Warren Adler's Blog, page 16
February 10, 2017
The Facets of Love with Warren Adler
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February 8, 2017
Ragnar Jonasson
I have always been writing, as far back as I can remember. When I was a young boy I wrote stories and poetry for my parents and my grandparents, even a bit of detective fiction, all handwritten into old notebooks. As a teenager I started translating and writing short stories, and at the age of seventeen I translated my first novel from English into Icelandic, an Agatha Christie mystery. I continued to translate Christie’s books during law school and even after I graduated and started working as a lawyer, in total fourteen novels, but eight years ago I decided to start writing crime novels of my own, and I am still doing that (and also write a bit of poetry once in a while). I also still work as a lawyer and I’m sometimes asked which I would give up first, the law or writing. It’s a slightly difficult question, but the honest answer is probably that I could never give up writing. I don’t need to spend my whole day writing, but I do need to do something creative each day, whether through my own writing or through translation. I don’t really know why, but it’s just who I am, and one of the things that defines me the most.
http://www.ragnarjonasson.com/
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February 7, 2017
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February 3, 2017
Our Exclusive Interview with Colin Fluxman, the audiobook narrator of Mother Nile
This week we’re shining a spotlight on Colin Fluxman, the audiobook narrator of Mother Nile, Warren’s Adler’s newest historical thriller set in Cairo, Egypt.
What was it like narrating Mother Nile?
A labor of love – there’s nothing to beat a well-written novel that captures one’s imagination and actually takes you into the story with its characters, intrigues, and plot development. It was hard to stop, but my voice needed to take lunch from time to time!
What inspired you to become an audiobook narrator?
I’ve been a broadcaster for 40 years and this was a natural extension of what I’d been doing.
There were several foreign words in Mother Nile, what was it like pronouncing them? Did you find yourself looking up those words?
Having been a news reporter and anchor for many years, I am very familiar with foreign words, phrases, names and places, especially African (Egyptian) as I’m originally from South Africa.
How do you prepare for an audiobook?
I prepare chapter by chapter, much the same as I would a news report or any other script. I go over the chapter line by line, notating emphasis, pauses, character, etc. then record the chapter – repeating any lines which need better delivery, flow, and then editing.
How did you prepare for Mother Nile specifically?
I prepared much the same as I do for all other books I narrate, as explained in my previous response, but specifically, getting into the characters’ hearts and minds. Also, familiarizing myself with names, places, etc.
Do you work from home or do you go to a professional studio?
I work from home – it allows me to work at my own pace and in my PJs if I so desire!
What kind of book would you consider Mother Nile to be?
Mother Nile is fast-paced, exciting, romantic, and intriguing.
Which character could you relate to the most and why?
Si Kelly– and his quest for answers. His determination to find Isis is very much like my desire to get the job done – nothing to stop me reaching my goal, whatever the challenges – and he had many. I also liked Zakki, believe it or not – a delicious character for a narrator, with his evil strain and relentless pursuit of Isis – they both had the same goal for different reasons.
How did Warren Adler’s descriptions of Cairo influence your narration?
Cairo is ancient and mysterious. I have narrated dozens of historical books on the Middle East, so this was a natural extension for me, understanding the history and culture of the region.
Off the top of your head, what powerful concrete details can you remember from the narration?
The scene that I recall was the sudden transformation of Zakki – his evil “burning out,” how he resigned himself to his fate, to face his ultimate darkness. It was unexpected – a shock, almost, but the possibility that evil can end.
If you could be present during one scene in the novel, which one would it be?
The final scene where Si thinks his love has been killed, and then discovers she is alive, wounded only, was edge-of-the-seat stuff. I loved it.
How do you choose which projects to do? What about Mother Nile appealed to you?
I choose titles that suit my voice and style – anything from medical books to travel guides, historical, and instructional. My favorite titles are novels – because they have a story to tell, plot development, interwoven with the development of the characters. Many titles are offered to me, as Mother Nile was. It’s obviously what the author/publisher has in mind for the title.
Mother Nile was a page-turner for me – I couldn’t wait to go from chapter to chapter – seeing how the plot develops, particularly the relationship between Si and Samya.
