Author: Millie Copper
Narrators: Angela Church; Nick Sullivan
Length: 9 hours 32 minutes
Series: Havoc in Wyoming, Book 1
Released: Apr. 21, 2020
Publisher: CU Publishing LLC
Genre: Christian Fiction; Post-Apocalyptic
At the edge of the wilderness, far away from the big city, nothing bad could ever happen in such a protected place...or could it? Jake and Mollie Caldwell started their small farm and homestead to be able to provide for an uncertain future for their family, friends, and community. They have tried to plan for everything, but they never imagined this would happen. In this chaotic new world, where nothing is normal, easy, or safe, will Jake and Mollie’s family be able to make it to the safe haven they have provided? Will the Caldwells’ planning, provisions, and faith be enough? Caldwell’s Homestead is the first installment of the Havoc in Wyoming Christian Futuristic series. If you like mysterious apocalyptic events, fast-paced adventure, and plausible situations, then you’ll love this pause-resisting series. Download today and discover why listeners love this twist on the post-apocalyptic genre! The Havoc in Wyoming series has been described as “cozy” apocalypse and contains no profanity, gratuitous sex scenes, or overly detailed gruesome death scenes. However, it does contain conservative family values and references to God, prayer, scripture, and Christianity.
Millie Copper was born in Nebraska but never lived there. Her parents fully embraced wanderlust and moved around a lot, giving her an advantage of being from nowhere and everywhere.
As an adult, Millie is fully rooted in a solar-powered home in the wilds of Wyoming with her husband and young son, while four adult daughters are grown and living on their own. Since 2009, Millie has written articles on traditional foods, alternative health, and preparedness—many times all within the same piece.
Millie has penned three nonfiction, traditional food focused books, sharing how, with a little creativity, anyone can transition to a real foods diet without overwhelming their food budget. Her food storage book, Stock the Real Food Pantry, was the number one new Amazon Kindle release in its genre when it debuted in January of 2019.
The Havoc in Wyoming series is her first foray into writing fiction, using her homesteading, off-the-grid, and preparedness lifestyle as a guide. While this is her first time putting a story into print, the stories have been rattling around in her head for years. What a relief to finally let the stories out!
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A native of Tennessee, Angela trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and specializes in accents and character voices. She has worked in film, theater, and voice-overs, and is conversant in French. Proud member of both SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.
Nick has been recording audiobooks since 1994 (starting on reel-to-reel) and has been listening to them even longer. He has narrated over four hundred fifty titles in nearly every genre.
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- Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
- Once I got past the part of “should I or shouldn’t I” and moved on to finding my narration team, it was completely painless! Angela Church was very professional, and the co-narrator, Nick Sullivan, has been doing this for a decade. I never worried about how it was going or what was going on.
- Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- I didn’t even plan to publish the stories I was writing, let alone think of audio. Quite honestly, if I would have thought that far ahead, I would have done things very differently. Caldwell’s Homestead is written in first person POV from 10-year-old Malcolm and his dad Jake’s perspective. This resulted in needing a dual narration, so Nick Sullivan guest narrates as Jake. The next books in the series were written from a female perspective and will be performed solely by Angela Church, to maintain continuity. If I would have known what I was doing from the beginning, all books would be written from a single female perspective.
- How did you select your narrator?
- My friend Cap Daniels (author of the Chase Fulton series), knew Nick and Angela. He referred them to me. I chatted with them, listened to their demos, and knew they were perfect.
- How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- We talked early on about the history of the people in the story. And there were some pronunciation tips, mainly cities and towns. My team did the QC, so Angela and Nick would record several chapters and send it over for approval. It was really very easy. I highly recommend both Angela Church and Nick Sullivan.
- Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- The Havoc in Wyoming series is what some people refer to as Prepper Fiction. It was inspired by real-life prepper activities and, with the latest worldwide events, has turned out to be very timely. I can definitely say, though, while I did mention the importance of purchasing toilet paper, I didn’t give it the focus it received in real life!
- Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
- We listen primarily while driving. And living in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming we drive a lot! When it’s over half an hour to the grocery store, it’s nice to have a way to pass the time. My son and I also have audiobooks playing during the daytime as part of his homeschool curriculum. My husband especially loves the audio format and will often listen to a book while working around our small farm.
- What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- This is a huge topic of conversation in the homeschool community, with many agreeing it’s cheating. Not for us! When we added audiobooks to our curriculum, our son's reading skills drastically improved and he developed a love of stories. Truthfully, he’d still rather listen to a book than read it, but so would his dad. ;)
- How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
- I wrote a second novel. :)
- What’s next for you?
- Part 5 in the Havoc in Wyoming series was recently released, and I’ve just sent a standalone side story (set in the same world) off for beta reading. Angela Church and I are looking at when the second book in the series, Katie’s Journey, can be converted to audio. I’m finishing up my outline for Part 6 of the series and will start writing it in a couple of weeks. Right now, I’m enjoying spending time with my new grandson.
Jake Caldwell: 51-year-old Jake is six foot tall and has hazel eyes and a dimple on his left cheek. A bachelor until age thirty-seven, he married Mollie and suddenly became a dad to four girls. A couple of years later they added a son. Jake juggles work, a farm, and family life—sometimes it’s a struggle. He loves being outdoors, especially when he’s hiking, hunting, or fishing.
Mollie Caldwell: 50-year-old Mollie has a petite figure, green eyes, and dark brown hair cut short in a pixie style. She enjoys backpacking, homemaking, and shooting--and she collects holsters like most women collect jewelry. Mollie is Jake’s wife and mom to Sarah, Angela, Calley, Katie, and Malcolm. With a full-time work-from-home job, homeschooling, and their small farm, she keeps busy. A few times a year she works out of state for a week. This is one of those weeks.
Malcolm Caldwell: Malcolm is Jake and Mollie’s youngest child and is the only kid still living at home. He’s almost eleven and is Jake’s right-hand man. Malcolm looks like a younger version of Jake, with the same hair and a dimple on his left cheek, although he is short for his age and has Mollie’s green eyes. Malcolm loves anything NINJAGO or sword related.
Sarah Garrett: Sarah is Mollie’s oldest child. She has brown eyes, stick-straight brown hair, and is always dressed to impress in her 50s-era fashion style. Sarah is a big fan of recycling and helping the environment, and she chooses to “vote with her dollars” by only shopping at certain stores. She is married to Tate, and they recently moved from Oregon to Billings, Montana.
Tate Garrett: Tate is married to Sarah. Unlike Sarah, he prefers to dress casually, usually in sweats and a T-shirt. He’s a few inches shorter than six feet and keeps his hair and beard trimmed short and neat. Tate is a couple of years older than Sarah, and he loves to hug everyone. His parents, Keith and Lois, and his sister, Karen, are visiting from Oklahoma, where he grew up.
Alvin and Dodie Caldwell: Jake’s parents, Alvin and Dodie, have been married for 56 years and live in the nearby town of Prospect. They are both in their seventies and are fiercely independent. They enjoy a simple life, with daily walks and spending as much time outdoors as possible--usually fishing or hunting. Alvin has a full head of mostly gray hair, big bushy eyebrows, and brown eyes. He’s sharp as a tack and keeps everyone on their toes. Dodie is on the shy side, and while she doesn’t talk that often, she does offer friendly smiles to those she knows. She keeps her fully gray, waist-length hair pulled up in a loose bun, and her skin still maintains much of its rosy glow from her youth.
Doris and Evan Snyder: The Snyders are neighbors and good friends of the Caldwells. Evan is a retired deputy sheriff, having been part of the county’s Specialized Services Division. He’s slightly shorter than Doris, with a solid, sturdy stature, and is never without his sidearm. Doris is retired from both the Navy and a government job. She insists she wasn’t a spy or anything, but she doesn’t talk about the work she used to do. She’s tall, around 5’9”, with blond hair and an athletic build. They are enjoying their retirement by running a gun training school and living the country life.
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