The latest video diary from the set of The Hobbit actually came out in December, but better late than never! This installment shows the crew preparing for and shooting on location. It’s astounding the number of people and trucks it takes! As with all the videos so far, it just makes us anticipate the movie(s) even more.
The Hobbit on location
February 2nd, 2012 by Julie · HighBridge at the Movies
→ No CommentsTags: film·hobbit·movie·New Zealand·Peter Jackson·Tolkien
“On the Road” to a theater near you?
January 11th, 2012 by Julie · Author/Narrator News, Hear It Here First, HighBridge at the Movies
Director Walter Salles reports that his long-awaited film of On the Road is nearing completion and aiming for a May 23rd release in France. The movie stars Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Tom Sturridge and Kristen Stewart, with Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst and Terrence Howard filling out the cast for the adaptation of the Jack Kerouac classic. The movie doesn’t yet have a North American distributor, so there’s no word on when it might release in the U.S. In the meantime, get your Beat fix with our audio of On the Road, read by David Carradine, or our new audio, One and Only: The Untold Story of On the Road. One and Only, by Gerald Nicosia and Anne Marie Santos, tells the story of Lu Anne Henderson, the woman who started Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady on the trip that inspired the book.
→ No CommentsTags: Amy Adams·Anne Marie Santos·Garrett Hedlund·Gerald Nicosia·Jack Kerouac·Kirsten Dunst·Kristen Stewart·On the Road·Sam Riley·Steve Buscemi·Terrence Howard·Tom Sturridge·Viggo Mortensen
Featured Audio Giveaway – January 2012
December 31st, 2011 by Kay Weiss · Featured Audio Giveaways
Running the Rift
Naomi Benaron; read by Marcel Davis
How to Win This Audio CD
1. Be an active* subscriber to our newsletter. Just enter your email address below:
2. Send an email to
newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com
3. Put the words “Running” in the subject line. Entries must be received by no later than 1/20/2012. See the Win Audiobooks page for more details. Alternatively, you can LIKE HighBridge on Facebook and comment on this post, or become a FOLLOWER on Twitter and tweet or retweet this message by 1/20/2012 (remember to “@HighBridgeAudio”).
About This Month’s Featured Audio
Winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, this powerful debut novel describes the life of a young Tutsi boy who comes of age during the Rwandan genocide.
“Truly fearless writing . . . culturally rich and completely engrossing.”
—Barbara Kingsolver, founder of the Bellwether Prize, author of
The Poisonwood Bible
“The politics will be familiar to those who have followed Africa’s crises (or seen Hotel Rwanda), but where Benaron shines is in her tender descriptions of Rwandan’s natural beauty and in her creation of Jean Patrick, a hero whose noble innocence and genuine human warmth are impossible not to love.”
—Kirkus Reviews 
HC starred review
“Benaron accomplishes the improbable feat of wringing genuine loveliness from unspeakable horror. . . . It is a testament to Benaron’s skill that a novel about genocide . . . conveys so profoundly the joys of family, friendship, and community.”
—Publishers Weekly HC starred review
“Unflinching and beautifully crafted. . . . This tale of social justice [is] a memorable read, and those interested in coming-of-age stories set in wartime will want it as well. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal HC starred review
More information on this title
Review this product
Last Month’s Winner
Congratulations to CAROL KUBALA the winner of the last giveaway,
When She Woke. Thanks to all who participated.
→ No CommentsTags: audiobook·barbara kingsolver·giveaway·marcel davis·naomi benaron·running the rift
Featured Audio Giveaway – November 2011
November 2nd, 2011 by Kay Weiss · Featured Audio Giveaways
When She Woke
Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound;
read by Heather Corrigan
How to Win This Audio CD
1. Be an active* subscriber to our newsletter. Just enter your email address below:
2. Send an email to newsletter@highbridgeaudio.com
3. Put the words “When She Woke” in the subject line. Entries must be received by no later than 11/18/2011. See the Win Audiobooks page for more details. Alternatively, you can LIKE HighBridge on Facebook and comment on this post, or become a FOLLOWER on Twitter and tweet or retweet this message by 11/18/2011 (remember to “@HighBridgeAudio”).
About This Month’s Featured Audio
Hannah Payne awakens to a nightmare. She is lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home. She is now a convicted criminal, and her skin color has been genetically altered. Her crime, according to the State of Texas: the murder of her unborn child, whose father she refuses to name. Her color: red. The color of newly shed blood.
In Hannah’s America, sometime in the future, faith, love, and sexuality have fallen prey to politics. Convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated, but “chromed,” forced to appear in a new and sinister form of reality TV, and released back into the population. Stigmatized in a hostile world, they must survive the best they can.
Until her arrest, Hannah had devoted her life to church and family. In seeking a path to safety, she is forced to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes the personal.
“Corrigan’s narration becomes one with the plot.”
—AudioFile
“Jordan blends hot-button issues such as the separation of church and state, abortion, and criminal justice with an utterly engrossing story, driven by a heroine as layered and magnetic as Hester Prynne herself.”
—Booklist 
HC starred review
“It reads like a thriller, and one that makes you think hard, to boot. I’ve already placed this one on my favorite-books-for-book-clubs list.”
—BookPage
“[A] provocative, politically charged novel . . . chilling and riveting.”
—Family Circle
More information on this title
Last Month’s Winner
Congratulations to JUDY ROSSETTER the winner of the last giveaway, There But For The. Thanks to all who participated.
→ No CommentsTags: audiobook giveaway·featured audio giveaway·heather corrigan·hillary jordan·when she woke
Tom Waits: As Good and as Bad as Ever
October 31st, 2011 by Frank Randall · Author/Narrator News
Say you’re a music fan of recent vintage, and you’re puzzled by all the hoopla surrounding a new release by a gruff voiced character in a jacket and fedora. If you need a little background on Tom Waits as his new album releases—his first in seven years—a fantastic primer can be found on American Routes: Songs and Stories from the Road, a collection of musical highlights and revealing interviews by Nick Spitzer featuring a slew of music legends.
The Waits segment is a treat, as the cantankerous genius discusses his roots, the creative process, and the unexpected sonic results. And if you love Waits, you know you’re gonna love the interviews with Leiber and Stoller, Nina Simone, and—trust me—Dolly Parton. This HighBridge release, which elegantly ties together many diverse stops on the American musical landscape, is highly recommended. Check the Waits version of self-promotion below, and see what you think of the new record. I think it’s going to hold up well.
A Moment of Silence on the Prairie
October 31st, 2011 by Julie · Author/Narrator News, Hear It Here First
Sad news today: Tom Keith, longtime sound-effects wizard on A Prairie Home Companion, passed away suddenly on Sunday.
Tom Keith behind some of the tools of his trade. Photo credit: Cheryl Walsh Bellville
A little of his work can be heard on this clip from a 1992 Halloween show, which seems an apt excerpt for today. He’ll be greatly missed, on the show and off.
→ 1 CommentTags: A Prairie Home Companion·public radio·Tom Keith
Tea at Five—O’Clock Shadow?
October 26th, 2011 by Julie · Author/Narrator News, Hear It Here First
Matthew Lombardo’s play, Tea at Five, is going to have a benefit performance November 28. The staged reading of the single-actor play will star actor and playwright Charles Busch as Katharine Hepburn, and it’s a benefit for the Ali Forney Center.
Charles Busch as Katharine Hepburn
Judging by the photos on the website, Busch is a natural for the role. I’d love to see him taking on the Great Kate!
→ No CommentsTags: Ali Forney Center·Charles Busch·Katharine Hepburn·Matthew Lombardo·Tea at Five
Diana Abu-Jabur and Martin Kihn at the Twin Cities Book Festival
October 18th, 2011 by Kay Weiss · Author/Narrator News, Publishing News
Diana Abu-Jabur (CRESCENT, BIRDS OF PARADISE) and Martin Kihn (BAD DOG: A LOVE STORY) were both panelists at the 11th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival, organized by Rain Taxi Review of Books. HighBridge had a table, along with many other publishers, booksellers, and authors, at this event held in downtown Minneapolis this past weekend. Check out the gallery below:
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- Martin Kihn (BAD DOG) and other members of the memoir panel.
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- Our little table at the festival.
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- There was a large (and boisterous) turnout at the event.
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- Diana with a signed copy of her audiobook BIRDS OF PARADISE.
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- Diana signing her new audiobook BIRDS OF PARADISE.
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- An Interview with Diana Abu-Jabur, author of BIRDS OF PARADISE. Check out the actual video as well.
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- Gotta have a picture of Hercules (Kevin Sorbo, MN native and author).
