Audio Release: BLIND SIDE & MURDER AT PIRATE'S COVE

New in Audio:

BLIND SIDE (Dangerous Ground 6). FINALLY.

Adrian Bisson returns to complete the series.

It’s a good problem to have: more business than they can comfortably handle on their own.

But with resources already overstretched, the last thing former DSS agents and newbie security consultants Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister need is another client—and the last thing Will needs is for that client to turn out to be an old boyfriend of Taylor’s.

Sure, Will has always known Taylor had a wild past, but he was kind of hoping he’d never have to sit down and have a beer with it. But golden boy Ashe Dekker believes someone is trying to kill him, and Taylor is determined to help, no matter the cost.

It’s a bit of a jolt to have Taylor for once totally disregard his feelings, but Will is equally determined that “the cost” won’t be their relationship—or Taylor’s life.

Available through Audible, Amazon, et al.

Also new--well, newISH--in Audio:

MURDER AT PIRATE'S COVE (Secrets and Scrabble 1). 

Matt Haynes is narrating what I plan on being an eight book series. In fact, he's just completed work on SECRET AT SKULL HOUSE. Granted the way Audible is moving these days, it could be three months before the book goes live. :-D 

Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, Scrabble champion, and guy-with-worst-luck-in-the-world-when-it-comes-to-dating, is ready to make a change. So when he learns he’s inherited both a failing bookshop and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate’s Cove in Rhode Island, it’s full steam ahead!

Sure enough, the village is charming, its residents amusingly eccentric, and widowed police chief Jack Carson is decidedly yummy (though possibly as straight as he is stern). However, the bookstore is failing, the mansion is falling down, and there’s that little drawback of finding rival bookseller—and head of the unwelcoming-committee—Trevor Maples dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration.

Still, it could be worse. And once Police Chief Carson learns Trevor was killed with the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery’s bookstore, it is.

Available through Audible, Amazon, et al. 

ADRIAN BISSON on the Dangerous Ground series

Well, we're done with the first four books. I just want to say how pleased I am with the way the stories turned out -- and I'm looking forward to you giving voice to Will and Taylor in future adventures. So now for our second interview.

 

Readers wanted me to ask Team Taylor or is it still Team Will?

After the first two books, I was on Team Will. I saw Taylor as potentially a bit flighty and fickle, and worried that he was after the thrill of the forbidden conquest and the newness might wear off. Things have certainly gotten more deep and complicated as the series goes on. I really enjoy the tension in the relationship and the interplay of two very different guys. Two books later, I definitely have more respect for Taylor. He's great at his job and for all his passion he also has dedication. But when it comes down to it, I'm still Team Will!

What is the process for coming up with the different voices/inflections for the different characters? How did you decide Will's voice was Will's voice? Do you test them out?
 

Josh Lanyon is such a good writer, his characters instantly take on a life of their own. When I did the original audition back in February, it was just one of several auditions I was doing, and I had never read any of Josh's books. I only had a few pages to draw from, but the voices of Will and Taylor just emerged easily from every description, action, and line of dialog. They came out strong and I never needed to change them.

Will's voice is deeper, to me he seemed like a serious film-noir detective with a touch of Batman, but he has a sense of humor that comes through too. Taylor is lighter, more like my natural voice, more sarcastic and witty. After I'd been doing him for a while I realized that he sounds, to me, kind of like the character Wash, the pilot of Serenity from Firefly.

I don't really test them out ahead of time, I try to just let it intuitively flow from the writing. Two examples stand out as exceptions, though. One was their boss, Greg Cooper. His first appearance was a single line early in Old Poison, and I made that really gruff and deep. I wasn't reading far ahead. When he came back into the story later and was more fleshed-out, he became a much more J. Jonah Jameson voice to me. I had to go through at the end of the project and refine all his parts to make them consistent.

The other exception was David Bradley. I hemmed and hawed and tried several approaches. I really wanted to make him sound just right, but his voice in my head was difficult to make come out of my mouth. He's still the one voice in the series I wish I could do just a bit more justice to.

So how about that David Bradley character? Do you think he keeps getting in the way on purpose?

Okay, this may be controversial, but I think David Bradley is great. I feel for the guy, because from his perspective he and Will would be the best couple (and I think he might be right!) I can't blame him for being jealous, and I think he shows commendable respect and restraint. As much as his presence understandably drives Taylor nuts, Taylor needs to be kept on his toes. Not that I'm accusing Will of being passive-aggressive by letting David circle like a hungry buzzard... from Will's (selfish?) perspective, his confidence in his own boundaries and integrity is solid so he thinks it's sensible and practical to maintain contact. Ugh, Will is just a bit oblivious sometimes.

What has been the most difficult or challenging aspect of narrating the stories up to the point of Dead Run?

My difficulties have all been personal. I took a long time to do these books! I had originally wanted to be finished by the end of June but it took until November 1st. I moved across Indiana, dealt with a devastating breakup of my own a few chapters into Old Poison, and got knocked out with the flu for a few weeks which ravaged my voice.

