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A Bonding Experience
Grumpy Goes Home for the Holidays follows an iguana who sets off for a Christmas reunion with his family in the Florida Keys; however, a few unexpected obstacles threaten his plans. What was the inspiration for your story?
Let’s go back to book 3, Two If By Sea, where Grumpy the Iguana tells the Giant Sea Turtle that he grew up behind the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys. This is where we learn that Grumpy has a family. So, when we get to book 4, Grumpy Goes Home For The Holidays, we find out that Grumpy is missing his family in the Florida Keys and decides it’s time to go home and surprise them. The inspiration I had was thinking about the holidays and how people want to be close to the people they love. Gifts are nice too, but the true meaning is connection, love, and family (and that includes friends because sometimes your friends are your family). Showing the people in your life that you care about them by showing up is also important.
How does Grumpy change or grow as he prepares for and completes his journey, and what qualities do you hope children recognize in him as they follow his adventure?
I think Grumpy realizes how much his friends care about him as they help him prepare for his trip. They want him to have a great time with his family. When Grumpy arrives home in the Florida Keys and spends time with his mom, dad, and little sis, he is again caught up in emotion about how much his family misses him and loves him. We learn that he has had a wonderful childhood and came from a solid foundation where there is respect and honor and love. Now we know how Grumpy came to be.
What do you hope children learn about friendship from the way Grumpy and his neighbors care for one another?
Showing you care and building trust with your friends is so important when you are out on your own and away from your family. The Flamingo Park neighborhood is a place where everyone looks out for one another. Every adventure that the family of animal friends goes on is a bonding experience and brings them closer together.
What do you enjoy most about creating stories for young children?
I enjoy every aspect of creating these adventures, and I always try to add a fun fact or two about the animals or the environment that they live in. This way, the children are learning something new at the same time they are enjoying the story.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
The story follows Grumpy as he packs his suitcase and sets out on a journey to visit his parents and little sister, who live in the Florida Keys. Along the way, Grumpy encounters several obstacles, including the loss of a precious gift for his family. However, with the help of his friends, Grumpy overcomes these obstacles and finally reaches his destination.
The book is beautifully illustrated, and it features charming characters that will capture your heart. It is also an excellent teaching tool for parents, as it promotes the values of love, family, and friendship.
With “Grumpy Goes Home for the Holidays,” you can join Grumpy on his journey and experience the joy of Christmas with him. This book will make a perfect addition to your holiday collection, and it is an excellent gift for anyone who loves a good holiday story.
Grumpy Goes Home For The Holidays
Grumpy Goes Home for the Holidays follows Grumpy, a sweet iguana who decides it’s finally time to head back down to the Florida Keys to spend Christmas with his family. Getting down there takes a bit of planning, and it’s delightful to see how his loyal neighborhood pals chip in to make the journey happen. From helping secure a bus ticket to handing over thoughtful treasures for Grumpy to share with his parents and sister, everyone rallies around him. It’s a sunny, upbeat setup that immediately welcomes young listeners into a cheerful world filled with warmth, generosity, and wholesome holiday anticipation.
A highlight of the audiobook is the narration, which brings each distinct character to life with tons of charm and energy. The narrator gives Grumpy a warm voice that makes him endearing, capturing all the nervous excitement of preparing for a long trip. When Mr. Squirrel pops in with his brisk banter, the vocal tempo picks up nicely, matching the character’s chatty personality and eager generosity. Even quick background moments, like the green parrot squawking directions or the bus driver calling out stops along the route, have their own playful flavor. The narrator keeps the overall cadence steady and relaxed, making it easy for little ears to follow every twist and picture the scenery along the coast.
As an engaging children’s book brought into audio form, the story hits just the right balance between sweet adventure and holiday comfort. The narrative moves along at a breezy pace that works perfectly for a calm bedtime listen or an afternoon drive in the car. It leans into everyday themes kids understand well, like the fun of packing a bag, the nervous worry about arriving empty-handed, and the sheer joy of surprising someone you love. There’s plenty of rich coastal color woven into the setting as well, from the rustling palm fronds to the gentle lap of ocean water against the docks outside the Turtle Hospital.
The audiobook captures a cozy, sunny mood that stays uplifting from the opening scene to the closing moments. It provides families with a comforting reminder about what truly counts during holiday get-togethers, focusing on togetherness, simple gestures, and genuine family love. The storytelling is gentle, lighthearted, and easy to settle into, giving kids a memorable hero to root for as he navigates his holiday trip. It’s the kind of lovely audio track that parents can put on repeat whenever they need something soothing, upbeat, and full of heartfelt seasonal cheer.
