer Alsever

Narrator: Moira Todd

Series: Trinity Forest Series, Book 1-2

Publisher: Sawatch Publishing

Released: Sep. 7, 2017; TBD

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

"From across the fire, a grin spread over her face, combining delight and pure, raw power.

I could not deny the power of the chanting, the swirling red hair, my painting prophecy and the - holy crap - electric bubble around us.

This was real. Her power was real."

Triumphant at last, Ember has fought her way back from the evil witch's curse and reclaimed her identity, her sense of self. Now she must stop Xintra from hurting the boy she loves, even as she uncovers the truth behind her mother's dark, twisted past.

Rejoicing in her power over the human race, Xintra is closer than ever to achieving her father's dream - a dream she sacrificed her own life to realize. But when key members of her team defy her, she must scramble to enact her plan before obedience gives way to anarchy.

Breaking free from the chains that once bound her to a life of wickedness, Zoe must face the past she once sought to escape in order to save the futures of those she doomed. Will she make amends with the dead in time to save the living?

https://youtu.be/D3dYXYgYwSQ

A teenager still lives inside author Jennifer Alsever. She spent two decades as a professional journalist, contributing to such publications as Fortune Magazine, the New York Times, Inc Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before letting her imagination run wild in 2016. The result is Ember's story told in the three-book Trinity Forest Series, her first published fiction work.

When not absorbed in writing, Alsever enjoys a good hike, doing some yoga, hanging with her boys, some moguls on skis, a rigorous mountain bike ride or indulging in the simple pleasures of life. Her favorites: untouched snow, frozen chocolate chips, savasina on a yoga mat and yes, bowls of pan fried brussels sprouts. Jennifer is working on her upcoming novel, Psychic Monkeys, to be released in 2019.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

A teenager still lives inside author Jennifer Alsever. She spent two decades as a professional journalist, contributing to such publications as Fortune Magazine, the New York Times, Inc Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before letting her imagination run wild in 2016. The result is Ember's story told in the three-book Trinity Forest Series, her first published fiction work.

When not absorbed in writing, Alsever enjoys a good hike, doing some yoga, hanging with her boys, some moguls on skis, a rigorous mountain bike ride or indulging in the simple pleasures of life. Her favorites: untouched snow, frozen chocolate chips, savasina on a yoga mat and yes, bowls of pan fried brussels sprouts. Jennifer is working on her upcoming novel, Psychic Monkeys, to be released in 2019.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Oh Jennifer Alsever - you tortured the souls of Ember, Tre, and all your listeners throughout your Trinity Forest series (in a good way - well us, not them so much  They were literally tortured and that was bad).  Thank you for giving them and us the ending we all deserved.  Probably not the ending we wanted necessarily but certainly one that satisfied and left us with a sense of full circle and after the previous books of more-questions-than-answers endings, this was a very good thing.

Picking up right where Oshun Rising left off, Venus Shining again pulls multiple point of views, allowing the listener/reader to experience the story at different levels.  Having the added storyline of Zoe/Nisha and her awakening and journey to sabotage the evil doings of Zintra  was fabulous.  The madness of Zintra juxtaposed against the passionate search of Ember for her love Tre made for a great backdrop but the action packed mayhem of the impending apocalypse was what drove the story for me.  Assassins, world wide weather events, a Scooby gang banding together to save the day - how fun is that?  The writing remains tightly woven with strong characters, great dialogue and clever plot twists. 

As for the audio narration, Moira Todd continues to do an outstanding job narrating. Her range of characters keeps the story fresh and exciting as each chapter changes perspective. Once again, Ms. Todd is the key to making this audiobook one that a reader cannot stop listening to!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jennifer Alsever. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

By Author Jennifer Alsever

Q&A with Author JENNIFER ALSEVER

• Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
  
  • As an avid audiobook fan, I knew when I finished my trilogy that I wanted my books to be an audiobook. But finding the right voice was going to be key. I went into ACX, Audible’s back-end system for authors, and I listened to dozens of sample narrators until I found Moira Todd, an actress in Oregon. I wrote her an email and said, ‘You are Ember!’ She had a gorgeous voice, youthful with the perfect amount of snark and authenticity plus, I didn’t know it at the time, but she could sing. Working with Moira has been a dream, as she sent me samples along the way, and I ate the chapters up as we went.
• Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
  
  • No. While I was writing, I was conscious only of the voice on the page. I was fully engrossed in the logistics of the writing and pacing and ensuring readers could see what I saw in my mind’s eye.
• How did you select your narrator?
  
