Home Cooked Books

Posted by: Karen | August 29, 2018

Vintage Love Stories, by me and seven other fabulous people

Available now from Blunderwoman Productions in audio and ebook formats. Coming soon in paperback. 9781982717964

From the Publisher:

A collection of sweet, tender, poetic, beautiful, heart-wrenching, sensual, love stories.

These stories share a common theme of love, set in a time period before cell phones and social media.

“Second Best” by Brenna Aldrich

1944. The South. Can a heartbroken young woman learn to love again?

“Didn’t It Rain” by Kathryn Burns

1964. Manchester. A teenager realizes her love for music…and for a girl.

“The Painted World” by Cassandra Campbell

It’s 1959, New York and Tennessee. Will a young woman choose the life she’s meant to live or the life she longs for?

“Adele” by Tony Healey

A couple who’s been married for decades. A secret shared. And a love that shows the beauty in supporting a partner when they share their authentic self.

“Purple Roses” by Christina Thompson

A quiet farmhouse. A lifetime love, lost. A message sent from beyond that restores faith, hope, and blessings for a new love.

“She Screams” by Jacob Strunk

1940s. A smoky bar. Jazz. Where love and lust seduces like a song.

“Can’t Get Used To Losing You” by K.E. White (aka Karen White)

It’s the 1980s. First love. Young love. But is it a forever love?

“To Love Is To Burn” by Amanda R. Woomer

1871, Peshtigo, Wisconsin. A deadly wildfire and the love that rises from the ashes.

These stories make us swoon, make us laugh, cause tears and sighs. The world needs more love, and we are excited to share it.

My WRITING experience:

I’ve been working on a romance series for the past year and half or so. I’d been doing a lot of backstory writing for the second book in the series and I wasn’t sure if it really fit in the novel. When I saw the Blunderwoman call for submissions for this collection, I decided that I needed to turn those scenes into a short story. Even though I’d never written one before! I learned so much through the process, and am grateful to my local writing group: Hayley Swinson, Andrea McNair and Kelly Goss for their feedback, as well as for Blunderwoman’s editor, Christine Allen-Riley, and of course to Tanya Eby, editor-in-chief-extraordinaire.

My LISTENING experience:

Listening to the auditions for my story just blew my mind. It truly was a dream come true that I never knew I had. It was a tough choice, because everyone did such a good job, but Tara Sands and Mark Turetsky both seemed to get my quirky sense of humor, so that was the tipping point. Listening to the whole story narrated by the two of them was a gift. I’ve loved listening to the entire collection; it’s got an impressive range of subject matter and tone and perfect matchups of authors and narrators.

Watch narrator Mark Turetsky perform a the first few minutes!

Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant

Available now from Tantor Audio. K1161_StudStacks-238x238

From the Publisher:

When it comes to women, I know what they want. And all day long, I give it to them. Dark, broody, and sexy? You got it. Need to laugh? I’m your guy. Desperate for something to put you in the mood? You’ve come to the right place, kitten.

Every morning when my library opens, there’s a line around the block, the ladies flocking to me in need of their next book boyfriend. I’m that dude. The one who knows his way around the romance section. And if you think that hasn’t gotten me plenty of action over the years, you’d be wrong.

But I made a slight miscalculation at work, and now my reputation has my job in danger. If I can’t prove to my boss that I’m more than a playboy who recommends romance in the hopes of getting some hanky panky in the stacks, I’m headed for the unemployment line.

Enter Parker Elliott. She rocks a mean guitar, she has no idea how sexy she is, and she’s in need of a temporary fake boyfriend.

Best of all? She doesn’t have a library card. I couldn’t have found a better fake fiancée if I’d written her myself.

Contains mature themes.

From the review at Geeky Bloggers Book Blog:

“Karen and Joe—what to say other than they both brought the sassy sexy. Yes I said that right cause both of these characters were super snarky, sassy, sexy, and tons of fun. I highly recommend this on audio.”