Besides that, I have a perfectionist streak and struggled with procrastination. Josh Lanyon is a mentor, a patron, and a role model for me and I desperately wanted to deliver my best possible work for him and the fans that voted for me in the narrator selection contest. I'm still a very new narrator honing my craft, and these books were a labor of love. I feel like I came a long way through the process (and went back to completely redo the beginning more than once!) I truly hope that they will be enjoyed.

 

How many audio projects have you completed now? Any advice for aspiring narrators?

I completed one book (Monarch, by Michelle Davidson Argyle) prior to these four Dangerous Ground books, and I'm currently working on a fantastic new dystopian sci-fi book by a first-time author, The Fifth Column by Robert Corrado. Then I'm hoping I'll have the privilege of returning to Will and Taylor for Kick Start!

For aspiring narrators, I would say to get a decent mic, screw your courage to the sticking-place, and start submitting auditions! When I serendipitously happened to find Armed and Dangerous and whipped up an audition, it was on my very first day of trying! I could not have imagined then what a thrilling opportunity was around the corner. I can't possibly overstate the tremendous confidence boost and motivation that Josh's narrator contest gave me to launch my journey.

Also, stay hydrated and careful with the pacing!

 

Describe the average day of an audio book narrator.

The ideal prototype of my work day is this: Wake up early, have some breakfast and coffee, go for a 60 minute jog, shower. Make some tea and sit down in my closet where I have my mic set up. Record for 60-90 minutes. Then take a break, drink water, and edit. The way I work, a raw recording session boils down to half the length once all the flubs, multiple takes, mistakes, and delays for planes flying overhead, motorcycles driving by, and neighbor's dog barking, etc are edited out. It takes about 3-4 hours of editing and mastering on top of 2 hours of recording to produce an hour of finished audio. So after editing, my voice is rested and I go back in the closet with some more tea to do another 60-90 minute session, then back to the desktop PC to edit that. On a good work day I can make 60-90 minutes of finished audio in 5-8 hours of work, and that's very satisfying. Then I get out of the house and have some fun.

Now, I have to admit that in the long process of producing these books I didn't have a lot of ideal workdays. Many 20-finished-minute days, and many 0-minute days. I've come along way as far as getting the rhythm down and striving for consistency. I'm on track now to do my current 110,000 word, 13-finished-hour project, in 3 weeks.

Ideally I would like to take my mic and laptop and travel while still working! That's the kind of possibility and flexibility that makes this work so appealing to me.

What character was the most fun to narrate? Why? (Can I just interject here that I loved your Nemov.)

Taylor was the most fun to narrate, always! But I did also enjoy the more exotic cast of characters as well. Nemov was very fun. I tried to channel Ivan Dragon from Rocky IV with a touch of Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem's hitman from No Country For Old Men. I'd never attempted a Russian accent in a recording before, but I think I pulled it off!

Which character in these final two stories was the most difficult to narrate? Why?

Probably Inspector Bonnet from Dead Run, only because of the French accent! All the French in Dead Run was a challenge, I had to draw on all those years of high school French class. It did inspire me to start learning French again with Duolingo, though! I deeply apologize, though, if sneaking suspicion is correct and she sound a bit less like a Parisienne cop and a bit more like a Québécoise fur trapper.

Was there a particular scene in these last two books you think you read especially well? Or that you particularly enjoyed reading?

As with the first two books, I especially enjoy the scenes of interpersonal tension playing out in the relationship of Will and Taylor. It's so well-written and compelling with subtle emotions to portray.
 For gotta-listen-to scenes to recommend to the fans to enjoy, I'll say the sex scenes. You have to get it in audiobook, folks. Whew! I wonder if I'll get fan letters?

Do you have that blog or website up yet? Where can readers/listeners find out more about you and your work?

For now, look me up on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and keep an eye on my Audible narrator page! Adrien's professional blog is here.



Buy ARMED AND DANGEROUS, the first four Dangerous Ground novellas in audio right here.

Adrian Bisson on the DANGEROUS GROUND series

You may recall that in March of this year I ran a contest to select the narrator for the Dangerous Ground audio books. I had so many really good auditions that I honestly couldn't choose between them. Okay, I did sort of lean in a particular direction, but the narrator I liked best didn't appear to have the library of work that some of the other narrators did, so I thought I would leave it up to readers to choose. The DG books have some very dedicated readers, and it made sense to let readers have the final say.

Well, you all got out there and voted -- and lo and behold! My guy won. By a LANDSLIDE. I was genuinely thrilled both with your participation and with the fact that my instinct had been correct.

That winning narrator was Adrian Bisson, and I'm telling you now -- as we reach the halfway mark through the series -- you're going to be very happy with the job Adrian has done on these books.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to do two interviews with him -- much as we're doing with Chris Patton for the Adrien English novels -- an interview at midway point and an interview at the end of the series.

