C.L. Berns

Great leaders need both logic and creativity. Left-Brain Leader in a Right-Brain World explores how analytical thinking and creative problem-solving can work together. A thoughtful look at leadership, innovation, and decision-making. https://f.mtr.cool/rvu7cmftg9

Another audiobook milestone reached! 🎙️ I’ve finished recording *The Forbidden Place* by Amber Grosjean, the sequel to *Song of the Bones and Sun*. Now the editing begins—removing flubs, refining the pacing, and checking every character voice.

Mike Garrity is back. Prodigal Son is Book 2 of the Mike Garrity Mystery series. A former detective. A new investigation. A character still trying to find his way. Series stories are interesting because the mystery continues — but so does the character. https://f.mtr.cool/dzeqipb8ic

From Westerns to science fiction, every audiobook creates a different world. Alien Taskforce was a fun project because science fiction requires building a believable world while keeping the characters at the center. Every story brings a new challenge. https://f.mtr.cool/db741c7zn0

A vampire hunter by night. Song of the Bones and Sun combines mystery, adventure, and supernatural elements into a story where ancient legends may not be legends after all. Narrated by C.L. Berns. https://f.mtr.cool/i3qmiw48kf

What if the future is already influencing who we become? Boris Kriger's The Call From Tomorrow explores questions about time, consciousness, and human experience. A thoughtful audiobook for anyone who enjoys exploring life's bigger questions. https://f.mtr.cool/yw2d6e6d0a

“I have a brain tumor. I call him Bob.” Former detective Mike Garrity is running out of time. Then a boy-band star disappears, pulling him back into Orlando’s underworld. Head Games by Thomas B. Cavanagh, narrated by C.L. Berns. https://f.mtr.cool/hnmt90t22w

Six character voices in my next audiobook. Thirty-eight in the one after that. 🎙️ I’ve never counted how many voices I’ve performed in a single book. Maybe that was self-protection. I’m a little overwhelmed—but I’ll get there one character at a time.

The happiest place on earth has a deadly secret. Murderland by Thomas B. Cavanagh takes a familiar place filled with smiles and turns it into the setting for a suspenseful mystery. Sometimes the most unexpected places hide the darkest secrets. https://f.mtr.cool/8907v514bw

New profile picture. Say “C.L.” out loud. Now say it a little faster. 🦭 Yep. That’s the joke. C.L. Berns—behind the mic. 🎙️

Can morality be calculated? Jeremy Bentham thought we could add up pleasure, subtract pain, and choose the greater total. *Arithmetic of Happiness* asks the question hiding inside that formula: Who actually experiences the sum? Here’s the opening minute.

What if your own mind is the thing misleading you? The Tricks of the Mind by Boris Kriger explores human thought, beliefs, assumptions, and the ways we interpret the world around us. A thoughtful audiobook about thinking itself. https://clberns.com/book/the-tricks-of-the-mind/

One book down, two familiar worlds ahead. 🎙️ I’ve finished recording The Arithmetic of Happiness. Next: Book 2 in the Peter Adams series, followed by the sequel to Murder at Yucca Gulch. Familiar voices, new chapters—and plenty to keep the microphone busy.

Meet Mike Garrity. A former detective with a complicated past, a difficult present, and one more case that might give him a chance to prove himself. Head Games is a character-driven mystery about second chances, mistakes, and finding a reason to keep going. https://clberns.com/book/head-games/

A quick update: I’m putting the Wait, That’s Random podcast on hiatus for a while. My voice acting and audiobook work are continuing, and I’ll still be posting updates on the website. I just need a little more room for work, family, and life outside the studio. More here:

Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugsley spent years as mostly unnamed figures in Charles Addams’s cartoons. Television finally gave the family identities—and almost named Pugsley “Pubert.” The strange history behind familiar faces: https://f.mtr.cool/k62f56b3sv #History

Joshua Norton simply declared himself Emperor of the United States in 1859. San Francisco responded by accepting his currency, reserving him theater seats, and having police officers salute him. Meet America’s unofficial emperor: https://f.mtr.cool/6b0io1kke5 #History

In 1959, the Xerox 914 made copying documents astonishingly easy. It also overheated often enough to come with a fire extinguisher—carefully renamed the “Scorch Eliminator.” A wonderfully imperfect revolution: https://f.mtr.cool/ufkvive3op #History

The United States safely welcomed Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at the height of the Cold War—but couldn’t get him into Disneyland. Plus: Darwin’s delayed revelation, Marilyn Monroe’s unusable famous scene, and Agatha Christie’s disappearance. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Jack Dempsey was punched out of the ring and landed on the reporters. They helped put him back—and he won. Plus: a nuclear war game, IBM’s one-ton hard drive, and the Lone Ranger’s courtroom mask fight. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Scooby-Doo was deliberately designed to be a terrible Great Dane. Plus: Oprah’s confusing car giveaway, America’s improvised first presidential election, and the painful truth about Jaws’ steel teeth. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Today we remember the lives lost, the heroes who answered the call, and the resilience that followed. Some moments in history stay with us forever. 🇺🇸 Never Forget. #PatriotDay #September11

The Pentagon’s construction began on September 11, 1941—exactly 60 years before the attack. Plus Dan Rather, Carol Burnett, and Brian De Palma’s unexpected connection to Star Wars. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

A game-show contestant said he’d never heard of a googol, then selected it to win £1 million. Producers replayed the recording and heard suspicious coughs after the correct answers. The cheque never arrived. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Japan tried to ignite a massive Oregon forest fire in 1942. Rain stopped the plan. What happened next was harder to imagine: the pilot returned, gave the nearby town his family’s samurai sword and eventually became an honorary citizen. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Meet Mike Garrity. A former detective with a complicated past, a difficult present, and one more case that might give him a chance to prove himself. Head Games is a character-driven mystery about second chances, mistakes, and finding a reason to keep going. https://f.mtr.cool/u7o7tszmyd