From the review at Books of My Heart:

“Karen White is well familiar to me. I enjoy her so much as she nails this type of heroine who has some insecurities. Joe Arden was new to me but I liked his kind of raspy voice – oh yeah, perfect for sexy. I listened at my usual 1.25 speed. The performance really brought out all the feels.”

From the review at That’s What I’m Talking About:

“The narration for this story is nearly perfect. Right from start I love both narrators. Joe Arden captures the cocky, f-u attitude of Knox. Karen White hits the frantic/panicky neuroses of Parker. They nail the main characters. I enjoyed Joe’s supporting characters a bit more than Karen’s, but both do a good job of providing unique, well-suited voices for the side characters. The narration added to the overall ambiance of the tale.”

My recording experience:

Loved working with both Pippa Grant and Joe Arden for the first time – hope y’all find it a winning combo and that we get to do it again!

Listen to a sample here:

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Christine is the randomly selected winner. Thanks to all for entering! I give away lots of books – to find out about them in the future, please consider following this blog, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter. Oftentimes, you can also enter there!

9 Comments

Posted in Fiction, Giveaways, News, Rated R, Reviews of my Narration, Romance

Posted by: Karen | August 18, 2018

NOBODY’S GIRL FRIDAY by J.E. Smyth

Available now from Highbridge Audio. 51BBPt3vHRL._SX342_

From the Publisher:

“The first comprehensive history of Hollywood’s high-flying career women during the studio era, Nobody’s Girl Friday covers the impact of the executives, producers, editors, writers, agents, designers, directors, and actresses who shaped Hollywood film production and style, led their unions, climbed to the top during the war, and fought the blacklist.
Based on a decade of archival research, author J.E. Smyth uncovers a formidable generation working within the American film industry and brings their voices back into the history of Hollywood. Their achievements, struggles, and perspectives fundamentally challenge popular ideas about director-based auteurism, male dominance, and female disempowerment in the years between First and Second Wave Feminism.
Nobody’s Girl Friday is a revisionist history, but it’s also a deeply personal, collective account of hundreds of working women, the studios they worked for, and the films they helped to make. For many years, historians and critics have insisted that both American feminism and the power of women in Hollywood declined and virtually disappeared from the 1920s through the 1960s. But Smyth vindicates Bette Davis’s claim. The story of the women who called the shots in studio-era Hollywood has never fully been told—until now.”

My recording experience:

This book was provocative in terms of seeing what ground has been gained and lost for women over the years in Hollywood. A must for avid fans and students of cinema history, it seems that J.E. Smyth has unearthed facts ignored by previous (male) historians. Not only did I have a good time doing the research on this one (to find name pronunciations of many of the lesser-known actors, editors, designers, etc that are mentioned, I watched a LOT of YouTube videos including ancient Oscars telecasts and episodes of What’s My Line) I also learned some random facts, for one, that the Republican Party was the first to support the Equal Rights Amendment.

Listen to a sample here:

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Lee F. is the randomly selected winner and the CDs will be mailed out to her as soon as I get her address. Thanks to all for entering! I give away lots of books – to find out about them in the future, please consider following this blog, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter. Oftentimes, you can also enter there!

5 Comments

Posted in Business/Science, Giveaways, History, News, Non-Fiction

Posted by: Karen | May 21, 2018

TWO SOCIAL JUSTICE TITLES

In the past few month I feel lucky to have recorded several non-fiction titles that have given me new insights into today’s troubled times.

Two of these books, The Middle of Nowhere by Mary Pipher and Witnessing Whiteness by Shelly Tochluk, were actually published years ago but have received increased interest due to what’s happening in our country right now and are thus getting published in audiobook form for the first time (both from Tantor Audio).

Both are usefully, but somewhat sadly, even more relevant now than when they were first written. If you, like me, want to have a deeper understanding of the cultural currents in our society, I highly recommend them both.

Over the past decade, Mary Pipher has been a great source of wisdom, helping us to better understand our family members. Now she connects us with the newest members of the American family—refugees.

In cities all over the country, refugees arrive daily. Lost Boys from Sudan, survivors from Kosovo, families fleeing Afghanistan and Vietnam: they come with nothing but the desire to experience the American dream. Their endurance in the face of tragedy and their ability to hold on to the virtues of family, love, and joy are a lesson for Americans.

Their stories will make you laugh and weep—and give you a deeper understanding of the wider world in which we live.

The Middle of Everywhere moves beyond the headlines into the homes of refugees from around the world. Working as a cultural broker, teacher, and therapist, Mary Pipher has once again opened our eyes—and our hearts—to those with whom we share the future.

https://karenwhiteaudio.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/j1995_middleeverywhere.mp3 J1697_WitnessingWhiteness-238x238

Witnessing Whiteness invites listeners to consider what it means to be white, describes and critiques strategies used to avoid race issues, and identifies the detrimental effect of avoiding race on cross-race collaborations. The author illustrates how racial discomfort leads white people toward poor relationships with people of color. Questioning the implications our history has for personal lives and social institutions, the book considers political, economic, socio-cultural, and legal histories that shaped the meanings associated with whiteness. Drawing on dialogue with well-known figures within education, race, and multicultural work, the book offers intimate, personal stories of cross-race friendships that address both how a deep understanding of whiteness supports cross-race collaboration and the long-term nature of the work of excising racism from the deep psyche. Concluding chapters offer practical information on building knowledge, skills, capacities, and communities that support anti-racism practices, a hopeful look at our collective future, and a discussion of how to create a culture of witnesses who support allies for social and racial justice.

1 Comment

Posted in Genre, Giveaways, News, Non-Fiction

Posted by: Karen | May 10, 2018

Vintage Love Stories

I am beyond thrilled to announce that my short story, Can’t Get Used to Losing You, has been accepted in Blunderwoman Productions’ next collection, Vintage Love Stories.

This is my first work of fiction to be published, and it just happens to be the pre-quel to one of the books in my hopefully-published-soon romance series set in Boston in the 1980’s.

I’m proud to have a story in this collection, but especially happy to see that fellow narrator and longtime friend Cassandra Campbell will also have a story included.

I’ll keep you posted on release dates. It will be published in audio as well as ebook formats and I don’t think I’ll be narrating, so I’ll be announcing the narrators as soon as I know who they’ll be as well.

2 Comments

Posted in My Writing, News, Romance

Posted by: Karen | April 29, 2018

Supper Club Mysteries by Ellery Adams

Stiffs and Swine, Supper Club #4

“James Henry and the Flab Five are invited to serve as judges at Hog Fest, a celebrated barbecue festival in the Virginia mountains. But when one of the “pit masters” is found dead and a member of the supper club is accused of the murder, James and his friends have to lick the sauce off their fingers and get to work catching a killer.

Amid a fairground filled with colorful people and tempting food, The Flab Five are sure to fall off the diet wagon. But James Henry has more to worry about than his expanding waistline. His bookmobile is dead, suspicious activities are taking place in his beloved library, and his relationship with Murphy Alistair is on the rocks.

James needs to focus less on brisket and fried pickles and more on solving problems because Hog Fest is clearly no picnic.”

From the review at Fan Girl Nation:

“The audiobook of Stiffs and Swine is performed aptly by Karen White, who has narrated the previous books in the series as well. She uses great expression without over-emoting as well as good timing. I really like the way she makes the book come alive.

Stiffs and Swine is a really good book that I enjoyed listening to. I appreciated all the aspects of this book, whether the major plot point, the more minor plot points, or the characters. I strongly recommend this book to other readers and give it five stars.”

The Battered Body, Supper Club #5

“There’s big trouble in Quincy’s Gap when the “Diva of Dough” arrives to bake the wedding cake for Milla and Jackson’s Christmas Eve wedding. The Diva, a celebrity television chef and cookbook author, is Milla’s younger sister. And while her cakes are delectably sweet and incredibly beautiful, the Diva makes enemies wherever she goes. When one of the Diva’s enemies decides to take her out, and Deputy Lucy Hanover finds the famous chef’s body covered in cake batter, the Supper Club members find themselves up to their necks in suspects.”

