Labels

Sunday, February 9, 2020

Purely Paranormal Pleasures by C.D. Gorri


Vampire Lover 
Purely Paranormal Pleasures 
by C.D. Gorri 
Genre: Paranormal Romance 


Terrence Davies never dreamed he’d be worthy of finding his true mate, then Daisy moves in. Is the sexy normal ready for a Vampire lover? 

Daisy Amante just took over the lease on a great apartment in New York City from one of her old boarding school chums. Little does she know her neighbor and landlord is a real live Vampire!

The redheaded hottie tries to hide his sexy good looks behind button down shirts and nerdy looking glasses, but Daisy can see right through his façade. Terrence is something special and she is going to find out what!

Terrence has been sating his Vampire side for years with the bare minimum of blood from specialty butchers, but the second he gets a whiff of his new neighbor he knows there is nothing else that can satisfy his hunger. 

He craves Daisy Amante in a way he swore he’d never indulge in again. He tries to fight his urges, but what’s a Vampire to do when a sexy curvy goddess knocks on his door in the middle of the night in nothing but her panties?

Can Terrence resist? And will Daisy willingly tie herself to her Vampire lover for eternity? 






Forget Me Not 
Purely Paranormal Pleasures 
by Amanda Kimberley 


The heart never forgets. 

When Ridge Turner hit the friend request button, he had no idea that he would come face to face with his past life lover. The old Chelsea Bennette accepted his dark side, but would the Poppy Lee of this life see him as a monster? His heart was willing to take the chance, but his head knew she should forget the vampire. 

Poppy Lee just moved from the warm southern hospitality of Soddy Daisy, TN to the bitter cold of New York City. Lonely, she took a chance hitting the accept request button for her now client, billionaire Ridge Turner. She knows mixing business and pleasure is dangerous territory. Growing riddled with dreams of a past life with him and plagued by a secret he keeps hidden, she wonders if she should resist the temptations building within her. The only problem is that Ridge Turner is hard to forget. 






Goldilocks and Her Harem of Bears 
Purely Paranormal Pleasures 
by P. Mattern 


"The woods are lovely dark and deep 
And Harlie is a drifter 
She finds she's gotten in way too deep 
When she happens upon bear shifters!" 

The open road is calling to Harlie Roberts, aka' Goldie'. Restless with a lifestyle that she was thrust into because of a family debt, she hops on her V Star to put distance between herself and her MC, the Wraiths of Wrath.She will be pursued. No one leaves the W.O.W, at least not while they're still breathing, and her lover and MC President Tory wants her back.An encounter with a set of brawny and handsome lumberjacks with an unusual skill set just might be her springboard into a new life! 

Three motorcycle riding bear shifters want to claim Harlie as their mate…One might be too hot. One might be too cold. One might be just right! 







About C.D. Gorri 

Hello! 

I'm C.D. Gorri, Bestselling Steamy Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy YA Bestselling Author, and Creator of the Grazi Kelly Universe. 

I've always been an avid reader, and I have a profound love for books and literature. When I'm not writing or taking care of my family I can usually be found with a book or tablet in my hand. I live in my home state of New Jersey with my husband, our children, and our dogs, Dash and Chewie. 

I'm a busy mom of three and finding time for leisurely reading is never easy, so I write stories that are fast-paced, yet detailed with satisfying conclusions. If I thought making time to read was difficult, I was in for a huge surprise when I started writing! But now that I started, I can't picture myself doing anything else! I love writing powerful women and strong heroes who face relatable problems in supernatural settings! I plan on increasing the Grazi Kelly Universe with each and every story I publish. You can follow me on social media to keep up to date on all my new releases and events! 

Looking for steamy Paranormal Romance, well I have several series available and am adding more all the time. I love helping sassy, curvy heroines and sexy heroes find their HEAs in my books! I write about Werewolves, Bear Shifters, Dragons, Tigers, Witches, Romani, Lynxes, Foxes and more in my PNR! Fated mates who find each other and always get their happily ever afters. 

