New nonfiction title on Audible

My newest recording went live today on Audible. Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen is by William Yancey Shackleford. 

"Legendary outlaw Belle Starr has been written about and portrayed in various media for well over one hundred years. Born Myra Maybelle Shirley in Missouri in 1848, Belle lived most of her life in Texas. She became notorious after living with and hanging out with members of the James and Younger gangs.

Belle was a crack shot who rode side saddle while engaging in horse thievery, cattle rustling, and holdups. In between these activities, Belle bore two children and was involved with (though not necessarily married to) several men, including Sam Starr.

Belle was murdered in 1889 just 2 days before her 41st birthday. The case is officially considered unsolved. This book was the first of many about Belle and was originally published the same year she died."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New true-crime book on Audible!

My latest book via Wildblue Press is out on Audible today. The 'Baby Doll' Serial Killer: The John Eric Anderson Homicides is by B.R. Bates and Gerald Cliff. This one is about a prolific serial killer who was active in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Considered one of the most prolific serial killers in Michigan's history, John Eric Armstrong is believed to have attacked at least 10 people in Detroit between summer 1999 and spring 2000, killing five and forever changing the lives of five others. But his numbers beyond Detroit may be even more deadly: With his April 2000 arrest on Michigan Avenue, one of Detroit's thriving areas of prostitution, Armstrong confessed to numerous other killings around the country and world from serving in the Navy aboard the USS Nimitz in the 1990s.

Wherever the ship docked, Armstrong seemed to have killed someone, according to what he said. It was a horrifying thought – Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, as well as more familiar locales like Hawaii and Washington state. Could this killer, in custody at last, be responsible for ending the lives of 15 or more people around the world? Or was he just inflating his numbers? And when, really, did his killing begin? He alluded to a first murder occurring in his home state of North Carolina, but who was that, and when? Also, why did he target prostitutes? Why did he kill in the first place?

THE 'BABY DOLL' Serial Killer explores those questions and much more. Longtime author and journalist B.R. Bates delves into the crimes and the investigation that followed, collaborating with the commanding officer of the Violent Crime Section that investigated the Armstrong case in Detroit, Dr. Gerald Cliff. Among the book’s wealth of sources are interviews with many folks who knew the victims or the perp – family members, friends, coworkers, schoolmates, Armstrong, coworkers, and Navy shipmates. interviews with many law enforcement personnel who worked the case.

Firsthand accounts of assault survivors of Armstrong – one of which never told her story publicly before this book Police files Autopsy and toxicology reports Court transcripts Many other records obtained through FOIA."

To listen to the sample and/or order the book, head to Audible here.

New recording available for pre-order on Audible

My latest recording is now up for pre-order on Audible. A bit of Hollywood nonfiction:  Life Among Hollywood’s ‘Extra’ Girls by Edgcumb Pinchon. 

"The 1920s was a bustling time in Hollywood, as starry-eyed young women sought fame and fortune—only to discover that their dreams did not match the reality of the film industry.

Edgcumb Pinchon was there to report on it all. He interviewed women who worked as “extras” in Hollywood, and was himself involved in the film business as a screenwriter and author. He describes here the hierarchy of those on set (in front of and behind the camera) with first-hand knowledge and humor.

In addition to Pinchon’s article on “Extra” Girls, this book includes articles on Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille’s epic The King of Kings, Hollywood’s spread to small-town America (Hollywood on the Ohio), and the evolution of film."

To listen to the sample and/or order the book, head to Audible here. 

 

New group project from Voices of Today on Audible

 

I'm very happy to be a part of this group project as a member of Voices of Today. Now available for preorder on Audible. Poems of Emily Dickinson: Series 1 by Emily Dickinson. 

"Emily Dickinson was one of the most reclusive of all poets. She spent much of her life in seclusion in her father’s house in Amherst, and only a handful of her 1800 poems were published in her lifetime. Credit for the posthumous publication of her work must be given to her editor and friend Thomas W. Higginson, who reported that, in spite of the voluminous correspondence which passed between himself and Dickinson, he only met her twice in person.