What do you believe makes for a good audiobook?
The story needs to grab the listener’s attention, together with a good vocal interpretation of the author’s work. Each needs the other to be successful.
Do you believe audiobooks will one day replace reading?
For sheer convenience for today’s on-the-go person, audiobooks are ideal. I don’t think it will replace reading, but I think the days of the traditional bookstore are numbered, with e-reading being so popular and convenient, although many people I’ve spoken to still like the touch-and-feel of a book.
In your opinion, what makes a good audiobook narrator?
I think one needs to have years of experience as an actor and voice-over professional to be a successful audiobook narrator. Also, well-educated, with a good command of the language. I narrate books on a variety of subjects, from novels, to guide books, to historical books, even online training courses.
Would you compare narrating to acting?
A good narrator is, essentially, a good actor.
What advice would you give to aspiring narrators?
My advice to aspiring narrators would be to use whatever acting experience they have, and actually become the character. How would you react in a similar situation? What would your emotions be? Obviously, a good, clear voice, but very importantly, doing research on the subject matter, the names, places, pronunciation (very important), and imagining yourself as the listener – would you like to listen to your narration?
How often do you listen to audiobooks?
I have to admit, I simply don’t have time to listen to any audiobooks. I narrate two or three books at a time, sometimes late into the night, and just crash exhausted at the end the day.
Do you like narrating a particular genre? Which are your favorites?
I do enjoy a well-written, suspenseful book with all the elements that Mother Nile has.
If you could narrate a novel you loved, what would it be?
Warren Adler has written some awesome and very successful books – I’d love the opportunity of narrating them!
Listen to Colin read from Warren Adler’s Mother Nile here.
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February 1, 2017
Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card
Be entered to win a $50 Dollar Amazon gift card from acclaimed novelist Warren Adler by simply joining his new book deals newsletter!
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Ashton Applewhite
I didn’t set out to become a writer. I went into publishing because I loved to read and didn’t have any better ideas. I had a weakness for the kind of jokes that make you cringe and guffaw at the same time, my boss kept telling me to write them down, and the collection turned into the best-selling paperback of 1982. I was a clue on “Jeopardy” (“Who is the author of Truly Tasteless Jokes?” Answer: “Blanche Knott.”), and as Blanche made publishing history by occupying four of the fifteen spots on the New York Times bestseller list.
My first serious book, Cutting Loose: Why Women Who End Their Marriages Do So Well, was published by HarperCollins in 1997. Ms. magazine called it “rocket fuel for launching new lives,” and it landed me on Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum enemies list. The catalyst for Cutting Loose was puzzlement: why was our notion of women’s lives after divorce (visualize depressed dame on barstool) so different from the happy and energized reality? (Hint: sexism and patriarchy.) A similar question gave rise to This Chair Rocks: why is our view of late life so unrelievedly grim when the lived reality is so different? The answer, of course is ageism (along with sexism, and patriarchy, and capitalism). If aging is framed as a problem or disease, we can be sold stuff to “fix” or “cure” or “stop” it. In fact it is a natural, powerful, lifelong process that unites us all.
I like the thinking part of being a writer, but find the writing part extremely slow going. My daughter once asked me why I do it if I find it so hard, and I blurted, “Because it feels great to read something good that I’ve written.” I write because I have what feels like an important message to convey, and I am nothing if not dogged.
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January 25, 2017
Emily Cataneo
When I was a child, I loved nothing more than reading stories about girls who had adventures. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s journey west in Little House on the Prairie, Bonnie’s and Sylvia’s daring escape from their evil governess in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Persephone’s kidnapping by Hades in the D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths–all of these galvanized my bored, fevered imagination. After all, I was an only child who grew up on the edge of a forest in a small town, and I needed fodder for the games I played with my toys and with the similarly-minded girls who were my friends. It was only a small leap to taking those flights of fancy and setting them down in a notebook.
I never stopped writing down said flights of fancy in notebooks, and as an adult writer, I found myself drawn to writing literary-genre stories about girls and women navigating worlds of magic, ghosts, and fairytales. I’m fascinated by this seam between literary and genre fiction, by the aesthetic and narrative possibilities of writing tales that straddle these two traditions, and by the political possibilities of writing stories about women taking ownership of magic or subverting the roles traditionally assigned to them in stories. Plus, on a more visceral level, these stories simply play to my imagination and excite me, just like the books I read when I was young.
