PLEASE WELCOME TODAY'S GUEST, DAVE GIORGIO

I was thrilled when Dave agreed to produce the audio book version of my novel, Ring of Lies.  It's taken a little persuading, but Dave finally agreed to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about his career and love of music.

1.     In the past, you’ve worked as a web developer, in video production and as musician.  How did you become involved in audiobook production?

I had actually started doing voice acting and audio recording before I became a serious musician. When I was six years old, I was doing John Wayne and Richard Nixon impersonations (thanks, Rich Little!) By the time I got to high school, I had added Rodney Dangerfield, Archie Bunker and Jackie Mason. I even performed a Rodney Dangerfield impersonation routine during a talent show in high school. But having already developed significantly as a musician, I stopped doing live comedy performances because I thought it was "more cool" to be recognized as a musician.

I later did voiceover work and comedy recordings, such as an interview with Woody Allen, Sean Connery, Rodney Dangerfield, Peter Faulk and William Shatner. All the while, I had been working professionally as a musician and (having built several audio recording studios) had been producing talent in studios.

Being a writer, I'd had a love of the written word and co-founded a book-publishing firm. We had decided to move into audio book publishing and recording. It was a natural fit for me being that I had already built half dozen studios, had been working producing talent, and was experienced with voice recording. So there at last was the merging of my experience with both the written and spoken word.

 2.     Audiobook production is time consuming and I believe it requires a great deal of patience and skill.  Did you undertake any specific training?

Training-wise, I developed my audio engineering and producing chops with years of work and experience. More specific to audio book recording, I already had a background in engineering and producing, plus I had great ears. So from there it was a feasible move towards specializing in audio books. However, there was nothing that could have prepared me for the patience, stamina and unflappability needed for audio book production! There is simply no art form in the world that tests your will like audio book recording does. No training can prepare for that. The only way to harden yourself to the rigors of audio book recording is to do lots of long hours of audio book work. Only then does it become a manageable practice. 

 3.     Can you give my readers and listeners a brief idea of what is entailed in making the perfect audiobook recording?

The easiest parts of this answer are: Acoustically tight room, Great Mic, Great Mic Preamp and Analogue-to-Digital Converter; plus a reader with a nice voice. That's that part that people can easily see on the surface. And it makes up only about 10% of the answer! The real keys are ears, talent and know-how. Unfortunately, these are 90% of the answer yet are the hardest of all aspects to acquire.

Audio editing is so important. But if you listen to many of the books these days, really carefully, you can hear so much noise, bad breathing and cracks, pops and whistles, that it's obvious that the producers and editors of those books have no idea they are doing. Again, it all comes down to having the ears and the know-how. That's one of the things I have made a high priority with davebooks.com

 4.     What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Do you mean reading as in recording audio books or pleasure reading? As far as recording books as a narrator, I like to read fiction books. The more interesting the plot, the better. I also like it when there are characters with specific dialects such as British, Russian, New York, Southern U.S., etc., though I tend in general to not alter my voice too much because listeners prefer a more straight read. As for pleasure reading, I am reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (and the other 2 books of the Karla trilogy) for about the 5th time, because I love LeCarre's work!

5.     Do you have your own studio?  You’ve recorded books for a variety of publishers, is there any particular genre you enjoy most?

Yes, I've got a great studio with top grade tools. My studio is the perfect blending of workability for both audio books and music, because I've got the high resolution that music demands, yet the desired room sound and layout for audio books.

 6.     How do you feel when you hear your own voice on a recording?

Like everyone else, years ago I hated it. I spent about 10 years trying to get my voice to sound good (vocally). Different mics, positions, styles, etc. It finally came together around 15 years ago while recording a hard rock song. Voice over was the same. I listen to my early recordings and cringe. But I've gotten to a point where I can accept the sound of my voice most of the time :-)

 7.     You are also a talented musician. What type of music do you like to play/sing?  Do you have a regular fan base, and what is the largest venue you have played in?

The music I like most to work on is my original singer/songwriter material. That's the most fun. I've got a small fan base, though one of my deficiencies is that, with my own music at least, I am almost introverted when it comes to putting it out there. With other people's music it's totally different. I've got two Gold records so far for my recording work, and I have some new material that is unreleased that I think can be pretty huge. The largest venue I've played was the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, about 20, 000 people. Lots of fun, that was!