Dickinson’s poems are all short; few of them exceed twenty lines. Within her writing, the most mundane events of domestic life appear as events of momentous significance. The original editors of this collection write that, “The main quality of these poems is that of extraordinary grasp and insight, uttered with an uneven vigor, sometimes exasperating, seemingly wayward, but really unsought and inevitable.”

Full cast of narrators: Kendra Murray, Nancy Beard, Jennifer Fournier, Erin Grassie, Linda Barrans, Peter Sardi, Marie Hoffman, Melissa Green, Gregory Dwyer, Lee Ann Howlett, Sara Sheckells, Roberta Jackson, Lillian Warkentin, Caroline McLaughlin, Ron Altman, Lyndal Curran Doolan, Susan Iannucci, Lisa Negrón, Charlie Albers, Brandon Keener, Larry Wilson, Denis Daly, Kylie Elliott, Erin Bateman, Anthony St. Pierre, Amy Soakes, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Tim Dehn, Ginger White."

To listen to the sample and/or order the book, head to Audible here. 

True Crime classic tales now on Audible!

Another of my recordings is now for sale on Audible. True crime classics from the writer considered the father of American True Crime. Studies in Murder by Edmund Lester Pearson. Published by Spoken Realms.

"Edmund Lester Pearson was a journalist, court reporter, and librarian. He’s considered by many to be the first real true crime author in the U.S. Here he writes about the Lizzie Borden murders, axe murders that happened at sea, the murder of a wealthy New York businessman, and two others. Several of these crimes remain unsolved. Although he meticulously researched these crimes and interviewed many witnesses, his accounts are entertaining and, at times, even humorous."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New true crime book on Audible

 

My latest recording to hit Audible is a terrific mix of murder stories from early Hollywood.  Of Mobsters and Movie Stars is by Joan Renner and was published by WildBlue Press.  

"No Hollywood script can compare to the terror of the 37 true tales in OF MOBSTERS AND MOVIE STARS: The Bloody "Golden Age" of Hollywood!

In this gripping historical account, expert crime historian Joan Renner explores the shadowy world of fame and crime during Hollywood's most glamorous era. As Los Angeles transformed into the epicenter of film, it also became a haven for notorious criminals and mobsters, weaving a complex tapestry of allure and danger that is sure to intrigue.

Renner brings to life stories that are more thrilling than fiction, including harrowing LAPD showdowns, dark dealings behind the studio gates, and tragic fates of luminaries whose off-screen lives were as dramatic as their on-screen personas. She delves into infamous episodes, such as the shocking case of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, accused of “accidentally” crushing to death a young actress beneath his enormous weight as he raped her, and other lesser-known, but equally hair-raising stories of actors brought down by scandal and corruption.

OF MOBSTERS AND MOVIE STARS offers a profound and enlightening look at Hollywood's dual nature, illustrating how its seductive glitter was deeply entangled with its sinister impulses. This book is essential for anyone fascinated by how America's “City of Dreams” became a stage for some of the most gripping dramas of the twentieth century.

Step into the Prohibition Era with Joan Renner as she reveals the hidden crimes and undying ambition behind Hollywood's shimmering façade."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New true crime book now on Audible!

 

Happy to announce my recording of a new true crime book on Audible! This one is called Close To Home: Sexual Abusers and Serials Killers, Memoir and Murder by Janine O'Neill.  

"On January 9, 2002, twelve-year-old Ashley Pond left her family’s apartment in Oregon City, Oregon, to catch her bus to school. Then, she vanished.

Ashley loved her single-parent mother, but she hated her drinking, and the father figures in her life had come and gone. So she had learned to rely on her friends. Recently, however, things in her life had become even more complicated, so when she disappeared, many people believed she’d simply run away.

But Janine O’Neill had prosecuted crimes against children in Oregon City for seven years. She knew, with absolute certainty, that a twelve-year-old in that community would never vanish under the circumstances Ashley reportedly had unless something had gone terribly wrong.

