The Classic Tales Podcast
Designed to make classic literature less intimidating, The Classic Tales Podcast has been showcasing the greatest literary authors for years. Narrating with gusto, BJ Harrison performs each word of the classic texts, elevating them with character voices, sharp accents and bridled emotion. Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Humor and more - The Classic Tales Podcast has something for everybody. It really is The Cure for the Common Commute. Winner - Outstanding Podcast Host: Arts and Entertainment , Society of Voice Arts and Sciences- 2022 Winner of w3 Silver Award by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts-2022 Winner of w3 Gold Award by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts-2021 Winner of Independent Audiobook Award for "Scaramouche", by Raphael Sabatini - 2021

Sir Hugh takes his secret to the grave with a vicious grin on his lips – a devious grin that is contagious. F. Marion Crawford, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. Your support helps to keep us make amazing audiobooks and other tools to help improve literacy.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

Bellarion is now released. Continue listening after today’s story for a healthy sample of this amazing piece of historical fiction. Order now and be entered in a drawing to win a Treasure Island Audiobookmarks™ Gift Set. Just in time for the holidays!  

I heard something that didn’t sit right with me last week. There was a book club in my neighborhood that wanted to discuss The Scarlet Letter, and a couple of the people in the group were excited, but waiting for the audiobook to be available at the local library. Well, we’re not doing that! My friend Rachel came up with this idea, and I’ve embellished it. Here it is:

If you’re doing a classic title for your book club, you can buy ONE copy of the audiobook, and share the download link with the people in your book club. Just send me an email, and let me know the plan. Furthermore, if you want, we can set up a zoom call, and I can talk to your book club about the creation of the audiobook you all are discussing. Again, just send me an email, and we can set it up. I’m happy to do it.

And finally, one more thing. I discovered that Audiobookmarks™, the bookmark with QR codes to stream an audiobook, can be read by Chromebooks. So kids who are reading Huckleberry Finn, Great Expectations, etc. in many public schools, can listen to my narration and follow along even if they don’t have a smart phone.

It struck me that the Audiobookmarks™ can be a dynamic way to help kids learn to read, and it can help adults learn to read better. I’m starting a venture to get all of the most commonly studied titles into this format, and get them into the hands of students everywhere.

To support this venture, simply make any purchase on our website at classictalesaudiobooks.com. This is our new direction and focus. Make amazing audiobooks, and use them to create tools to help people of all ages learn to read better. Improving literacy is what we’re all about. Thanks for helping out.

Okay. Now, for a nice, scary story. Happy Halloween, everyone!

And now, The Dead Smile, by F. Marion Crawford.

 

Follow this link to order your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini:

 

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

 

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

 

Check out our blog about how audiobooks are made:

 

 

Direct download: CT_810_TheDeadSmile_w_Bellarion_Sample.mp3
Category:Literature -- posted at: 12:30am MDT

The search party discovers a certain horror when they find what they’ve been looking for. Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we’ve also helped a lot of people learn to read. We really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

I have a new blog post about how classic audiobooks are made, so check out my blog.

Bellarion is now recorded, and should be released next week. It runs around 16 hours, and is an absolutely incredible story. So much fun – you're going to love it.

I’d also like to announce a new item I’ve developed. It’s called the Audiobookmark. I’m actually trademarking it. My first one is Treasure Island. I’ve split the book into seven parts, and linked a qr code to a streamable file for each part. Then, I created a bookmark with the Treasure Island artwork and each of the qr codes in succession. So now, you can click the QR code on your phone, listen to the book, and follow along with your own copy of Treasure Island. You want to gift someone an audiobook? Here’s an Audiobookmark. Follow along if you have the book, or give it as a gift to your child or grandchild.

I have made a few initial copies of the first Audiobookmark of Treasure Island. Now, here’s the deal: The first 100 people who purchase Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini, will be entered in a drawing to get one of five Treasure Island packages I’m creating. Each Treasure Island package will contain: An Audiobookmark of Treasure Island, and a hard copy of the book, signed by me.

And, if you preorder during this next week, you’ll also save two dollars. How can you lose? You save two dollars, are entered in winning a great prize package, and get a fantastic audiobook of historical fiction.

Go go classictalesaudiobooks.com and preorder your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini today. You’ll be automatically entered to win one of five Treasure Island packages.

We pick up today’s story when young Simpson is still searching in the night for Defago, who has just run off into the freezing forest.

And now, The Wendigo, Part 2 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

Follow this link to preorder your copy of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini:

 

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

 

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

 

Check out our blog about how audiobooks are made:

 

 

Direct download: CT_809_The_Wendigo_Part2of2.mp3
Category:Literature -- posted at: 12:30am MDT

A monster lurks in the Canadian forests. If the legends are to be believed, a small band of hunters is about to meet the Wendigo. Algernon Blackwood, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we’ve also helped a lot of people learn to read. We really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

If you’d like to learn more about how classic audiobooks are made, please check out my blog.

Well, my loss is your gain. My schedule got a little muddled this month, so I’m pleased to announce the release of Bellarion, by Raphael Sabatini will be released in a few weeks. Set in pre-Renaissance Italy, Bellarion is a nameless orphan who is raised by monks, and rises to political prominence. Applying his scholarly training to the intrigues of the court, coupled with his strong sense of duty, Bellarion is a thrilling adventure.

Look for a healthy sampling in the next couple of weeks!

Today’s story is the first part of The Wendigo, by Algernon Blackwood. The legend of the Wendigo originates from folk stories from the Plains and Great Lakes Native Americans. The creature is a malevolent spirit, known to possess and even eat humans.

Yep, he’s a charming fellow. So let’s dive in!

And now, The Wendigo, Part 1 of 2, by Algernon Blackwood.

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

 

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

 

Check out our blog about how audiobooks are made:

Direct download: CT_808_The_Wendigo_Part1of2.mp3
Category:Literature -- posted at: 12:30am MDT

The torments of the Inquisition, and a murder that won’t keep quiet. Halloween comes with a vengeance with Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast.

Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening.

We are proudly supported by our listeners. This show was created with the intent to make the classics less intimidating, and more accessible. Over the years, we’ve been able to help many, many people discover authors and stories they never would have read, and we really appreciate your help.

Please sign up to be a supporter for as little as $5 a month. We’ll give you a monthly coupon code for $8 off any audiobook order. It’s a great way to build out your classic audiobook library, and help us to continue to provide this service.

Go to http://classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter today. Thank you so much.

I’ve got a new blog post about some training I recently had with Elishia Merricks from Macmillan, and the great PJ Ochlan. If you’d like to learn more about how classic audiobooks are made, please check out my blog.

We also won a w3 Silver award for this season of the podcast! Hazzah!

I’m planning on releasing a new classic title this month, outside of the podcast. So round up your coupon codes, and keep an ear open for the announcement next week.

And now for something completely different.

I first recorded The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum back in 2007, during the first year of the show. I wanted to try it again now, and see how my approach has changed and hopefully improved.

It’s actually quite difficult to perform Poe aloud. I mean, he’s talking about such outrageous stuff, it’s really easy to overdo it. In today’s reading, I try to make it as conversational and natural as possible, while still remaining true to the author’s original intent.

Poe actually wrote the stories with the intention for them to be read aloud. 1800s-style. There are a million different ways to approach this text. I hope this one works for you.

And now, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe.

 

Follow this link to become a monthly supporter:

 

Follow this link to subscribe to our YouTube Channel:

 

Check out our blog about how audiobooks are made:

 

 

Direct download: CT_807_PitandPendulum-Tell-TaleHeart.mp3
Category:Literature -- posted at: 12:30am MDT