  • I listened to Moira’s sample on ACX, the backend of Audible, and loved her voice. She had a youthful voice that exhibited the kind of intellect, angst, snark, strength and sweetness of my main character Ember. When I heard her audition, I emailed her saying “You are Ember!”
• How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process?
  
  • Moira gave me periodic updates on her editing and chapters as she finished them. We collaborated, but really, Moira just nailed it with no revision requests on my part.
• Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
  
  • I didn’t give her insight into characters-- nothing more than what was on the page. I gave her some pronunciation tips when asked, places and names and some weird Egyptian words.
• Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
  
  • I drew on my experiences walking around the real-life town of Leadville and the scenery of the Colorado mountains where I live, plus took nuggets of scenery from my past visits to Utah, California and L.A. I also peppered in small bits and pieces of real stories from people gathered and heard over the years. To get into the teen head, I invited a group of seniors at a local high school for pizza when I was writing the book, and I listened to them talk. I got a lot of good perspective and a few nuggets of stories from them. They were so generous with their stories and time. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. The general plot, too, is taken from real-life theories from crazy websites about the Annunaki, energy vortexes and Egyptian mysticism. I did a lot of research and drew on interviews with people who had experienced what Ember did-- mainly a friend who lost her parents as a teen.
• How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
  
  • When I get stuck, I give myself time and space to do something else. I hike, read, ski, watch smart TV shows or I write other things. I don’t feel like I honestly can get burned from writing. I was obsessed with my story and it just flowed out of my fingers. It’s my most favorite thing, outside of my family and friends.
• Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
  
  • I am an audiobook listener for sure. As a slow reader, I love listening to a book while I get other things done, whether it’s chores around the house, a long drive or a hike. I am very picky about the narrator of the books I consume, and the voice can make it or break it for me. I’d listened to enough YA books that had similar voices or tones I liked, and I knew Moira would be perfect for my series. She had a voice I personally could enjoy hearing for hours.
• Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
  
  • Ember is a singer-song writer, and so that was a challenge for me to write lyrics to songs. Some of the lyrics had a loose tune in my head but not really. It was so fun to hear Moira take the lyrics, make a song and then sing it in the audio recording. She has a beautiful singing voice.
• What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
  
  • I say a story is a story, heard or read. People say they don’t have time to read. So if listening is an easier way to dive into a imaginary story without sitting in front a screen, then go for it.
• In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
  
  • Pros of a series: You have more time to develop a storyline and a character, and you can fall more deeply into that world. People can binge your books just like they can binge watch TV.
  • Pros of standalone: You’re done with one and can dig into another entirely new idea next.
  • Cons of a series: Some people hate series and so maybe they read one book and may grumble about having to read another two to find out all the answers. It’s harder to market the other books in the series because they’re a continuation of the story so you end up having to tout your first book over and over, when you really might be proud of the writing or the story in the second and third too.
  • Cons of standalone: Sometimes, it can be hard to get everything you want in the book and it feels rushed. As a reader and an author, you’re sad to leave those characters behind and close the book to move on to the next idea.
• Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
  
  • The genesis of my book came from a dream. I was running through a forest, but I wasn’t myself. I was someone else. I came to a gate, went inside and met three of my characters, Tre, Lilly and Zoe, and after spending time there, they whispered how I could never go home, despite the world spinning forward on the outside.
  • When I woke up, I told my son about the dream because it was so vivid and striking to me, and he told me to turn it into a novel. So I did.

