Max Miller on THE DARKLING THRUSH and THE GHOST WORE YELLOW SOCKS

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.