Title: Lost Along the Way Author: Marie Sexton Narrator: Jeff Gelder Series: Tales of the Curious Cookbook Heroes: Daniel Whitaker/Landon Kushner Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 4 Hours, 41 Minutes Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: august 11, 2015 Available at:Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Three months after losing his parents in a car crash, Denver weatherman Daniel Whitaker returns to Laramie, Wyoming. It’s bad enough dealing with the death of his parents and his failing relationship of fifteen years, but when he finds his childhood home full of clutter, Daniel is at a loss. He enlists Landon, his parents’ sexy neighbor, to help him sort through the mess. Landon Kushner is a study in contradictions. He builds wind sculptures out of scrap metal and loves the outdoors, but he also rides a mint-green Vespa and has an affinity for knitting and fortune-telling. He’s been friends with Daniel’s parents for years, and he’s more than willing to lend a hand.
Their plan is simple: clean the house so Daniel can sell it and get back to his life in Denver. But when a strange cookbook comes into Landon’s possession, Daniel begins to realize that the universe–and Granny B–may have other plans. Continue reading →
Title: In Too Deep Author: Kate Sherwood Narrator: K.C. Kelly Series: In Too Deep #1 Heroes: Aiden/Cade Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 8 hours, 29 minutes Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: August 12, 2015 Available at:Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: At first glance, Cade and Aiden hardly seem like a match made in heaven. Their worlds couldn’t be further apart. Cade is quiet, serious, and determined to succeed; Aiden’s a party-loving frat boy. Cade comes from a rough home and worked hard to get the scholarships that make it possible for him to attend college; Aiden’s had it all thrown in his lap by supportive, kind, and wealthy parents. Cade wants nothing to do with Aiden, but from the moment they meet, Aiden is determined to find a way to bring their different worlds together.
Aiden manages to persuade Cade he’s a decent guy, and a tentative friendship becomes much more. But a trip to Aiden’s family cottage puts Cade in the path of a ghost from his past, and a dark secret he never expected to face again. Cade did what he had to do to escape his dead-end life, but now he sees he didn’t leave it as far behind him as he thought. Continue reading →
TBG: Max, welcome back to the Blogger Girls. As always, it’s a pleasure to have you.
Max: Of course, always my pleasure.
***
TBG:My Hero is your first audio book, how amazing is that, huh? You have many books published so what made you choose this book for audio?
Max: It was the first book I wrote and it was the one that had been the most requested.
***
TBG: Jared Bradford is a new narrator, how did you two connect and what made you decide to use him as your narrator?
Max: We connected through a mutual friend, Monique Thompson. She sent me some of his music where he was singing. He had an amazing voice with a great range.
I’d been looking for a narrator for this book since last October. I knew what I wanted and when he sent me an audition recording, I knew I’d found the perfect guy.
***
TBG: Are there any plans for future collaborations?
Max: Yes. I just sent Jared a manuscript to look over. Can’t wait to see what he thinks of it. It will be a real challenge, I think. And no, I’m not telling anyone what it is until he’s done with it. 🙂
***
TBG: Many have been asking, so I must too, will there be a sequel?
Max:A sequel to My Hero? Yes, it is already in the works. I’m a little more than three-quarters done with it. As soon as it is finished and published, I want to give it to Jared. He did a fantastic job with the first one and I loved the way he brought it to life.
***
TBG: What are you working on now?
Max:My Hero: The Olympian. It continues right where the first book left off.
***
TBG: Are your books, characters, and locations based on actual people, experiences and places?
Max: I love this question. In My Hero, most of the characters are based on real people, or a combination of people that I’ve known. The character Anita, in My Hero, Johnny’s cousin, is my favorite character in the audiobook. Jared nailed her. It’s perfect.
***
TBG: What type of scene is the easiest to write, the hardest to write, and your favorite to write?
Max: Ahh, that’s a hard one. It really depends on the book and the characters. Sometimes sex scenes are really easy for me and then there are times, like in The V Unit, where they are difficult. It’s much easier I think when it is a male and female. You can use he and she, whereas in M/M they are both guys, so you have to be creative in the descriptions.
