WELL, after much deliberation, I finally gave in to my husband’s demands (sorry – I meant suggestions) and put my book Curmudgeon Avenue Book One: The Terraced House Diaries forwards on ACX to investigate its audiobook potential. I did not think that anyone would want to narrate it, however, one sunny Sunday morning in October last year I received an email that has boosted my writing career no end –
From ACX: Lindsay McKinnon at Theatre of The Mind Productions wants to narrate your book.
(!!!!!)
Just to give you some context, when I read the email, I was sitting up in bed, and my husband was in the bathroom. Upon his return, he said ‘What are you grinning at?’ and I said:
‘I’ve just had an email, someone wants to narrate my book! She sounds AWESOME! Listen to this!’
Wow, I wish I had one of those ways to add audio to this blog post, and I wish you could get in my head because when I listened to Lindsay’s audition, I swear down, she sounded exactly like I had imagined my book would sound when I was writing it. What a voice. How lucky for this to happen – I went from lacking confidence, doubting that anyone would pick my book up to… THURSDAY EVENING THE AUDIOBOOK LAUNCH OF CURMUDGEON AVENUE BOOK ONE! Where we put on a book event at the local library – Radcliffe Library where part of the book is set!
(I need to catch you up here, from anywhere in the globe, I managed to meet a narrator who lives half an hour up the road from me – again- what a moment of serendipity!)
We met fabulous Librarian Sarah of Bury Library services and she had set a little room up for us inside Radcliffe Library (nice building – recently refurbished)
Soon, we had a room full of expectant faces and one helpful husband holding a camera up ready to listen to Lindsay’s reading of my book and my waffling on about it (you know what it’s like when you get onto a good subject!)
We played the Curmudgeon Avenue trailer, made for me by my friends J&E Productions:
Wonderful librarian Sarah introduced us, (I love librarians, can you tell? Also well jel of their job).
Then Lindsay kicked off the action by reading the dedication in her superb actor voice:
‘This book is dedicated to the Whitefield Massive!’
Lindsay then read the first chapter of Curmudgeon Avenue, August Apologies: ‘On the day this all started, the sky was full of August apologies for a summer undelivered.’ The first chapter is narrated by the house (yes, houses have personalities so why wouldn’t it narrate a book?) The scene is set for a proud, yet grouchy Victorian terrace who is suddenly empty and awaiting new residents… Enter sisters Edna and Edith, soon to be followed by lodger Harold.
Links for the Kindle and paperback copies of Curmudgeon Avenue Book One: The Terraced House Diaries UK and US
Trust me, links to the audiobook will be posted here the second that ACX starts to distribute it – any minute now!
Thank you for joining Lindsay McKinnon and myself for the cyber version of our audiobook launch.
If you are an author and are interested in Lindsay narrating your book through ACX I think, think the easiest way to find her is on Twitter @LindzMcKinnon or by typing ‘Lindsay McKinnon’ into the ‘search > producers for hire’ box on ACX.com or search Lindsay McKinnon on Linkedin. (Obviously, I want Lindsay to narrate the other books in the Curmudgeon Avenue series).
Samantha xx
Samantha Henthorn Finds The Right Words 
… and obviously, Lindsay McKinnon can’t wait to start narrating the next book 😉
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