I have loved audio books ever since I was a kid, so when I heard my first book Heart of a Shepherd would be brought out in audio I was elated. When the audio book producer from Listening Library, Dan Musselman, called me to ask if I’d read the author note for the audio book of Second Fiddle, I was over the moon, although I had no idea what to expect.

Because I did speech and debate in high school, I did know enough to print out my pages double spaced in 20 point font, so I could read without losing my place. I practiced the whole author note aloud several times and then took out a pencil and marked each place where I should take a breath. Then I went back through and underlined where the emphasis should fall in each sentence. And then, because I know I tend to mumble, I highlighted words where I needed to be attentive to articulation. A dozen more practice runs through the 5 page author note, and I felt ready.
I got in touch with Mary MacDonald Lewis here in Portland who is a very well known voice artist. If you have On Star, that is her calm and reassuring voice telling you what to do. She’s also a director, a dialect coach, and a great teacher. Taking a voice class from her before I did my first book events was one of the best investments I’ve made. Mary Mac has a recording studio in her home, so we got together and she taught me how to use a studio microphone. Mary asked me to speak standing up with my mouth only an inch or so from the screen, which felt very awkward at first. And she insisted the most important thing was to smile, because people can hear it when you’re not smiling. I was sure she was making it up, so we recorded a few sentences, smiling and not, and guess what? I could hear it!

Then we got down to the work of the reading. I read as carefully as I could, but I still needed to stop a dozen times and back up when I misspoke or made a funny mouth sound or shuffled my feet. Also, dropping the page on the floor is a lot louder than you think it is! Maybe the biggest surprise of all was that it took me more than an hour to read 5 pages out loud. I was so relieved that the entire book was someone else’s responsibility.
When I thought about writing this post I know my experience was just a tiny piece of the whole audio book experience, so I was delighted when my voice artist Bri Knickerbocker agreed to be interviewed.

Bri Knickerbocker grew up in Pittsburgh, PA speaking in silly voices and singing, creating and performing plays and writing countless books about black cats. Now she lives in LA, acts on camera, voice acts and writes novels. To learn more, visit her here for writing: http://briknickerbocker.blogspot.com/ and here for voice over: http://brisoundslike.com/ You can follow Bri on twitter @briannanoellek.

How did you get interested in voice acting?

I was originally attracted to voice acting because I love animation and anime; I’m a kid at heart and anytime I get to sound like a 6 year old girl I can’t help but smile and giggle.
I’ve got some anime fans in my house, and those voices do sound so young—even younger than the animation looks. How did you get started?

I booked the first voice over job I ever applied for, which was some goofy animated commercials and it took off from there. Voicing book trailers, video games and audio books– all appeal to my love for dramatic story telling, getting emotionally involved and bringing characters to life through my voice.

Did you take specific training for voice work?

I actually haven’t. As cliché as it may sound, voice acting has always felt natural to me. In that sense, I’m self-taught. But earlier this year I did start taking on camera improvisation and film classes and both of those have only helped me grow and open up emotionally to be a better, fuller voice actress.

Wonderful! I love it when I can squeeze in classes. I took a poetry slam workshop this summer that was a blast! I always come back to the page with fresh ideas when I do something a outside my comfort zone. Can you describe how you got the part for Second Fiddle?

Really funny story, I found an ad on craigslist that stated an audio book company was looking for a voice actress with a British accent. As instructed on the ad, I called the number posted and left a voicemail in a British accent. When Janet Stark (from Random House) called me, I kept up the faux accent, totally unsure if I should let her know I’m not really British. I came in to audition for the project and met Dan Musselman, immediately confessing that I’m just an all American girl from Pittsburgh, PA and he decided to have me audition in my natural voice. I didn’t book that particular project. But a few months later Dan emailed me telling me they’d like me to voice Second Fiddle. It was my first audiobook and a dream come true for me!
That’s so exciting! When Dan called me to ask if I’d read the author note he told me how delighted he was to find just the right book for a promising young voice actor. ☺
What is the process for recording an audio book?

Dan mailed me the hardcopy manuscript straight from LA (I was in Pittsburgh for the holidays at the time) and I read the novel over and over again. First, simply reading and enjoying the story. Second, I put together a journal of all the dialogue and words in foreign languages and dialects, then looked them all up online, except the French, which thankfully I remembered from high school! I flew back to LA and recorded at Random House with Tony Hudz as my director and foreign language consultant/specialist.
I was wondering if you got help with the foreign languages. Dan was kidding me about that.
“Did you really have to put in all those languages?”
“What!? They live in Europe!”
“But Estonian? Really!?”
“Sorry!”
He was kidding. But it’s true that made it a more challenging than a book in just one language. How long did it take to make the recording? Because I was a total slow poke!

