The Audiobook of Uneasy Lies the Crown

It's here! It's here! It's here! The audiobook of Uneasy Lies the Crown: A Novel of Owain Glyndwr is now available on:

Amazon.com and Audible.com.

(Updated 8/28/13 - if you run to Amazon or Audible, both sites have the audiobook at a HUGE discount right now. Don't wait!)

A few months ago, ACX, the audiobook arm of Amazon.com, extended a very generous offer to me to help fund production for this audiobook. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time, so I didn't hesitate to accept.

The process was glitch-free from beginning to end. I opened up auditions and had one within the first day. While I was truly impressed with the narrator, I kept sampling from the ACX-approved narrators who had English/Welsh accents listed and stumbled upon Kyle McCarley's profile. When he sent the audition piece, there was just something about the quality of his voice that brought to mind Iolo Goch, the Welsh bard who tells the story of Owain Glyndwr.

There was lively debate in my house over which narrator to use. I even recruited friends for their opinion. The verdict was evenly divided. So I did that thing my husband can't quite understand, but has learned to trust me on: I listened to my intuition. I hired Kyle.

I can't sing his praises enough. He kept me apprised of his progress at every step of the way. When the chapters started coming in, they came quickly.

There were numerous names that were tricky to say, but he took the extra time to work out the proper pronunciation on every one. Let's just say I've been saying a few words wrong in my head for years. Now I know better. Spelling Welsh words like Treffgarne or Aberystwyth, or even English ones like Beauchamp is far different from knowing how to say them.

My thanks to Kyle for being so easy to work with, to Sarah Woodbury for helping with the pronunciation guide, to ACX for their generosity, and to my liaison at Amazon who connected me with ACX.

Until later,
Gemi

In Production: Audiobook for Uneasy Lies the Crown

I may have been quiet lately, but that's only because I have important things brewing and have been holding off on sharing the news. First, a conversation with a representative at KDP (Kindle Digital Platform) led to an offer from ACX, Amazon's Audiobook Creation Exchange, wherein they offered to help fund the making of an audiobook for Uneasy Lies the Crown, A Novel of Owain Glyndwr. For a long time, I'd been thinking how much I'd love to do this, but had put it off for a number of reasons.

ACX's offer was just the push I needed. I've always written with the thought of a movie in mind - meaning when I write dialog or conjure up scenes, I want them to be dramatic in action and emotion and convey the breathtaking scenery in which the stories occur - things that would easily transfer to a screen. So far I'm still waiting on Hollywood, but this, IMO, is the next best thing.

A lot of writers cringe at hearing their books read aloud because it never quite sounds like they'd imagined, but the opposite has been true for me. One of the challenges about Uneasy Lies the Crown is that it contains characters who are Welsh, English, Scottish and French. No small task for any narrator. I spent a lot of time cruising around on ACX, listening to narrators who could potentially do a range of accents and when I got two auditions, I realized either would fit the bill. I tormented myself for a week, making friends and family listen to samples from the narrators. In the end, I went with my gut and contracted with the highly talented Kyle McCarley.

I've been absolutely blown away by Kyle's professionalism and the amount of work he's put into preparing for the reading. He's making every single voice distinct and I have to warn you, if you get a chance to hear him read Harry Hotspur's or Owain's parts, you may develop an 'audio-crush' like me. It's the same feeling I get whenever I hear an interview with Gerard Butler - I soak up every syllable. (Shhh! Do not tell my husband.)

I cannot wait to hear the finished product! Can you tell I'm a wee bit stoked? I'll post more about the process as things develop and will let you all know when it will be available. The audiobook cover above was created for me by designer Steven Novak, who also did the update for Isabeau's cover.

• So what else is happening? My seventh book, In the Time of Kings, a time travel romance and adventure set in 14th century Scotland right before the Battle of Halidon Hill, is now out with beta readers. I'm hoping for a release date in early September and the book will be available for pre-order sometime in August. More on that soon! The cover is just ... WOW!
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Until later,
Gemi