This is a story about a young boy named Philbet. He’s growing up in the deep south in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. He loves cars and his grandaddy’s garden and an older boy named Knox.  In this story, you see how Philbet hides himself and then finds himself. We’re talking about Red Clay Suzie, a fictionalized memoir written by Jeffrey Dale Lofton.

Red Clay Suzie Audiobook

https://www.audible.com/pd/Red-Clay-Suzie-Audiobook/B0BFC47JJY?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Organizations mentioned by the author:

Books mentioned by the author:

To Kill a Mockingbird

Call Me by Your Name

Episode transcript and timestamps:

This is a story set in what looks like a perfect neighborhood -  rocking chairs on covered porches, manicured lawns and families looking out for each other.   But in this story,  the illusion of perfect families and close friendships fractures when a child goes missing.  We’re talking about the novel The Perfect Neighborhood with author Liz Alterman.  Liz made me laugh and think deeply. I loved her perspectives on rejection and serendipity.  The scene you will hear from the audiobook is from one of my favorite narrators - Gail Shalan. The novel's suspense unfolds through five key perspectives, and the audiobook features five fantastic narrators. The audiobook was produced by Dreamscape.

I want to thank Dreamscape for sponsoring this episode.  They are an independent, award winning audiobook publisher that produces a wide range of titles, including everything from motivational self-help to suspenseful mysteries like The Perfect Neighborhood. Their goal is to provide the best and most high-quality audiobooks to listeners everywhere. They would love to connect, so please visit them at dreamscapepublishing.com, where you can sign up for their weekly newsletter that has audiobook news, deals, and updates on their regular audiobook giveaways. You can also visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Find more of Liz Alterman's storytelling here: https://www.lizalterman.com/

This is a story set firmly in Kentucky bluegrass - a story swirling around a retired history professor who finds herself in one murder mystery after another. We’re talking with the author of the Josiah Reynolds cozy mystery series Abigail Keam, and we begin our conversation with something she has in common with her main character… beekeeping.  

While Death By Greed (Book 18 in the series) just released, you are going to hear the very beginning, the very first scene. We’re going back to book 1 page 1 - and there will be bees in this reading from Death by a Honeybee.

I hope you enjoy getting to know Abigail - hearing about her bees and her characters. You can find her active on all social media platforms as @abigailkeamauthor. I first met her through @wellreadmagazine. Thanks to Mandy Haynes for shining her light on new-to-me authors. And, as always, thank YOU for listening.

This is a story about a string of murders - assassinations - of media pundits. They were extreme peddlers of their party's agendas, and their murders feel politically motivated. Assigned to the case is a group of grizzled and green FBI detectives. We're talking about the crime novel Code Gray with narrator Champ Westwood on this Desideratum.

Listen as Champ reveals what he appreciates about author Benny Sims intent. He loves how Sims grain of sand becomes a pearl as the story unfolds. Champ also explains his controversial process for prepping his audiobooks. And, you'll hear how his background in musical theater shapes his approach to the very intimate performance of audiobook narration.

I hope you have as much fun as I did getting to know Champ (he also narrates under the name Mike Eberhardt). Here's his website with all his narration and VO projects listed. https://www.superfunstudios.com/

As always, thanks for listening

Narrator by Landon Beach is a mystery thriller that will have you asking - what just happened and whodunnit?! Listen as Landon describes how he got inside the head of this hot mess of a main character - an audiobook narrator. And, find out how Landon first met his real life narrator the legendary award winning Scott Brick. Congratulations to Scott on being an Audie 2023 Finalist for Best Male Narrator for this project. Visit www.landonbeachbooks.com for all his books and his newsletter. 

(00:00) Introduction with scratchy recording from a lone singer who inspired the novel Gradle Bird by JC Sasser

(02:52) Oral storytelling and walking around with a tape recorder gathering stories

(04:18) Setting in small town feels timeless 

(05:35) Rooted in reality to distill the truth looking back on life experiences using fiction

(07:00) Abandoned structures sparked imagination starting in childhood with her father who was paralyzed taking her to a pig slaughterhouse

(09:34) Audiobook introduction of scene with a confrontation 

(10:17) Audiobook excerpt from Gradle Bird by JC Sasser

(20:38) Human cruelty themes balanced with themes of love 

(22:18) Siamese fighting fish as a betting game in the story the beauty of frailty and fierceness 

(24:39) Moonflowers thrive in darkness but only live one day and they are deadly toxic to people which is a key to the story

(26:45) Ghost in the novel and from Sasser's childhood she loves to be haunted

(29:30) Musician in the novel based on a real person who struggled with mental illness who befriended the author when she was a young girl

(33:42) He was a real true friend who was taunted and ridiculed and harassed and she imagined in this fiction dire consequences that could have come from his mistreatment

(35:55) There's a quote from Corinthians scripture that underpins the whole novels message and how it looks at guilt and forgiveness 

