Tag: Epic Fantasy

Of Knight and Wizards

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Knights of the Dragon
Of Knights and Wizards Book 1
by A.J. Gallant
Genre: Epic Fantasy
In a fantasy land full of knights, dragons, kingdoms and wars, a boy is transformed into a sorcerer before his time.
To save his kingdom he must learn fast, but not a single spell has worked for him. As he sleepwalks, he conjures, driving people away from him and even transforming his father – the king – into a chicken. It might be too dangerous for King Darrius to allow his son to remain in Leeander.
He’s a Tarcranian Wizard of the highest power, and distracted enough without a female to grab his attention. But Raina’s beautiful face captures him, and after Marcus befriends one of the dragons, she discovers his quandary.
And so the adventure begins.
Knights of the Wizard
Of Knights and Wizards Book 2
Young Marcus is trying hard to become a respectable sorcerer, but he’s failing miserably… and casting spells while he sleepwalks doesn’t help either. But will he really be banished from his own kingdom?
Meanwhile, a grey dragon awakens from a four-hundred-year nap and discovers that there is a new and powerful wizard in existence – and that he just might be a danger to him. Ash must be killed.
With the Dwagord residing on the other side of the mountain range, never before able to venture into Leeander’s part of the world, their wizards have finally blown their way through the mountain, and are planning to conquer everyone and everything. But to the Dwagord, this new land is as puzzling as it is fascinating, with much more magic than exists in their homeland.
Knight of the Sword
Of Knights and Wizards Book 3
Marcus still hasn’t mastered his powers, he’s not the suave and in control wizard he would like to be. Now poor Marcus is now contending with courting and try as he may, is fumbling around in the dark, trying to win his lady’s favor. How long will Raina wait for his full attention? Is she being too demanding? Marcus has been warned that he must find and keep the Staff of Herding, a powerful magical tool for its owner out of the hands of three dark sorcerers. But is it too late? Who is the guardian that protects this staff? How can anyone get past such a powerful protector who has hidden it away deep where no one would dare to look.
Meanwhile, in a dragon cave, a young and powerful dragon wizard is growing into his powers, but what does he have to do with Marcus? In a world filled with magic, will their paths cross again? A powerful sword, that can only be handled by the pure of soul has become a quest for Princess Alexa as she sets off on a deadly quest to retrieve this sword and bring it home as a gift. Can the sword help win back the stolen staff? Will Marcus finally come into his own and get a handle on his magic or will evil overtake the world?
Knights of the Full Moon
Of Knights and Wizards Book 4
“A.J. Gallant is back and Knights of the Full Moon has got to be right up there as one of his best medieval fantasies to date.”
Dii
Who will be transformed into a new sorcerer? Who will perish?
The source of magic is releasing an excessive amount of magical ingredients into the world with dire consequences. Never before seen monsters, dragons with no wings and whales floating up and out of the sea. Marcus and his dragon friend who’s also a sorcerer tried but failed to contain the source.
What will happen to this magical world now?
An epic fantasy of sword and sorcery, medieval adventure, romance, and magic. Sprinkled with humor. Arthurian with lots of twists and turns. Ever changing enchantment makes life a complicated affair.
Knights of Ash
Of Knights and Wizards Book 5
Dragon fantasy and romance collide in this series of a coming of age wizard and his many trials and tribulations of suddenly being thrown into the wizarding world. A medieval world of dragons, wizards and wizards and of course knights. Did I mention talking dragons? And one dragon in particular that bonds with Marcus which is unheard of in this land. A wonderful series of great and unpredictable adventure.
Marcus always thought that dragons were at the top of the food chain, but crunchers are moving into the area and they kill dragons. The Tar-Cranian Wizard cannot imagine his land without dragons, but even the sorcerers, including Raina and Ash may have enough experience to stop them.
And Marcus must journey to the Upside-Down forest to replenish his magical ingredients, but at more than five hundred leagues away the chances of returning are not good.
Meanwhile, a hunter named Shaun has eyes for the woman that lives across from him, but his father is ready to sell her.
A. J. Gallant is the best selling author of several books, including Knights of the Dragon (of Knights and Wizards series) and Dracula Hearts series, the first book in the series is Dracula: Hearts of Stone.
Detective Olivia Brown Mysteries is also gaining in popularity. (Anita’s vacation in New York City ends tragically when she’s killed in Central Park, but instead of the end, it’s only the beginning. Her soul remains at the scene trying hard to process what happened. There are other ghosts that don’t seem to be much help. And,of course, the new reality of being a ghost does not sit well with Anita.
What is she supposed to do now?)
The author has two cats that make him rise at 5 each morning to keep him on his toes.
$10 Amazon gift card
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The Dragon Pillars

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Water & Fire
The Dragon Pillars Book 1
by Sanzaki Kojika
Genre: Epic Fantasy
There is a legend that everyone knows- the legend of the Dragon Pillars. Every several hundred years, darkness befalls the land. The Dragons awaken and choose their Pillars, humans strong enough to withstand their powers, and together they drive back the darkness.
In the towering cathedral of Vivdaugas, students flock to study the archives built upon the legend and train to reach the glory of its heroes. Garred Conway is preparing for his test to become a true Defender when a storm threatens to destroy the citadel, and the land around it. Trapped in the catacombs, desperate to save those he cares for, he finds help from the most surprising place- the Water Dragon Aysu. Now, as Aysu’s new pillar, he finds himself with more responsibility thrust on him than he could have ever imagined.
**Only .99 cents April 7th-14th!!**
Earth & Wind
The Dragon Pillars Book 2
The Pillar of Fire Shula is left reeling with loss and a new heavy burden of responsibility. The Water Pillar Garred leads a small party into the dangerous Whispering Forest to seek out weapons that were blessed by the Light Dragon. Disaster is narrowly avoided, but it brings a dark secret to light.Once reunited, Shula steels her resolve and the journey continues. With two Dragons awoken, their quest for the third leads them to the harsh terrain of the desert. The sand dregs up a certain Defender’s self-proclaimed pathetic past and the hard feelings associated with it. Can a Dragon really chose a Pillar from an isolated people dedicated to a life of pacifism?
**Only .99 cents May 4th– 11th!!**
Fawn Szymoniak, aka “Sanzaki Kojika” has been a resident of the fantasy world from a young age, growing up in a house full of books and mythology. Her mother introduced her to fantasy works by authors like Barbara Hambly and Terry Brooks. By the age of 8, she had already written her first novel (albeit crudely). Since then, she has taken to mostly writing fantasy, following characters through magical worlds full of wonder and danger. Her series “The Archive of Sinners” stands out as her only non-fantasy, being a paranormal mystery.
On top of her writing, she is also a freelance graphic designer. Her love of art and writing, spurred her onto comics. She has several graphic novels self-published, including her webcomic “Zos Kias,” which is over 10 years old.
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The Prophet Trilogy

