Narrator Interview
#AudioTour “Woman Over the Edge” by Quinn Avery
Author: Quinn Avery
Narrator: Raquel Beattie
Length: 8 hours and 59 minutes
Publisher: Jennifer Naumann
Released: Apr. 21, 2022
Genre: Romantic Suspense
#AudioTour “Quest of the Dreamwalker” by Stacy Bennett
Author: Stacy Bennett
Narrator: Zachary Johnson
Length: 14 hours 49 minutes
Series: The Corthan Legacy, Book 1
Publisher: Miramae Press
Released: May 5, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
#AudioBookBlogTour “The New York Saga, Book 3” by Diana Rubino
Author: Diana Rubino
Narrator: Nina Price
Length: 13 hours 25 minutes
Series: The New York Saga, Book 3
Release date: June 26, 2019
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical Romance
November 22, 1963: The assassination of a president devastates America. But a phone call brings even more tragic news to Vikki Ward — her TV reporter husband was found dead in his Dallas hotel room that morning.
Finding his notes, Vikki realizes her husband was embroiled in the plot to kill JFK—but his mission was to prevent it. When the Dallas police rule his death accidental, Vikki vows to find out who was behind the murders of JFK and her husband. With the help of her father and godfather, she sets out to uncover the truth.
Aldobrandi Po, the bodyguard hired to protect Vikki, falls in love with her almost as soon as he sets eyes on her. But he’s engaged to be married, and she’s still mourning her husband. Can they ever hope to find happiness in the wake of all this tragedy?
Diana Rubino writes about folks through history who shook things up. Her passion for history and travel has taken her to every locale of her books, set in Medieval and Renaissance England, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial Virginia, New England, and New York. Her urban fantasy romance, FAKIN’ IT, won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III Society, and the Aaron Burr Association. When not writing, she owns CostPro, Inc., an engineering business, with her husband Chris. In her spare time, Diana bicycles, golfs, does yoga, plays her piano, devours books, and lives the dream on her beloved Cape Cod.
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Nina Price is a Renaissance woman: a conservatory trained musician, a Silicon Valley businesswoman, a radio personality, a licensed acupuncturist and master herbalist, and a voice actor/storyteller. She especially loves books with an element of history in them: historical novels, memoirs, biographies, although she’s narrated books in many genres. Born and raised in New York, the characters and places in the New York Saga are very familiar to her, and dear to her heart. She loves to travel the world and listen to the way people speak English.
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“Songs of the Day” for THE END OF CAMELOT (1963)
- Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
- From Me to You – The Beatles
- You’re the Devil in Disguise – Elvis Presley
- Louie Louie – The Kingsmen
- Walk Like a Man – The Four Seasons
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#AudioBookBlogTour “The New York Saga, Book 2” by Diana Rubino
Author: Diana Rubino
Narrator: Nina Price
Length: 12 hours 34 minutes
Series: The New York Saga, Book 2
Release date: May 1, 2019
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical Romance
It’s 1932. Prohibition rages, the Depression ravages, and Billy McGlory comes of age whether he wants to or not. Musical and adventurous, Billy dreams of having his own ritzy supper club and big band. On the eve of his marriage to the pregnant Prudence, the shifty “businessman” Rosario Ingovito offers him all that and more. Fame, fortune, and his own Broadway musical – it’s all his for the taking, despite Pru’s opposition to Rosie’s ventures.
Meanwhile, Pru’s artistic career gains momentum and their child is born. Can anything go wrong for Billy? Only when he gets in way over his head does he stop to wonder how his business partner really makes his millions, but by then it’s far too late….
Diana Rubino writes about folks through history who shook things up. Her passion for history and travel has taken her to every locale of her books, set in Medieval and Renaissance England, Egypt, the Mediterranean, colonial Virginia, New England, and New York. Her urban fantasy romance, FAKIN’ IT, won a Top Pick award from Romantic Times. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Richard III Society, and the Aaron Burr Association. When not writing, she owns CostPro, Inc., an engineering business, with her husband Chris. In her spare time, Diana bicycles, golfs, does yoga, plays her piano, devours books, and lives the dream on her beloved Cape Cod.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook
Nina Price is a Renaissance woman: a conservatory trained musician, a Silicon Valley businesswoman, a radio personality, a licensed acupuncturist and master herbalist, and a voice actor/storyteller. She especially loves books with an element of history in them: historical novels, memoirs, biographies, although she’s narrated books in many genres. Born and raised in New York, the characters and places in the New York Saga are very familiar to her, and dear to her heart. She loves to travel the world and listen to the way people speak English.
