Tag Archive for: Audio Books

The Joy of Audio.

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By Joyce Woollcott.

A debut author dreams of many things. A breakout novel, lots of sales, terrific reviews, guest panels at big conferences –– free drinks and tasty little finger foods. In reality, writers don’t usually achieve all these goals. Some of them certainly, but instant, glittering success is only for the few. Like many others, I’m just thrilled to have my book out there, and another on the way, (gosh, sounds like I’m pregnant, doesn’t it?) but then, that’s what a book is to many of us, our baby.

I’ve been fortunate with reviews, and the book has been well received, but the worry and stress of putting yourself and your words out into the world is something every writer shares. Now that the book is out there, the reviews are coming in, you might think, that’s it, and I did, until I got the call from my publisher and their agent telling me that the audio book was a go. I wasn’t thinking of audio. I’d dreamed of hearing my words narrated but never thought it would happen to me, well, you can imagine my joy. This baby was about to talk!

Then of course the worry starts.

I had a couple of concerns. As a writer, you usually have an idea in your head of how your hero or heroine looks and sounds, I do certainly. I wondered if my protagonist, Detective Sergeant Ryan McBride, would sound the way I had envisaged him? And another issue, my book is set in Northern Ireland. Would the audio company, Tantor, choose a narrator with the correct accent? Most of the time the author has no say in the choice of narrator and so you wait and hope.

My first news was from Tantor, who in a communication to me were happy to share the name of my narrator and a link to other books he had read.

My reader was an LA based Irish actor, Alan Smyth. He has narrated books by, among others, Stuart Neville, Flann O’Brian and oh yes, James Joyce. So, well, thank you very much. Needless to say, I’m thrilled and a little overwhelmed.

The next exciting development was hearing the little audio clip that Tantor Audio released. You can listen to it here… just hit Play Sample.

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/9798350822069

I’m happy because I realise there are challenging words all narrators have to face, and there are some really difficult ones in A NICE PLACE TO DIE. Getting those right creates a certain credibility for the book. I’ve had this conversation with Alan. Only in Northern Ireland do you have to grapple with – Shaneoguestown Road, craic, and Doagh. I don’t even know how to pronounce the first one. But Alan was more than up to the task and I hope you will give the audio book a try, and see how he did. I’m sure you’ll be able to clearly picture my hero, D.S. McBride, and his team, as they unravel this dark and twisty plot in the lovely countryside in and around Belfast.

Available on-line and at Tantor Audiobooks.

Twitter: @AlanGSmyth

https://tantor.com

Audio Books

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 by Bethany Maines

On my first book, Bulletproof Mascara, the
novel was also spun off into an audio book and (guilty admission) I have never
listened to it. Or rather, I got ten minutes in, freaked out, turned it off and
never went back.  It wasn’t that it was bad. It was more that the voices
in my head had become external, but they weren’t actually my voices.  The process of publishing is, in many ways, about
taking something deeply personal and turning it over into the public domain. And
at the time, I had barely come to terms with my friends, family, and complete
strangers having opinions on my characters. Having the auditory sensation of
hearing them in different voices was completely disconcerting.

However, it’s been a minute since then (I love how that phrase implies
that it really was a short amount of time) and I’m a little more resigned to
the process of sharing my fake people with the world. So I recently took a deep
breath and dipped a toe back into the audio waters.  This time the process
was much better.  Not only did I get to select my voice actor, but I could
add my two-cents on her interpretation. I’m completely in love with this new
version of my novel The Second
Shot. It’s been so fun to hear the book with her voice. It has also been illuminating to realize when I’ve written something that looks so good on the page, but turns out to be difficult to read out loud.  

The Second Shot is
book one of the Deveraux Legacy series and I can’t wait for my voice actress to
tackle book 2, The Cinderella Secret,
and 3, The Hardest Hit (due out
10.18.21).  Currently the book is under going the Quality Assurance check with Audible and once approved it will hit the virtual store shelves.

Listen to an audio sample and learn more here:
https://bethanymaines.com/the-deveraux-legacy/

Or purchase the print edition here (¢.99!): books2read.com/The-Second-Shot

A drunken mistake in college
cost US Marshal Maxwell Ames the affection of Dominique Deveraux and six years
later, he’s determined to fix the slip-up. But there’s just one tiny
problem—someone wants the Deveraux family dead. Dominique Deveraux
never expected Max to reappear in her life, let alone apologize, but as
Dominique investigates the mysterious attacks on her wealthy family Max quickly
becomes far more than her one time college classmate. Now, Max and Dominique
must dodge mercenaries and bullets as they try to make sure that they’re the
only ones who get a second shot.


**

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of the Carrie Mae Mysteries, San Juan Islands Mysteries, Shark Santoyo Crime Series, and numerous
short stories. When she’s not traveling to exotic lands, or kicking some
serious butt with her black belt in karate, she can be found chasing her
daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel. You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

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By Evelyn David


When I was a teenager, I was a television addict. If there
had been a 12-step program, my mother would have sent me to daily meetings. She
staged an intervention the day she left the house at 7 in the morning, returned
at 10 at night, and it was apparent that I hadn’t left my spot on the couch in
front of the TV the entire day.

She quietly took in the scene, walked over to the
television, and turned it off. Mom was from South Carolina and when under stress, her
accent re-emerged in full force.

“I believe you’ve had enough.” Picture one of the
women from Steel Magnolias uttering the phrase.

I couldn’t imagine what she was talking about. Too much TV?
Despite the fact that cable hadn’t yet entered the scene, I still had an endless
array of choices for viewing pleasure. Soap operas, game shows, dramas,
comedies, and of course, reruns, lots and lots of reruns.

