My latest recording on Audible

 

My newest recording debuted on Audible today. This is a nonfiction book called Vital Ties: Digitally Mediated Intimacies with the Dead by Molly Hales. Published by University Press Audiobooks. 

"Vital Ties depicts an emergent form of intimacy with the dead mediated by digital technologies. In southern Australia, a game developer crafts a virtual reality experience, reuniting his best friend with an avatar of his late father. In Northern California, a woman creates a smartphone app to log moments in which her deceased mother appears. In Chicago, a high school teacher visits her late brother's Facebook page, hypnotized by the shifting content that animates and reanimates him. As digital media offer ways to bring the dead to presence, the living and the dead are haunted in new ways, affecting relationships to both media and death. Lyrical and moving, Vital Ties offers a powerful rethinking of death, memory, and mediation in the digital age."

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

New memoir of growing up in the 1960s and 1970s now on Audible

My latest recording just went live on Audible. Since You Weren't There: & other memories by Denise Thompson-Slaughter is a memoir about growing up in the 1960s and 70s. This one was a lot of fun to record. 

 "What was it really like to grow up in the 1950s and 60s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War protests, and the spread of drugs and easy birth control among white middle-class youth? What was it like to attend Woodstock, explore the influence of New Age mysticism, and experience the changes among families and relationships as second-wave feminism began to percolate through society in the 1970s? Thompson-Slaughter movingly and often humorously illustrates these topics and more in her collected memoir essays that chart one of the most explosive and rapidly changing periods of modern U.S. history."

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

 

New historical biography on Audible

 

My latest recording debuted on Audible yesterday. This one is a historical biography -- The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of a Nation by Nancy Rubin Stuart. Timely for the 250th birthday of the U.S.

"Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814), America’s first woman playwright and historian, was the fiery wife of a Massachusetts patriot and the mother of five sons who secretly authored influential anti-British plays that helped spark the American Revolution.

During the early Federal period she, penned an influential pamphlet arguing for a Bill of Rights, and in 1805, wrote the only Jeffersonian – democratic interpretation of the Revolution, the History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution."

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

First recording of 2026 available today on Audible!

 

My first recording for 2026 hit Audible today. It's a duo with narrator, Mike Vendetti. This was produced via Spoken Realms. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. 

"Dive into the gritty world of noir with Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, brought to life by the captivating voices of Mike Vendetti and Lee Ann Howlett.

Follow private detective Sam Spade as he navigates a web of deceit, betrayal, and murder in pursuit of the elusive black bird. With Vendetti's commanding narration and Howlett's evocative portrayal of Brigid O'Shaughnessy, this audiobook delivers the tension, intrigue, and drama of Hammett's classic like never before.

Experience the sharp dialogue, unforgettable characters, and twists that defined the golden age of detective fiction. Perfect for fans of crime thrillers and timeless mysteries.

Immerse yourself in the story that set the standard for hardboiled detective novels!"

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

New memoir on Audible!

My latest recording just went on sale on Audible. This one is a memoir.  A Long Way from Anywhere: Living Off-Grid in the American West is by Norah Esty. I can't imagine doing what she and her husband did and are still doing! 

"In A Long Way from Anywhere: Living Off-Grid in the American West, Norah Esty shares her unexpected journey from a math prodigy and tenured professor to a homesteader in the remote wilds of Eastern Oregon. After earning her Ph.D. at U.C. Berkeley and securing a comfortable academic career in Boston, Norah and her husband Jim stunned everyone—including themselves—by abandoning urban life for an off-grid existence. Inspired by authors like Michael Pollan and Wendell Berry, they traded their city condo for a rural homestead, despite having no plan, homesteading experience, or background in rural living.

With enthusiasm as their guide, Norah and Jim quickly learned the challenges of living off-grid. From raising livestock to butchering rabbits, operating tractors to troubleshooting generators, every day brought new lessons and unexpected hardships. Life in the wilderness offered moments of wonder—wolves howling in the hills, mountain lions crossing through snow—but also stark realities, like dealing with predators and the isolation of being far from medical help. Through it all, Norah reflects on the joys and perils of off-grid living, offering a candid, insightful look at the challenges of leaving behind the familiar to embrace the unknown."

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

 

New book on Audible via Spoken Realms

 

My latest recording just debuted on Audible yesterday. This is a public domain book that I've wanted to record for some time. I Worked for Lucky Luciano by Anonymous was published via Spoken Realms.

"In the 1930s, young women with big dreams came to New York City to pursue careers, meet men, and make friends. Charles "Lucky" Luciano, an Italian-American gangster, was one of the people who preyed on them. This fictionalized first-person account of a girl from a small town in the northeast US details how she became ensnared in the party circuit and eventually worked as a prostitute in Luciano's houses. The narrator in this book is called Lois and was a composite of many call girls interviewed by a journalist who covered Luciano's trial in 1936.

