The Voices in my Head...

Sometime last year, I was approached by Cherry Hill Publishing to ask if I’d be interested in them producing an audiobook of Sin.  I immediately responded with a resounding YES!  I was flattered and so pleased to be asked.

But...  What do you do when the voice in your head is going to be someone else’s?  Sin is my creation.  He’s a huge part of me – you’ve seen me refer to him as my ‘Dark Half’.  Of course, in my head, he sounds like me.

The original idea was for me to narrate myself.  That sounded like great – Sin would sound, pretty much, how he was meant to.  Unfortunately, I had sinus problems.  I had nasal polyps and obliterated sinuses.  As such I could only speak for a short time before needing to take a drink or blow my nose.  Trying to narrate a book like this was not a good idea.  Also, as I know the story and the character, I also read it too fast.  I didn’t pace myself.

R.D. Watson to the rescue!

Roger, a grammy nominated record producer who has worked with The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Tina Turner, Billy Idol, Tim Rice and Blondie to name a few (and pretty much discovered Huey Lewis) is the voice of a great many television adverts and much more.  He’s also a well spoken southerner, whereas I’m a decent enough (I think) spoken Northerner.  As I mentioned, Sin sounds a certain way in my head.  It wasn’t like Roger’s voice.

There were a couple of test goes, where he laid a smidgeon of accent over his narration, but it sounded a bit ‘Yorkshire’ for my liking.  I’m from Grimsby.  I’m not entirely sure how we come across to others, to be fair, but Yorkshire is a wee bit too strong for Sin.

Roger was intent on getting it right.  We spoke on Skype a number of times so he could find out who I was, who I perceived Sin to be and what my own voice was like.  Then he ran with it.

I was excited.  I was nervous.  Apprehensive, in fact.  What would it come out like?  Would Roger really just not suit Sin?

Well.

I know Sin is my own book.  I know the narration is the narration of my own book.  But I love it!

If you don’t know how I speak, you may have no preconceptions of how Sin should.  Granted, Sin is a narration in itself – he’s telling you his own story.  As such, you will probably already hear him yourself, as I do.  Don’t worry.  Remember Sin is part of me.  Before very long I was completely drawn in by Roger’s telling of the novel.  His voice has a warmth and... gravity to it which adds depth and I love how he adds in little laughs and stumbles deliberately to show how Sin is feeling.

Most importantly, Roger gets Sin.  This is important, to me at least.  You can’t simply read the words.  You have to know how he feels when Sin is talking to you.

Even my 80 year old grandmother-in-law, who doesn’t ‘do’ paranormal and the like, was enjoying listening to the audiobook as I had it playing in the car.  My ten year old daughter too.  Roger’s voice draws you in.  It makes you feel comfortable whilst talking to you about people dying.  I was genuinely not looking forward to coming to the end.

I don’t know how other authirs have felt when a voice is put to their work, and that voice is not their own.  Did you meet with the same trepidation?  Did you end up thinking you’d made a mistake, or something wonderful was created?  I have to say the latter.

Yes, it’s my book, but I don’t have to like the audiobook.  The fact that I think something wonderful was created, is a bonus!

I have to thank the lovely Connie J. Jasperson for her amazing review.  Here’s a couple of snippet:

“Today I am discussing the most recent of my audio-book purchases, Sin. I have in the past referred to the written version of this book by indie author Shaun Allan as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Finnegan’s Wake." Beautiful plays on sarcastic, witty words formed into lyrical, wonderful prose. I thought the written book was wonderful, but I am here to tell you, the Audio Book as read by R.D. Watson is nothing short of AWESOME!“

“R.D. Watson's reading of Allan's shining, witty, prose is moving and brilliant in every aspect. He gets into Sin's head, and you are completely spellbound.”

“This book is a roller-coaster ride from the start to the finish, and I give it 5 stars for originality, and if I could I would give this audio-book version TEN!”

What can I say, except Thank You!

If you wish to take a peek, and would like the voices not to be just in Sin’s head, you can get the audiobook in a multitude of places:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

iTunes

Audible US

Audible UK

Cherry Hill Publishing CD

Cherry Hill Publishing MP3

I hope, like me, you enjoy the ride.  A massive thanks to Rick at Cherry Hill Publishing, and to R.D. Watson for giving me such an epic gift.

Oh, and watch out for Dark Places, coming soon!

Inspiring the Aspiring...

Once upon a time, a long time ago...

Don't all the best stories begin like that? I'm sure they did, once upon a... erm... time...

Well, once upon one of those times we so love, I wrote a book. After years of attempting to and letting it fall by the wayside, I succeeded. After a decade of writing bits here and there, interspersed with short stories and poetry, Sin was complete. 

But then what?  But there where and how?

The tale told by many budding authors is "The Chronicles of Huh?"  You've written a story, a book, a while series!  What then?

Well, I found my way. I published. I wrote more and people said hey, it wasn't half bad. 

