This Is the Author

S5 E9: In this episode, meet Wendelin Van Draanen, Kristina Kuzmic, and Tara Schuster. Each of these authors has written a memoir full of insight, humor, and warmth. Now it’s time to go behind the mic and hear the unvarnished truth about what it was like for them to record their own work. Plus, find out who likes to listen to audiobooks while cooking a famously epic rice dish. Hope in the Mail by...

S5 E8: In this episode, meet Dr. Daniel Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, Beth Newell and Jackie Ann Ruiz, and Dr. Cara Natterson. These authors have written illuminating parenting books that will change the way you think about raising children – and actually decrease your stress about it at the same time. Go behind the mic and find out what inspired them to write and read their audiobooks. The Po...

S5 E6: In this episode, meet Steve Inskeep, Kate Winkler Dawson, and William Wheeler. Go behind the mic with these experienced documentarians and hear what it was like to record their audiobooks. Plus, find out who has learned a lot about story structure from listening to children’s audiobooks in the car. Imperfect Union by Steve Inskeep: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/555136/imperfe...

S5 E5: In this episode, meet authors David Levithan, R. Eric Thomas, and John Kenney, and get ready to laugh as you hear each of these witty writers describe what it was like to narrate their own audiobooks. Plus, find out who listens to audiobooks right before bed, who mispronounced the word “mistake” and had to do re-takes, and who can’t seem to find his clothes right now. 19 Love Songs by David...

S5 E5: In this episode meet authors Jennie Allen, Robin Meyers, and Dr. Lee Warren. These authors have written poignant books about faith and life; now hear what it was like for them to share their journeys from the recording studio. Plus, find out one author’s secret recipe for a great story. Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/540868/get-out-of-your...

S5 E4: In this episode meet Holly Whitaker, Romi Neustadt, and Laura Huang. Go behind the mic with these authors and hear what it was like to record their audiobooks—and what they discovered in the process! Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/605025/quit-like-a-woman/ You Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time by Romi Neustadt: https://www.pen...

S5 E3: In this episode, meet Wayne Baker, Robin Dreeke, and Rick Wilson. Go behind the mic with these experts in human behavior and hear what it was like to record their audiobooks. Plus, find out who listens to audiobooks while riding a tractor! All You Have to Do Is Ask by Wayne Baker: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/607570/all-you-have-to-do-is-ask/ Sizing People Up by Robin Dreeke...

S5 E2: Welcome to our first episode of This is the Author in Conversation, a more intimate behind the mic chat with our authors in the audiobook studio. This is Jennifer Rubins from Penguin Random House Audio and I’m thrilled to invite you into my conversation with Rachel Friedman, the author of AND THEN WE GREW UP: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood. Publishers Weekly na...

S5 E1: In this episode, meet Adam Davidson, co-authors David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott, and Jordan Raynor. Step into the audio booth with these authors and hear their unique perspectives on the economy, innovation, and work. Plus, find out who has attended 75 Grateful Dead concerts! The Passion Economy by Adam Davidson: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/239718/the-passion-economy/ F...

S4 E70: In this episode meet Kelly McGonigal, John Mark Comer, and model and dietitian Maye Musk. Join each of these authors behind the mic as they talk about writing and narrating their audiobook, and hear what they are most excited to share with listeners. Plus, find out which of these authors “decorated” the studio while recording—and with what! The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal: https://w...

S4 E69: In this episode meet Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, Buster Benson, and Jeff Lindsay. Step into the studio with these careful observers of human nature, and learn what inspired them to write and narrate their audiobooks. Plus, find out whose background in performance helped him polish his narrator chops! Bedlam by Kenneth Paul Rosenberg: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/602602/bedlam/...

S4 E68: In this episode, meet journalist Timothy Egan, author of A Pilgrimage to Eternity, and Clark Strand and Perdita Finn, co-authors of The Way of the Rose. Go behind the mic with these authors and hear more about the spiritual paths that inspired their audiobooks. Plus, discover the pronunciations that tripped up even these careful wordsmiths! A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Timothy Egan: https:/...

S4 E67: In this episode meet John Hodgman, Cameron Douglas, and Guy Snodgrass. Go behind the mic with these authors as they talk about the experiences that inspired them to write and record their audiobooks. Plus find out which noises are "the bane of audiobook narration." Medallion Status by John Hodgman: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/595005/medallion-status/ Long Way Home by Camer...