Warning! While many listeners have rightfully noted that these books are a realistic portrayal of the trials of taking off pounds and keeping them off, Adams’s descriptions of food can make you really hungry. I just had to bake a pie after reading Chapter 11 of Stiffs and Swine. And eat it of course.

Photo from an real-life Hog Beauty Contest

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Mary is the randomly selected winner and the CDs will be mailed out to her as soon as I get her address. Thanks to all for entering! I give away lots of books – to find out about them in the future, please consider following this blog, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter. Oftentimes, you can also enter there!

4 Comments

Posted in Fiction, Giveaways, Mystery/Thriller, News

Posted by: Karen | March 19, 2018

Just have to share this

I just finished recording this novella for Harper Audio last week. The clip below includes one of my favorite lines to record of all time.

I know it’s sometimes tough to use a credit on a shorter book, but if you’re a fan of comedy and romance, I highly recommend The Good Luck Sister by the “go to read for humor and heart” novelist Jill Shalvis. The final chapter builds on this particular brand of emotional/word choice humor and it alone is worth the price IMHO!

GoodLuckSisterResize

p.s. you can listen to this title without reading Lost and Found Sisters first, but I think it’ll be a sweeter experience if you do.

Review from Books of My Heart:

“Karen White did the narration on the previous one and was outstanding. Her performance made this one more fun, too. Both Tilly and Dylan sounded just right to me. I listened at 1.25 speed comfortably.”

Review at AudioFile Magazine:

“Tilly Adams encounters her former best friend, Dylan Scott, in her art class. It’s the first time she has seen him since he dropped out of her life years ago. Narrator Karen White ably expresses Tilly’s continued feeling of loss. The story flashes back to when they were teens, which White tags with younger voices in contrast to the adult voices they have in the current story. Tilly’s character appeared in a previous story as a teenager in LOST AND FOUND SISTERS. The listener does not need to be familiar with the earlier story in order to enjoy this one. This novella is a quick and satisfying listening experience.”

1 Comment

Posted in News

Posted by: Karen | February 21, 2018

CHILI CON CORPSES by Ellery Adams

Book 3 in the Supper Club Mysteries series.

Available now from Tantor Audio.

From the Publisher:

“In this savory third mystery featuring the Flab Five, James Henry is looking to add a little more spice to his life. Despite his trimmer waistline, his girlfriend Lucy’s affections for him seem to have inexplicably cooled. So when Lindy suggests the supper club members join a Mexican cooking class, James leaps at the chance to try something new. The Flab Five’s classmates include Shenandoah Star Ledger editor Murphy Alistair and twin sisters with supermodel physiques. When one of the sisters is murdered during a school field trip to Luray Caverns, the amateur sleuths set out to catch the killer. The Flab Five has to work fast because the evidence points toward Lindy. Between his sleuthing, and his attempts to reduce his salt intake, improve his relationship with his father, and find the owner of a winning lottery ticket left in the library’s book drop, James’s winter is really heating up.”

From the review at Fan Girl Nation:

“Karen White performs the audio version of this book. She creates strong voices for each character and effective inflections as she reads the book. My one complaint is that her voicing of Gary, a New Yorker, does not sound like the New York accents I am familiar with, though I admit not to having spent time in New York or with very many New Yorkers. But Gary does not speak many lines, so this was not a significant issue. Other than this, I liked the performance of White in this book.”

My recording experience:

I’ve been having a great time recording this series – so many interesting characters. The fun thing about this one was that I recorded the Thanksgiving scene the day after Turkey Day!

Listen to a sample here:

3 Comments

Posted in Fiction, Giveaways, Mystery/Thriller, News, Reviews of my Narration

Posted by: Karen | February 14, 2018

What Does Passion Sound Like?

If you haven’t yet read Ron Charles‘ cheeky and chatty Washington Post article, “What Does Passion Sound Like?”, don’t miss it! Charles, whose video book reviews are also not to be missed, interviews a lineup of romance narrators (including Adenrele Ojo, Amanda Ronconi, Andi Arndt, Jim Frangione and me) on the topic of narrating romance audiobooks.

“This Valentine’s Day, you might whisper into your lover’s ear for a few minutes.

Pity the poor audiobook narrator who has to keep that up for hours.

It’s a challenge, particularly for the voice actors who record romance novels. Perhaps no group of people has thought more deeply about the complicated sound of passion than these narrators who speak the words that romance authors set down on paper. They literally sing the body electric.”

And if you’re looking for a few listening suggestions for this holiday of love, here are a few suggestions from my backlist.

Animal Magnetism Shalvis

Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis is a bargain if you pick up the Kindle edition and then add the audiobook. This is the first book of Jill’s that I narrated (thankfully, the covers improved over the years.) I was delighted to discover her humorous approach to the genre and continue to love recording her books.

B0859_SomethingAbout_D

Something About You by Julie James, the first book in her FBI/US Attorney series, is another one to check out. The Kindle edition is more expensive, but the audiobook add-on is less, so it comes out about the same. Another series full of humor as well as sizzling romance!

51y+9mdZK5L._SL300_

One more bargain series starter full of humor: Blissed by Jamie Farrell. Again, get the Kindle and add the audio – it’s a steal.

Tear-You-Apart

Finally, if you’re in the mood for something completely different on this holiday, which can be overwhelming in its focus on the HEA, check out Tear You Apart by Megan Hart. It’s beautifully written, quite steamy and delivers on its title’s promise.

ABOUT THAT KISS by Jill Shalvis

A Heartbreaker Bay novel.

Available now from Harper Audio.

From the Publisher:

When love drives you crazy….

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen, and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help – Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him – or seduce him.

the best thing to do….

No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun-time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.

is enjoy the ride.

As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.

From the review in AudioFile Magazine:

“White brings the spunky Kylie to life. The listener will chuckle as Kylie and Joe argue about her joining the investigation. White allows the listener to envision Kylie in her variety of disguises and brings out the sorrow she feels at the loss of her penguin. Listeners will especially fall in love with Kylie’s dog, Vinnie.”

From the review at Books of My Heart:

“Karen White was most enjoyable in this narration. I felt Kylie’s frustration at not being included and Joe’s total cluelessness as to having a relationship. She really does well with the male voices, better than one would expect.”

From the review at Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog:

“I love the Heartbreaker Bay series and was really happy with Joe/Kylie story. The great thing about this series is it balances humor and serious very well. Karen as always did a great job with the narration!”

My recording experience:

Kylie and Joe were such a lovable pair – both vulnerable because of life’s damages but still kicking ass and taking names, each in their own way. The “crime caper” element of this story was a lot of fun, too. Elderly Mrs. Winslow gets one of the best lines, per usual: “It’s all fun and games until somebody loses the handcuffs” but my favorite line was Kylie’s, “And I’m not a pretty puker, either.” Listen for these! Pretty sure I edited out my laughter…

Listen to a sample here:

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Teresa is the randomly selected winner. Thanks to all for entering! I give away lots of books – to find out about them in the future, please consider following this blog, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter. Oftentimes, you can also enter there!

8 Comments

Posted in Fiction, Giveaways, News, Rated R, Reviews of my Narration, Romance

Home Cooked Books

Vintage Love Stories, by me and seven other fabulous people

Stud in the Stacks by Pippa Grant

NOBODY’S GIRL FRIDAY by J.E. Smyth

TWO SOCIAL JUSTICE TITLES

Vintage Love Stories

Supper Club Mysteries by Ellery Adams

Just have to share this

CHILI CON CORPSES by Ellery Adams

What Does Passion Sound Like?

ABOUT THAT KISS by Jill Shalvis

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