Bringing a book to life through voices

HeadphoneBookIt’s hard to describe what a wonderful adventure it has been to hear my book come to life as an Audio Book. I should tell you that I have become an incredible fan of audio books over the last few years. I have been known to sit in my driveway for an extra 12 minutes after a 4-hour drive, just to get to the end of a great chapter. And when I head out for my daily walk, I now swap out music in favor of listening to a book. It’s a completing engrossing experience. Just like when we used to have books read to us as kids, our minds still have to do the magical work of piecing together the picture that is being described, of sculpting each character’s features, imagining the texture of the world each character inhabits. But we also get the benefit of the book being “acted out” for us: dialogue infused with emotion, the emphasis of a particular word giving it more weight. And you should also know that my ultimate dream is to have FILL THE SKY one day become a movie– so an audiobook is like the first step in that journey of turning ink on a page into something with extra dimension.

So the process goes like this. I had the good fortune of listening to multiple talented actresses audition for the part by reading a 3-5 minute script– a few key scenes from the book that represented the range needed for the full novel. The talent was impressive and I sensed quickly that the book would take flight in an audio version. Only after I chose the actress I thought best suited the material did I learn that she is a healer! Of course, there are no coincidences. How perfect that someone who could closely connect with the material would be at the helm. As Joline would say, nature supports!

I then had the privilege of hearing the book unfold chapter by chapter as it was recorded. It had been a long time since I had read the book start to finish, and the spoken words put me right back in Ecuador with my three favorite imaginary friends, Tess, Ellie & Joline. I’m thrilled to announce that it is now available via Audible on Amazon http://amzn.to/2qCFv10 and through iTunes.

My thanks to Valerie Gilbert for doing a wonderful job with the book. I hope you will give it a listen & enjoy!