It took two days to complete and one more trip to the studio for just a few pick ups.

What happens if you make a mistake?

When I made a mistake, Tony or I heard it right away. Then, I’d simply restart voicing from the last sentence.

Did you have a favorite part of the process?

My favorite part was reading your story, and emotionally involving myself in it as I voiced it, hopefully bringing it to life and doing it justice! Losing myself in the story to be Jody and travel through her suspenseful adventure was magical and exciting and so rewarding.

Gosh, thanks! You’re a writer yourself. Can you tell us something about your work-in-progress or your favorite genre to write?

I’m currently writing an edgy young adult paranormal romance about ghosts and dark ones (demons) and my most recently finished work is a contemporary young adult novel with magical realism. Writing is related to voice acting for me, because they’re both complex storytelling, with three dimensional characters that I have the power and responsibility to bring to life. I get very involved with the story and characters in both mediums; I don’t want to let any of the characters down! It’s up to me to give them their voices so other people can hear what they have to say.
Do you remember a favorite middle-grade book book you’ve read recently?

I recently read a middle-grade novel called Sea, by Heidi R. Kling and The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall—I recommend both!
Wonderful! Thanks so much for spending a little time here at the mixed up files.
Readers, do you have any questions about audio book making process? Have you read a good audio book lately? Let us know what you think in the comments.

At the end of the day I’ll have a drawing from everyone joining the conversation for an audio book of Second Fiddle and you can hear Bri’s voice work for yourself.

Today, we are going to celebrate the release of Sarah Aronson’s first middle grade novel,

Beyond Lucky!!!

Welcome, Sarah!

Congratulations on the release of Beyond Lucky!

Question: So, did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Judy Aronson (Mom): Are you kidding me? I had to pay Sarah a penny a page to read. She was a terrible student. She hated reading. Every time I turned around, that child was sitting in front of the TV.

Sarah: That’s not entirely true. I did like some books. Like Harriet the Spy. And Blubber. And Oliver Twist. The scene where Bill Sykes chases Nancy still scares me a lot. And of course, I liked Shakespeare.

Rebecca and Elliot (Sarah’s kids): Drama queen.

Rich Aronson (Dad): (sighing for effect) For a while, she was a physical therapist. Now that was a practical job. With a regular paycheck.

Sarah (mourning the regular pay check, too): My writing life began in 2000, when I decided to leave physical therapy (a long story). I needed to do something else, but I didn’t know what. I looked through Dartmouth College’s employment page. There were plenty of offices that needed help. I hesitated. Maybe I could run for school board. I loved politics.

Rich Aronson: She was never the most practical child.

Miriam and Anne Aronson (sisters): She was the bad sister!

Sarah: After very little thought, I decided to write. I was a good mom. I had a sense of humor. Really, what else did you need? ( insert laugh track)

Question: What inspired you to write Beyond Lucky? What’s the story behind the story?

Judy Aronson: me.

Rich Aronson: No! It was me.

Michael (Sarah’s husband): Not me. (Darling, I hope I’m not in that book!) She likes sports.

Sarah: The truth is, this book came in waves. At first, I wanted to write a story about a town of quirky people. I wanted to write like John Irving.

Tanya and Tami, dear friends: You are so not John Irving. But honestly, that version wasn’t so bad. You just needed to learn a little more.

Sarah: It was the best I could do at the time. Then I wanted to write about a soccer team. I LOVE sports. I love watching sports. I like thinking about the concept of team. My son, Elliot, used to play rec soccer. He was the team’s daisy picker.

Elliot: please don’t embarrass me. It just wasn’t my sport.

Sarah: So after a bunch of rejections and the realization that there was something I wasn’t quite getting about writing, I put that novel away. I went to Vermont College and earned an MFA. I learned about craft. And I read a lot. In my third semester, I realized that the book needed to be more about family–a Jewish family. A good one. With problems. (Not like ours, Mom!!) I submitted that version (complete with three crazy aunts) to my advisor, Margaret Bechard.

Margaret: That would be in your fifth packet. The last packet. The whole novel. I will never forget it. How many pages did you send me that semester?

Sarah: (guilty, ignoring honored advisor) Again, I put it away. Until 2008. This time, I had tools. And I had some new ideas. And a plot!! My lucky break? Before I revised, I took the BRAVE step to delete what I had. I changed the POV. I turned Parker, one of the players, into a girl. That definitely amped up the tension. Now I had a story. Still, something was missing.

Elliot and Rebecca: It was the presidents!

