Desideratum

Theresa Bakken

A desideratum is an essential thing. This pod celebrates storytelling as essential. Join Emmy Award winning journalist Theresa Bakken for scenes from intriguing audiobooks and in depth (no spoiler) conversations with the authors and narrators making waves in today's audiobook world. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support read less
ArtsArts
The Duke in Question
19-10-2023
The Duke in Question
This is a story about a woman using all her abilities to complete a spy mission and also get exactly what she wants. We’re talking to Helen Day about the sexy and determined characters she narrated as Hedra Knight for the Regency Romance The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard. I loved learning how Helen physically gets into character, how she performed so many different action and spicy scenes, and how performing world tours with Cirque du Soleil was part of her storytelling journey. Thanks to Dreamscape Media you’ll hear several fun moments from the audiobook. I want to thank the Colorado Sun for shining their light on author Amalie Howard’s work. I listen to the Daily Sun Up podcast and on Sundays I check out the SunLit features on authors put together by editor Kevin Simpson. You can check it out at coloradosun.org or look for the Daily Sun Up wherever you found this podcast. The Duke in Question was a Colorado Book Award finalist in the Romance category. I love that Colorado Humanities celebrates storytellers in my home state. You can find the winners and finalists in all the genre categories at coloradohumanities.org.  A big thank you to author Amalie Howard,  narrator Helen Day reading as Hedra Knight, and all the fine folks at Dreamscape Media for bringing The Duke in Question audiobook to life and sponsoring this episode. Dreamscape Media’s catalog includes bestselling audiobooks, children’s educational videos, prominent independent authors, and much much more  They strive to publish and distribute titles that both inspire and entertain listeners, readers, and viewers around the world. I’m honored that they support this podcast and I hope you’ll connect with them. Visit them at dreamscapepublishing.com to sign up for their weekly newsletter that has audiobook news, deals and giveaways.  As always, thank you for listening. https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/ https://coloradosun.com/sunlit/ https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/ https://www.instagram.com/littlebird7/?hl=en https://amaliehoward.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
The Wrong Woman with Leanne Kale Sparks and Erin deWard
12-10-2023
The Wrong Woman with Leanne Kale Sparks and Erin deWard
This is a thriller. It’s the story of an FBI agent and a homicide detective working together to catch a serial killer with a chilling perspective on killing. You'll hear narrator Erin deWard bringing all the chills and characters to life in your ear. We'll talk about why and how she does it, and you'll hear author Leanne Kale Sparks talk about how she maps out and finds the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' in her crime stories. Thanks to Dreamscape Media you’ll hear several tense moments from the audiobook. Dreamscape is an independent, award winning audiobook publisher. I’m honored that they support this podcast and I hope you’ll visit them at dreamscapepublishing.com where you can sign up for a weekly newsletter that has audiobook deals and giveaways.       Thanks to The Colorado Sun for shining their light on Leanne Kale Sparks work. I listen to the Daily Sun Up podcast and on Sundays I check out the SunLit features on authors put together by editor Kevin Simpson. Check it out at coloradosun.org and look for the Daily Sun Up wherever you found this podcast. The Wrong Woman won the Colorado book award in the thriller category. I love that Colorado Humanities celebrates storytellers in my home state. You can find the winners and finalists in all the genre categories at coloradohumanities.org.  A big thank you to author Leanne Kale Sparks, narrator Erin deWard, audiobook Producer Erick Black and all the fine folks at Dreamscape media for bringing The Wrong Woman audiobook to life and sponsoring this episode. Dreamscape Media’s catalog includes bestselling audiobooks, children’s educational videos, prominent independent authors, and much much more.  I connected with author Leanne Kale Sparks through Kim Weiss at PR by the Book. You'll find links for all these great folks below. As always, thank you for listening. https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/ Colorado Humanities home of the Colorado Book Award https://www.erindeward.com/ Erin deWard https://www.leannekalesparks.com/ Leanne Kale Sparks https://coloradosun.com/sunlit/ The Colorado Sun https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/ Dreamscape Media --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Cheap Land Colorado with Ted Conover
22-09-2023
Cheap Land Colorado with Ted Conover
This is a real life story set in a vast land, the San Luis Valley of Colorado. It’s a huge flat prairie flanked by mountains, and it's far off the beaten path. Author Ted Conover takes us there in this Desideratum. A desideratum is an essential thing and this story got me thinking about lots of essential things - like wide open spaces, what to do with a rattlesnake, the peace you find in silence, and the need for connection. Ted Conover is perhaps best known for spending a year as a prison guard at the maximum security prison Sing Sing in New York. The book he wrote about that experience was called Newjack and it earned a National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and made Ted a Pulitzer Prize Finalist. His work expands and deepens what we think of as Journalism.  He submerges himself in often uncomfortable situations and then takes readers along with him. Today we’re talking about his latest immersive experience and book called Cheap Land Colorado. In his observation of small details side by side with his big picture perspectives, he paints a very complete picture with his own voice as narrator in your ear. I hope you enjoy getting to know Ted Conover as much as I have. I want to thank The Colorado Sun for shining their light on Ted’s work. I listen to the Sun's podcast called The Daily Sun-Up, and every Sunday I check out their SunLit feature for author spotlights. Sunlit editor Kevin Simpson often talks to authors on The Daily Sun-ups Friday podcast. Check it out at coloradosun.com or wherever you're listening to this podcast.  Ted will be in Denver for the Colorado Sun’s SunFest ideas conference. Here's a link for tickets: https://coloradosun.com/sunfest/ And here's a link to the La Puente organization Ted volunteers with so you find out more about the good work they do. https://lapuentehome.org/ One more big thank you to the audio publisher Random House Audio for the excerpt from Cheap Land Colorado.  And, as always, thank you for listening.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
A Light in the Forest with Melissa Payne
14-09-2023
A Light in the Forest with Melissa Payne
This is a story about a young woman running away and finding her home. It begins with the moment she decides to run, when she faces a painful truth about her boyfriend.  We’re talking about A LIGHT IN THE FOREST - a Colorado Book Award Finalist - on this Desideratum. A Desideratum is an essential thing. I’m audiobook narrator Theresa Bakken and I think this story is full of essential things.  This week we’re talking about being a work in progress with author Melissa Payne whose new novel A Light in the Forest got us talking about small towns, and pigs, and intuition. I want to thank the Colorado Sun for shining their light on Melissa, I listen to the Sun's podcast called The Daily Sun-Up.. It's a great way to start your day if you’re curious about Colorado culture, history,  news of all kinds delivered to your ears. Then every Sunday I check out the SunLit feature at coloradosun.com for author spotlights and local independent bookstore recommendations. SunLit editor Kevin Simpson often talks to authors on The Daily Sun-up's Friday podcasts. Check it out at coloradosun.com or wherever your'e listening to this podcast.  Also - a big thank you to the author Melissa Payne, the talented and authentic voice of narrator Kay Eluvian, the audiobook publisher Brilliance audio, and the audiobook production team at Deyan audio Devon Hammond and Yanni Caldas for their work on A Light in the Forest. And, as always thank you for listening.  https://coloradohumanities.org/programs/colorado-book-awards/ https://www.melissapayneauthor.com/ author Melissa Payne's website link https://www.kayeluvian.com/audiobooks/ narrator Kay Eluvian's website link https://coloradosun.com/category/sunlit/sunlit-interviews/ a Link to the Colorado Sun website's SunLit page --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Camelot & Vine, slipping through time with Petrea Burchard
27-08-2023
Camelot & Vine, slipping through time with Petrea Burchard
This is a story about a woman who slips through time..   It's the day before Casey's 40th birthday, and her acting career and personal life are a disaster. Frantic to escape her own emptiness, she hops a plane to England and heads to the countryside to hide. That’s when a lightning strike, a skidding car and a horse that might be magical send her through a gap in time to the Dark Ages. We’re talking to author and narrator Petrea Burchard about her historical fantasy Camelot & Vine.  A big thank you to this episode’s sponsor Pozotron. I use Pozotron in my audiobook prep and proofing process to save time and ensure accuracy..  Their AI powered software suite cuts hours from the audiobook, voiceover and any scripted audio production process. You can sign up for a free demo of all they offer at pozotron.com. Before her audiobook narration work won her an Earphones Award, Petrea had a diverse acting career in film, television and theater. She is best known for voicing the powerful and hilarious space pirate Ryoko Hakubi in the english language version of the 90's Japanese anime series “Tenchi Muyo!”. You can find all her current projects in the audiobook world and other fun facts at Petreaburchard.com I hope you enjoyed spending some time with Petrea Burchard as much as I did. I hope you’ll listen to the rest of her audiobook Camelot & Vine. If you follow the affiliate link to Libro.fm when you purchase the audiobook you are also supporting this podcast.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
What Remains with Wendy Walker
11-08-2023
What Remains with Wendy Walker
This is a story about a detective, a cold case forensics expert named Elise. But this isn’t just a cold case, crime solving detective story. This story begins with our detective caught in the middle of an active crime scene. She fires her weapon for the first time. She takes a man’s life to save another man. Then, the saved man disappears from the scene, and Elise is drawn to him looking for answers. What she finds when this man enters her life is a very dangerous game.   We’re talking about Wendy Walker’s new thriller What Remains.  You’ll hear how excited Wendy gets talking about the science of memory and the psychology of trauma recovery. I love how she balances the characters' back stories and psychology with the urgent, nail biting suspense of the plot. We also talk about how her narrators Gabra Zackman and Peter Ganim dramatically and subtly delivered the clues in the audiobook for What Remains. Supporting this episode with Wendy walker is BlackStone publishing. Blackstone is providing a discount code to listeners for 50% off the audiobook for What Remains. Another big thank you to Pozotron. They are a subscription service for audio storytellers like me. I use their audiobook prep and proofing tools, and their features for collaboration - which make working together on a project seamless, efficient and fun. You can sign up for a free demo of their system at https://www.pozotron.com/ Here is the code from Blackstone Publishing for a discounted listen. Go to https://www.downpour.com/ select the audiobook What Remains by Wendy Walker, click 'buy now' and apply the promo code BLACKSTONE50 for fifty percent off the audiobook. Thanks again to Blackstone, Pozotron and Wendy Walker for making this episode possible. I’m Theresa Bakken. Thank you for listening --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Madness at the Movies with Golden Voice Narrator Grover Gardner
30-06-2023
Madness at the Movies with Golden Voice Narrator Grover Gardner
This is a story about movies - classic films - that a psychology professor at Yale University adored, explored and built a long standing popular college course around. Author and Professor Dr. James Charney brings you the Yale course that explores the portrayal of mental illness in films in his book Madness at the Movies. The audiobook is narrated by Golden Voice (too many awards to list, more than a thousand titles to his name) Grover Gardner.  We’re talking about Grover's work on Madness at the Movies, as well as some of his other favorite projects. And, he also shares his insights on the audiobook industry, authors, auditions, building relationships, and the presence of AI. Thanks to this episode's sponsors: Pozotron is an audiobook prep and proofing subscription service that helps narrators and publishers do their jobs. If you’re an audio storyteller go to Pozotron.com, sign up for a free demo and tell them thanks for sponsoring this episode. And BlackStone Publishing, the independent publisher and producer of powerful page turners across all genres with new award winning authors and collectable classics. Blackstone is providing a discount code for listeners for 50% off the Madness at the Movies audiobook. Instructions:  Go to Downpour.com, select the audiobook https://www.downpour.com/madness-at-the-movies?sp=756180 Click Buy Now Click Apply Promo Code BLACKSTONE50 , enter code Finish the checkout process Download your title and enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca with narrator Andrè Santana
14-06-2023
Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca with narrator Andrè Santana
This is a scary story. A classic horror story - with a haunted house, a monster, and unflinching violence. But, there’s something else here too…  we’re talking about Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca with narrator Andrè Santana.  This episode is sponsored by Dreamscape Media, an independent award-winning audiobook publisher. Dreamscape produces a wide range of titles from motivational self help to mysteries, thrillers and happily ever afters. This title is in the horror genre, but Andrè and I take good care of the listener in our conversation and we stay away from spoilers and triggers. I am excited for you to hear some of Andrè's narration - it's chilling. And, I loved hearing about his storytelling process and how he ended up in a box talking into a microphone. His exceptional narration work earned him a 2023 Audie Finalist. He is easy to connect with on social media and on his website Andreonthemic.com Please look for his work in many genres including the book we featured, Everything the Darkness Eats written by Eric LaRocca (a Bram Stoker Award nominated and Splatterpunk Award-winning Author). You can find more of Eric's scary stories on his website. Thanks again to Dreamscape and thank you for listening. https://www.andreonthemic.com/ https://ericlarocca.com/ https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
The Confidante, The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America, by Christopher C. Gorham
26-05-2023
The Confidante, The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America, by Christopher C. Gorham
This is a story about a remarkable woman. She was trusted by American presidents and generals. Her impact on our nation can still be felt today. But, you’ve probably never heard of her, and you might never have if not for a high school history teacher. We’re talking about the first biography written about the incredible Anna Marie Rosenberg (appropriately titled The Confidante) by teacher and debut author Christopher C. Gorham on this Desideratum. Narrator Ann Richardson shines in non-fiction work like this. She’s won several Audiofile Earphone awards for her work. I hope you enjoyed hearing Christopher talk about Anna Marie as much as I did. You can hear the rest of the audiobook, narrated by Ann Richardson at Libro.fm . Following the Libro.fm affiliate link supports this podcast.  You can also use the podcast’s discount code DP20 to save 20 percent off your whole purchase on the publisher's website.  I always learn something new from Kensington authors. Thanks to Ann Pryor at Kensington for connecting me to Christopher. Thanks to Tantor Audio for the moments from the audiobook. And, a special thank you to Pozotron for sponsoring this episode. Please reach out to me or visit the Pozotron website for more about how they help audio storytellers. As always, thank you for listening.   affiliate link to Libro.fm https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9780806542003/the-confidante/ https://www.christophercgorham.com/the-confidante https://www.pozotron.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari narrated by Mozhan Marnò
19-05-2023
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari narrated by Mozhan Marnò
This is a story about a family.  It is a close up look at a father and daughter, at two sisters, at a husband and wife. But, it’s also this huge story about tradition and patriarchy and freedom. It felt like poetry to me at times.. and this conversation about it was so rich. We’re talking about In the Time of our History with author Susanne Pari on this Desideratum.  The narrator Mozhan Marnò is an Iranian-American film and television actress and a playwright. She speaks English, French, German, Farsi, and Spanish.  She is known for her roles in The Blacklist, House of Cards, and Fleishman is in Trouble.  She is also the voice of Mirabelle and Namira in the video game Elder Scrolls- Skyrim. This audiobook scene you'll hear is from the beginning of In The Time of Our History, written by Susanne Pari, and produced by Highbridge, a division of Recorded Books.  I hope you enjoyed getting to know Susanne Pari as much as I did. You can hear the rest of the audiobook and support this podcast and a local book store of your choice by following this affiliate link⁠ to Libro.fm You can also use the podcast’s discount code DP20 on the publisher's website kensingtonbooks.com to save 20 percent on this book and the whole Kensington library.  I always find entertaining and enlightening reads at Kensington, and I like that going into their 5th decade of publishing, they are still a multigenerational family led business. Thanks to Ann Pryor at Kensington for connecting me to Susanne, and thank you for listening. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support
Red Clay Suzie by Jeffrey Dale Lofton narrated by Pete Cross
27-04-2023
Red Clay Suzie by Jeffrey Dale Lofton narrated by Pete Cross
This is a story about a young boy named Philbet. He’s growing up in the deep south in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. He loves cars and his grandaddy’s garden and an older boy named Knox.  In this story, you see how Philbet hides himself and then finds himself. We’re talking about Red Clay Suzie, a fictionalized memoir written by Jeffrey Dale Lofton. Lofton is a natural storyteller and not just on the page. His voice has a timbre and a rhythm and accent that draws you in, and I felt like instead of asking questions, I just kept saying some version of 'tell me a story' and he would. We begin with him telling the story behind the story of his debut novel. Another great voice connected to Red Clay Suzie is the audiobook narrator Pete Cross - who Jeffrey was a big fan of and was so excited when he auditioned. Pete’s work has been recognized with a SOVAS, an Odyssey Award and an Audie. He’s a talented storyteller and I’m so grateful to Blackstone Publishing for sharing this scene with us. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Jeffrey as much as I did. Thanks again to the sponsor for this episode - Pozotron - and of course thank you for being here thanks for listening. Sponsor: https://www.pozotron.com/ Narrator: https://petecrossvo.com/ Author: https://www.jeffreydlofton.com/ Red Clay Suzie Audiobook https://www.audible.com/pd/Red-Clay-Suzie-Audiobook/B0BFC47JJY?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Organizations mentioned by the author: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/strategic-plan/https://bornthisway.foundation/ Books mentioned by the author: To Kill a Mockingbird https://www.audible.com/pd/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-Audiobook/B00K1HQVOQ?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Call Me by Your Name https://www.audible.com/pd/Call-Me-by-Your-Name-Audiobook/B071H4FK2Y?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Episode transcript and timestamps: https://otter.ai/u/EKPT8WfipuqHekgveT7zKI1L7nE?utm_source=copy_url --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theresa-bakken/support