An interview with Brian Payton, author of The Wind Is Not a River (HarperCollins, January 2014). The interview is conducted by Erin Wicks, producer Soundcloud.com/HarperAudio_US.

A gripping tale of survival and an epic love story in which a husband and wife–separated by the only battle of World War II to take place on American soil–fight to reunite in Alaska's starkly beautiful Aleutian Islands

Following the death of his younger brother in Europe, journalist John Easley is determined to find meaning in his loss, to document some part of the growing war that claimed his own flesh and blood. Leaving behind his beloved wife, Helen, after an argument they both regret, he heads north from Seattle to investigate the Japanese invasion of Alaska's Aleutian Islands, a story censored by the U.S. government.

While John is accompanying a crew on a bombing run, his plane is shot down over the island of Attu. He survives only to find himself exposed to a harsh and unforgiving wilderness, known as "the Birthplace of Winds." There, John must battle the elements, starvation, and his own remorse while evading discovery by the Japanese.

Alone in their home three thousand miles to the south, Helen struggles with the burden of her husband's disappearance. Caught in extraordinary circumstances, in this new world of the missing, she is forced to reimagine who she is–and what she is capable of doing. Somehow, she must find John and bring him home, a quest that takes her into the farthest reaches of the war, beyond the safety of everything she knows.

A powerful, richly atmospheric story of life and death, commitment and sacrifice, The Wind Is Not a River illuminates the fragility of life and the fierce power of love.

The Wind Is Not a River by Brian Payton

An interview with David McCullough Jr., author of You Are Not Special (HarperCollins, April 2014). The interview is conducted by Karen Dziekonski, Executive Producer @HarperAudio_US.

A profound expansion of David McCullough, Jr.'s popular commencement speech—a call to arms against a prevailing, narrow, conception of success viewed by millions on YouTube—You Are (Not) Special is a love letter to students and parents as well as a guide to a truly fulfilling, happy life.

Children today, says David McCullough—high school English teacher, father of four, and son and namesake of the famous historian—are being encouraged to sacrifice passionate engagement with life for specious notions of success. The intense pressure to excel discourages kids from taking chances, failing, and learning empathy and self-confidence from those failures.

In You Are (Not) Special, McCullough elaborates on his now-famous speech exploring how, for what purpose, and for whose sake, we're raising our kids. With wry, affectionate humor, McCullough takes on hovering parents, ineffectual schools, professional college prep, electronic distractions, club sports, and generally the manifestations, and the applications and consequences of privilege. By acknowledging that the world is indifferent to them, McCullough takes pressure off of students to be extraordinary achievers and instead exhorts them to roll up their sleeves and do something useful with their advantages.

You Are Not Special by David McCullough Jr.

Tabatha Coffey, author of OWN IT! (HarperCollins, April 2014), shares her secrets of business success in her trademark no-nonsense style. The interview is conducted by Karen Dziekonski, Executive Producer @HarperAudio_US.

Tabatha is back to share her secrets of business success . . .

With her characteristic savvy expertise and no-nonsense advice, the perfectly coiffed celebrity hairstylist, Tabatha Coffey, returns with her second book, teaching readers that the secret of success is taking charge—of your priorities, your future, and your life. Fans of her hit show, Tabatha Takes Over, value Tabatha's sound approach to overhauling failing businesses, and now, in Own It!, she takes to the page to reach out to anyone with a dream: whether you're just beginning, revamping your career, or starting your own enterprise.

Sharing her blunt but rock-solid wisdom, Tabatha provides tips for every aspect of business—from entrepreneurship, to customer service, to management—as well as on the home front, to help women seeking to balance their family lives with their careers. Filled with stories about real people who have faced challenging transitions, in addition to anecdotes from Tabatha's own experiences, this book reveals, through her unflinching honesty, Tabatha's commitment to the dreams and goals of her readers, and her never-say-never attitude when it comes to bringing them to life.

Success is the result when you Own It! in all aspects of your life, and Tabatha breaks it down step-by-step as your straight-shooting personal coach to show you how it's done.

OWN IT!  by TABATHA COFFEY

A discussion about writing genre fiction for adult and children with New York Times bestselling authors Garth Nix, author of the Old Kingdom series including the prequel Clariel, and the duo behind Ilona Andrews, author of several series including the upcoming Hidden Legacy series. 

Together they talk about how they build their works, creating rules for magic and of course the genres so many of us love, science fiction and fantasy.



Garth Nix and Ilona Andrews on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

This holiday season celebrate the joy of poetry with former poet laureate Billy Collins as he introduces the historic Caedmon recording of poet Dylan Thomas reading A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES (in its entirety) recorded in February of 1952. 

A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES read by Dylan Thomas, introduced by Billy Collins

KIM GORDON is an artist, musician, producer, fashion designer, writer and actress. She is a founding member of the experimental post-punk band Sonic Youth and she’s written a fierce, honest story of her life, Girl in a Band.
Hear Kim discuss her writing process and influences on her work. 


Kim Gordon, guitarist with Sonic Youth, talks about her memoir, Girl in a Band

Since its original landmark publication in 1980, Howard Zinn’s  A People’s History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools–with its emphasis on great men in high places–to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace. In this recording you’ll hear from Zinn reading from his introduction to the book, and you’ll hear Matt Damon,  an American actor and Academy Award-winning screenwriter for his work on Good Will Hunting, read passages that span the Summer of 1966, the 1967 Urban Riots in Newark and Detroit, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, to name a few highlights.

Matt Damon reads Howard Zinn

Why was the solution to poor sales of a bread-making machine the introduction of an additional bread-making machine? Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely offers the answer to this and other economic curiosities in his groundbreaking 2008 work, Predictably Irrational. Download the PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780061629532&retailer=apple
or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780061629532&retailer=audible



Predictably Irrational

Dorothy Parker’s most famous and autobiographical piece, Big Blonde, won the O’Henry Award in 1929. Cynthia Nixon, the Grammy and Tony Award-winning actress, performs this tale of an aging party girl. Download THE DOROTHY PARKER AUDIO COLLECTION via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780060846282&retailer=apple
or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780060846282&retailer=audible


Dorothy Parker's BIG BLONDE

In this 1973 recording, author Anthony Burgess gives a masterful performance of Chapter One of his dystopian novel, “A Clockwork Orange.” Burgess was a linguist and a polyglot, as well as an author, and the dialect he created for his teenage protagonist bursts forth in a seemingly effortless flow. Download A CLOCKWORK ORANGE audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780061450877&retailer=apple
or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780061450877&retailer=audible


Anthony Burgess reads A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Todd Rose went from a 0.9 high school GPA (did you know they could get that low?!) to a Harvard PhD. Todd joined us to chat about the science of the individual, the madness of speed tests, and the confusing problem of a so-called average sized cockpit. Download THE END OF AVERAGE audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062415806&retailer=apple
or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062415806&retailer=audible


The End of Average

You know how the Bechtel Test judges literature by whether there are two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man? Hear how Jennifer Robson employs a mix of true-life and invented characters to portray the Parisian Lost Generation world of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, while still passing the Test. Download the audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062444653&retailer=apple
or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062444653&retailer=audible


Moonlight Over Paris

Join us for an excerpt of Sylvia Plath’s THE BELL JAR, as performed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Download the audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780060886646&retailer=apple
and Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780060886646&retailer=audible


THE BELL JAR performed by Maggie Gyllenhaal

Mark Manson, author of the recently published millennial self-help book THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK,  went from selling dating advice products online to helping people live a more meaningful life. How’d he do it? It’s “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck.” Give it an effin’ listen.

(One of the books mentioned in this episode is COWS, PIGS, WARS, AND WITCHES: THE RIDDLES OF CULTURE by Marvin Harris)

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck

Buy the book here!

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Neil Gaiman, arguably the most embracing author of audiobooks, takes a break while recording his new book NORSE MYTHOLOGY to discuss his twenty-five year love affair with spoken word recording, as well as his lifelong fascination with myth and folklore.

Discussing NORSE MYTHOLOGY with Neil Gaiman

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Angie Thomas’s YA debut addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence and heart. Listen to discover why her editor’s letter made her cry and how she found her literary agent on Twitter.

Hate U Give

Angie Thomas and THE HATE U GIVE

Lauren Grodstein's new novel, OUR SHORT HISTORY, looks into the choices that parents make when faced with their own mortality. The author's inspiration for this novel came about after losing three friends to ovarian cancer, two with children still in elementary school. Ms. Grodstein sits down with Ana Maria in Minneapolis to discuss her own experiences with motherhood, her "other professional life" running an MFA program, and her current focus on essay writing.

Lauren Grodstein talks OUR SHORT HISTORY

This week on the pod, we listen to an exciting clip from the audiobook of DUNKIRK by Joshua Levine, and performed by Jonathan Keeble

The Battle of Dunkirk, in May/June 1940, is remembered as a stunning defeat, yet a major victory as well. The Nazis had beaten back the Allies and pushed them across France to the northern port of Dunkirk. In the ultimate race against time, more than 300,000 Allied soldiers were daringly evacuated across the Channel. This moment of German aggression was used by Winston Churchill as a call to Franklin Roosevelt to enter the war. Now, historian Joshua Levine explores the real lives of those soldiers, bombed and strafed on the beaches for days on end, without food or ammunition; the civilians whose boats were overloaded; the airmen who risked their lives to buy their companions on the ground precious time; and those who did not escape.

Box office stats say you probably already saw the major motion picture from Christopher Nolan, so now get the whole story! Buy the audiobook of DUNKIRK on audible, where it is currently on sale

Buy The Book Here!

An Excerpt of DUNKIRK by Joshua Levine

Another installment of our Summer of Excerpts, this week we feature the audiobook of SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi and performed by Kate Simses.

The gripping first installment in New York Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can leave a fully grown man gasping for air. One touch, and she can kill.

No one knows why Juliette has such incredible power. It feels like a curse, a burden that one person alone could never bear. But The Reestablishment sees it as a gift, sees her as an opportunity. An opportunity for a deadly weapon.

You can listen to the audiobook of SHATTER ME in its entirety at Audible, where it is currently on sale.

Shatter Me

Buy the Book Here!

An Excerpt from SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

Rounding out our Summer of Excerpts is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and read by Derek Perkins

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

You can buy the audiobook of Sapiens now at audible http://adbl.co/2gCHmwp

An Excerpt of SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari

A Clip From MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS read by Kenneth Branagh

Elizabeth Acevedo joins the podcast to chat about her new novel-in-verse, The Poet X

Elizabeth discusses a range of topics including how The Poet X is both her story and a universal coming of age for young girls, her experience of discovering poetry at a young age, the process of going from writing poems to a novel, and so much more.

Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing #ownvoices novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.

Poet X

Elizabeth Acevedo on THE POET X

Love is in the air as we chat with romance author Lisa Kleypas and romance narrator Mary Jane Wells!

Subscribe to the pod here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/harperaudio-presents/id806303320

First, Andrew chats with Lisa Kleypas, the author of DEVIL's DAUGHTER. Lisa talks about being published at 21 years old, what she's learned over the course of her career, and more. She also plays a hunger-inducing version of the Self-Awareness Game.

Then, narrator Mary Jane Wells talks about breaking into the business, and how to play the accordion poorly but with gusto! Finally, Mary takes a quiz about obscure Regency Romance Vocabulary.

Click here for more information about Mary Jane Wells and her one-woman show: https://www.heroinetheplay.com/

Subscribe Here

S2E2: Romance (with Lisa Kleypas and Mary Jane Wells)

We chat with author Greg Iles, and give our audience a chance to win free audiobooks in the Listening Party!

Subscribe to the pod here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/harperaudio-presents/id806303320

Then HarperAudio team members Beth and Nathan join to walk the listeners through our first at-home listening contest . We call it THE LISTENING PARTY, and you can see all the official rules of how to enter here: http://harperaudio.hc.com/mar19listeningparty/

Can you identify the secret word that appears in all three of our audiobooks? Then maybe you have what it takes to win the Listening Party!

S2E3: The Listening Party! (with Greg Iles)

We explore new sci-fi titles and interview the authors of THE BRINK, James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth!

Subscribe to the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth chat about the type of sci-fi they like, performing accents for the THE BRINK audiobook, how fame has changed the way Murr films Impractical Jokers, and more! Plus, they try to guess ridiculous sci-fi b-movie plots in a new game titled ‘WHY SCI-FI, WHY?”

Then, it’s audiobook clip theatre, as we listen to the opening minutes of THE BRINK, and Ricahrd Kadrey’s latest THE GRAND DARK, narrated by Vikas Adam.

S2E9: Science Fiction (with James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth)

We take a look at books with “four letter words” and lots of asterisks in their titles, in the form of Listening Party and Word Nerd segments!

Subscribe to the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

Enter to WIN the Listening Party here: http://harperaudio.hc.com/julylisteningparty/

The Listening Party adds a new member and plays clips from five audiobooks including Everything Is F*cked and The Hidden Power of F*cking Up.

Then, Fametta Sawyer returns with a brand new Word Nerd with guest Iris McElroy, looking at old-timey curse words.

S2E10: Four Letter Words

Josh Gondelman joins the show to talk about his new book of essays NICE TRY, what it's like to bomb on stage, the joys of 90s movie soundtracks, and much more. 

Subscribe to the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

Enter the Kristen Meinzer Podcast Coaching Session Contest, Here: https://startapodcast.pgtb.me/65jXrh

Subscribe Here!

S2E11: Josh Gondelman

Julia Quinn, author of the Bridgerton Series, joins the pod to talk about her M.O. as a writer of romance, her time as a contestant on The Weakest Link, and more! Plus she plays a round of the dreaded Self-Awareness Game.

Then, it's a romance author roundtable featuring conversations about the craft with Charis Michaels, Alisha Rai, Megan Frampton, and Jennifer Ryan.

Subscribe to the podcast, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harper-audio-presents/id806303320

S2E12: RWA Roundtable and Julia Quinn

The creative team behind PUSS IN BOOTS (Neil Fishman, Harvey Edelman, and Khristine Hvam) join the pod for an interview about the creative process, creating audiobook musicals like Puss In Boots, how to be a better singer, and more! Plus they take on the Harper Audio Presents Grab Bag!

Then, stick around to hear a show-stopping number from the new audiobook musical PUSS IN BOOTS. Narrated by Jim Dale, and performed by a full cast.

Subscribe to the podcast, here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

S2E13: Puss In Boots (with Neil Fishman, Harvey Edelman, & Khristine Hvam)

Host of "By The Book" and author of "So You Want To Start A Podcast," Kristen Meinzer joins the pod for an interview about the questions you need to ask when starting a podcast, why vocal fry is a myth, and how to perfect the midwestern accent.

Then, stick around to hear Kristen narrate the opening minutes of her audiobook "So You Want To Start A Podcast."

Subscribe to the podcast, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp%E2%80%A6nts/id806303320

S2E14: Kristen Meinzer

Three fantastic audiobook narrators and real life friends, Graham Halstead, Saskia Maarleveld, and Brittany Pressley share their insight on getting into the world of professional audiobook narration. The Super Friends talk about tips and tricks to a good performance, how they broke into the business, and more!

