New commercial audiobook

As I mentioned earlier, I now have another audiobook available on Audible. This time it is a collection of gentle cat-related little stories called Herding Cats and written by a very nice chap called Christopher J. F. Gibson.

I’ve been a cat-lover since my early childhood, and when our last cat departed this life, we wondered if we would ever be able to bear having another – he and his adopted sister had both lived to eighteen and were such characters that they seemed irreplaceable. However, the cat-shaped hole in our lives was too big, and it was time for a visit to the cat rescue centre. My brief was not to look at any orange cats (too much like Oscar).

“Ah!” said the lovely lady, “so you’d like two cats? We have a four-month old brother and sister whose owner has been evicted. Follow me!” And a small ball of grey fluff immediately wound around my legs. “This is Winifred,” said my guide. “And her brother is rather shy.” I peeped over the partition. “DO NOT LOOK!” I said to my son. Of course he did. There was a tiny, terrified orange person huddled in the corner. Well… the rest, of course, is history.

It transpired, however, that the charming little female ball of fluff was, in fact, male. Winifred has become Fred and is now a fluffy-tailed feline dictator. The terrified small orange person is now an anarchist whose favourite pastime is leaping on to the top of doors.

So… these stories immediately struck a chord with me.

Herding Cats by Christopher J. F. Gibson
43 mins
Audible UK £3.09 Audible USA $3.95
(I don’t think much of that exchange rate.)

As usual I have some complimentary review copies to give away. Drop me a line if you would like one, and please specify whether US or UK.

My Commercial Recordings

Some of you will know that I made some commercial recordings for a start-up called Iambik a few years ago. That hasn’t really come to anything (though they are still available on Audible), but in the last year I have also been commissioned to do some on Audible’s own platform, ACX.

It makes a pleasant change to record books which are more contemporary, though there are many books in the Public Domain which I still want to record for LibriVox and Legamus. Legamus recordings are only out of copyright in countries such as the UK and other European countries whose copyright laws depend on the death date of the author (i.e. 70+ years since their death), unlike my LibriVox recordings which are also out of copyright in the USA (whose copyright laws depend on date of publication).

My ACX recordings are now available on the Audible sites, Amazon and iTunes: details may be found on this page.

I do have some complimentary codes available, so please email me if you would like one. Please tell me whether you use the US or UK Audible site.

I have just completed a book of short stories which should be released in the next few days, and I am currently recording a very different kind of novel from my customary genres . I’ll post details of both as they are released.

Thank you for your support. It’s good to know that there are people out there listening to my work .

New Iambik audiobook: Trencarrow Secret

My latest recording for Iambik Audiobooks, Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison, is released today.

It is available in MP3 or M4B format directly from Iambik Audiobooks, nearly twelve and a half hours for just $6.99 at:

http://iambik.com/books/trencarrow-secret-by-anita-davison/

or you may even be able to win it free if you enter the Iambik First Birthday competition!

Set in 1882, this is the story of the Hart family who spend summer as usual at their country house on the Cornish coast. But this year, things are different. The sheltered and sensitive Isabel is approaching her 21st birthday, and there is talk of an engagement to Jared, the son of old family friends, whom Isabel has known since childhood. Isabel’s mother Marie is seriously ill. And Isabel sees something that turns her world upside down.

The events of this sweltering summer, leading up to Isabel’s birthday ball, form the framework of the story. It is more than a simple historical romance. The Harts must keep up appearances before their house guests and friends despite the tensions that arise within the family, and there are family secrets that Isabel has never been told. Can Isabel come to terms with her deep-seated fears and face reality?

The characters are well-drawn and I had no difficulty in visualising them as I recorded the book. I particularly enjoyed recording the indomitable Aunt Margot, Isabel’s widowed aunt, and Isabel’s brother-in-law Walter who does, oh does so enjoy his food. All in all, a book that I think you will enjoy.

No violence, sex or swearing – makes a pleasant change! 🙂

“With rich prose and compelling characters, Anita Davison weaves a magnificent Victorian era love story filled with dark family secrets and intrigues. Each chapter is more tempting than the one before it. Fans of eloquent and meaningful romantic historical fiction will want to savour every word. Not only are the historical details well presented, but the love story that unfolds is exhilarating and stunning. A deep, enriching lesson on the nature of life and love.” — Mirella Patzer – Historical Novel Review Blog

Read more about the book and some of the characters on the Trencarrow Secret website and more about the author on her blog, The Disorganised Author.

Iambik’s First Birthday Competition

Iambik Audiobooks are giving away free audiobooks in a competition to celebrate its first birthday on October 19th. The first prize-winner will have his/her choice of 10 free Iambik audiobooks, and there are more prizes too. You have two weeks to enter.

See Iambik’s Turning One! Let’s Celebrate with a Giveaway Bash

I have a new Iambik audiobook coming out on Friday. More details then!

June is Audiobook Month: narrator interview

The Audio Publishers Association writes that “Every June, the APA carries out a campaign to enhance visibility, awareness and popularity for audiobooks by directly reaching out to consumers. In 2010, over 100 authors and narrators teamed up with publishers to reach approximately 4 million people through all forms of social media.”

As our contribution to the fun, the fragrant Miette has been hounding gently encouraging Iambik narrators to answer a few questions for publication on the blog.

Read my little contribution on the Iambik blog.

As your reward, you can enter #jiam2011 at checkout on Iambik.com for 50% off all titles until the end of June 2011. Stock up for next year!

