Feb1

How is this my life?

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How is this my life?

Another post already?! Yep! A rare “double header” from Ilsa.

I wanted to touch on that other half of my blog’s title for those of you who care more about news from the writing front.

Listening to a draft for my AUDIOBOOK!!!

Let’s just take a moment to let the fact that there will be an audio version of Wish I Was Here in the world, and how cool that is, sink in.

Okay. Now continuing…

You all know I’m a rabid perfectionist, right? Remember that whole cover debacle and what a waste of time that wound up being? (Ahem. Oopsie.) So, OH SWEET HEAVENS MERCY the audiobook!

After a long time and a lot of listens, I finally chose my voice actor. She is doing a great job, even adding sound effects where appropriate, which I think is a nice little bonus. But every now and then there’s a point where I pause, go back, listen again, pause, go back, have family members listen as well, ask them what they heard, and say, “Dang it.”

Hubby was all, “You know it’s not going to be perfect, right?” He has said this at least three times.

What else has happened three times is the narrator sending me a file for chapter one. Each version has something different that’s off. And Hubby hears it too.

It just doesn’t seem right to have things be wrong, right??

I’ve listened to quite a few audiobooks, and I don’t hear mistakes. Is it wrong for me to want every word to be clear?

As this is my first time working on an audiobook, I have no idea if several drafts is normal. With that many words in one take, (chapter 1 was 30 minutes) there are bound to be verbal flubs, right?

But oof, there are 15 chapters. This is going to take a while. Luckily for me, and this poor woman’s sanity, she has, to her credit, told me, “I want to be sure to represent you and your work as well as I can.”

Oh, thank goodness!

She also said: “I love the feedback you give! It’s great to know where I can improve.” Bless her!

And: “Thanks so much for allowing me to join you in this process. Recording this story is so much fun! The more I read, the more excited I am to bring Ana and the gang to life.”

I chose my voice actor wisely. Let’s hope the fourth time’s the charm for Chapter 1.

The traditional signing a book contract photo, this one for book 2, Wish You Were Here

Something crazy happened when I posted this image and caption on Instagram: I got a response from a complete stranger!!

In the meantime, I’m DMing HRH about this, expressing my shock.

“Oh wow so someone found you through Instagram? How cool,” HRH responded.

However…

She’s real, folks! She’s actually real! My first organic fan!

If I sell a million copies and people start recognizing me on the street {shudder}, I still won’t believe this is my life.

BTW, the release date for Wish You Were Here is March 11, 2027. (Groooosssssss!!!!) Oh well. Hopefully I’ll get advanced copies in time for Christmas. Keep me in mind for your gift-giving needs come December. Let’s hope the cover for book 2 won’t start out as another “collector’s edition.”

Apologies for not giving more time for people to play along but:

The famous character who was four years old in 1950, six years old in 1957, and remained eight (?) years old from 1979 until February13, 2000, was Charlie Brown. I’m impressed with those of you who knew that.

New Q: Appia, Aurelia, Flaminia, and Cassia are all names of these Roman engineering projects.

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70 responses »

  1. You found a fan in the wild? That’s great! As long as she’s not rabid, or a stalker or obsessed with making you finish the series RIGHT NOW, how she wants it 😉

    That trivia has me stumped. I thought I was doing well since I knew the last trivia and it wasn’t book related. This’ll teach me to eat humble pie 😀

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    • A-ha! Misery! I get that reference! And, for real, though–an actual otherwise unknown fan! I’m sure they will exist, but she went so far as to find me online. Devotion!

      I think the term engineering will throw people off. That makes them think big things like impressive architecture or aqueducts, but it’s simpler than that… and longer.

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  3. Wow an audiobook version – that’s terrific. I can imagine how hard it is to “proof” an audiobook. I’ve heard of some authors using AI voices, I bet there are glitches with those too. And congratulations on your first organic fan!

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  4. I think it’s fantastic that you’re working on an audiobook, Ilsa, even though my hearing is so bad that I can’t listen to them. It’s cool that the narrator said, ” It’s great to know where I can improve.” 

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  5. excellent news on both fronts and how fun to find a real random stranger who found your book, enjoyed it and reviewed it. I’ve heard that audio books take a while and it makes sense, because you want to have it just right, so don’t feel bad about asking for numerous takes. it will all be worth it. I’m going to guess roman aqueducts or bridges? for some reason I often allow myself two answers sorry.

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  7. Congratulations! Nice! Never listened to an audiobook though. Books for me are for reading. In silence. Wind down time in the evening. I wouldn’t know when to listen to an audio book. While working, I listen to the radio – and turn it off from time to time when I really need to focus. While driving, I couldn’t concentrate on a story, I need to focus on traffic.

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  8. Oh and there is a Roman Road just a few minutes by bike from my house in Austria. I use it quite a lot actually, it follows the crest of some forested hills. Only today it’s a hiking and mountain biking trail, we also use it for horse riding. Don’t know if it has a name. Locally it´s just know as the “Roman Road.”

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  10. First of all, I didn’t know you were hiring voice actors (a job I’ve long deemed a total sinecure). I totally would have applied! 😉 But I gotta say, errors would drive me CRAAAAAAAAZY. Yes, I think you should expect perfection. That’s what additional takes are for, yes? I mean, you don’t see movie directors shrugging their shoulders when an actor flubs a line. They make them do it again. I say you should Jon Krakauer it and read it yourself. You’d be up all night doing retakes but you also wouldn’t have the angst. Plus, fans would love that.
    Speaking of fans, congrats on your first unknown one. Just another amazing “first” in this whole exciting process for you. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’m going to. I promise. Just got a lot going on right now with the Husband’s condition.
    Ugh, of course! Charlie Brown! I should have guessed that. I even went to the Charles Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa in your terrible state that you should leave right now. 😉
    I actually have an idea for the new question. Seems the Romans engineered a lot of aqueducts. I even saw one in Spain when I was a teenager. So, I’ll say aqueducts. Oh, wait. They also built amphitheaters. Millions and trillions of amphitheaters. So, maybe amphitheaters? I’ll say aqueducts or amphitheaters. I get full credit if it’s one of them, right? Double guessing is allowed?

