When was the last time you read a middle grade fiction? This week's featured author Heather Mateus Sappenfield will convince you it's time with her new novel The River Between Hearts. It’s an adventure with an almost-11 year old girl named Rill. It’s a story about friendship and compassion - and loss and longing.  You'll spend a few minutes with her main character Rill and her friend Perla in a reading that hints at the loss they both are struggling with. We also chat about why Heather creates characters with dyslexia and we find out how a former student's real life experiences informed the character Perla.

Thanks to Heather’s publicist Jackie Karneth at BooksForward - a JKS Communications Company, and Heather's publisher Janie Royal at Fitzroy Books - an imprint of Regal House Publishing.  You can find all of Heather's books on her website and learn more about having her visit you at your school or favorite book store. As always, thank you for listening.

Welcome to Episode 50! We’re talking to author Elayne Audrey Becker about her novel Forestborn - a fantasy story about human frailty, self doubt, and the dangers of othering - all examined through a magical lens. We begin with Elayne sharing why she made her main character Rora a shapeshifter. 

You will hear a scene from Chapter 1 when Rora is working as a spy for the king - tracking cases of a deadly disease. The scene takes place in a forest where you can hear the vivid nature Elayne creates. You’ll also hear the skill of the narrator - Sofia Zervudachi - who Audiofile Magazine says "strikes just the right tone as Rora - introspective but self assured". 

I want to thank Drew Kilman at Macmillan Audio and Giselle Gonzalez at TorTeen for connecting me with Elayne and making this Desideratum Podcast episode on Forestborn possible.  You can find more about Elayne - and get a sneak peak at Book 2’s cover and blurb on her website here. Book 2 is called Wildborn and will be released this August. If you want to hear the rest of the Forestborn audiobook - use this Libro.fm affiliate link to support the podcast and choose a local bookstore you want to benefit from every audiobook you buy.  As always, thank you for listening!

In our conversation with Jeffrey Blount, we talk about foundations, race relations, thunderstorms, banana seat bicycles, and parenting. His novel The Emancipation of Evan Walls centers on the childhood of a boy in the late 1960’s who decides he wants to be somebody.  Jeffrey's characters frustrate, illuminate, foster empathy and inspire. The novel is not an audiobook yet, so I asked my friend and fellow narrator Earl Sewell to read for us. Earl is an author, narrator, and audio drama podcaster - and as he does with every project - he brought a lot of heart to this reading.

Here is Jeffrey Blount's website and a link to Earl Sewell's latest audio drama podcast.

Enjoy and thanks for listening!

James Wade’s writing washed over me. I felt and heard the rhythm and tone he gave his novel River Sing Out. You’re going to hear some of the audiobook from his narrator Roger Clark - who has voiced about a hundred audiobooks, worked in theater and film, and is perhaps best known for portraying Arthur Morgan in Rock Star Games’ Red Dead Redemption.  But first, listen to James explain why his characters have vivid dreams -  why it’s so hard for him to give his characters names - and why he began this story with the origin of the Neches River.

I want to thank Lauren Maturo at Blackstone Publishing and Isabella Nugent at Blackstone Audio for connecting me with James and his work.

Here is a link to RIVER SING OUT on Blackstone Publishing's website book’s product page

And,  a link to James' website - where you can find out about his next release BEASTS OF THE EARTH - coming out with Blackstone this fall.

This has been Episode 48 – As always - thanks for listening.

James tells a tale steeped in nature and human nature - with violence and addiction creating a ripple effect in his character's lives.  It is hard for me to articulate just how poetic his prose and his writing style is -  how he conjures something musical in his writing.  In this outtake we talk about the cycles where he found his rhythm and truth. Listen to the full episode this Friday.  #desideratumpodcast #riversingout #cycleofviolence #texasfiction #blackstonepublishing #JamesWade 

Tom Young's novel Red Burning Sky is told through characters with a lot of heart.  They don't accept impossible. This little known WWII story based on the daring Operation Halyard will have you holding your breath and hearing the music of the slipstream.  

Tom's answer to the question 'what's most essential to you?' was one of my favorites. The excerpt you'll hear from the Red Burning Sky audiobook was produced by Recorded Books, and is performed by Pete Bradbury - an actor of stage and screen and an accomplished narrator.

Thanks to Ann Pryor at Kensington for introducing me to Tom.  Kensington Books generously provides the discount code DP20 to Desideratum Listeners to save 20 percent across their incredible library - just enter DP20 at checkout at Kensingtonbooks

Also, please look for the Red Burning Sky audiobook on Libro.fm .  Using this affiliate link supports the podcast and a local book store of your choice. 

You can find more of Tom Young's exciting work on his website. 

As always, thank you for listening.

What it feels like to be there - that's what Tom Young delivers in his historical fiction Red Burning Sky.  It is a thrilling aviation rescue story - and so much more. In this sneak peak at this week's Desideratum Podcast episode, Tom shares how a scholar of Russian Literature worked his way into this story. Hear more about the impossible that became possible in the secretive and dangerous WWII mission called Operation Halyard. #redburningsky #DesideratumPodcast #WWII #OperationHalyard #RecordedBooks #audiobooks #aviationrescue 

https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

https://tomyoungbooks.com/

Listen as thriller writer John Gilstrap tells us why his new heart pounding book Blue Fire has so much heart and why his storytelling often includes teenage characters. You'll hear a few minutes of the first chapter of Blue Fire's audiobook produced by Recorded Books and read by narrator Kate Forbes. 

We begin with Blue Fire's real life jumping off point - the truth that there was a secure government location where our leaders would go if our country was ever in imminent danger.  

Thanks to Ann at Kensington Books for introducing me to John.  Kensington generously provides Desideratum listeners the discount code DP20 to save 20 percent across their incredible library - just enter DP20 at checkout at Kensingtonbooks.com

Also, please look for the audiobook on Libro.fm for Blue Fire - which is book 2 in John's Victoria Emerson Thriller series. You will also find John’s other successful novels - his first was Nathan’s Run - and of course his Jonathon Graves Series is in audiobook format too. Using this affiliate link to Libro.fm supports the podcast and a local book store of your choice. Find out about all the books John has written and more on his website. http://www.johngilstrap.com/