Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 8

Developing DIY audiobooks

Am I nuts?

Apparently. Throughout my life I’ve thought: am I capable of doing that? Usually, after much research, the answer comes back: Not sure, but why not?

Whatever adventure you choose to undertake it’s usually about lots of research and lots of pig-headed determination. In this case, it was to record and produce my own audiobooks.

While I do believe audiobook producers, good ones, certainly are worth every dollar you pay them, for most of us indie writers it’s a luxury to undertake to pay for audiobook production. The costs are considerable, sometimes as much as paying a good translator to undertake your work. What does that mean in real dollars? Often four figures. And for most of us, four figures usually doesn’t even come close to what we earn in a fiscal year. For some, like the indie dynamos Krista Ball and Tracey Cooper-Posey, it’s quite otherwise. But I’m not one of them. So, it’s definitely research and DIY.

That research thing

My first point of research was to tap the knowledge of three audio producers I admire and respect, individuals I know will always give me the straight facts and good advice. The first is Austin VanFleet. I first met Austin when I was publishing a number of Canadian authors through Five Rivers, and contracted him to produce Ann Marston’s Rune Blades of Celi series. He’s extremely talented, with a rich, tenor voice, impeccable production standards, and incredibly creative when it comes to realizing the scope and mood of a story. The second is Michael R. Fletcher, another author I had published, who went on to a successful indie career. In Michael’s murky and questionable past he was affiliated with a few rock bands, did the audio production for them as well, so legend tells, and these days, when the writing muse is fickle, he apparently communes with dopples and creates, um, music? Michael gave me a down and dirty quick and simple solution to getting into audiobook recording. The third is Joe Mahoney, a writer I was pleased to publish through the house, and an individual with a remarkable pedigree through 30 years with CBC as recording engineer, producer, and several operational management roles. Joe gave me a no-nonsense approach to audiobook recording, very achievable, very affordable.

Combined, Austin, Michael, and Joe gave me invaluable advice from recommended equipment to process.

Then came the equipment

My dear husband, Gary, ever-supportive of my adventures, purchased a Blue Yeti microphone, which had been recommended by all three of my mentors, a good quality pop filter, headphones, and a mic boom, all as Christmas presents. It took me a year to gather enough courage and research to actually set about recording seriously. What catalyzed that change was during my Zoom book launch during the summer of 2021 for Dreams of the Moon, which Graeme Cameron very graciously hosted, and Joe Mahoney presented. I did several readings, as is expected at these things, and to my surprise people commented on how well I read. That was enough encouragement to allow me to make the leap into audiobook production. So, I downloaded Audacity, which my advisors had recommended, and throughout November and December 2021 I recorded Caliban.

what’s with all the slobbering and popping tees?

Reading during a book launch is one thing. Reading into a sensitive mic, even with a pop screen, is quite another. I was appalled at not only how much my narrations changed in pitch and tone depending on the character and action, but at all the really gross mouth sounds. I mean ewwww! And then there were the moments when mouth, tongue, teeth all refused to cooperate and produce intelligible words, and consciously I knew I had to stop, but instead just kept muttering things like ohferfuckssake. So, while I beetled through laying down tracks, I soon discovered I needed to do a lot of post-production editing. Thankfully, Audacity made that really easy, so that between deleting some of the more egregious flubs, slobbers, and pops, and, well, creative cussing, often re-recording those sections, and then applying a noise reduction tool to the tracks, I was able to come up with something that could then go on to the next stage, which was meeting distribution channel quality control.

Kobo was a breeze

The user interface for Kobo, and their apparent lack of quality control standards, made uploading files and preparing for sale a ridiculously simple process. Basically I didn’t have to do any further production to the audiobook and was able to simply use the noise-reduced MP3s. Everything passed their vetting process, and within 48 hours Caliban was live on their site.

ACX is another beast entirely

I figured the standards for ACX would be far more stringent, if my experience previously contracting royalty-share audiobooks through their system was any indicator. And indeed that was the fact. There were several technical issues which needed to be addressed, all in a language I didn’t understand, involving tech which was all confusingly new to me.

Thank the gawds for Google. It’s amazing what you can find there. And, lo, after a day thrashing about in the wilderness, attempting adjustments and finding they’d failed, I came across a post on Audacity’s own forums, from one of Audacity’s techs, addressing the very issues I was facing with ACX. Apparently this is common. And his three step process to fixing the problems was spot-on, simple (if time-consuming, because every track had to go through the adjustment process) and in the end the production was approved by ACX and I was able to have the audiobook approved.

