Author Interview with Lauren Carr
There is a lot of writing involved before authors get to the point where their books are ready to be produced as audiobook. Here are a few questions about the writing process: Describe your process for publishing your books in audio.
I have learned a lot about what goes into producing audiobooks in the last year. For the books that were on my backlist that I had recently released and audiobooks, the producers used the published book for the script.
After reading through the book and going over the characters and any questions about pronunciation of certain words, the narrator will record the first fifteen minutes of the book. I can either approve the sample or make suggestions. As the project moves forward, the producer uploads every completed chapter which I can listen to until the book is completed.
Once the book is completed, then I proof it. If there are no problems, then we can send it on for publication.
How closely does the writer need to work with the audio producer?
Closer than I thought. The author can’t just sit back and wait for the narrator to wave their magic wand and say, “Fini! It is done!”
First off, the writer should go over the characters with the narrator. I supply them with a cast of characters and give them a bit of an insight into how I see them. Keep in mind, the narrator is a voice actor. Listeners aren’t just looking to have a book read to them. They want to experience the book, and the best way for that to happen is for the narrator to understand each of the characters and bring them to life for the listener. That’s what brings your book to life.
You would think that the narrator would be able to pick up on everything they need for the characterization from reading the book.
Yes, you would think that, wouldn’t you? The most surprising thing to me was hearing how the various voice actors would interpret the various characters in my mysteries. As the author, I had a definite impression of how my protagonist would sound and speak. It never occurred to me that someone would interpret my characters any other way. My vision was set in stone. But I found that there were various different ways for readers, and actors, to see my characters.
For example, Dan Lawson narrated Blast from the Past, the fourth Mac Faraday mystery, before any of the other books in that series. I had worked with him in the characterizations, even supplying bios for all of the major characters; however, I had forgotten about a minor recurring series character who did not appear until toward the end of the book. This character, the county prosecutor, was approximately the same age as Mac Faraday. However, Dan’s voice for him was that of an elderly man. I did not catch this error until I was listening to the proof, at which point Dan would have had to re-record whole sections to correct it. Therefore, I let it slide.
That affirmed what I already knew—which was that every reader brings their own unique interpretations to a book. Writers do need to be aware of that.
What was it like hearing your books narrated as an audiobook?
Surreal. In the last year, I have been working with three audiobook producers to make my entire backlist available in audio for mystery fans. That’s thirteen books that I have written in the last five years. Two more books will be coming out in audiobook later on this year. As a result, I have found myself listening to books that I have not looked at in a very long time. So they’re new to me again. It’s like when you look through a photo album from high school 10 years later. There are some pictures that have you scratching your head wondering “What was I thinking?” But then there are also renewed memories of things you had said or done that make you marvel at how witty you were. Listening to these mysteries that I had written as far back as five years ago, I have found myself surprised at plot twists that I had created that I myself have forgotten about. Likewise, I’ve also found myself asking, “What was I thinking when I created that character?” Overall, it’s been a blast working with these three very talented producers in bringing my mysteries to life, so to speak.
Why are audiobooks a good alternative to print or e-books?
My readers want my mysteries to be in all formats: e-book, print, and audiobooks. Whenever I mention giving up even one of them I hear wailing from somewhere.
When I first became an author, I had one friend who only listened to her books in audio. She had a long commute to work and that was when she would listen to her books. She would go through a couple books a week. Since then, I have discovered that for many readers, if it were not for audiobooks, they would not be able to enjoy their favorite books.
For example, my sister listens to my books during her commute to work. With her busy lifestyle, that is the only time she can read my books. So I gave them to her in digital format and she listens to them through her audio system in her SUV.
Since my books have been coming out in Audible, I have found that I am enjoying audiobooks more and more. For myself, and many book enthusiasts I know, will read books in both e-book and audio. I love to read in bed in the evening. I find that I will read in e-book until my eyes get tired. Then, I will switch to the audio version, if the book is available in whispersync, to listen to the book until I fall asleep.
Do you have any upcoming projects that your fans should be looking for?
ICE, the first installment in my new series, will be coming out this spring.
The Chris Matheson Mystery series revolves around cold case mysteries. Retired FBI investigator, Chris Matheson and his friends, retired from various law enforcement agencies, combine their investigative specialties to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.
In the first installment of this series, ICE, the Geezer Squad (the name they gave to their team) reopens the missing persons case of Sandy Lipton, a pregnant girl who disappeared during an ice storm.
Here’s the synopsis for ICE, scheduled for release in March!
They say no good deed goes unpunished. Such is the case for Christopher Matheson.
Twenty-five years ago, Chris accepted an invitation to escort Sandy Lipton to her senior prom. The college senior had been long aware that the shy teenager, who always waited on him at his favorite local diner, had a heavy crush on him. His feelings for the socially awkward girl was an equal mixture of affection and sympathy.
Months after a pleasant evening that ended with a single good night kiss, Sandy’s family slaps Chris with charges of statutory rape and a paternity suit.
No problem, declares Chris’s father, captain of the local state police troop, and their family lawyer. A paternity test on the baby as soon as it is born would surely prove Chris’s innocence of all charges. Except that days before Sandy Lipton’s due date, she disappears, along with any chance of proving Chris had not taken advantage of the vulnerable girl.
The disappearance divides the townspeople of the Shenandoah Valley. While many believe that the real culprit had abducted Sandy to keep the identity of her baby’s father a secret, others believe the state police captain had made her disappear and used his influence to keep his son out of jail.
Decades later, the Sandy Lipton case has gone as cold as ice.
Now a retired investigator of the FBI, Chris Matheson returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion that had been cast over himself and his family is still there. A single father, he is determined to clear his family name for the sake of his three young daughters.
With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson goes to work to thaw out this cold case and chip away at the truth to uncover what had happened to Sandy Lipton and her baby.
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