Interviewing my Audiobook Narrator

To celebrate the release of the audiobook version of my debut novel––Full Term, a Young Adult Contemporary––I have the great pleasure of interviewing my narrator, Eleanor Acquah.

I found Eleanor via ACX, Amazon’s service for linking independent authors and audiobook producers. I typed in my preferences (a female English voice who could speak casually and do a couple of accents) and then scrolled, hoping to find someone who had the same background as my main character.

Eleanor immediately jumped out, A. because she had a good audio sample, and B. because she was one of the few black people on the site. My main character, Mya, is half Ghanaian, and as it turned out, Eleanor has Ghanaian heritage too. It was important to me to cast a person of colour in the role, where possible.

Here’s what she had to say about it all:

Can we start with you telling us a little about yourself?

I live in South London. I am a family support worker and have been working in this field for 18 years. I love spicy food and shopping!

What made you decide to narrate audiobooks and how did you get started?

From a young age, I was always doing impressions of the people around me; at the age of seven whilst watching TV, I had a lightbulb moment and wanted to be a voice-over when I was older. I have always had an interest in TV production and I actually wanted to be a camerawoman but choose the career path of helping people as it appealed to me. The voice-over was always in the back of my mind so decided to do it on the side for experience and to earn extra money. My first gig was doing jingles for a Christian radio show Omniscient Radio. When I got the message from Ellie about Full Term, I was in shock as most of my experience was from radio and projects for young people and animation. I had auditioned for audiobooks six years ago without success; thankfully my profile was still active!

So, Full Term is your first full audiobook. How do you feel it went? What did you learn? Anything you would do differently?

I feel it went okay, I was just so happy my audition went well, I just wanted to read! I learnt that producing an audiobook is not just about reading; it’s about trying to get the right pace and essence of the characters; the editing is a long process as you have to take out the breaths, listen to the playback whilst listening and reading along to ensure all of the words are said. If I had to do it again, I would ensure that the requirements to record are set prior to recording! And extra padding in my recording corner in my bedroom as the neighbours upstairs can be noisy.

Was there anything about the story that drew you in?

What drew me into the story was Mya could of had the baby at school considering she didn’t tell anyone about it. As I support children, young people and stories like this are very familiar to me. I actually have a young mum on my caseload who is in a mother and baby unit.

Do you have a favourite character?

Mya. I love her inner thoughts and her determination and she wants the best for Emma.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am keen to find out what happens in the second instalment!

Thank you so much to Eleanor for answering my questions, and of course recording the book in the first place! If you would like to buy a copy, it’s available on Amazon, Audible, and via the Apple Store.

Top Ten Most Read Authors

As much as I dislike the fact that I was denied the joy of reading as a child, the small consolation such a situation brings is that I know – and have therefore been able to list – pretty much every single book I’ve ever read. With that knowledge at my fingertips, I was curious to take a look and see which authors I had most read. Below is what I discovered. (If you are curious, I’ve finished a total of 472 books in my life so far.)

1. Jim Butcher – 17 Books

All of these books are in the ‘Dresden Files‘ series, all of which I have devoured on audiobook, because all of them are narrated by the fantastic James Marsters. For the unfamiliar, it’s urban fantasy (wizards and vampires, but set in our world. Chicago, to be precise). And I cannot praise them enough. Probably the fact that I’ve read so many tells you how much I love them.

A Favourite Author: Yes. Planning to Read More: Double yes!

2. Malorie Blackman – 13 Books

Malorie’s ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series were some of the first books I’ve ever read. She is my OG favourite author, for sure. Aside from her series, I’ve checked out a couple of her children’s books (for very, very young children, because they’re awesome and I have no shame. Noughts and Crosses is Young Adult, for context). I’ve also read ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ by her, as well as a gender-bent YA Othello retelling (‘Chasing the Stars’) and a collection of short stories on slavery she edited (and had one of her own stories included in).

Will I read more by her? Most definitely. I’m actually planning to re-read all of the N&C books again soon. Continue reading

Six Months of Books

Now that half the year is gone, it really is high time I got around to summarising everything I’ve been reading. I set myself the goal of fifty books this year, and I’m very pleased (not to mention surprised) that I’m well ahead of target with thirty-seven already down (74% of target, 13 books ahead of schedule).

Here is a breakdown of those thirty-seven books:

Poetry

Through a Hedge Backwards by Rene Greig, Reflections from the Enler by Alex Dempster, The Orchard by Isobel Gamble, The World’s Wife and Feminine Gospels by Carol Ann Duffy, Famous American Poems edited by Gene Baro, The Goose Tree by Moyra Donaldson, Undying by Michel Faber, Crow by Ted Hughes, and Stranger Baby by Emily Berry.