***
TBG: What is your biggest fear? As a writer and in life.
Max: My biggest fear in real life is snakes. They terrify me. In writing… The sequel to My Hero has terrified me. I think it is the readers expectations and then my own. I don’t want to disappoint the readers.
***
TBG: What do you want your tombstone to say?
Max: That is one ugly corpse. He must have done it right.
***
TBG: Final question: Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
Max: There are several. The will never do’s: Children, animals, scat and het sex scenes (I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that.).
TBG: Jared, welcome to the Blogger Girls. We know this is your first narration, which is extremely exciting, and we are thrilled to host this interview session with you and Max Vos.
Jared: Thanks! The pleasure is mine.
***
TBG: First off, how did you become an audio book narrator?
Jared: That’s a great question. It actually all started when I met Susan and the blogger girls! Before that, I had no idea the GRL world existed. Because of that friendship, I met Max’s and my mutual friend Monique Thompson, who introduced me to Max. She knew that I was in the habit of recording music at home and releasing it periodically on my Soundcloud (www.soundcloud.com/Jared-Bradford). She sent my information to Max who then approached me about the possibility of narrating “My Hero.” I also have a background and interest in acting so the project seemed like something I would enjoy and after discussing it with him, I agreed to create the audiobook version of his story! The feedback has been great so far and I’m looking forward to the next one.
***
TBG: Describe your experience while recording My Hero.
Jared: Since this was my first foray into home narration and audiobook production, there were definitely some things to learn and pitfalls along the way. I really enjoyed the first phase of reading the book and giving voices to the different characters. Max’s writing is very entertaining and he writes some lively characters with rich emotional lives. The Greek accent of Johnny’s mother was particularly difficult. Her chapters definitely had the most outtakes of any lol. I did notice as I continued that I became more and more comfortable switching between characters though.
Setting up a good, quiet space to record was also a big challenge. The mic picks up EVERYTHING. So I learned a lot of new skills in how to reduce outside noise as well as mastering the audio for final production.
Oh! And I had a serious hard drive failure during the production of the book. Luckily, I had done a recent back up but I still lost about 10 hours of editing work that had to be redone! So that was a bit stressful.
Overall, it was a great experience and project to work on. Max was very helpful and supportive! When I did my final listen of the entire book to check for quality, I actually made myself laugh and tear up. It’s not often that I enjoy my own performances since I’m usually too busy being my biggest critic, so that experience was very nice to have.
I hope everyone enjoys listening to the audiobook of “My Hero” as much as I did creating it!
***
TBG: Did you have any past experiences that you could pull from to make the jump in to audio book narration? What secret talents do you have?
Jared: Yep! I’ve been using computer software to record and edit music for a while. And I’ve done a lot of acting in plays and musicals that definitely helped me give life to the characters.
No secret talent. Just a good ear, attention to detail, and a willingness to sit at the computer until the quality is where it should be! 😉
***
TBG: How long did it take, from beginning to completion? Was this what you expected?
Jared: It took two months. Yes, I planned originally for it to take 6 weeks, working on it around Seth’s and my busy travel schedule, but I definitely ended up working on it down to the last seconds of our deadline. The computer crash didn’t help lol.
***
TBG: What happens when you make a mistake? Were there any particular scenes that gave you trouble, and took multiple takes to get it “just right”?
Jared: I frequently redo paragraphs or lines. I simply make a clap or loud noise that is visible on the waveform and redo it. Most chapters are at least twice as long before they are edited to remove all the outtakes.
Johnny’s mother was definitely the most difficult. The scenes with 4-5 guys all chiming in took a while too, since I had to be careful with who was talking and how they sounded. There are also several scenes where Johnny is talking with food in his mouth that I took a lot of takes to figure out the best way to do those while still being understandable.
***
TBG: How difficult was it to narrate multiple characters? Did you ever get the “voices” confused in your head?
Jared: Definitely! Lol. Sometimes I’d have to go back and listen to remember how a character sounded, especially if they hadn’t been around for several chapters. But it was also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed acting out all the parts. I had the most fun with the character Virgil. The voice I used for him reminded me of my grandmother. She always told me I spoke too fast for my southern grandma.