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Q&A with Narrator Nina Price
- When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
- I host a morning drive radio show on a radio station in the Silicon Valley, which I’ve done for 25 years. A segment of my show each week called “Unbedtime Stories” features me reading a portion of a book by an up and coming author. When audiobooks became popular I figured that since I’d been reading stories on the radio, I should narrate audiobooks – so I started auditioning and narrating audiobooks.
- How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
- One day, I casually mentioned to a friend and her mother that I was interested in narrating audiobooks. The next day I got a message from my friend’s brother, one of my radio buddies, telling me that his mother heard that I was interested in narrating audiobooks and would he please tell me about his experience. He explained how the system works and what to do. I just followed his suggestions and was amazed that I got to narrate the first book I auditioned for.
- Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
- No. My friend’s suggestions helped me get started and I learned what I needed to learn as I did more books. I’ve done about 40 books to date.
- A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
- I don’t have a theatre background but all the actors who narrate audiobooks claim that it is essential.
- What type of training have you undergone?
- I completed a very intensive voice acting training at Voice One in San Francisco, several years ago and continue to hone my skills constantly working with various coaches and taking classes.
- What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
- During the past year I discovered that the books I love narrating the most include the element of history and romance. The audition piece was the scene with Vita meeting Theodore Roosevelt and I really enjoyed preparing that scene. I also auditioned for Bootleg Broadway and got to do that book as well. I guess the publisher thought after that I should also narrate the 3rd book: The End of Camelot.
- How closely do you prefer to work with authors?
- I really like to work closely with my authors. Diana Rubino and I work very well together and I’m now narrating several of her other books. I really like to pronounce names and words correctly and relied on Diana to teach me the correct “neighborhood way” to say some of the vernacular expressions in the New York Saga.
- Who are your “accent inspirations”?
- For the New York Saga – I grew up in New York, in Manhattan, and have listened to the way New Yorkers speak my whole life. The character voices in the New York Saga come from the way people I’ve known or have heard speak.
- How did you decide how each character should sound in this series?
- As I prep each book I play around with the characters voices and I find that the voices either stick or they don’t as I’m developing them. I’m more kinesthetic than visual so I notice how each character feels in my body and in that way I know where to find each voice.
- Have there been any characters that you really connected with?
- In the New York Saga I connected most strongly with Vita and Vikki who are the heroines of the 1st book and 3rd book, respectively. I connected with Billy, the hero of Bootleg Broadway because he’s a musician and because I spent so many hours being him. However, like his family, I had trouble connecting with some of the choices he made.
- What’s next for you?
- Right now I’m narrating several of Diana’s other books: For Love and Loyalty which involves King Richard III and time travel, and Fakin’ It a modern day rom com which involves what happens when a popular hero steps out of a novel and into real life.
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#AudioBookBlogTour “December Protocol (The Immortal Archives Book 1)” by Devin Hanson
Author: Devin Hanson
Narrator: Rhett Samuel Price
Series: The Immortal Archives, Book 1
Length: 11 hours 50 minutes
Publisher: Devin Hanson
Released: Jan. 12, 2018
Genre: Technothriller
For Amazon best-selling author Devin Hanson, the question is not how to achieve immortality, the question is what happens when we do?
Throughout the entirety of history, humanity has fought against sickness, old age, frailty, even death itself hoping for eternal life. Countless legends and stories share the same hunt: extend our lifetimes beyond the impossibly brief moment we have. Hanson imagines life beyond those legends and stories – a solar system where humanity has discovered the secret to immortal life, at an extreme cost. What horrors await a society that rests an economy on the most scarce resource man has ever known – eternal life?
Join The December Protocol in following three characters uniquely affected by the most amazing technological change humanity has ever experienced. Min, an ageless Earth-born marshal older than the very Martian colonies he fights to enforce a brittle and bleak law upon. Angeline, a young girl terrified by the social and scientific necessities prompted by the promise of eternal life. Marcus, a man brought to his knees by that emperor of all maladies, cancer, willing to pay the ultimate price for perfect health through immortality.
The December Protocol rockets the listener into the late 24th century and raises thrilling questions about how far mankind would go to preserve the most precious gift we’ve ever received: immortality.