There was an almighty HALLELULIA went up to the stratosphere from Neustadt.

The distribution of the audiobooks

I chose to take a lower royalty with ACX, which means I retained global distribution rights rather than grant them exclusivity for a higher royalty, and was able to then take advantage of Kobo’s distribution channels as well. So, Caliban in audiobook format is available through Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Indigo, Walmart, BOL, and Booktopia. Will I sell any audiobooks? Who knows? But if you don’t try, you don’t get.

Will I produce more audiobooks

That’s an big old fat yes. Next week I’ll likely start laying down tracks for The Rose Guardian. I’m hoping to have that finished and distributed by spring. Then come the fall, I’ll launch into recording my two short story collections, And the Angels Sang, and Dreams of the Moon.

Review: Thraldom: A History of Slavery in the Viking Age, by Stefan Brink

Thraldom: A History of Slavery in the Viking Age by Stefan Brink
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stefan Brink’s book about slavery in the Viking Age is a dense, academically focused tome, and also a fascinating read if this is a subject you find of interest. Certainly I do, mostly because of research with which I’m involved.

Having said that, even if you aren’t involved in research, Brink’s book illuminates another aspect of human behaviour in another age, underscoring the fact humans are, and likely will always be, a predatory species capable of equal majesty and malevolence.

The first segment of the book sets about to define the parameters of slavery as presented in the book, allowing the reader precise perspective. Thereafter, Brink relies upon what primary historical records there are regarding Viking slave trade, much of it coming from what we now know as the Middle East and eastern Russia, in specific traders and diplomats who were present in the markets across the known world where the Vikings did business. The events and descriptions are quite vivid. And to his credit, Brink offers no personal opinion, but instead presents history and facts as he found them. That nakedness is appalling in its reality.

It is made clear in the book why Brink relies upon reports from outside Viking culture, and the reasoning is also astonishing: the Vikings eschewed most written records. While there are rune sticks and stones, mostly those seem confined to boasts of accomplishments, rather than mundane record-keeping and journals of events.

All in all, this is a significant and valuable resource in any library.

View all my reviews

Caliban in audiobook

And we’re live on Kobo

My first foray into recording an audiobook has been a success, at least partially. Caliban is now available for pre-order through Kobo and very soon through their other distribution channels: Indigo, Walmart, BOL, and Booktopia, and officially releases January 1, 2022.

The audiobook runs 7.3 hours, and retails through Kobo for $6.00, which is pretty much a bargain.

When will Caliban be available on through Amazon’s channels?

Well, that’s a very good question. While uploading files to Kobo was a breeze, very user-friendly and welcoming, ACX, which is the audiobook producer’s portal to Audible, Amazon and iTunes, is a bureaucratic, technical minefield. So complicated! But let it never be said I didn’t rise to a challenge. After a full day pulling out my hair trying to meet ACX’s requirements, I finally got one whole file uploaded and approved. I think I’m going to invest in a wig for the next files, that way when I pull out hair in frustration it won’t be my own.

How long will it take me to get those files adjusted to meet ACX’s requirements? Not sure. Probably about another two weeks, if I’m being conservative, and allowing for Murphy’s Law.

Still, this is a great new opportunity.

Will I have other audiobooks available?

Indeed I will. Already I have From Mountains of Ice, Shadow Song, and Caliban in audiobook, trade paperback, and ebook.

Likely I’ll start recording The Rose Guardian in February, and hope to have that audiobook available by early summer 2022. Then I’ll take a break over the summer because, you know, GARDEN! Come fall I’ll return to recording and work on my two short story collections.

Pretty exciting stuff. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

December at The Old Stone House

Sold a story

Very pleased to announce I have a short story coming out in the next issue of Polar Borealis, Issue 20, which Graeme Cameron is hoping to have out this month. The story, The Intersection, is a reprint. It first appeared in Strangers Among Us: Underdogs and Outcasts, published by Laksa Media, and edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law. It subsequently was included in my recent collection of short stories, Dreams of the Moon. 

