Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

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Author Interviews: Who’d You Like to Hear From?

Friday, January 13th, 2012

I’m busy planning ahead in this month of January.  (Yes, actually planning.  Not flying by the seat of my pants or anything.)  I’d like to deliver some of the interviews you’re looking for this year.

In the past, we’ve focused on established authors and would like to stay primarily in that vein.  Newbies or debut author interviews are extremely rare.  I’ve been rebuffed only once in all the years I’ve been doing interviews for AAR – Kresley Cole had her assistant turn me down and I won’t ask again – so most everyone will respond favorably to an AAR interview request.  The sky is (almost) the limit.

We’ve got an interview with Lisa Kleypas coming shortly, but that’s all I’ve got formally scheduled for the year.  So, here’s my question:  Who would you like to see interviewed at AAR?

- Sandy AAR

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Posted in Authors, Interviews, Sandy AAR | 52 Comments »

Interview and Giveaway with Author Heather Killough-Walden (Giveaway Closed)

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Heather Killough-Walden is about to publish her first paperback book, Avenger’s Angel. I’m a fan not only of Heather’s work but of the extraordinary path she forged to get this book published. Several years ago, Heather began publishing for free on several Internet sites and was struck by how positively readers responded to her work. It occurred to her that perhaps she could get paid to do what she loved, so she began self publishing her eBooks on Amazon. When one of her books hit number one on Amazon in the vampire category, her career took off. An agent sought her out, signed her, and now she has just published her first non-eBook with Signet, Avenger’s Angel.

I’m excited to say that Heather is giving five lucky readers each an autographed copy of her new book, Avenger’s Angel. Want one? Just comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, December 1st.  And, although we’d love for you to comment many times, you will only be entered in the contest once.  If you review for another Web site or blog, please abstain from entering. The winners will be notified by email on Friday morning and will have 24 hours to respond. Another winner will be selected on Saturday morning if the winner has not responded. Books will be mailed to the winner the following week.

Heather, thanks for taking the time to talk with AAR.

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Posted in Authors, Books, Contests, Dabney AAR, giveaways, Interviews | 29 Comments »

Books with Buzz: Connie Brockway Interview and Giveaway (Giveaway Closed)

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

tgobWe’ve been following Connie Brockway’s Adventures in Publishing for some months now and – ta da! – the wait is almost over.  One week from today The Other Guy’s Bride, her eBook of the sequel to As You Desire will be available from Amazon, with the print edition following one month later.

But, for five lucky readers the wait might not be that long.  AAR and Amazon are giving away five copies of The Other Guy’s Bride.  And, just to make sure everybody is happy, winners can choose whether or not they want the eBook edition or a print copy.  Those who choose the eBook will get their prize right away.  Winners who choose the print book will have to wait until early December to receive their copy.

To enter for your chance to win, simply leave a comment to this post by Thursday, November 17th at 11:59 p.m., eastern time. Since this giveaway is designed to get early books into the hands of those who might not otherwise have access, if you review for another Web site or blog, please don’t enter.  Also, due to high postage costs and geographical restrictions, this giveaway is open only to those who live in the U.S. or Canada.

Ready for the next chapter in Connie’s Adventures?  Let’s hear from her:

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Posted in Authors, Books, Books with Buzz, Contests, giveaways, Interviews, Sandy AAR | 115 Comments »

Speaking of Audiobooks: Narrators Forum

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Today at Speaking of Audiobooks, we are hosting our first live Narrators Forum.  It’s an event structured for narrators to come together and discuss pertinent issues in their industry as well as provide listeners with a glimpse into their world of bringing multiple characters to life.  Once the live portion of the forum is over, those involved want to hear from you.  Your feedback is important to them.

When I first started writing about audiobooks, I envisioned those reading to me in a studio surrounded by a director, producer, and recording technician.  My mind saw the director instructing a narrator to stop occasionally and try a line again or explain a needed change.  I guess I imagined something similar to a movie set with only one actor sitting in a sound booth performing all of the characters.  However, after visiting with a number of narrators this past year, I understand just how inaccurate that vision was.  Now that home studios are becoming more commonplace, narrators often operate alone and in somewhat of a vacuum.  There just aren’t that many opportunities to get together and talk about what they do day in and day out.

Meet the Narrators

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Posted in audio books, Characters, Heroes, Heroines, Interviews, Lea Hensley, Romance | 248 Comments »

Speaking of Audiobooks: Anne Flosnik Interview and Six Audiobook Giveaway

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Anne FlosnikAnne Flosnik – in my mind she’s the queen of historical romance audio.  Narrating for romance greats such as Mary Balogh, Elizabeth Hoyt, Julie Garwood, Amanda Quick, Julia London, Catherine Coulter, Elizabeth Lowell, and Jo Beverley (and that’s not all), she’s once again proving her reigning status by narrating Laura Lee Guhrke’s first books in audio, the Abandoned at the Altar trilogy.  Releases are scheduled for October, November, and December of 2011 by Tantor Audio and, as a big Guhrke fan, I’ll be listening to each one.