Want to know how it all began? Enter the Grazi Kelly Universe with Wolf Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel #1, my very first YA/Urban Fantasy book that sets the stage for the universe I write in. You can also start my PNR with the Macconwood Pack. Pick up Charley's Christmas Wolf today! 

Thank you for dropping by and happy reading! 

del mare alla stella, 

C.D. Gorri 

*Bestselling Author 








About Amanda Kimberley 

Award-winning and best-selling national and international author Amanda Kimberley has written in various genres in the course of almost four decades. 

Her nonfiction blog, which focuses on the chronic disease fibromyalgia, has garnered recognition from various organizations, including Health Magazine. Naming her blog, Fibro and Fabulous, as a top blog for fibro sufferers. 

Amanda has also written for medical magazines and sites like FM Aware, The National Fibromyalgia Association’s magazine and ProHealth. 

When Kimberley is not writing nonfiction, she enjoys penning romance. Her fiction works were featured for part of 2015 and all of 2016 on the BookCountry website, a division of Penguin/Random House. She has also been featured as a USA Today Happy Ever After Hot List Indie Author and a Best Poet of the 90’s for an anthology. 

Amanda Kimberley is a Connecticut native that now lives in the warmth of Northern Texas with her husky and cocker spaniel dogs, her tuxedo cat, two hamsters, a tank of fish, two daughters, and a husband. 

When she is not writing you can find her cooking whole foods for her pack. She also enjoys hiking and gaming. 






About P. Mattern 

Amazon #1 and Top 100 Bestselling and Award Winning author P.Mattern wrote stories to entertain classmates in elementary school and won awards for fiction and poetry in college.After being laid off from her professional job in Mental Health she began writing down all the stories she had carried in her head and made outlines for in earnest. She was inspired by Anne Rice and her handicapped son to write Book One of Full Moon Series 'World of Azglen'♡ about a widow and her adult handicapped son who becomes brainy and strong after being bitten by a vampire. Soon her children J.C.Estall and Marcus Mattern joined her in writing Full Moon Series, Amazon Bestselling Andy of the Damned, Strident House,#1 Bestseller Shock of Night, Forest of Bleeding Trees and others.This family writing dynasty is currently working on Book Five of Full Moon Series('Roue of the Dragon' will release early 2016), a dystopic novel, Andy of the Damned Two, and finishing the last installment of Vampire Princess(the Arctic Circle Series). P.Mattern is a member of Thriller Writers Association. Her work has appeared in numerous ezines and anthologies(Girls Rock Horror Harder, The Animal Horror collection, Painted Mayhem Horror Anthology, Mystical Magical, Erotic Exotic Paranomal,and Santa's Naughty List.She has two books under Booktrope Publishers's Forsaken imprint and a contract with Tell-Tale Publishing. 

P.Mattern lives in the midwest and is currently involved with one of her characters. ("It's complicated.") 

Winner Second Place Scariest Story Contest /Tell-Tale Publishing 2015 for 'Terrible Choices' 






$10 Amazon giftcard to 1 winner and signed postcards to 20 winners 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: ,

Loving a Young Series by Stacy Eaton


Wesley 
Loving a Young Series, Book 1
by Stacy Eaton
Genre: Contemporary Romance 


Traumatized by events of her past, Charlotte Bennett is not a fan of strangers. When she sees a man touching her daughter at the park, she reacts without listening. It’s only later when her daughter is rushed to the hospital that she realizes how wrong she had been.

Doctor Wesley Young only wanted to help the tender-aged girl he witnessed fall, but when her mother attacks him at the park, he’s left stunned. When the little girl arrives later in the emergency department, he comes face to face with the mother makes more of an impression on him than the cut she left on his face.

Things heat up quick when Marisol is no longer his patient, but when things from the past are revealed, Wes isn’t sure that Charlotte is the woman for him. Can Charlotte find a way to explain it all so that Wes will accept both her and her daughter before it’s too late?





