Tall Tales Author Bios

Choose from these exciting, original kids’ audio stories.

Clem the Detective Dog
Ralphie The Gopher
Sheriff Daisy & Deputy Bud
Rainbow of the Sioux
The Monotonia Chronicles
Tibbodnock Stories
Fiona the Smart Ghost
Ivan the Not-So-Terrible
Nikki the Invisible Girl
Sarabel to the Rescue

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Tall Tales President
Marcia Stewart, TallTales Audio’s president, has spent 20 years making up stories about magic garbage trucks, flying carpets, secret tree houses, and adventurous dolls. She says “Telling bedtime stories (no matter how tired you are!) is one of the best ways to spend time with your children, and I'm thrilled that my work involves thinking of fun ways to encourage families and kids to tell more stories.” Marcia coordinates the website, marketing and publicity efforts, distribution, and all the business details of TallTales. She has worked in publishing most of her professional life, and plans to write her first TallTales stories soon.

Tall Tales Author Bios
Steve Fishman, co-author of Ralphie The Gopher, grew up in the wilds of Los Angeles County, California, an area full of gophers. He continues to believe that gophers are a lot smarter than most people think. He likes nothing better than to burrow under the bed covers with a good book-his own version of a gopher hole.

Ilona Bray spent her childhood puzzling over which fairy tale figure she'd rather be — the princess or the witch. (Unfortunately, career opportunities in both areas turned out to be limited, so she became a lawyer, and currently writes books about law for Nolo Press.) But now that she's turned to telling stories, she also gets to step into the roles of princess, witch, and many other colorful characters. She lives in the Bay Area and can be contacted through TallTales.

Storytelling Tips

Listen to storytelling podcasts (fun for parents and kids) or subscribe to free TallTales Audio podcasts at the iTunes Store.

Jake Warner, TallTales Audio's co-founder, has spent 40 years telling stories to kids. But, in 1971, to make a living, he co-founded Nolo, America’s leading consumer law publisher. Jake decided that the best way to avoid becoming another boring, old curmudgeon was to return to his first love, creating funny and fantastical stories for children. Jake says, “My life’s goal has always been to tell a roomful of rambunctious eight-year-olds a story so wonderful that the room becomes quiet enough to hear a bird walking on the roof.” TallTales Audio was born when friend and audio producer, Rich Stim, suggested that they work together to record Jake’s “told” stories and make them available online in a way that would inspire kids and parents to begin their own family storytelling traditions. Jake is the father of three and the grandfather of four story-aholics. He lives in Berkeley, CA with his wife, Toni Ihara.

Rich Stim wears many hats at TallTales — co-founder, producer, sound effects and music creator, and storyteller. Stim says, “Most of my adult life, I've helped other people tell their stories. But the whole point of TallTales is that there’s a great story in everyone. That's why I wrote ‘Ralphie the Gopher’ with my friend, Steve Fishman.” Rich lives in San Francisco with his musician wife, Andrea. Together they operate Sutro Studios which produces the TallTales stories. Rich is also a musician, an intellectual property lawyer, an author of legal books, a judge of the Audio Publishers Association annual awards, and a producer of audio books, such as the well-known Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series.

Toni Ihara is responsible for TallTales Audio’s happy look. Longtime graphics chief at the consumer law publisher, Nolo, Toni says, “Handling graphics for TallTales is like being in charge of the department of child delight. I've always dreamed of a job like this where every project calls for ‘creative whimsy’.” Toni is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley. She has done post-grad work in anthropology and has a law degree from U.C. Davis. She has one daughter and lives in Berkeley, CA with her husband, Jake Warner.

Interested in Writing for TallTales Audio?
Go to our submission guidelines.