Dec. 11th:

Chapter Break

Dec. 12th:

Jazzy Book Reviews

Dec. 13th:

Turning Another Page

Dec. 14th:

What Is That Book About

Dec. 15th:

T's Stuff

Dec. 16th:

Lilly's Book World

Dec. 17th:

The Book Addict's Reviews

Guilty Indulgence Bookclub

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Audiobook Blog Tour #Oshun Rising @AnAudiobookworm @JenniferAlsever

Author: Jennifer Alsever

Narrator: Moira Todd

Series: Trinity Forest Series, Book 2

Publisher: Sawatch Publishing

Released: May 30, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

OSHUN has everything a young pop star could ever want—fame, fortune, and beauty to spare. But there’s something dark inside of her, rising like the tide, fighting to be heard. Something that terrifies her. Because once she lets it out, she knows there’s no going back.

EMBER is drowning. Fighting for consciousness, struggling to make sense of the strange dreams she’s been having—prophecies of murder, deception, and blackmail. But once she begins to untangle them, she realizes that they might not be dreams at all…and if she doesn’t find a way to stop what she’s seeing, more people will die.

MADDIE is barely staying afloat. How can she be expected to care about school when her best friend Ember is still missing, presumed dead? So when Ember’s brother calls and tells her about his theory about a pop star who may be involved in Ember’s disappearance, she rallies him to take a road trip to check it out.

A teenager still lives inside author Jennifer Alsever. She spent two decades as a professional journalist, contributing to such publications as Fortune Magazine, the New York Times, Inc Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, before letting her imagination run wild in 2016. The result is Ember's story told in the three-book Trinity Forest Series, her first published fiction work.
When not absorbed in writing, Alsever enjoys a good hike, doing some yoga, hanging with her boys, some moguls on skis, a rigorous mountain bike ride or indulging in the simple pleasures of life. Her favorites: untouched snow, frozen chocolate chips, savasina on a yoga mat and yes, bowls of pan fried brussels sprouts. Jennifer is working on her upcoming novel, Psychic Monkeys, to be released in 2019.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Moira Todd is a Washington, DC-based actor. She originally hales from Mt. Hood, Oregon where the trees are always green, the mountain is always pointy, and the weather is usually rainy. It was there that she learned the secret arts of alpine skiing and whistling at the same time as you hum. While neither has proved useful in her theatre career, she remains hopeful. These days she spends most of her free time swimming, baking bread, and watching whale documentaries.

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Gah! Jennifer Alsever - why do you create more questions than answers in Oshun Rising? I held out so many hopes that all would be clear, but no. You got me again...all we want at the end of Trinity Forest is for Ember and Trey to make it out of the madness of Zintra's captivity together. That she would be reunited with her friends and family. That the evil they were pitted against would be beaten back. Sadly we learn our worst suspicions were true - Ember went through the Rebirthing and is now a world famous rockstar Oshun. Trey is captive of his insane, world dominating sister back at Trinity. Ember's brother Jerrod and best friend Maddie are on the road trip of a lifetime trying to prove that Oshun is Ember. And that is just the first part of the novel.

The single person POV from Trinity is shaken up in Oshun Rising. At times disconcerting, occasionally plot leapfrogging, the POV shifts from Oshun to Trey, from Maddie to Ember - although Ember is repressed deeply inside Oshun's subconscious after the rebirth and gets only moments until she finds a way to break through. The plot is far more linear in this installment, and the world building is just fleshed out as we learn more of Zintra's crazy End-of-days plot and her roll in the ominous virus and world catastrophes. The writing is clever, the plot line tighter than the first - as I suspected Ms. Alsever hits her stride in book 2. The suspense and building terror the reader experience as the story hits dramatic climax long before the end means only one thing - we aren't done with this story. I guess this means I am saddling up for Venus Shining!

As for the audio narration, Moira Todd continues to do an outstanding job narrating. Her Zintra character gives me goosebumps and her vocal range plays to her advantage in this novel as the chapters change POV. I am ever so thankful she sings so beautifully - both as Oshun and Ember. Once again, Ms. Todd is the key to making this audiobook one that a reader cannot stop listening to!

I give Oshun Rising four chocolate dipped strawberries. I'll be heading to Audible to find my copy of Venus Shining.

I received these audiobooks as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jennifer Alsever. The gifting of these audiobooks did not affect my opinion of them.

• How did you get into performing for audiobooks?
  
  • I auditioned for an audiobook production company and they pointed me toward ACX, where I can be my own producer, which is really great.
• How many audiobooks have you produced?
  