If you have never had a chance to read an issue of Polar Borealis, or the sister poetry magazine, Polar Starlight, you might avail yourself on the wonderful experience. This a very high quality, Aurora Award winning publication offered absolutely free to readers, and features an all-Canadian cast. There is some simply wonderful work in this quietly revolutionary publication.

Caliban audiobook

Making good progress recording Caliban for release as an audiobook. This coming week I’ll lay down the last four chapters, then in the new year, after all the festive fuss has settled, I’ll edit the tracks and package them for distribution through Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Indigo, Walmart, BOL, and Booktopia.

If that goes well, I’ll start recording one of my other novels or collections. Of course, I’d love to know what you, my reader, would like to see in audiobook format, and welcome your feedback here.

I do have to take a moment to thank Austin Vanfleet, Michael R. Fletcher, and Joe Mahoney for their guidance in all things to do with audio tech. Recording an audiobook, for me, is definitely a strange new world. I figure if I can conquer InDesign, and can deal with Audacity.

Hekja’s Lament

I’m stalled for the moment on my latest novel, more having to do with the demands of real life, and having plunged into the Pacific Ocean of research. It is both a wonderful experience, and a frustrating one, when you realize most of your earlier suppositions about a subject you thought you knew turn out to be incorrect. So, now enlightened, I’ll return to the novel in the new year with clearer authority and voice, and will set to revision, and hopefully completion of the first draft in 2022. How writers can churn out a novel a month is quite beyond me. It takes me years.

Other short stories

I’m working on a few other short stories in among all this other work. Completed a flash fiction piece and fired it off, which resulted in a first rejection, and thus the story is now out again. We’ll see.

Still struggling with two others, but I’ll keep at it until the sculpture in the marble appears.

the close of the year

As always I wish all of you contentment, good health, and laughter this festive season, whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate. Just be safe. Be kind.

Virtual Writing Workshop

Looking for inspiration?

I’m happy to announce that once again I’m partnering with West Grey Public Library to offer a writing workshop. This time it’s virtual in order to address not only the real concerns regarding this new pandemic world in which we live, but also to allow participants to gather informally from the comfort of their homes.

The workshops run as follows:

Wednesdays from January 19 through March 9, 7:30 to 9:30 PM, via Zoom: link will be provided to 10 registered participants who pre-register for the entire workshop through West Grey Public Library.

What to expect

Each workshop will open with a lecture which will cover the salient points of writer’s craft. These will run around 30-45 minutes, with full participation by members. The idea is to create a free-flowing dialogue.

Following the instructional phase, we will critique one to two members’ stories, employing critical analysis based upon writer’s craft techniques. Hopefully the writer will come away with useful comments they can consider to improve their work.

Every member will critique other members’ stories through Google Docs, and by employing the Comments feature. This way each member will be able to see all the participants’ comments in one place.

Submission requirements

Every member will submit a story after their registration; details on how to do so after registration. The story must be under 5000 words, formatted in proper manuscript format. If you don’t know what that is, check here.

Any genre is acceptable. But I’m asking for no pornography, racist, conspiracy theory, or hate-mongering material.

One-on-one virtual consultation

Each participant will receive a one hour, one-on-one consultation with me, during which we will discuss their work, and any questions or concerns they may have. As always these will be conducted via Zoom. The consultation is not mandatory, and will be set up for a mutually convenient time.

How to register

Registrations are being taken through adultprograms@westgreylibrary.com. If you have further questions, you can contact me at lorina@fiveriverspublishing.com. .

The cost?

That’s the bonus: it’s FREE.

Look forward to working with you!

 

New 4-star review for From Mountains of Ice

Well colour me tickled

Imagine my delight when fellow author, Louise Spilsbury, wrote this review of my fantasy novel, From Mountains of Ice.

If you enjoy stories with rich characterization and intricate world-building, told in leisurely, lyrical prose dense with imagery, “From Mountains of Ice” is for you. I love stories that immerse the reader in moment-by-moment action, and this story doesn’t disappoint. I especially love the story’s celebration of honour and integrity; these are values largely lost in our modern world, and it’s refreshing to visit a world where the protagonist has a strong code of responsibility and obligation. The only thing that held me back from a five-star rating was the fact that I found the chapters to be overly long. Packaging the action into shorter chapters would, for me, have provided the comforting psychological cues for “this is a good place to pause”. It’s purely a personal preference, however, and doesn’t detract from the excellence of the story. Highly recommended.