Henley 
Loving a Young Series, Book 2 


Being a wedding planner is hard, especially when someone is always trying to steal your business, and your family doesn’t support you. However, Roxanne Novak is determined to keep her business afloat. When Roxy’s in a car accident hurrying to meet a potential bride, she’s injured and scared, but paramedic Henley Young takes good care of her.

Henley loves his job and thrives on the adrenaline of helping people in need. Maybe that’s why when he meets Roxy, he’s inclined to help her with more than just medical care. Hooking her up with his older brother Wesley and his bride-to-be could be just what she needs. It might also be the start of something between the Lee and the spunky little wedding planner.

When a position at a country club is offered to Roxy, she finds herself rethinking her entire business plan. Excited to start someplace new, Roxy and Henley begin making plans for the future. Just after she starts her new job, Roxy learns of Lee’s past relationship, and everything she knew about him is questioned.

Can Roxy and Henley put the past to bed and move forward to something that might be more than what both of them had ever hoped for? 

The Loving A Young Series is about a family of six siblings finding love in today’s world. Wesley, Book 1 and Henley, Book 2 will soon be joined with Huntley, Riley, Bradley and Kayley. 






Stacy Eaton is a USA Today Bestselling author and began her writing career in October of 2010. Stacy took early retirement from law enforcement after over fifteen years of service in 2016 due to a second serious concussion. Her last three years on the job were in investigations and crime scene investigation. She now writes full-time. 

Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, who works in law enforcement, and her teen daughter. Stacy also has a son who is currently serving in the United States Navy. She is also very involved in Domestic Violence Awareness and served on the Board of Directors for her local Domestic Violence Center for three years. 

Stacy writes a variety of genres, but mostly romance. She enjoys writing real-life stories that people can relate too with real-life problems, emotions, and solutions. 

Her favorites: Classic cars, photography, Disney, music, coffee and her favorite sweatshirt that says, "You are dangerously close to getting killed in my next novel." 

Visit Stacy's website for more information on her and her books. 





$10 Amazon – 2 winners! 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: ,

A Case for the Winemaker by Candace Havens


A Case for the Winemaker 
Ainsley McGregor Book 1 
by Candace Havens 
Genre: Cozy Mystery 


The closer she gets to the truth, the more she finds herself drowning in trouble.

It’s an exciting time in Sweet River, Texas, and the whole town's talking. Maybe, a little too much. Former English professor Ainsley McGregor has gambled everything on her new business: Bless Your Art, an artisan market where local artists sell their wares and teach classes.

The bright, white space is filled to the brim with colorful art, yarn, jewelry, pet treats, antiques and even a few medieval weapons. Oh, and there are wine tastings. Everything's better with wine. Ainsley is surprised by how well things are going–right up until the moment her Great Dane finds a dead body. With her friend accused of the murder, it’s up to Ainsley to find the real killer.

As the suspect list grows longer, Ainsley has her work cut out for her. The task is made more difficult by the fact her brother, the sheriff, doesn’t seem to want her help. If she doesn’t wrap up the case soon, she might be the next wine, um, one to die. 





A Case for the Yarn Maker 
Ainsley McGregor Book 2 


Spin a yarn…at your own risk.

Everyone at Bless Your Art in Sweet River, Texas, is excited about the Yarn Goddess (yes, that’s her real name) coming to town. Ainsley McGregor has set up a special event at the local community center, but when old Mrs. Whedon doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the Goddess about using quality yarn, a fight breaks out. Who knew the octogenarian had ninja moves like that?

It’s all fun and games until George Clooney, Ainsley’s Great Dane, finds Ms. Yarn’s dead body in a booth at Bless Your Art. Now the prime suspect is Mrs. Whedon, and while she’s not the easiest woman to get along with, there’s no way she’s the killer. At least, Ainsley doesn’t think so. As this yarn unravels, Ainsley and her quirky friends learn some interesting things about the case and the Goddess’s checkered past. But there’s a killer on the loose. 






Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA's, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Readers Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography “Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy” and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation's leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association. 