Listening Length: 9 minutes | ASIN : B0C34CHFF6
Sorcerer’s Creed: Legends from Qiledara, Book 4
Sorcerer’s Creed: Legends from Qiledara, Book 4 continues Amy Daniels’ fantasy series at a moment of uneasy peace. After a long period of violence, Galdutia and Qiledara are finally beginning to strengthen their relationship. Aaron the Dragonslayer and Elodie welcome the change and focus on preserving the fragile alliance between the two lands. Still, peace does not mean safety. The surviving dragonkin have not forgotten the destruction of the Master and his generals, and the possibility of renewed conflict remains just beneath the surface.
The arrival of Owen and Anna introduces an important new direction for Aaron. They come to Qiledara to help him develop his abilities in the magical arts and to teach him the sorcerer’s creed, an ancient promise that reaches beyond kingdoms, loyalties, and personal beliefs. This element gives the story a broader sense of history and adds another layer to the magical traditions already established in the series.
One of the strongest aspects of Daniels’ writing is the immersive nature of the world she has created. Qiledara feels expansive and lived-in, with distinct cultures, political tensions, histories, and alliances shaping the story. The setting is more than a backdrop. It continues to develop alongside the characters, giving the series a strong sense of continuity.
Aaron remains a compelling central figure. He has changed considerably since his earlier adventures, but his development is clearly not finished. His growing interest in mastering magic adds a new dimension to his journey and creates opportunities for further growth. He is no longer defined only by courage or his reputation as a dragon slayer.
Daniels also does a good job of restoring tension after the Master’s defeat. The alliance between Galdutia and Qiledara may be improving, but hostile forces remain, and the danger has not disappeared. That balance between peace and lingering uncertainty gives the story momentum.
As an audiobook, Sorcerer’s Creed offers listeners a richly imagined fantasy story filled with political tension, magical traditions, character development, and an expanding world. Fans of the earlier books should find plenty here that builds naturally on the series while opening the door to new possibilities.
Listening Length: 21 Hours 3 minutes | ASIN: B0HG23Z927
Her Masks & His Truth
Nataly Restokian’s Her Masks & His Truth opens on a jittery nightmare. Anna, a former television star now living in Quebec City, fears losing control of her own story, then settles into her real unrest: a love-marriage stretched thin by infertility, displacement, and a private hollowness she can’t name. When Simon Levesque, an older political candidate collecting signatures, appears at her door, their conversation becomes a hinge: Anna is drawn to his unbothered serenity, and his quiet certainty points her toward a meeting she thinks is with a man…until it becomes clear she’s being introduced to Christ.
What I didn’t expect was how insistently the book braided the domestic with the doctrinal. One moment, I was inside a marriage argument that feels granular and authentic, money, family pressure, language-barrier shame, the raw ache of failed IVF, and the next I was in a confessional rush of spiritual autobiography that speaks directly to the reader. That gearshift could have felt jarring, yet it often works because Anna’s inner life is already a storm: she’s performative, defensive, funny in flashes, and then suddenly pierced by a sharp sentence. The prose isn’t trying to be coy; it wants to testify, and there’s a kind of firm candor in that.
I also found myself appreciating the book’s portrait of pride as a costume. Success and beauty are masks that don’t quite suffocate you, but do keep you from breathing deeply. Anna’s history (celebrity glamour, a complicated past, a marriage forged in sacrifice) adds friction to the conversion arc beyond a simple “lost to found” template. Still, the narrative’s strongest scenes for me weren’t the big declarations; they were the smaller, human moments where love is messy but durable, Joe’s tenderness, Anna’s bruised humor, Simon’s patience that refuses to escalate into ego. The story’s faith-forward intent is unmistakable, but it’s most persuasive when it lets longing stay complicated instead of instantly neat.
I think Her Masks & His Truth is perfect for readers who actively seek Christian fiction, inspirational romance, faith-based contemporary drama, and redemption narratives, especially those who like spiritual mentorship threads and conversion-centered storytelling. It will likely resonate with fans of Francine Rivers’ emotional, testimony-leaning style (think the spiritual-romance sweep many readers associate with her work). Her Masks & His Truth is a tender and unflinching reminder that the most convincing rescue is the one that reaches the heart without flattering it.
Listening Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes
The Original Human Beings (Audiobook)
Listening to The Original Human Beings on audiobook, with Yareli Arizmendi as the narrator, felt less like consuming a novel and more like being personally invited to that Wallowa Lake campfire where Never Morales Santos Sundown tells her story. Her voice is soothing but firm, and that combination brought real weight to the ideas in the book. I felt like I was in the hands of someone who absolutely understood the gravity of what she was saying. The clarity of her delivery gave the whole narrative an air of authority.