From Mountains of Ice is available in trade paperback, ebook, and audiobook through my website, your favourite online bookseller, by special order through your indie bookseller, as well as libraries, and elibrary.

I’m also offering a book-bundle with free shipping. Just check out the novel’s page for details.

Review: The Warrior Who Carried Life, by Geoff Ryman

The Warrior Who Carried Life by Geoff Ryman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to admit being disappointed in Geoff Ryman’s The Warrior Who Carried Life. Unlike much of his later work, especially The King’s Last Song, I very much felt The Warrior Who Carried Life demonstrated a writer finding their way in their art. There were long passages which were clumsy in execution, too much exposition, in my opinion, and a lack of deep character development. Dialogue often had speech qualifiers which were indicative of a novice, which for me, as an editor as well as a writer, was a bit cringe-worthy.

The elements of the fantastic were almost too fantastic, in that Ryman failed to work a deft trail from the known to the unknown for the reader, or put another way failed to fully realize the complex and eldtritch world of the alien creatures known as the Galu, and the magic-steeped humans who are subjugated by them. Even the element which sets the world aright, the Flower, wasn’t fully realized, a nebulous concept both to the characters and the reader. The same could be said of the Galu themselves. One comes away with an impression of black worms inhabiting humans, but in other passages that concept is contradicted. Or perhaps this reader was too obtuse. There is always that possibility.

Along with the overall narrative of good versus evil, he obliquely explores the concepts of transgender identity, albeit with a not-so-deft hand.

Environmental detail is sparse, which further alienated this reader, because it created a feeling of disconnect, of watching a film on green screen which as yet hadn’t had background filled in with CGI.

The Warrior Who Carried Life isn’t a bad novel. But neither is it a great one. Read as you wish. Your mileage may vary. And that is the beauty of art.

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Review: Greenhollow Duology, by Emily Tesh

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily Tesh’s World Fantasy Award-winning Greenhollow Duology, which begins with Silver in the Wood, is a gorgeously told novella which digs deep into legends of the fae. Her writing is reminiscent of both Guy Gavriel Kay and Robert Holdstock, and I very much found myself hearing echoes of Holdstock’s Mythago Wood series.

This is a beautifully told tale of transformation and love, of good and evil, of the commonplace colliding with the fantastic, all set in the myth-inspiring landscape of England’s small villages and the manors which oversee them.

My only criticism, which in fact is a testament to Tesh’s ability to create an absorbing tale, is that I wanted more. The world she builds, the characters with which she populates that world, and the emotional adventure which ensues are all highly addictive and utterly absorbing.

While this is not high literature, and hence the reason for three rather than four or five stars, this is most definitely great escapist literature of the highest calibre. Go read it.

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Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily Tesh concludes her captivating Greenhollow Duology with Drowned Country, and a satisfying conclusion it is.

The story continues with the concept of transformation and love, set amid the overlapping worlds of the English countryside and the fairy realm, and this time she also seamlessly introduces a vampiric presence. She weaves tension through not only her plot advancement, but through the unspoken dialogues between characters. This is very adept writing, weaving all of human experience through any narrative, creating believable characters from the unbelievable.

If you enjoy well-written fantasy the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, Robert Holdstock, or C.J. Cherryh’s Morgaine Cycle, you will certainly enjoy Tesh’s Greenhollow Duology.

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Just checking in

Thought it might be time to do a general update for my readers. I’m not very good at that, I’m afraid, so apologies. Often just feels sort of intrusive on my part, the concept that I should just blurt out to the world what I’m up to, but I suppose that’s more a part of being a private person than anything else.

But on to what I’m up to, if you’re interested.

audiobooks

This is me in the deep end, deciding I can produce audiobooks all on my wee lonesome. It’s been nearly a year in the making so far. My dear husband indulged me and purchased an awesome mic and screen, even headphones he’s been jealously eyeing. I keep demurring. This is a whole new process and I’m not sure I’m capable.

Recently, however, I figured if I can manage InDesign and Photoshop, I can probably wrap my head around Audacity and production standards. So, this week I have begun laying down recordings of the first chapters of Caliban. Why Caliban? Well, because that dear husband said it was more to his taste, a novel he thought readers would really like. I figured, why not? Caliban is as good a place as any to start. And truth be told, I’ve always thought I should have pushed that novel more, marketed it better.