$50 Amazon Gift Certificate 
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!




Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: ,

Raven, Red by Connie Suttle


Cormac Flynn, a raven shapeshifter, is ancient, Celtic, and cursed.
Arianne Leone, a mountain lion shapeshifter, owns an art gallery in Deep Ellum, a popular tourist attraction and haven for musicians for decades.
Together, they are charged with guarding the one who bears the Hermit’s Stone, an ancient artifact that has held worlds together—and kept them separate—for eons.
Possession of the stone falls to Ari’s friend and art student, nineteen-year-old Nico Garcia. When Nico’s parents are killed in an attempt to destroy him, Ari and Mac must set aside their differences and work together, protecting Nico at all costs…







About the Book

Raven, Redby Connie Suttle
Series
Lion and Raven
Genre
Adult
Urban Fantasy
Publisher
Independent
Publication Date
October 26, 2019
Purchase Your Copy Today!
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  iBooks
Add It To Your Bookshelf!
Goodreads  |  BookBub


Tour Wide Giveaway

To celebrate the tour for RAVEN RED by Connie Suttle, we're giving away a paperback copy of the book to one lucky winner!

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to US shipping addresses only. One winner will receive a paperback copy of Raven Red by Connie Suttle. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Connie Suttle.  Giveaway ends 3/31/2020 @ 11:59pm EST.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


About the Author


CONNIE SUTTLE is the author of the Blood Destiny series, the Legend of the Ir’Indicti series, the High Demon Series, the God Wars series and the Saa Thalarr series. Other titles are scheduled for release very soon.
Connie earned her MFA from the University of Oklahoma and has taught courses at the university level. Reading (and writing) have been a constant throughout her life.
The author lives in Oklahoma with her patient, long-suffering husband and three cats. Obviously, the cats are not so long-suffering and are certainly not patient.
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  BookBub  |  Amazon













Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Haskell Himself by Gary Seigel blitz


Haskell Himself
Gary Seigel
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: January 19th 2020
Genres: Historical, LGBTQ+, Young Adult

Meet Haskell Hodge. At sixteen he’s already garnered some fame as a former child actor and star of a popular cereal commercial. But that doesn’t do much for him when he’s dumped at his aunt’s house in the suburbs of Los Angeles to face an assortment of neighborhood bullies.

He thinks he might be gay. In fact, he could be the only gay person in the valley, maybe on the entire planet. Even if he does manage to find a boyfriend, their relationship would have to be secret and invisible.

After all it’s 1966. And though Time Magazine claims the sexual revolution is in full swing, the freedoms straight people are enjoying don’t seem to apply to everyone. And as much as Haskell attempts to hide his true self, carefully navigating the tricky and risky terrain of being queer, he’s still taunted and teased relentlessly.

Rather than give in to the irrationality of this hate, Haskell fights back, eventually finding an unlikely outlet to vent his frustration and angst—playing a bully in a screen test for a major motion picture. If he plays his cards right, it could catapult him into Hollywood stardom.

Of course, like most things in life, it comes with a heavy price Haskell’s not certain he’s willing to pay.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Bonanza

That evening, Mom brought in meatballs, calzones, and a Caesar salad from Lombardi’s. I waited until we had devoured all the food before I reminded Mom of Hope’s ill-temper and childish behaviors.

“What bothers me is that Aunt Sheila hardly ever corrects her. Not even a slap on the wrist or a ‘Go to your room.’”

“Aunt Sheila does what she has to do.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “If Al Capone had been Sheila’s child, she would have sent him to bed early without his hot cocoa and biscotti and have come up with some lame excuse for his murder spree.”

“Oh, Haskell, parents may treat their children a little differently in California, and she’s not six any more. Hope is nearly nine years old. Wait and see. You’ve never had a sibling. It will be a healthy change.”

My anxiety worsened. What did I know about living with a nine-year-old? I hadn’t been with a nine-year-old since I was nine. And what would it be like living with an aunt and an uncle? I’d never lived with a “father” figure before. My dad called me periodically, like once a year, but I rarely ever saw him. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I’d get along with Uncle Ted, since all he ever talked about was baseball. What would we have in common?

