First Things First
Excuse me while I break out the champagne and streamers! WORMWOOD IS NOW AN AUDIOBOOK! I really can’t believe it.
Excuse me while I break out the champagne and streamers! WORMWOOD IS NOW AN AUDIOBOOK! I really can’t believe it.
| New to audiobooks? You can get Wormwood as part of a FREE 30-day trial as a new Audible member* |
My Journey into the World of Audiobooks
I have a confession; up until recently, I had never listened to audiobooks. I have many friends and family members who are absolutely hooked, but for me, this was an exotic realm that seemed just a bit outside my comfort zone. After all, reading is a leisure activity that’s almost sacred to me—is there anything sweeter than relaxing under a blanket with a good book?—and I couldn’t imagine altering that experience in the slightest.
Yes, yes… I had heard the positives: that audiobooks simply opened up more opportunities to experience amazing stories. We could listen while doing any number of mundane things, like commuting, doing housework, mowing the lawn, painting or gardening, and that listening to books suddenly made those tasks much more enjoyable. Yet despite these testimonials, I never made the leap. I’m a creature of habit, I suppose.
About a year ago, a voice artist reached out to me after reading my first book, Wormwood. She told me that while she was reading it, she couldn’t stop imagining how she would voice the story. That conversation opened up a whole new world to me. To make a long story short, that very talented voice artist, Jessica M. Hepburn, created an outstanding recording of Wormwood, which has just become available on Amazon and iTunes.
Now let me loop back to my original sentiments about audiobooks—I had always resisted them. However, because my own work was now expanding into the realm of audiobooks, I knew I must take a closer look and see what the fuss was all about. Of course, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m now a convert! Honestly, I hadn’t realized what I was missing. With audiobooks, I’m able to add more stories and enjoyment to my life, and that hasn’t come at the expense of my “cozy blanket reading” one bit. It’s amazing.
However, there is something else that happened that I was completely unprepared for: listening to someone else read my own book. For my fellow authors out there, have you ever experienced this? I never really thought about how that would feel. I never realized that I could experience my book through the eyes of another—through the inflections of voice and the interpretations of meaning that sometimes showed a view that was so different from my own take on the story. It was jarring. Profound. Glorious. For the first time ever, I listened to my own story with unprepared wonder… and perhaps, a little as a reader might. I laughed at parts and at others, I cried. Finally, I think I know what my readers have been talking about. Finally, I believe I was truly able to experience my own story.
Thank you to voice artist, Jessica M Hepburn, for opening this door to me, and thank you, audiobooks, for all the possibilities beyond that threshold. I can’t wait to experience more of it.
Yes, yes… I had heard the positives: that audiobooks simply opened up more opportunities to experience amazing stories. We could listen while doing any number of mundane things, like commuting, doing housework, mowing the lawn, painting or gardening, and that listening to books suddenly made those tasks much more enjoyable. Yet despite these testimonials, I never made the leap. I’m a creature of habit, I suppose.
About a year ago, a voice artist reached out to me after reading my first book, Wormwood. She told me that while she was reading it, she couldn’t stop imagining how she would voice the story. That conversation opened up a whole new world to me. To make a long story short, that very talented voice artist, Jessica M. Hepburn, created an outstanding recording of Wormwood, which has just become available on Amazon and iTunes.
Now let me loop back to my original sentiments about audiobooks—I had always resisted them. However, because my own work was now expanding into the realm of audiobooks, I knew I must take a closer look and see what the fuss was all about. Of course, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m now a convert! Honestly, I hadn’t realized what I was missing. With audiobooks, I’m able to add more stories and enjoyment to my life, and that hasn’t come at the expense of my “cozy blanket reading” one bit. It’s amazing.
However, there is something else that happened that I was completely unprepared for: listening to someone else read my own book. For my fellow authors out there, have you ever experienced this? I never really thought about how that would feel. I never realized that I could experience my book through the eyes of another—through the inflections of voice and the interpretations of meaning that sometimes showed a view that was so different from my own take on the story. It was jarring. Profound. Glorious. For the first time ever, I listened to my own story with unprepared wonder… and perhaps, a little as a reader might. I laughed at parts and at others, I cried. Finally, I think I know what my readers have been talking about. Finally, I believe I was truly able to experience my own story.
Thank you to voice artist, Jessica M Hepburn, for opening this door to me, and thank you, audiobooks, for all the possibilities beyond that threshold. I can’t wait to experience more of it.
*Full disclosure: If you use the link I provided to sign up for Audible's free trial (and your first free download is Wormwood), the voice artist and I each get a small kickback for new members who then stay for 61+ days. This helps compensate the voice artist for her hundreds of hours of work on this project and for myself, the years I spent writing it. I hope you don't mind using my links. ;-)
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