Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 28

Audiobook Narration and ProductionThis week, we hear from...

Audiobook Narration and Production
This week, we hear from narrator Dorian Bane about adventures in audioland, a slew of cowboys, and the difficulties of voicing a mythical menagerie. We might need espressos for this! Hello, Cafe Risque! When I was first asked if I would be interested in writing a blog about my adventures in audioland, my first reaction was to be immediately flattered that anyone might have interest in reading it! This was followed very quickly by my accepting the offer without a second thought. Hell yeah! I thought. Write about a job I love? This will be a blast! Then, rather abruptly, a new and slightly troublesome thought crept into my mind. Oh, man...Where do I start?!





After careful consideration (IE: Stalling for forever, before writing feverishly once I felt I had procrastinated enough.) I decided that since most of you may not know me from Adam, an introduction would indeed be necessary. So, with that being said…
Hi! I’m Dorian Bane. I’m essentially a 23 year old man trapped in the body of a 31 year old. My hobbies and interests include, But are not strictly limited to, reading, writing, miniature modeling, comic books, music, movies, tabletop/board/RPG games, riding motorcycles (When they are running.), and general slacker activities. Like most folks, I enjoy good food, strong drinks and time spent with friends, laughing and otherwise causing mischief.
Thanks to the support of the outstanding people at Dark Night Sound and Falcon Sound Company, I am a voice actor and audio book narrator with (As of the writing of this post) 23 audio books and 1 video game character in my ever growing portfolio.
I get asked all the time what it’s like to be a narrator and to be honest, it is pretty great! Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of work that goes into it that most people never consider and it has its unique challenges. For instance, while narrating, “Two Cowboys and A Baby,” by B.A. Tortuga, I had a whole slew of cowboys to voice, But still had to make their voices unique. (And some needed to be more similar than others...Hey no spoilers here. Read/listen to see what I mean.)
Right now I am recording for “Fangs and Catnip,” by Julia Talbot. Talk about a diverse cast! Vampires, a gorgon, a gargoyle and shifters of all varieties! So fun! There is a particular Gorgon character whose voice Julia describes as sounding like “two stones rubbing together”... Yeah, I read that and recall saying aloud, “Figure that one out, hotshot.” But as they say, that's why I make the big bucks!
Now that you know a bit about me, feel free to stop back to check out the blog, ask questions, propose post topics, talk about audio or just say hello.


Till next time… Dorian Bane


Find Dorian Bane and Falcon Sound Company on Facebook, and at www.falconsoundcompany.com
Check out Dorian's newest narration, Bru Baker's "Camp H.O.W.L." available on Audible, Amazon, and ITunes!

New Books by BA, Julia, Sean and Kiernan

Hey y'all!

Time for some promo!

From Sean Michael!

Tenor Abriole has just finished his stint as nanny for the Wilsons. He was with the family for twenty-one years, ever since he was eighteen. Now he’s looking for a new family, but finding that at thirty-nine, many people think he’s too old, and those who don’t think that’s a problem are balking at the fact that he’s a man, or that he’s gay, or both. He finally turns to Mannies Inc. for help finding a new position.

Daniel Thorpe is a well-known composer who lives and breathes music. He very much wants to be a father, so he goes the surrogate route, and winds up with triplets on the way. He turns to Mannies Inc. well before his girls are born, but so far has not been happy with any of the men who have applied, until Tenor shows up for an interview. Tenor’s experience being nanny to five children, as well as the fact that he stayed with a single family that long are both pluses in Daniel’s book.

Could it be that Tenor is the last note Daniel needs to compose his greatest work yet – his family?

Evil Plot Bunny Link

Amazon Link

From BA Tortuga

Country hat act Markus Kane is skeptical when he’s asked to do a joint tour. He hasn’t seen Sebastian Longchamps since he gave up drinking—and since their compulsion for each other nearly cost them both their livelihoods. But Markus’s career is on the downhill slope, while the country-fried Cajun rocker’s star is still rising. His label thinks it’ll be a match made in ticket-sales heaven.

Sebastian knows better. One wrong move and Markus will break his heart all over again. This time he has much more to lose.

Time has changed both men, though, and while Markus and Sebastian try to fight their addictions, the big music industry machine has plans for them that don’t include a quiet retirement. Can Markus convince Sebastian that there are things in life more important than adrenaline and control? And can Sebastian make Markus understand that all he really wants is his music and his man?