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
False Gods
The Prophet Trilogy Book 1
by Don Newton
Genre: Epic Fantasy
How many gods do you really need? Erador has more than its share…
In a strange multiverse ruled by magic and immortals, the last remaining souls, fleeing the destruction of Earth, struggle to survive. The Draggons want them dead. The gods want more power. But the humans want to live, and there’s only one sorceress who can make that happen. The fate of humanity is in her hands – so, no pressure…
Gods always want more power…
The Civil War fractured their world, and the gods just made it worse. Now their followers are split into four separate factions, and they all hate each other. Riots and bombings force further divisions among them, and the leaders are at a loss about what to do. Most of them, anyway.
Heroes are sometimes girls…
Alisha Callus rose through the sorceress ranks, mastering the Orphic currents and learning to bend space and reality to her will. Now, she’s the last Adeptus Supreme on Erador, and she has to kill a god. But she’s not sure she can.
Gods don’t like to be killed…
But sometimes, they deserve it.
Can one Sorceress, two Draggons, four warriors, and a god crush this evil influence from existence? Follow this ragtag band of heroes on an epic quest to free their world from an immortal’s vicious grasp. Who knows, they might do it…
**Only .99 cents!!**
Draggons
The Prophet Trilogy Book 2
Revenge is always sweeter face to face…
The false god, Zaril, died in a blazing bolt of light, victim to the wrath of an Adeptus Supreme. Now, it’s Kat’s turn for some payback. All she can see through the red tinge of hate that fills her eyes is the face of her lover’s killer. The fact that he’s also her father barely weighs on her mind. He chose his side, and now he’ll pay for his decision.
Judgement
The Prophet Trilogy Book 3
The Draggon King, Darkonus, died at the hands of his daughter – the cold steel of her dagger taking his life, and the void-wraith trapped within sucking his soul away. Now Kat has ascended to the Draggon throne and become their Queen.
The Trial of Sa’riya
Prelude to The Prophet Trilogy
Draggons are the worst…
The war with the Draggons is raging, and only the battle-hardened Na’Geena warriors can stand against them. They have the weapons that can kill them, and the Griffins they ride are the mortal enemies of the lizards. There’s a chance they could be defeated, but they have allies in the Eradorians, and a secret mission could turn the tide and destroy the Draggon King. Only a god can make it work. But will he help?
Ok, her twin sister was killed, but it was an accident…
When the Carolonian sun exploded, Zi’anna was caught in the blast-wave, and even her immortality and the powers of the K’Pa couldn’t save her from certain death. Now, the immortal’s Elder Council wants her sister, Sa’riya, to pay for that loss, with her life… But not all of them…
Follow along as the trial unfolds. Will they find her guilty? Would you?
“When you know the right question to ask, the answer will be obvious.” – Yin, The positive aspect
**Get it FREE!**
Don Newton is a writer and armchair philosopher, author of the science fantasy trilogy “The Prophet”, and short stories too numerous to count. Don has been in love with science fiction and fantasy his entire life. The first alternate world he created was the result of a sixth-grade essay assignment, and he’s been hooked ever since. That world has grown and transformed into an entire multi-verse of possibilities to explore. Don’s not just a writer though, he has hobbies too: like making up funnier lyrics to popular songs. He sings them to himself when no one’s around—especially in the car. Don has a degree in Nursing and he’s a certified Paramedic. Six years in the Army sent him to places as diverse as Hawaii and Germany, where he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal for conduct above and beyond the call of duty. Having lived in nine different states and two foreign countries, he now calls the desert southwest home.
$25 Amazon Gift Card
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A Pattern of Shadow & Light

