Getting Trapped Under the Dome …

Next Tuesday, November 10th, Stephen King's latest novel, Under the Dome, will go on sale. We're happy to report that Recorded Books is releasing the audio version on the same day, so you King fans won't have to wait long to get this book into your waiting ears. At nearly 1100 pages, it’s King’s most expansive work since releasing Duma Key almost two years ago. Clearly, this is a novel with some serious scope behind it. But what’s it about?

In Under the Dome, a quiet town in Maine is thrown into chaos when an invisible force field suddenly appears, cutting off the townspeople from the rest of society. Short-order cook Dale Barbara watches as a plane strikes the dome and goes down in flames. But he’ll soon learn that the greatest threat comes from inside—where greed and the thirst for power run rampant.

To me, the greatest thing about Stephen King has always been that he can take a premise that sounds somewhat ridiculous when taken out of context and turn it into a psychological thriller.  Under the Dome is a perfect example of this, and his novella The Mist also comes to mind. It sounds a little absurd to say that an invisible dome suddenly comes down and covers an entire town, but once you suspend your disbelief and give in to the premise of the story, the real fun begins. That’s the beauty of Stephen King—if you buy into the idea that anything is possible, he’ll show you more than just the supernatural—he’ll give you a peek into human nature.

There’s a great video interview with Stephen King in the related media section of Amazon’s page for Under the Dome, and in it King talks about how he’s had the idea for this book since 1976. Well, it took thirty-three years from his initial conception for the book to come to fruition, but King finally delivered. The interview gives some great insight into how the master of horror thinks about his novels, and it’s definitely worth a listen. Have you ever had an idea that just wouldn’t leave you alone until you attended to it?

Ever Said "Someday I'll Write a Novel?"

Have you ever thought to yourself "I'd like to write a novel someday?" I know I have. Is Write a Novel somewhere on your Bucket List, maybe sandwiched between Sail Around the World and Run with the Bulls? I could do without the bulls, but I’ll cop to the novel writing and the sailing. Many people aspire to one day write a novel, but so often the rest of life gets in the way. But what if I told you that you could finish a novel in one month, and thousands of other people around the world would be working right alongside you?

That’s where NaNoWriMo comes in. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it’s a yearly challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the thirty days and nights between November 1st and November 30th. I know what you’re thinking … 50,000 words(!) … I can’t write a novel … where will I find the time? That’s the beauty of NaNoWriMo—it’s a flurry of creativity, but it only lasts for a month, and no one is expecting it to be perfect (or even good, for that matter).

To quote from the What is NaNoWriMo page:

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

The NaNoWriMo homepage offers plenty of support for those crazy enough to take up the challenge. You’ll have your own author profile, update your word count daily, and even share excerpts if you want to. You can also commiserate with other writers in the forums, and even read some hilarious and inspiring pep talks from famous writers like Piers Anthony, Neil Gaiman, Sue Grafton, Katherine Paterson, and Tom Robbins.

So, are you up for the challenge? I’ll be making a go of it, and I know some of my colleagues at Recorded Books will also be writing their hearts out all month long. If you decide to take the plunge, be sure to leave a comment or two and let me know you’ve also joined the quest for 50,000 words.

And let’s not forget, writing a novel is the first step towards having a Recorded Book with your name on it. Because that one’s on my Bucket List too …

Winners for An Echo in the Bone …

I'm happy to finally announce the two winners for our An Echo in the Bone contest. So without further adieu, here are the two lucky entrants:

Winner #1 – Beverly Smith

Beverly created a character named Sean O’Conner, who is Jamie’s illegitimate half brother. My favorite part about this entry was that Beverly created a hidden motivation for Sean, and I could really imagine him fitting into the novel’s storyline.

Winner #2 – Lindy Schwartz

Lindy created not one, but two characters, for our contest. The first is Dr. Alexandre Joubert Beauchamp, Claire’s ancestor from France, and the second is Maria Clairisse, who has a strange resemblance to Claire. My favorite part of Lindy’s entry was the very unique interest she gave to Dr. Alexandre—a fascination with dead bodies.

We really appreciate everyone who took the time to create a character and join in the fun!

Echo in the Bone Contest Extended

All you An Echo in the Bone giveaway entrants will have to wait just a little longer, as I’ve decided to extend the contest until this Friday at noon. I know many people out there are working furiously on their entries and I wouldn’t want any of them to miss out on a chance at winning this great prize.

For those of you who have already submitted entries, don’t despair, because I have some good news! I’ve managed to squirrel away a second copy of An Echo in the Bone from the stack in the warehouse, so we’ll now have two lucky winners instead of just one!

So for all you procrastinators out there, put those thinking caps on and give us your best shot. Good luck!

Last Chance to Win An Echo in the Bone

Our audiobook giveaway of An Echo in the Bone ends tomorrow, so be sure to get your entries in now if you want a chance to win a free copy of Diana Gabaldon’s latest in the Outlander series. All you need to do is create your own fictional character who would live in Jamie and Claire’s world. Give them a name, a little backstory, and explain what their role would be if they were a real character in the novel. Don’t overthink it too much—just have fun and give it your best shot!