Second Edition

First Edition published by Torquere Press, September 2012.

Out today at Dreamspinner Press for a special price!

Julia Talbot

Vampire Peyton gets into trouble. A lot. When he offends an entire East Coast clan of vampires up Boston way, he decides he needs a place to hide out for a bit. So he goes back to his Texas roots and calls upon his best friend, Cody Knight, to help him stay safe. Cody runs the Midnight Rodeo, Darque and Knight, and happily agrees to let Peyton come along, even assigning him a bodyguard.

Grizz is a bear shifter, big, strong, and maybe a little… well, bearlike. Who better to watch over Peyton and keep him out of trouble? If Peyton gets out of line, Cody figures, Grizz can just sit on him. Grizz has no idea how much work Peyton will be, or how Peyton will invade his heart. The problem is, Grizz is pretty sure he doesn’t need a beautiful vamp complicating his life. Can he and Peyton find their happy place before it’s too late, or will Peyton’s past catch up with him?

Evil Plot bunny buy link!

Kiernan Kelly

Dakota is a bear shifter who thinks he's the only one of his kind in the whole world, until he meets Jax and the sparks -- and fur -- flies. Dakota and Jax are now convinced they can’t be the only ones who can change their shapes, and are determined to seek out other shapeshifters and give them a safe haven from the humans who’ve mistreated them.  They found the Shifting Sands ranch, a place where all shifters can run free and live in peace.

But what if not all shifters are happy stay hidden away? What if there are apex predators who see everyone else as prey, including the shifters at the ranch?  Dakota and Jax soon find themselves in the fight of -- and for -- their lives.

Shifting Sands includes two bonus stories written in the same universe, The Sound of Home, and Mother Blue's Bar and Grill.

This is a previously published title. The publisher has changed. 

Evil Plot Bunny Link

Amazon link

Hugs

Julia

http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly

Dreamspinner Press is have a sale, and you can now get Cr...

Dreamspinner Press is have a sale, and you can now get Creative Process at 25% off! 

So, in honor of that sale I thought I'd post an excerpt and buy links for my Sunday visit.

Reese Kelsey is a bestselling author living in New York City. He's written a series of books that have been wildly popular, gained him respected reviews and rocketed him to the level of stardom with thriller and forensic detective fans. When the story begins, he is in the middle of publicity for book three and is working on book four, the last book in his series.

Owen Mercado has worked long and hard for a career in the symphony, and success comes with a demanding schedule—something Reese understands. Their desires and lifestyles are surprisingly compatible, and Reese and Owen certainly set the bedroom on fire.