Ben and the Book of Prophecies – now available!

My latest Iambik recording is released today and may be found at http://iambik.com/books/ben-and-book-prophecies-by-kirsty-riddiford/

Priced at $6.99, it is part of the latest Iambik collection – this time a varied bunch of nine Science Fiction and Fantasy books. You can get the whole collection for $43.99 – how’s that for value? Less than 50p per hour… (Look at the Iambik blog for an even better offer!)

This is the first of the Prophecies of Ballitor trilogy, and the next book in the series, Race for the Heir, has just been published in paper-back. I am hoping to record that too.

The unlikely hero is a street urchin thief, 12-year-old Ben, who is sent off on his mission by the Dowager Bella, the Queen’s aged but indomitable mother. Villains and goodies aplenty, plus mermen, a talking eagle and a very helpful dog. I enjoyed this – it is well-written and has some splendid characters.

Review of the book:

Fans of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia may well enjoy this new children’s adventure series from writer Kirsty Riddiford, writes Alex De Moller. The Story centres on Ben, a thief in the city of Quadrivium. He is approached by Royals who want him to steal a fabled Book of Prophecies, so they can see into the future. Expect talking eagles, kings and queens, cloak and dagger, intrigue and the search for a book that won’t turn up.

–Hammersmith & Kensington Times & Kilburn Times

New Iambik title coming soon

I am currently finishing my next Iambik recording, due to be released in mid-May: this time a fantasy adventure by Kirsty Riddiford called Ben and the Book of Prophecies.

While its target audience is older children (what is called the “young adult” age-group), I think it appeals to all ages and the reviews on Amazon tend to confirm this.

The book is the first of the Prophecies of Ballitor trilogy, and the next book in the series, Race for the Heir, will be released in paper-back next month. I am hoping to record that too.

The book’s unlikely hero is a street urchin thief, 12-year-old Ben, who is sent off on his mission by the Dowager Bella, the Queen’s aged but indomitable mother. Villains and goodies aplenty, plus mermen and some very unusual animals and birds. I enjoyed this – it is well-written and has some splendid characters.

More about Ben and the Kingdom of Ballitor may be found on the Ben and the Book of Prophecies website.

There’s a (very) wee video on YouTube that gives you the flavour.

There’s now an audio snippet on iambik audiobooks tumbles to introduce you to young Ben.

New Iambik audiobook: It’s Behind You

My new audiobook is released today as part of the latest Iambik collection, this time an eclectic mix of crime and mystery from some very good independent publishers.

It’s Behind You is a murder mystery with more than a hint of comedy. It features a former soap star now reduced to playing the Fairy Godmother in Christmas panto at a down-at-heel Newcastle theatre and desperately trying to revive her TV career.

For those of you not au fait with the phenomenon of British pantomime, the Principal Boy was traditionally played by a girl in tights (the only way that Victorian audiences could get a glimpse of a shapely leg), and the pantomime dame was always a man in a ludicrous frock. Nowadays, the principal boy is usually played by a handsome bit of beefcake from TV, although thankfully the pantomime dame has survived in all his glory.

Audience participation is a key part of the show. “It’s behind you” is the audience’s warning to their hero, who generally replies “Oh, no it isn’t!” for the audience to respond lustily “Oh, yes it is!”

In this case, “It’s Behind You” turns out to be a prophetic warning for more than one of the book’s characters…

The author, Keith Temple, is a seasoned scriptwriter for such well-known British TV series as Doctor Who, Emmerdale and Casualty, and the book takes a wry look at the way British TV works these days.

The language is a bit fruity, so if you are easily shocked, well, I’m sorry. 😉 It’s very much in character, and I (even at my age) can’t say that I found it offensive. More offensive (at least to the Newcastle ear) will be my flailing at the Geordie accents. Here is my apology to you – I did me best. 😆

The audiobook download is available direct from iambik.com at http://iambik.com/books/its-behind-you-by-keith-temple/ and Iambik recordings are now also available from many other outlets, including Audible, emusic, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and W. H. Smith’s digital catalogues.

Another Iambik audiobook in production

I am really looking forward to this one. Iambik Audiobooks have asked me to record It’s Behind You by Keith Temple.

This is going to be fun. It’s about an aging ex-soap-star who has fallen on hard times and is reduced to pantomime in the North-east of England. What a bunch of has-beens and misfits there are in this book! There is certainly plenty of comic scope.

The author, Keith Temple, is a well established script writer for TV shows such as EastEnders, Doctor Who, Casualty and Doc Martin, and this is his first novel.

The audiobook’s release date is likely to be January.

My first commercial audiobook

I am rather excited to tell you I have recorded an audiobook for a new audiobook publisher called Iambik Audio, which launches today.

From the Iambik site:

“Iambik is a bit different from traditional audiobook publishers, though. We partner with print publishers and authors, and work with a collective of skilled independent audiobook makers around the world. We record new books and old ones, great books that have been overlooked by traditional audio publishers.

It’s great to be given the opportunity to record more recent books, and some of my other good pals at LibriVox are also involved. Rest assured though, my good listeners, that my LibriVox output will be undiminished.

The Edge of Eden by Helen Benedict is rather different from those I have recorded up to now. It is set in 1960 in the island paradise of Seychelles, and this quote from the book’s summary may give you some idea: 😉

Benedict’s acerbic wit and evocative descriptions serve up a page-turner brimming with jealousy, sex, and intrigue in this ominous Eden.

Ruth