Hank Garner's Blog, page 33

The Author Stories Podcast Episode 562 | Laura Benedict Interview

Laura Benedict, author of the fantastic new psychological thriller The Stranger Inside.

[image error]What if you came home to find a stranger living inside your house? An “oustanding, ever-twisting, surprise-filled” psychological drama ( Publishers Weekly ), in the tradition of Shari Lapena and Liane Moriarty, from Edgar- and Thriller Award-nominated author Laura Benedict.

There’s a stranger living in Kimber Hannon’s house. He tells the police that he has every right to be there, and he has the paperwork to prove it. But Kimber definitely didn’t invite this man to move in. He tells her that he knows something about her, and he wants everyone else to know it too.

“I was there. I saw what you did.”

These words reveal a connection to Kimber’s distant past, and dark secrets she’d long ago left buried. This trespasser isn’t after anything as simple as her money or her charming Craftsman bungalow. He wants to move into her carefully orchestrated life – and destroy it.

Laura Benedict is the Edgar- and ITW Thriller Award- nominated author of eight novels of suspense, including the forthcoming THE STRANGER INSIDE (February 2019). On the lighter side of mystery, Laura wrote SMALL TOWN TROUBLE, a cozy crime novel, for the Familiar Legacy series (January 2018). Her Bliss House gothic trilogy includes: THE ABANDONED HEART, CHARLOTTE’S STORY (Booklist starred review), and BLISS HOUSE. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and in numerous anthologies like THRILLERS: 100 MUST-READS, THE LINEUP: 20 PROVOCATIVE WOMEN WRITERS, and ST. LOUIS NOIR. A native of Cincinnati, she lives in Southern Illinois with her family. Visit her at www.laurabenedict.com to read her blog and sign up for her quarterly newsletter.

Twitter: @laurabenedict

Instagram: @laura_benedict

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The Author Stories Podcast Episode 560 | R. C. Bray and Rhett Bruno Talk Audiobooks and Children Of Titan

We have a special bonus episode of Author Stories today with my guests R. C. Bray and Rhett Bruno. Rhett’s new series Children of Titan, narrated by R. C. Bray is out now and one of the best science fiction audio series so far this year.  In this episode we talk about the origins of Rhett’s series and why R. C. was the perfect narrator for it. We also delve into R. C.’s journey to being one of the most sought after voices in audiobook performance, narrating The Martian, why the future of publishing is in listening to books, the state of science fiction, fandom, and much more.

For a sneak peek at what we tease at the end of the show, go here.

[image error]Offworlders are only worth the price on their heads. 

After three decades as a Pervenio Corporation Collector, chasing wanted offworlders and extinguishing protests throughout the solar system, Malcolm Graves doesn’t bother asking questions. So long as the pay is right, he’s the man for the job. But his latest assignment doesn’t afford him that luxury.

A high-profile bombing on Earth has the men who sign Malcolm’s paychecks clamoring for answers. They force him to team up with a strange, augmented partner who’s more interested in statistics than instinct, and ship them both off to Titan to hunt down a suspected group of extremists: Titanborn rebels who will go to any length to free their home from the tyranny of Earth’s corporations.

Heading into hostile territory, Malcolm will have to use everything he’s learned to stay alive. But he soon realizes the situation on the ground is much more complex than he anticipated…and much more personal.

Check out the thrilling first book in a gritty and innovative science-fiction series perfect for fans of The Expanse and Blade Runner. You can also grab it on Audible performed by the award-winning RC Bray, narrator of The Martian.

From an early age award-winning audiobook narrator R.C. Bray despised reading.  Truly hated it with a passion.  And audiobooks?  Even worse.  Those were for people too lazy to read (not to be confused with those like himself who didn’t want to read to begin with).  R.C. eventually got older and wiser and eschewing his capricious convictions fell head-over-heels for reading.  Not just to learn words like “eschew” and “capricious” so he could use them in a bio, but because someone was actually going to be foolish enough to pay him to do it!

Note: R.C.’s gorgeous wife and three beautiful children begged him not to make this his official bio.

Clearly he misunderstood.

https://www.facebook.com/audbks/

Listen to Andy Weir talk about The Martian here

Rhett C Bruno is the USA Today Bestselling Author of ‘The Circuit Saga’ (Diversion Books, Podium Publishing), ‘Children of Titan Series’ (Aethon Books, Audible Studios), and the ‘Buried Goddess Saga’ (Aethon Books, Audible Studios); among other works.

He has been writing since before he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic stories when he was young to show to his friends and family. He currently works at an Architecture firm after graduating from Syracuse University, but that hasn’t stopped him from recording the tales bouncing around inside of his head.