  • I've produced 8 now, including Playing with Fire: A #Hacker Novel by Sherry Ficklin, and Why Can't My Life Be a Romance Novel by Melinda R. Cordell. I also have three in various stages of production.
• Why did you choose to work on Ember Burning?
  
  • I love working on books with Female protagonists and I think Ember has a really fun voice.
• What was your favorite part of the book?
  
  • My favorite is the end when everything really comes to a head and the suspense is at its highest.
• What was the hardest part of working on the novel?
  
  • The hardest part is actually scheduling. I have to balance audiobooks with acting and teaching. So if I get a cold or something, and can't record for a few days it can really mess up my production schedule.
• What’s involved in the process?
  
  • Well is starts with reading the book. I like to read it once just as an audience and write down my thought on the story as a whole so that I can remember that experience when I'm listening to myself read one sentence over and over. I then read it again and make notes of character descriptions, words I don't know how to pronounce, and any major tone or pacing shifts in the story. Then I'll take a chapter or so at a time, and mark it up. This means writing in the best way to make the story clear, like which words to emphasize and when to breath. I take my marked up section into the studio and record it. Any time I mess up, I just go back and read it again. So what I'm left with is a big long recording with lost of repeated sections. I have to use editing software to delete the mess ups, and any big long breathes that sound weird, and make sure the pacing is effective. This then gets given to the author to approve, and eventually put on sale on audible.com
• How long does it take to create a chapter?
  
  • Typically it takes me 10 hours to produce one hour of finished narration.
• What is your favorite part of being an audiobook narrator/producer?
  
  • My family is pretty spread out, so I love being able to share audiobooks with them, and it's like we’re back at home and I'm reading a book to everyone in the living room around the fire.
• What’s been the hardest part?
  
  • Keeping myself on track to meet deadlines is the hardest part. Because it's just me, I have to hold myself accountable so that I don't end up with a week left and half the book to finish.
• What’s your favorite audiobook you’ve listen to? Why?
  
  • The Lord of the Rings Trilogy narrated by Rob Inglis. I listed to all three on a road trip across the country last year, so it just brings me back to those awesome memories.
• What is ahead/next for you? Are you working on any interesting projects? Do you have anything planned or in the works now? (Other books you might recommend?)
  
  • Yeah, I've got a few projects in the works. Right now I'm recording Killing Her Softly, a romantic suspense novel by Barb Warner Deane. And in the new year I'll begin production on the next book in Jennifer Alsever's Trinity Forest series, Oshun Rising.
• What do you do when you’re not working on audiobooks?
  
  • I'm in rehearsal for a show, or teaching theatre classes, or maybe going on a hike in the Potomac valley.
• What do you expect to happen in the audiobook market?
  
  • I'm not sure. Podcasts have certainly exploded in recent years. Audiobooks seem like the perfect medium for commuting. People spend so much time in cars or trains or buses these days, why not be listening to a story at the same time.

https://open.spotify.com/user/1230512412/playlist/4YOUTbgOQ17rS2Tw9V38S2

BOOK ONE

Jun. 24th:

Once Upon a Twilight

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Jun. 25th:

The Layaway Dragon

Jazzy Book Reviews

Jun. 26th:

Happily Ever BookWorm

Bound 4 Escape

Jun. 27th:

Chapter Break

Lomeraniel

Jun. 28th:

A Page to Turn

Guilty Indulgence Book Club

Jun. 29th:

Notes from 'Round the Bend

Lilly's Book World

Jun. 30th:

Bookworms Corner Blog Spot

The Book Addict's Reviews

Here's to Happy Endings

BOOK TWO

Jul. 1st:

Writers and Authors

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Jul. 2nd:

The Layaway Dragon

Jul. 3rd:

Happily Ever BookWorm

Bound 4 Escape

Lilly's Book World

Jul. 4th:

Lomeraniel

Jul. 5th:

A Page to Turn

Guilty Indulgence Book Club

Jul. 6th:

Notes from 'Round the Bend

Chapter Break

Jul. 7th:

Bookworms Corner Blog Spot

The Book Addict's Reviews

Here's to Happy Endings

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