This account provides details on the women's "emotional challenges" and what happened to them after Luciano's conviction, highlighting the destructive impact the syndicate had on their lives. Lucky Luciano had a long reach, so neither the author nor the young women interviewed wished to be identified. Luciano was reportedly the model for the main character in The Godfather."

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

 

New nonfiction title on Audible

 

My latest recording hit Audible today. Senior Fitness by Ruth Heidrich is one woman's journey to health and fitness after being diagnosed with metastatic cancer. 

"The senior years don't have to be filled with aches and pains. At age seventy, Ruth Heidrich has the bone mass density of a woman in her early thirties and a resting heart rate of forty-four. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of forty-seven, she has won more than nine hundred athletic trophies and medals and has been cancer-free for more than twenty years. In Senior Fitness, the "other" Dr. Ruth shows how to maintain and even increase physical and sexual fitness at any age—and dramatically reduce the risk of prostate cancer, varicose veins, osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and a host of other ailments and diseases. Full of detailed medical information, this inspiring handbook is the ideal resource for all those seeking to make life after fifty full of fun and dynamism."

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

New nonfiction book on Audible

 

My newest recording debuted on Audible today via University Press Audiobooks. Bankers' Trust: How Social Relations Avert Global Financial Collapse by Aditi Sahasrabuddhe is a historical account of how bankers from other countries conduct business among themselves. 

"Central bank cooperation during global financial crises has been anything but consistent. While some crises are arrested with extensive cooperation, others are left to spiral. Going beyond explanations based on state power, interests, or resources, Aditi Sahasrabuddhe argues that central bank cooperation—or the lack thereof—often boils down to ties of trust, familiarity, and goodwill between bank leaders. These personal relations influence the likelihood of access to ad hoc, bilateral arrangements with more favorable terms.

Sahasrabuddhe uncovers just how critical interpersonal trust between central bankers has been in managing global financial crises. She tracks the emergence of such relationships in the interwar 1920s, how they helped prop up the Bretton Woods system in the 1960s, and how they prevented the 2008 global financial crisis from turning into another Great Depression.

Sahasrabuddhe challenges the idea that central banking is purely apolitical and technocratic. By calling attention to the influence personal relationships can have on whether countries sink or swim during crises, Bankers' Trust asks us to reconsider the transparency and democratic accountability of global financial governance today."

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

New multi-narrator book on Audible

 

I was very happy to participate with narrators Mike Vendetti and Kathy Verduin in this production of Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas. 

"Dive into Lloyd C. Douglas's timeless tale of redemption, love, and the transformative power of selflessness. Magnificent Obsession follows the journey of Bobby Merrick, a wealthy and reckless young man whose life takes a dramatic turn after a tragic accident.

Struggling with guilt and a newfound sense of purpose, Bobby embarks on a path of personal growth, guided by a mysterious philosophy that challenges him to live for others.

Narrated by the talented trio of Mike Vendetti, Kathy Verduin, and Lee Ann Howlett, this audiobook brings the characters to life with vivid emotion and depth.

Experience the poignant moments, gripping drama, and uplifting themes of this classic novel in a way that will resonate long after the final chapter.

Perfect for fans of heartfelt stories and inspirational journeys, Magnificent Obsession is a testament to the enduring impact of compassion and courage."

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

New nonfic book with true crime and politics

 

My latest book for WildBlue Press just hit Audible today: The Dumond Affair: How Lies and Politics Freed a Killer by D.R. Bartlette.

 "In The Dumond Affair: How Lies and Politics Freed a Killer, first-time author D.R. Bartlette weaves a story of the political corruption and religious zealotry that gave birth to an anti-Bill Clinton conspiracy theory that led to the deaths of two women and, thirty-six years later, the birth of an insurrection.

The 1984 kidnapping and rape of a small-town cheerleader in southern Arkansas might seem like a tragic crime that was only notable because the local sheriff displayed her attacker’s severed testicles on his desk for months afterward. But when Ashley Stevens came forward to accuse Wayne Dumond, a 35-year-old murderer and serial rapist, she could never have imagined how her case would be thrust into the media spotlight.

An innocent teen, Stevens was attacked first by Dumond, and then by anti-Bill Clinton conspiracy theorists who accused her of lying for political reasons, and themselves lied to push their nefarious cause. Then former conservative Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee used his influence to push for the Dumond’s release.

Once freed, Dumond went on to rape and murder two more women. But there’s more to this story.

As Bartlette points out, the forces that came together to free Dumond eventually metastasized into a the Qanon cult that the National Security Agency labeled one of the biggest national security threats since 9/11. A movement that was at least partly responsible for the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2020."

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

Another true crime book from B.R. Bates

 

My latest recording just landed on Audible: The Crack City Strangler: The Homicides of Serial Killer Benjamin Atkins by B.R. Bates. This is the second book in her series, Murders in the Motor City. 

"The Story of America's 'Fastest Serial Killer'

THE CRACK CITY STRANGLER: The Homicides of Serial Killer Benjamin Atkins offers a chilling, in-depth account of the horrifying crimes committed by one of America’s most notorious serial killers. In this gripping narrative, award-winning journalist B.R. Bates delves into the twisted life of Benjamin “Tony” Atkins, whose reign of terror in Detroit spanned less than a year in the early 1990s. Known for targeting vulnerable women in Detroit’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Atkins attacked at least 12 women along a mile-and-a-half stretch of Woodward Avenue, one of the city’s most iconic streets, Atkins' crimes were brutal and relentless, leaving victims abandoned in the dark corners of the Cass Corridor and Highland Park. Only when the lone survivor of his horrific spree came forward did law enforcement begin to connect the dots and ultimately capture the monster behind the killings.

Through meticulous research in this second book in her "Murders In The Motor City" series, Bates uncovers the complex web of motivation, abuse, and desperation that led Atkins to target sex workers, while also exploring the societal pressures and systemic neglect that shaped his dark path. A poignant look at a killer’s psychology, Bates invites readers to understand how a troubled life could give rise to such monstrous behavior." 

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

New poetry from Voices of Today

 

I was very happy to be a part of this recording as a member of Voices of Today! Poems of Emily Dickinson, Series 2 by Emily Dickinson was a group project by VOT narrators. 

"Few of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published in her lifetime. Her posthumous fame is largely due to the efforts of her editors and supporters Thomas W. Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd.

In the foreword to this second collection, published in 1891, Mabel Loomis Todd wrote: “The eagerness with which the first volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems has been read shows very clearly that all our alleged modern artificiality does not prevent a prompt appreciation of the qualities of directness and simplicity in approaching the greatest themes—life and love and death. That “irresistible needle-touch,” as one of her best critics has called it, piercing at once the very core of a thought, has found a response as wide and sympathetic as it has been unexpected even to those who knew best her compelling power. This second volume, while open to the same criticism as to form with its predecessor, shows also the same shining beauties.”

Narrators:

• Larry Wilson
• Lyndal Curran Doolan
• Martha H. Weller
• Amy Soakes
• Kylie Elliott
• Margaret Wakeley
• Lee Ann Howlett
• Linda Barrans
• Ron Altman
• Nancy Beard
• Gary MacFadden
• Terah Tucker
• Denis Daly
• Gregory Dwyer
• Charlie Albers
• JaeAudio

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

New Non-Fiction Memoir on Audible

 

My newest recording is now on Audible. This one is a memoir titled The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning by Ellen Ann Fentress.

"Ellen Ann Fentress is a veteran writer for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She’s also a seasoned southern woman, specifically a white Mississippi one. “Women do a lot for free, no matter the era, no matter the location,” she observes in The Steps We Take: A Memoir of Southern Reckoning. As a good southern woman, Fentress felt a calling to help others.

But there were the convenient lies and silences that she and most southern make that American white women have settled on in the name of convention and, to be honest, inertia. Eventually, along with claiming a personal second act at midlife, she realized the most urgent community work she could do was to spur truth-telling about the history she knew well and participated in. She was one of the nearly one million students in the South enrolled in all-white “segregation academies,” a sweeping movement away from public education that continues to warp the Deep South today. To document and engage with this history, she founded the Admissions Project: Racism and the Possible in Southern Schools, which has been featured in the Washington Post, Slate, Forbes and other publications.

The Steps We Take tells how one woman reckons with both a region’s history and her own past. Through a lens ranging from intimate to the widely human, through moments painful and darkly comic, Fentress casts a penetrating light on what it means to be a white southern woman today."

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

New nonfiction book on Audible

My newest recording just went on sale on Audible. Under the Skin: Tattoos, Scalps, and the Contested Language of Bodies in Early America was written by Mairin Odle. 

"Under the Skin investigates the role of cross-cultural body modification in seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century North America, revealing that the practices of tattooing and scalping were crucial to interactions between Natives and newcomers. These permanent and painful marks could act as signs of alliance or signs of conflict, producing a complex bodily archive of cross-cultural entanglement.

Indigenous body modification practices were adopted and transformed by colonial powers, making tattooing and scalping key forms of cultural and political contestation in early America. Although these bodily practices were quite distinct one a painful but generally voluntary sign of accomplishment and affiliation, the other a violent assault on life and identity they were linked by growing colonial perceptions that both were crucial elements of “Nativeness.” Tracing the transformation of concepts of bodily integrity, personal and collective identities, and the sources of human difference, Under the Skin investigates both the lived physical experience and the contested metaphorical power of early American bodies.

Struggling for power on battlefields, in diplomatic gatherings, and in intellectual exchanges, Native Americans and Anglo-Americans found their physical appearances dramatically altered by their interactions with one another. Contested ideas about the nature of human and societal difference translated into altered appearances for many early Americans. In turn, scars and symbols on skin prompted an outpouring of stories as people debated the meaning of such marks. By the late eighteenth century, ideas about the body, phenotype, and culture were increasingly articulated in concepts of race."

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

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.