Showing results by narrator "Nick Podehl" in All Categories

On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two young men, then savagely beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left to die. Five days later, Lesléa Newman arrived on campus to give the keynote speech for the University of Wyoming’s Gay Awareness Week. October Mourning is Lesléa Newman’s deeply personal response to the events of that tragic day and its brutal aftermath.

Nomad didn't expect to run into anyone as he perused the city junkyard. He most certainly didn't expect he'd meet anyone like Azrael, an old man shrouded in mystery. Although they've never met, Azrael appears to know a lot about Nomad and his family. How his mother seems to be lost in another world. Nomad knows something isn't right, but when it comes time for Nomad to face the truth, only Azrael can help. This is a short story told at its natural length that you might find yourself listening to twice.

Dylan doesn't have a lot of experience with comfort. His room in the falling-down Village Estates can generously be categorized as squalid, and he sure isn't getting any love from his mother, who seems to - no, definitely does - enjoy the perks that go along with being the parent of a "cancer kid". His only escape has been in the form of his favorite video game - World of Warcraft - and the one true friend who makes him feel understood, even if it is just online: Arden.

Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn't easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn't want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together. Now, after years apart, Adrien and Grace are forced to reunite at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers.

For more than twenty years, the Homeland has been immersed in a brutal, unwinnable war. Young men are drafted and sent to fight in a faraway jungle. Those who come back are scarred in body and mind. Lance, two weeks shy of turning eighteen, has watched his older brothers leave and his mother fall apart when they fail to return. He's never imagined a different future for himself - until he meets an idealistic young woman named Lorrie and impulsively flees town with her.

Rust and Metro live life to the fullest in the small Finnish city of Kotka. The lovers work together by day and write graffiti by night, always staying one step ahead of the law. But their luck runs out after an ambush by rogue security guards causes Rust to fall to his death. Having literally left their marks all over the city, Metro cannot help but be reminded of Rust everywhere she goes, making it impossible for her to move past the tragedy.

What is the XYZ factor? The XYZ Factor isn't a place or a company or an age. It's a new kind of culture where innovation, accessibility, and transparency are the norm. It's an environment created on the principles of the Millennial generation to foster intergenerational productivity in a new kind of office culture. An XYZ organization's employees are challenged, engaged, and excited to produce. Simply put, XYZ companies have an "it" factor that helps them rise above the competition. Any company can become an XYZ company. This audiobook is your blueprint.

Gabe is officially living in Vegas. It's his dream scenario - except for the fact that his girlfriend, Irina, is back in Seattle and surrounded by college guys. And his apartment is a little sketchy. Still, Gabe manages to pull off the bluff of a century: he finishes bartending school and gets a job at a club, even though, technically, he's not of legal age to serve. Being a man means paying the bills, and Gabe wants to show everyone that he can make it on his own and stay faithful to Irina.

The catcher is a statistical savant, the first baseman speaks in Buddhist koans, and the twin star pitchers may or may not derive mystical powers from scars betraying their Siamese birth. In fact, everything about the Birmingham Barons baseball team is remarkable - except for their performance on the field. For decades, the Barons have been woefully mediocre and Pudge Morrison - former better-than-average left fielder now long past his prime - has become the symbol for the team's disappointment.

Unemployed Colin is living back at home in the small town where he grew up in the shadow of his older brother and a gang of neighborhood bullies. He's still struggling to overcome his best friend Danny's unexpected death five years before. The strange series of events that took place on Danny's last night haunt Colin, and as he puts the pieces together, he discovers it may not have been an accident after all.

Four months ago, Taemon was able to stave off an invasion by the Republik Army by using tricks to convince his enemies that the people of Deliverance still had the telekinetic ability known as psi. Now, though, the truth of his deception has come to light, and the Republik is preprared to mount another attack, led by General Sarin and his son, Gevri.

The disturbing visions that helped Daniel Byers solve a deadly mystery have finally quieted, and the sixteen-year-old basketball star is looking forward to things settling back to normal. But when his father mysteriously disappears, Daniel realizes that the key to finding his dad rests in deciphering his chilling hallucinations.

When a steamboat arrives heralding the news that Iowa has been called up to represent the Union of the United States of America, Ike is beside himself with excitement. For months, the promise of war has enveloped small-town Keokuk like a grand game that everyone's in on - everyone but Ike, his swaybacked pony, and his best friend and checkers partner, Albirdie. Left behind with Mother and the aunts and girl cousins while the Button men march forth toward glory, Ike's fate is sealed.

The cards are stacking up against Gabriel James: first there’s Phil, the guy paying the bills for Gabe’s mom (but not leaving his wife). Then there’s Gabe’s new school, filled with kids competing for the Ivies, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street—while Gabe’s just trying to swing enough Cs to graduate.

David is a freshly minted NYU grad who's working a not-quite-entry-level job, falling in love, and telling his parents he's studying for the LSAT. He starts a Tumblr blog, typing out posts on his BlackBerry under his desk - a blog that becomes wildly popular and brings him to the attention of major media ( The New York Times) as well as the White House. But his outward fame doesn't quell his confusion about the world and his direction in it.

>In this beautifully imaginative collection, young people attempt to negotiate the often surreal terrain of childhood and adolescence where family, friends, clergy, and teachers often pose a threat instead of providing safe harbor. At the heart of the collection is the relationship between the meek narrator, his best friend alpha-male Clip, and the near-feral Roger - but there are also agoraphobic mothers, gorgeous babysitters from New Zealand, paranoid stoned veterans, and deeply sad older sisters.

Violet Wilson is a wallflower. Shy, serious, and accident prone, she’s got a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The night she's forced to pose as her friend might just be the worst time of all - that's when she's meets Jet Blevins. She knows better than to get involved with someone like him, but he touches her in ways she never expected, never wanted before.

They come from different walks of life, with different problems and different hopes and dreams. But they have one thing in common: they need a scholarship to college. And they’re ready to battle seven other contestants on a reality TV show to get it. But only one contestant can win on "The Benefactor". Who will take home the big prize? Tune in to find out.

Speakeasy manager Clara Woodsen will do anything to save her silent film idol from an untimely death. Even summon a demon. Even bet her soul she can teach his half-human/half-cheetah assistant to foxtrot. But people around town are acting strange. Have Clara's efforts unleashed a zombie plague? Or are her customers just really bad at dancing the Charleston? And can Clara find true happiness with the man of her dreams if she uses her...brains?

Boldly go where no geek has gone before! You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your closets are full of officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear, but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer is jam-packed with cheat codes, walkthroughs, and power-ups for navigating the perils and pitfalls of your love life with ease.