Harperaudio Presents

Join Peter Lerangis, author of children's and young-adult fiction, best known for his Seven Wonders series and three titles in the New York Times-bestselling children's-book series The 39 Clues, as he tells us how he decided to pursue the life he wanted versus the life he was expected to lead, and how this courageous act, combined with failing at his job as a waiter, propelled him to a hugely successful writing career.

The audio recording of Zora Neal Hurston’s EVERY TONGUE GOT TO CONFESS features the voices of legendary actors, civil rights activists and humanitarians Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. The recording was monumental, capturing the heart and soul of the vital, independent, and creative community that so inspired Zora Neale Hurston. Here is Ruby Dee reading from the book’s introduction followed by Ossie Davis reading parts of God Tales: Why God Made Adam Last.

A side of Mike Greenberg, co-host of Mike & Mike, the most popular sports radio program in America, you may not be familiar with – the man who sees authors as idols and plans to continue writing books for the rest of his life. Hear how his favorite book on golf has influenced his writing, what his yoga instructor has to say about his female characters and how he plots his New York Times bestselling novels.

Allen Kurzweil discusses how he came to write WHIPPING BOY, a childhood memoir and literary thriller that chronicles Kurzweil's forty-year-search for his twelve-year-old nemesis, a bully named Cesar Augustus, who went on to lead a mad-cap life of international crime and financial fraud.

Carrie Thornton, Editorial Director of Dey Street Books, talks to us about how she got started in the industry, the books she loves, the books she can’t live without, and the provocative books she’s published.

Join Dr. Jensen as she translates recent medical discoveries and clinical trials into easily understood information about the brains of teenagers. Dr. Jensen offers a revolutionary look at the adolescent brain, and provides remarkable insights that translate into practical advice for both parents and teenagers.

THIS WEEK: Jennifer Robson is the USA Today and #1 Toronto Globe & Mail bestselling author of SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE. Her second book, AFTER THE WAR IS OVER, is a tale of class, love, and freedom-in which a young woman must find her place in a world forever changed. Hear her discuss how her family influenced her work, the role research plays in her writing and which books she regularly re-reads.

This holiday season celebrate the joy of poetry with former poet laureate Billy Collins as he introduces the historic Caedmon recording of poet Dylan Thomas reading A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES (in its entirety) recorded in February of 1952.

THIS WEEK: NY Times Bestselling author Richard Kadrey sits down with HarperAudio producer, Caitlin Garing, to talk about his new book GETAWAY GOD. Dark urban fantasy character, Sandman Slim, is back to save the world from the vengeful gods in this sixth installment of the bestselling series. In this episode, Kadrey speaks on anthropological forensics, what his writing teacher taught him, and the two sentences that started the popular series.

Maira Kalman is the illustrator of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., and author of And the Pursuit of Happiness and The Principles of Uncertainty. Her latest book, My Favorite Things (HarperCollins, October 2014), is a beautiful pictorial and narrative exploration of the significance of objects in our lives, drawn from her personal artifacts, recollections, and selections from the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Hear her thoughts on what it means to be an optimist, the importance of taking a walk, and her Proust book group.

Audiobook producer Caitlin Garing speaks to experienced narrator Katherine Kellgren about how she gives voice to a gargoyle, why she imitates Dame Edith Evans, and what she thinks of Neil Gaiman as a narrator.

Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim talks about his 6-overtime game against UConn and Coach Calhoun, the pros and cons of zone defense, Big East vs. ACC, and what he thinks of casting Tom Cruise to play Jack Reacher, among other things.

Richard Ford talks about how the commotion of Hurricane Sandy led him to publish another work featuring Frank Bascombe, what Emerson taught him about character, and why the middle section of TO THE LIGHTHOUSE earned the novel a spot on his desert island booklist.

In this episode we hear from authors Patricia Cornwell and David Nicholls, both with new novels available now and both with fascinating insight into character development. Patricia Cornwell, author of FLESH AND BLOOD, the 22nd book to feature the detective Kay Scarpetta, talks with her editor, David Highfill, about how she used research into new, high tech weapons to try to trick Scarpetta, an attempt that she says always ultimately fails. And David Nicholls tells us about his desire to write a male protagonist for his new book, US, that is in direct contrast to the leading character in his previous, very popular novel, ONE DAY.