The flagship turned east, believing open water was ahead. Instead, it hit the California coast at 20 knots—and six Navy destroyers followed it onto the rocks through the fog. The Honda Point disaster is one devastating wrong turn. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

History usually remembers the famous names. But the world was built by millions of people we'll never know—people who simply showed up and did the work. That feels like the perfect reminder for Labor Day. Happy Labor Day! #History #LaborDay

Atlantic City wanted tourists to stay beyond Labor Day, so it staged a beauty contest. The 1921 winner wasn’t called Miss America until the following year—when organizers needed a new title for her return. The whole tradition started with a naming problem. https://f.mtr.cool/yhm95h7ctr #History

The Mayflower crossed the Atlantic alone only after its companion ship sprang leaks and forced both vessels to turn back twice. The famous voyage began as the surviving half of a failed plan. https://f.mtr.cool/86z9ubitpm #History

Every history episode has at least one name that makes me stop and think, "How do I pronounce THAT?" I research every one I can (with a little help from ChatGPT), but every now and then I'm going to get one wrong. I wrote about it here: https://f.mtr.cool/scjhipc149 #History

Anthologies are fascinating narration challenges. Each story creates a new world. To Hell and Back explored diverse characters, emotions, and styles in horror and dark fiction. Narration is more than reading; it’s about creating an experience. https://f.mtr.cool/o5x2zoru6k

A game show reboot with no Big Wheel, a self-service restaurant with no seats, a Navy airship christened with pigeons, and a 62nd-round draft pick who reached Cooperstown. September 4 gets stranger with every stop. https://f.mtr.cool/kkrdcf32te #History

The Princess Alice was bringing families home when it sank beside London’s sewer outfalls. The collision threw passengers into water filled with sewage and industrial pollution, turning a terrible shipwreck into Britain’s worst inland-waterway disaster. https://f.mtr.cool/tci200f28s #History

Japan’s surrender ceremony was carefully planned—right up until one representative signed on the wrong line. The official document ending World War II needed handwritten corrections before the Japanese delegation could take it home. https://f.mtr.cool/cr7alys0ux #History

One of my favorite kinds of history is when the story behind a classic turns out to be just as interesting as the classic itself. The making of Mary Poppins had plenty of creative friction. Watch the clip, then hear the full August 27 episode: https://f.mtr.cool/j5he1c8lsi

My first Western narration project. Murder at Yucca Gulch introduced me to Sheriff Vincent Ford — a lawman trying to keep peace in a changing town when a murder turns everything upside down. A sheriff. A growing town. A mystery waiting to be solved. https://f.mtr.cool/2m8etwezdc

Robert Ballard had only 12 days to find Titanic. The rest of his expedition belonged to a classified Navy mission surveying two wrecked nuclear submarines—and that secret work gave him the clue he needed. https://f.mtr.cool/ag73kltdyf #History

The bank robber had escaped with $162,821. His next move? Depositing the stolen cash into the bank he had just robbed—while an innocent blacksmith remained in jail. Today’s remarkably unfair story: https://f.mtr.cool/cvj7tv9ufo #History

In 1835, a newspaper convinced thousands of readers that astronomers had discovered life on the Moon. Winged people. Miniature bison. Walking beavers. One of history's greatest hoaxes. https://f.mtr.cool/5hbxd77eyj #History #GreatMoonHoax

A ship named Pandora carried captured Bounty mutineers inside a tiny prison called Pandora’s Box. When the ship sank, the name stopped sounding clever. Today’s episode tells the remarkable—and deadly—story behind it: https://f.mtr.cool/3lq8u7f1lk #History

The Québec Bridge didn’t collapse without warning. Workers watched its steel members bend, reported the problem—and construction continued. The warning was visible. The response came too late. “They Saw the Bridge Bending” https://f.mtr.cool/eodwdkkxcx #History

Some books stay with you after recording. True Joy and Happiness by Boris Kriger was one of those projects. It explores happiness, purpose, and the idea that a good life may be less about chasing more and more about understanding what matters. https://f.mtr.cool/1zl9jm39fb

Before Toyota made cars, its people were solving problems with thread. A loom company created an automotive department, then a 27,000-entry contest helped turn Toyoda into Toyota. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Imagine hearing what sounds like cannon fire, then learning it came from a volcano nearly 3,000 miles away. Krakatoa’s 1883 eruption sent pressure waves around the planet again and again. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

Most people know Bob Kane created Batman. Far fewer know how much Bill Finger contributed to the character we recognize today. Sometimes history remembers the creation before it remembers the creator. 🎧 https://f.mtr.cool/tt89x11l5p #Batman #BillFinger

1873: kids get to learn by playing.   1895: Niagara Falls starts lighting cities.   1959: a ten-foot car changes everything. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

1835: America buys a story about bat-people on the Moon. Same date later: New Orleans rises from a swamp, the National Park Service is born, and Sean Connery arrives. WaitThatsRandom.com #History

You opened your phone for one reason. Minutes later, you're somewhere completely different. That isn't always accidental. Algorithmic Captives explores the hidden systems shaping our attention, habits, and digital lives. Listen:

Pluto lost its planetary status in a vote attended by only 424 astronomers. The stranger part? An earlier proposal would have given us 12 planets—including Pluto’s moon. Pluto never changed; our definition did. https://f.mtr.cool/d6t8bcj8nw #History