Authors From LISTENING LIBRARY

David Almond

Over the course of his long and celebrated literary career, award-winning author David Almond has consistently explored the theme of opposing forces: His characters teeter between the dual attractions of good and evil, light and darkness. “I was brought up Catholic,” he explains, “so this notion is central to my childhood: deep, deep darkness and bright, bright light became part of my blood and bones, really. I couldn’t not write about those opposites.” While the title image of his latest novel, THE TIGHTROPE WALKERS, beautifully captures this central theme, Almond adds that he’s also fascinated by such acrobats: “I really admire what tightrope walkers can do--how beautiful it is and how dangerous.” He likens that balancing act to one required by writers. “You have to stay on that line, keep well balanced and have a sense of the void underneath you.”

Julia Alvarez

"Oh, I didn’t want to do it!" says Julia Alvarez, mock pain coloring her warm, Spanish-inflected voice. "When they said that I should narrate the BEFORE WE WERE FREE audiobook, I said, ‘No, no! An actress can do it. I’ll just stumble, groan, and want to change every word!’"

Jay Asher

Sitting in on two recording sessions for his novel, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, changed Jay Asher’s perspective on the words he’d written. The first day he heard Joel Johnstone reading the part of Clay Jenkins, the novel’s hero. Clay is one of the characters who receives a tape from Hannah Baker, a girl he loved but couldn’t save from suicide. Clay’s voice was just what Asher expected. “But it was surreal,” he says, “to hear words that you wrote being read by someone who’s putting emotion into them.”

Judy Blume

Judy Blume has written numerous books in which she expresses the certainties and uncertainties of childhood and adolescence with wit, understanding and sympathy. . . . Every bit of the warmth, humor and insightfulness of her writing comes across in her reading.”

Frank Cottrell Boyce

Celebrated children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce says the idea for his latest book, THE ASTOUNDING BROCCOLI BOY, was staring him right in the face. Literally. “I looked in the mirror one day, and I was bright yellow. I thought, ‘How have I never written about this?’” The author, who suffers from a rare blood disorder, turns a daffodil yellow when stressed. “It’s quite an alarming sci-fi color--not on the normal human spectrum.”

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Those who listen to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s THE WAR I FINALLY WON may be surprised to find they love it even more than her award-winning first book, THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE. Both books tell the story of a young Londoner named Ada who is sent to the English countryside during WWII.

Libba Bray

Many authors prefer writing in silence and solitude. Not so for Libba Bray, bestselling author of YA novels. “I’m a morning writer, which seems to run counter to many writers, but my son leaves for school at 7:30. Then I’m out the door. I go to a local café.” When I express amazement, she laughs and explains, “There’s something about being surrounded by people who are engaged in life and doing their thing. For me, it’s like a white-noise machine.”

Veronica Chambers

“As a writer, you’re always pitching--trying to convince others to get on board with your ideas,” says author Veronica Chambers. So when friend and editor Elisabeth Dyssegaard suggested Chambers create an anthology of essays on Michelle Obama, she was delighted. “It was really wonderful to have someone say, ‘I know you’re interested in this, and I know you’d do a great job with it.’” Although it was late in 2015 and Chambers knew the “crazy” math of publishing a book in about a year, she still felt a sense of excitement.

Sharon Creech

I wanted to be many things when I grew up,” says Sharon Creech Rigg. “A painter, an ice skater, a singer, a reporter. It soon became apparent that I had little drawing talent, very limited tolerance for falling on ice, and absolutely no ability to stay on key while singing. I also learned that I would make a terrible reporter because when I didn’t like the facts, I changed them.”

Sarah Dessen

“I’m a huge audiobook person, especially after having my baby,” says Sarah Dessen, writer and mother of 2-year-old Sasha. “I listen to books in the car constantly. And on the treadmill. And when I’m pushing a stroller. Portable books are a whole new way to experience literature.”