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- Magers & Quinn’s tables at the Twin Cities Book Festival.
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- Martin Kihn, author of BAD DOG–coming out on audio this spring (just like the sign says).
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- The midwest chapter of The Mystery Writers of America and also Sister in Crime were also exhibiting (and members on a panel).
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- Martin Kihn takes a turn at the mike.
Diana Abu-Jabur sat down with HighBridge at the Twin Cities Book Festival in Minneapolis. The author of CRESCENT and BIRDS OF PARADISE, both available on audio from HighBridge, was on a panel discussing food in writing, a combination she a thorough master of. Check out our video, where she discusses the event and audiobooks:
→ No CommentsTags: audiobook·bad dog·birds of paradise·diana abu-jabur·martin kihn·twin cities book festival·video
‘Eating with the Enemy’ scriptwriter named
October 14th, 2011 by Julie · Hear It Here First, HighBridge at the Movies
Eating with the Enemy
→ No CommentsTags: Eating With the Enemy·james gandolfini·Kurt Pitzer·Robert Egan
HighBridge joins other “Spirits” at 2011 St. Louis BoucherCon
October 4th, 2011 by Steve Lehman · Uncategorized
In mid September, HighBridge for the first time joined other mystery fans in attending BoucherCon, the international nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author.
size=”6px” Robert Ward, author of THE BEST BAD DREAM, next to the HighBridge table.
This year the convention was in St. Louis with the theme “Spirits of St. Louis.” As a former resident, it was a pleasure to have a reason to make a trip back.
The convention was a great opportunity to meet HighBridge authors such as NEA and PEN West award winner Robert Ward, Deon Meyer, and Colin Cotterill.
Susan Lovley, HighBridge, with Colin Cotterill (KILLED AT THE WHIM OF A HAT).
Cotterill, author most recently of Killed at the Whim of a Hat, was one of two international guests of honor. Meyer went home with a different prestigious honor: The Barry Award for Best Thriller for Thirteen Hours. The Barry Awards, voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures, are presented at Bouchercon, as our Bouchercon’s own Anthony Awards.
Our buttons, featuring art from the BLACK MASK series, that we gave out at BoucherCon.
Otto Penzler, Mysterious Press, stands beside the HighBridge titles his imprint is collaborating with us to provide on audio.
Otto Penzler, along with Steve Stilwell, former owner of Minnesota bookstore Once Upon a Crime, and another convention goer.
HighBridge had a table in the “Book Room” to hawk our wares (and hand out our buttons featuring art from our new Black Mask series). That room was jammed with people—at least, it was when the sessions, which featured various author panels, were out. We abandoned our table as well in order to attend a few panels, including “Sparks Fly Out: Law Justice and Society.” The panel had a political edge, as authors discussed the need and the difficulty of sometimes putting aside their own political views to write a well-round novel. There were lots of good, intelligent audience questions and thoughtful author answers.
Colin Cotterill sat on several panels at BoucherCon.
Some of the panels had a humor angle, such as “Cranky Streets: What’s So Funny About Murder.” But even with serious subjects to discuss, the panels were decidedly amusing, with the highlight of many a panel being the authors bantering with each other.
In the tradition of all good sleuth and police procedural stories, the hotel bar was full (although no longer smoke-filled these days) and the gatherings, formal and informal, went on late. One such packed, “formal” gathering was a party by Grove-Atlantic celebrating the relaunch of the Mysterious Press imprint on their aegis. (HighBridge will be publishing these same titles on audio.) Mysterious Press imprint head Otto Penzler and Grove Atlantic head Morgan Entrekin gave a toast.
Otto Penzler, Mysterious Press, with the head of Grove-Atlantic Morgan Entrekin at the party celebrating the relaunch of his imprint.
The event was wall-to-wall people. A number of authors, including Thomas H. Cook and Deon Meyer, attended.
Deon Meyer (TRACKERS, THIRTEEN HOURS, BLOOD SAFARI) and myself, Steve Lehman, HighBridge.
In all, St. Louis was a great adventure. Now that we’ve experienced it, there’s no mystery why authors, publishers, and fans love to attend BoucherCon. Hope to see you in Cleveland in 2012.
(PS Whether or not you attended BoucherCon, if you’d like a set of the buttons mentioned above, drop us an email with your mailing address. Put “Buttons” in the subject line to help us sort out requests.)
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