***
TBG: Sex scenes are hot for all of us to read, what affect, if any, did they have in bringing them to life? Was it difficult to get into the groove?
Jared: Max asked me about this during production haha. It’s very different to read or listen versus acting and producing. If I did my job right, you should get the same effect listening to the book as you do reading it 🙂
It was a little difficult at first. But the actual dialogue during sex is less important than the description of it, in my view. So I actually focused more on giving the descriptions in a manner fitting to the scene.
***
TBG: Now that you’ve got that first audio book in the vault, what are your future narration plans?
Jared: Max and I have been discussing starting production on another of his books. I’m actually looking over the manuscript and the calendar now! And I plan on auditioning for other titles in other genres as well.
***
TBG: What do you want written on your tombstone?
Jared: I don’t plan on having a tombstone lol. So nothing. I hope everyone has a huge party celebrating my life and I want to be put in a biopod and planted where I can grow into a beautiful tree.
***
TBG: Final question: What do you consider to be your best accomplishment in life?
Jared: I’m actually proud of a lot of things that I’ve done but I think my best accomplishments have been those times when I’ve helped someone to better understand the world around them or themselves. I’m an educator at heart and love learning about science, philosophy and psychology. Passing on knowledge is a legacy that never stops giving and creates a better world for us all.
About My Hero
When he was sixteen years old, Rich Miller saved a young man from drowning at his local pool. Little did he know that years later, as a senior in college and Olympic diving hopeful, Rich would meet up once again with Johnny Milloway, now a big football player – and when Rich says big, he really means ‘bear’. The shy jock remembers his saviour, and the two men become friends.
Johnny isn’t put off by the fact that Rich is gay. In fact, the more time he spends with Rich, the more curious he becomes. Johnny wants to know all kinds of things – what it’s like to kiss a guy, for instance. Only it doesn’t stop there…
Rich finds it difficult to believe that this relationship can go anywhere. Johnny is straight, and Rich isn’t prepared to deal with the heartache he knows will come his way in the future. He has enough on his plate as it is – the Worlds are just around the corner, his father would rather watch a football game than spend time watching his son dive…. What he doesn’t count on is Johnny, who can be very determined. And having Johnny in his life proves to be a catalyst for some pretty earth-shattering changes. . For readers who purchased the original edition, this second edition is not substantially different.
Max Vos is a classically trained chef with over 30 years of food service experience. After retiring in 2011, Max found himself with time on his hands and was urged to turn his talents to writing. ‘Cooking English’, a short story, was his first published work, and has four other short stories currently in publication with Ravenous Romance. His first novel, My Hero was a number one best seller on Amazon. He continues to challenge himself with varying topics, from Marine Vampires to taboo subjects. The one thing you will always be guaranteed to find in his writing is hard, gritty, man-on-man sex.
Max loves hearing from readers. You can keep up with him by reading his weekly blog posts on his own blog page: Max Vos | Facebook | email
About Jared Bradford
Jared Bradford has been a nation-wide gay nightlife icon, actor, go-go dancer, singer, model,
classically-trained pianist, yogi, and educator in physics and mathematics. He is originally from
Louisiana, but now lives very happily in New York City with his partner of three and half years,
Seth Fornea, and adorable Chihuahua, Miley. As a debut narrator and producer, Jared is proud to present his performance of My Hero as his first introduction to the audiobook world.
Jared has always had a strong interest in music and the theater and has starred in several
productions of plays and musicals including Hay Fever, Old Wicked Songs, The Exonerated, Godspell, and A Grand Night for Singing. He also recently portrayed Chandler in the daytime
web series La Fleur de Mai. Now, he is delighted to be able to bring his interests in music
recording and acting together to produce quality audiobooks.
Like most, Jared loves to enjoy life, and always tries to find the FUN in everything. If you have
the chance to see him twerking it on a box somewhere around the world, don’t be shy and come say hi!
Max has graciously offered up two audio and two ebook copies of My Hero, as well as two copies of a book from Max’s backlist The giveaway starts now and ends September 27, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below.
Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.
Title: My Hero Author: Max Vos Narrator: Jared Bradford Heroes: Rich Miller/Johnny Milloway Genre: MM Contemporary Length: 6 hours, 3 minutes Publisher:Max Vos Release Date: August 13, 2015 Available at:Amazon and Audible Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: When he was sixteen years old, Rich Miller saved a young man from drowning at his local pool. Little did he know that years later, as a senior in college and Olympic diving hopeful, Rich would meet up once again with Johnny Milloway, now a big football player – and when Rich says big, he really means ‘bear’. The shy jock remembers his saviour, and the two men become friends.
Johnny isn’t put off by the fact that Rich is gay. In fact, the more time he spends with Rich, the more curious he becomes. Johnny wants to know all kinds of things – what it’s like to kiss a guy, for instance. Only it doesn’t stop there…
Rich finds it difficult to believe that this relationship can go anywhere. Johnny is straight, and Rich isn’t prepared to deal with the heartache he knows will come his way in the future. He has enough on his plate as it is – the Worlds are just around the corner, his father would rather watch a football game than spend time watching his son dive…. What he doesn’t count on is Johnny, who can be very determined. And having Johnny in his life proves to be a catalyst for some pretty earth-shattering changes. Continue reading →
Title: Body and Soul Author: Jordan Castillo Price Narrator: Gomez Pugh Series: Psycop #3 Heroes: Vic/Jacob Genre: MM Paranormal Length: Book – 125 Pages / Audio – 4 Hours, 45 Minutes Publisher: JCP Books Release Date: Book – October 23, 2009 / Audio – December 31, 2014 Available at:Amazon and Audible Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Thanksgiving can’t end too soon for Victor Bayne, who’s finding Jacob’s family hard to swallow. Luckily, he’s called back to work to track down a high-profile missing person.
Meanwhile, Jacob tries to find a home they can move into that’s not infested – with either cockroaches or ghosts. As if the house-hunting isn’t stressful enough, Vic’s new partner Bob Zigler doesn’t seem to think he can do anything right. A deceased junkie with a bone to pick leads Vic and Zig on a wild chase that ends in a basement full of horrors. Continue reading →
Title: Control Authors: Mary Calmes and Cardeno C. Narrator: Greg Tremblay Heroes: Vy and Robert Genre: M/M Paranormal Length: Book – 220 Pages / Audio – 7 Hours, 44 Minutes Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Release Date: Book – April 18, 2014 / Audio – December 17, 2014 Available at:Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Audible Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Vy Aleknos is the leader of a hawk shifter flock. Openly gay since he was a teen, Vy is proud and self-assured on the outside, while secretly worrying he’ll be forced to spend his life alone because two males can’t be mates. When bear shifter Robert Cimino appears in Vy’s small town, Vy realizes his concerns were unfounded – he has a male mate, and a sexy, dominant one to boot.
Robert is a bear shifter who refuses to shift. Immediately attracted to Vy, he deviates from his normal pattern and seeks more than a one off with the powerful, bristly hawk. But Robert’s affections are rooted in his human form, and when Vy discovers Robert doesn’t recognize him as his mate, he pulls away. If Robert wants to stay with Vy, he must convince a man deeply ruled by his animal instincts to give their relationship as humans a chance. Continue reading →
Title: Legally Wed Author: Rick R. Reed Narrator: John Solo Heroes: Duncan Taylor/Peter Dalrymple Genre: MM Contemporary Length: Book – 216 Pages / Audio – 6 Hours, 55 Minutes Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: Book – February 3, 2014 / Audio – January 6, 2015 Available at:Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Love comes along when you least expect it. That’s what Duncan Taylor’s sister, Scout, tells him. Scout has everything Duncan wants—a happy life with a wonderful husband. Now that Seattle has made gay marriage legal, Duncan knows he can have the same thing. But when he proposes to his boyfriend Tucker, he doesn’t get the answer he hoped for. Tucker’s refusal is another misstep in a long line of failed romances. Despairing, Duncan thinks of all the loving unions in his life—and how every one of them is straight. Maybe he could be happy, if not sexually compatible, with a woman. When zany, gay-man-loving Marilyn Samples waltzes into his life, he thinks he may have found his answer.