Sarah: The presidents definitely helped me find Ari’s voice. And a theme—heroism. That led to Sam, Ari’s older brother. (At one point, he was almost a dead sister!)

Elliot: Calvin Coolidge said, “Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion.”

Rebecca: My mom will some day write a book full of dead sisters. Mom, why don’t you insert the trailer???

Beyond Lucky BookTrailer 2-1

Question: Are you normally a lucky person?

Sarah: Not really. The truth is, I’ve never won anything except a negative Bingo game—I won because I was the last person whose number was called. And I have always been a little bit superstitious. So when things started to go my way, I knew this book needed my attention. Of course, when it comes to luck, I also agree with Thomas Jefferson.

Elliot: He was one of the smartest presidents ever. He said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

Sarah: It’s true. I did work hard, but that’s because I had a lot of support from my family and friends. I got great feedback from my agent, Sarah Davies. And I was really lucky to work with my amazing editor, Liz Waniewski.

And check out my cover!!!

Star Wars lettering and soccer? Can anything be better?

(Passing stranger): I would buy this book!

Question: Anything else to add? Any advice to share?

Rebecca and Elliot: You want to know if she has advice? She ALWAYS has advice.

Sarah (smiling): If you are reluctant about reading: don’t give up! There are tons of great books out there.
If you are a writer, you can’t give up either. My advice: try everything. Be fearless. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work—it’s only a draft! You can change it.
Last, never forget: every time something good happens, celebrate!

Judy Aronson: Tell them about the reviews! So we can go celebrate!

PW says: Aronson skillfully dodges the predictability of sports-themed books by creating multilayered characters and an intriguing whodunit involving a valuable missing rookie card. . . . (Her) graceful storytelling will keep even nonsoccer buffs turning pages.

And Jewish Book World gave Beyond Lucky a STARRED REVIEW!

If You want to know more about Sarah or Beyond Lucky, check her website, www.saraharonson.com. Or click LIKE on her new and growing Facebook page. There you can find more reviews and free downloadable activity guides! More important, if you want to win a free book, leave a comment. You could be lucky! We’ll announce a winner on July 2!

Yay! It’s time for my second post here at The Mixed-Up Files—I guess that means I haven’t scared everyone away with my shenanigans! (yet…)

And when I realized they’d assigned me a Monday post I was SUPER excited. (if you can’t tell by the all caps). I run a regular feature on my blog called “Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday” (*coughs* shameless self promotion *coughs*) where I feature a favorite middle-grade book or author and host a giveaway. So I thought…why not do something similar here?

But since this is the Mixed-Up Files—a whole other level of awesome—I realized I needed to go a little bigger than that. So I’m not just featuring a book or author. I’m featuring an ENTIRE GENRE. And yes—there will be a giveaway!!!! Make sure you keep reading so you don’t miss out.

It was really hard to pick a genre (I love them all so much) but I settled on middle-grade fantasy because it’s not only what I read and write, but because it’s a category thats SO dominated by two HUMONGOUS series (Harry Potter and Percy Jackson) that a lot of people may not realize how many other amazing books there are to choose from. So I’m shining the spotlight on a few of my favorites, like:

For the traditional fantasy fan: FABLEHAVEN, by Brandon Mull

Basic Concept: A brother and sister stay with their grandparents for the summer, and discover the house is part of a secret preserve for magical creatures–both good and bad. Ages: 8-12

Why it’s awesome: Kendra and Seth are hilarious characters. The plot is action packed and keeps you on your toes. And while it has everything you could want from a fantasy book (fairies and monsters and magic–oh my!), Mull puts his own twist on everything to keep it fresh and original. You’ll find yourself wishing you could take a long swig of magical milk like the characters, and have your eyes opened to a whole new world too.

For those craving something different: THE BRIMSTONE KEY, by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis

Basic Concept: The four friends known as “the Grey Griffins” discover that starting  a new school is harder than they thought. Especially when the Clockwork King returns with an evil plot to steal the souls of changelings. Ages 8-12.

Why it’s awesome: Take everything you love about fantasy, then add Steampunk. The end result is 100% cool. Technically this is a continuation of the Grey Griffins trilogy (which is also awesome, btw), but it’s written so that new readers will easily be able to understand what’s going on. And with four very unique, very hilarious characters, it’s hard to pick a favorite.

For the younger, or reluctant reader: THE FIELD GUIDE (Spiderwick Chronicles, vol. 1), by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

Basic Concept: With the help of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, the Grace siblings discover their great-aunt’s run down old house is actually surrounded by magical creatures. And seeing them is only the beginning of the adventure. Ages 6-10.

Why it’s awesome:  How they crammed so much story into so few pages still amazes me. They definitely bring new meaning to ‘making every word count.’ Older kids will read it faster, but everyone will love it. It’s hilarious, suspenseful, and full of adventures. Not to mention the GORGEOUS illustrations throughout the book. Tony’s art is in a category all its own.

For the fairy tale lover: THE FAIRY TALE DETECTIVES  (Sisters Grimm, book 1), by Michael Buckley

Basic Concept: When Daphne and Sabrina Grimm move to Fairyport Landing to stay with their Granny Relda, they discover that not only are all fairy tales real, but that as Grimms, it’s their family’s responsibility to investigate and solve any magical crimes in the town. Ages 9-11.

Why it’s awesome:  A town where Prince Charming has to live with all 3 of his Exes (Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty)? I was sold right there. The concept is hilariously original, and the fast paced mystery will keep you guessing.

For those craving another boy wizard in their life: MAGYK (Septimus Heap, book 1), by Angie Sage

Basic Concept: Septimus Heap–the seventh son of a seventh son–is stolen from his parent’s home the night he’s born. That same night, his father finds a baby girl abandoned in the snow and decides to raise her as their own. So what happened to Septimus? And where did this mysterious girl come from? Ages 9-12.

Why it’s awesome:  It may be about a boy wizard, but Septimus is definitely not Harry Potter. Filled with quirky, hilarious characters and set in an imaginative, high-fantasy world, this book keeps you racing through those pages till the very end.

For girls: THE TAIL OF EMILY WINDSNAP, by Liz Kessler

Basic Concept: Emily Windsnap never understood why her mother tried to keep her away from the water. Until she jumps in the pool and discovers she’s a mermaid. Then she finds out there’s a whole other world she belongs to. New friends to make. And a father she’s never met before. Ages 8-12.

Why it’s awesome:  Okay, it’s really NOT just for girls. But I’m listing it that way because so often in this genre it seems like the books are written a little more for boy readers. And this book is chock full of girlie goodness. Mermaids. Best Friends. Words like “swishy.” Girls will gobble this up. But there’s plenty of plot to keep everyone happy. Even boys.

For those who like bad boys: ARTEMIS FOWL, by Eoin Colfer

Basic Concept: Twelve-year-old evil genius, Artemis Fowl kidnaps a fairy as part of an plan to increase the Fowl Family fortune. But when dealing with magic and fairies, things never go according to plan. Especially since he’s not as evil as he thinks he is. Ages 9-12

Why it’s awesome:  I love anti-heroes, when they’re done right. And Artemis is definitely done right. He’s not a good guy. But he’s not a bad guy either. Leaving you wondering who to root for as the story unfolds. Bonus: the hilarious way Colfer has reinvented magical creatures is GENIUS. The perfect blend of magic, technology, and pure imagination.

For fans of the classics: PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Basic Concept: Ever wonder how Peter Pan ended up in Never Land, or why he can fly and why he doesn’t grow up? Well, after reading this you’ll have some ridiculously cool answers to those questions. Ages 9-12

Why it’s awesome: I never realized how much story there was to Peter’s life until I found this book. The writing is smart and funny, and the plot is high stakes and full of twists and turns. Plus the back story the writers came up with for all the famous characters and Never Land is so amazingly cool. Love what they did with it.

I could keep going–seriously, I’ve barely tipped the iceberg here–but I don’t want this post to stretch on endlessly. That should be enough to give you a good sample of some of the wonderful choices out there.

Not sure how many of you have heard of these books–they’re all pretty popular so most likely you have–but I chose them because, well, they’re some of my favorites. But also because–as I tried to convey with my titles–I think these books, as a group, kind of represent “a little something for everyone.” Bonus: they’re all book one in a series. So if you (or your child) get hooked on the story, there are more books to turn to. I love when that happens.

Which brings me to the giveaway. I know books are expensive to buy, and as the economy makes everyone tighten their budgets, sometimes there just isn’t enough money for all the books we want. So in that vein, I’m giving three books away today!!! That’s right–THREE lucky winners will win one of these books I’ve just featured. Even better–you get to choose which book you win!!

*tosses confetti*

To enter, leave a comment on this post between now and Monday, February 7th. Make sure you include your name, and the name of the book you’d like to win. I’ll draw three random winners and post their names on Tuesday, February 8th. Easy peasy, right?

So what are you waiting for? Put in your entry–you have THREE CHANCES TO WIN!

Ready? Set? Go!

***

Shannon Messenger is a middle-grade fantasy writer repped by Laura Rennert with Andrea Brown Literary. She may get older every day, but she refuses to grow up, and probably owns more toys than most of the children she knows. But that’s okay–it’s research for her writing. Or so she likes to claim.