GIVEAWAY! One Summer by Karen Robards – an Anna Fields Narration

We originally planned to run our January Picks today but when we heard that Karen Robards’ One Summer narrated by the incomparable Anna Fields (Kate Fleming) was finally, after all these years, available for purchase as a download, we knew we had to stop everything and cheer Blackstone Audio for bringing it out of the vault and making it available to consumers today. We’re proud to say that we requested its rerelease from Blackstone after discovering it was buried in their newly acquired Chivers Library.

And what better way to celebrate the rerelease of One Summer than with a giveaway? We’re giving away TEN downloadable copies of One Summer courtesy of Blackstone Audio.

A Hidden Gem of Romance Audio

Published in audio format in 2000, this gem of a romance has been unavailable to consumers for years now. In fact, we don’t know if it was ever released in a format other than a library edition. That means it has not been available as a download before Blackstone’s rerelease last week. Only a few listeners were lucky enough to find an old hard copy at their library and, if you wanted to purchase a used copy in CD or cassette tape format, it meant waiting for months or even years at resale sites such as eBay and paying big bucks.

Although I run hot to cold on Robards’ backlist of titles, One Summer stands above the rest as a true contemporary romance of the highest quality especially with the highly talented Anna Fields doing the telling.

Anna Fields (Kate Fleming)

Anna Fields overwhelmingly won the Favorite Romance Narrator category in the Speaking of Audiobooks 2011 Favorite Romance Audiobooks Poll with 39% of the votes. In romancelandia, she’s best known for her narration of sixteen Susan Elizabeth Phillips titles including the Chicago Stars series. We lost this favorite narrator in 2006 when she died unexpectedly and audio fans have mourned her loss. There will be no new Anna Fields narrations which makes the rerelease of  One Summer, seemingly lost to today’s listener, all the more special.

Brenda and I have talked about One Summer for years, sharing our worn hard copies with audio friends as we searched for the publisher who owned the rights. Below today’s Giveaway post, you’ll find a portion of a hard-to-find search we ran in October 2012, Hunting Hard-to-Finds – One Summer. In this excerpt that includes four sound clips, Brenda and I jointly review One Summer.

Where Can You Find One Summer?

At this time, you can only purchase One Summer at Downpour. Downpour is easy to use – every bit as easy as Audible. If you choose to become a member of Downpour (which you can cancel at anytime), you can purchase One Summer with one credit for $12.99. Non-members pay $15.99. The hard copy CD will be available March 1^st. We don’t know when or if One Summer will be available at Audible. Should you want to know more about using Downpour, please check out our findings from 12/18/13 and our Interview with Blackstone Founder Craig Black.

The Giveaway

We’re giving away ten copies (downloads) of Karen Robards’ One Summer courtesy of Blackstone Audio. Entry is simple. Just complete the easy entry form below by midnight (CST) Thursday, January 23rd. No comments are necessary although we’d love to hear your thoughts in our discussion area. You may only enter once. We’ll contact you the morning of January 24th so watch your email as we must have acknowledgement of your win within 24 hours. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll select another winner. Bloggers and reviewers, we welcome your entry. There are no geographical restrictions other than the availability of the title in your area so, our overseas listeners/readers – please enter!

Contest closed.

Lea Hensley