I felt a headache coming on.

And then Mom did what she often did in her real estate negotiations: she sweetened the deal.

“So, you were saying that you just did an exercise where you played a villainous cowboy? Is that right?”

“Yes, and it went well.”

“I think I found you a screen test in Hollywood for a part in a TV Western.”

“Really?”

“You’d be playing a pioneer kid in the Old West who has been living alone most of his life. The Cartwrights find him wandering in the fields, and they invite him in.”

“Are we talking Bonanza?”

I was excited. This was TV’s number-one show.

“Could this lead to a regular part?” I asked eagerly.

“No, I don’t think so. Turns out the kid’s a bit twisted. Gets in fights all the time, and he ends up drowning at the end of the episode. Still, what a great way to start your adventures in Los Angeles!”

My father, Tony Pawlikowski, whom I had met a half a dozen times, had connections with the company that produced Bonanza. It was a Western about a three-time widower and his three adult sons living on a big ranch called The Ponderosa, and every week they’d face numerous challenges. Sometimes they were silly stories, such as the time when one of the sons, Hoss Cartwright, fights a tribe of leprechauns. Most often, though, the episodes were more serious. In this one, I’d be playing a maniacal orphan who apparently can’t swim.

My initial instincts? After six months in Miss Hogan’s class, I could tackle this role.

The only problem was the kid was supposed to be short and rather tough and extremely handsome. I was none of those things. I was tall, weighing less than 150 pounds. A real beanpole. I wasn’t exactly tough either, and with my big ears, I was certainly not handsome.

“Mom, I don’t think this will work out. My physical appearance is all wrong.” I pored over a description listed in the classified section of Variety. “He twirls a gun in the air?”

“We’ll get you a gun tutor.”

“There’s no such thing. Come on!”

“They have gun tutors all over Los Angeles. We’ll look them up in the Yellow Pages. An actor can transform himself into any role,” my mom said, her face gleaming, mimicking my acting coach. “If they like you, they’ll make adjustments.”

“No one is going to take me seriously as a handsome, rugged boy in town. I’m too scrawny.”

“Perfect! Your mom’s dead, remember? So, she’s not been around to feed you.”

Maybe she’s not dead. Maybe she just went to Antwerp, I thought.

“And I’d probably need to ride a horse, right? It even says here. ‘Horse riding experience necessary.’ You have to read the fine print, Mom. I’ve never ridden a horse. I’ve never even ridden a bike! I don’t even roller skate!”

“They’d probably bring in a stunt double for those scenes,” she said, dismissing my concern with a wave of her hand. “Well, if you don’t want to try out for that part, that’s fine. I have another great idea for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Sheila is good friends with the mother of a boy about your age who is also into acting. He attends the same high school you’ll be attending, so he’s someone you can hang around with when you arrive in Encino. He’s quite the talent, apparently.”

“What’s his name?”

“Her last name is Stoneman.” She grabbed a piece of paper from her purse. “And his name is Henry.”

“I never heard of him.”

Yes, I lied to my own mother. I had, in fact, seen his name mentioned in Variety. He had won a small part recently in a Disney film.

“We’ll arrange for you boys to meet, and you can take it from there. You two have so much in common. It will be wonderful.”

That night, I dug through my latest copies of Screen Magazine and spotted a photograph of Henry Stoneman. Quite handsome, wearing black jeans and black shirt with rhinestone buttons and a cowboy hat. He was in John Wayne’s last movie, so he could probably ride a horse, use a gun, and speak fluent Apache. He had eighteen film and TV credits. Eighteen!

I fell into a deep, angry, solid funk, desperately hoping my mom might change her mind and this California nightmare would dissipate into dust.



