Audiobooks - my new adventure @SusanHayes

At the end of May, something momentous happened. Well, I thought it was pretty momentous, but I’ve been waiting for this moment for quite some time. ACX (Amazon’s audible section) opened their doors to Canadian authors. Until now, only UK and American authors had access to their narrators and process.  Not anymore!

I had done my research. I’d planned. I’d prepped. I was ready. I dove in head first with a squeal of glee and got started within hours of the announcement. Even after all the prep, there was a lot of work to be done.

I spent less time picking out my wedding dress than I did going over narrator auditions. This one was too high pitched, that one was too soft spoken. What kind of accent was I looking for? Male or female narrator? In the end, the decision was easy. The moment I heard Tieran Wilder’s voice, I knew she was the one. 

Having picked a narrator, the next step was to send her the script (book) and a pronunciation guide.  I write sci-fi romance, with plenty of alien names, curse words, and invented language, which led to some incredibly funny email exchanges as we worked out how everything would sound.

After that, came the review of the audio files. The first sex scene I listened to, I burst out laughing. It’s one thing to write steamy scenes and know people read them. It’s quite another to have someone else read every word aloud, complete with moans, whispers, and gasps. I giggle and snickered and possibly blushed (I admit to nothing.)

It’s ten weeks later, and now I have not one, but TWO audiobooks out in the world. Both Double Down and All In are now on sale, and I’ve got Wild Card, book #3 in The Drift series ready to go for this fall.

I enjoyed audiobooks as a reader, but now that I know how much work goes into creating one, it makes listening to one much more interesting. I flew from the west coast to Ottawa last week to take part in Romancing the Capital. To entertain me on the long, long (did I mention it was long?) flights, I took several audiobooks with me. They're a great way to pass the time. 

And yes, I was in Ottawa with my fellow Romance, Eh, bloggers 'Nathan, Amy, and Michelle. It was a wonderful time, and if you can make it to Ottawa next August, I strongly recommend you come and check it out! 

Buy Links: Double Down

Buy Links: All In

August Audio

Do you listen to audiobooks?

I have to admit that I never did, until I started having them produced for my books. I had this idea that they'd be like old radio shows, with all the parts acted out by different actors and sound effects, and that maybe, just maybe, they'd be a little bit cheesy. Actually, they're lovely. An audiobook is like having someone read the story aloud to you. You can do other things while you listen. The bonus is that most narrators have truly lovely voices.

Of course, I have a reason for asking you this question. :-) Not only are my historical romances being produced in audio, but I have a contest this month on my blog. I'm giving away an audiobook per day for the month of August. It shakes out to be more than 31 books, though, since I'm posting each Saturday - I'll give away 35 audiobooks in all. Each Saturday, I list a different title, and the following Saturday, I give away seven copies of it. You can only win once, but this is a fabulous opportunity to try audiobooks for the first time.

Here's this week's contest - you could win an audiobook of The Snow White Bride, book #3 in my Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogy of medieval Scottish romances, just for commenting on this post on my blog. This series has been narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and I think she's done an awesome job. Have a listen, right here!

Even better, there are a number of authors participating in this promotion. We'll all using the hashtag #AugustAudio so you can find us. Alternatively, you can stalk my Twitter account (@Cooke_Delacroix) because each Saturday I tag all the participating authors.

Why an August audio promotion? Well, I have a new audiobook releasing on September 1. My medieval Scottish paranormal romance, The Renegade's Heart, is now available for pre-order. This is the first book in my True Love Brides series—all four of these books should be available in audio by the end of the year. They're being narrated by Saskia Maarleveld.

You can have a listen to samples from all of my audiobooks on my new Soundcloud page - even the audition for The Crusader's Bride by Tim Gerard Reynolds. I think you'll see why he got the job to narrate all of the Champions of Saint Euphemia series!

Don't miss your chance to try audiobooks! Hop on over to my blog and comment for your chance to win!

No more winter! Travel to a Space Station or Another Planet for March Break

Foreverary is finally over! March is here with warmer temperatures. Yay! The snowbanks are slowly melting away, driveways are becoming visible, and the streets are going back to their normal width. Everything looks dirty from all of the sand and gravel used to makes the roads less slippery, but this won't last. The trees have already started to bud. Soon, crocuses and tulips will be bursting through the ground to bring us the first colours of spring. Robins will return, and the rain will make everything look fresh and new again. I can't wait!

Copyright: / 123RF Stock Photo

But, until then, some Canadians are travelling south for March Break, which is next week. While my family has no plans to go anywhere, I know some families going down to Florida, hoping to catch an early burst of summer before returning to our much cooler temperatures.

If you're like me, and are staying home for March Break, there are other ways to get away at least for a short period of time. You can watch a movie, read a book, or listen to an audio book.

It's also time for spring cleaning, right? I like to put my earplugs in, and listen to an audio book while tidying up, doing the dishes, and other chores.

With the audio books I have out, you can visit a space station, or travel to another planet. Why not take a listen and find out if you'd like to visit one of my worlds?


You can listen to samples from my other audio books on SoundCloud. And if you'd like to WIN one of my audio book titles, you can pop on over to my blog and enter there.

 

My audio book titles are available from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

Until next month!

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

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