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour

Author: Melissa McPhail

Narrator: Nick Podehl

Length: 34 hours 44 minutes

Series: A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 3

Publisher: Podium Publishing

Released: Oct. 18, 2016

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Powerful beings from the fringes of Chaos have come to the realm of Alorin. Fate bends to their will, and their will is set upon Alorin’s destruction. Alone in understanding the threat they pose, Alorin’s Fifth Vestal, Björn val Gelderan, has launched a desperate plan to stop them: a “great game” played upon the tapestry of mortal life. Now, in Paths of Alir, Björn’s Players have taken the field. Along the lush Caladrian coast of Agasan, the truthreader Tanis d’Giverny returns to the place of his birth and finds mysterious and wonderful workings waiting for him. But the zanthyr Phaedor warns Tanis that ominous events lie ahead, and the lad soon wonders if even his mother’s magical lessons will be enough to keep him alive. In the dungeons of Tal’Shira, held prisoner by the Adept Inquisitor Taliah hal’Jaitar, Prince Trell val Lorian is facing a life of enslavement. Only two paths lie open before him: one means an eternity of torture fighting Taliah’s attempts to break him; the other requires surrendering to her will. But can he really sacrifice everything he is to walk Taliah’s path of twisted magic known as mor’alir? In the snow-bound Castle of Tyr’kharta, Prince Ean val Lorian must choose to save his brother Sebastian or his loyal men. But to choose his men means leaving Sebastian to an eternity of enslavement; while rescuing Sebastian means abandoning his friends, and his honor along with them. Either decision will test Ean’s newfound skills, as well as his conviction, for as the prince soon learns, once a man becomes a Player in the First Lord’s game, not even death can give reprieve.
Book 5 is now available!
The First Lord’s game has reached a critical apex. For the first time in millennia, the teams are equally matched. From the dimension of Shadow to the realm of T’khendar, from the Empire of Agasan to the fire deserts of Avatar, Ean, Tanis, Trell, Sebastian and the rest of Bjorn’s Players will be holding their positions against immortal enemies in a game where mortal consequences hang in the balance of every choice.
Melissa McPhail is the author of the best-selling epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow & Light. She’s the mother of twin girls who think boys in books are just better, and the adoptive mother to four very large cats who basically rule the roost; and while she can never leave the house in one attempt, she’s pretty darn good at spinning a tale. She’s also a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid tea drinker. Melissa’s fantasy series has won eight best fantasy awards and (even more importantly to her) a fiercely devoted following. She is known for being an engaged author on social media and welcomes your thoughts on her work, the speculative fiction genre or writing in general.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads
Nick Podehl is an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice actor who’s narrated hundreds of titles across many different genres. In addition to narrating the epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow and Light and prior to his new long-term deal with Podium, he narrated the epic fantasy series the Kingkiller Chronicles, as well as some iconic works of teen fiction – including Wonder, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was named an Audible Customer Favorite in 2018 and has been honored with an Audie Award, along with multiple Earphones Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He lives and works in the Midwest with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters.
Website
Podium is an industry-leading independent audiobook publisher built upon the foundation of successful partnerships with self-published authors and narrators. With deep share of voice in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance, the company has enjoyed quick commercial and critical acclaim, releasing almost 1,300 audiobooks, numerous best-sellers, winning an Audie Award and 13 Voice Arts Awards. Podium is best-known for supporting, nurturing and discovering independent authors and narrators from the U.S. and around the world. The company gained international notice when it took a risk on one-time unknown author Andy Weir (The Martian) and turned his e-book into the largest audiobook seller in the world.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram
Q&A with Narrator Nick Podehl
  1. When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
I think I decided that I wanted to do this for a living as soon as I finished narrating my first audiobook. Before it was finished, I just thought it would be fun and something different. Before I was cast for it, I didn’t even know it was a possibility. Just like many people, I had no idea how audiobooks were made. I thought they were made the same way as cookies and shoes: by little elves that live in trees.
  1. How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
That was a complete and happy accident. I ended up giving it a try because I listened to my mother. She suggested I audition for this company that was in the next town over. They produced audiobooks since they were on reel-to-reel tapes. I ended up landing the audition and it has been 12 years ever since.
  1. Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
For me, it was not as difficult as it would be for others. I knew someone who was a casting director for a major company and they remembered me from my days of acting, in High-school of all places. They gave me a chance and decided to give me a shot. Like many things in life, its who you know that will land you a job and what you know that will keep it.
  1. A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
I think the theatre background definitely helps. We have to play a multitude of different characters in one story and being trained in theatre helps with dissecting and developing all these different characters. The other thing that I have found to be very helpful from my days treading the boards is the manuscript preparation. As a stage actor, you need to diagram, study, and know intimately your script. I find the same to be true for audiobooks. I know there are people out there who can record a book with no prep work at all. I am just not that talented. I need to diagram, study, read every word, truly KNOW that manuscript before I can record it. And I think that shows in a performance.
  1. What type of training have you undergone?
Four years of being a Theatre major in college which included acting classes, dance, stage production, costume construction, and more. All of these things help me to visualize the books I am narrating. See what the characters are wearing. Feel the world they live in. It all just helps to bring the books and characters to life.
  1. How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
I have been very blessed that I get to read a lot of fantastic books. Some very few are not as enjoyable. In those cases, I just have to find the things that I like and focus on that. I also try to make sure I schedule my recordings to give me some built in time to rest my voice and prep the next project. I try to not record week after week after week. I think my vocals would burn out if I tried that. I also make sure that I make family time a priority. There will always be work. I will work till I die. But I only have my family now. Tomorrow is not promised. Helps keep perspective.
  1. Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I actually don’t usually listen to audiobooks. I find the cadence of many narrators to be too slow or too announcer-y. I know that is the way that it was done for years, but it is just not my cuppa tea. I also find I have no time for it. The rare occasion that I do listen to an audiobook is on long road trips. They really help pass the miles and make the drive more enjoyable.
  1. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
Favorite has got to be all the fun character voices I get to do. I do this at home too and it drives my wife and kids nuts. But I love speaking in fun accents and different voices. Narrating audiobooks gives me the outlet to use that skill. Least favorite would be prepping the manuscript. I literally read EVERY SINGLE WORD, so it takes me a loooooong time to read through a manuscript the first time. I want to skim, but I can’t. Sometimes, it goes by very slowly.
  1. What would you say are your strongest narration abilities?
I think my pacing and character voices. I know some are going to say that I read too fast. I think that is a preference thing. I can’t stand listening to someone read too slow. I don’t think it sounds natural. So I feel as thought I have a good blend of slow enough to understand but fast enough that it sounds like human beings actually speak. The voices because I love using fun accents and character choices in order to differentiate characters in a story. I find linguistic study to be fascinating and how accents shape the world we live in. Being able to utilize that interest for my work is just awesome.
  1. Is there a particular genre you feel unsuited for? Have you ever declined a project because you didn’t think you were right for it?