For more information about Dave Giorgio and Dave Books, visit his website at:  http://davebooks.com

THE ALLURE OF SCOTLAND

What is it about Scotland that draws writers and readers alike?  Is it the rugged peaks, hidden lochs and glens, great Castles and ruined abbeys, or its turbulent, almost mythic history? There can be no denying it is a very beautiful part of the world, one of the reasons Scotland was named Lonely Planet’s third top travel destination in 2013. 

My longstanding interest in Scotland began many years ago, not from reading novels, but primarily from childhood holidays in the Highlands. There’s just something magical about the place, which makes my heart pound every time I go there. Whether this is due in part to my grandmother’s stories about a famous Scottish ancestor named John Brown, Queen Victoria’s ghille, whose blood is supposed to run in the family, I cannot be certain. (As a writer, I have little time to spare to research my family tree!). Such was my love of the country that I chose to make it my home for twenty happy years. It broke my heart when it came time to leave.  Now, I only know that the moment I cross from England into Scotland, there is a song in my heart and a spring in my step.

Scotland, it’s people and landscape continues to be popular with novelists and readers. Sir Walter Scott, Nigel Trantor, Iain Rankin, Gavin Maxwell, Rona Randall, Anne Maybury, Katie Fforde, Dana Gabaldon, Lin Anderson, and Linda Gillard, to name but a few, have all used Scotland’s landscape and it’s history for settings of their novels.

But what draws the romance novelist to Scotland?  Is it because fans of the genre know that the Highlands are teeming with heroic men and equally brave women? The harsh climate and rugged landscape certainly make an ideal backdrop for adventure. Add a history that is also seeped in legend, ancient castles and stone circles, and you have the basis for some very engaging plots. However, that still doesn’t explain the allure of Scotland in fiction.

In romance, it’s always about the hero.

He should have a deep-rooted sense of honour, pride and justice. And the more rugged he is, the harder he will fall in love (with the right woman, of course.) Oh, and a kilt always helps!

The Scottish hero is tough and sexy, and it takes a special kind of woman to tame him. But he is loyal too, which hastens back to the clans. That kind of extreme loyalty is very appealing to women readers.

For that reason, many authors transplant the historical image of a Highlander into a more contemporary white knight – a bad-boy with a need-to-be redeemed image, which many readers enjoy.

With such a wealth of material it is no wonder that I set my novel, The House on the Shore in Scotland or that my fourth book will also be set in a place that I think of as home.

SANTA CAME A LITTLE EARLY

Those of you who follow this blog will know that my novel, Ring of Lies, has been turned into an audiobook. Narrated by Michelle Ford and produced by Dave Giorgio,  it is now available from Audible and Amazon, and will soon be available from iTunes too.

Even though I regularly listen to audiobooks, and had read the book countless times myself, I hadn't realised how much work goes into making a really good listening experience.  It is an art form in its own right.  A good narrator must also be a skilled actor, and 'play' all the roles in the story, giving each character a different voice.  Just reading the words on the page is not suffice.  The narrator has to bring the characters to life so that you feel their happiness, their anxiousness, and even their pain. Those of you who have read the print version know that the story crosses International borders and includes characters from the UK, America, and Mexico.  Michelle handled the accents beautifully.

I must also thank Dave Giorgio of BookRite Books, for his sterling work in producing not only a crystal clear recording, but for also liaising with Audible to make the recording available in time for Christmas.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all my readers and everybody who has attended one of my events and their families a Merry Christmas.  I appreciate all the support you have given me in 2013 and wish you a Happy and Prosperous 2014.

Victoria

HELP ME CELEBRATE....

The audiobook version of my novel, Ring of Lies, is now complete.  Produced by Dave Giorgio and narrated by Michelle Ford, it will be available shortly from Audible, Amazon and iTunes.  

You can listen to a sample here:  Ring of Lies Audiobook  

I recently interviewed Michelle and asked her, among other questions, whether she made the conscious decision to become a voiceover artist or did she have another career path in mind as a teenager. 

I was always focused on working in the media.  My first job was with the BBC in London as a secretary and then as a production assistant for Radio 1.  I spent the next several years working in public relations for Disney theme parks - can't tell you how much fun it was introducing cynical journalists to Mickey Mouse and seeing them love Disney despite themselves!  When life took me overseas to live in America someone told me I had a 'cute accent' and suggested I think about voiceovers.  A ton of training later..... and I couldn't choose a more perfect job!

Did you attend a stage or drama school? Have you undertaken any voice training?

I didn't go to drama school but I've been involved in amateur dramatics for a long time.  Once I decided to pursue voiceovers I really went for it and I've been lucky enough to train with amazing teachers in Philadelphia and New York.  From an audiobook point of view I honestly think reading daily with my three children when they were young and doing all the characters and voices made me love telling stories.

Do you schedule a specific time each day to record?

That's so hard to do.  Working from home has huge benefits but family comes first and often my kids don't think my 'job' is a real one - in as much as they think how hard can it be to narrate stories all day!  So I'm still doing multiple school runs, involved in community groups and cooking dinner.  However working from home does mean I can be very flexible.  Often I'll work all morning, stop to get kids and have a cup of tea with them after school then start again as soon as dinner is over, recording until midnight (or until my voice gets tired and croaky, whichever is the sooner!).

I note that you have your own studio.  Are there any distractions with working from a home studio? 

Yes!  Although my studio is acoustically treated and as soundproofed as possible, I can't tell you how my heart sinks when I see landscape gardeners pull up on our street to blow leaves or see a sign up nearby saying a new house is to be built.  I know nearly everyone with home studios has these issues.  But again, as I'm flexible with my hours, I just adjust.  When I can hear a chainsaw I just go and do laundry or get started on dinner then pick up later when it stops.
After Superstorm Sandy (I live in New Jersey), every single day the noise was unbelievable for weeks - and that was once we finally got power again after 10 days.

When reading for an audiobook how do you achieve the author and character’s voice?

Well to start with I read the entire book and make notes about each character as I go.  Your book Ring of Lies is a good case in point.  It was not until the last five pages of the book that Salazar was revealed to be Eurasian with Chinese/Portuguese parents!  If I hadn't read through to the end undoubtedly I would probably have given him more of a Spanish accent.  As it was I tried to mix it up a bit so he just sounded unplaceable European.
Once I have a more rounded idea of the characters I can give them their voice which I really think comes from the author.  I try to always 'tag' the character with a certain pitch, tone, speed of talking and be consistent.  Of course, for a female narrator, the men are the hardest but I try to avoid going too deep and pantomime with them.  Sometimes its enough to drop my voice just a little to distinguish from others in the scene.

How do you feel when you hear your own voice on a recording?

Eek!  It sounds so different from how I think I sound.  There's magic in that microphone - talk to me on the phone and I sound about 12 years old!

You’ve recorded books for a variety of publishers, is there any one book or genre that stands out?  Do you have a favourite?

I must admit I really enjoy a good thriller with a bit of romance thrown in.  My voice suits Regency romances but I spend half the time recording with a permanent blush when there's more 'plundering' than I feel totally comfortable with!
I was privileged to narrate Fay Weldon's book The Hearts and Lives of Men earlier this year and, as part of my research, I got to Skype with her and talk about characters.  Such a great author.
Also narrated a Bridget Jones/Sophie Kinsella-style book recently called Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan.  That character would totally be me if I weren't happily married!

What kind of books do you like to read for pleasure? 

I'm in a local book club so I'll read whatever is on the menu for that.  Recently I read What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty and that really resonated with me.  Literally sat on my sofa at the end and bawled (but not because it was sad - my friends had a similar reaction). Unfortunately it was all based in Australia and my Ozzie accent just wouldn't cut it otherwise I'd be banging on the door of that publisher desperate to record it.

Since June though I just haven't had the time to read almost anything for pleasure.  Definitely time to schedule some reading.

Do you have a regular fan base?

I wish!  Not really sure.  I occasionally (nervously) dip into the reviews of books I've narrated and fortunately there seem to be readers who seek me out.  My fragile actor ego gets hurt sometimes (Carolyn from Newark, you know who you are!! and btw I did my best with a Scottish accent).  Its really only in the last 18 months that I've been doing audiobooks nonstop.  Prior to this and in between, I record lots of e-learning material, commercials, corporate work, websites and so on.

Thank you, Michelle, for taking time out of your busy day to talk to me.

You can find out more about Michelle by clicking on the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/BritishVoiceovers

http://www.michelleford.net

To celebrate the release of the audiobook, I am giving away a Kobo Mini ereader.  All you have to do is sign up to this blog or my website http://www.victoriahoward.co.uk to enter.  The draw will take place on the 20th December.  

Please Welcome Guest Author - Rachel Brimble

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Brimble.

Please tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and when did you start writing?

I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for 15 years and we have a teen and pre-teen daughter as well as my beloved black Lab, Max. I grew up in Bristol before moving to Wiltshire in 2001. I love being close to the countryside in one direction and the bustling Georgian city of Bath in the other.

I started writing toward publication when my youngest daughter started school full-time in 2005. The Wild Rose Press published my first novel in 2007 and I’ve had at least one novel a year published since. Harlequin Superromance publishes my latest contemporary romances and Kensington publishes my Victorian romances.

You’ve written several highly rated Romantic novels, including historical and suspense. Tell us about your books and what inspires you to write.

Aww, thank you for saying my books have been highly rated, that means a lot to me! I love writing contemporary and historical novels alternately – it keeps my mind fresh and hopefully my readers’ too! My editor at Harlequin (contemporary) is happy for me to write mainstream romance or romantic suspense in my current series, which is great. So far, I’ve written two of each and contracted for one more – I’m thinking this last one will be romantic suspense. I feel a murder coming on!

My Victorian romances are also linked by a secondary character in previous book, becoming the hero or heroine in the next book. I am contracted with Kensington to write two more by June 2015 which will be four in total. As for inspiration? That comes in the form of deadlines, lol!

Describe your writing process. When and where do you write?

I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mum so I treat my writing like a job and write from 8.30 to 3.30pm during the week and as much as family time allows over the weekend. My laptop is always turned off by 7pm for my relaxation – ie bath, followed by a glass of wine in front of the TV.

Where do your ideas come from?  Which comes first, the story, the characters or the setting?

This can vary. Most of the time my inspiration comes from a premise and then I create a synopsis and character sketches which usually bring forth the conflicts.

How long does it take you to write a book? What research. If any, do you undertake when planning your book?

It usually takes me around six months to write a 85,000 word novel – my research is very limited, in that I focus on emotion more than anything else. For my Victorian novels, I make sure I have etiquette and social standing as spot on as I can, but again, the emotions are the focus of the book and love, hate, jealousy, greed and joy were the same in the 1800s as they are now.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

A bit of both – I am becoming more of a pantser as time goes on but my work in progress is becoming a nightmare so I will definitely be plotting the next one more thoroughly. I like to start with a three page synopsis as an outline, character sketches for the hero, hero and villain, if I have one. After that, I dive straight in and write the first draft from start to finish without looking back. The hard part comes in the following drafts!

Of all your characters, do you have a favourite?

Oooh, difficult question! One of my favourite heroes is Will Samson from my Kensington debut, The Seduction of Emily…and one of my favourite heroines is Cat Forrester from my Harlequin debut Finding Justice. In fact, I like Cat so much she’s appeared in every book in the series so far and I’m on book four, lol!

Do you work with a writing/critique group?

I have three fantastic critique partners who I couldn’t be without – they are thorough but entirely constructive and I would be half the writer I am today without them. We work really well together and I hope we continue to do so for years to come. We met online and have never met in person so maybe one day I’ll fly to the States just to meet them. Why not??

What advice would you give to someone thinking of writing their first novel?

Write! That’s it – so many people want to write but don’t actually do it. Write your novel, attend as much workshops as you can and listen to people who have made their way through the writing gauntlet. I enrolled in many affordable, online writing classes when I started out and they were invaluable. Also, join a writers group and/or association like the Romantic Novelists Association. Talking to other writers is really, really important. Good luck!

Rachel’s latest book is A Man Like Him (book 2 in her Harlequin series) and available now. Here’s the blurb and buy links:

Changing her life...again 

After two years in hiding, Angela Taylor knows her independence is worth it. As long as she can escape her past, she has everything under control. Until a flash flood hits the park where she works, and hot Chris Forrester shows up the exact moment she needs a hero. 

Chris proves he can save lives-and weaken a girl's knees. But how can she make him understand that she's off-limits, that getting close to her will endanger his life? Her happiness or his safety: it shouldn't even be a choice.

Because when you love someone, you protect them, no matter the cost. At least, that's what Angela keeps telling herself....

A Man Like his is available from:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble

Amazon.co.uk

Bio:

Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:

Website

Blog

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