Hey! I Wrote That!

Good morning, lovely readers! It’s the end of May and COLD, so I’m trying not to be bitter. I want it to be HOT, y’all! I’m not made for chilly weather; you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can’t take the Africa out of the girl.

So we’re about halfway through my Bookversary Readers Appreciation Goodreads Giveaway, and I wanted to highlight one of the prizes: a free digital link for the audiobook. And I wanted to tell you a funny story about me and my fragile ego, and how the audiobook helped me gain some confidence.

It may surprise some of you to learn that since reading over the galley proof (the last step before publication), I have not read my book. I have patted the cover and read a marked chapter aloud, but never once have I sat down and read the entire book in its published form. I’m afraid that I will notice phrases I hate, sentences that may not ring true, parts where I should have cut or added to–a book never really feels done for me, but at some point, I have to let it go and trust that it’s good enough. By not reading the book, I can ignore anything that would make me cringe. I’ve heard some actors don’t watch their performances for the same reason, and I used to think that was weird. Now I totally get it–it’s better to let others tell you how much they enjoy something you’ve done than risk looking at it yourself and just seeing the flaws.

What can I say? We artist-types have fragile egos.

So I was telling my sister all of this when she was here for a brief visit, and she said, “What about the audiobook, though? Have you listened to it?” I admitted that I ‘d only heard the snippet Tantor sent me after acquiring the audio rights, but a friend had told me the voice actor did an amazing job, especially with the accents. My sister said, “Let’s just listen to some of it together.” So I pulled it up on my iPhone, and she and my mom settled in with me for a preview. My friend had been right–the voice actor, Gail Shalan, did a marvelous job. Her soft Southern accent was perfect for Red, and she was able to give each character his/her own personality. As I listened, I found myself wrapped up in the story. I should add that I am a big consumer of audiobooks as well as print books–I always have a book loaded in my phone, and audiobooks get me through exercise, cleaning house, hoeing the garden, driving–every tedious chore in life is made better with a story in my ears.

A good audiobook is like my own “spoon full of sugar” to help the grinding medicine of life go down.

As I listened, I became immersed in my own little story. At one point when Red was in full sass, I started laughing, and my mom and sis laughed right along with me.

“Wait,” I said suddenly. “I wrote that!” Listening to the story in someone else’s voice made me totally forget that this was my story and my words. And I was actually enjoying it!

If you have not entered my giveaway yet, there is still time! All you have to do is click on this link and answer one (or two, depending on the answer to question number one) questions. The audiobook is a great prize, and maybe you’ll chuckle at the same parts that I did.

Until next time, dear chums, stay safe, have hope, and keeps your wits about you.