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    • I love it when you use big words I have to look up. You do it on your blog too, and I practically drool on the keyboard. Are you sure you’re only an elementary teacher? Do you moonlight in SAT prep? Anyway, I would LOVE if my family could do the recordings. It would be an ensemble cast, which is a thing–I checked–and would make the recording such fun. We might kill each other, but this actress doing guys’ voices isn’t as cool as if there were actual guys’ voices, though she doesn’t do a bad job.

      The part that would be uber cool is if my actress daughter read for the lead roll. Then, if the books were made into movies, she could play the lead, and people who listened to the audiobook and recognized that it was the same actress would go ape. She’s the right-ish age for the acting and voicing. My voice cannot pass for an 18-year-old. BUT, we don’t have the sound equipment and the editing software, etc.
      But yes on expecting perfection. Thank you for backing me up on that. I used the whole movie director wanting multiple takes argument with Hubby too.
      Yes, a first! Hubby said that too. First fan. Next: first stalker… 😉 No worries about reading the book; although, of course I want you to. I think you’ll enjoy it based on the fact that everyone else I know who’s read it seemed to. Or they’re excellent liars. Hard to know for sure. 😛
      Great dig on CA. Hehe. Way to call back to our other conversation.
      You and Beth both guessed twice (which I don’t mind at all), and you both guessed the logical but no less incorrect answers. This one is sort of a toughie because it’s actually quite simple.
      Try to unpuzzle that clue. And I truly hope Husband feels better soon. Throw some oranges at him and take away all his sugar. That should help, assuming it’s something minor.

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      • Of course! Your daughter! I forgot that she’s an actor. That seals the deal for me. I say give your voice over lady one more chapter, and if nothing has improved, make it a family affair. Think of the fun! Think of the fights! Think of the cost savings!
        Some days I’d gladly throw oranges and other fruit at the Husband. Literally. Unfortunately, adding citrus and subtracting sugar (which he barely eats anyway) won’t work here.

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      • Throwing fruit at one’s husband is a wife’s great joy in life. (Also, darn. Something more serious then. 😦 ) I will look into what I would need to assemble my own voice cast, for my own knowledge if nothing else.

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  11. That’s very cool that you get an audiobook too. I love how hands on you are in the process. Must feel so rewarding and a super cool learning experience.

    As I already shared with you, Chapter 1 was fantastic. Look forward to Chapter 2 tonight. Congrats again!

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  13. Okay, the Appian Way is probably the most famous/earliest Roman road, but it’s also an aqueduct. I’m gonna go with aqueducts just because I think they are more work than roads. And how awesome you found a fan in the wild!

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  15. A random fan is super cool! The voice actor thing sounds rough. I’m not sure I could listen to the same thing over and over again, even if they were my own words! LOL!

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    • It is a bit of a challenge, and I should try to be more impartial. But that’s hard to do when I have preconceived notions of how it should sound, ie, exactly the way it is in my head! I also know that’s not possible. :/ Thanks, Bijoux. 🙂

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    • Haha. Well, if this keeps up, I won’t have to purchase any other fans. 😉

      Thanks, Diane! BTW, I thought of you when my daughter concocted “meat pie.” I wanted to check your blog for a recipe when she got this crazy notion in her head, but she winged it, homemade crust and all. And it was good! Well, she used a recipe for the crust, of course. 🙂

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  18. So here’s a couple of questions where I hope to be enlightened by the answers. a) What is the age range of your book’s target audience, and b) Do audio books go hand-in-hand with that age range? I’ve never been an audio book fan but admittedly, I’ve never tried the approach either. I prefer music or talk radio in the car, which is the only place I’d have the time/focus to listen to a book. Are Millennials and younger able to multi-task while listening to a book? If so they actually have a better attention span than they get credit for 🙂

    My only guess on the trivia is road improvements. The Appian Way comes to mind from some long-ago history class.

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    • Age range is teenagers and up. It’s labeled a young adult book, but, so far as I know, the audience has primarily been older folks, I suppose because they’re my people. 🙂 But they’re also proof that this isn’t just a book for teens to enjoy.

      I imagine the audiobook would indeed go along with that. You raise a good question. When would a teenager listen to an audiobook? Maybe like me when they’re doing chores?

      And yes! Well done on the trivia. It was having heard of the Appian Way that clued me in too. 🙂

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      • That’s good news about the “older folks” in your audience, Ilsa. No matter who starts the parade, eventually others are bound to follow. It reminds me of when I read “The Hunger Games” trilogy. Despite the graphic, dystopian subject matter it seemed written for a younger audience. But curiosity got the better of me and I read the books – in my late forties – and was hooked after the first few chapters.

        No matter the cover or the means to consume the story, here’s hoping your audience is wide and vast.

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      • Thanks, Dave! Another example would be the Harry Potter books–also written for kids, younger ones even, yet who doesn’t love Harry Potter? (Now I’m expecting you to tell you me you don’t since I made that bold statement. 😛 )

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      • You’re kind of right about that example 🙂 I enjoyed the first two or three movies but that was the extent of my interest (and I read none of the books). Guess I’m more about apocalypses than wizardry – which some would label “disturbing” 🙂

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    • There certainly is something to be said for having it done already. I could be losing readers in the interim. I’d probably be tempted, but this is what the publisher set up for me to use, so… :/ Does the AI give you different voices for different characters, too?

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