I bring up my sordid past because a few days ago the
Southern half of this writing duo urged me to watch her very favorite show,
Major Crimes. She was pretty sure I’d be interested because it featured actors
from Classic TV shows of yesteryear.

I quietly informed her that I didn’t currently have a working
television in the house (since corrected).

If only Mom, the original Evelyn, could see me now.

The truth is, since The West Wing went off the air, I
haven’t had any “Must See TV.” With the exception of the news, I watch
almost nothing in “real time.” The DVR, included in my cable package,
has made recording shows a snap, even for a non-techie like myself.  Even if I’m available to catch a show when
it first airs, I prefer to watch the DVR version. Skipping commercials is
worth the wait. Dancing with the Stars is more fun when I can fast-forward through the contestants I can’t stand, and focus on what brilliant choreography Derek Hough and Mark Ballas have created. Netflix and Amazon Prime have added to the ease of skipping entire seasons of a show, then binge-ing on episodes over a weekend.

Am I looking forward to the Fall season? A couple of shows have caught my eye. Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Crazy Ones might be worth a look; I’m hooked on Scandal, and I love a British series, Doc Martin. Any show you suggest I add to my DVR schedule?

Marian, the Northern half of Evelyn David

Sullivan Investigations Mystery
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries, the first book in our Brianna Sullivan Mysteries series, is now available as an audio book at Amazon through Audible.com and at iTunes. We were very lucky to obtain the services of a wonderful narrator, Wendy Tremont King. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Wendy will be available to be the voice of Brianna Sullivan for the entire series. We’ve discovered that Brianna’s adventures in Lottawatah, Oklahoma, are perfect for the audio book format!



Zoned for Murder – stand-alone mystery

Romances
Love Lessons – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

What Do You Hear?

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One of my favorite lines from the television series Battlestar Galactica is when Admiral Adama, wanting to know the status of the fleet, asks Starbuck, “What do you hear?” Her standard answer when conveying the message that all was well was, “Sir, nothing but the rain.”

Well Stiletto Faithful, we’ve been hearing nothing but the rain too. All is well in Evelyn David’s world. This spring and summer we’ve held the Cylons at bay and managed to produce two new mysteries, and just this past week, an audio book. All is going very well!

I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries, the first book in our Brianna Sullivan Mysteries series, is now available as an audio book at Amazon through Audible.com and at iTunes. We were very lucky to obtain the services of a wonderful narrator, Wendy Tremont King. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Wendy will be available to be the voice of Brianna Sullivan for the entire series. We’ve discovered that Brianna’s adventures in Lottawatah, Oklahoma, are perfect for the audio book format!

Hell on wheels or a psychic in a travel trailer? Brianna Sullivan gave up her job finding missing luggage for the airlines in order to seek the freedom of the open road. Her first stop? The small town of Lottawatah, Oklahoma. Using her psychic abilities, Brianna takes on a multitude of jobs to earn gas money, help out the local police detective, and direct some troubled souls towards the light.

The tenth book in the series has just been published in e-book and trade paperback. Lottawatah Fireworks continues the spooky, yet funny saga of reluctant psychic Brianna Sullivan as she solves mysteries, romances the local police detective, and directs ghosts towards their final destination. A little darker in theme than previous books, Lottawatah Fireworks takes Brianna on an emotional journey that stretches the bounds of friendship and love.

In Lottawatah Fireworks, Brianna’s fiancé surprises
her by buying a ramshackle hunting lodge, ready to call it home. The cabin
comes complete with no plumbing, no electricity, and the ghost of a recent
murder victim. It’s up to Brianna to find the truth of who killed the man and
why.

Lottawatah Fireworks (The Ghosts of Lottawatah, Volume 3) is a paperback compendium of the three most recent adventures including: Good Grief in Lottawatah, Summer Lightning in Lottawatah, and Lottawatah Fireworks.

Not to leave out the news of our other mystery series – you know the one with the “big” dog? Yes, Mac and Whiskey are back! Don’t miss Murder Doubles Back! An old cold case heats up for Mac and his team as they search for a teen who has been missing more than ten years.

Private detective Mac Sullivan has
been haunted by the case of Amanda Norman, a teenage girl who disappeared into
thin air during a class trip. But someone is determined to stir the embers of
that cold case. Each year Mac receives a postcard that asks a simple question:
Where is Amanda Norman? This year, Mac decides he will answer the question once
and for all in Murder Doubles Back.

Admiral Adama’s standard response to Starbuck’s “Nothing but the rain” was, “Then grab your gun and bring in the cat.” Cat and gun aside, we hope all is right in your world and that you are enjoying your summer reading! Leave a comment and tell us “what you hear.”

Evelyn David

Sullivan Investigations Mystery
Murder Off the Books Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Murder Takes the Cake Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback 
Murder Doubles Back Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Trade Paperback
Riley Come Home (short story)- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Moonlighting at the Mall (short story) – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

Brianna Sullivan Mysteries – e-book series
I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords – Audio Book
The Dog Days of Summer in Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
The Holiday Spirit(s) of Lottawatah– Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Undying Love in Lottawatah- Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
A Haunting in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Twister – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Missing in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Good Grief in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Summer Lightning in Lottawatah – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords
Lottawatah Fireworks – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords

The Ghosts of Lottawatah – trade paperback collection of the Brianna e-books
Book 1 – I Try Not to Drive Past Cemeteries (includes the first four Brianna e-books)
Book 2 – A Haunting in Lottawatah (includes the 5th, 6th, and 7th Brianna e-books)
Book 3 – Lottawatah Fireworks (includes the 8th, 9th, and 10th Brianna e-books)

Zoned for Murder – stand-alone mystery

Romances
Love Lessons – Kindle – Nook – Smashwords