In the excerpt below, Reese spotted the captivating Owen lugging his cello around and has impulsively offered the musician a ride. In return he receives an invitation to hear Owen play at a cafe with a small group from his conservatory days.

~~~~~~~~

Reese slid back into the car. "We're going to make a stop," he told the driver. "Fifth and…?" He'd forgotten already and looked at Owen for help.

Owen leaned in. "Juniper."

"Right. Fifth and Juniper," Reese repeated.

"No problem, sir. Will that be the last stop?"

Reese thought about that, and decided that he wasn't easy walking distance from the Grey Moon.
"No, we'll continue on to—"

"Why don't you come listen?" Owen suggested.

"Listen?" Reese blinked at Owen. He was processing slowly, he must really be tired. "Oh, why don't I come listen? To you play. Why don't I? Yes."

Owen laughed. "That'll be the last stop," he said to the driver.

"Yes, sir."

"Really? That's not weird?" Reese asked.

"Not any weirder than offering a complete stranger with a cello a ride," Owen replied playfully.

True enough. "You're not a complete stranger, we just sat in the same theater together for three hours." Hm. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Excuse me a moment." He opened up Evernote and started typing. Follows woman home from theater – movies? Opera? Leaves her on stage? When he was done he put his phone back in his pocket. "Had to reply to a text," he lied. "Sorry."

"No problem." Owen smiled at him. "Someone wants to know when you'll be home?"

"Ha ha." Reese shook his head. "No. God, no."

Owen nodded. "Averse to relationships. Noted."

"Wait, what?" Reese got the feeling he'd just completely missed his cue. "No! No, I'm not averse. I'm just… there's no one. I'm single." It had been so long that he'd forgotten what it felt like to flirt. And now he was embarrassed and awkward, too. Fuck.

"Unattached."

"Exactly."

"Flying solo."

"I guess."

"Hot."

"Yep." Reese's eyes went wide. "Wait. Oh, my God."

Owen started laughing so hard he fell over sideways on the backseat. "Yep," he repeated just as Reese had said it.

Reese felt himself grin, and the grin grew wider the longer Owen laughed at him. This was fun. Maybe he hadn't entirely lost the ability to laugh at himself after all.

"I stepped right into that, didn't I? You're a sneaky one, Owen."

"Yep," Owen said again. He was still giggling but appeared to be attempting to regain composure. He pushed himself upright. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Really. I apologize."

"Don't. I'll just have to pay you back at some point."

Owen's eyes swept up Reese's body from his lap until he was looking into Reese's eyes. "I look forward to it."

Holy Mother of God. Owen just hit on him. Reese mentally congratulated himself on recognizing it this time, even if it wasn't the least bit subtle. "Me, too."

Owen's smile turned shy and he dropped his gaze for a moment. He looked like he was going to say something more but the car came to a stop. "Right on the corner, sir?"

Reese forced himself to tear his eyes away from Owen's beautiful blush to answer the man's question.
"Uh, yeah. Yes. Here's fine, thanks." He glanced back at Owen, but Owen had carefully schooled his expression and was sliding toward the opposite car door.

You can purchase Creative Process for 25% off at Dreamspinner Press!

Thanks for reading. 
Cheers!
Jodijodipayne.net

Re-release Falling Into Love by S.C. Wynne

Good morning!

I have a new release, actually a re-release, out today. It's a story about someone who's down on his luck who has nothing to lose by starting over.

I wrote this story because I often write very angsty books, and I wanted to right something uplifting and hopeful. What would you do if you had no job, no relationship and the opportunity to start new in another place was presented to you?

Would you jump for it? Would you be scared and stick to things that are familiar to you? Sometimes doing the same old thing is easier than trying something new. Even if what we're doing isn't working, it's less scary to keep in the grooves.

In my story, Chris decides to take the chance. :) Would you?

AMAZON

Blurb:

Chris Lambrough is having a run of bad luck. He's lost his job and his boyfriend and is feeling depressed. His best friend Jenny tells him about an ad she's noticed where The Muddy Mountain Ski Resort is looking for waiters. Chris has restaurant experience and since his New Years Resolution is to learn to ski it seems like a nice opportunity to jump start his life.
Trevor Brown is a ski instructor at the resort. He befriends Chris right away and the have undeniable chemistry. But Trevor has guilt over the death of his lover, Lane two years earlier. Can the two of them learn to trust each other and move forward and forget the past?
If this sounds fun the buy link is below! It's also in Kindle Unlimited for a short time.
S.C. www.sc-wynne.com AMAZON

Feeling old by Felice Stevens

Lately I've been feeling like an old grouch. Everything seems to bother me and the news, both political and in the publishing world, hasn't helped.