I don’t have a very deep and resonant voice so I feel those books that call for something like that are just not for me. I prefer to pass on Romance novels, unless they are tastefully done. I think that graphic sexual content in a book is used to either boost sales of a badly written story, or detracts and distracts from a well done, quality story. I just think it is unnecessary. Therefore, those kinds of books I will take a hard pass on.   I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Podium Publishing. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
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A Pattern of Shadow & Light

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour

Author: Melissa McPhail

Narrator: Nick Podehl

Length: 29 hours

Series: A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 2

Publisher: Podium Publishing

Released: Sep. 6, 2016

Genre: Epic Fantasy

At long last, the reason for the blessed Adept race’s decline has been discovered: powerful beings known as Malorin’athgul are disrupting the Balance and preventing Alorin’s Adepts from awakening to their gifts. Who are they? Where are they? And how can they be stopped when they wield a power meant to unmake the universe itself? In T’khendar, Prince Ean val Lorian has forsaken his companions in blood and battle to join the traitorous Fifth Vestal in T’khendar in the hopes of gaining some insight into the tragedies that plagued his return. Now, he must confront the man he’s long thought of as his enemy and discover the role he is meant to play in the First Lord’s darkly magnificent game. The Vestal Raine D’Lacourte has followed his traitorous oath-brother, Björn, through six kingdoms and into the distant realm of T’khendar seeking explanation and atonement. But the condemned realm harbors shocking secrets, and Raine soon realizes he’s facing his greatest enemy yet – not in Björn, but in the truth. Elsewhere in Alorin, the young truthreader, Tanis, faces a new villain in the fiery-eyed man he followed from the café in Rethynnea; the soldier Trell struggles to reconcile his growing feelings for the girl he rescued from the river against the guilt of his unknown past; and in Tambarré, another truthreader named Kjieran van Stone treads the incense-filled hallways of the Prophet Bethamin’s temple, hoping to uncover a plot of treachery and betrayal before the Prophet demands his soul. The time has come for each player to claim his role in the First Lord’s masterful game. All will be tested, but only time will tell how many can survive the dagger of Adendigaeth.
Book 5 is now available!
The First Lord’s game has reached a critical apex. For the first time in millennia, the teams are equally matched. From the dimension of Shadow to the realm of T’khendar, from the Empire of Agasan to the fire deserts of Avatar, Ean, Tanis, Trell, Sebastian and the rest of Bjorn’s Players will be holding their positions against immortal enemies in a game where mortal consequences hang in the balance of every choice.
Melissa McPhail is the author of the best-selling epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow & Light. She’s the mother of twin girls who think boys in books are just better, and the adoptive mother to four very large cats who basically rule the roost; and while she can never leave the house in one attempt, she’s pretty darn good at spinning a tale. She’s also a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid tea drinker. Melissa’s fantasy series has won eight best fantasy awards and (even more importantly to her) a fiercely devoted following. She is known for being an engaged author on social media and welcomes your thoughts on her work, the speculative fiction genre or writing in general.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads
Nick Podehl is an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice actor who’s narrated hundreds of titles across many different genres. In addition to narrating the epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow and Light and prior to his new long-term deal with Podium, he narrated the epic fantasy series the Kingkiller Chronicles, as well as some iconic works of teen fiction – including Wonder, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was named an Audible Customer Favorite in 2018 and has been honored with an Audie Award, along with multiple Earphones Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He lives and works in the Midwest with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters.
Website
Podium is an industry-leading independent audiobook publisher built upon the foundation of successful partnerships with self-published authors and narrators. With deep share of voice in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance, the company has enjoyed quick commercial and critical acclaim, releasing almost 1,300 audiobooks, numerous best-sellers, winning an Audie Award and 13 Voice Arts Awards. Podium is best-known for supporting, nurturing and discovering independent authors and narrators from the U.S. and around the world. The company gained international notice when it took a risk on one-time unknown author Andy Weir (The Martian) and turned his e-book into the largest audiobook seller in the world.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram
Q&A with Author Melissa McPhail: Part II
  • Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
    • You would have to ask this of the many readers of mine who have both listened to and read the series, often multiple times.
  • If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
    • I would save the Library of Alexandria.
  • What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
    • I think they’re taking a limited view.
    • One value of fiction is that it builds imagination. I admit a certain bias when saying that fantasy and other speculative fiction may be more efficacious towards this end than mainstream fiction, because generally speculative fiction requires real effort on the part of the reader to picture the unfolding world and events in his or her mind.
    • But I think that all reading is valuable, if only for the life lessons, insight and a view towards experience that reading provides those who may not ever have those experiences themselves.
    • If a person will never find the time to sit down and read a book but can make the time to listen to a book, isn’t it far more important for the story to reach an audience than the specific means of its telling? It would be much more challenging for me to sit down and read twenty-two hours of lectures on the Black Death, but I could listen to them all in the car while running errands or handling projects throughout my day.
    • Lastly, some people are auditory learners and actually retain information (whether real or imaginary) much better if they hear it instead of read it.
  • How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
    • I took time off in a tropical location to make my way through a large chuck of my desperately backlogged To Be Read list.
  • What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
    • I have far too many books on my TBR to have ever experienced a reading slump, but if I’m stuck on a chapter or suffering from writer’s block, I usually go for a long drive with some favorite music, and somewhere along the way, the ideas will start flowing.
  • In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
    • I’ve only ever written a series, so I can speak to the pros and cons of this side of the question. A series is perfect for my genre, because epic fantasy readers generally want to be immersed in the world, and so long as the characters are interesting and the story is entertaining, they’ll want to stay in the world as long as possible.
    • Writing a series means you have three or more books to fully develop your characters and carry the plot through to its conclusion. In my case, I’m 1.5 million words in print and writing the sixth and final book in the series now. That’s a lot of potential for world-building and character development!
    • It’s been a huge joy for me to see endless possibilities for creation in the universe of my series, and to have the freedom to develop specific characters and subplots that deepen the story and contribute to the vitality of my world.
    • In my opinion, the largest cons of this kind of storytelling are a) that there are numerous chances to make mistakes in continuity, b) you have to be careful to avoid making each new conflict so much bigger than the last one, lest you wind up with Michael Bay-style action or characters that are so powerful they’re practically gods (which ruins the tension and leaves few challenges for the character to overcome), and c) you run the risk of feeling ready to write something new and different while your current series is still far from finished.
  • What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
    • Write, write, write and write some more. In my experience, it takes at least 300,000 words for a writer to gain a concept of his/her own voice in any way that is lasting.
  • What’s next for you?
    • After I finish A Pattern of Shadow and Light (most likely with book six, though I once said that about book five also), I have an urban fantasy in the wings, which I look forward to developing.
  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Podium Publishing. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Click here for the full 21-day schedule!

