The Road to Redway (Pt.9)
Audiobook
For years, I have considered making my first Redway Acres book into an audiobook. For an indie author, it is not a cheap process and up until now, I have stopped short of contacting a producer/narrator. However, as detailed in my last Road to Redway blog, with my change to my penname of 'Trish Henry Green' and a little extra money available, now seemed to be the time.
The first step was finding a narrator. Using the filter available on the ACX website, I narrowed down my choices:-
· Definitely a woman (Redway Acres is primarily about women's issues in the Regency period).
· An English accent with potential for regional accents and a few lines of French and Portuguese.
· A voice suitable for Historical Fiction and someone who could also convey a man's voice well.
· It was my first foray into audiobooks, so I wanted someone Audible approved.
· Obviously, the price range was important, but so was availability (typically, now I'd decided to go for it, I wanted to get started as soon as possible).
Megan Green came up on my list, and given her last name—how could I go wrong?
The first step, Megan advised me, was a fifteen-minute (about five thousand words) sample of her reading my work. So, I picked out a few scenes in the order they appear in the book, with voices I felt it good to hear. As well as the words, I gave Megan some details about the characters in those scenes, such as how old they were and how their voice sounded in my mind.
Nathaniel (30) is a multifaceted character who can be commanding, even menacing, but also fun-loving, considerate, and kind. He can mix with any level of society and has a proper English-speaking voice.
~oOo~
The first was a heated scene between Colonel Nathaniel Ackley and his domineering and privileged father, the Earl of Aysthill, from David's point of view (listen below).
The fact that I was smiling ear to ear the whole time I listened to it boded well.
~oOo~
Next, I picked a fun scene between Nathaniel and Harriet to see the other side of Nathaniel's personality. Their ramble across Eastease's fields and Harriet's cheery conversation bring him out of his mood from dealing with his father.
~oOo~
By this time, I was already sold, but the remaining two scenes with Helena in them sealed the deal. As our main character, Helena's voice had to be right. I think Megan caught her perfectly.
Helena (26), being our main character, is multifaceted. A gentleman's daughter, so she speaks well but not too posh. She's practical and makes logical arguments. She's not coy or flirtatious (usually)—definitely a woman's voice, not girlish.
Check out the two scenes below. After the last scene, we are not far past the halfway mark, so I haven't given away too much of the story here.
Then came the most challenging part. I submitted my manuscript and waited.
~oOo~
To be fair to Megan, she blew the deadline for uploading the files to ACX for my review out of the water, but still, the waiting was the hardest part, as I was so excited. She also informed me of how it was going and how far she had gotten through the book. Communication is vital in this process.
I satisfied myself with a relisten of the first fifteen minutes, many times over! It was amazing how Megan's voices became the ones I now hear in my head when I'm writing.
Then, I listened to the whole book and noted any edits. In short order, Megan made the few edits needed and submitted the finished version for Audible to approve (along with a PDF my cover artist, Adriana Tonello, had prepared with the map and family trees).
If you want to listen to 'Redway Acres – Helena' on Audible, check it out here.
Visit Megan Green's website here https://www.megangreenvoice.com/
Don't forget to review!