The first thing that hits you when you start doing Audiobooks is how bizarre it is to have someone read something you wrote. When I did the Audiobook stint with the Paranormology series, I had to deal with hearing my own voice read my words, which was very hard to get over, let me tell you. When I first put the headphones on and spoke into the microphone, I froze.
It took more than a few days of practicing to bring the shock down to an uncomfortable sensation, and then a whole couple of books to bring that down to a dulled angst. By Cooper Alley, I thought I had it all down, no probs, just another thing to brush off.
Then I listened to the first sample of the audiobook; my jaw froze and my face flushed red. It was good – very good, in fact – but there was something about having someone else read out something that you wrote. Considering I hadn’t gone over Tedrick for quite some time, I had forgotten just how it was written, the characters, the scenery. Then, in a few sentences of a gritty voice, it all came flooding back.
So far there have been eight chapters completed, and with each one I am listening while reading over the book. Man, there are some really cool benefits to having someone read back what you’ve done. It’s like being in the passenger seat rather than being the driver. As you’re following along, you can spot the scenery and see how it appears to others. You can hear if a sentence actually makes sense in the manner you’ve presented. There are little grammatical nuggets that need fixing here and a couple of typos there. Larry, being a professional, rolls right over them as best he can and with the communication channel provided by Findaway Voices, he can ask clarifying questions about his concerns.
About a third of the way through now. Tedrick’s looking good. But hey, Jez, you say, weren’t you supposed to be releasing Iris of the Shadows soon? Yes, that’s also true. It’s also true that I’m looking at making the third installment of Tedrick, and another Paranormology. It’s a little bit of juggling to get all these ducks in a row, or herd the cats, or stuff the octopus into the string bag, as it were. Don’t worry, I’ll get there.