Devin Hanson (1983-present) was born in Beaverton, Oregon. After a childhood spent programming computers and playing Dungeons and Dragons, Devin’s career took a random turn to counseling. It was during his years as a counselor that he developed his insight into the human condition and renewed his interest in writing. Currently, Devin works as a web developer, spending his free time creating tales of fantasy and science fiction. Devin has recently escaped Los Angeles and has moved down to San Diego.
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After a long career in law enforcement, Rhett switched gears and applied his vocal talents (not to mention the manners and voices of thousands of people he met including celebrities, state and federal dignitaries, numerous presidents and foreign heads of state) into becoming a versatile and notable audiobook narrator. He has honed his acting skills through workshops with Steven Tobolowsky, Willie Garson, VO Peeps’ Anne Ganguzza and Kalmenson & Kalmenson Casting Agency in Burbank, CA. His audiobook skills have been sharpened through workshops and seminars with Scott Brick, Jeffrey Kafer, PJ Ochlan, Hillary Huber, and Sean Allen Pratt. Rhett’s has been favorably reviewed by Audiofile Magazine for his work on “The Blood of Emmett Till”. He is noted for his smooth calm, consistent delivery that is easygoing and relaxing to listen to over a long period of time.
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Q&A with Narrator Rhett Samuel Price
- When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
- From the very first story I told around a campfire at my childhood best friend’s home. I loved recounting the tale of “The Chicken Heart that ate Cincinnati.” Although I took a slight detour in another life profession, I also knew I would return to telling stories.
- How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
- I took an audiobook narration course with Patrick Fraley and guest instructor Scott Brick. I had been working with Pat on doing commercial VO work and he suggested audiobooks. From taking that class, I received my first offer to produce my first audiobook.
- A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
- No, I don’t think you need a background in theatre, but you do need a passion for learning the fine art/craft of acting. Anyone can read a book. And that’s what it will sound like, someone just reading. But to bring an audiobook to life, learning how to act and constantly honing that talent is essential.
- What type of training have you undergone?
- I was fortunate in my former career to have been an on-air traffic reporter for KABC-TV, channel 7, Los Angeles, and numerous radio stations throughout southern California. I had no teleprompter and often had to go live with realtime events and provide a narrative or story of what was happening. To help with this, I took classes with Kalmenson and Kalmenson, Nancy Wolfson and Pat Fraley. I also took acting classes with Willie Garson and Stehen Tobolowsky. For audiobooks I trained with Pat Fraley, Scott Brick, Sean Allen Pratt and Paul Allen Ruben.
- What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
- A wonderfully edited book. A poorly edited book.
- What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
- The initial description of a society living on mars caught my eye. But when I read the audition, the first paragraph sucked me into the story and I could wait to read more. Devin does such a beautiful job of providing rich characters and worlds, you can’t help but want to follow their story.
- How did you decide how each character should sound in this title?
- I didn’t have to decide. Devin provided everything needed in the text and they spoke to me form the page.
- Has anyone ever recognized you from your voice?
- Yes. All the time. Even more so when I was on-air. People would give me odd looks, but if I spoke to someone and they could hear me, I would get, “Hey! You’re that guy ….” I have a few audiobook fans who say they would recognize my voice anywhere.
- How does audiobook narration differ from other types of voiceover work you’ve done?
- Audiobook narration is a long haul. You are not with the listener for 15, 30 or 60 seconds. You are with a listener for hours at a time. You have a much more intimate relationship with them, and sometimes, you maybe the only one there when they might be going through a troubling time in life. You are providing the listener with an escape from reality by staging a play just for them.
- Bonus question: Any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
- Yes. It’s about my favorite director. Max. Max was my 13 year old Shitzu poodle. (He passed away just last year.) He was with me from the very start and would lay down underneath my table in the studio by my feet while I was recording. Now, what made Max my favorite director? Well, while recording, if I was doing well, rhythm was correct, accents were on spec, pacing was right, I could record, and record, and not hear a sound from him. But as soon as something went wrong, I would hear this loud snoring coming from under the table. I mean loud! At first, I thought he was just falling asleep (in reality he was, I was boring him to death) but then I realized it was his way of telling me, “Hey! You’re not reading it right, get a clue!” And you know what, when I would go back and listen to the passage where he started snoring, Max was always 100% right!
BOOK 1
Sep. 19th:
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author
Sep. 20th:
Sep. 21st:
Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews
Sep. 22nd:
Sep. 23rd:
Sep. 24th:
Sep. 25th:
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