If you want to enter, check out the previous post for full details and rules. Good luck!

Win a Copy of An Echo in the Bone!

As I promised last week, Diana Gabaldon’s latest novel in the Outlander series, An Echo in the Bone is finally complete and is en route to our warehouse. I know many of you have been waiting with baited breath for the audio version. So to reward your patience, we’re giving you a chance to win the very first copy off the truck! So, how do you get your hands on such a wonderful prize?

In the past, we’ve asked you to comment about your favorite author or narrator. But this time, you’ll need to get a little more imaginative. We want you to create your own character in the Outlander series, and tell us what their role would be if they existed in An Echo in the Bone. Give them a name, a backstory, a dash of motivation, describe what purpose they’d serve in the story, and tell us anything else you think we need to know. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb or get a little crazy—you don’t need to have read the book already—just get creative and have fun with it! Here’s a short description of An Echo in the Bone to get you started:

This seventh novel in author Diana Gabaldon’s immensely popular Outlander saga takes listeners on a thrilling journey to 1777 America. Jamie Fraser knows from his time-traveling wife Claire that, no matter how unlikely it seems, America will win the Revolutionary War. But fighting for the eventual winner is no guarantee of safety. And worse still, the possibility of pointing a weapon at his own son—a young officer in the British army—haunts Jamie’s every thought.

Please post your character bio in the comments on this post, and I’ll choose a winner from among the most creative and authentic entries. This contest will close on October 21st at 12:00 noon, so be sure to submit your character before then. Good luck!

October is National Arts & Humanities Month

What do you think about when you think of October? For me, it’s the Fall, the leaves changing colors, a chill in the air, pumpkins, and of course, Halloween. But what you might not know is that October is also National Arts & Humanities Month, and all across the country people are celebrating by exploring new types of art and culture.

National Art and Humanities Month was started in 1993 as a way to encourage Americans to experience different facets of the arts in their lives, and hopefully become lifelong fans. Here’s a link to a PDF that gives 101 ideas for how you can celebrate the arts and humanities this month. Number 9 is “read a book aloud,” which isn’t too far from “listen to an audiobook,” so many of you are already heading in the right direction!

But no matter what you choose, or if you come up with your own way to celebrate, the whole idea is to branch out and try something new. So here’s to broadening our horizons this month, and if you do anything to celebrate, let us know about it in the comments!

Is There an Echo in Here? An Echo in the Bone?

That's right, Diana Gabaldon fans, An Echo in the Bone is almost here! The much-anticipated seventh book in the Outlander series will be ready shortly. That's all I can tell you for now, but stay tuned for updates. And be sure to check back here next week for your chance to win one of our first copies! You might even get it before everyone else does …

To whet your appetites for Gabaldon’s latest, you can check out Diana’s exclusive interview with Omnivoracious about the completion of her manuscript and the publishing process. It’s in the related media section on Amazon’s page for Echo in the Bone.

For all you fans of the Outlander series out there, leave us a comment and let us know what you’re looking forward to most about the new book!

Could You Live Like George Washington?

Could you live like George Washington? What about giving up on multi-tasking, being totally honest all the time, or paying other people to handle your emails, phone calls, and daily decision making? Well actually, that last one doesn’t sound so bad …

Those are just some of the wacky tasks that Esquire editor A. J. Jacobs takes on in The Guinea Pig Diaries. Jacobs turns his life into an experiment, undertaking nine tasks in an effort to change the way he views the world, and provide a lot of laughter along the way. In fact, both Booklist and Kirkus call Jacobs “laugh-out-loud funny.”

Of course, this isn’t new territory for Jacobs, who hit the New York Times best-seller list last year with The Year of Living Biblically. For an entire year he followed every rule laid forth in the Bible, from “Love thy neighbor” to “Don’t shave your beard,” and the result was not only hilarious, but gave Jacobs a profoundly different outlook on the function of religion in our society.

One of the experiments I found particularly amusing in The Guinea Pig Diaries was Jacobs’ quest to follow the 110 rules of civility set out by George Washington. What, you didn’t know these rules existed? Neither did I, but you can check out the full list here. Some of them seem pretty extreme, but imagine if people still took this much care in how they acted around others. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

#23 – When you see a Crime punished, you may be inwardly Pleased; but always show Pity to the Suffering Offender.
#89 – Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust.
#92 – Take no Salt or cut Bread with your Knife Greasy.
#97 – Put not another bit into your mouth till the former be swallowed. Let not your morsels be too big for the jowls.

I should give some credit to Jacobs’ web site, where I found this list. If you check it out, you’ll find plenty of other amusing stories that have come out of his career as an immersion journalist. So have a happy weekend, and may your Knives never be Greasy!

Computers are odd creatures!

If you see a title on our front page that doesn’t have a rental price … rest assured. There is a rental price but for some odd programming glitch some of them aren’t showing. Just click through to the next page and BAM! (sorry Emeril) the missing price will appear. Please be patient while our resident IT guru makes his magic happen. May all your computer delays be short and your audiobooks really long.