Many of you might have seen or heard of the mysterious 50% royalty rate that popped up a few nights ago and just as quickly disappeared. Speculation ran like a wildfire but whatever the end result will be, I'm certain it will not benefit authors. Because  Amazon is not here to benefit authors. They are here to satisfy their bottom line. So we wait and wait because we never know when it will pop up but we can be sure it's coming. One other thing for certain is that we need to be prepared, and I'm making plans.

I'm in author groups where people quibble over what makes a "best seller" (the overwhelming consensus is that it is only if you make the NYT, USA Today or WSJ list.) I see authors attacking authors, authors attacking readers over reviews and readers telling authors how fast and what to write. I think it's all terrible. Write what you want, read what you want and leave the rest alone.

Even though I don't make New Year's resolutions, the one thing I promised to myself was I'd spend less time on social media and I've been trying to follow through. I check in with my reader group,  Felice's Fun House which I love because everyone is so positive, look at my friends page and other authors I follow and then get off-line as quickly as possible. I don't want to hear negativity  and anger. I'm here to write books and talk to readers about books, and argue about iced vs. hot coffee, (ICED) NY style pizza vs. Chicago (NY obviously) and kisses. 

There's a lot more I could say, but I'm tired and cranky. I had the release of my audiobook, All or Nothing narrated by the always wonderful Nick J Russo and in the first day I discovered it uploaded to a pirate site. Piracy is another problem that's running rampant, and could be the subject of an entire blog post in and of itself, but I'll just say please don't support these people. If you'd like to own a copy of All or Nothing, you can get it for one credit if you subscribe to Audible or JOIN Audible and you can get the audiobook for free.
Here is the link:
 http://adbl.co/2CZjmRq



Have a wonderful weekend and happy reading!

What goes into an Audiobook?

Today, we're one-on-one with narrator, John Solo, who is also Falcon Sound Company's Audio Engineer, Producer, and self-described Itinerant Adventurer. We get a lot of questions about our process for creating the audio version of a book. Hopefully, John's able to answer some of those in today's post. Enjoy! ⇼

What goes into an audiobook? Sugar and spice and everything nice?  Well, maybe.  You have no idea about some of the audiobooks I’ve worked on… And before you judge me, you should know that I get paid to do something I love to do!  Even if it does sometimes involve me saying questionable things to myself in a dark soundproof room.  At night.  Alone.  For money.

There seems to be a common misconception that recording an audiobook is as simple as reading the book into a microphone and sending off the audio file to the author.  Easy, cheesy, done.  That should take, like, 6 hours for a 6 hour book, right?  

If it was that easy everyone would be doing it.  Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t rocket science.  It’s certainly not a difficult job.  I don’t have to dig ditches or shovel horse poo.  In fact, there are many days that I don’t change out of my pj’s.  But it is a skilled job, and without the proper knowledge, time, perseverance and the occasional bit of talent sprinkled on top, you may as well be listening to your high school science teacher drone on about pendulums.  And my science teacher had a tendency to spit every time he said the letter “P”...

Every hour of audio that a listener enjoys (I suppose this counts for even the hours the listener doesn’t enjoy) takes, on average, 7 hours to produce.  My job here at Falcon Sound Company, as a narrator and producer is to take a project from receiving the manuscript to delivering the finished audio.  

Let’s take a look at the breakdown of a typical six hour audiobook:

Pre-production: 7 hours This is typically done by the narrator.  The process varies from person to person (these actor types tend to be a fiercely independent, stubborn lot), but when I work on a book as the narrator I will start by reading through the manuscript once to get a feel for it as a reader.  Then I will skim the manuscript a second time while taking notes pertaining to the character voices I plan to use, the emotional ebb and flow of specific scenes, what kind of coffee I plan to drink during production…  You know, important actor stuff.  I will also record a sample of each character voice, to be used for reference throughout the recording and QC process to help with consistency (maybe I should share some pre-production character voice recordings in another blog post…)

Recording: 10.5 hours This is where the fun begins!  Sitting in a dark, padded room telling a story to no one… Actually, some of our sessions do involve an audio engineer/producer sitting outside the booth, where they follow along with the manuscript and provide useful input, such as, “That didn’t sound anything like a 72 year old British woman with a hair lip!”, or, “Why can’t I feel my face?!?” (Seriously, it’s really good coffee…).  But the majority of our sessions are done alone.  There is a lot of extra time spent during this step trying to deliver each line perfectly, practice Audie awards acceptance speeches, and generally trying not to get distracted by videos of cute pets on Facebook.

Editing: 7 hoursAfter the recording of each chapter is done we have to go through and cut out a lot of dead air, coughs, spit takes, laughing, hysterical crying, the occasional sound of cats (real and over mobile devices), and mistakes.  This is considered a first pass of touching up the narrator's timing and delivery.

Quality Control: 14 hoursAbbreviated to QC, this step is by far the most labor intensive.  We listen through the recording once again, this time perfecting the delivery of the spoken word, marking any extraneous noises that may have slipped through (you’d be amazed at the number of involuntary, and lets be honest, sometimes voluntary, noises the human body is capable of making) as well as marking any deviations from the manuscript.  

Punch Out and Pick Up Lines: 7 hoursThe narrator records any Pick Up Lines that are required.  Those are then spliced into the original recording, replacing any mistakes that may have been made during the initial recording sessions.  We also go in and fix any of those extraneous noises that were marked from QC, using fancy software and voodoo and stuff.  


Mastering: 3.5 hoursBy this point in the game we are almost out of coffee, and you know that’s going to be a problem… Here we prepare the files for consumer formatting, making sure there are consistent pauses used for the beginning and ending of chapters, scene breaks, etc… We also insert a clean room tone sound in between pauses in the narrator’s speech, prep the opening and closing credits, and bring all of the chapters up to a uniform industry standard volume so listeners don’t have to turn down or turn up their players from chapter to chapter.  Finally, we deliver the completed project to our client via US carrier pigeon and make a traditional sacrifice to the gods of the romance universe in the hopes that the people will be entertained...  

Whew!  If you’ve been keeping up with the math, and I know you have, that comes out to 42 hours of fun; all to produce a 6 hour audiobook.  There’s also the day-to-day operations of running the business side of things, and don’t forget the playing with animals! But, from where I sit, this is the most enjoyable and rewarding career an introverted extrovert that likes to make funny noises and pretend he’s other people could ever have…
So, if it takes 42 hours just to make the audiobook, I wonder how long it takes to write the damn thing...



Find John Solo and Falcon Sound Company on Facebook

Also, check out his newest narration "One Man's Trash", by Marie Sexton. Available now!

Special Price Kindle World Book (US ONLY) by S.C. Wynne

Hello everybody!
This week I thought I'd share with you that my Kindle World story that I wrote for Felice Steven's Memories of the Breakfast Club World is on sale for only 99 cents! Unfortunately, it's only available in the U.S. for now.
AMAZON
BLURB:
Scottie Kinland works as the Kennel Manager for the Paws For Care veterinary clinic. Spending his days with animals is the only way he can feel safe. He has first-hand knowledge of how cold and calculating humans can be. How could he ever forget? He wears the scars on his face and his heart.

Lance Franklin likes to play the field. Still reeling from a lying cheating fiancée, he’s plowing through men like aspirin; only the pain of betrayal still stings. When he takes his mom’s dog in to the Paws For Care clinic, he’s immediately drawn to the quiet loner Scottie. But Scottie wants nothing to do with Lance.

Lance persists and he manages to forge a fragile relationship with Scottie. But just as both men begin to believe perhaps fate has something beautiful in store for them; the past collides with their future in a shocking way.
EXCERPT:
The clinic was busy today, and I couldn’t wait for my hour on the desk to be over. Patty had said it would be good for me to run the front while she was gone. She was always trying to help me get out of my shell. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it wasn’t just that I was shy. I had a real reason for not trusting mankind. It was best I stuck to my dogs. They loved me and I loved them. We understood one another in a way humans rarely could.My heart began to bang in my chest when the dark-haired guy stood and approached me. “Can I help you?” I was annoyed when my voice wobbled.He twisted his lips. “I can see you guys are super busy today. Do you think maybe I should rebook and come back another time?”I looked down at the big appointment book. “You’re next.”He glanced at the clock over my head. “It’s just that I have to get to work by five thirty and it’s four forty-five now.”“Well, it’s your choice.”He sighed. “I guess I’d better. Pinky’s only here for a checkup. It’s not like she has a disease or anything.”I looked at the dog, noting her bright eyes and wet nose. “She looks healthy to me.” He smiled and my stomach did a somersault at his sexy dimples. “Not that I’m a doctor.”He put his hand on the appointment book. “Is it okay if I make a different appointment, then?”His fingers were tanned and long. I couldn’t help but wonder what they’d feel like on my skin. I shook myself, embarrassed at my stupid reaction to him. Jesus, I was acting like I’d never met a nice-looking guy before. “Do what you want.” My tone was way snippier than I intended.He pulled his hand away and gave a short laugh. “Okay. Can you book me another appointment for this week, maybe earlier in the day so I can get to work on time?”