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January 18, 2017
Kevin Catalano
Writing for me is not so much a choice as it is a necessity. Ask my wife, who knows too well when I’ve missed my morning writing schedule, and I’m short-tempered, moody, a misery. Being a person who, for whatever reason, has never been an adequate oral communicator of his emotions, who is as dumb to himself as a dog trying to be self-reflective, I need writing to expunge demons. (If you read my stuff, you’ll know that I have a whole bunch of slimy, egg-smelling demons.) Luckily — very luckily — I came to writing early in my life, which, I’m convinced, is why I’m not a psychopath serving a life sentence for god-knows-what. Many writers say they came to writing through their love of reading; I wasn’t a big reader, because 1) if I had time to read, I’d rather spend it writing, and 2) whenever I’d read, I’d want to rewrite the story to make it go where I thought it should. Instead, beginning sometime in second grade, I’d kneel hunched-over my bed filling spiral notebooks with dark, twisted stories of a murderer loose on a runaway train or a group of kids who summoned Bloody Mary and can’t escape her wrath. Friends would knock on the door, inviting me to join a pickup game of football or basketball, but I’d rather be alone with my notebook and pen.
Flash forward thirty years, and nothing much has changed, except that the notebook is a cheap Chromebook, and I’ve figured out, to an extent, how to balance writing with family time. That I’ve managed to publish my writing along the way is a blessing, but it pales in comparison to being a productive, somewhat-normal and mostly-happy member of society.
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January 11, 2017
KJ Howe
I had an eclectic upbringing, living in different countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Travel and adventure were a wonderful part of my life. Always the new kid, I lost myself in books, an escape into a magical existence when I needed one. Fast forward into the future where I wanted to create my own fictional world, a place where others could decompress from the pressures of their lives for a few enjoyable hours. Writing fiction also provides catharsis for me, a way of expressing emotions, working through issues. Something extraordinary happens when characters come alive on the page, and I couldn’t imagine a better life than being an author. A research enthusiast, I immersed myself in the world of kidnap and ransom, interviewing elite kidnap negotiators, former hostages, K&R insurance executives, and the Special Forces soldiers who deliver ransoms and execute hostage rescues. The result is my Thea Paris series. Thea is the sole female kidnap negotiator, a woman who will sacrifice whatever she has to if it means bringing hostages home. The Freedom Broker is the first book in this series.
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January 4, 2017
Garret Schuelke
I got interested in writing back when I was in the sixth grade, but it was in 2006, after I graduated high school, that I consider my career as a writer to have really begun. I remember sometime shortly after I graduated sitting down in front of my computer, probably to write an opinion piece, thinking “All right, now it’s time to get serious.”
At the time I wanted to be a journalist—and had been studying to do so—which I think on one hand gave me the professional demeanor I have today (though it is somewhat different than it was a decade ago), but on the other hand this business outlook also deterred me from truly realizing and embracing why I liked writing in the first place. It took getting into poetry in 2007, giving up on trying to make a career in journalism in 2013, and finally regaining the courage to write fiction in 2014 that I realized the two main reasons why I write: I like to tell stories, and it makes me feel good.
There’s not much to say about the former reason: I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, fictional and otherwise, and entertaining people. Being that writing is the only field I consider myself talented in, it makes sense that it has always been my main outlet. I have started branching out into other ways to tell stories—such as YouTube videos, podcasting, and I would like to do live readings again—but writing will always remain the driving factor in all these artistic ventures.
The “feeling good” part came in 2014, when I started to refocus on fiction while recovering from an appendectomy. Writing fiction relieved my anxiety, made me feel more accomplished as a writer than journalism and poetry ever could, and made a “good” feeling flow throughout my being, which I can best describe as warmth and adrenaline. I’ve continued writing since the recovery, and the feeling returns every time I put down words, especially in times of stress.
Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast, “I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now.’”
One way or another, I too will always write, and I encourage other writers to keep on working.
http://garretschuelke.tumblr.com/
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