Anne is known well throughout the audiobook industry for her performances in a multitude of genres.  Although her recordings now average 75% in the romance genre, she has received numerous awards in other genres and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a few of those awards – the Library Journal Top 40 Audiobooks of 2009, Earphones Awards in 2008 and 2009, AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of the Year 2009, American Libraries Association Special Services for Children Award 2000, and the Audie Finalist performances (Audie awards can be likened to the Oscars for audiobooks) in 2005, 2008, and 2010.

Although Anne’s romance narrations have consistently received their share of praise from listeners, my thoughts on Anne’s work can best be compared to a journey.  My first listen, Elizabeth Lowell’s Untamed in 2008, made the first steps a challenge.  In my early days of reading romance, I had given Untamed my highest grade but listening in audio made me wonder about my love for the hero, Dominique.  He seemed uncaring and brutish.  What had I been thinking when I read in print?  But after listening to two more Flosnik narrated romances, I realized that all three heroes had sounded gruff and emotionless and concluded that rather than unlikeable heroes, it was the narrator’s interpretation of those heroes that affected me negatively.  I became hesitant to listen to more.

Fortunately, that didn’t mean I quit listening to Flosnik narrations as I later found Mary Balogh’s First Comes Marriage to be a success – first in print and then in audio.  I expected Elliott to be unfeeling and superior and that’s just how he sounded.  I have relistened to First Comes Marriage twice.

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Posted in audio books, giveaways, Interviews, Lea Hensley | 81 Comments »

Speaking of Audiobooks: Penguin’s New Commitment to Romance

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Navarros PromiseI started talking with Alaina Mauro, Assistant Publishing Manager at Penguin Audio, in 2010.  Although we were officially talking as a representative of Penguin and columnist for Speaking of Audiobooks, our conversation ran deep (and long) to our mutual love of romance audiobooks.  Alaina explained the production process to me while I shared our listeners’ favorites and I discovered that Penguin had recently charted a new course for romance audio.  When we started featuring columns on the production process earlier this year, I invited Alaina and Penguin Producer Diane McKiernan to talk with us about their process in choosing romance titles.

Diane and Alaina – welcome to Speaking of Audiobooks!  We so appreciate you joining us today.  Diane, as a Producer for Penguin, can you tell us a little about your background and describe some of your present responsibilities?

I’ve been working at Penguin Audio since 2005. I had worked for my college radio station WFUV 09.7 FM and our college press, so audiobooks seems liked a perfect match for me. My favorite audiobook that I’ve worked on is The Help. The narrators absolutely transport you and embody the characters. The best part of my job is casting. It’s a challenge to find the perfect fit for every audiobook but it’s so satisfying when we do.

A question that comes up again and again in discussions here at Speaking of Audiobooks is that of choice.  How is a print book chosen for production in audio?  We are aware there are a number of factors involved such as the digital rights issue but we wonder just who in the process says “Choose this one –listeners loved it in print and I think it will do well in audio as well.”

Diane: That’s the fun part of our jobs but it can also be one of the most challenging. Typically we like to release our audiobooks simultaneously with the print book and it can be difficult to guess which books are going to really take off, especially when it comes to first time novelists so it’s a bit of a team effort. We rely on input from Penguin editors and the sales force and we spend a lot of time reading early manuscripts. You never know what will be the next breakout book!

Using The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne and Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James as examples, it seems as though you dipped into the favorite lists of romance readers to choose these two for audio production.  In fact, in our recent Favorite Romance Audiobooks Poll, The Spymaster’s Lady came in second only to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander in the Favorite Historical Romance Audiobook category – quite an accomplishment.  Just the Sexiest Man Alive tied for second in the Favorite 2010 Romance Audiobook category.  How did you choose these two particular books?

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Posted in audio books, Interviews, Lea Hensley | 38 Comments »

Speaking of Audiobooks: July Releases and Jacquelyn Frank Giveaway (Contest Closed)

Monday, June 27th, 2011

GideonAs Audiobook Month winds down, Speaking of Audiobooks is featuring its third special event for the month.  We kicked off with our first annual Favorite Romance Audiobooks Poll followed by last week’s special edition of an All Reviews column.  Now we’re finishing with a giveaway featuring two sets of the first two audiobooks in Jacquelyn Frank’s soon to be released Nightwalker series.

Favorite Romance Audiobooks Poll Ends June 28th

But first things first – only one day remains in our Favorite Romance Audiobooks Poll.  All ballots must be submitted by midnight eastern standard time Tuesday, June 28th.   So, if you have yet to submit your ballot (here), it’s time!  Let us know your favorite romances in audio!