Then, another girl went missing, and the son of a self-proclaimed serial killer identified himself as the prime suspect in both disappearances. O’Neill became obsessed with the story—so obsessed she eventually quit her full-time job and set off on a multistate search into the past with one overriding question: Could anything be scarier than what the public believed had happened to these girls?The answer, she learned, was yes."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New full-cast production from The Online Stage now on Audible

 

I was very happy to take part in this group project as a member of The Online Stage! David Stifel and Josh Innerst voiced the main characters of Dante and Virgil while the rest of us claimed the smaller roles for The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.  

"The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, presented by The Online Stage.

Welcome to Dante's The Divine Comedy, the ultimate journey to Paradise. Follow Italian writer and philosopher Dante Alighieri and his guide, the poet Virgil, through each circle of hell, over the mountain of Purgatory, and ultimately to Paradise, to be reunited with his beloved Beatrice. Dante meets many familiar faces among the sinners and the saved and learns many things of value throughout his long, dangerous journey.

Cast:

Dante - Josh Innerst

Virgil - David Stifel

Other Voices - Anna Grace, Erin Grassie, Marcia Dunbar, Chris Marcellus, Merete Mohs, Ted Wenskus, Trisha Rose, John Burlinson, Andy Harrington, Hann Lightwood, Rob Goll, Ron Altman, Alyssa Petrey, Andrew Coleman, Tyler Hyrchuk, Russell Gold, P. J. Morgan, Stephen Indrisano, Lee Ann Howlett, Jeff Moon, Rosie O'Toole, Marty Krz, J.D. Sutter, Ariana Mertz, Linda Barrans, and Grace Keller Scotch."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the recording, head to Audible here. 

New nonfiction book now on Audible

My latest recording was just released on Audible today:  Sympathy, Madness, and Crime by Karen Roggenkamp.  

"In one of her escapades as a reporter for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, the renowned Nellie Bly feigned insanity in 1889 and slipped, undercover, behind the grim walls of Blackwell's Island mental asylum. She emerged ten days later with a vivid tale about life in a madhouse. Her asylum articles merged sympathy and sensationalism, highlighting a developing professional identity—that of the American newspaperwoman.

The Blackwell's Island story is just one example of how newspaperwomen used sympathetic rhetoric to depict madness and crime while striving to establish their credentials as professional writers. Working against critics who would deny them access to the newsroom, Margaret Fuller, Fanny Fern, Nellie Bly, and Elizabeth Jordan subverted the charge that women were not emotionally equipped to work for mass-market newspapers. They transformed their supposed liabilities into professional assets, and Sympathy, Madness, and Crime explores how, in writing about insane asylums, the mentally ill, prisons, and criminals, each deployed a highly gendered sympathetic language to excavate a professional space within a male-dominated workplace.

As the periodical market burgeoned, these pioneering, courageous women exemplified how narrative sympathy opened female space within the "hard news" city room of America's largest newspapers. Sympathy, Madness, and Crime offers a new chapter in the unfolding histories of nineteenth-century periodical culture, women's professional authorship, and the narrative construction of American penal and psychiatric institutions."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

 

New group recording available for pre-order on Audible!

 

Up for pre-order now on Audible! I was very happy to participate as a member of Voices of Today in this reading of poetry from William Blake: Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

"This collection arguably contains some of the most charming lyrics ever written in English. The childlike simplicity and trust of these artless verses are unique.

Blake’s poems can be enjoyed, not only for their historical importance in an age which was fiercely proud of its genius and its traditions, but also for their simple and beautiful expression of “two contrary states of the human soul.”

Songs of Innocence was originally a complete collection of twenty-three poems, first printed in 1789. In 1794, a composite collection entitled Songs of Innocence and of Experience, containing forty-seven poems, was published.

Full cast of narrators:

Emma Faye

Ben Stevens

Lyndal Curran Doolan

Erin Grassie

Ron Altman

Linda Barrans

Lee Ann Howlett

Stephen Gage

Denis Daly

Shane Emmett

Christianne Lupher

Gary McFadden

Alan Weyman

Roberta Jackson

Kris Keppeler

Nancy Beard

Sarah Bacaller

Kendra Murray

Rosalind Murphy

Lisa Negrón

Graham Scott

Terah Tucker

Bria Sterling

Laura E. Richcreek

Adam Skousen

Blaise Doran

Aisling Gray

John Burlinson

Charlie Albers

Gregory Dwyer

Stephanie Németh-Parker

Trisha Rose

Tim Dehn

Ginger White

Rhonda Federman"

 

To pre-order, head to Audible here. 

