Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once...by Cathy Ace

Reading: Heard any good books lately? What are your thoughts on audiobooks?

Here I am recording the audiobook of The Corpse with the Silver Tongue

I’m not sure if this is a “confession” or not, but I haven’t listened to an audio book since I listened to the Audible versions of the first two Cait Morgan Mysteries. And I only listened to them because I was the one who read them – yes, I auditioned to be the reader, and was hired! Audible secured a studio in Downtown Vancouver for a week for me to record them, edited them (production editing, they are not abridged versions) and then published them. WOOT! It was great fun, if a little daunting. I know, I know, I suspect the pool of Welsh Canadian voice actors wasn’t exactly huge, but I was pretty damned proud to do them 😊

The process was fascinating, and I learned a great deal (you have to learn fast because studio time is so expensive!). Watch in front of me so I can keep an eye on the time - recording engineers need breaks too! Earrings OFF, because you really need your headphones to fit snugly. Coffeeeeeee - need I say more? An 8am to 6pm day in the studio is tough on your whole body - brain power is drained because you've been concentrating so hard; aching back and legs because you've been sitting still for such long periods; a throat that feels like you've been gargling hot sauce for hours; gritty eyes because I don't think I blinked for days! And did I mention the studio was a two-hour drive, each way...that was a looooong week! 

You can find them here: 

CLICK HERE for The Corpse with the Silver Tongue

CLICK HERE for The Corpse with the Golden Nose

Go on – you KNOW you want to listen to me for a total of almost 17 hours, right? 😊 And if I can sell a few more copies, they might hire me to record some more! By the way, if you've already listened to them - and enjoyed them - did you know you can actually write to Audible and ask them to get more of the series recorded? No? Well, allow me to be the one who informs you of that little nugget, and might I also be the one to encourage you to do so? Thanks!

As you can see, I use my hands quite a lot, even when I'm "talking to myself"!

So, why don’t I listen to audio books? Hmm, I don’t listen to anything – not word, not music, not anything – except when I’m driving (when it would be music…but I hardly drive at all, at the moment) or when I’m flying (when I watch/listen to movies…but I’m not flying at all at the moment). Working? Nope, it has to be quiet. Gardening? Nope, it has to be quiet because I am usually plotting. Relaxing? Nope, I am a TV and movie girl. So, no listening time for me at all, these days, and never audio books.

That being said, I know people who enjoy listening to books in a language that is not their first, to develop their comprehension skills; others who are encouraged to keep working on their general literacy levels because they’ve already unlocked the joy of books, and can see it’s a worthwhile endeavor; some whose sight has always been absent, or has become recently compromised, and can revel in a huge range of good books; those who prefer to have two hands free to “do something else” (like driving, knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, hanging onto a strap because they are commuting etc. etc.).

Audiobooks are BRILLIANT!

PS: a note about the title of this post: 'Allo 'Allo, was a ridiculous comedy series that ran in the UK in the 1980s - this is a famous/infamous catchphrase from that series. 10 points (utterly useless points, but points nonetheless) if you got it. Nil points if you didn't 😆

If you'd like to find out more about me and ALL my books, please check out my website HERE.