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The Dragon of Time

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Gods and Dragons
The Dragon of Time Book 1
by Aaron Dennis
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Gods, Dragons, a mercenary with a blade and no memory of his past…. The world of Tiamhaal is alight in war. Men ruled by kings slay their opposition in the name of their God, but there are others who claim the Gods are little more than scorned Dragons of ages past. Scar has come to find the truth, but is the truth an absolute certainty, or is it just the skewed memory of a forgotten kingdom?
Book Trailer
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uicsTy4DoBQ]
Dragon Slayer
The Dragon of Time Book 2
With the death of Kulshedra, Dragon of Truth, it has been revealed that Scar, the mercenary, is in fact Sarkany, the Dragon Slayer, a creature fashioned for the sole purpose of purging the Dragons from the world of Tiamhaal, yet such a thing is not so simple.
Kings and queens yet war amongst one another. They, too, lie, connive, and coerce, and so, Scar and his friends must find a way to persuade those few, benevolent rulers to band together.
In the midst of peace talks and dead Dragons, those still in the worship of the beasts grow more powerful. Some of them even doubly praise their oppressor in an effort to wield more magic.
Now, united with his friends, Scar sets his gaze upon a hopeful horizon, but is strength in numbers sufficient to keep the Dragons from completing their machinations?
Book Trailer
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Jxgw4ArPU]
Dragon Pact
The Dragon of Time Book 3
Dragons have posed as Gods, but the Dragon Slayer has come to Tiamhaal bearing retribution. Sarkany, avatar of Eternus, the Dragon of Time, known to his friends and enemies as Scar, has slain four Dragons; Kulshedra, the Dragon of Truth, Zmaj, the Dragon of Destruction, Gyo, the Dragon of the Sun, and Drac, the Dragon of fire, but there are yet many beasts left. Scheming and concocting, the capricious beasts grow in power as their brethren fall. Their goal; to once again walk Tiamhaal in the flesh. Scar must gather his friends to rebuild an old kingdom, thus alighting the Dragon Wars anew.
**Read for FREE on Wattpad!!**
Dennis has been writing for 8 years and has accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time. Apart from writing and creating some wonderful stories, he learned editing from working with Chuck Sambuchino. His creative skills are easily recognized in books like War and Glory where scifi and horror are mixed, or books like Cayneian, where fantasy and horror are mixed, but he also portrays a great many psychological and philosophical issues throughout his writing.
Producers can check his list of titles at his Kirkus proconnect page.
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A Pattern of Shadow & Light