Kate Dicamillo

After a college teacher told Kate DiCamillo that she had “a certain facility with words,” she went around wearing black turtlenecks for 10 years and telling people she was going to be a writer. She didn’t actually put much on paper during that time but supported herself with jobs “at the margin of society,” including stints working at Disney in Orlando. “I learned a great work ethic and about the show and being on stage. At the Magic Kingdom,” she explains, “there were underground tunnels connecting everything. Down there it was quite grim, but upstairs it was glorious! The first time I started to write a story I realized: Here is the tunnel--the hard work--and up there is the show.”

Paul Fleischman

Books often lend themselves to audio, but Paul Fleischman’s books are written with sound in mind. His several books of “poetry for two voices” include JOYFUL NOISE, AM PHOENIX, and BIG TALK. His Civil War novel, BULL RUN, is an oral tapestry told in 16 voices. MIND’S EYE is composed entirely of dialogue between a teenaged paraplegic and her 88-year-old roommate. SEEK is the story of a young man searching for his father, an itinerant disc jockey, using shortwave radio.

Cornelia Funke

As an author, Cornelia Funke considers herself “a spy for children in the adult world.” In her writing, she tries to introduce children to the amazing and strange. “I transport my view of the world and the worries of the world through my stories,” she says, “and try to awaken the passion for reading in children and adults.

Jack Gantos

Jack Gantos has a knack for capturing a child’s view of life, whether he’s writing about hyperactive Joey Pigza—who swallowed a house key just to see if he could fish it back up—or Jack Henry—who spends his time chasing trains, UFOs, and bugs for his collection. Gantos also writes a picture book series about Ralph, a pet cat with a nasty attitude.

Mordicai Gerstein

Mordicai Gerstein always wanted to be a painter. "It wasn't until after I had illustrated a few picture books with writer Elizabeth Levy that I started working on writing, and after about 10 years, I published my first book--my first 'written and illustrated by.'"

Laurie Halse Anderson

Laurie Halse Anderson’s newest character, Lia, of WINTERGIRLS, hears voices. And so does the author! “I can make a lot of notes about a book, but until I can hear the character talking in my head, I can’t write it. You could say that my books are audiobooks first, which I then translate into visual text. I think that’s why I am so particular when it comes to listening to audiobooks. If the narrator’s voice doesn’t ring comfortably inside my skull, I can’t listen to the book.”

Karen Hesse

Karen Hesse, who has won a Newbery Award for children’s literature and a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” award for her writing, conducts months of research for each of her books. When it comes to kids, she says, “How could we give any less than our best effort?

Grace Lin

Grace Lin is such an avid audiobook fan that, she says, “I don’t read physical books anymore.” Her latest favorite is Sophie Hannah’s THE ORPHAN CHOIR. Lin juggles parenting, writing, illustrating, and presenting. With audiobooks, she can listen and get something else accomplished. What’s more, she says, “On an airplane, I used to get kind of sick, but I can listen to a story, and I’m fine.”

John Lithgow

Such is John Lithgow’s belief in the power of the spoken word that when his elderly father was ill and in despair, Lithgow offered to read to him. His father chose a story by P.G. Wodehouse, and as Lithgow read, the miracle happened--his father began to laugh. It sounded, writes Lithgow in his new memoir, Drama: An Actor’s Education, “like the engine of an old car, starting up after years of disuse.” To Lithgow’s grateful ears, “It was the most wonderful sound I’d ever heard. And I’m convinced that it was sometime during the telling of that story that my father came back to life

Lois Lowry

Writing has always been a part of Lois Lowry’s life. “As a child, my mother let me cover the dining room table with blankets and crawl inside to create my own private world. I would place my little construction paper houses and build the roads and make the rules for my imaginary people.” Sometimes she created a language for this imagined place, and there were often particular rules of naming. “There would be a hierarchy, a constitution, and systems of justice and education.” Today, to reach her goals, she does “exactly the same thing”—except for the crayoned houses. And you won’t find her under the dining room table. “I sit down at my desk and my computer every morning. It’s the place I most love to be.”

