Okie Bookcast

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Welcome to Chapter 88! And welcome to our celebration of 5 years of the Bookcast! 160 episodes and we're still going strong.

My guest is Daniel Nayeri. Daniel was born in Iran and spent some years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age seven with his family. He is the author of several books, including EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (A TRUE STORY), winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award, THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS, winner of the Newbery Honor, and THE TEACHER OF NOMAD LAND, winner of the Newbery Honor and the National Book Award. He also focuses a ton of his time and attention on encouraging people of all ages to become storytellers. We have a great time talking about his books and his approach to storytelling and we also dive into some memories of our shared experiences of growing up in Edmond, including a musical moment you’ll have to hear to believe. 

Connect with Daniel: website | FB | IG

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Mentioned on the show:

This is a Door - Daniel Nayeri

The Sweetest of Lemons - Daniel Nayeri

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Glowrushes - Roberto Piumini

The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily - Dino Buzzati

The Cloven Knight - Italo Calvino

The Redwall series - Brian Jacques

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Your Next Great Read! This month, J and Hannah are joined by author and friend o' the pod, J.L. Hyde! Jamie's new book, The Widow Nora, is out later this month. 

In the conversation we cover a ton of great books across a variety of genres: thrillers, romance, scifi, romantasy, and some witchy backlist picks. You're going to find something to love in this episode!

Connect with Jamie: website | Instagram | TikTok

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

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Huge thanks to Self Publish Me for sponsoring this episode! 

Discussed on the Show

Jamie

Pretty Dead Things - Kelsey Cox

The Black Orchid - Loreth Anne White

Everyone Is Lying to You - Jo Piazza

Haunting Charlie - Wendy Wang

Hannah

Mad Mabel - Sally Hepworth

The Unknown - Riley Sager

Misfortune and Mr. Right - Savannah Scott

Hex - Thomas Olde Heuvelt

J

Unraveling - Tyler Lenz

The Three Lives of Cate Kay - Kate Fagan

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances - Glenn Dixon

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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I got to hang out at WriterCon in OKC for a couple of days where I spent time talking with authors about their work. This episode is a compilation of those conversations with each author giving a 60-second talk about one of their books.

In this episode, you'll hear from 20 authors from all over the country. Everything from children's books to mysteries to thrillers to LitRPG. You're sure to find a book or two to love.

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Featured Authors and Books:

DM Zultowski - Deer in the Fields of Venice

GJ Springer - The Match Program

Julie Caldwell - Secret of the Acolytes

Jeff Provine - Haunted Oklahoma

JJ Johnson - Surviving the Midnight Hurl at Camp Whurl

Amy M. Le - From Broken to Brave: Memoir of a Heart Warrior

Rebecca Cole - Delilah's Song and Delilah's Secret

C. Louis S.  - Pizza Planet: Secret of the Fire Jellies

Josh C. Jones - DESTINY: Rich or Poor, Life or Death, Choose Your Destiny

Ryan Andrew Brandt - Sanctuary

Mark Edward Jones - Wrong Day to Quit

Carter Bell - When Salt Blooms

Rob Harmon - The Shepherdess of Kharos

Dianne McDonald Clark - Murder by Moonlight

Tyler Lenz - Non-Player Character

Terry Godfrey - The Little Gun

Todd Ockert - The Reckoning of Chaos and Magic

Eileen Hobbs - The Girl from Korn

Paul Gomez - PTSD

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Chapter 87! 

My guest this month is audiobook narrator and voice actor, Sean Pratt. 

Sean has been an audiobook narrator for 30 years, recording over 1,200 books in almost every genre across his career. He has received 12 AudioFile Magazine “Earphones” awards, 5 SOVAS nominations,  and 5 “Audie” nominations from the Audio Publishers Association. In addition to his work in audiobooks, Sean coaches performers on audiobook narration technique, and teaches classes on and writes articles about the business.

In our conversation we talk about the process of narration, the role of performance in narrating both fiction and nonfiction, the impact of AI on the audiobook industry, and Sean gives some fantastic advice for anyone interested in getting started in narration. 

Connect with Sean: website | IG | FB

Video: So You Want to be an Audiobook Narrator?

ACX website

Mentioned on the Show (audio links are to Sean's narrated version):

Cabbages and Kings - O Henry (audio)

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace (audio)

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner (audio)

The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett (audio)

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - Tom Robbins

The Body Keeps the Score - author (audio)

The Anxious Generation - Jonathan Haidt (audio)

The Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt (audio)

Hidden Valley Road - Robert Kolker (audio)

The Vanishing Family - Robert Colker (audio)

Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to our fourth birthday celebration of Your Next Great Read! Hannah is back and jumped right in like she'd never left. We also have entries from a couple of friends of the show about books they've discovered along the way. And don't miss the announcements of some big shows coming up in the next couple of months. 

Thanks for joining the celebration!

Connect with Hannah: website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok

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Huge thanks to Self Publish Me for sponsoring this episode! 

Books Discussed on the Show:

Hannah

Nine Lives - Catherine Steadman

Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep - Paul Tremblay

The Anniversary - Alex Finlay

Four Past MIdnight - Stephen King

Books H Discovered:

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone - Benjamin Stevenson

Whalefall - Daniel Kraus

Black Sheep - Rachel Harrison

J

Everything Sad is Untrue - Daniel Nayeri

Atmosphere - Tylor Jenkins Reid

The Last to Drown - Noelle W. Ihli

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Books J Discovered:

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams - Matthew Walker

You'll Never Know - Caleb Stephens

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Chapter 86! This month, I'm joined by Rebecca Lemke. Rebecca is a multi-genre, no spice author based in Oklahoma. She enjoys a wide variety of hobbies (too many, really, she says)  including reading, baking, traveling, crochet, cosplay, music, and more. She collects pins (usually of National Parks) and pretty paperbacks that she may or may not get around to reading. 

In our conversation, we talk about Rebecca’s writing journey, including her transition from writing YA dystopian to sweet romances and back again. We also talk about the development of her Lainey Ross altar ego, the challenge of marketing in two different worlds, and the role of cosplay in her author persona.

Connect with Rebecca: substack | IG | Linktree

Connect with Lainey: substack | IG | Linktree

Help us celebrate 4 years of Your Next Great Read

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Mentioned on the show:

Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Maze Runner - James Dashner

I Am the Messenger - Marcus Zuzak

So Not Happening - Jenny B. Jones

Colleen Coble

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau - Jamie Jo Wright

Famous for  Living - Melisa Ferguson

Denise Hunter

The Wrath & the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Your Next Great Read! This month, special guest host Luke Swanson and J are joined by Beccah Bland from the I Reckon I'll Read It podcast. J's secret list is revealed, Luke pays tribute to Hannah, and Beccah offers a confession. Oh, and we talk about a lot of books. 

Connect with Luke: website | IG | Bobcast IG | Bobcast

Connect with Beccah: IG | I Reckon I'll Read It IG | IRIRI

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Huge thanks to Self Publish Me for sponsoring this episode! 

Books Discussed on the Show

Beccah

Starter Villain - John Scalzi

The Road to Tender Hearts - Annie Hartnett

The Correspondent - Virginia Evans

Beach Read - Emily Henry

Luke

Big Little Truths - Liane Moriarty

Billy Summers - Stephen King

Green City Wars - Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Devil’s Detective - Simon Kurt Unsworth

J

Funny You Should Ask - Elissa Sussmann

Alien Clay - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Nouscraft World 2: Royale - Leonard Buford

Firestarter - Stephen King

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Welcome to Volume 17 - our 4th anniversary volume! This time we have poems from 13 Oklahoma poets cued up and ready for you to enjoy. Be sure to connect with the poets across their social media (linked below) to let them know how much you appreciate their work.

You can check out previous volumes at okiebookcast.com/behindtherain

Looking for more work by Oklahoma authors? Check out readlokal.substack.com

Featured organization: Poetry Society of Oklahoma

Here's the Lineup:

Giant Pushpin, Oklahoma - Cassie Grimm

• IG: @cassandrie_

Bedtime Story - Rob Sturma

• IG: @ratpack_slim
• Web: robsturmawrites.weebly.com

Middle American Girls - Kasey Jones

• IG: @kaseyrjones
• Web: kaseyjoneswriter.com

Closed Mouths - MAC Woods

• IG: @mac_since1985

Open the Door - Kelley Morris

• IG: @kmariemorris
• Web: kelleymorris.com

Tar Creek Aubade - Seth Copeland

• IG: @sethtcope
• Web: neutralspaces.co/seth_t_copeland/

Worthy and Woman - Sydney Aerin

• IG: @sydneysometimes
• Web: sydneysometimes.weebly.com

The Tether - Nichole Yates

• IG: @nicholeyates

Wheatfield with Cowdog - Brand Rackley

• IG: @brandrackley 

Okie Thinks of Wendell Berry's "The Peace of Wild Things" - Scott LaMascus

• IG: @scott_lamascus

Reels of 8 mm Kodachrome Film - David Jennings

• FB: @DJennPhotos
• Website: davidjenningsartinphotographyandpoetry.com

Jared - Linda Neal Reising

• Instagram: @nealreising

Tomorrow - Ken Hada

• Facebook: @ken.hada.3
• Website: kenhada.org

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

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Welcome to Chapter 85! We're going big this month with a Round Table of fantasy authors, talking about their work, the genre, and the challenges of creating new worlds. And talking about a ton of books!

Our panel includes:

Rebecca Loomis - Author of the YA trilogy Touch of Kindness, Taste of Bravery, and Voice of Change

WK Gorbet - Epic fantasy author of the First Matter Saga, beginning with his debut novel, Echoes of Destruction

Nadia Tate - Authors of the contemporary fantasy Saint Elias University series, beginning with their debut novel, The Summoning of Mages

Connect with Rebecca: site | IG | YouTube

Connect with WK: site | IG

Connect With Nadia Tate: site | IG |TT

Mentioned on the Show

The Invisible Hour - Alice Hoffman

Sword In the Storm - David Gemmell

Between Two Fires - Christopher Buehlman

Terror at the Gates - Scarlett St. Clair

The Poppy War - R.F. Kuang

The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher

Home Before Dark - Riley Sager

The Hunger Games - Susan Collins

The Two Princesses of Bamarre - Gail Carson Levine

The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie

The Hollows series - Kim Harrison

Kate Daniels series - Ilona Andrews

Red Rising - Pierce Brown 

The Last Time I Lied -  Riley Sager 

Ruth Ware

Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic - V.E. Schwab

Full Metal Alchemist - Hiromu Arakawa

Vinland Saga - Makoto Yukimura

Pluto - Naoki Urasawa,  Takashi Nagasaki 

Fantastic Four - Jonathan Hickman

Thor: God of Thunder - Jason Aaron

Rebirth Batman - Scott Snyder, Tom King, David Finch, Mikal Janin

The Folk of the Air series - Holly Black

The Fever series - Karen Marie Moning

Avatar the Last Airbender

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH

Text the Bookcast and say "hi"!

Welcome to Your Next Great Read! This month, special guest host Melissa Coast and J are joined by the founder of OKC Silent Book Club, Meredith Dennis. Tons of recommendations across a variety of genres, including several Oklahoma-connected books. 

Connect with Melissa: Instagram

Connect with Meredith: Instagram 

Connect with OKC Silent Book Club: Instagram | Facebook

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Huge thanks to Self Publish Me for sponsoring this episode! 

Books Discussed on the Show

Meredith

Nuclear War: A Scenario - Annie Jacobson

Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid

Shoot the Moon - Billie Letts

The Sea of Tranquility - Katja Millay

Melissa

The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong

Full Speed to a Crash Landing - Beth Revis

The Correspondent - Virginia Evans

Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker

J

On a Quiet Street - Saraphina Nova Glass

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl - Timothy Egan

The Dog Stars - Peter Heller

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

Connect with J: website | TikTok | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
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Music by JuliusH