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour

Author: Melissa McPhail

Narrator: Nick Podehl

Length: 32 hours 6 minutes

Series: A Pattern of Shadow and Light, Book 1

Publisher: Podium Publishing

Released: July 26, 2016

Genre: Epic Fantasy

“All things are composed of patterns….” And within the pattern of the realm of Alorin, three strands must cross. In Alorin…300 years after the genocidal Adept Wars, the realm is dying, and the blessed Adept race dies with it. One man holds the secret to reverting this decline: Bjorn van Gelderan, a dangerous and enigmatic man whose shocking betrayal three centuries past earned him a traitor’s brand. It is the Adept Vestal Raine D’Lacourte’s mission to learn what Bjorn knows in the hope of salvaging his race. But first he’ll have to find him…. In the kingdom of Dannym…the young Prince Ean val Lorian faces a tenuous future as the last living heir to the coveted Eagle Throne. When his blood brother is slain during a failed assassination, Ean embarks on a desperate hunt for the man responsible. Yet his advisors have their own agendas, and his quest for vengeance leads him ever deeper into a sinuous plot masterminded by a mysterious and powerful man, the one they call First Lord. In the Nadori desert…tormented by the missing pieces of his life, a soldier named Trell heads off to uncover the truth of his shadowed past. But when disaster places him in the debt of Wildlings sworn to the First Lord, Trell begins to suspect a deadlier, darker secret motivating them.
Book 5 is now available!
The First Lord’s game has reached a critical apex. For the first time in millennia, the teams are equally matched. From the dimension of Shadow to the realm of T’khendar, from the Empire of Agasan to the fire deserts of Avatar, Ean, Tanis, Trell, Sebastian and the rest of Bjorn’s Players will be holding their positions against immortal enemies in a game where mortal consequences hang in the balance of every choice.
Melissa McPhail is the author of the best-selling epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow & Light. She’s the mother of twin girls who think boys in books are just better, and the adoptive mother to four very large cats who basically rule the roost; and while she can never leave the house in one attempt, she’s pretty darn good at spinning a tale. She’s also a classically trained pianist, violinist and composer, a Vinyasa yoga instructor, and an avid tea drinker. Melissa’s fantasy series has won eight best fantasy awards and (even more importantly to her) a fiercely devoted following. She is known for being an engaged author on social media and welcomes your thoughts on her work, the speculative fiction genre or writing in general.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads
Nick Podehl is an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice actor who’s narrated hundreds of titles across many different genres. In addition to narrating the epic fantasy series A Pattern of Shadow and Light and prior to his new long-term deal with Podium, he narrated the epic fantasy series the Kingkiller Chronicles, as well as some iconic works of teen fiction – including Wonder, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was named an Audible Customer Favorite in 2018 and has been honored with an Audie Award, along with multiple Earphones Awards from AudioFile Magazine. He lives and works in the Midwest with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters.
Website
Podium is an industry-leading independent audiobook publisher built upon the foundation of successful partnerships with self-published authors and narrators. With deep share of voice in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance, the company has enjoyed quick commercial and critical acclaim, releasing almost 1,300 audiobooks, numerous best-sellers, winning an Audie Award and 13 Voice Arts Awards. Podium is best-known for supporting, nurturing and discovering independent authors and narrators from the U.S. and around the world. The company gained international notice when it took a risk on one-time unknown author Andy Weir (The Martian) and turned his e-book into the largest audiobook seller in the world.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram
Q&A with Author Melissa McPhail: Part I
  • Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
    • I was thrilled when Podium contacted me with an offer to publish my series in audio format. One of the most interesting parts of the process has been going through each book and pulling out words and nomenclature that are unique to my world and its magic system in order to catalog their pronunciations.
    • Sometimes I had only heard those words in my head up to that point. Trying to pronounce them for Nick Podehl, my incredibly talented narrator, sometimes proved challenging. I had to practice saying the names aloud so I could correctly show Nick how to say them.
  • Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
    • In my (admittedly limited) experience, a simple story can be made interesting if the narrator really knows his business, while even the most lyrical writing can be ruined by a narrator who doesn’t sound interested in the material.
    • As with any art form, when you translate it from its original medium into another one, the translator really needs to be an artist himself. Nick Podehl has an amazing talent with voices, as well as an ability to interpret and present the correct emotion for each character. My series would not have done nearly as well read by a less talented (or less passionate) narrator.
  • Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
    • Sadly not! I might’ve come up with much less complicated names if I had been thinking about someone having to speak them aloud—LOL.
    • A major factor in my name choices is how the word looks on the page. The spelling as much as the sound of the name imparts a certain feeling to the character. The spelling is critical, in fact, to my concept of the character.
    • The reader both sees and hears the word in their minds. If I had been writing specifically with audio in mind, I might have named some characters differently.
  • How did you select your narrator?
    • I trusted Podium to find the best narrator to bring my story to life, and I cannot now imagine anyone else but Nick Podehl as the voice of my series.
  • How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
    • As I mentioned above, I sat down with a Podium producer and walked through all the names, titles, cities and magical nomenclature specific to my world. This enabled Nick to know how to say the names properly.
    • Because I have so many diverse peoples and cultures in my world, we also discussed types of accents and inflections that might influence the way Nick could portray the character. With that said, all I really did was give him some guidelines. Nick did the heavy lifting in bringing my words and characters to life.
  • Were there any real-life inspirations behind your writing?
    • A number of books significantly impacted me as a teenager, in part because of my age upon first reading them, and in part because of the things that were happening in my life at the time. These experiences showed me how profoundly stories can influence our lives for the better.
    • I write allegorical fantasy because I want to share the philosophical truths I’ve found through my own studies of philosophy and comparative religion, but I want to present these ideas in a way that doesn’t preach, isn’t political and has no personal agenda.
    • Sometimes we read stories that hit too close to the mark in our own lives. We don’t want to think about those problems, and we reject any inherent truth the story has to offer.
    • The value of allegorical fantasy is that it’s generally just far enough removed from our own lives to be able to look at a character’s struggles, see that their path is similar to our own, but still find hope or encouragement in the way the character is handling those trials.
    • It’s important to me with my writing to present philosophical ideas in a way that others can compare them to their own lives without feeling endangered by the ideas. They can see events from a different perspective and determine if the characters’ ideas and ways of handling things could also be true for them.
    • It’s hugely rewarding to me when readers write to tell me that they’re using some piece of philosophy from my books in their daily lives, or that a particular character’s struggle has helped them overcome or in some way feel more capable of dealing with their own life challenges.
    • Ultimately, it’s important to me to present ideas of hope, courage, honor, and most of all, causative action, through the experiences of my characters.
  • How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
    • For me, writing is a calling. It’s my passion and my first love. I wouldn’t want to envision life without this means of communicating my ideas and thoughts to others.
    • I think because of this, I’ve never experienced burnout, but my yoga background has also helped me to know the importance of finding balance in our lives. Finding balance is a key theme in my life and in my series.
  • Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
    • I absolutely adore listening to non-fiction in audio format. My writing is heavily informed by world history, and I continue to be an avid student of it.
    • I’ve been making my way through the Great Lectures series, learning about everything from the impact of the Black Death on the Renaissance to the true history of secret societies. Being able to learn about important events in world history while doing my housework or taking a walk is one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread, as far as I’m concerned.
  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Podium Publishing. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
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Dungeon Corps

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Dungeon Corps
Crypts of Phanos
by Jaxon Reed
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Deep under the city of Phanos, the crypts are filled with monsters. Dungeon Corps works hard to contain them.
Recruited from prisons, outcasts, misfits, those expelled from academies and even rare volunteers, Dungeon Corps produces outstanding fighters.
When an ancient threat troubles the Queen’s Land once more, a grizzled veteran leads his young team down into the depths to rescue the lost and slay a horror known as Ludge.
But two on his team hold closer ties to the monster than anyone realizes. They are elves, running from assassins tracking them relentlessly since birth.
Ludge should have died 50 years ago. Now it’s up to the team to finish the job. In doing so, they uncover startling secrets known only to a chosen few.
They discover the elves’ forbidden existence and their raw untapped power can reshape the world.
If they survive.
**only .99 cents!!**
Jaxon Reed is a science fiction and fantasy author. Amazon’s Kindle Press selected his book, The Empathic Detective: A Mystery Thriller, for publication through Kindle Scout. Recently, Ghostsuit: An Empathic Detective Novel also won a contract through Kindle Scout.
Other recent books include Thieves and Wizards, an epic fantasy, and The Redwood Trilogy Box Set, a science fiction bundle.
Jaxon is an Aggie, living in Texas on a ranch with his wife and boys, several cats, and one pound dog.
To receive the latest updates on new releases and opportunities for free reader exclusives, please visit www.jaxonreed.com/free/
$25 Amazon
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Jane Austen’s Dragons