Ann M. Martin

Ann Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club series sold over 176 million copies. Fans who held their breath waiting for each release will be pleased to learn that there are at least seven books planned in her new Main Street series, beginning with WELCOME TO CAMDEN FALLS.

Geraldine McCaughrean

"I should declare at the outset that I am a passionate fan of audiobooks. I devour them. So I'm not an impartial witness," says popular author Geraldine McCaughrean. "A well-read book is like a theater performance mounted just for the listener--especially multivoiced recordings, such as Full Cast makes in the States." McCaughrean declares, "I have a passion for nice voices. A well-spoken and mellifluous voice is as much music to me as Elgar or Copland."

Walter Dean Myers

“You have to not love the words.” What a surprising thing for author Walter Dean Myers to say!

Jenny Nimmo

Children’s author Jenny Nimmo studied theater when she was young. As a teenager, she read lots of plays and began writing them, as well. “When you write plays, you have to put atmosphere in the words,” she says. She now realizes that the early reading and writing of plays helped her develop an ear for dialogue. “But at the time, when I took my plays to the director, he would just laugh, and I thought I’ll never be a playwright.”

Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver has written in different genres and for different age levels. She’s written series and stand-alone books. Her latest projects add to her literary diversity as she’s just finished the first in a realistic teen fiction series called PANIC and is now working on her first adult book. They’ll both come out next year. REQUIEM, the last of her futuristic YA Delirium series and latest publication, is being filmed by Fox for a pilot of the series. She’s published everything but picture books. Oliver laughs at the thought of that one missing format. Actually, she’s co-written one with a friend and is considering what to do with it. “My agent says then I’ll have my readers from cradle to grave.”

Tamora Pierce

AUDIOFILE recently caught up with fantasy author Tamora Pierce, who is in the middle of a whirlwind of activity, including preparations for the release of her 19th novel, her 4th and 5th audiobooks, a re-release of her first four novels, and the final edits of her 20th book, to be released next spring.

Adam Rex

Author-illustrator Adam Rex loves audiobooks and can remember the moment he discovered them: in the summer of 2001, when he and his wife faced a four-and-a-half day drive, moving their possessions from Tucson to Philadelphia. “We loaded up on audiobooks and listened to everything from ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST to James Bond novels.” Since then, Rex says, he’s become something of an audiobook connoisseur; particular favorites include the works of David Sedaris, David Rakoff, and Sarah Vowell. Hearing them read, Rex says, “I have the sense that I’ve built a relationship. When I listen, I feel like I’m getting an audio postcard from an old friend.” He’s also a fan of narrators who don’t oversell humor. “They let a funny line be funny on its own merits and don’t read it like they’re playing a slide whistle.”

Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan doesn’t listen to his own audiobooks. Ever. He’s been told they’re great, and he’s an avid audiobook listener himself. “But hearing my words spoken by someone else makes me unsettled--probably because I’m so used to how the narrative sounds in my head.” This hasn’t always been the case. “I tried to listen to one of my early adult mysteries on audio, and I got so agitated I had to stop after five minutes.” So Riordan hasn’t seen the movie adaptation of THE LIGHTNING THIEF--nor does he plan to. “My own picture of the story is so set and clear--I couldn’t abide seeing someone else’s interpretation.”

Rainbow Rowell

Overwhelmed by the experience of bringing out a first book, author Rainbow Rowell didn’t listen to her adult novel, ATTACHMENTS. And she was nervous about hearing her first young adult book, ELEANOR & PARK, as well. She knew her tendency to be critical from the days she wrote radio ads. “I was infamous for never liking them,” she says. “They would hit the beats wrong and sound cheesy.”

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Pam Muñoz Ryan’s books take her places. She went to the Metropolitan Opera and to Marian Anderson’s childhood home in Philadelphia as she wrote WHEN MARIAN SANG. She traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, when researching BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN. But her new book, PAINT THE WIND, the author says, was a real departure for her. “I had to make my mind and my body work differently than they ever had before. My character was taking a journey, and I was taking a journey as well.”

Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar understands the insides of children’s minds like few writers can claim to do. This understanding comes through in his writing, which is side-splittingly funny, morally thoughtful, and warped all at once. One look at his broad smile and his twinkling eyes and it’s clear his understanding goes far and deep. At least some of his insight can be credited to a job as a teacher’s aide in the 1970s. The children he met at that school became the inspiration for SIDEWAYS STORIES FROM WAYSIDE SCHOOL (1979).

Steve Sheinkin

Author Steve Sheinkin counts on audiobooks for the long drives he makes to school visits, "the longer, the better," he remarks. Of late, he's become fascinated with Scandinavian crime books and is presently in the middle of Jo Nesbø's THE SNOWMAN. These mysteries have much in common with the historical nonfiction he researches and writes for young adults.

Lemony Snicket

Daniel Handler, a pleasant fellow from San Francisco, bears an uncanny resemblance to Lemony Snicket, mysterious author of bestselling children’s books. Handler even narrated Snicket’s fifth book, THE AUSTERE ACADEMY , an experience that left him reeling.

Jerry Spinelli

“Maybe I’m not your ideal AudioFile subject,’’ says Newbery-winning children’s author Jerry Spinelli. “I don’t listen to many audiobooks. A little William Faulkner. A little Dylan Thomas. To me, audiobooks seem to be an in-car thing, and the stop-and-go driving I do around Willistown, Pennsylvania, doesn’t lend itself to ready listening.” Spinelli only has to commute as far as the office in his own home. Longer trips are usually devoted to plot discussions with his wife and fellow children’s author, Eileen.

Neale Donald Walsch

Few modern writers have had more influence on popular thinking about God than Neale Donald Walsch. CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD, Books 1, 2 and 3, published in 26 countries, reveal a God who is loving, knowable, understanding of our weaknesses, and, most important, easy to talk with. Walsch’s dialogue started during a time in his life when accumulated losses and failures made him want to “leave this planet.” In soul-searching anguish at 4:15 one morning, he started writing “How do you make life work? What have I done to deserve such continuing struggle?” To his surprise, his pen started writing answers that he grew to understand were from God and destined to be shared with the world.

Deborah Wiles

Author Deborah Wiles loves audiobooks--she does almost all her reading on audio. “I’ve listened for so long that the medium has grown from productions with a single narrator, which is perfectly acceptable, to this amazing art form that sometimes has multiple narrators, sound effects, and music. It blows me over.”

Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson was a storyteller even as a child--although when she was younger, she says, these stories weren’t the “once-upon-a-time kind,” but more outright lies, tall tales she told to see just how much she could get away with. “It wasn’t malicious,” she laughs. “I just loved to engage people with stories from a young age, and I didn’t know how else to do it.”

Nicola Yoon

“I love love!” declares Nicola Yoon. And that’s clear in both her young adult novels. It’s also clear that she adores storytelling. These two passions have merged and flourished, winning her countless fans. Moreover, recently she garnered the 2017 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award and a Printz Honor award for her second book, THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR.

Gabrielle Zevin

Gabrielle Zevin’s newest adult title is about an opinionated independent bookseller. THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY has won acclaim from reviewers, indie bookstore owners, and anyone who loves stories about stories.

Zevin’s many fans include Scott Brick, the narrator of the audio production. “I was stunned by the experience of narrating the book,” he says. “It drew me in from the first page. It’s the kind of book that I might ordinarily find myself finishing after only three days in the studio, yet I found myself stretching it to four, then five, simply because I hated the idea of it being over. I wept while recording it--more than once.”

Markus Zusak

Long before the producer chooses an audiobook narrator for a book, the author must choose his narrator--the voice of the character who will tell the story on the printed page. For THE BOOK THIEF, author Markus Zusak chose Death.

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