What Is this Audiobook About?

“Mrs. O’Leary” is historical fiction that reimagines the tale of Catherine O’Leary, the Irish milkmaid whose life was shattered when she was targeted for starting the “Great Fire” of Oct. 8, 1871. In my version of events, she is a spirited heroine determined to clear her name. But when she discovers the real culprit, she faces a betrayal more insidious than the fire itself.

Why Now?

The irony is rich: Catherine O’Leary was illiterate. If audiobooks had been around in the mid- to-late 1800s, she wouldn’t have faced a barrier to books – she’d have access through her ears rather than her eyes. She didn't live in a world of audiobooks, but we do. 

Historian Richard Bales wrote the definitive book about Mrs. O'Leary in which he offers a well-researched theory about who actually started the fire. His book has 338 pages (for the uninitiated, pages are those things that you flip to progress through a book). I asked him why he'd listen to an audiobook about her. Check out this video for his answer.

How Can You "Free" the Voice of Mrs. O'Leary?

Your contribution will help pay for the 12 talented voiceover actors, the producer, and our marketing campaign.

• The actors are all Chicago based, although not all are Chicago born. They gathered through a perfect storm of personal connections and a few random ones, like the connection made when I called an insurance agency and the helpful agent on the other end of the line revealed that he's also an actor.

• The producer has the formidable task of editing 12 separate voices and transforming them into one seamless audio experience. But Zernul R. Shackelford Jr. ("Z" to his friends) is a former Marine. He's up to the job. This photo is of Z on the set of a mockumentary about a steam-powered flying pig that I wrote and he directed. Like "Mrs. O'Leary," that project is also historical fiction; it takes place during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

• Finally, the marketing campaign will include promoting the audiobook up to and including our public release party at a Chicago Irish bistro with authentic Irish music performed by an Irish musician. The date -- Oct. 7 -- is no accident. It's one day before the fire's anniversary.

How Did She Become "Mrs. O'Leary... and Her Cow"?

Media that writes first and asks questions later. Politicians who hold hot-air hearings that solve nothing. People who see a big problem and want someone to blame. Sound familiar? That was the landscape in 1871. In some ways, things aren't so different in 2026.

This cheeky parody of "This Is The House That Jack Built" is representative of 19th-century trolling:

The city's Board of Police and Fire is representative of political forces at play. She was the fourth witness of 50 to testify. By that time, a little more than a month after the fire, she was already known city-wide as "Mrs. O'Leary" and her cow.

"Mrs. O’Leary” is ostensibly about a milkmaid in 19th-century Chicago, but it’s also the story of social and political forces that 21st-century listeners everywhere will recognize. This year is the 155th anniversary of Chicago’s “Great Fire,” and while Catherine O’Leary has long been exonerated for starting the blaze, this audiobook is a fresh and relevant take on her story.