“Sure.” I searched the register and found a few openings. “Two o’clock Thursday?”“Sounds good.” He smiled at me again.“What’s your name?” I felt my face warm. “Never mind. I’ll just put your mom’s name again.”“Either. My name’s Lance by the way.” He held out his hand.My heart banged against my ribs as I stared at his hand. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to feel his smooth flesh against mine so much it was ridiculous. But I was afraid my hand would be sweaty. In fact I knew my hand would be sweaty since I felt like I was having a panic attack.He surprised me when he leaned closer and took my hand. A spark traveled up my arm straight to my chest. He grinned. “You’re cute.”I just stared at him, embarrassed that my crotch was bulging and grateful for the counter that hid that fact.He still held my hand, and he swept his thumb over my tingling skin. “Will you be here next time I come in?”I shook my head. “God, I hope not.”He frowned. “That’s not very flattering.”Heat filled my cheeks yet again. “I mean I don’t like working the front desk.”“Ahhh.” A flirty gleam entered his brown eyes. “That’s okay, then.”I pulled my hand from his and stammered, “You’re all set. Two o’clock on Thursday.”“Trying to get rid of me?” His full lips curved in a smile.“No.” I was certain he was aware of how much he affected me, and it was getting painful trying to act normal. Normal-ish.“I’m just teasing.” He twisted his lips. “So I’m all set for Thursday at two?” “Yes. I guess we’ll see you then,” I said quietly. “I mean… I probably won’t because I’m usually out back.” I swallowed. “Anyway…” God, had I always been this lame around other guys?He gave me another one of his sexy grins. “Maybe Thursday I’ll come out back and say hi.”I opened my mouth to speak just as there was a loud growl and one of the dogs behind him lunged for another smaller dog. The owner of the bigger dog was taken completely off guard. She was a thin, frail-looking woman who didn’t have a prayer of holding the huge Rottweiler back from the smaller yellow Lab. Without thinking, I raced around the counter and got between the two dogs.The bigger dog had the lab by the throat, but he hadn’t really latched on very well. With my heart pounding, I grabbed his jaws and tried to pull them open. “No! Let go.” My voice broke as anger got the best of me. “Let go, now.” The lab yelped, sounding panicked and scared, and the Rottweiler pushed against me, trying to get a better grip on the Lab. I elbowed his muscled chest and strained to open his mouth. “Stop,” I yelled.Miraculously the Rottweiler suddenly obeyed and sat back on his haunches still growling but eying me warily. I breathed hard as I wedged between them completely, shielding the Lab with my body. “You’re okay, boy.” I stroked his head, and he whined and pushed his face into my chest.I was surprised and relieved to discover Lance had moved to help restrain the bigger dog. His hand was latched on to the dog’s collar, keeping Pinky safely tucked on his other side. “I’ve got him.” His jaw was tight as he held the huge animal.I spoke to the owner of the Lab. “Follow me. Let’s get him somewhere safe so he can calm down.”The examining room door was flung open and Dr. Hazelton raced into the room. “What’s going on?”Still panting after my tussle with the dogs, I tried to get the words out. “Rottweiler attacked the Lab. I broke it up.”His eyes dropped to the Lab. “Is he hurt?”I shook my head. “Don’t think so. There’s no blood.”“Thank goodness for that.” He stood back as I led the Lab into one of the examination rooms. He followed and stroked the Lab’s head. “You’re a good boy.”I met Dr. Hazelton’s gaze. “Is it okay if he stays in here until his turn? He’s shaking.”“Of course. I’ll see him next so we can get him home ASAP.” The doctor narrowed his gaze and then said, “You need to be careful getting between two dogs in a fight.”“I had to do something.”His brown gaze was admiring. “I know. I just don’t want you getting hurt. You did a good job, Scottie.”“Thanks.” I flushed at the praise.He patted my shoulder. “That was enough excitement for one day.”“Yeah.”He left me and returned to his other patient, and I lifted the dog onto the examination table. The poor Lab was still trembling and uneasy.“Thank you so much,” the owner of the Lab said. She was an older woman with white hair and steely blue eyes. “I thought Robbie was toast. I didn’t know what to do.”“That woman has no business with a big dog like that,” I muttered, stroking the soft fur of the Lab and feeling his neck for any broken skin.“You were very brave,” the Lab’s owner said softly. “I don’t know how to thank you.”I grimaced. “I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t do.”She laughed gruffly. “You were the only one who jumped between them.” She frowned. “I was too frozen with terror.”“Me too.”When Lance spoke behind me, I twitched uneasily and faced him. “I didn’t know you were here.”“I wanted to see if the dog was okay.”My pulse spiked as I met his pretty brown eyes. “Thanks for your help.”“Of course. But I didn’t do much.”