Audiobooks in the Dresden Files Series

Turn Coat, Changes, Ghost Story, Cold DaysSkin Game, and Side Jobs all by Jim Butcher.

Young Adult Novels

No Life But This and Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan, Terror Kid by Benjamin Zephaniah, Among the Ghosts by Amber Benson, Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Life and Death by Stephanie Myer, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and Inish Carraig by Jo Zebedee (audiobook)

Adult Novels

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austin (audio), As You Like It by Shakespeare (audio), Where Three Roads Meet by Salley Vickers, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

Non-Fiction

Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (audio), The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck and Get Your Sh*t Together by Sarah Knight (audio).

Novelty/Gift Books

In the Garden of Happiness by Dodinsky, Doug the Pug by Leslie Mosier, and Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones by Bryan Cogman.

Other

The Female Line edited by Ruth Carr (poetry and short stories), and a novel-length fanfic.

*sighs a deep, contented breath* What have you guys been reading?


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An Epic Month for Books! (Reading Wrap-Up Sept. ’16)

Stack of Recently Acquired Books
Stack of Recently Acquired Books

After a couple of months of not reading much, September had me flying through books (at least, by my standards). I completed eight things – count ’em, eight!

Current Tally: 39 books read out of 45

Currently Reading: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, and Summer Days, Summer Nights: Twelve Summer Romances edited by Stephanie Perkins.


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Demons, Dresden, and… Sea Legs? (Reading Wrap-Up March ’16)

The first book I read this month is one that I got for Christmas, but forgot to mention in my December book haul: Demons of the Hellmouth – a Buffy the Vampire Slayer companion book. Now, I love this book for many reasons – not least of which is the fact that I’m a massive fan of the show.
With its hardback cover and good quality binding, it’s a nice novelty item, written from the perspective of Rupert Giles and including amusing annotations from the rest of the main gang. But there were also bits that irritated my inner pedant, that left me wanting to annotate the thing myself.
At many points, Giles gives details about events that he wasn’t there for, and couldn’t possibly know about, including goings on in an alternative universe. That’s bad enough, but sometimes he even goes further, including direct quotes for some reason. Even if there was a small chance that someone somehow could have passed him details about goings on he missed, I highly doubt they’d tell him what people said, word for word.
These things probably wouldn’t bother most readers but, for me, it kind of broke the spell and detracted from the experience. I gave it three stars.

Carrying on the vague Buffy-related theme, I’m still working through audiobooks including voice work by James Marsters (the actor who played Spike on the show). As such, I listened to She Stoops to Conquer and Hound of the Baskervilles, and am now onto the Dresden Files audiobook series, finishing books one and two (Storm Front and Fool Moon by Jim Butcher) – Loved all of them!

Finally this month, I read Sea Legs and Other Stories, a poetry book by Candice J O’Reilly, leaving my Goodreads reading challenge at fourteen books off my forty-five book target for the year (thirty-one percent complete, three books ahead of schedule).


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Reading Wrap-Up – November ’15

Reading Challenge 2015 badgeHaving previously stated a dislike of audiobooks, I recently decided to give them another chance, and I’m so glad I did! Via an Audible free trial, I got a copy of James Marsters (et al) performing The Importance of Being Earnest, and it was SO good! Sublime and ridiculous, at the same time – what’s not to love?!

My issue with just listening to something instead of having it in front of my face is that I fidget and get distracted. But I have another issue – that of insomnia – which means I, rather regularly, have hours to spend in which my body too tired to do anything, yet my brain too awake to sleep.

Listening to audiobooks during this time was the obvious solution – one that had been pointed out by my partner, some time ago, I must admit – but one that took me a while to come around to. Or maybe it just took me to find the right audiobook. Seriously, I cannot emphasize how much I loved The Importance of Being Earnest. Fantastic book plus favorite actor equals very happy Ellie.

After Earnest, I went on to listen to Go Set a Watchman, which I also loved (Reese Witherspoon: A+). But I must say that I still don’t think I could listen to a book while not in a darkened room, drained of energy. And I listened to a few samples of other audiobooks, and was horrified by the narration of those, so who knows if I’ll continue to enjoy audible tales beyond this. Will keep you posted, either way!

In terms of physical books: I finished P.S. I Love you, read If I StayThe Revenants – a one-off comic book by two Belfast brothers – and started Master of Murder by Christopher Pike.

Where She Went (the sequel to If I Stay) has been requested from my local library and, in the meantime, I’m still reading The Horologicon eBook.

All of that considered, I have completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for the year – a whole month early!


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