So.  Every three weeks or so I meet with a couple of other writers. It's nothing formal - just a drink in a pub and a laugh. We talk about all sorts, sometimes even about our writing. It was there that an idea was formed.  The wonderful Lynette Creswell, author of the acclaimed "Magic" trilogy, suggested we help others. We could give tips and guidance to others who were in the situation we found ourselves, once upon... Well, you know...

A. E. Murphy (the "Little Bit of" books)and myself were more than happy to dive in and lend our support. We knew there's a whole lotta talent around and were more than happy to help nurture it. It's difficult to know where to turn and each of us had differing paths we'd wandered. We'd scaled the cliffs and leapt the snake pits and still had a mountain to climb. But we had the tools to help. And we wanted to share. 

So, the Author Day was born. A day where we could hand out handouts (no, really?) and chat to anyone who might have a question or ten. Yes, we'd also be there to sign our books, but we were there more to shine a torch into the abyss of (self) publishing.

Freshney Place Shopping Centre in Grimsby kindly sponsored us and gave us the space to set up.  With plenty of information on such sites as Smashwords, Amazon KDP, Indies Unlimited and the differences between traditional and self publishing, we were armed to the teeth. 

We were meant to begin at 10 am but there was a throng of people already there whilst we were setting up at 9:30. Apart from a brief lull, we were fully engaged all day!  It was wonderful to see those who had visited me before, such as Matthew and his wife and the talented Jordan.  Matthew came to my Waterstones signing and I met Jordan at Humberston Academy where I saw some of his excellent work. Matthew actually made my day by asking me to sign a two pence piece!

The range of budding authors was widespread - all ages and walks of life. Almost all had something in common. A passion to write and a need to let the world see their work. It was a genuine pleasure to, hopefully, help them. 

We also had the company of the wonderful David Lane, radio personality and journalist for South Humberside Community Radio. David has been kind enough to support each of us and our event with unflagging drive. 

Lynette's son, Alex,stayed with us for the day too, taking lots of photographs and videos, often without us knowing. He produced this film of the day, which is simply amazing. And he's part of a group too (Raw Kadence), which is going from strength to strength. Look him up on Facebook: Crezwell Urban Artist and on YouTube under CrezOfficialMusic. You won't be disappointed. 

The day was gone before we knew it and it was with a heavy heart that we had to pack up. We met a couple of days later, still buzzing from the event and so ready for the next.  We really can't wait to do it again!

Watch this space!

If you'd like to get in touch with our group, please drop us an email at aspiringCW (at) hotmail.com and we'll be happy to respond. We hope to meet you at our future events. 

A Special Event

The game is a foot.  Hold on...  A foot?  Left or right?  Does it have one of those toes next to the big toe that super long and pokes out past its plumper sibling?  Erm...

 

No, the game is afoot.  That's better.

 

I have to admit to being a massive Sherlock Holmes fan.  I always have enjoyed the character - though I've yet to actually read one of the books...  But, from Basil Rathbone through Jeremy Brett, via Robert Downey Jr. to the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch (well done on your NTA award!) I've watched the shows and films.  I even have the Sherlock Network mobile game.

 

Anywho.  What was I going on about?  Feet.  No.  Games.  Ah, I know – Author Days.

 

Yes, I know that was a bit random, but the connection, however tenuous, was right there in my head.

 

Author Days.  Or, rather, Day.  Singular.

 

Book signings are pretty cool, I think.  I enjoy them, personally, and I think those that come to meet, greet and grab a signed copy of one of my books like them too.  It’s a chance, not just to hand over cash for what I hope is a good read, it’s a chance to get inside the head of the person who created this world you’re going to be venturing into.  Granted, there aren’t that many who actually ask questions or sit awhile and chat, but those that do add a great deal to the day.  I’ve been asked about the locations in Sin.  I’ve been quizzed on the connections between the book, the Prologue and Sin’s blog, his ‘Diary of a Madman’.

 

Being able to talk to potential fans about such things often prompts thoughts and realisations about my writing.  It helps me see insights about the characters and myself I, perhaps, didn’t actually see beforehand.

 

So.  Soon, I’ll be joining local authors Lynette Creswell and A.E. Murphy (Alex) to lay ourselves open for just such in-depth chats.  Well, not just that – there’s a whole lot more too.

 

On Saturday, 15^th March, from 10am to 3pm, we’ll be holding an Author Day.

 

So what differentiates an Author Day from a simple book signing?  Well, don’t worry, you’ll still be able to purchase our books, but we’ll also be there to talk about writing.

 

None of us are saying we’re experts – far from it.  In fact, if we did, I’d hope you’d turn and walk away!  No.  What we are is experienced.  For aspiring writers and the like, we would like to take the time to share what we’ve learned.  If you’re wishing you could write that book, let us help with prompts and tips.  If you’ve written a book and want to publish, we’ll give advice on ways to self-publish and recommendations on queries and synopses.