A discussion about writing genre fiction for adult and children with New York Times bestselling authors Garth Nix, author of the Old Kingdom series including the prequel Clariel, and the duo behind Ilona Andrews, author of several series including the upcoming Hidden Legacy series. Together they talk about how they build their works, creating rules for magic and of course the genres so many of us love, science fiction and fantasy.

Lauren Oliver, the New York Times bestselling author of the Delirium trilogy, Before I Fall, and Panic, discusses her new novel ROOMS with @HarperAudio_US producer Caitlin Garing. This episode also includes an excerpt from the audio edition which is performed by Orlagh Cassidy, Barbara Caruso, Elizabeth Evans, Noah Galvin, and Cynthia Darlow. ABOUT ROOMS After a number of highly acclaimed New York Times bestsellers, including the Delirium trilogy and the standalone novels Before I Fall and Panic, Lauren Oliver returns with a spellbinding tale that confirms her place as one of our finest storytellers. Fueled by the same inspired feel for plot and character that drew readers to Oliver's earlier works, Rooms is a mesmerizing and suspenseful story of guilt, love, and family secrets. Estranged patriarch Richard Walker has died, leaving behind a country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His alienated family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter

Author, journalist and letterpress printer Alix Christie discusses her debut novel, Gutenberg's Apprentice (on-sale: September 23, 2014), with @HarperAudio_US producer Erin Wicks. This episode also includes an excerpt from the audio edition read by Robert Petkoff. ABOUT GUTENBERG'S APPRENTICE An enthralling literary debut that evokes one of the most momentous events in history, the birth of printing in medieval Germany—a story of invention, intrigue, and betrayal. Youthful, ambitious Peter Schoeffer is on the verge of professional success as a scribe in Paris when his foster father, the wealthy merchant and bookseller Johann Fust, summons him home to corruption- riddled, feud-plagued Mainz to meet "a most amazing man." Johann Gutenberg, a driven and caustic inventor, has devised a revolutionary—and, to some, blasphemous—method of bookmaking: a machine he calls a printing press. Fust is financing Gutenberg's workshop, and he orders Peter to become Gutenberg's apprentice. Resentful at having to abandon a p

Entrepreneur and journalist Shane Snow (Wired, Fast Company, The New Yorker, and cofounder of Contently)discusses his new Harper Business title, Smartcuts, with @HarperAudio_US Producer Erin Wicks. This episode also includes an excerpt from the audio edition performed by the author. ABOUT SMARTCUTS Entrepreneur and journalist Shane Snow (Wired, Fast Company, The New Yorker, and cofounder of Contently) analyzes the lives of people and companies that do incredible things in implausibly short time. How do some startups go from zero to billions in mere months? How did Alexander the Great, YouTube tycoon Michelle Phan, and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon climb to the top in less time than it takes most of us to get a promotion? What do high-growth businesses, world-class heart surgeons, and underdog marketers do in common to beat the norm? One way or another, they do it like computer hackers. They employ what psychologists call "lateral thinking: to rethink convention and break "rules" that aren't rules. These

New York Times bestselling author Karen Abbott discusses her new novel Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy (on-sale: 9-2-14)with @HarperAudio_US Producer Erin Wicks. This episode also includes an excerpt from the audio edition performed by Karen White. About Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy Belle Boyd Emma Edmonds Rose O'Neal Greenhow Elizabeth Van Lew In Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, bestselling author Karen Abbott tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything—their homes, their families, and their very lives—during the Civil War. Seventeen-year-old Belle Boyd, an avowed rebel with a dangerous temper, shot a Union soldier in her home and became a courier and spy for the Confederate army, using her considerable charms to seduce men on both sides. Emma Edmonds disguised herself as a man to enlist as a Union private named Frank Thompson, witnessing the bloodiest battles of the war and infiltrating enemy lines, all the while fearing that her past would catch up with her. The beautiful widow R

Jessie Burton discusses her new book THE MINIATURIST (HarperCollins, August 26, 2014) with Producer Erin Wicks from @HarperAudio_US. The episode also includes an excerpt from the audio edition featuring the voice of Davina Porter. ABOUT THE BOOK Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam—a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant. ”There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .“ On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized