A Warm Place to Call Home

A Demon's Story

By: Michael Siemsen

Narrated by: Ray Chase

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Frederick is a demon living life to the fullest...except, it's other people's lives.

Hailed as "...the next Michael Crichton", no one was expecting best-selling new author Michael Siemsen (The Dig, 2011; The Opal, 2012) to swing a left turn like Frederick. With little-to-no fanfare or announcements, Siemsen quietly released A Warm Place to Call Home (A Demon's Story) in 2013, surprising fans and drawing in a horde of new listeners. Overwhelmingly, his best-received and best-reviewed tale yet, Frederick has listeners "...actually cheering on a f***ing demon."

Frederick is a demon. Born in Maryland in the early 1980's, he hasn't a clue where he came from or why, but feels an irresistible desire to occupy a human body. Once inside, he finds the previous occupants' consciousness and memories forever erased, an inevitable side effect that gives Frederick pause when switching bodies, but not so much as to truly halt his ongoing enjoyment of human lives. In various bodies, he travels the world for decades - aimless - sampling cultures and experiencing life from the points of view of males, females, young, old, rich, poor. Now, Frederick has an urge to return to his roots in America, explore the mystery of his origin, find someone to love, and settle down for a while. In his hometown, his mission bears fruit much faster than he expected, as person after person presents themselves, and following his impulses, he is led directly to love, tragedy, answers, and the humanity he never knew he wanted.

©2013 Michael Siemsen (P)2014 Podium Publishing

My very first audiobook and it was quite enjoyable

Would you consider the audio edition of A Warm Place to Call Home to be better than the print version?

No. The reason is that I had a different voice in my head for Frederick and I wasn't very impressed with the way he sounded in this version. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just I had a different type of character thought up than the one Ray Chase portrayed.

What did you like best about this story?

I love this entire story. It is completely different from other things that I have read or been exposed to. The twists and turns in the story were very imaginative and I definitely did not see them coming.

What about Ray Chase’s performance did you like?

He was funny and sarcastic when needed but I felt like he overdid it a bit much at times.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I laughed, smiled, frowned, felt anger and disbelief. I love when a story gives me an abundance of emotions.

Any additional comments?

I would like to see this become a movie. I think that Frederick is a very intriguing character and could hold his own on the big screen.

Frederick Isn't so different from you or I

A Warm Place to Call Home didn't make you immediately think this book would be filled with such funny witty remarks, but it pleasantly surprised me! He's charming when he wants to be but can put an end to that real quick. Frederick wasn't so different from the people you meet on a normal day. A lot of people only keep you around when your purpose serves them, then off they go with their lives. Comical, heart warming & a little bit peculiar- I Loved it!

Hmmm. Interesting concept

I enjoyed this book very much. Considering the last 4 books I had to give up on because of horrible narration, this was a relief. He did a very good job in being the characters and not just reading our loud.
Story wise, also different, not quite what I expected. it does seem to lack something, I'm just not sure what it is. It doesn't have any major plot twists until the end, just some gentle hills and curves.

Recommend for an easy listen

I didn't want it to end

A Warm Place to Call Home is an awesome, awesome book. I hope it gets discovered and read (listened to) by thousands. I can't wait to read more from Siemsen.

I'm going to gush--here we go.

I loved the writing. The author surprised me right from the start by speaking directly to the reader in a casual funny way. He's a little irreverent, and funny, but then as the book went on, I almost forgot that he could be funny because I teared up in spots as he drew me into the story.

The story is so creative throughout. The premise is super interesting, but then it just gets better and better as he develops characters and as the story unfolds. There are twists that blew my mind. I cheered and gasped.

While I used the title that I didn't want it to end, the end was awesome. I said "NO WAY" out loud, it's so great.

The narrator is perfect. He changed voices in a way where he became invisible and let the story shine through.

I've already recommended this book to friends.

Get this book.

an interesting story with cruel twist near the end

though it's not my usual kind of read it was an interesting story and the narrator is very believable. near the end there's a very cruel twist and while it was really unexpected it really made the story a worthy listen but I found myself disappointed at how the story actually ends

took 2 ⭐s away

simply because the story was amazing entertaining😎🎭 and very good👏🏾👏🏾 but then it was like I'm story well formed and told now time to wrap this shit up blah blah the end and even the "WE NAMED HIM... " TF DO U MEAN WE AND I REMINDED IT 2⃣TIJH 3️⃣ TIMES TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T ANYTHING THAT I MISSED....I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING BUT MY FURTHER CONFUSION 😵😕🙈👀😒😒💯💯💯🙄🙄🙄, but I thoroughly enjoyed this rollercoaster🎢🎢 ride 👏🏾💯💯

Great twist

Love this book! I read it when it first came out and loved it. It's been awhile since I've read it so when perusing for a new audible book ran across it, the performance did not disappoint. Great story line, it really pulls you in and love the twist at the end.

Excellent story telling

While the story started off slow, it turned into a lovely surprise. Just a very pleasant experience while on a long walk.

Very Entertaining Quick Read

I just wanted to read something quickly for fun. This was exactly that! It was so interesting and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a gem of a read.

He Wants the Girl, Gets All of the Baggage

What made the experience of listening to A Warm Place to Call Home the most enjoyable?

Following Frederick as he finds personal fulfillment and peace of mind through the love of a cute, psychologically dinged woman who yearns to be dominated sexually in the role of the submissive and thrust into risky situations that act to arouse her carnal desires while destroying her sense of autonomy and self worth. Tons of psycho baggage, solid sex scenes and a haunted, sordid past all in one book.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting a glimpse into the personal life of a seemingly normal youngish woman who, if you knew her, maybe worked with her, or even were good friends with her would appear to be living a life that was in many respects normal and right down the line, so to speak. But, peel back those drapes, be a fly on her wall, or, in the case of Frederick, sit next to her as she gets that call from her boss, or tell her to go see her uncle - what harm could that do? and you will see another person who has had to deal with extraordinary circumstances.Melanie is an emotional train wreck who has more baggage than a loaded 747. What makes this woman's story that much more compelling is her admission that she was not blameless when it comes to why she is who she is now. It can be said her warped mind has been damaged as a result of repeated long term sexual exploitation and blackmail. Her rationalization for why she sought out the sexual abuse or thinking that her feelings and acts were not too far outside the realm of acceptable deviance (if there is such a thing) underscores the evil of sexual abuse and the long term psychological damage it causes in its victims. She continued risky behavior and still wanted to be dominated by some man she sees as an authority figure as a early 30's aged woman. In my $1.25 worth of psychological gobbily goop, she suffers from classic psychological damage manifested in continued potentially harmful sexual activity which may be temporarily fulfilling - for the time she is on her back getting drilled, but ends up chipping away and further eroding her ability to assert herself............blah, blah, blah.

What does Ray Chase bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Narration that is compelling. Ray Chase is the greatest. Keep it up Mr. Chase!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. And I listened to it over the course of 1 day. It flowed nicely.

Any additional comments?

Solid listen. Worth your $$$ and time. As to the above typed amateurish psycho diagnosis, no matter how I tried to describe Melanie, I really felt sympathy for her as her past was revealed. I listened to a well written description of the long term damage a victim of abuse suffers whether they realize it or not. Maybe I'm totally off base with my characterization of her situation. Or maybe I'm not.Melanie does make some huge strides towards the book's end regarding coming to grips with her past. My heart swelled with pride as I listened to the scene where she asserts herself in a crucial arena - under the sheets - during a wonderfully descriptive sex scene in which she becomes a coequal sexual partner, lets down her guard and does something regarding legs and access.............