Jason & Rhonda Halbert Bring ‘Caretaker’ To Life With Star-Studded Audiobook
Rhonda and Jason Halbert
Nashville-based creative duo Jason and Rhonda Halbert, known together as R.J. Halbert, have released the immersive audiobook version of their best-selling supernatural novel Caretaker. Featuring an all-star cast including Kelly Clarkson, Amy Grant, Charles Esten, Erick Avari and more, the project blends the Halberts’ decades of industry experience with their passion for storytelling and spiritual reflection.
The novel follows the Keane family as they seek a fresh start in a mysterious New Hampshire home, only to find themselves entangled in something far more sinister than they imagined. The audiobook, narrated by Lost’s Henry Ian Cusick and scored by Joseph Trapanese (Tron: Legacy, The Greatest Showman), brings a cinematic quality to the story, rooted in themes of generational healing, the unseen spiritual world and redemption.
Jason Halbert, a Grammy and Emmy-winning producer, has spent more than two decades as Music Director for Clarkson. His fingerprints can be found across some of Clarkson’s biggest musical moments, including television specials, sold-out tours and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Rhonda Halbert, a music and television manager, has overseen artist careers and creative projects while also working as a published photographer and music supervisor. Together, the two have built a life immersed in both the music industry and the spiritual practices that now shape their fiction.
“We never intended on writing a book,” they share. “We created this story thinking we were writing for a TV series, but a friend recommended that we write it as a book first… We found that writing became therapeutic and healing for us in an extended time of trauma. This project has reignited our creativity in an invigorating way.”
The Caretaker story is personal on many levels. The Halberts were raising their children while touring, navigating life transitions, and eventually rebuilding after their home flooded and had to be torn down. “On a personal level, we had just experienced the flooding of our home… We started to ask some deep questions. Could the spiritual affect our physical lives in a tangible way? And could the physical actions of our decisions affect the spiritual realm?”
That thread of duality—physical and spiritual, seen and unseen—runs throughout Caretaker, which the Halberts say was shaped even further by the audiobook process. “We thought we knew our story and the intensity of the story well. However, once these incredibly talented characters began to bring our tale to life, they brought an entirely new dimension to the experience… Some of the actors’ performances have influenced some of the choices in books 2 and 3.”
With standout narration and a richly layered score, Caretaker offers listeners a suspenseful and emotional experience grounded in imagination and rooted in real-life questions of healing and purpose.
The audiobook is available now at rjhalbert.com, with a wider release on major platforms this summer.
