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LISTEN UP: The Making of an Audio Book

September 15, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

I have written over 25 novels. Each one starts with voices in my head. By the time a book is done, I know every inflection, tonal change and speech pattern of every character. So, when I had the opportunity to create the audio versions of Hostile Witness and Silent Witness, I was excited. This, I thought, was going to be a breeze.
I thought that just before I became terrified.
I was excited because next to having your book made into a movie, audio is about as cool as you can get. I was terrified because suddenly there were decisions to make that I had never considered when writing these books. How had I really imagined my characters’ voices? Did I want an actor or an actress to read my books? How did I produce and publish an audio product? Did I want separate voices for each character or not? Did I want to read my books myself?
The only question I could answer was the last one. No fiction author should ever read their work if I am an example. My one attempt to do so left me ROFL. Thankfully, I was alone in the house when I tried it. Some people are actors; I am not.
Once that decision was made there were still others to tackle. This is my list of the five things I did   to bring my books from print to awesome audio.
1)   Listen to popular audio books in your genre. I listened to both male and female thriller authors. I found it disconcerting to hear a man read primary female parts but had no trouble accepting a female reader tackling male characters. It is a personal decision but I was lead by what seems to be accepted wisdom of the best selling authors and that is use the voice of the predominant character. I chose Tara Platt, an award winning voice over artist (www.taraplatt.com). I also chose to have each character voice distinctive and that meant the voiceover had to seamlessly move between character and gender, expository and dialogue.
2)    Choose a neutral voice unless your book has a cultural basis for a different choice. I listened to audio versions of books written by English authors and read by English actors. As much as I love an English accent, I realized choosing a voiceover with a discernible accent was distracting for an American thriller.
3)   If possible, seek professional assistance. I was lucky to know a producer who understood what goes into a successful voiceover. He coached me in what I should be listening for when I received my file for approval, not the least of which was breathing patterns. Like a singer, a voiceover artist should be able to read seamlessly without gasps or gaps in the production as well as communicate the appropriate cadence and genre of your novel.
4)   Provide your talent a ‘cheat sheet’ that includes a short description of the plot, descriptions of all recurring characters, unique setting points, and where the major plot points are. Also provide the talent with a copy of the book.
5)   Speak up and ask questions. There is someone to listen at established, professional sites. I worked with ACX for Audible.com, the most recognizable of all audio sites. They were responsive to all my questions and offered production options from talent buyout to royalty sharing and independent production.
It didn’t take me long to realize that as much time goes into reading a book for audio distribution as writing it for print or digital consumption. I also realized after I heard the first few chapters of my book that I was as lost in listening to the story in the same way I had been lost in writing it. I may have known the ending, but I didn’t know the sound of it would leave me breathless when I heard it.
Listen toHostile Witness
Listen to Silent Witness 

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Naked Sushi, Harlequin, and Cosmo, oh my! by Jina Bacarr

September 11, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The hot, lazy days of summer heated up last month when Harlequin editors, Gail Chasan and Malle Vallik came to speak at our August OCC meeting.

I was especially thrilled to see Malle Vallik. I’ll never forget the excitement racing through me when I found out that Malle wanted my NAKED SUSHI novella for the new Cosmo Red-Hot Read line from Harlequin. Not only did the Harlequin team have to approve each manuscript, but also the team from Cosmopolitan. This was a story I loved because I used my own experiences producing video podcasts as well as working for a computer magazine and a video game company to create her character.


A selfie of Malle and me — somehow the OCC Chapter sign got reversed when I put it up on Instagram.

In Naked Sushi, Pepper O’Malley is a tech-head but under that flannel shirt, she’s just itchin’ to find the right guy and fall in love. And she wants to be a spy:

Here’s the cover copy:

A Delicious Mistake
 


One day I’m getting canned from my job as a computer programmer for having wild copy-room sex with a guy I thought was the new game designer. The next, I’m crashing my ex-boss’s business lunch in a creative attempt to get my job back and men are eating sushi off my naked body! 

That’s when I realize a) My ex-boss is a hiding corporate secrets b) Hot copy-room guy is an undercover FBI agent c) I would make a kick-ass spy! 

Then Special Agent Hottie brings out his cuffs, and things get really interesting…

——————

Here’s a fun Instagram video I made with the opening lines from Naked Sushi:

Coming in October 2013 from Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Harlequin:

NAKED SUSHI is available for pre-order on Amazon!

Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover copy text used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.

Text Copyright © 2013 by Jina Bacarr
Cover Art Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.

® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies,
 used under license. by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.”

Music:

He’s So Sexy
Dream Valley Music
Composer: Michael Stephen Decker
Publisher: Shockwave-Sound.Com
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Promotional Whirlwind by Kitty Bucholtz

September 10, 2013 by in category Archives tagged as , , , ,

I just arrived home yesterday from over a month on the road. I’m exhausted, but it’s been a good few weeks. I started at the Romance Novel Convention in Las Vegas. Lots of great opportunities there, but not as much foot traffic as I expected.

Then I flew to Michigan for several events. I did a book signing at a charity event, ROCK for CHUM, raising funds for my sister’s charity. (She does therapeutic riding and hippotherapy, really amazing stuff!) Then I ran a charity half marathon, RUN for CHUM, and had to be available to sign books after.   Um, note to self, don’t plan to run 13.1 miles and try to have your head together for selling and signing books afterward.