Determined to settle, Duncan forgets his sister’s wisdom about love and begins planning a wedding with Marilyn. But life throws Duncan a curveball. When he meets wedding planner Peter Dalrymple, unexpected sparks ignite. Neither man knows how long he can resist his powerful attraction to the other. For sure, there’s a wedding in the future. But whose? Continue reading →
Title: Stay With Me Author: S.E. Harmon Narrator: Michael Stellman Heroes: Mackenzie “Mac” Williams and Jordan Channing Genre: MM Contemporary Length: Book – 290 Pages / Audio – 10 Hours, 5 Minutes Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: Book – April 29, 2014 / Audio – January 20, 2015 Available at:Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Private investigator Mackenzie Williams’ newest client is everything he’s looking for in a guy–charming, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. There’s only one itty bitty problem: the guy’s not exactly gay. In fact Jordan Channing is looking for a PI to follow his fiance. The smart thing would be to thank Jordan for his time, turn Mr. Perfect away (don’t let the door hit you on the rump, thank you very much), and forget he exists.
Of course Mackenzie has never been accused of doing the smart thing. Being a smart aleck is more his MO. Relationships aren’t up his alley, never have been. So why’s he so inexplicably drawn to his new client?
Jordan has always been the high achiever, a man who lives in a focused, controlled, and carefully constructed manner. But for the first time in his life, he has to admit the impossible: another man is getting his engine running on all cylinders. Despite Jordan’s denial, it’s not long before he can no longer resist the strong undercurrents pulling them together. Now Jordan must decide if he can go against everything he’s ever known to have the only love he’s ever wanted. Continue reading →
Title: Thaw Author: Jordan Castillo Price Narrator: Gomez Pugh Series: Psycop #1.5 Heroes: Vic/Jacob Genre: MM Paranormal Length: Book – 4 Pages / Audio – 8 Minutes Publisher:Jordan Castillo Price Release Date: Book – February 3, 2008 / Audio – December 15, 2014 Available for Free from:Jordan Castillo Price Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: As a psychic homicide investigator, Victor Bayne doesn’t get much time to relax. Thaw offers a rare glimpse of him off the clock. Heard of the PsyCop series, interested in m/m fiction, but never tried it? Take a taste of Victor and his sexy boyfriend, Jacob, whose smoldering good looks threaten to melt the ice rink where they’re skating. Continue reading →
Title: Fall Down the Mountain Author: P.D. Singer Narrator: Finn Sterling Series: Mountain #3 Heroes: Mark McAvoy/Allan Tengerdie Genre: MM Contemporary Length: Book – 224 Pages / Audio – 7 Hours, 7 Minutes Publisher:Dreamspinner Press Release Date: Book – October 18, 2012 / Audio – December 2, 2014 Available at:Amazon, Audible and iTunes Add it to your shelf:Goodreads
Blurb: Every night ski patrol Mark McAvoy relives the avalanche that took a life on his watch. Emotionally fragile and single by choice, he’s aghast at his friends’ taking charge of his social life. Hosting a potluck will at least provide him with a good meal.
Invited to the potluck on a whim, Allan Tengerdie catches Mark’s eye—and taste buds. This cuddly chef could be perfect for a lonely, too-thin skier; too bad Allan falls better than he skis. When Allan’s injured and frightened he’ll lose his catering company, he’s afraid to ask too much of a man he barely knows.
Mark wants to help but has his own problems. Was the avalanche a tragic accident or cold-blooded murder? His role in the inquiry leaves Mark in trouble at work, at the mercy of the law, and with too much time on his hands. If he clings tightly to Allan, will they be swept away together?
First edition published by Torquere Press (2010).
Bonus Story: Storm on the Mountain
A blizzard shuts down the ski resort, giving Mark a chance to show Allan he’s learned from his mistakes. Does he know Allan well enough now to say what’s in his heart?
Title: Lost Along the Way
Title: Control
The Blogger Girls 