“You did more than you know.” The skinny owner of the Rottweiler had been like a paper doll on the end of the leash. I’d felt much better once Lance had stepped in.I checked over the Lab thoroughly, making sure he wasn’t hurt. The dog was nervous, but he seemed unharmed. I patted his fluffy head. “Poor thing. You were just sitting there minding your own business, weren’t you, boy?” The dog licked my face and I chuckled. “Awww. I like you too.”Patty opened the door of the room and peeked in. “Everything okay?” She bit her lip. “I mean other than the dog fight in the waiting room.”“Sorry.” I held my hands stiffly at my sides. I was embarrassed that a dog fight had broken out on my watch.She frowned. “I’m not blaming you, silly. You were the hero in the room.”Scowling, I said, “No. Not even close.”“You’re my hero.” Lance had a big grin on his face.My heart fluttered and I shoved away those sappy feelings. The guy was way out of my league. I was stupid for even talking to him. I met Patty’s gaze. “Can I get off the desk now?”She nodded with a sigh. “Yes. Run away back to your animal pals.”I started to leave, and Lance grabbed my arm. “Hey, mind if I come out back?”“What?” I frowned. “Why?”He twisted his lips. “Um…” He brightened as if an idea had come to him. “Well, if anything ever happens to Pinky and she has to spend the night here, I want to know what the facilities are like.”I squinted at him. “Are you just making that up?”Patty laughed and addressed the Lab’s owner. “Mrs. Brown, I need you to sign a few papers about the incident with that other dog. Can you follow me?” She guided the other woman out of the room with a little smile on her face.Lance waited until they were gone, and then he asked, “Is it against the rules to give a customer a tour of the facilities?”“No. But I thought you had to hurry off for work?”Smiling coyly, Lance said, “I have some time.”I didn’t like how nervous he made me. I preferred to be left alone in my little bubble. I felt safer that way. I didn’t want to know him better. I didn’t want to know anyone better.“M… maybe another time.” I took a step back from him.His mouth turned down at the corners, but he pressed closer to me. I caught a whiff of his spicy cologne and my body responded again, my crotch warming. His gaze fell to my mouth and he licked his lips. He was so close I was self-conscious about my scar. I put my hand over my jaw and swallowed uneasily.“Do I make you nervous, Scottie?” His voice was husky.I wasn’t the type of person who picked up guys or got picked up while out shopping or running errands. I knew a lot of people thought nothing of meeting people that way, but that wasn’t my style. And I definitely didn’t pick up guys at my work. Not to mention how mystified I was that anyone like him would be bothering with a guy like me. Even before I’d turned into an antisocial weirdo, Lance probably would have been out of my league. It was obvious the guy had money. His clothing was all designer labels, while I was wearing the same ratty jeans I’d owned for years. Was he just messing with me? The idea of that made me pissed. I hated fake people who toyed with others’ emotions. I hated them with a passion.Apparently unaware of my inner turmoil, Lance winked and said, “Come on, take me out back.”I sucked in a big breath and said, “No.”He frowned. “Why not?”“You don’t really want a tour.”He grinned. “Sure I do.”I kept my hand over my scar, feeling inadequate and grumpy. “I’m working.”“Aren’t you ever spontaneous?”“No.” Not anymore.He pouted his lips. “You’re no fun.”“I’m not here to have fun. I’m here to work.”He leaned closer. “All work and no play makes Scottie a dull boy.”That annoyed me even more. Did the guy have no boundaries? I needed this job. It didn’t matter how good-looking he was, making out with customers in the back would get me fired. I wasn’t about to fuck things up at work because this guy got his jollies flirting with the help. “What exactly do you think is gonna happen here?”He laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe we can go out back and see how good of a kisser you are? Or maybe I can get your number and we can have a little casual fun one night.”“Oh really?”“Sure.” He frowned. “Did I read the signals wrong? Are you straight?”“No.” I was mortified I’d apparently been giving off signals of some kind. “But that’s not the point.”“What is the point, then?”I felt like my face was on fire. “We just met.”“Even better.”“Seriously?”“Sure. Why not? You’re cute.”Irritation flushed up my neck. The more he talked, the more I realized what a shallow jerk he was. Did guys usually just roll over and stick their asses in the air for this routine? As anger rolled through me, I turned and lifted the Lab to the ground. His owner would be back in a minute, but I didn’t want him falling off the table when I left the room.“So what do ya say? I can see you’re kind of shy. Can I at least get your number?” Lance’s voice was velvety and coaxing.I faced him and I could feel the veins bulging in my neck as I spoke. “No way.”He looked completely floored. His eyes widened and he laughed. “Why not?” He touched my arm softly. “I can tell you’re attracted to me.”I pulled my arm away and glared at him. “I don’t know what kind of stupid game you’re playing. But I’m not interested.” I turned around and left the examination room, shaking with anger.
Hope you enjoyed reading that! See you next week. :)S.C.www.sc-wynne.com

New Release by Felice Stevens

Happy Friday and first week of 2018!