A few days later, it got really exciting – I was interviewed live on a radio morning show! That was so fun! The radio DJ made it easy to sound like I’d done this a hundred times before. As soon as I get the recording, I’ll post it on my web site.

I spent the rest of the day getting in touch with my old high school (they took a picture of me with my book to put on their web site), stopping by my college library and the two local libraries in my hometown area (one had already bought all my books!), and doing some research for upcoming books.

The next day, I signed books in the morning at Top Comics, and in the afternoon at Horizon Books. Both stores hold a spot in my heart – the former is co-owned by a long-time friend, the latter is the first bookstore I remember ever going to as a kid. I felt on top of the world all day!

Plus, after several years of on and off searching, I found my sixth grade teacher to whom I dedicated Little Miss Lovesick. The newspaper took pictures of us meeting again for the first time in over 30 years and interviewed us. Then I presented the book to her at the beginning of the signing. Friends and flowers and lots of laughter made the day more special than I have words to express.

When I list it all here, it sounds like a lot of work – and it was! I didn’t have much free time. But when you can get your heart connected with your promotion, it gives you an energy boost. And it makes you feel like a million bucks!

Maybe you have some new ideas about what you can do to get your heart involved in your promotion. Good luck!


Kitty Bucholtz decided to combine her undergraduate degree in business, her years of experience in accounting and finance, and her graduate degree in creative writing to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher. Her first novel, Little Miss Lovesick, came out in 2011. Her new novel, Unexpected Superhero, book one in The Adventures of Lewis & Clarke humorous urban fantasy series, is now available in print and ebook format. Love at the Fluff and Fold, book one in The Strays of Loon Lake romantic comedy series, will be released later this year. Her short stories can be found in the anthologies Romancing the Pages and Moonlit Encounters, available in both print and ebook formats.

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Computer Issues

September 6, 2013 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , , ,

For anyone who’s my Facebook friend or reads my Killer Hobbies blog, you know I’ve had some computer issues over the past couple of weeks. The upshot is that first my Internet access, and then a couple of my computers, crashed. Why? Malware!

I had to take my main desktop computer and one of my laptops to technicians to diagnose and fix. Turned out that we had to replace the hard drive on my desktop, and although the technician couldn’t figure out how the malware had affected my laptop, his working to diagnose it apparently solved the problem.

Some of you have undoubtedly experienced this. I have, too, on a much more limited basis. But a writer, these days, without access to a computer? What misery! And it lasted for several days.

Yes, I back things up. And even beyond that, although the technicians didn’t reinstall all the programs on my desktop, they somehow were able to save all the data–although I have to hunt for it. And I’m so untechie that it’s a real hunt.

So… my wish for all of you is that you never, ever, experience anything like this.

Oh, except for those out there who create viruses and malware and the like to harm people’s computers and think it’s fun and funny. Instead, I wish the absolute worst of such stuff, an incurable virus or whatever, on every computer you ever attempt to use.

How about you–has your computer ever gotten ill with a virus or worse?

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OCCRWA Proudly Presents: September 16 –

September 2, 2013 by in category Archives

OCCRWA Proudly Presents: header

September 16 – October 13, 2013

TALKING BACK TO YOUR BRAIN

with Susan and Harry Squires
Susan and Harry Squires
About the Class:

Did you ever wonder why one day you get stuck on a project while on another day your writing flows easily?  Doesn’t it seem like sometimes your brain is actually fighting you?  Well, maybe it is. 
Recent insights into the structure of the human brain and how the parts work together (or don’t) provide powerful techniques to free yourself and get writing again.  You actually have three brains in your skull, and these simple techniques can get them talking to each other.  Your brain will work for you, not against you.
This class will help you learn how to be more effective in your writing and use these techniques in the rest of your life.  Using your current work in progress, Susan and Harry Squires will show you how to solve problems (including writer’s block,), make your characters and plots deeper and more resonant, and create a book that keeps your reader turning pages.
In this four week workshop, the Squires will present six lessons, each with exercises that let you practice and refine the techniques discussed.  You’ll get individual feedback and for the final lesson you’ll be able to submit five manuscript pages or a three-page synopsis for individual coaching and help.
Susan and Harry Squires have gotten great feedback on this class, and look forward to sharing these productive techniques with others.

About the Instructors:

Susan Squires has written fourteen novels and three novellas, first for Dorchester and St. Martin’s Press. Her first novel, Danegeld, was a Golden Heart winner. Her books have won three PRISM awards, Booksellers Best and a Holt Medallion, as well as many other contests. Her books have frequently garnered 4 ½ star reviews and Top Pick from Romantic Times Magazine. She has made the NYT list, the USA today list and the Walden’s Romance Top Ten.
Harry Squires published his first novel, What Rough Beast, as H. R. Knight with Leisure Books. A paranormal mystery with romantic elements, it garnered enthusiastic reviews not only from horror venues but also from romance reviewers. Harry also writes for WineAdventure Magazine. Harry was a corporate trainer with an insurance company for nearly ten years. In that capacity he created and presented everything from one hour training sessions to two-week workshops. He’s coached extensively on techniques of learning and unleashing the creativity of the brain.
Together, Harry and Susan speak frequently at community groups interested in thewriting life and have conducted many workshops at RWA chapters and Sci-fi conventions.
Visit their websites at www.susansquires.com and www.hrknight.com

Enrollment Information
To Enroll in this four week class, please follow the instructions at this link.
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