#AudioTour “The Shrike & the Shadows, a Fairytale Retelling” by Chantal Gadoury and A.M. Wright

April 18, 2020April 6, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ 2 Comments

Author: Chantal Gadoury

Narrator: Ryan Haugen

Length: 9 hours 37 minutes

Publisher: The Parliament House

Released: Mar. 3, 2020

Genre: New Adult Fantasy

Synopsis

The village of Krume is plagued by a haunted wood and a hungry witch. It’s been that way for as long as Hans and Greta can remember, though they have never seen the witch themselves; no one has.

When men start to disappear once again in the cover of night – their bloody hearts turning up on doorsteps – the village falls into frenzied madness.

Hans and Greta, two outcast orphans, find themselves facing accusations of witchcraft and are met with an ultimatum: burn at the stake, or leave the village forever.

With nowhere else to go, they abandon their only home.

As they venture into the strange forest, their path is fraught with horrific creatures, wild and vivid hallucinations, and a mysterious man tied to the witch’s past.

The Shrike is watching, just beyond the deep darkness of the woods.

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Amazon Best Selling Author, Chantal Gadoury, is a 2011 graduate from Susquehanna University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing. Since graduation, she has published “The Songs in Our Hearts” with 48Fourteen Publishing, and “Allerleirauh” with Parliament House Press, with future titles to follow. Chantal first started writing stories at the age of seven and continues with that love of writing today. Writing novels for Chantal has become a life-long dream come true! When she’s not writing, she enjoys painting, drinking lots of DD Iced Coffee, and watching Disney classics. Chantal lives in Muncy, Pennsylvania with her Mom, Sister and furry-‘brother’ (aka, puppy) Taran.

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A.M. Wright is an Ohio native, perched on the shores of Lake Erie for as long as she can remember. She is a graduate of Walsh University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Communications, with two minors in Marketing and Writing. She has a passion for reading, writing, and drawing; and has a particularly strong love for shojo-manga and all genres of anime. When A.M. Wright isn’t focused on her day job, she is sorting through submissions, writing too many stories to keep track of, and playing video games with her fiance in a townhouse that’s just a fifteen minute drive from “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World.”

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Ryan Haugen tried to write for a long time. He has nothing to show for it – in fact this is the first time he’s sat down to write since college.

Actually, he isn’t even sitting right now. He’s standing, and coming to grips with how writing has always caused him to deceive himself. So, that honest work tied to fiction would ever materialize shocks even him.

As a narrator, Ryan has no formal qualifications or training.

As a producer, he has an above-average grasp of Windows 10 and Audacity.

As a purveyor of twist endings, he would have you know he quit his day job to pursue narration full time in his home studio after 7 months of part-time narration, and 15 books narrated.

Ever engaged, passionate, and consumptive of all forms of media, Ryan floats in bewildered contentment at the notion anyone would want to listen to him speak for dozens of hours, but hopes you enjoy his youthful performances in the tales he tells, and that by now, you truly believe he is a better storyteller than he is writer.”

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Q&A with Narrator Ryan Haugan

When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
- Around July 2019 I was encouraged by a friend online to “do something, anything” with my voice. For most of my life I viewed the prospect as impossible, but something I’d be great at if I were in “other” circumstances.
  I’d also been told by players in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I used to run that I really need to do something “performative” with my voice and storytelling abilities.
  Audiobook narration kind of came up in discussions with my partner as yet another form of gig work one day around this time, and I looked in to it pretty much immediately. So there’d been this sense that I need to do something with my voice and performative style, at least from people I viewed as honest friends, for quite a while.
Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
- If you’re willing to work for free, you can break into almost any line of work, I’m sure – your patience will wear thin quickly, though. And that’s my story with narration, and probably most others, too. I was doing 6-10 auditions a day to start out, everything I could get my hands on, from diet books to homegrowing weed to crime thrillers to smuttier stuff, you name it – but ultimately it came down to a string of Royalty Share (no money for you or the rights holder/author unless the audiobook sells) on ACX as a proof of concept, a leg-stretch. Within a week of completing my first Royalty Share project, I’d received an offer to actually work for a wage (!!!) and have since collaborated with that author on numerous projects.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
- I’m sure this’ll probably change somewhat, but that I’m able to quit my day job to do much more lucrative/fulfilling work has kept my enthusiasm at a very steady burn. I’m overjoyed at the opportunity to narrate/produce – I’ve known nothing like this in my life. But, it’s easy to tire of longer pieces/narrative styles you don’t particularly jive with. Knowing there’s something else radically different on the horizon reinvigorates me. Shorter projects, subjects I don’t particularly have much interest in – the unknown keeps things interesting.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
- Yes, an avid one at that. Until this week I was able to listen to them during my entire shift at work, but, now that work is narration full-time, I probably shouldn’t have another voice narrating in the background while I narrate. So of course the convenience factor appeals to me, but an adept narrator can turn a novel in to something of a stage performance. A well-written character is worthy of a demanding performance. I appreciate the added immersion, and this sort of “heartbeat” being given to a narrative.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
- My favorite part – intense internal monologues are frequently the most intimate parts of any fiction, but they also flow the most naturally for me. I find myself doing the fewest retakes when I’m directly in a character’s mind. So the ROI so to speak is huge here. Least favorite part? Excluding editing, sticking just to the narration, awkwardly-worded sentences, unnatural character interactions, daily sinus rinses, the list goes on.
Is there a particular genre you feel unsuited for? Have you ever declined a project because you didn’t think you were right for it?
- If work is slow enough, I’ll audition for just about any project that isn’t strictly demanding a female/elderly voice – I’ve still tried to sound elderly, though, don’t think I haven’t! Genres, specifically, I’d say political thrillers, westerns, romance in general – based on anecdotal evidence, harem romance authors don’t seem to enjoy my work, haha. But I do try to do my research and adapt to styles I haven’t tried before.
How did you decide how each character should sound in this title?
- The characters had a pretty big say in how they sounded! A well-written character just screams their voice to you. But I like to collaborate with authors on ideas they have for their characters’ voices, a back-and-forth until some agreement is reached, though I’m usually given free rein over interpretation. I have stock voices ready for a handful of character types, though The Shrike and the Shadows saw me trying some voices I’d never used yet. Father Emory in particular was a blast to portray. I took some influence from the clergymen in Castlevania. Rabble rousers/fanatics allow a lot of wiggle room, so more opportunity to experiment.
Do you read reviews for your audiobooks?
- Yes, though I’ve been busy enough recording them lately that I haven’t really had the time for that. Feedback from authors and their creative teams is far more valuable to me. Narration is not one-size-fits-all; not every reviewer will appreciate what the author is trying to achieve through audio, nor what you are trying to achieve. I have some older pieces in particular that I’m not happy with honestly, though I achieved what the author demanded and they’re happy with the result. So some criticism may be valid, but at times it’s like not enjoying a genre of fiction. Is something bad just because you dislike the genre? Not necessarily.
What bits of advice would you give to aspiring audiobook narrators?
- Listen. Listen more than you record. You’re an artist, and you need inspiration. Listen to bad audiobooks – however you make this assessment is up to you, but they’re out there – take notes. Watch bad movies, take notes. Learning what’s awful is just as important as knowing what’s good. And focus more on your performative style and consistency rather than having the most expensive setup, starting out.
What’s next for you?
- Working on M.A. Leon’s first book in her YA fantasy Steel and Magic series, Elemental Links. This book and its sequels should keep me busy for a few months. I’m also supposed to be moving across the country with my partner in a couple months, but there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world at the moment. Luckily, I’m an olympic social distancer.

Schedule

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#BookBlitz “Seeking Glory” by Patricia Hamilton Shook

April 18, 2020April 11, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Outskirts Press

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2019 CIPA EVVY AWARD – Merit Award Women’s Fiction

Life is never static. Just when you think you finally have everything under control, that illusion is shattered…and the life you once knew has spun off in unimaginable directions. Seeking Glory is an eloquent novel that explores the complexities of family relationships. With themes of loss, recovery, estrangement, and reconciliation woven throughout, it tells the story of a woman who seeks to uncover the truth about her young granddaughter’s origins.

Kate takes custody of her young granddaughter Glory after the death of Ally, her long missing daughter but soon discovers that Glory is mute and seemingly traumatized. To help her, she must try to solve the mystery of her granddaughter’s origins. As she struggles to deal with her own and Ally’s past she finds she is not the only one seeking Glory.

Purchase Links

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Publisher

Indiebound

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About the Author

Patricia Hamilton Shook was born in Massachusetts and while she has lived there most of her life, she also spent twelve years in the San Francisco Bay area where she obtained a B.A.in Psychology and a M.A. in Developmental Psychology from San Francisco State University. Soon after her marriage, Dr. Shook returned to Massachusetts where she obtained a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University while raising the their two sons and working part time. Reading has been a favorite pastime since she first began combining letters into words on a page and while her chosen profession has provided many opportunities to write, she has always dreamed of writing a novel. In writing Seeking Glory she combines her professional expertise with an interest in spirituality and mysteries–along with a love of Cape Cod that dates back to childhood–to inform her debut novel Seeking Glory.

Contact Links

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#Excerpt “El Gringo: A Novel” by Edmond Salus

April 18, 2020April 17, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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Fiction

Date Published: January 2018

Sonny Galas is an only child being raised by his mother-a widow—and the loving help of his grandfather, also widowed. Living in a Santa Monica apartment complex owned by ‘Grandpa’ all is well and average for this close-knit family until a certain French family come into the picture, in need of a place to rent. They soon show their colors in various ways, topping it off by slapping a suit on their patient, kind landlord. Sonny’s family sees no better option than selling their only asset-the apartments-and getting far away from their Lawyer-packing tenants. Far, as in ‘leaving the country’, and this is where their true adventure begins. South of the border becomes their new home.

From their journey through third-world narrow roads, small towns where no English is spoken, to long, hot unending desert roads and through humid coastal towns they continue toward their big city destination, Guadalajara, where their life begins and they encounter everything and everyone from kind helpers to con-artists and crazies and from strangers to good friends, both Mexican and American. From young boy to teenager, as the years pass, Sonny sees it all: his family’s ups and downs, the country’s ups and downs with its own political third-world corruption, and his own transformation from a simple boy in a new country to a growing youth, fully fluent in Spanish; a devilish yet fun-loving teenager now with roots firmly planted and sprouting happily in his new home, his new country. From the adventures and joys of boyhood with his friends and pals to the wild days through grade school, junior high and high school with the opportunities given him as a bi-lingual kid to living through the set-backs that could trouble any family-Mexican or American-even scare of the faint of heart, he takes it all in; after all, now he’s Mexican. The fiestas, the friends, the awesome busy modern streets of Guadalajara in the early Seventies to the early Eighties, Guadalajara, the country’s capital of Mariachis.

Purchase Links

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EXCERPTS

“I sat in the backseat, staring behind at the apartments as we took off in that little lemon of a car we had–a 1970 Ford Pinto–that gave my mother trouble at least once every other week, to the point that even the mechanics had given up on it. In any case, we puttered off southbound toward the international border…” (chapter 3)

“At nine o’clock the very next day they came by the house, picked up Mamma, and headed straight to Peraza’s office… Peraza was Lawyer, businessman, consultant, and Godfather, all wrapped in one.” (chapter 11)

“On any given weekend they’d be playing the clubs. Little did I know they would become famous on an international scale, as the top Latin American Rock band, whose name later became Mana`!” (chapter 20)

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Edmond Salus

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#GuestPost “Landsliding” by Mandy Jameson

April 18, 2020April 11, 2020 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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~ Guest Post ~

by Mandy Jameson

Before being selected by Lightning Books to be part of their ebook series, Landsliding was self-published by me. During that process I learned the importance of having confidence in my novel – and if I hadn’t, I’d have given up a long time ago!

Initially, I followed the well-trodden path of sending the early chapters to literary agents in the hope that they’d be interested in the rest of the book. Each time I’d wait in agonised impatience for a positive response, but none came. Every agent gave me good feedback – they liked my writing, they thought the content would appeal to a wide audience – but nobody picked it up as a novel.

One time I was especially hopeful when I sent the first chapters of Landsliding along with a covering letter to an agent I’d seen speaking at a literary festival. She emailed back within 24 hours and my heart nearly leapt out of my mouth when I saw her name in my inbox; I was convinced she was writing to say she wanted to publish the novel.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. She certainly liked it – her message was full of compliments about my writing style – but said that the book wasn’t quite what her agency was looking for at that time. My disappointment was intense but I was determined to keep going.

I’d already had to learn resilience when a fellow member of my writing group voiced her opinion about the first chapter of Landsliding. Within the group we would review each other’s work on a regular basis and gave our views in a frank yet careful way. Nearly everyone was polite and would veil any criticism with a balancing amount of compliments – but not this person.

She told me the first chapter was ‘boring’ and the characters didn’t interest her. I bit back my instinctive reply – which was to tell her she was wrong – and managed to keep smiling despite a temptation to burst into tears. Luckily nobody else in the group agreed with her and I soon realised that the occasional negative response is part of being an author. Not everyone can like your work.

So when the publishing world didn’t show immediate interest in Landsliding I had to stick to the courage of my convictions: that it was a strong, interesting story that would appeal to a wide audience. That’s when I decided to self-publish – and when the five star reviews started coming in, I was thoroughly relieved.

At times, though, my resilience was tested to the limit. One such occasion was a book fair attended by some of the dreariest people I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. I sat stoically at my stall, trying to look unconcerned as the attendees drifted past, showing no interest in my book (or anybody else’s) and even less interest in me.

On the rare occasion that somebody stopped at the stall, it was to request the name of a good local restaurant or to confirm the quickest way to M&S. Do you realise you’re at a book fair?, I wanted to ask. One woman – who did ask what my novel was about – yawned ostentatiously as I was telling her, then walked off without saying any more. I wanted to cry.

Fortunately my belief in the book paid off. When Lightning Books said they wanted to publish Landsliding as part of their first e-series, I was so happy. The stress of awaiting a positive response from an agent; the indignity of being told my story was boring; the tolerance I had to show at that book fair – it was all worth it.

Now I’m writing my second novel and no doubt the process will start all over again. This time, though, I know what to expect!

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When Julia’s husband leaves her, and their small son Matty, to live with another woman, her friends, especially Caroline and Vick, rally round to help. But when Julia starts a new relationship, after a chance meeting, her friends are not quite as supportive.

Julia sees Brendan, the quietly spoken IT guy who comes round to fix her computer, as a loving and protective man and, as time passes, a potential father figure for Matty. Caroline and Vick, on the other hand, see him as jealous, controlling and potentially dangerous. He appears to be a man with a secret past.

What her friends don’t know is that Julia has secrets of her own which, if they get out, will almost certainly shatter her fragile domestic bliss.

Landsliding is a compelling drama that turns your expectations on their head with a subtle twist that will leave you wondering where your sympathies lie.

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Amazon US

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About Mandy Jameson

Originally from Manchester, Mandy Jameson spent ten years living in southwest France where Landsliding, her first novel, was written with the encouragement of a prolific writing group.

Now settled in Sussex with her daughter, her passions include football, chocolate and walking on the Downs.

She is working on her second novel.

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