Every so often I try to improve my mind (and maybe even my writing) by going to an online lecture. I went to one on audiobooks that explained how to make your own recordings. It was interesting and I did give it a go. It was fun and I ended up producing my very own audiobook of Dark Magic.
The lecturer suggested that everybody should read their books aloud as it was the best way of checking that they read well. There’s a lot in that, but it takes a long time.
I’ve taken the advice for the first couple of chapters of the next Burke book, Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras. It is, if you like, one of the final bits of quality control before it is released on the world. (That means we’re very close to publication. You can start getting excited now.)
My reading is quite flat. I’m not sure it’s up to audiobook quality, but here it is. A sneak preview of the opening of my next book in a convenient audio format.
Let me know what you think. If you like it and you get in touch, I can send you a Spotify voucher for a free copy of the Dark Magic audio book.
During lockdown I home recorded Dark Magic as an audiobook. (You can buy it on Audible, Google Play and other outlets.) It was fun to do and, though sales could be counted on the fingers of one hand, it cost me nothing and during lockdown I had lots of time to experiment with new things.
After lockdown I arranged a better setup and wondered about recording Something Wicked. Something Wicked is quite a lot longer than Dark Magic and there were more demands on my time, so I never finished it. I wasn’t that happy with my first efforts anyway.
Something Wicked has been brought to the front of my mind this week because I’m going to Brompton Cemetery (where a lot of the story is set) to sell copies at their Christmas Fair on Saturday (3 December). That made me get out some of my first attempts at recording the story. If you click on the audio below, you should be able to hear the first 20 minutes. What do you think? Should I try again?