My latest recording now on Audible

My newest recording is now available on Audible. Twenty Acres: A Seventies Childhood in the Woods is by Sarah Neidhardt.

"Sarah Neidhardt grew up in the woods. When she was an infant, her parents left behind comfortable, urbane lives to take part in the back-to-the-land movement. They moved their young family to an isolated piece of land deep in the Arkansas Ozarks where they built a cabin, grew crops, and strove for eight years to live self-sufficiently.

In this vivid memoir, Neidhardt explores her childhood in wider familial and social contexts. Drawing upon a trove of family letters and other archival material, she follows her parents’ journey from privilege to food stamps—from their formative youths, to their embrace of pioneer homemaking and rural poverty, to their sudden and wrenching return to conventional society—and explores the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s as it was, and as she lived it.

A story of strangers in a strange land, of class, marriage, and family in a changing world, Twenty Acres: A Seventies Childhood in the Woods is part childhood idyll, part cautionary tale. Sarah Neidhardt reveals the treasures and tolls of unconventional, pastoral lives, and her insightful reflections offer a fresh perspective on what it means to aspire to pre-industrial lifestyles in a modern world."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

The Little Women collection now on Audible!

I'm very happy to see the full collection of the Little Women books by Louisa May Alcott now available on Audible. The books are all full-cast productions by members of The Online Stage.  I played the narrator. 

"The Little Women Collection by Louisa May Alcott presented by The Online Stage.

This collection includes the remastered Online Stage productions of Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys as well as Comic Tragedies by Jo & Meg.

Little Women is the story of four sisters growing up against the background of the American Civil War. Alcott wrote the book at the urging of the publisher, Thomas Niles, who was seeking a story about girls that would have popular appeal. Although it was commenced essentially as a children's book, it developed into something of a bildungsroman, which touches on more serious issues such as the difficulties faced by single-parent families, the death of a sibling, and fractured relationships.

Little Men tells the continuing story of Jo March, who has married Professor Bhaer, with whom she now runs a small school.

In Jo's Boys, we revisit the Plumfield clan 10 years later, all grown up and finding their way through life's adventures and misadventures. Simmering romances blossom for some while the bravery and strength of others are tested. Through it all, Jo and Professor Bhaer desperately hope they have done their duty in raising up good citizens of the world with dreams, passions, empathy, and intelligence. Alcott shines once again with her ability to write human emotion through real-world scenarios that are still relevant today.

Comic Tragedies by Jo & Meg is a collection of plays written by Jo and Meg March, often discussed and performed in the March family attic by the beloved Little Women as the Pickwick Players. Our cast returns as Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth to perform every role with dramatic flair from damsels in distress to evil villains, and no shortage of mistaken identities and sword fights.

Cast:

Narrators—Lee Ann Howlett and Erin Grassie

Jo—Amanda Friday

Meg—P. J. Morgan

Beth—Tiffany Halla Colonna

Amy—Becca Maggie and Anna Grace

Laurie—Andy Harrington

Professor Bhaer—Ben Lindsey-Clark

Various other roles performed by Elizabeth Klett, Ron Altman, Ben Stevens, Nancy German, Maureen Boutilier, Jeff Moon, Jennifer Fournier, Miranda Hodges, Izzy Lindsey-Clark, Rebecca Thomas, Brett Downey, Sarah Pignatello, Chris Marcellus, Leanne Yau, Cate Barratt, Libby Stephenson, Marty Krz, David Prickett, Arielle Lipshaw, Ted Wenskus, Tomas Peter, Anastasia Durning, Josh Innerst, Tim Sailer, Sydnee Fullmer, Lance Rasmussen, Tyler Hyrchuk, Max Gallo, Anna Grace, Jennie VanderLugt, and Trisha Rose."

You can listen to the sample and/or purchase the book on Audible here.