S4 E64: In this episode, meet Yancey Strickler, Sasha Sagan, and Gary Ferguson. As Yancey notes in this interview, “the world of value is bigger than we think.” Go behind the mic with each one of these authors as they talk about variations on this idea as viewed through the lenses of business, philosophy, and engagement with the natural world. Plus, get new audiobook recommendations from these thr...

S4 E65: In this episode, meet Adam Gidwitz, Adam Grant & Allison Sweet Grant, and John Cena. Discover the inspiration behind A Tale Dark and Grimm, listen to husband and wife writing team Adam and Allison discuss The Gift Inside the Box, and hear how John Cena applies “elbow grease” in his own life. Plus, learn the one question that may change dinnertime conversations with your kids forever. A Tal...

S4 E63: THIS IS THE ILLUSTRATOR (special ep with Melissa Sweet). In this special episode of This Is the Author, we present: This Is the Illustrator! Meet artist Melissa Sweet, who illustrated the audiobook cover for the new production of E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, narrated by Meryl Streep and a full cast. Learn what led Melissa to this project, and what it is about audiobooks that make the imag...

S4 E62: In this episode meet Rachel Maddow, Deepak Chopra, and Ali Wong. These authors may all be household names but listening to them talk about their recording experiences feels like meeting them for the first time. Learn more about what inspired each of their books. Plus, find out why narrating an audiobook is like a trip to the gym! Blowout by Rachel Maddow: https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudi...

S4 E61: In this episode meet Jonathan Vaughters, Christopher McDougall, and Mira and Jayson Calton. Join these authors behind the mic as they share how physical activity has impacted various aspects of their lives. From professional cycling to burro racing to building bone health, these authors’ passions will inspire you to learn more about the mind-body connection. Plus, find out who compared nar...

S4 E60: In this episode meet Eve Rodsky, J.J. Sutherland, and Latasha Morrison. These authors are pioneering new ways to think about equity, offering practical steps to help better achieve it in the division of labor in our homes, in the ways we operate at work, and in our steps toward racial reconciliation in everyday life. Hear what it was like for them to record their audiobooks. Plus, find out...

S4 E59: In this episode meet authors Ruta Sepetys, Carolina de Robertis, and Morgan Parker. Whether they’ve delved into hidden histories or explored the inner workings of the teenage psyche, these authors have written nuanced and moving novels that are meant to be heard on audio. Hear them describe the events that inspired their work. Plus, discover the identity of the “friend who got you when you...

S4 E58: In this episode meet Nico Tortorella, author of SPACE BETWEEN; Akilah Hughes, author of OBVIOUSLY; and Cory Allen author of NOW IS THE WAY. Each of these young writers is using their creativity and talent to inspire others to grow—through art, introspection, and joyous expression. Hear them talk honestly about recording their audiobooks; plus, find out which of these authors has finally be...

In this episode, meet Jim Williams, author of PATH OF THE PUMA; Robert Pondiscio, author of HOW THE OTHER HALF LEARNS; and Rhonda Magee, author of THE INNER WORK OF RACIAL JUSTICE. What big cats can teach us about the environment. The lessons learned from years of teaching at a public school. The ways mindfulness in law school classrooms helps students talk about race. These are the passions of th...

In this episode meet Dr. Lisa Sanders, author of DIAGNOSIS; Dr. David Fajgenbaum, author of CHASING MY CURE; and Dr. Elizabeth Stanley, author of WIDEN THE WINDOW. Each of these writers brings medical expertise and creative thinking to their profession in an effort to educate, illuminate, and bring hope and healing to people suffering with difficult symptoms and elusive diagnoses. Listen to them r...

In this episode meet Sarah Hurwitz, author of HERE ALL ALONG; David Platt, author of SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE; and Melissa D’Arabian, author of TASTING GRACE. Go behind the mic with these authors as they share what inspired their often unexpected—and revelatory—spiritual journeys. Plus, discover the word one seasoned pro has been mispronouncing—albeit with considerable flair—for years. HERE ALL A...

In this episode meet Brad Smith, author of TOOLS AND WEAPONS; Jason Harris, author of THE SOULFUL ART OF PERSUASION; and Tricia Clarke-Stone and Antoinette M. Clarke, authors of DOUBLE DOWN. Hear from these exceptional trailblazers on the importance of both understanding the tools of our trades and emotionally connecting with the stories that we tell. And guess who channeled their grandmother and...