Tell us a
little bit about your background. How did you get started in
narrating/producing audio books? How many audio books have you narrated?
I have been performing since I started in boy's choirs when I was 6. In
college I studied classical voice which ended up leading me to NYC where I fell
into musical theater. After several Broadway and off-Broadway shows I decided
that it was time to follow my true passion, animation. So a year ago I moved to
Los Angeles to become a voice actor for cartoons. I had
a friend, Pat Fraley, tell me about audiobook narration and how the long form
acting it requires can really go a long way to improving every aspect of voice
acting so I decided to give it a shot. In the last year I've done about a dozen
audiobooks, two of which have been for you.
How much
acting is involved in narrating a story?
It's all acting. Anyone can read, not everyone can bring characters to
life and tell a story. If it were just reading, then we'd gladly listen to Siri
read audiobooks.
What was the
most difficult or challenging aspect of narrating THE DARKLING THRUSH?
Definitely creating a mood. I have a young voice and sometimes it's a
little difficult to create the darker characters or scenes without making my
voice sound like I'm pushing too hard.
What
character was the most fun to narrate? Why?
Irania Briggs. I enjoy reading female characters (paging Dr. Freud),
especially when they are sexy and seductive…..all things I am not. And while
she doesn't involve herself in romantic seduction in this book, I still feel
like she oozes it.
What character was the
most difficult to narrate? Why?
Septimus Marx. The voice I heard in his head was something I couldn't
produce so it was always frustrating to have to listen to myself reading the
role.
Was there a
particular scene you think you read especially well? Or that you particularly
enjoyed reading?
I enjoyed reading the final battle scenes. They were just so well written
I was able to breeze through them and my mind was totally engaged.
You also
narrated one of my most popular standalone titles, THE GHOST WORE YELLOW SOCKS.
What was the most difficult or challenging aspect of narrating that title?
I would say keeping all of the characters straight. The house was
just full of interesting people and I wanted to make each one distinct but
that meant I created a lot of work for myself. Well worth it I hope.
What
character was the most fun to narrate? Why?
Ms. McQueen. Mainly because I saw her as a female Harvey Fierstein
and who doesn't love Harvey. Though I tried not to go overboard on the voice.
What character was the
most difficult to narrate? Why?
Nick Reno. Nick should be rather butch and manly and I've never really
considered myself to be too much of either of those things so it was
an acting challenge and a vocal challenge.
Was there a
particular scene you think you read especially well? Or that you particularly
enjoyed reading?
I really enjoyed, and thought I read well, the early scenes where the
entire household is milling around after Perry comes downstairs freaking out
about the dead man in the bathtub. I enjoyed jumping from one character to
another and creating that sense of chaos.
How awkward
is it to read erotic scenes aloud?
I find it very awkward because I don't see myself as having a sexy voice
whatsoever. That said, I make them into a bit of a game, seeing how sexy I can
be, and it's rather fun.
What’s the
most satisfying or rewarding part of narrating/producing an audio book?
Getting to see the title go live on Audible.com and knowing that anyone, anywhere could be
listening to my voice in their car.
Do you ever
find yourself wishing the author (naturally not me!!!) hadn’t taken the story
in a particular direction? Or is narrating a much more detached process?
It really depends on the book and how well written it is. If it's well
written, as yours are, then I tend to get attached to the characters and care
what happens to them. Sometimes, I read real drivel and couldn't care less if
the characters live or die. Brutal, but there it is.
Where can readers/listeners find out
more about you and your work?
On my website, www.TheMaxMiller.com. I
have, not only information about my audiobooks but also clips of my animation
that I've created and those that I've worked on for others, info on upcoming
concerts I have, yada yada yada.
OH. And I ran into Ginn Hale and Nicole Kimberling who
were (this part still gets me laughing when I remember) traveling with a
theatrical troop of little people who were putting on performances of Snow
White and the Seven Dwarves. They were all in costume. Including Ginn and
Nicole. Lots of red velvet and breeches.