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Audiobook Series Tour: Jane Austen’s Dragons by Maria Grace

Author: Maria Grace

Narrator: Benjamin Fife

Length: 9 hours 40 minutes

Series: Jane Austen’s Dragons, Book 3

Publisher: Maria Grace

Released: Jan. 31, 2020

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Elizabeth Bennet thought she was prepared to do anything to make the Dragon Conclave accept her beloved young dragon Pemberley into the Blue Order, but she had not anticipated it would leave her banished from her ancestral home and betrothed to none other than Mr. Darcy. But before Elizabeth and Darcy wed, they must find a dangerous rogue dragon before it provokes a war amongst the dragons and brings the fragile peace between dragons and mankind to a catastrophic end. Nothing written in the annals of dragon lore has prepared Elizabeth to manage a dragon not governed by the Blue Order. Dragons have always loved her, but this one finds her arrogant, selfish and insensitive to others. With only her instincts to guide her, she must convince the rogue of her good intentions before the Blue Order loses patience and decides on more drastic measures. Called away to the other side of the kingdom, trying to settle the dragons’ unrest, Darcy learns the nature of the force poisoning the rogue dragon against Elizabeth. One nearer and dearer than they could have imagined. Can Elizabeth and Darcy convince with rogue dragon to cooperate before darker forces turn it against them, without destroying the fragile bonds uniting the couple?
Buy on Audible
Five time BRAG Medallion Honoree and #1 best selling Historical Fantasy author, Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time. She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Pinterest
Narrator Bio
Benjamin Fife has always had a passion for learning. With a mind that remembers all sorts of numbers and useless trivia, he regularly wins local radio shows and enjoys confusing people with sci-fi quotes. Fife grew up in Southeast Idaho. He attended college at Idaho State University, where he met his future wife in their music theory class. They have been married nearly 20 years and now have six children and a whole menagerie of animals. When their oldest daughter was three or four years old they started reading aloud from novels every night at bedtime, and have continued the tradition ever since. The family loves exploring various worlds and topics through Fife’s wonderful reading skills, which get better every year. They all have his Christmas Carol voices memorized (and the older kids are known to quote along with portions), since he has read it to them every December. Benjamin enjoys all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy – both books and shows, is an extreme eclectic music lover, and prefers his chocolate to be of the 90% cocoa variety. Above all, he loves to be with his family. He loves recording audio books, and is delighted to tell people, “I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up!”
Website
  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Benjamin Fife. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. Guest Post
Behind-the-Scenes with Narrator Benjamin Fife
I got into narrating because I love literature. I personally have listened to or read the complete works of Charles Dickens. I love Austen too. I was first introduced to Pride and Prejudice nearly 20 years ago about 3 months before I met my wife. I was spending time with a longtime friend who was getting over a bad breakup. Watch this movie with me–said she. I didn’t realize it was a 6 hour production. As you might guess, I fell hard for her while we watched it over the next week, one installment at a time. She still thought of me as just a friend. She prophetically said that come 2 months later I’d meet some cute freshman & I’d be just as happy as Lizzy & Darcy at the end of it all. Now two decades down the road, she married the guy she had broken up with, I wed that adorable freshman, and both marriages now boast 6 kids apiece. Starting when my oldest was about 6, we started taking turns picking what book to read as a family every night. With a handful of exceptions, I’ve been the voice for all the books ranging from Jane Eyre to Hank the Cowdog; from Lord of the Rings to Louis Lamour. I had often thought about turning my passion for reading aloud into more than that. In February of 2018, I dove in. As I’ve looked for books to audition for and connected with authors, I’ve loved what I’ve learned from each book & each writer in the production process. But there is no other book or series that has brought me as much satisfaction to voice as Maria Grace’s Jane Austen’s Dragons.
The Road to Becoming a Dragon Narrator
Earlier this year when I saw Pemberley up for audition, I had to try! I adore Austen & I adore dragons! What could be better? When I auditioned, I did 2 takes for Maria – one with a “straight read,” and one with “effects.” I’ve used a little bit of effects on my voice in previous books, but by volunteering to not only voice each dragon differently, but then alter the audio to a more ‘size appropriate’ voice, I was jumping in with both feet. (I had a sense this was going to be a big, complicated project from the get go, but I really didn’t fully realize it until we got started on it all!-mg) Let me give you a rundown of the whole Audiobook production process:
  1. Find a Title/Author you want to work with
  2. Read the audition material & plan your characterizations, accents etc
  3. Record the Audition (click to have a listen!)
  4. Edit the Audition
  5. Get selected for the book
  6. Read the whole book & plan characterizations, accents, etc again.
  7. Communicate with the author about their wishes.
  8. Record the whole thing, redoing any line you make any kind of error on. And sometimes that means 5 times. Not often ,but sometimes, there’s a tongue twister (You try saying “the courtship twas by your world rules” in a thick Scottish accent complete with rolled r’s– not from Maria’s book.
  9. Listen to the whole thing and edit out any outtakes, errors, mouth noises, dog barking, wife scaring the *&% out of you in the middle of a chapter, etc…
  10. Master the file so it can pass muster for QC of an audio book
  11. Send it to the author/publisher to listen to.
  12. Fix any additional errors and performance issues to the satisfaction of the author & yourself.
  13. Repeat the last 4 steps as many times as needed.
  14. Send it to Audible to sell
  15. Promote the heck out of it.
So it’s a bit of a production to begin with. You add in needing a different effect for a dozen different characters & you can imagine what that does. Still, I love it. Maria & I both hope you love what I’ve done to bring her world to life. Midway through production on Pemberly, I messaged Maria to ask if she could send me the whole series so my family could read it too. My wife & 2 oldest daughters had it finished before I had a chance to finish recording Pemberley. Maria’s writing is superb. I love how true she is to the original characters, while changing it up enough to make it a delightfully new story. Some of my favorite moments in the series are when she takes Austen’s original dialogue, or sometimes back narration & gives it to a different character to say. In book 1 (Pemberley), she sticks pretty close to Austen’s original plot fairly closely up to Netherfield ball. In the remainder of the series, there are similarities to the original, but the plot veers off course considerably. I loved it. When Maria got my initial recording of Pemberly’s voice at the end of book 1, Maria thought it sounded like Audrey II (Little Shop of Horrors). I wasn’t very sure about the voice I had selected either, so I had no problem redoing it for her. Now what we’re going for is a little closer to Littlefoot (Land Before Time). When she initially released a preview of the Pemberley audiobook on her website, one of her followers thought I was Richard Armitage (North & South, Thorin Oakenshield from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit). As an Idahoan who has never even left North America, I was flattered. I guess I must be doing something right. In the middle of recording Chapter 8 of Longbourn, I heard a vague tapping at the window of my recording booth. I was in the middle of a rather fraught with emotion section & I thought in the back of my head vaguely that I’ll push through to a good stopping place & see what it was. Then I glanced up. It was 9:30 at night, dark outside, and a pair of eyes were staring at me in the window. I uttered a cry of terror quite possibly unlike any other shriek I have ever uttered. Once my non-primal brain woke back up, I realized it was that adorable freshman I fell in love with peeking in at me & I started laughing in a breathy-recovering-from-terror kind of way. And now its recorded for posterity complete with my love’s delightful giggle as she entered my booth to make sure I wasn’t dead. I took a ten minute break with her, sprayed my throat with some magic stuff & finished the rest of the chapter. Never a dull moment. In producing Longbourn, voicing a conversation of Fairy Dragons & getting their voices to pass muster with both myself & Maria is somewhat maddening. Senseless little bits of fluff. Some of my other favorite things are reading the reviews on the audiobooks for Pemberly on Audible and finding out I’m now one of someones 3 favorite narrators. Aww, thanks. My very favorite dragons to voice in the series are Walker, Longbourn (even though he’s a brat) Drew, Cait & Rosings, and Chudleigh. It also might interest listeners to know that for Lady Catherine, Rosings & Cait, I use the exact same voice & similar inflections & then speed them up or slow them down for the character. In looking forward to more books in the Jane Austen’s Dragons series, I’m excited that Maria is branching out to Persuasion & Northanger Abbey. I can’t wait to see what she does! I’d still love it if she expanded the universe even more – you know, Victor Hugo’s Dragons… Jack London’s Dragons… But she can only write so fast. 🙁 I also love the idea that Pemberly is still alive & kicking today. My theory is that she runs the Westminster Dog show with whoever her current keeper is. Thank you so much Maria for letting me be a part of this universe you’ve created, and thank you readers & listeners for all your feedback on our audiobooks. I hope you love Jane Austen’s Dragons as much as I do! Top 10 List
Narrator Benjamin Fife’s ‘Top 10 Reasons to Listen to This Series’
  1. Dragons
  2. Jane Austen
  3. The writing is Great – Maria Grace knows her stuff & has researched it.
  4. With 62 ratings on Audible so far, it’s sitting at 4.7.
  5. You want to hear my performance for all the different dragon species.
  6. The 2 ish somewhat negative reviews are such that you just have to hear for yourself to decide if they’re right.
  7. You love Pride & Prejudice, but there were some things that you just wanted to yell at the characters. The Dragons do that for you.
  8. Because It’s either this, or Moby Dick. Drat the File & Drat the Bone!
  9. You just finished listening to the Mueller Report & want to listen to a book that doesn’t have the word “Redacted” anywhere in it.
  10. Because it’s AWESOME!!!
Giveaway
Prize: Custom Statue of the Dragon ‘Pemberly’
Jane Austen’s Dragons Giveaway: Custom Statue of the Dragon ‘Pemberly’ https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js
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Jane Austen’s Dragons