So here we go with Adrian Bisson following his completion of Old Poison.

 How did you get started in narrating/producing audio books? How many audio books have you narrated?

I'm fairly new to the audio book scene, and I'm excited and enthusiastic about doing something I love. Before getting involved in audio book production, I spent three years teaching English in Seoul, South Korea. While I was there I met a voice actor who was involved in making educational materials, and talking to him really piqued my interest. I started in Korea by recording some spots for VoiceBunny.com and did some volunteer narration for Librivox.org as well. When I returned to Indiana last year, I was interested in trying my hand at writing fiction, which has always been another dream of mine. While I was researching the market for Kindle self-publishing, I encountered acx.com and discovered the opportunities that exist for creating audio books. Reading has always been something I'm passionate about, and I love reading aloud and bringing the stories to life with my voice. Armed and Dangerous was one of my very first auditions, and I feel so lucky that I found this project. The winning the narration contest was a huge confidence boost as a rookie and I feel a connection to the fans who voted for me and a duty to deliver the very best performance I can!

I currently have one other audio book completed and released, Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle. It's a romantic spy thriller, and it's a great title to listen to while you're waiting for Armed and Dangerous! Just search for Adrian Bisson on Amazon or Audible.

 

How much acting is involved in narrating a story?

For me, it's all about acting. My approach is to breathe as much life into the characters as I can, to try to get into their heads and portray their emotions and reactions like real people. I try to give every character a distinct voice and attitude, and understand their motivations so that I can bring that out with my voice.

Team Taylor or Team Will?

I identify more with Will, but I can see why he finds Taylor irresistible. Will's serious, sensible, stable. Taylor is exciting, brash, and unpredictable. I think they make a good couple, but I worry about their future. The drama of a wild relationship with a loose-cannon is enticing, but I wonder if Will will eventually get burnt out on the stress of rescuing Taylor from himself. And I have my doubts about whether Taylor won't get antsy once the newness of his daring conquest has worn off. If things go south, I'd be on Will's side.

So you're now half way through the Dangerous Ground series. What has been the most difficult or challenging aspect of narrating the stories up to the point of Old Poison?

The most difficult aspect was probably settling on a voice for David Bradley. I'm not sure why, but I fretted and worried and second-guessed a lot about that one. Most of the other characters were easy to find a voice for, but David Bradley is still a bit of a mystery that I'm sure will be fleshed out as I get further along.

What character was the most fun to narrate? Why?

I have to say, I love doing the villains! I can be wicked, menacing, relentless, and a more than a little crazy. Both of the lead villains from Dangerous Ground and Old Poison were very satisfying to act out.

Which character was the most difficult to narrate? Why?

Lieutenant David Bradley and Agent Denise Varga were both a little hard to get a handle on. I'm not sure exactly why.

Was there a particular scene you think you read especially well? Or that you particularly enjoyed reading?

It's really hard to pick out one particular scene. My favorite scenes are the discussions between Will and Taylor as they navigate the shifting meaning and boundaries of their relationship. They're so well-written, emotionally true, and full of pathos, and I love having such strong and developed characters to portray.

How awkward is it to read erotic scenes aloud?

When I auditioned for this project, I really didn't know exactly what I was getting into. When I reached Chapter 4 of Dangerous Ground, I found out! There I was, in the walk-in closet where I record, acting out a steamy sex scene between two guys. It was a little awkward at first, I'd never done anything quite like it before. My aunt had volunteered to be my proof-listener, so I couldn't help wondering what she would think when she got the audio later that day. Well, she said it was great and everyone has been very supportive and encouraging. I'm a professional and I know a hot scene when I read one. These scenes are well-written and red hot. I think that listeners will fully enjoy listening to me give it all I've got!

 

What’s the most satisfying or rewarding part of narrating/producing an audio book?

I'll be incredibly satisfied when the project is done and the fans have the chance to listen and enjoy. I love the idea of bringing your stories into a new medium to be experienced in a new way, and I find it really rewarding to be part of this project. All the fans who voted for me in the narrator contest deserve the best audio book possible, and I aim to deliver it. If I see people buying the audio book, recommending it to friends, and leaving good reviews and feedback, that'll be the the best reward.

Do you ever find yourself wishing the author hadn’t taken the story in a particular direction? Or is narrating a much more detached process?

I'm detached from the direction of the story, my job is to become the characters, and express the experience of things as they happen. This is Josh Lanyon's story, and I'm just along for the ride. I happen to really like how these first two novellas have played out and I'm eager to see what's next!

Where can readers/listeners find out more about you and your work?

I really ought to make my own webpage and blog! It's on my to-do list.

My Audible narrator page is where you can pick up my first audio book, Monarch! I am also on Facebook and Twitter. I love narrating books, and I'm really hoping to build a fan base and put out a book every month or so after Armed and Dangerous is complete, so keep an eye out! Armed and Dangerous is a labor of love and I'm taking time to get it just right, but it'll be here soon!