The early chapters in the city dump were honestly hard for me to get through. The children live and scavenge in a toxic landfill, dodging soldiers, cops, and cartel thugs who treat them as expendable. Never’s mother is trapped in a horrifying relationship with General Mendosa and his bodyguard Gómez, and the violence they bring into the dump is unflinching. But the book refuses to collapse into misery. It keeps interrupting the horror with wild, irreverent humor: Mama staging mock-death dramas, kids playing pranks on authorities, and Loco Lucy, the aristocrat turned “vampiro” in a torn ball gown, reigning over the garbage like some broken fairy-tale queen. That mix of grief and laughter gave me whiplash, yet it felt emotionally true to how people actually survive trauma.
As Never’s world widens, the book shifts gears into something more reflective and overtly philosophical. We follow her escape from Honduras into the orbit of the Nez Percé, whose stories of being “The Walking-Out People” and “Original Human Beings” give her a new lens for understanding both her own life and the wider human story. The anthropology and Indigenous-knowledge sections could have turned into lectures, but because they’re filtered through Never’s battered, stubbornly curious voice, they feel more like late-night conversations with an elder than like theory. I loved how the narrative insists that humans, animals, and land form one kinship network, and how that idea quietly expands what “neighbor” means.
The final third, with Never as an aging anthropologist and cellist, took the book to a place I didn’t expect. Her Carnegie Hall performance could have read as a neat inspirational payoff, but it’s written more like a communal exorcism than a triumphalist finale. When she begins to dance with her cello, channeling the children of the dump, the migrants on the trains, and the songs of the Nimiipuu, the scene slips into a kind of musical magical realism. By the end I felt that click you get when a long, winding narrative suddenly makes sense of itself.
This is not a gentle read: it’s full of abuse, cartel violence, and spiritual harm. But having Yareli Arizmendi as the narrator made a big difference in how I could receive it. Her voice softened some of the edges without ever diluting the message; it held the space so the story’s mix of grief, joy, and defiant love could land fully. For me, the intensity was worth it. The story never lets go of joy as resistance, or of love as a kind of evolutionary leap humanity still has to make.
Listening Length: 13 hours and 43 minutes
From Idea to Reality – ‘A How To’ on Audiobooks
Introduction
Creating an audiobook can feel overwhelming for many authors—especially when you’re navigating unfamiliar equipment, new technology, and the challenge of bringing your characters to life through voice. In this candid and entertaining piece, authors and audiobook producers Susan Rogers and John Roosen share their real-world journey from curious beginners to successful audiobook creators of Dead Man’s Pose, Cobra Pose, Tree Pose, and Warrior Pose.
Susan and John provide a behind-the-scenes look at the trials, laughter, mishaps, and surprising moments that shaped their audiobook experience. Their story is a reminder that creativity often flourishes through experimentation, persistence, and a willingness to “give it a go.”
Whether you’re considering producing your first audiobook or simply curious about what the process looks like from the inside, their journey offers both encouragement and inspiration.
By Susan Rogers & John Roosen
Almost four years ago, we knew nothing about how to produce an audiobook.
After reading our book series to each other (about 50 times each), we knew we wanted to try and create a quality audiobook.
It’s almost undefinable what drove us to start this new and complex project. Some would say we’re addicted to writing. Our children and friends complain that we don’t answer the phone or respond to emails.
“Time choices” we say to them.
Our real passion is telling a good story … but it must be wrapped in the best art of storytelling. Creating an audiobook and producing it? Well, that’s an entirely different story.
Blending two styles.
To begin with we are two completely different personalities. We met in Officers Candidate School in the US military. Our last names started with the same two last letters, and we stood beside each other – it was destiny ‘At attention’ of course.
John is tall, a long-distance runner and a person who is good at predicting future events. Susan is a slender woman, who is like a firecracker full of action and a long list of things that must be done today!
On most topics, we see things differently, and our ways of expression are a stark contrast.
How could we come together and write as one voice? By necessity, we’ve had a lot of practice. Through our wide-ranging occupations and projects over the years in multiple countries, we’ve learned to blend our styles to make a unifying approach for most things …including cooking.
John cooks, and Susan says how great it is. [“Such a deal,” Susan confides.]
Producing a DIY audiobook.
You know all those Experts who say: “Do It Yourself’ is soooo EASY”?
We now wonder if that is AI speaking.
We did try to create an audiobook ourselves. There are all kinds of articles, videos, podcasts and influencers trying to influence you one way or the other in creating your own audiobook.
We bought all the equipment from a local electronics store.