Jacquelyn Frank Giveaway

Jacquelyn Frank’s popular Nightwalker series will soon be offered in audio format and we are giving away two sets of Books 1 and 2, Jacob and Gideon respectively in our latest giveaway courtesy of Tantor Audio.  Since the release dates are currently scheduled 3-4 weeks apart, the two winners will receive their copy of Jacob first followed by a separate mailing of Gideon upon its release some weeks later.

A quick look at the rules:

Place your name in the hat by commenting on this column by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Sunday, July 3rd.  Due to the cost of postage, the giveaway is open only to listeners in the U.S. and Canada.  We encourage multiple comments, but you will only be entered in the contest once.  If you review for another Web site or blog, please refrain from entering.  The winners will be notified by email on Monday morning and will have 48 hours to respond (due to the July 4th holiday).  Another winner will be selected on Wednesday morning if a winner has not responded and will have 24 hours to respond.  Audiobooks will be mailed to winners after Jacob’s and Gideon’s release dates.

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Posted in audio books, Contests, giveaways, Interviews, Lea Hensley | 58 Comments »

Books with Buzz: Deanna Raybourn Interview (Contest Closed)

Monday, June 13th, 2011

coverJune 21st is the date many readers have been awaiting when The Dark Enquiry, the fifth installment in the adventures of Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane, will be released.

With just over a week to go, we’re celebrating with an interview with author Deanna Raybourn and, courtesy of Harlequin and just to sweeten the deal, we also have two Advance Reader Copies of the book to give away.  To enter for your chance to win, simply comment to this post by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, June 16th.

The usual caveats apply:  If you review for another Web site or blog, please don’t enter.  Due to high postage costs, this giveaway is open only to readers in the U.S. and Canada.  You are welcome to comment more than once, but you will be entered only once.  Winners will be chosen at random and will be notified by email on Friday morning.  If a winner has not responded within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.

Now, ready for Deanna?

Could you start by telling our readers a bit about the plot of The Dark Enquiry?

Absolutely! In this outing, our sleuthing couple, Lady Julia and her husband Nicholas, investigates the murder of a mysterious medium at a club for Spiritualists. Matters are complicated when they discover that Lady Julia’s eldest brother, Viscount Bellmont, visited the club himself. Readers of the series will also be interested to know that we get another few pieces of Nicholas’ past to add to the puzzle in this book…

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Posted in Authors, Book news, Books, Books with Buzz, Characters, Contests, giveaways, Heroes, Heroines, Interviews, Reading, Romance reading, Sandy AAR | 125 Comments »

Speaking of Audiobooks: Audible’s Game Changer

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Microphone prefIf you haven’t heard about Audible’s new venture, Audible Creation Exchange (ACX), have I got news for you.  On May 12th Audible announced a dynamic online audiobook rights marketplace, audiobook production platform, and online sales system.  Its aim? To increase the number of audiobooks by offering a place for audiobook professionals to connect and produce audiobooks.  There’s much more to ACX, but what it means to us as listeners is greater selection.

ACX is groundbreaking in that it allows any professionally published book, new or old, to become a professionally produced audiobook.  It provides authors and publishers access to talented actors/narrators and studio professionals who know how to deliver a well-produced audiobook.  There is even training for an author if one wishes to narrate their own book.

The possibilities are vast.  Publishers and authors with unused audiobook rights can utilize ACX to find just the right narrator.  Yes, authors can specify their preferences of such things as gender and a narrator’s ability to perform accents and voice types.  Am I hearing a few chants of “Yes, yes, yes!” from our listeners?  In turn, audio publishers, studios, and narrators can find books of interest and even audition online for those holding the audio rights to specific books.

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Posted in audio books, Authors, Interviews, Lea Hensley | 23 Comments »

News from Connie Brockway

Friday, March 25th, 2011

connieI’m just going to get out of the way really quickly here because Connie Brockway, one of my favorite writers, has some news.   So, without further ado, here’s our newest AAR interview with the author.

Connie, you’ll notice no headline or teaser giving away your news, so what’s up?

I’m going rogue, Sandy. Heading over the wall. Striking out for uncharted territory. Boldly going where (only a few thousand) have gone before! Which is my long-winded way of saying that the next book and very probably the next two full-length historical romance novels I write will be available solely as eBooks.

Though in the interest of full disclosure, I will be part of collaboration from Avon out in 2012.

So, what are the major reasons that you’re making the change?

Oh, there’s reasons a-plenty. First off, the contract I was offered was not good either monetarily and elsewise, the elsewise being in terms of eBooks. It doesn’t take too much business acumen to look at recent eBook sales history and project that eBook readers aren’t going to pony up the same amount for an eBook, that exists only as a virtual entity, as a paper book which costs substantially more to produce  (printing, shipping, warehousing, distribution, covers etc.) Or if they do, they aren’t going to do it often. And if the publishers set the price too high, it’s the authors that lose the most. I hate losing.

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Posted in Authors, Books, Characters, E-books, Heroes, Heroines, Interviews, Reading, Romance reading, Sandy AAR, Settings | 211 Comments »

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