I've got a surprise release for you. I'e expanded the newsletter short, rounding out Gideon and Jonah's wedding and adding in a sexy wedding night epilogue for Adam and Rico. Plus you get to meet P.J. (Patrick's son)and his boyfriend.I hope you enjoy it. It will be available everywhere as it is not in KU, but as of this time, only Amazon has it up and running. The cover is by Reese Dante.
Here is the link and the blurb:It’s time to celebrate Gideon and Jonah’s wedding day and all their family and friends are gathered for the occasion. As best man, Rico has everything planned, including a surprise for his boyfriend that Adam never saw coming. So sit back, grab a glass of champagne and join two of your favorite couples as they finally reach their hard-fought Happily Ever After.
This is a 6,000 word short story that contains several nervous grooms, parents who couldn’t be prouder, bagels and lox and a whole lot of wedding night sexy times.
http://amzn.to/2lYWRSa

New Year, New Voices

So this is Thursday, 2018 style.  Happy New Year! From our studios in currently chilly snow-covered Ohio, Falcon Sound Company team members will be joining you weekly to bring a few new voices to the conversation in the Cafe. We are the producers of the audiobook versions of some of your favorite romances. Our studio has released over 300 titles in a variety of genres, including a large selection of MM Romance.  As with every project we do, this will be a team effort. I’m Rayna Cole, and I’ll be organizing the chaos.  My husband John and I are the proud owners of this madhouse, which makes us engineers, narrators and producers for Falcon Sound Company audiobooks.  As much as it sometimes feels like we do everything, that’s not even close.  We produce and support a fantastic group of narrators working across the United States and beyond and it’s their voices that bring these stories to life.  We’ll be hearing from some of them to get perspectives from both sides of the glass. We’ll look at the technical aspects of audiobook production, and we’ll talk about what it takes to go from a great book to a great audiobook. Plus, how much time we spend shut in tiny padded rooms, professionally.   
With our love of team projects in mind, we could not be more excited to team up for Cafe Risque with so many fantastic authors! For some, this will be an opportunity to work together again, as it has been our pleasure to produce several audio-books written by Cafe Risque writers in the past.  We are the predominant producers of the wonderfully diverse  Dreamspun Desires and Dreamspun Beyond series, both of which have given us an opportunity to read so many new authors. So, if you’ve been reading along, you may have heard some of our work. Here’s a few suggestions for the audio library:



Andrew Grey’s “An Isolated Range,” narrated by Andrew McFerrin Julia Talbot’s “Catching Heir,” narrated by John SoloCardeno C.’s “ In Another Life and Eight Days,” narrated by John Solo and Nick J RussoBA Tortuga’s “Two Cowboys and a Baby,”  narrated by Dorian Bane

In addition, John Solo is currently recording Andrew Grey’s “A Wild Ride,” and Dorian Bane is currently working on narration for “Fangs and Catnip,” by Julia Talbot, so look for those great listens coming soon!

We put a lot of time and effort into creating audio-books that do justice to the authors’ hard work and the enjoyment of the listeners.  We also have a lot of fun doing it!  Hopefully we can share some of that fun with you.
Later on this month, we’ll be hearing from narrators Dorian Bane, Andrew McFerrin, and John Solo.  There’ll be more on current projects, new releases and old favorites.  Also, we’ll be following progress in the first annual AudioBook Listener’s Awards.  Thanks for listening!  See you next week!
For more from Falcon Sound Company, find us at www.falconsoundcompany.com and on Facebook

New year wishes (not resolutions) from BA, Julia, Kiernan, and Sean

Hey y'all!

We asked 3 questions for 2018

They were:

One new thing you want to try in the New Year, one thing you're not going to do in the new year that you've been doing, and one thing you want to improve

BA Tortuga

1. I want to try to read at least an hour a day. 2. I want to avoid stress in my day to day life. 3. I want to improve my health.

Julia Talbot

I want to try a new recipe every week. 2. I won't check Facebook obsessively. I'm happier when I keep it to a few times a day. 3. I want to get my sugars down more.

Kiernan

1. I want to try to learn how to quilt. 2. I'm resolving to lessen my exposure to negativity online, and not get sucked into the drama on Facebook. 3. I want to improve my writing output, which has been sluggish of late.

1. I want to go to the gym at least once a week. 2. I want to stop beating myself up over the stuff I don't do - I don't need to do absolutely everything 3. I want to improve my time management.

Happy New Year!

XXOO

Julia

http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Julia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.com

BA’s is http://www.batortuga.com

Kiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com

Facebook:

Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelW...

Julia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbota...

BA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortuga

Kiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly