Author: Seven Jane
Narrator: Nicole B. Dolen
Length: 7 hours 43 minutes
Series: Daughters Jones Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Black Spot Books
Released: May 4, 2020
Genre: Historical Fantasy
The year is 1716 – the Golden Age of the Pirates. An orphan who sleeps in the dusty kitchens of a quayside brothel, Merrin Smith is desperate to unravel the secrets of her past and find the truth about the events that brought her to Isla Perla as a child. Disguised as a sailor, she joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide, helmed by the notorious Captain Erik Winters. Tenacious and rumored to be a madman, Winters is known as much for his ruthlessness as for his connection to the enigmatic and beautiful proprietress of The Goodnight Mermaid, Evangeline Dahl, who vanished from the island two summers before.
This book is an epic, emotional adventure of two women – one desperate to save herself, and the other determined to be rescued – and the secret which binds them together.
Seven Jane is a bestselling author of dark fantasy and speculative fiction. Her debut novel, The Isle of Gold, was published by Black Spot Books in October 2018. Currently, Seven is collaborating as the lead author on a franchise project with a top veteran Hollywood director and an award-winning screenwriter.
Seven is a regular contributor to The Nerd Daily and Suspense Magazine. She is represented by Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management and supported by Smith Publicity.
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Nicole Dolen has always been fascinated with accents. As a child growing up in a Navy family, she spent most of her childhood overseas in various countries such as Italy, Spain, England, and Germany. She is fluent in English and Italian. Nicole has a B.A. in Art and Communications and a Masters in Education. When she is not spending her time with her family or narrating, she is teaching, and practicing accents by reading to her young students.
When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
– Becoming an audio book narrator is a fairly new adventure. Last summer, on a family trip we were listening to an audiobook on our long car ride and I started thinking about how I would have approached the material. I have always been an avid reader. I’ve always loved getting lost in a story. I started wondering what it would take to become an audiobook narrator. I did some research, watched some videos, listened to some more audiobooks and then decided I would try it out. Why not?
Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
– I am realizing that I was very lucky with my introduction to audiobook narration. I did lots of research, put together a home studio and got the equipment I needed. Watching tutorials really helped answer questions I had about what I needed to be doing. After uploading a few samples, I was fortunate enough to have Black Spot Books reach out to me about an audition for Isle of Gold. I was really excited, and they were wonderful to work with.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
– I like to listen to audiobooks on long car trips with the family and when I am working out. It’s nice to be able to be absorbed in another world while doing something else.
What would you say are your strongest narration abilities?
– I have a very clear voice and good characterization, I like to think I give each character their own voice. I also seem to do best when I only skim ahead a little and then do a cold read. Many times this allows me to be just as engaged and surprised as the listeners.
Have you ever declined a project because you didn’t think you were right for it?
– I have declined a project because I didn’t think I was right for it. Mostly it was when I didn’t find the material interesting. I would prefer to work on material that I enjoy, whether that material is fiction or nonfiction. If I want to keep others engaged, it’s much easier to do, if I am engaged in the material too.
What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
– I read the short summary, and the audition piece and became really interested in the character. It was a story that I could see myself reading or listening to for pleasure myself. There’s adventure, there’s mystery, there’s some romance – what’s not to like?
How closely do you prefer to work with authors?
– I like to work closely with authors. The book is their vision and while I can bring my own interpretation to it, I like to stay true to the authors original vision.
How did you decide how each character should sound like in this title?
– I definitely relied on the notes from the author, Seven Jane and Black Spot Books for the initial characters. After that, I really made sure I skimmed ahead and understood who these characters were, I had a picture in my mind and tried to create a voice for each character that I thought would really match the descriptions in the book.
If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
– I think I would go back and tell my younger self to, just go for it! I was always interested in theater and entertainment, but didn’t have the confidence to audition.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”.
– As an elementary school teacher “real reading” is definitely important and I do love to have physical copies of books that I can read anytime I have a free moment. However, sometimes those free moments are hard to come by, so audiobooks allow me to listen and get other things done, I can do the dishes and be involved in a mystery, I can fold laundry and travel the high seas, and I can go on a long car ride and battle a dragon. Audiobooks, allows for multitasking in a super fast paced world.
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