(39:20) Conclusion what is essential for JC Sasser 

This is a story that begins with a lone singer recording original songs on cassette tapes for the author a long time ago. She remembers listening using the tape deck in her mama’s white Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme out at the edge of town where abandoned things and the music made her wonder. We’re talking with author J.C. Sasser (Jana) about her novel Gradle Bird on this Desideratum. Jana's southern tale has an incredible cast of characters .The title character is a 16 year old girl named Gradle being raised by her Grandpa. Then, there's a teenage boy named Sonny Joe who is a Siamese Fighting Fish aficionado. And there's Delvis Miles, a professional dumpster diver and a genius musician, whose mental health makes him both fragile and fierce.  But we start our conversation with Jana herself, because she’s as intriguing as any of her characters. Throughout this novel there are three characters who commit serious crimes with dire consequences that haunt them.  You’re going to hear a scene near the beginning of the book, that starts in a grocery store with a confrontation and gives you some history for one of the characters.   Thank you to Jana for sharing her recording of the real Evans Miles singing When the Whippoorwills Holler at Night for this episode. Thank you to the Pat Conroy Literary Center for shining a light on Sasser's storytelling.  And, as always, thank you for listening. Here are links to learn more about J.C. Sasser https://www.jcsasser.com/  and the Pat Conroy Literary Center  https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/

(00:00) Introduction this is Such A Pretty Girl by T Greenwood

(02:15) Words are powerful and 1970's advertising cringe 

(04:52) Me too movement lens and two time lines give characters a reason to revisit their past 

(06:42) Child narrator storytelling give out of the mouth of babes moments

(08:27) Desire for something right out of reach and key to all stories is  

(10:51) Settings with danger children always need to be kept safe

(12:57) Anxiety and panic language and what soothes these feelings

(15:13) Photographers and taking or making an image 

(17:12) Art has context and changes over time and characters with grounded moral compass are critical to this story

(18:15) Audiobook excerpt introduction about Mara Wilson

(19:15) Audiobook excerpt narrated by Mara Wilson

(24:44) Predatory paparazzi thievery of image is allegory for losing agency over our bodies 

(27:04) Book is about complicity and women and betrayal 

(29:52) Mother Daughter relationships 

(31:43) French connection 

(32:39) Westbeth artists residence in NYC and historical fiction research serendipity and magic

(38:09) Conclusion what is essential to Tammy Greenwood 

This is a story set in NYC. It centers on a controversial photo taken of a young girl in 1977. Author Tammy (T) Greenwood tells the story through the eyes of this child model and actress who’s all grown up today with a daughter of her own. There is a striking generational mother daughter story here too, so that’s where we begin talking about the novel Such a Pretty Girl.

You'll hear an excerpt from the audiobook set in the Westbeth artist community in NY (which was a real place we’ll talk more about).  In the section of the audiobook we are featuring, you’re with the main character Ryan when she’s a child. And, your guide is narrator Mara Wilson - who herself is known for film acting rolls from her childhood. She was Natalie in Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993, and she played the lead role in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda in 1996. Today she is a stage actress, a voice artist, a writer, and a playwright.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Tammy and talking about the '70's and motherhood and art as much as I did.  I hope you got lost in Mara Wilson’s narration - that hearing a few minutes of the audiobook for Such a Pretty Girl produced by Tantor left you wanting more.  

Thanks to Kensington Press for making this episode possible. 

Kensington generously provides Desideratum listeners the discount code DP20 to save 20 percent across their incredible library - you just enter DP20 at checkout at Kensingtonbooks.com

Also, please check out Libro.fm to find Such A Pretty Girl narrated by Mara Wilson. Using this affiliate link to Libro.fm supports this podcast and a local book store of your choice. 

You can find more about T. Greenwood’s other novels on her website: https://www.tgreenwood.com/

As always, thank you for listening.

Folly Park is a story about history, race, identity, and friendship. At its heart is a woman named Temple Preston and her old, crumbling, ancestral plantation in Virginia.  With the discovery of long hidden, disturbing family secrets, Temple gets wrapped up in exposing these family secrets as a way to save the ancestral home, until she begins to question whether it's really worth saving. 

Author Heidi Hackford talks about the character she eventually grew to like,  about the power of semantics, and about how her work at Monticello - and how people responded to it - helped shape this story. 

My thanks to Folly Park’s publisher She Writes Press and author Heidi Hackford for sharing Temple and Vee and this story full of history and surprises with me.  I would love to hear what you think about Folly Park, reach out anytime on social media or email at [email protected]

As always, thanks for being here.. And thanks for listening.

This is a story about a quiet, thoughtful man named Harlan Leblanc.  The story is about how and why Leblanc gets tangled up in a murder investigation. You'll hear from author James Wade about the action and the allegory he created, and about the ways he tried to mirror and balance the darkness and hope in this gritty tale.  We talk about the humor he found in indecision and inflammation.  And, how his young daughter is shifting his perspectives.  You'll feel narrator Roger Clark walking in the shoes and looking out through the eyes of the characters in an excerpt from the audiobook.  Roger has performed about a 100 audiobooks, worked in theater and film, and is best known for portraying Arthur Morgan in Rock Star games Red Dead Redemption. James thinks his reverence and grit are spot on for this story. 

I want to thank Lauren Maturo at Blackstone Publishing for connecting me with James and his work.  If you would like to hear more of Roger Clark performing Beasts of the Earth please check out Libro.fm. When you use my affiliate link to Libro.fm you support this podcast and with Libro.Fm you can choose a local book store in your neighborhood to support as well.  

As always, thank you for being here and thanks for listening.