Behind the Story: The Ifs Audiobook

It has been another crazy week. I’ve had family come to visit, so my time has been divided between them and work; hence the late post this week. I should probably plan my time better, but I get to it when I get to it.

Today, I wanted to tell you the story behind The Ifs audiobook. It is now available for purchase on Audible. There’s a sample on the side of my blog for you to check out and listen to. I promise, it’s worth your time. The narrator did an amazing job!

I’m kind of addicted to creating audiobooks. It started out a bit rocky, but then things really took off and fell into place. It’s so much fun to hear other people reading my words and bringing my characters to life. One day, I hope to have all of my books in audio form.

The first book I converted was Life After the Undead, my young adult zombie book, and I didn’t exactly have narrators beating down my door to read the book. Not a big deal. The one who ended up doing it did a wonderful job, and I’m happy with how it turned out. I assumed the process would be the same for The Ifs. 

For my middle grade book (which The Ifs is), my narrator parameters weren’t as stringent. I didn’t care if a male or female read it, and it was totally fine if they had an accent. I put the script up and waited for the auditions to come in—although I didn’t hold my breath. Past experience told me not to expect much.

I got my first audition in, and I really liked how the guy read, so I figured he would be the narrator. Then, I got another one in. And he did an awesome job too. After that came another and another.

When all was said and done, I had EIGHT auditions, and my mind was blown. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t expected that at all. And then I had a tough decision to make.

There were a few auditions that I knew wouldn’t work for the book, so they weren’t in the running. I asked my spouse and my kids for their opinion of who they liked best, then we decided from there. It was agonizing—seriously—because I appreciated everyone taking the time to audition, and it was so fun to hear how they interpreted my work.

In the end, though, Peter J. Taylor did a phenomenal job with the narration. His accent is fantastic, and he does voices. He even adds in a few sound effects—which is really what sold all of us on having him narrate the book.

I can’t wait for you to be able to hear the entire story. I think you’ll enjoy it just as much as I do.

The Story Behind The Ifs

Ugh! I’m behind on my posts this week because I had to take my computer into the shop to get fixed. It’s been trying to update since last August without success. After trying to fix it myself and not having any luck, I sent it to a professional. Apparently, they’ve been struggling too. Hopefully the issue gets resolved soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would share with you the story behind The Ifs, my middle grade fantasy novel. Currently, there are three in the series (The Ifs, The Ifs Return, and Undead Ifs), and the first book will soon be available as an audiobook. 

I started writing this series about 6 years ago. I wanted my boys to have a story they could call their own where they got to be the heroes. I knew they were going to be middle grade books, and I wanted them to be filled with action and adventure, along with a little danger.

At the time, my boys were much younger than their counterparts in the book, and I had a lot of fun imagining how they would behave when they were finally that age. I guessed some of their traits correctly, but I was off the mark on others. But it’s not a big deal. These are fiction stories, so I used my imagination.

I think the best part about writing these stories was how the boys reacted when I read them to them. I think they were able to imagine exactly what was happening and put themselves in the characters’ shoes. There was a relationship there that they might not feel with other stories—which totally makes sense if the story is about them!

My oldest enjoys these stories so much he shared them with his classmates. He asked one night if he could take The Ifs to school, and I told him sure. The next day, he told me that the kids had the choice of three books for the teacher to read out loud, and they picked The Ifs.

At parent-teacher conferences, the teacher told me that my oldest would often interject side notes into the story—behind the scenes stuff—while she read. She said he really enjoyed having insider knowledge, and it kept the other students interested.

It makes me swell with pride to know that my boys are proud of these books. I put a lot of work and love into them, and I’m glad they enjoy reading them and having others read them. That’s the true goal of an author: to impact the reader.

For Your Reading and Listening Pleasure

My boys have 2.5 days left of school, and they are chomping at the bit to be done! Summer is upon us, and so is the time for summer reading adventures.

For your middle grade reader, Undead Ifs is now available in paperback. You can also find it for Kindle.

Landon and Broden have been successful in defeating Gage twice. With him safely trapped in the hourglass and locked away, they can go on with their lives without a care in the world.

And the first thing they are going to do is enjoy a banquet with Slade and his Ifs where the brothers are the guests of honor. Now that the If village and the brothers are safe, a whole day full of food, fun, friends, and flying on hawks is just what they need to move on from the battles.

The boys discover more than good times hanging out with the Ifs, however. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that something sinister is buried just beneath the surface of celebration and fun. Something is in the trees, hiding in the shadows, something that may or may not be undead.

Could Gage be behind whatever evil lurks in the woods? Or is this a new danger? Join Landon and Broden in their new adventure to discover what wicked thing threatens their world.

