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MIDVALE, Utah, Nov. 1, 2019 – What if you came home after a journey and your family was missing? What if someone else was living in your house, running what you used to manage — and trying to kill you? “To Swallow the Earth” lays out the adventure, even for people with no time to read, as a new audiobook.
Audiobook sales have jumped 37 percent since 2017, according to the Association of American Publishers. This western audiobook, which won an International Book Award, has been available in paperback and e-book formats for a couple of years. Now it carries busy listeners to old Carson City all while they excercise or commute.
“It’s really my grandfather’s story,” said co-author Karl Beckstrand of the fast-paced thriller. “My grandfather grew up ranching and exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains on horseback a hundred years ago. He used that setting for his western book — set in the Nevada silver rush.”
After his grandfather passed away in 1992, Beckstrand inherited the manuscript. “My task was to tighten his story and develop the characters while preserving the action, suspense and earthy vernacular,” Beckstrand said. Narrator Jack Crenshaw deftly brings the magnetic characters to life in the audio version.
Beckstrand, who grew up in San Jose, California, has won other literary awards, but this one is special. “It kind of validates my grandfather’s vision — gives him a nod — even beyond the grave,” he said. The thriller also was named a finalist for the Laramie Award and garnered Literary Classics’ seal of approval.
“To Swallow the Earth” is getting “great online reviews,” Beckstrand said. “The main character is an outcast, half-Mexican, raised by American Indians. But he’s fearless and loyal to his friends and family.” In addition to a tough, dark hero, there’s a gutsy heroine — a woman who is unintimidated in the worst kinds of opposition. Beckstrand’s stories usually have characters of color and surprises at the end.
Bestselling author Beckstrand heads Premio Publishing & Gozo Books, which produces multicultural children’s books and e-books for educators, libraries and families. His 60 kid’s books, e-books and audiobook may be found at https://PremioBooks.com, Amazon Audible, Apple iBooks and via major booksellers and distributors. See the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CzbQKuLVr8
Release ID: 88932004