Find out more here: http://rhettbruno.com/  https://www.facebook.com/groups/RhettBrunoFanClub/

Also, please consider subscribing to his newsletter for exclusive access to updates about his work and the opportunity to receive limited content and ARCs. For a limited time, you’ll also receive his Free Starter Library!

Subscribe Here: http://rhettbruno.com/newsletter/

The Author Stories Podcast Episode 559 | Jane Healey Interview

Jane Healey, author of the World War II historical novel The Beantown Girls is my guest today.

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A novel of love, courage, and danger unfolds as World War II’s brightest heroines—the best of friends—take on the front lines.

1944: Fiona Denning has her entire future planned out. She’ll work in city hall, marry her fiancé when he returns from the war, and settle down in the Boston suburbs. But when her fiancé is reported missing after being shot down in Germany, Fiona’s long-held plans are shattered.

Determined to learn her fiancé’s fate, Fiona leaves Boston to volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl, recruiting her two best friends to come along. There’s the outspoken Viviana, who is more than happy to quit her secretarial job for a taste of adventure. Then there’s Dottie, a shy music teacher whose melodious talents are sure to bring heart and hope to the boys on the front lines.

Chosen for their inner strength and outer charm, the trio isn’t prepared for the daunting challenges of war. But through it all come new friendships and romances, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected dreams. As the three friends begin to understand the real reasons they all came to the front, their courage and camaraderie will see them through some of the best and worst times of their lives.

Jane Healey shares a home north of Boston with her husband, two daughters, and two cats. When she’s not writing historical fiction, she enjoys running, reading, cooking and going to the beach. 

For more information on the author, her work and upcoming events: 

Website: www.janehealey.com. 
Facebook: facebook.com/JaneHealeyBooks/
Twitter and Instagram:@healeyjane

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 558 | Jill Santopolo Interview

Jill Santopolo returns to the show today to talk about her new book More Than Words.

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a tender and moving new novel about a woman at a crossroads after the death of her father, and caught between the love of two men.

Nina has always known who she’s supposed to be. But is that who she truly is?

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter. Raised by her father, owner of New York City’s glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most. And Tim–her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood–feels the same. But when Nina’s father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core. 

As her world falls apart, Nina begins to see the men in her life–her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael–in a new light. Soon Nina finds herself caught between the world she loves, and a passion that could upend everything.

More Than Words is a heartbreaking and romantic novel about grief, loss, love, and self-discovery, and how we choose which life we are meant to live.

Jill’s first visit to Author Stories, Episode 422

Jill Santopolo is the author of the nationally and internationally bestselling novel The Light We Lost, which has been translated into more than 30 languages, as well as the Alec Flint Mysteries, the Sparkle Spa series, and the Follow Your Heart books. She holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a certificate in Intellectual Property Law from NYU. Jill is also the Editorial Director of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, where she edits many critically-acclaimed, award-winning, and best-selling bookstore kids and teens. When she’s not writing or editing, Jill is a thesis advisor at The New School in their MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and has been on the faculty of the Columbia Publishing Course. Jill has traveled all over the U.S.–and to Canada and Europe–to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in New York City.

Twitter: @jillsantopolo
Instragram: @jillsantopolo
Facebook: /jillsantopoloauthor

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 557 | Fiona Barton Interview

Fiona Barton, author of the new psychological thriller The Suspect stops by today to talk about the writing life.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Widow returns with a brand new novel of twisting psychological suspense about every parent’s worst nightmare…

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth—and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. 

As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think…

About Fiona Barton:

My career has taken some surprising twists and turns over the years. I have been a journalist – senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at The Mail on Sunday, where I won Reporter of the Year at the National Press Awards, gave up my job to volunteer in Sri Lanka and since 2008, have trained and worked with exiled and threatened journalists all over the world.
But through it all, a story was cooking in my head.
The worm of this book infected me long ago when, as a national newspaper journalist covering notorious crimes and trials, I found myself wondering what the wives of those accused really knew – or allowed themselves to know.
It took the liberation of my career change to turn that fascination into a tale of a missing child, narrated by the wife of the man suspected of the crime, the detective leading the hunt, the journalist covering the case and the mother of the victim.
Much to my astonishment and delight, The Widow is a Sunday Times bestseller, has been sold to 29 countries and is available now in the US and will be published around the world in the coming months.
However, the sudden silence of my characters feels like a reproach and I am currently working on a second book.
My husband and I are living the good life in south-west France, where I am writing in bed, early in the morning when the only distraction is our cockerel, Sparky, crowing.

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 556 | Mary Adkins Interview

My guest today is Mary Adkins, author of the brand new release When You Read This.

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A comedy-drama for the digital age: an epistolary debut novel about the ties that bind and break our hearts, for fans of Maria Semple and Rainbow Rowell. 
Iris Massey is gone. 
But she’s left something behind.

For four years, Iris Massey worked side by side with PR maven Smith Simonyi, helping clients perfect their brands. But Iris has died, taken by terminal illness at only thirty-three. Adrift without his friend and colleague, Smith is surprised to discover that in her last six months, Iris created a blog filled with sharp and often funny musings on the end of a life not quite fulfilled. She also made one final request: for Smith to get her posts published as a book. With the help of his charmingly eager, if overbearingly forthright, new intern Carl, Smith tackles the task of fulfilling Iris’s last wish.

Before he can do so, though, he must get the approval of Iris’ big sister Jade, an haute cuisine chef who’s been knocked sideways by her loss. Each carrying their own baggage, Smith and Jade end up on a collision course with their own unresolved pasts and with each other.

Told in a series of e-mails, blog posts, online therapy submissions, text messages, legal correspondence, home-rental bookings, and other snippets of our virtual lives, When You Read This is a deft, captivating romantic comedy—funny, tragic, surprising, and bittersweet—that candidly reveals how we find new beginnings after loss.

Mary Adkins is a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the Atlantic. A native of the American South and a graduate of Duke University and Yale Law School, she lives in New York City with her family. She teaches storytelling for The Moth and is co-host of the podcast I’M STILL HERE about making art after kids.

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 555 | Imogen Edwards-Jones Interview

Today Imogen Edwards-Jones joins me to talk about her new book The Witches of St. Petersburg.

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Inspired by real characters, this transporting historical fiction debut spins the fascinating story of two princesses in the Romanov court who practiced black magic, befriended the Tsarina, and invited Rasputin into their lives—forever changing the course of Russian history.

As daughters of the impoverished King of Montenegro, Militza and Stana must fulfill their duty to their father and leave their beloved home for St. Petersburg to be married into senior positions in the Romanov court. For their new alliances to the Russian nobility will help secure the future of the sisters’ native country. Immediately, Militza and Stana feel like outcasts as the aristocracy shuns them for their provincial ways and for dabbling in the occult. Undeterred, the sisters become resolved to make their mark by falling in with the lonely, depressed Tsarina Alexandra, who—as an Anglo-German—is also an outsider and is not fully accepted by members of the court. After numerous failed attempts to precipitate the birth of a son and heir, the Tsarina is desperate and decides to place her faith in the sisters’ expertise with black magic.

Promising the Tsarina that they will be able to secure an heir for the Russian dynasty, Militza and Stana hold séances and experiment with rituals and spells. Gurus, clairvoyants, holy fools, and charlatans all try their luck. The closer they become to the Tsarina and the royal family, the more their status—and power—is elevated. But when the sisters invoke a spiritual shaman, who goes by the name of Rasputin, the die is cast. For they have not only irrevocably sealed their own fates—but also that of Russia itself.

Brimming with black magic, sex and intrigue, The Witches of St. Petersburg is an exquisite historical fiction debut novel filled with lush historical details from the Romanov era.

Imogen Edwards-Jones is the author of some 20 books including the well-received travel book – The Taming of Eagles – about the first 100 days of the collapse of Communism, (after which she went on to present the BBC Radio 4 documentary– Bucks in the USSR). Her novels include My Canapé Hell, Shagpile, The Wendy House and Tuscany for Beginners. She has co-edited Big Night Out (the celebrity collection of short stories with contributions from Kate Moss to Bob Geldof, in aid of the War Child charity) and In Bed With a collection of erotic short stories with contributions from Fay Weldon and Esther Freud. She has also ghosted various memoirs for TV personalities.  

She was responsible for the hugely successful Babylon series, which includes the Sunday Times best sellers Hotel Babylon, Air Babylon, Fashion Babylon, Beach Babylon and Pop Babylon. The series has sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone, been translated into some twenty different languages worldwide and made into two BBC Primetime TV shows.

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 554 |Meghan Cox Gurdon Interview

Today Meghan Cox Gurdon joins me to talk about her new book, The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction

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A Wall Street Journal writer’s conversation-changing look at how reading aloud makes adults and children smarter, happier, healthier, more successful, and more closely attached, even as technology pulls in the other direction.

A miraculous alchemy occurs when one person reads to another, transforming the simple stuff of a book, a voice, and a bit of time into complex and powerful fuel for the heart, brain, and imagination. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and behavioral research, and drawing widely from literature, The Enchanted Hour explains the dazzling cognitive and social-emotional benefits that await children, whatever their class, nationality, or family background. But it’s not just about bedtime stories for little kids: Reading aloud consoles, uplifts, and invigorates at every age, deepening the intellectual lives and emotional well-being of teenagers and adults, too.

Meghan Cox Gurdon argues this ancient practice is a fast-working antidote to the fractured attention spans, atomized families, and unfulfilling ephemera of the tech era, helping to replenish what our devices are leaching away. For everyone, reading aloud engages the mind in complex narratives; for children, it’s an irreplaceable gift that builds vocabulary, fosters imagination, and kindles a lifelong appreciation of language, stories, and pictures.

Bringing together the latest scientific research, practical tips, and reading recommendations, The Enchanted Hour will both charm and galvanize, inspiring listeners to share this invaluable, life-altering tradition with the people they love most.

MEGHAN COX GURDON is an essayist, book critic, and former foreign correspondent who has been the Wall Street Journal’s children’s book reviewer since 2005. Her work has appeared widely, in publications such as the Washington Examiner, the Daily Telegraph, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and National Review. A graduate of Bowdoin College, she lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with her husband, Hugo Gurdon, and their five children.

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 553 | Griffin Stark Interview

Author and anti-bullying advocate Griffin Stark is my interview guest today to talk about Immortal Girl5 and The Sheepdog Movement.

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THE ULTIMATE IN GIRL POWER!

Rachel, Skylar, Caitlin, Beth and Bethany are all eighteen, immortal and can fly.
But that is where the similarities end for these five forever teenage girls. They were each chosen before birth and destined to become part of the Immortal Girls, put together by their immortal parents, Isabelle and Alistair, to save humanity from itself when needed.
Their story takes you from 1000 AD all the way to present day New York, where the chosen five girls come together slowly through the centuries to form the strongest bond the earth has ever known. Suddenly, they are faced with the biggest threat of their immortal lives. It comes in the form of a secretive scientific research company called Forever Genetics and its brilliant, but unstable CEO, Christian Gruber. Using escaped prisoners that his company set up, he is planning on building an immortal army and taking out the Immortal Girls once and for all.

Being immortal is not forever, neither is survival…

GRIFFIN STARK is an American author who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Even as a young child, Griffin had an active imagination. As an author of Young Adult Fiction, he has harnessed his creativity to tell a story that is memorable and filled with important life lessons.

Griffin served as a Combat Medic in The United States Air Force and received several accommodations. He also founded THE SHEEPDOG MOVEMENT to join in the fight against bullying of anyone worldwide.

“Why do I write? Why do you breathe?” —Griffin Stark

Episode 552 | Joseph Finder Interview

Joseph Finder writes some of the tightest, white knuckle thrillers of anyone today. I was excited to host Joseph for this episode of Author Stories to talk about his new book Judgement.

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New York Times best-selling author Joseph Finder returns with an explosive new thriller about a female judge and the one personal misstep that could lead to her – and her family’s – downfall.

It was nothing more than a one-night stand. Juliana Brody, a judge in the Superior Court of Massachusetts, is rumored to be in consideration for the federal circuit, maybe someday the highest court in the land. At a conference in a Chicago hotel, she meets a gentle, vulnerable man and has an unforgettable night with him – something she’d never done before. They part with an explicit understanding that this must never happen again.

But back home in Boston, Juliana realizes this was no random encounter. The man from Chicago proves to have an integral role in a case she’s presiding over – a sex-discrimination case that’s received national attention. Juliana discovers she’s been entrapped, her night of infidelity captured on video. Strings are being pulled in high places, a terrifying unfolding conspiracy that will turn her life upside down.  

But soon, it becomes clear that personal humiliation, even the possible destruction of her career, are the least of her concerns, as her own life and the lives of her family are put in mortal jeopardy. 

In the end, turning the tables on her adversaries will require her to be as ruthless as they are.

Joseph Finder is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen previous suspense novels, including THE SWITCH, THE FIXER and SUSPICION. He introduced “private spy” Nick Heller in VANISHED, an instant bestseller, and the continuing series includes BURIED SECRETS and GUILTY MINDS.

Joe’s novels HIGH CRIMES and PARANOIA have been adapted as major motion pictures. GUILTY MINDS and COMPANY MAN won the Barry Award for Best Thriller. An international bestseller, KILLER INSTINCT won the International Thriller Writers’ Thriller Award for Best Novel. BURIED SECRETS won the Strand Critics Award for Best Novel.

A founding member of the International Thriller Writers, Joe is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. He is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Russian Research Center, and lives in Boston.

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