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

Smith Henderson discusses his new book FOURTH OF JULY CREEK (HarperCollins, May 27, 2014) with producer Erin Wicks from @HarperAudio_US. The episode also includes an excerpt featuring the voice of MacLeod Andrews from the audio edition.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After trying to help Benjamin Pearl, an undernourished, nearly feral eleven-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, social worker Pete Snow comes face-to-face with the boy's profoundly disturbed father, Jeremiah. With courage and caution, Pete slowly earns a measure of trust from this paranoid survivalist itching for a final conflict that will signal the coming End Times.

But as Pete's own family spins out of control, Pearl's activities spark the full-blown interest of the FBI, putting Pete at the center of a massive manhunt from which no one will emerge unscathed.

In this shattering and iconic American novel, Smith Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion, and anarchy, brilliantly depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions. Fourth of July Creek is an unforgettable, unflinching debut that marks the arrival of a major literary talent.

FOURTH OF JULY CREEK by Smith Henderson

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

Abundance Now is LISA NICHOLS’ behind-the-scenes story of her rise from a single mom who couldn’t afford Pampers to a millionaire entrepreneur who enjoys work and play getaways to St. Thomas and Australia’s Gold Coast. “I wrote this book for all the ‘me’s out there,” Lisa explains in this podcast, “to shave years, to shave stress off their journey.” Download the ABUNDANCE NOW audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062420848&retailer=apple
 or Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062420848&retailer=audible


Abundance Now

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

There are two camps when it comes to THE NEST by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney – those who find the ending happy and those who find it so, so sad. Cynthia lands in the middle but has a theory on why some people see it one way and not the other. She also listens to her own audiobook in the car (for research purposes!), broke a cardinal rule of MFA programs, and writes to entertain herself, not a potential publisher. It all completely pans out. 
Scroll to the bottom to see her star-studded (and hilarious) book trailer: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062414212/the-nest

Download the audiobook via iTunes http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062443830&retailer=apple
and Audible http://ads.harpercollins.com/hcaudiopres?isbn=9780062443830&retailer=audible


The Nest

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

Fourteen years after the New York Times bestselling anthology THE BITCH IN THE HOUSE ushered in an unfiltered voice for a generation of young women, Cathi Hanauer has returned with a more mature, wiser, and "less angry" follow-up in THE BITCH IS BACK.

Hanauer discusses her selection of this collection's 16 new contributors - ranging from a transgender middle-aged woman to one who was in an arranged marriage - and follows up with 9 authors from the first volume whose lives have changed dramatically in the generation between books.

Cathi Hanauer discusses THE BITCH IS BACK

It took Teresa Messineo seven years to research and pen her debut novel about World War Two nurses, THE FIRE BY NIGHT. The problem? Many of the nurses returning from the Pacific Theatre were forced to sign an oath of secrecy with the US Government hiding their wartime service for a 60-year period. Today, Teresa discusses tracking down first-hand accounts from the few 90-year-old WW2 nurses still remaining in order to collect accurate information for the novel. She also recalls her childhood growing up home-schooled on an organic farm in the '70s, deciding to go to a Catholic high school so she could play basketball, and fabricating her report card - with the help of her father - to get her into an Honors-level English class.

Teresa Messineo talks THE FIRE BY NIGHT

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

Continuing our Summer of Excerpts, this week’s episode features the audiobook NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US by Stephanie Powell Watts, and performed by Janina Edwards.

It’s THE GREAT GATSBY brilliantly recast in the contemporary South: a powerful first novel about an extended African-American family and their colliding visions of the American Dream.

You can listen to the audiobook of NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US in its entirety over at Audible, where it is currently on sale.

Buy the Book here!

An Excerpt From NO ONE IS COMING TO SAVE US by Stephanie Powell Watts

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

Actress and narrator Zosia Mamet takes over hosting duties this week, interviewing author Jonathan Lethem about his latest novel THE FERAL DETECTIVE. 

Stick around after the interview, as we give you a sneak peak of the audiobook, with Zosia narrating!

Subscribe to HarperAudio Presents on iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/harperaudio-presents/id806303320?mt=2

Buy Here!

Jonathan Lethem and Zosia Mamet on THE FERAL DETECTIVE

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

Subscribe Here

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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