It’s a strange story, about two very strange aliens, one what would be considered a horror to look at, even dangerous, a hunter who lives on a quarantined planet; the other something out of dreams, in fact known as a dreamweaver, beautiful, aloof, part of a race of beings who can alter reality. It’s also a story about indigenous people trying to make themselves known to the rest of civilization, to assert their very existence before their existence is jeopardized. There’s subterfuge and alien sex, mind-shattering pilgrimage and revolutionary beginnings.

When will the audiobook of Caliban be available?

Not quite sure. I’m aiming to have the raw recordings finished by close of year. Then I have to run all those files through editing, and have them vetted by various distribution channels. So, loosely speaking, I’m thinking probably by March I should have Caliban finalized, uploaded, and available through Audible, Amazon, Kobo, and wherever else I can find decent channels.

I thought you were working in a new novel?

Well, yes, I am: Hekja’s Lament. Just to refresh your memory, the novel is based around the settlement of L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, around the year 1021CE, and draws heavily upon a section from the Vinland Sagas which deals with Thorfinn Karslfenni’s occupation of the trading settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, and a couple he’d captured as slaves, Hekja and Haki.

Right now I’m wading through a staggering amount of research and information. I feel like a kid in a candy shop. Research has always been a joy for me; it’s just so damned much fun. However, the result of some of that research has made me realize I have to completely rewrite the first the chapters I have, and revise some of my plot elements rather significantly. It’s also become very clear to me Hekja and her husband were very likely Thules, captured at Baffin Island. That is just so utterly fascinating.

I’m very excited about writing this novel, and despite the fact it has nothing whatsoever to do with anything fantastical, or even science fiction, there is somehow a fantastical element to it in that what the Norse, and all the people involved in that Viking Age, accomplished is nothing short of stunning, albeit usually rapacious, avaricious, and politically motivated.

And what else?

I’m absolutely thrilled to announce I’ve sold a short story, Would We Had Time, to Pulp Literature. The story is tentatively scheduled for the spring 2022 issue. Once again I draw upon my love of history and things nautical; in this story I examine what might have happened to the fated, and now legendary, chronometer aboard the HMS Terror from the Franklin Expedition. And that’s about all I can tell you for the nonce about that story, else I will give it all away.

Don’t forget about the book-bundle permanent deal I’ve set up on each and every page of my book catalogue. The short of it is if you purchase all six of my novels, you get a discount and free shipping. Might not be a bad idea for a gift for this coming festive season, or just for yourself. If you add a note to your order, I’ll even have each book digitally personalized for you for free.

Beyond that, I’ve been looking at TikToc’s #BookToc as a marketing avenue. But I really don’t know. It’s just one more media platform that will suck all the joy and time out of my life. Surely there has to be a better, more effective way to gain readership than some of this huckster-style marketing.

Life at the Old Stone House

Other than that, life at the Old Stone House continues pretty much as it always does. We took delivery of two implement sheds, which we’ve quickly filled with all the implements for our Kubota tractor. The vegetable garden has been cleaned, and the garlic planted for next year. The perennial gardens are all quietly retiring, and now with the addition of another 200 daffodil bulbs. There are likely around 1000 daffodils planted across the property over the past 20 years.

The remaining pots of annuals have to be cleared and composted this coming weekend, and all the windchimes housed for the winter, along with the fountains and pumps. There’s some brush needs clearing.

Birds will be fed. Thoughts will be thunked under the apple tree one last time before the snow flies in earnest.

Inside there are begonias and ivies potted up and awaiting slipping come January. My wee bog plants are thriving under the grow lights. And I dream of spring.

Thanks for reading. Watch for the audiobook release of Caliban. Go have a look at my book bundle. Drop me a line. Leave a comment. Always glad to hear from you.

Review: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

For me, Annie Dillard’s Pulitzer-winning pastoral ponderings were a complete miss. Overall the writing swung from pretentious to dull, her musings entirely self-absorbed, and clearly her modern attempt to emulate Thoreau’s Walden Pond. While others may find it highly absorbing to read a person’s personal diary about life in a modern-day backwoods, for this reader there was nothing particularly insightful or inspirational. It’s all been said before, been done before, with no new perspective on a back-to-nature pilgrimage, in a writing style that had me looking for something else, anything else, to do than read another passage of Dillard’s musings.

If you enjoy self-help books and pretentious biographies, Dillard’s book is for you.

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