T's Stuff: Audio Blog Tour: Kingdom of Honor by Tricia Copeland

Author: Tricia Copeland

Narrator: Dan Delgado

Length: 9 hours 11 minutes

Series: Kingdom Journals, Book 3

Publisher: Tricia Copeland

Released: Aug. 29, 2020

Genre: Fantasy; YA

He set himself free. To defeat the darkness, he must return. Seventeen-year-old Jude would do anything to save Camille. But when he springs his daring escape plan, it backfires, and he’s the only one who makes it out. Now his last hope of rescuing her from the evil coven is to find the other two prophesied witches of the trinity. With Camille held in an impenetrable fortress, finding the help Jude seeks may not be enough to break her out. And as long as the wicked coven has both Camille and the fabled lance, all witchkind is doomed to a fate worse than death. Can Jude unlock his true destiny and bring the saviors together? Can Jude unlock his true destiny and bring the saviors together? Kingdom of Honor is the third book in the riveting Kingdom Journals YA urban fantasy series. If you like pulse-pounding adventures, heroic underdogs, and pause-resisting tension, then you’ll love Tricia Copeland’s gripping story. Buy Kingdom of Honor to meet a true hero!

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Tricia Copeland grew up in a hot, sticky, rural south Georgia town where pine trees and alligators ruled the landscape. Since then she’s moved west to the purple mountain majesties of Colorado. Her books span from the dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy, to coming-of-age and new adult romance genres. You can find more about her and all her books at triciacopeland.com. Sign up for her audiobook newsletter here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/wsbKeeX/audiobooksplease

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English teacher by day, after narrating before live audiences for over 20 years Dan took his storytelling to the booth. His voice has been described as rich, soothing, commanding, and sultry. He narrates science-fiction, horror, thrillers, and romance.

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Q&A with Narrator Dan Delgado

What made you decide to become an audiobook narrator?
- Back when I was a kid, sometimes in elementary school we had books on tape in classes. I will never forget that there was a, "Beep, turn the page" prompt in some of them. Then I heard some other books on tape when I was a bit older and thought it would be cool to one day do that. However, my biggest influence comes from my mother, and how she used to read to me every night when I was growing up. There was something wonderful and intimate about the bond we shared through her storytelling, and it inspires me to bring similar feelings of joy, and perhaps nostalgia, to listeners.
Many narrators have a background in theater. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
- While I did take an acting class in college, I have never done anything else related to theater. In fact, I took the course because I thought it might be helpful in my pursuit of a teaching career. There is one major difference between narrating and performing on stage or screen, and that is remembering the lines. Actors need to know their lines, while narrators have the lines in front of them. Don't get me wrong, narrating is a form of voice "acting," and the ability to perform is crucial. Having formal training as an actor is indeed helpful, but not mandatory. More important is the ability to be a good storyteller, to be able to see the story occurring in your head as you share the author's words and convey those images effectively to the listener.

Have there been any characters you personally connected with?
- Absolutely! In the second book I ever narrated, Guest Bed by Luke P. Narlee, the main character is a man named Ron. He is a husband who is a good guy, but the spark in his marriage to Kate has dimmed. He knows they still love one another, but he knows he is not being quite the husband he once was. As the story develops he recognizes his flaws and gets back to the basics of why he fell in love with Kate in the first place. While my own situation wasn't quite like Ron's, just reading the story made me hold a mirror to myself. Performing it allowed me to feel and confront Ron's issues, which in turn made me a better husband. Even now, two years later, I sometimes reflect on the lessons I learned while working on that project.

Do you read the reviews of your audiobooks? If so, what do you take from them?
- I always read the reviews, which sometimes can be difficult. After seeing a few of the more critical ones I went and looked at the negative reviews for some of my own favorite narrators, like Ray Porter and R.C. Bray. What I found is that they too, some of the greats in the industry, get 1 star reviews and comments that are harsh. I learned that listening is very subjective. Think about it, there are bands or singers that I can't stand to listen to, and immediately change the station when they come on. However, I am often in the minority, as sometimes those same people win all kinds of music awards. It is the same with narrating. Some people love my work in a particular audiobook because the characters were distinct sounding and the narration was clear, while another person reviewing the same title will say the voices all sounded the same. Instead of taking every word to heart, in both positive and negative reviews, I search for what listeners said I did well or poorly, in their opinions, and use those notes to improve my craft. You can't always please everyone, but you can always find ways to improve.

What would you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as "cheating" or as inferior to "real reading"?
- One thing I have learned as an English teacher is that kids can comprehend audiobooks that are two grade levels higher than their actual reading level. There is something about hearing the words performed from someone else, with proper pronunciation and inflection, that enables people to grasp concepts and envision events more clearly when they hear rather than simply read. I have been narrating short stories and portions of novels for my students for over 20 years, and they always say that they understand (and enjoy the story) more when I read aloud with them than they do on their own. As a teacher, it is more important that my students learn the most they can, in whatever is the most effective way for them, than that they do everything on their own. Hearing literature performed well also provides them with a model for when they are reading on their own.

Bonus: Are there any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
- Thank goodness for editing! While time consuming, there are times when I have had to read the same line four or five times because I just couldn't get it right. What I have learned from other narrators is this is normal. I dare not share some of the things I have said to myself during those, ahem, difficult moments. Suffice it to say that therapists would have a field day listening to some of my outtakes. Sometimes I'm so mean to myself, lol.