Audiobooks: Can You Hear It Now?
Audiobooks, you say?
Chances are, if you’re reading this, then you’re a romance reader (because, you know, I’m a romance writer, and this is my blog). But have you ever listened to a book?
Why listen to audiobooks?
My first experience with audiobooks was listening to “Inkheart” narrated by Brendan Fraser (who is admittedly awesome, let’s just get that out there). It was quite a few years ago, and we were planning a family trip to DisneyWorld. That’s about an 18 hour drive for us, so I thought listening to a family-friendly book would help pass the time. Unfortunately, Brendan Fraser’s voice was so soothing and relaxing that it turned out it wasn’t the best choice for mega-hours of cruising down I-95.
The next time was only a few months ago, when I thought listening to a book might make the time on the exercise bike more tolerable and pass more quickly. I chose a book that I loved, part of a paranormal romance series I’d become hooked on. It didn’t go quite as well as I’d hoped. Exercising still sucked, and to be honest, I wasn’t particularly fond of the way the narrator portrayed some of the characters I’d come to “know” from reading prior books in the series.
Breaking New Ground
So you can understand why I was hesitant to pursue audiobooks of my own. I mean, not everyone can read romance and make it sound good. The voice has to “fit”, and the narrator has to pick up on written dialogue cues and personalities to make the story come alive.
But enough people had written me and asked, so I did some research, talked it over with some author friends who’d already traveled down that road, and eventually decided to give it a try. I reached out to a publisher known for doing audiobooks, we talked about it, and agreed to do the first four books in the Callaghan Brothers series and see what happens.
I listened to a bunch of narrators, but when I heard Aiden Snow’s sound sample, I knew he was the one. And after listening to how Dangerous Secrets came out, I couldn’t be happier with it. Wanna hear for yourself? You can listen to a sample HERE.
Bottom line: Sometimes it’s good to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Dangerous Secrets is now available in ebook, print, and audio format on major retailers. Want to know more about the book? Click on the Dangerous Secret book page here on my website for an excerpt, book trailer, and buy links.
Happy listening,
? Abbie