by eileentroemel, posted in Book Tour
Audiobook Series Tour: Jane Austen’s Dragons by Maria Grace

Author: Maria Grace

Narrator: Benjamin Fife

Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

Series: Jane Austen’s Dragons, Book 2

Publisher: Maria Grace

Released: Dec. 4, 2019

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Darcy thought his problems were over when Pemberley hatched and successfully imprinted on humans. But baby dragons prove far more difficult than any dragon lore prepared him for. Only Elizabeth Bennet’s notes offer him any help. When his imperious Aunt Catherine takes matters into her own hands, things take a turn for the worse and Pemberley’s life hangs in the balance. He desperately needs more of Elizabeth’s help, but she ignores all of his requests. Elizabeth, though, has problems of her own. After the Bennet family dragon sent Pemberley away, life at Longbourn was supposed to return to normal and Elizabeth get on with the all-important business of marrying the heir to her father’s estate. Except that he is the last man in the world whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry – a bumbling, addle-pated dragon-hater who demands she gives up the dragons she lives for. Can she, with the help of her dragon friends, find her way back to Pemberley before they both suffer their fate from the Dragon Entail? Jane Austen meets Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern. A must-listen for Pern fans.
Buy on Audible
Five time BRAG Medallion Honoree and #1 best selling Historical Fantasy author, Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time. She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Pinterest
Narrator Bio
Benjamin Fife has always had a passion for learning. With a mind that remembers all sorts of numbers and useless trivia, he regularly wins local radio shows and enjoys confusing people with sci-fi quotes. Fife grew up in Southeast Idaho. He attended college at Idaho State University, where he met his future wife in their music theory class. They have been married nearly 20 years and now have six children and a whole menagerie of animals. When their oldest daughter was three or four years old they started reading aloud from novels every night at bedtime, and have continued the tradition ever since. The family loves exploring various worlds and topics through Fife’s wonderful reading skills, which get better every year. They all have his Christmas Carol voices memorized (and the older kids are known to quote along with portions), since he has read it to them every December. Benjamin enjoys all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy – both books and shows, is an extreme eclectic music lover, and prefers his chocolate to be of the 90% cocoa variety. Above all, he loves to be with his family. He loves recording audio books, and is delighted to tell people, “I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up!”
Website
  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Benjamin Fife. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Q&A with Narrator Benjamin Fife
  • When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
    • Going way back to 8th grade (‘92?) – in my speech class we were required to do a read aloud from a book for the class. I chose the novelization of The Empire Strikes back & did the iconic scene where Darth Vader reveals (SPOILER ALERT) he is Luke’s father. I did it complete with a jar for the Vader echo. Still love that scene. Fast forward a few years & when I met my wife, we started reading aloud to each other. I started thinking about doing it then (early 2000’s), but life was busy happening. We had our first kid in 2003 & from about the time she was 5 or 6 years old, we’ve taken turns picking what we wanted to read as a family every night. We’ve read silly, serious, Fiction, non fiction. I found it somewhat maddening when I read Jane Eyre to the kids – The oldest couldn’t have been more than 11 or 12 – and the two oldest girls were able to guess the plot points before they happened. Right down to (Spoiler alert) “I Bet his wife will jump off the Roof.” Though we do sometimes take turns, I’ve probably read 4/5ths of the books at least. I didn’t really know how to get into doing audiobook narration, but I knew it was something I wanted to do.
  • How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
    • Almost exactly 2 years ago, I got home from work one day & my wife said, “Hey, you should check out this ACX thing.” That night I set up my account. The next day I attended an uncle’s funeral. When one of my cousin’s I hadn’t seen for probably a decade asked me what I’ve been doing, after the normal update of job, kids etc, on a whim I said “And I narrate Audiobooks.” My first official audition was for one of his books (Prior to the conversation, I didn’t know he was an author). For the record – My audition was abysmal & he thankfully went with a different narrator – however, next month I’m recording Walls of Glass for him (J.W. Elliot) My audition for that one he said was head and shoulders above anything else he got.
  • Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
    • Short answer – No, not really. I would say the best tool & skill that has helped me to move forward continually & exponentially, is passion though. I LOVE narrating. I LOVE storytelling & bringing books to life. My wife told me I should put on here years & years of practice as well.
    • A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?*
    • I took Drama for 3 years in High School & I’ve always had a dramatic flare. I’ve never been cast for more than a bit part though, but it’s also not something I’ve ever tried to actively pursue. The acting ability of a narrator is essential however, and now that I am narrating, I’m using a lot of the skills I developed in Kay Jenkins’ Drama class more than 20 years ago. I’ve also always enjoyed improv games that I initially learned in that class. There are 2 main schools of thought I’ve found in audiobook narration – That of the “Strait read” or that of the “Characterized Read.” I’ve listened to both & by far I prefer the latter, but my imagination can fill in the blanks on a strait read as well.
  • What type of training have you undergone?
    • Aside from my 3 years in drama studying dialects & the 12 guideposts, I sang in choirs in college at Idaho State University & University of Idaho – both under some brilliant conductors – Scott Anderson (ISU), Rager Moore (U of I), and Dan Buckvich (U of I). Scott & Rager’s rehearsals were more of a group vocal lesson. Dan’s was in a VERY large jazz choir & he was amazing at getting hundreds of people to enunciate incredibly clearly. Years later, my wife & I ran a music store and I had a number of private lessons with Paul Harms, who had been principle tenor of the LA opera theatre for many years. Paul was a very nuts & bolts vocal instructor.
  • How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
    • I haven’t gotten incredibly burned out on anything yet. Sometimes I get a little bored in the editing process. If I do find myself getting burned out on something, I’ll take a break from it. I also find a good way to keep my skills up & enthusiasm up is to keep auditioning for new titles. The downside of that (sort of) is that if I get selected for all of them, I’ll be booked for a decade or so. But I also don’t audition for something unless it interests me at least a little.
  • Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
    • ABSOLUTELY! When my wife & I were in college, we delivered newspapers ridiculously early & would frequently check out books on tape from the library. I’ve gone up & down with listening, much more UP of late. My day job is a 40 minute commute, so it’s perfect for listening. When I can the dayjob, I’m going to be healthier though, because I still want my listening time so I’ll be walking for that time each day instead. I’ve listened primarily to classics on Librivox up until recently (in the last 2 years I’ve listened to or read the complete works of Charles Dickens). I now am trying to listen to an audiobook a week from a newer narrator/author. I try to review everything I read & listen to, so I listen to at least some of it at 1x speed. If it’s non-fiction, I’ll pump the speed up to about 1.9 & if it’s fiction I listen at about 1.3.
  • What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
    • I hate waiting. (Inigo, Princess Bride). Waiting to find out if I get picked for the book, waiting for my schedule to free up so I can get to the one I REALLY want to narrate, waiting for the author to get me back any changes, waiting for ACX to approve it & make it live, waiting to see if anybody likes it.
    • I pretty well love everything else though. But I’m not incredibly fond of when an author is Uber picky in the editing process. I did one (no disclosure here as to what it was/ who wrote it, etc) that if I read “Said [character]” instead of “[Character] said,” they wanted me to fix it. In that book the author gave me basically one correction a minute, some of which were due to their writing errors. Not gonna lie, I got burned out on that title. That being said, I think my accuracy has improved from the experience.
  • What would you say are your strongest narration abilities?
    • I’m a really good storyteller. I love doing it & creating characters with the author. One thing I like to do with authors is kind of assemble who they would cast as such and such a character. With this series, we just kind of went with the BBC production cast & created the dragons as unique characters – Though come book 3 – Thalia is kind of channeling James T Kirk a little. One of my favorite minor characters I ever voiced in a book was Rabbi Wheaton in Father of the Bride of Frankenstein. He was Ben Stein as a Rabbi. Feel free to check it out.
  • What’s next for you?
    • Preserve, Protect & Defend – by Cameron Taylor
    • Their Greatest Game – Chronicles of Theren book II by C.D. Tavenor
    • Gather the Children (Book II from Earthbound) by Mari Collier
    • Walls of Glass by J.W. Elliot – This is by my cousin & is a great book designed to tear down barriers.
    • A Proper introduction to Dragons (Jane Austen’s Dragons prequel)
    • The Fringe Candidate by Bradford Swift
    • Those are the ones I’m currently under contract for at least. I’m definitely looking forward to Maria Graces dragon treatment of Persuasion that will be coming out this spring we hope. I might push a project or two down the line to squeeze it in when she’s ready. There’s a lot more in the pipeline beyond that too. Currently in talks with one author about doing a 12 book series he wrote 30 years ago.
    • And the other thing that is on the “what’s next for you” horizon. Quitting the Dayjob. That’s been my goal from 2 years ago & in the last year, I’ve waffled a bit about how soon, but I’m on the sooner rather than later side of things & I’m blessed with a partner who is incredibly supportive of me in this. A little over a year ago, I was feeling a little down because I hadn’t landed anything new recently & I got my royalty check from one month for like $5. I asked her if she was really ok with my still going with it. She told me she’s never seen me happier, so even if I never make anything with it, I’d better stick with it. She’s awesome.
  • Bonus question: Any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
    • Speaking of Ms. Awesome… In the middle of narrating Longbourn – as Lizzie is fleeing Hertfordshire – I was rather into the narration at about 9:30 pm. My studio is a converted prebuilt shed outside our home (If anyone can guess why I call it Rex Iter studio, let me know & I’ll send you a free code to ALL of my books that I still have codes for). It has one little window right off of where I stand to record. So, emotionally fraught chapter, dark & quiet outside. My studio is not quite soundproof, so I’ll hear the occasional thing happening outside. I heard a couple of little bumps or something. So my subconcious brain is going, “If it affects the audio, I can do a retake, but I’m doing really well with this part and will just push on through.” Then I hear the bump-tapping again & look up. Ms. Awesome with Gowron Eyes watching me in the window. Normally, I scream like a girl when startled. What got recorded is a cry of utter terror, followed by her coming in & laughter. Enjoy. This just sums up our relationship. https://soundcloud.com/user-29643215/lonbourn-blooper-reel
Top 10 List
Narrator Benjamin Fife’s ‘Top 10 Reasons for Voicing Jane Austen’s Dragons’
  1. I love being able to do British accents.
  2. I love Jane Austen
  3. I love Classics
  4. I love Dragons
  5. I love stories that mash 2 things together that wouldn’t normally be found alongside each other.
  6. I frequently will use “head Canon” to explain in my brain how many things that are traditionally thought of as fiction, could in fact be fact. Stargate. Star Trek. Wizarding World. The Free Kingdoms. Dragons. The Force. All True. Pemberly is still alive & runs the Westminster Dog show with the Darcy’s Descendants.
  7. Maria Grace’s Writing is Superb.
  8. I blame Sherilynn. She introduced me to Jane Austen.
  9. Timothy Zahn hasn’t called me yet to record his books.
  10. Being able to voice Dragons is positively delightful. How can anyone resist?
Giveaway
Prize: Custom Statue of the Dragon ‘Pemberly’
Jane Austen’s Dragons Giveaway: Custom Statue of the Dragon ‘Pemberly’ https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js
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