Undead Ifs is the third book in The Ifs series. If you’re looking for the other two, they can be found here.

While not available quite yet, The Ifs (the first book in the series) will soon be available as an audiobook. Here’s a little teaser to get you excited about its release.



I hope you all have an amazing summer filled with fun. I also hope you find some downtime to curl up with a good book.

New Book Release: Undead Ifs

Undead Ifs is now available on Kindle. It is the third book in The Ifs series, and it is a special request from my boys.

Book 3 in The Ifs series

Landon and Broden have been successful in defeating Gage twice. With him safely trapped in the hourglass and locked away, they can go on with their lives without a care in the world.

And the first thing they are going to do is enjoy a banquet with Slade and his Ifs where the brothers are the guests of honor. Now that the If village and the brothers are safe, a whole day full of food, fun, friends, and flying on hawks is just what they need to move on from the battles.

The boys discover more than good times hanging out with the Ifs, however. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that something sinister is buried just beneath the surface of celebration and fun. Something is in the trees, hiding in the shadows, something that may or may not be undead.

Could Gage be behind whatever evil lurks in the woods? Or is this a new danger? Join Landon and Broden in their new adventure to discover what wicked thing threatens their world.
My boys are 11 and 9, and they are huge zombie fans, but most zombie movies are still too scary for them to watch. They wanted something with the undead that wouldn’t keep them up for weeks and made them the heroes, so I wrote this story for them.

In celebration, the first two ebooks in the series—The Ifs and The Ifs Return—are free through Sunday. Now is the time to catch up on the series and get ready for a whole new adventure!

I’m also looking for reviewers, so if anyone is interested, drop me a line!

Projects In Progress

Is it just me, or is anyone else a little weirded out that it’s May? That means that school is almost out and summer is right around the corner. It means FREEDOM! I’m not sure I’m ready for the boys to be away from their schedule. I’m sure they are.

Despite my unreadiness, time will keep marching forward and summer is the perfect time to lose yourself in some great books. I’ve got some in the works, so I wanted to share what projects I have in progress and what you can expect from me in 2018.

Death to the Undead Audiobook

The second book in the Life After the Undead series has been recorded and should be approved any day now by ACX. If you haven’t listened to the first, you can find it on Audible or iTunes.

The Ifs Audiobook(s)

I am also getting The Ifs series turned into audiobooks. The first one should be available mid-summer. I will let you know when that’s available.

Undead Ifs
Speaking of The Ifs, the third book in the series, Undead Ifs, will be available in Kindle and paperback format soon. Again, if you haven’t read the other two books in the series (The Ifs and The Ifs Return), now is a good time to get caught up.

Edge of Humanity

I’m assuming that toward the end of the year Edge of Humanity will be available as an ebook and paperback. It’s the second in the Saving Humanity series—Humanity’s Hope is the first. Check it out if you haven’t had a chance!

What happens when humanity's hope rests on the shoulders of a teenager?

Caleb didn’t come out of the zombie uprising unscathed. He’s been scarred—both mentally and physically. The rest of humanity is trying to rebuild, to make the world normal again. Caleb is trying to return to a normal life also, but after all he’s seen, after the loss of his family and friends, the transition is difficult. The darkness that led him down a path of self-doubt and self-harm has never left his mind.

Things only become worse when he discovers he’s immune to whatever makes a zombie a zombie. Fighting zombies was predictable. He knew what to expect. Fighting humans is volatile. They are malicious and treacherous. They won’t stop to get what they want, and Caleb has to figure out exactly what that is.

Summer is the best time to get find yourself in new and exciting worlds and to meet some new imaginary friends. I hope to expand and enrich your reading experience with my latest releases and the first stories from the various series.

The Ifs by J.D. Pooker

My middle grade book is now avaible for sale!  You can find it at Little Devil Books or Amazon.  If you go to J.D.'s blog, you can find information about how to win a gift certificate to Little Devil Books and enter the drawing to win one of two signed copies of The Ifs.

For Ages 8 & Up

“Mom, Landon’s throwing food!”

“No, I’m not!”

Landon and Broden are brothers. Some days they DO NOT get along very well. They spend most of their time fighting, arguing and plotting ways to get revenge on each other.

Then, strange things start happening…

Noises in their room that are not the cat.

Homework is mysteriously finished.

A broken shoelace repairs all by itself.

Clothes are put in the hamper on their own.

The brothers want to share their weird experiences, but they don’t know if they can trust each other. But when they find out who’s behind all the strange things around the house, they are called to battle.

Battle? Whoa! Right there in the forest by their house! A battle with the most unusual creatures and wildest of beasts. And when the battle turns more dangerous than they imagined, Landon and Broden must face their fears, put their grudges aside and learn how to work together.