“Ever done this before?” the salesperson with the crew cut asked.
“No, we haven’t,” we enthusiastically replied.
‘It’s Non-Refundable,’ he reminded us.
We crafted our closet into a sound stage leaving our clothes there to absorb sound and hanging up a wool blanket to cancel echoes.
We sat in our bedroom closet with our sound equipment perched on our sports clothes and the mike hanging from wooden coat hanger but could still hear the street traffic.
Extra blankets were borrowed from a neighbor who wanted to know what we were doing in the summer with the blankets. Duct tape sealed the door jam. The door chimes were disabled. And we decided not to answer the door … for anyone.
We thought about calling the airport about all those aircraft landing at a nearby airport. We didn’t think we’d have much success with that.
Then there were the thousand dogs that seemed to have recently moved into the neighborhood. That became a never-ending mission of negotiation and dog treats.
Finally, we resorted to using camping mattresses and five sleeping bags over windows and doors to create our sound set. It sort of sounded quiet. But we felt like we were in a small igloo in Antarctica.
We listened to the playback. John’s voice was scratchy in places. Susan sounded like a sultry 1930’s movie star vamp with a heavy breath delivery. We considered other possible use for her voice.
We listened to more playback and knocked over one of the cabinets in the closet—
we laughing so hard.
“This isn’t working,” John suggested.
“Let’s hire a narrator,” Susan replied.
The World of Narration
There is a bountiful number of narrators ‘out there’. They are called lots of things: narrators, readers, voice performers, voice actors, golden voices, storytellers and relators to name a few.
Actually, the first person that gave us a sample of their voice performing talents WAS our real estate agent. He was interested in changing his career, so he didn’t have to depend on the ups and down of the real estate market. We avoided mentioning his sample for almost two months, until we broke down and said he was such a great agent and the market was clearly picking up.
In the interim we subjected ourselves to 20 digital voice demos per day from everywhere on the planet until we were hearing voices … even when we weren’t listening. It felt like the Chris Young’s country western song where he sings, “I hear voices all the time”. After a few months, our neighbor, who is a psychologist told us to put pillows over our heads and hope the voices would go away.
AI Enters the Marketplace
When Artificial Intelligence started making a greater debut, it seemed like a possible option. We listened to dozens of AI generated voices who clearly could mimic anyone, but never really had the same type of feeling that any of the organic human narrators or voice performers could conjure up.
It was like your car telling you to check the back seat when you were leaving the car … and about as romantic. The worse part was AI didn’t know how to deliver a line the way we envisioned it.
“It’s doing, but not feeling,” John said.
“Duh,” Susan strongly responded. “It’s not feeling anything and never will.”
We Have a lot of Characters
The truth is—we have a lot of characters. Anyone reading to our books will see and know we delight in creating a wide spectrum of characters. They are from every demographic, every age and every personality.
Each book has a smorgasbord of these characters. The challenge of course, is to make each character seem authentic and multi-faceted. This includes characters that may have quirky characteristics that allow them to be visualized in the reader’s mind. We also rely on the readers’ imagination to mold our characters to the people they might know or think about. It is part of the partnership of willing participation between us and the readers.
How could we get that same type of quirky emotion into the audiobook version?
And worse, our stories do have a few killers, psychopaths, sociopaths a serial killer or two running around. There are heaps of romantic scenes, sprinkled with all the tension, suspense and thrills that we can wring out of any given page.
How was anyone going to act out all that?
After year of listening to all these voices, we decided one day that it would be our last day of searching.
The Voice
We were living in Sydney, Australia at the time. The day began with an ominous thunder and lightning rainstorm. We had difficulty with our internet. And power was sporadic. Perfect for trying to communicate with the last handful of people we wanted to connect to narrate our books
We held our communications dongle out the window for our very last call of listening to voices from around the world.
When the connection wasn’t happening, John decided hanging out the window further while holding a Wi-Fi device connected by a wire to a power point during an electrical storm was A-okay.
“Don’t worry Susan. I’m heavily insured and there’s always that military burial,”
Rupert Degas picked up on that last call. This extraordinary voice performer, who only works with you if he ‘likes your stuff’. We sent him a copy of the first book … and He liked our stuff! Sat up and read the entire book all night.
And in what was total irony … it turned out that Rupert Degas was living in Sydney, not far from us.
We so love irony. It was “The Voice – at first listen”.
Give it a Go
Have we had fun in all this writing and producing of Audiobooks?
You bet … we certainly have met that goal. And while there are moments of tension and frustration, Susan suddenly stands up, signaling we must practice the kissing scene again so we can describe it just right.