 

We’ll also have with us handouts with copies of successful query letters and other information.  Added to this there’ll be sample chapters from our books as tasters and even as examples of writing methods.

 

And, all this advice will be completely free.  Each of the three of us had to start somewhere.  Each of us is still learning, too.  We genuinely do know what it’s like to feel afloat in a sea of possibilities.  If we can throw you a rope and help guide you to shore, it will be our pleasure.

 

Of course, you will be able, if you so choose, to buy our books.  Lynette and I have our books in both paperback and ebook, and Alex’s wonderful series is available in ebook form.

 

Buying a book, however, is not a prerequisite to asking for our help.  If you simply want to chat, be our guest.

We are SALEING!!

Books set sale on a free ride to literary escape!

 

Or, in other words, I've lowered the price of my books for a limited time in a couple of promotions.

 

I’ve been meaning to this for a while as a thank you to all the wonderful comments I keep getting for my stories.  As life tends to get in the way of everything I plan to do, this hasn’t happened up until now.  But, I do end up getting round to things in the end!  And here we are.

Firstly, it's the 4th of July in a couple of days.  Yes, I'm sure you already know that.  The thing is, here in the UK, it's another box on the calendar to strike through on the way to the weekend.  Saying that, I'm sure many would like to join in the celebrations that go on across that big pond thing in the middle of us.

 

As such, on Amazon, I've reduced the price of both Sin and Dark places to only 99 cents.  This works out to about 79p in the UK, and relative prices around the world.  This is valid until the end of the week, Friday (inclusive).

Sin is available from Amazon at:

US: http://amzn.to/SinUSEB

UK: http://amzn.to/SinUKEB

 

Dark Places can be found at:

US: http://amzn.to/DarkPlacesUSEB

UK: http://amzn.to/DarkPlacesUKEB

 

For those of you who use Smashwords, they are holding a 2013 Summer/Winter Sale, in light of the fact that up here (top of this ball we're flying through space on) it's apparently summer.  I'm sure in places other than the UK that's probably true.  In the Southern hemisphere, it's winter.  I'm told my Australian friends are having to wear jeans instead of shorts and put a t-shirt on.

I've joined this great offer and my books are now either free or half price at Smashwords and can be found at:http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/singularity.  The sale extends until the 31st July.

 

I do hope you'll drop by and peruse and, hopefully, grab yourself a bargain.

 

More so, if you do, I hope you enjoy it.

 

For those of you celebrating Independence Day, have a good one.  For those not, have a good one too!

In It to Win It...

Giveaways.

Don't you just love them? Owt for Nowt?

Well, not quite that, of course, but you get my drift. I hope. A giveaway. A freebie. A few clicks and the prize could be in your hands. I love 'em, personally.

I used to enter so many competitions. My lunch hour would be filled with writing out postcards, I'd be throwing out emails and surfing the internet to find them. My wallet would bulge with packs of stamps.

And I'd win.

I've won some wonderful prizes. One of my first was a pair of tickets to the cinema. I was excited even though that particular chain of cinemas didn't have one anywhere near me. I won a Pot Noodle voucher. Similar tingles even though I don't actually like Pot Noodles.

I once won a flight to Sydney, Australia that was expensive enough for me to change it to take my family to Disneyland Paris. There's been money, a trip to Paris that coincided with the release of a Tomb Raider game (and the prize included the console and game to play them on). One prize was a trip to the Lynx villa, somewhere hot (I can't remember when), where they were having a big weekend party with celebrity DJs. It left, unfortunately, on the day we were going to Paris for other competition. Often, you can't transfer prizes to someone else, but you could in this case. So I sold it to a friend and had extra pocket money for the trip!

Competitions, and the time to enter them, have taken a back seat nowadays. I write when I can and when I can't, I'm working or with my family. As such, it's been a while since a winning envelope dropped through my letterbox or I had a special telephone call.

But, I still enter them, when I can. Even if it's something small, I still get a bubble of something other than wind in anticipation of winning the Grand Prize.

As such, I'm delighted to be able to actually announce a competition. Myrddin, my publishing group with whom Dark Places has entered the world, are running a giveaway.

The prize is a $100 Amazon gift card and the closing date is 26th May. It isn't limited to any locale, so you can enter from anywhere in the world. All you have to do is Like the Myrddin Facebook page or Tweet the competition. You can use the Rafflecopter towards the top right of this blog, or visit http://www.facebook.com/MyrddinPublishing and click on Giveaway beneath the banner.

Good luck, whomever and wherever you are. Don't, for one moment, think you have no chance of winning and let that prevent you from entering. You have every chance. And I sincerely hope you do!

Remember. You've got to be IN it to WIN it.

(For more from Myrddin Publishing, go to their website at http://www.myrddinpublishing.com or follow them on Twitter at @myrddinpub)