Author Bio:

Gary Seigel was raised in Encino, California where his debut novel, Haskell Himself, takes place. After completing a PhD in English at Rutgers University, Gary taught at several colleges and universities, but his most memorable experience was a brief 12 week stint at the same high school he (and Haskell) graduated from, teaching side by side with some of the same teachers he once endured. Currently, Gary gives grammar and proofreading classes to business professionals eager to write error-free emails. He also has spent the past two decades helping employees control their inner jerk when texting or holding conversations with an impossible boss. His book The Mouth Trap: Strategies, Tips and Secrets for Keeping Your Feet out of Your Mouth, published in 2008, has been translated into over a dozen languages. He is the father of three sons and currently lives in South Pasadena with his partner.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

XBTBanner1

Posted by at 6 comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Jane Austen’s Dragons book 2 by Maria Grace

Audiobook Series Tour: Jane Austen’s Dragons by Maria Grace

Author: Maria Grace

Narrator: Benjamin Fife

Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

Series: Jane Austen's Dragons, Book 2

Publisher: Maria Grace

Released: Dec. 4, 2019

Genre: Epic Fantasy


Darcy thought his problems were over when Pemberley hatched and successfully imprinted on humans. But baby dragons prove far more difficult than any dragon lore prepared him for. Only Elizabeth Bennet's notes offer him any help. When his imperious Aunt Catherine takes matters into her own hands, things take a turn for the worse and Pemberley’s life hangs in the balance. He desperately needs more of Elizabeth’s help, but she ignores all of his requests.

Elizabeth, though, has problems of her own. After the Bennet family dragon sent Pemberley away, life at Longbourn was supposed to return to normal and Elizabeth get on with the all-important business of marrying the heir to her father’s estate. Except that he is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry - a bumbling, addle-pated dragon-hater who demands she gives up the dragons she lives for.

Can she, with the help of her dragon friends, find her way back to Pemberley before they both suffer their fate from the Dragon Entail?

Jane Austen meets Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern. A must-listen for Pern fans.

Buy on Audible

Five time BRAG Medallion Honoree and #1 best selling Historical Fantasy author, Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.

She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Pinterest
Narrator Bio

Benjamin Fife has always had a passion for learning. With a mind that remembers all sorts of numbers and useless trivia, he regularly wins local radio shows and enjoys confusing people with sci-fi quotes.

Fife grew up in Southeast Idaho. He attended college at Idaho State University, where he met his future wife in their music theory class. They have been married nearly 20 years and now have six children and a whole menagerie of animals. When their oldest daughter was three or four years old they started reading aloud from novels every night at bedtime, and have continued the tradition ever since. The family loves exploring various worlds and topics through Fife’s wonderful reading skills, which get better every year. They all have his Christmas Carol voices memorized (and the older kids are known to quote along with portions), since he has read it to them every December.

Benjamin enjoys all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy - both books and shows, is an extreme eclectic music lover, and prefers his chocolate to be of the 90% cocoa variety. Above all, he loves to be with his family. He loves recording audio books, and is delighted to tell people, “I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up!”
Website

.

Q&A with Narrator Benjamin Fife
  • When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
    • Going way back to 8th grade (‘92?) - in my speech class we were required to do a read aloud from a book for the class. I chose the novelization of The Empire Strikes back & did the iconic scene where Darth Vader reveals (SPOILER ALERT) he is Luke’s father. I did it complete with a jar for the Vader echo. Still love that scene. Fast forward a few years & when I met my wife, we started reading aloud to each other. I started thinking about doing it then (early 2000’s), but life was busy happening. We had our first kid in 2003 & from about the time she was 5 or 6 years old, we’ve taken turns picking what we wanted to read as a family every night. We’ve read silly, serious, Fiction, non fiction. I found it somewhat maddening when I read Jane Eyre to the kids - The oldest couldn’t have been more than 11 or 12 - and the two oldest girls were able to guess the plot points before they happened. Right down to (Spoiler alert) “I Bet his wife will jump off the Roof.” Though we do sometimes take turns, I’ve probably read 4/5ths of the books at least. I didn’t really know how to get into doing audiobook narration, but I knew it was something I wanted to do.
  • How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
    • Almost exactly 2 years ago, I got home from work one day & my wife said, “Hey, you should check out this ACX thing.” That night I set up my account. The next day I attended an uncle’s funeral. When one of my cousin’s I hadn’t seen for probably a decade asked me what I’ve been doing, after the normal update of job, kids etc, on a whim I said “And I narrate Audiobooks.” My first official audition was for one of his books (Prior to the conversation, I didn’t know he was an author). For the record - My audition was abysmal & he thankfully went with a different narrator - however, next month I’m recording Walls of Glass for him (J.W. Elliot) My audition for that one he said was head and shoulders above anything else he got.
  • Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
    • Short answer - No, not really. I would say the best tool & skill that has helped me to move forward continually & exponentially, is passion though. I LOVE narrating. I LOVE storytelling & bringing books to life. My wife told me I should put on here years & years of practice as well.
    • A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?*
    • I took Drama for 3 years in High School & I’ve always had a dramatic flare. I’ve never been cast for more than a bit part though, but it’s also not something I’ve ever tried to actively pursue. The acting ability of a narrator is essential however, and now that I am narrating, I’m using a lot of the skills I developed in Kay Jenkins’ Drama class more than 20 years ago. I’ve also always enjoyed improv games that I initially learned in that class. There are 2 main schools of thought I’ve found in audiobook narration - That of the “Strait read” or that of the “Characterized Read.” I’ve listened to both & by far I prefer the latter, but my imagination can fill in the blanks on a strait read as well.
  • What type of training have you undergone?
    • Aside from my 3 years in drama studying dialects & the 12 guideposts, I sang in choirs in college at Idaho State University & University of Idaho - both under some brilliant conductors - Scott Anderson (ISU), Rager Moore (U of I), and Dan Buckvich (U of I). Scott & Rager’s rehearsals were more of a group vocal lesson. Dan’s was in a VERY large jazz choir & he was amazing at getting hundreds of people to enunciate incredibly clearly. Years later, my wife & I ran a music store and I had a number of private lessons with Paul Harms, who had been principle tenor of the LA opera theatre for many years. Paul was a very nuts & bolts vocal instructor.
  • How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
    • I haven’t gotten incredibly burned out on anything yet. Sometimes I get a little bored in the editing process. If I do find myself getting burned out on something, I’ll take a break from it. I also find a good way to keep my skills up & enthusiasm up is to keep auditioning for new titles. The downside of that (sort of) is that if I get selected for all of them, I’ll be booked for a decade or so. But I also don’t audition for something unless it interests me at least a little.
  • Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you? 
    • ABSOLUTELY! When my wife & I were in college, we delivered newspapers ridiculously early & would frequently check out books on tape from the library. I’ve gone up & down with listening, much more UP of late. My day job is a 40 minute commute, so it’s perfect for listening. When I can the dayjob, I’m going to be healthier though, because I still want my listening time so I’ll be walking for that time each day instead. I’ve listened primarily to classics on Librivox up until recently (in the last 2 years I’ve listened to or read the complete works of Charles Dickens). I now am trying to listen to an audiobook a week from a newer narrator/author. I try to review everything I read & listen to, so I listen to at least some of it at 1x speed. If it’s non-fiction, I’ll pump the speed up to about 1.9 & if it’s fiction I listen at about 1.3.
  • What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
    • I hate waiting. (Inigo, Princess Bride). Waiting to find out if I get picked for the book, waiting for my schedule to free up so I can get to the one I REALLY want to narrate, waiting for the author to get me back any changes, waiting for ACX to approve it & make it live, waiting to see if anybody likes it.
    • I pretty well love everything else though. But I’m not incredibly fond of when an author is Uber picky in the editing process. I did one (no disclosure here as to what it was/ who wrote it, etc) that if I read “Said [character]” instead of “[Character] said,” they wanted me to fix it. In that book the author gave me basically one correction a minute, some of which were due to their writing errors. Not gonna lie, I got burned out on that title. That being said, I think my accuracy has improved from the experience.
  • What would you say are your strongest narration abilities?
    • I’m a really good storyteller. I love doing it & creating characters with the author. One thing I like to do with authors is kind of assemble who they would cast as such and such a character. With this series, we just kind of went with the BBC production cast & created the dragons as unique characters - Though come book 3 - Thalia is kind of channeling James T Kirk a little. One of my favorite minor characters I ever voiced in a book was Rabbi Wheaton in Father of the Bride of Frankenstein. He was Ben Stein as a Rabbi. Feel free to check it out.
  • What’s next for you?
    • Preserve, Protect & Defend - by Cameron Taylor
    • Their Greatest Game - Chronicles of Theren book II by C.D. Tavenor
    • Gather the Children (Book II from Earthbound) by Mari Collier
    • Walls of Glass by J.W. Elliot - This is by my cousin & is a great book designed to tear down barriers.
    • A Proper introduction to Dragons (Jane Austen's Dragons prequel)
    • The Fringe Candidate by Bradford Swift
    • Those are the ones I’m currently under contract for at least. I’m definitely looking forward to Maria Graces dragon treatment of Persuasion that will be coming out this spring we hope. I might push a project or two down the line to squeeze it in when she’s ready. There’s a lot more in the pipeline beyond that too. Currently in talks with one author about doing a 12 book series he wrote 30 years ago.
    • And the other thing that is on the “what’s next for you” horizon. Quitting the Dayjob. That’s been my goal from 2 years ago & in the last year, I’ve waffled a bit about how soon, but I’m on the sooner rather than later side of things & I’m blessed with a partner who is incredibly supportive of me in this. A little over a year ago, I was feeling a little down because I hadn’t landed anything new recently & I got my royalty check from one month for like $5. I asked her if she was really ok with my still going with it. She told me she’s never seen me happier, so even if I never make anything with it, I’d better stick with it. She’s awesome.
  • Bonus question: Any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
    • Speaking of Ms. Awesome… In the middle of narrating Longbourn - as Lizzie is fleeing Hertfordshire - I was rather into the narration at about 9:30 pm. My studio is a converted prebuilt shed outside our home (If anyone can guess why I call it Rex Iter studio, let me know & I’ll send you a free code to ALL of my books that I still have codes for). It has one little window right off of where I stand to record. So, emotionally fraught chapter, dark & quiet outside. My studio is not quite soundproof, so I’ll hear the occasional thing happening outside. I heard a couple of little bumps or something. So my subconcious brain is going, “If it affects the audio, I can do a retake, but I’m doing really well with this part and will just push on through.” Then I hear the bump-tapping again & look up. Ms. Awesome with Gowron Eyes watching me in the window. Normally, I scream like a girl when startled. What got recorded is a cry of utter terror, followed by her coming in & laughter. Enjoy. This just sums up our relationship. https://soundcloud.com/user-29643215/lonbourn-blooper-reel
Top 10 List
Narrator Benjamin Fife's 'Top 10 Reasons for Voicing Jane Austen's Dragons'
  1. I love being able to do British accents.
  2. I love Jane Austen
  3. I love Classics
  4. I love Dragons
  5. I love stories that mash 2 things together that wouldn’t normally be found alongside each other.
  6. I frequently will use “head Canon” to explain in my brain how many things that are traditionally thought of as fiction, could in fact be fact. Stargate. Star Trek. Wizarding World. The Free Kingdoms. Dragons. The Force. All True. Pemberly is still alive & runs the Westminster Dog show with the Darcy’s Descendants.
  7. Maria Grace’s Writing is Superb.
  8. I blame Sherilynn. She introduced me to Jane Austen.
  9. Timothy Zahn hasn’t called me yet to record his books.
  10. Being able to voice Dragons is positively delightful. How can anyone resist?
Giveaway
Prize: Custom Statue of the Dragon 'Pemberly'


View the full 21-day schedule here
!
Plugging you into the audio community since 2016.
Sign up as a tour host here.
Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)