Subscribe to the podcast, here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

S2E15: The Narrator Super Friends

We celebrate audiobooks with complex language by interviewing narrator Robin Miles about her experience reading the late Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon.

We also pit the author of the upcoming The Gentleman’s Guide To Getting Lucky Mackenzi Lee against the book’s narrator Christian Coulson, in a game of forgotten phrases from 1700s England.

Finally, we play a clip from LuLu Lam’s narration of Thanhha Lai’s Butterfly Yellow, which features heavy use of phonetics and literal language barriers between the main characters.

Subscribe to the podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp%E2%80%A6nts/id806303320

S2E16: Difficult Language (with Robin Miles)

We get in the Halloween spirit with horror and sci-fi author Joe Hill, who’s thrilling short story collection FULL THROTTLE is on-sale now!

Subscribe to the podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp%E2%80%A6nts/id806303320

Joe chats about how his family would record audiobooks for each other, that time his Dad let gross-out make-up legend Tom Savini babysit him on the set of Creepshow, what actually scares him, and more.

Plus, Joe plays a gruesome edition of the Self-Awareness Game, and answers a question from the dreaded Harper Audio Grab Bag!

Buy FULL THROTTLE with it’s all-star audiobook cast including Zachary Quinto, Wil Wheaton, Kate Mulgrew, Neil Gaiman, Ashleigh Cummings, Joe Hill, Laysla De Oliveira, Nate Corddry, Connor Jessup, Stephen Lang, and George Guidall : https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062956644/full-throttle/

S2E17: Joe Hill

We bring in the big names for this A-List episode with audiobook clips read by Tom Hanks, Demi Moore, and Debbie Harry. Plus, audiobook director and producer Scott Sherratt sits down for an interview.

Subscribe to the podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp%E2%80%A6nts/id806303320

Scott chats about his creative process, how he uses his background in music to make his audiobooks more dynamic, if he gets starstruck, and more! Plus Scott plays a game we call Who Said That?

Then, we’ve got audiobook clips from FACE IT written and read by Debbie Harry, THE DUTCH HOUSE written by Ann Patchett and read by Tom Hanks, and INSIDE OUT written and read by Demi Moore.

All these titles are available now!
Face It: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780060749583/face-it/
The Dutch House: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062963703/the-dutch-house/
Inside Out: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062973429/inside-out/

S2E18: The A-List Episode (with Scott Sherratt)

Seasons Greetings! We're bringing good tidings and interviews with Holiday Romance authors Jill Shalvis and Sarah Morgan!

Subscribe to the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320

Available Now:
Wrapped Up In You by Jill Shalvis: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062897794/wrapped-up-in-you/
A Wedding in December by Sarah Morgan: https://www.amazon.com/A-Wedding-in-December/dp/B07S39HHW7/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1574204106&sr=1-1-spons

S2E19: HOLIDAY ROMANCE (with Jill Shalvis & Sarah Morgan)

We’re wrapping up the season and the year by taking a look back at our favorite audiobooks from 2019!

Subscribe to the podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/harp…nts/id806303320
Want the great audiobooks we talked about in this episode? Get your copy here:

A Series of Unfortunate Events Vinyl: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062873927/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-the-bad-beginning-vinyl-mp3/
Over the Top: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062906403/over-the-top/
Get A Life, Chloe Brown: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062941244/get-a-life-chloe-brown/
The Dutch House: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062963703/the-dutch-house/

Looking for more podcasts made for booklovers?

Book Club Girl: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-club-girl/id975697894
The Library Love Fest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-library-love-fest-podcast/id1378604121
Remember Reading: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/remember-reading-podcast/id1447897366

S2E20: Best of 2019

The podcast that celebrates all-things Audiobooks  – Whether we're chatting with authors and narrators, playing games and giving away prizes, or sharing clips of the best new audiobooks, HarperAudio Presents aims to highlight the fun in the world of audiobooks. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Harper Audio Presents

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