“Rupert will need this description so he can act it out during the audiobook performance,” Susan suggests.
“Alright Susan,” John says. “I’m happy to Give it Go.”
Author Links: Website | SoundCloud | GoodReads | Instagram | YouTube | Linkedin | BlueSky | Mastodon
One True King (Audiobook)
Amy Daniels’ One True King is the third installment of the fantasy series Legends from Qiledara. This addition thrusts readers into a kingdom teetering on the edge of chaos. After Aaron, the young king of Qiledara, disappears, the void he leaves behind becomes the heartbeat of the story. An absence that forces those who remain to confront their loyalties, identities, and biggest fears.
The narrative skillfully intertwines its many storylines, keeping the attention of readers as they uncover the hidden dangers in this fantastical landscape. What makes this story so captivating is Daniels’s ability to portray relatable characters who persist in the face of adversity. Each character’s internal struggle mirrors the kingdom’s external turmoil, blurring the line between personal and political conflict. Leadership is portrayed as a burden of sacrifice, responsibility, and painful growth.
I found that the descriptive world-building shines in the depiction of Penelope’s family home, allowing the readers to understand why she longs for its cozy, vibrant warmth. Daniels also vividly emphasizes the incredible power of the magical weapons used during battles, making sure the readers know that this is a force that can turn the tide of battle in an instant. The combination of her rich, detailed settings and the palpable energy of magic makes every scene immersive and thrilling.
The audiobook adaptation only adds to the magic of this fantasy. With multiple voice actors embodying the characters, the production feels like a full-scale performance rather than a simple narration. Each unique narration provides a new level of depth to the story and creates a more intimate type of storytelling that makes you feel as if you are right there alongside the characters, experiencing the thrill of every high and meeting each challenge head-on.
For fans of fantasy sagas, One True King is a fantastic addition to the genre and an already compelling series. Daniels blends intricate world-building and moral complexity into a story that feels both epic and relatable. Whether you’re drawn to personal journeys of characters shaped by love and loss or the political conspiracies of kingdoms in turmoil, Amy Daniels delivers a tale that satisfies every reader.
Listening Length: 16 hours and 44 minutes | ASIN : B0FL3HC2LY
Warrior Pose (Audiobook)
Authors and Audiobook Producers Susan Rogers and John Roosen have given fans yet another riveting installment in audiobook 4 of the Yoga Mat Mysteries. Ric thrives on living his life being pulled in every direction at once, with all the action, intense emotion, and dogged determination to which fans of the series have grown accustomed. Elaina, the yoga teacher who captured Ric’s heart, remains undaunted in facing the danger that goes hand in hand with being Ric’s one true love. Warrior Pose takes the pair on a journey to New Zealand, where Ric continues to face the challenges of a dark past, and their relationship is put to the test yet again.
The audiobook version of Warrior Pose is a must-listen for mystery and thriller fans. As a fan, I can’t recommend this installment without recommending the entire series, but I can say that any listener who chooses to devour this as a standalone will not be disappointed.
Rupert Degas’ narration is nothing short of brilliant as he takes on a multitude of characters and accents and nails each and every one.
I am always blown away by Rogers and Roosen’s work, and this audiobook installment was no exception. As this series has grown, so has the overall writing. One of the most striking aspects of the narrative is the sheer perfection in the action sequences. With each book in this series, I have been increasingly impressed with the way the authors integrate the thrill factor.
The art of using short sentences that pack a punch and draw listeners directly into the drama is not lost on this writing team. Nowhere is this more impactful than in the scenes when Ric is fighting for his life and battling both the obstacles that await in the wilderness and lurk in the dark.
Narrator Rupert Degas, always mesmerizing in his delivery, utilizes the most wonderful pauses in narration to allow thoughts to settle in. Listeners cannot help but feel as though they are peeking over Ric’s shoulder or standing tall alongside Elaina as she shows all the strength needed to support the man she loves–the one who comes with as much baggage as he does charisma.
Dynamics, again, are a focal point in Rogers and Roosen’s writing. As a listener who not only appreciates but craves character development in a series, I was beyond delighted to see the ebb and flow of Ric’s relationship with his father. In addition, Elaina’s vulnerability as she faces meeting Ric’s parents in this installment is touching and all too relatable. The mystery surrounding the toxic waste site and Ric’s multiple responsibilities often step aside to allow Elena’s growth to shine through, and that is a development I can definitely get behind.
Warrior Pose keeps listeners guessing to the end and into the story’s epilogue while pulling them deep inside the charm and comfort of Ric and Elaina’s relationship; it is the perfect listen!
Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins | ASIN: B0FJTD9C4B
