Staff Pick: Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff

Title: Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered
Author: Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgariff
Narrator: Paul GiamattiKaren KilgariffGeorgia Hardstark

I’ll admit that I’m addicted to listening to podcasts and audiobooks. It’s not a bad addiction to have, but it does mean that I more-so dabble in multiple podcasts rather than diligently listen to every single episode of one particular podcast. There’s not enough time in the day! This is the case for My Favorite Murder. Over the past few years I have only listened to a few episodes here and there, so I can’t truly call myself a “Murderino” as they have so lovingly dubbed their listeners, but every episode I listened to was super interesting and often had me laughing out loud.

When I saw that the hosts of My Favorite Murder, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, were coming out with a book I just had to listen to it. And with a catchy title like, Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, which is also their sign off at the end of every podcast episode, my interest was immediately peaked. I’m a simple gal – I see a book with a cheeky title about murder and I read it!

In Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Kilgariff and Hardstark focus on some key pearls of wisdom that they’ve shared over the years on their podcast, but they go into further details with each topic. They both share personal stories, look back on fond (and not so fond) memories, and somehow it always relates back to one of the many murders that they’ve touched on in their podcast. I especially resonated with their stories from when they were teenagers and how a lot of what they went through shaped them into the people they are today. Even though I didn’t know these two authors that well I was interested in hearing their perspectives and their stories because they tell them in such a relatable way.

This audiobook was such a fun listen! With Kilgariff and Hardstark narrating it themselves it felt so genuine and kept the same vibe of their podcast. They also included sections of the audiobook read in front of a live audience, which made the narration feel that much more heartfelt and touching. You just know that they are so grateful for all of their listeners and this is made clear through this book.

No matter if you’re a casual listener, a die-hard fan, or if you’ve never even heard of My Favorite Murder, you will still absolutely love this audiobook. So, give it a listen, laugh, cringe, cry and…Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered. What great advice, right?

Publisher Summary:

The highly anticipated first book by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the #1 hit podcast My Favorite Murder!
Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen and Georgia irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation.
In
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, Karen and Georgia focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being ‘nice’ or ‘helpful.’ They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.

Read more and sample the audio →


New to Audiobooks.com? Get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Easy as ABC! Get Learning With These Educational Audiobooks

As humans, we are constantly seeking new knowledge and, for the most part, inherently curious about the world around us. We’ve been relaying information and stories orally for thousands of years and countless studies have found that the combination of reading text accompanied with listening to audio can increase comprehension.

Learning is an important part of life and can help you develop your skills, form new opinions, and grow your knowledge base – plus you’ll have fun facts to share at your next social gathering, which is the most important benefit, right? So, broaden your horizon with our recommendations below and click here to view the complete ‘Keep on Learning’ booklist.

Don’t forget to visit our FacebookTwitter, and Instagram accounts, and use the hashtag #IListenFor to let us know why you love listening to audiobooks. Lastly, don’t forget to enter our contest for a chance to win the ultimate audiobook lovers prize pack!


History

Confucius once said, “Study the past, if you would define the future,” which is pretty straight-forward if you ask me. So, let’s start off with some great reads about important events that make up our history.

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, narrated by Doug Ordunio

In this national best-seller and Pulitzer Prize winning read, Jared Diamond recounts the rise of the modern world and how much of our history hinges on geographical and environmental factors. If you’re looking for a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of human societies, you’ll definitely want to pick up Guns, Germs, and Steel.

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The Stonewall Reader by New York Public Library, narrated by Rebecca LowmanMichael CrouchBarbara RosenblattGraham HalsteadEric MarcusJulian CihiAllen YoungPenny ArcadeKristin ParkerLillian RiveraMiss Major Griffin-GracyJay London TooleSerene RoseMartin BoyceSylvia RiveraMarsha P. JohnsonMorty ManfordDick LeitschHugo BressonXavier SmithMinerva SummerDanny DeferrariTenaja JordanJason Bauman

The Stonewall Reader is a combination of first accounts, diaries, periodic literature, and articles from the Stonewall uprising of 1969, five years before and five years after. Read all about what is considered the most momentous event in the gay liberation movement, and who played a major part in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States.

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The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, narrated by Laurence Kennedy

In The Silk Roads, Frankopan takes you through the history of the world from a new perspective, arguing that the rise and fall of both Eastern and Western empires were greatly linked by the Silk Roads (an important trading route between China and the Mediterranean). Dive into this audiobook if you’re a history buff or if you’re looking for a new perspective.

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Science

In my days as a student I never would have considered myself science-savvy and I certainly wouldn’t have cracked open a giant biology textbook and leisurely absorbed the dense information. These audiobooks are much more exciting and a far cry from those mandatory readings, plus you’ll learn a thing or two along the way!


Cosmos by Carl Sagan, narrated by LeVar BurtonNeil DeGrasse TysonSeth MacFarlaneAnn Druyan

If you have any questions about Earth, space, life, or anything relating to our universe, chances are that Carl Sagan’s Cosmos will answer it for you. Sagan delves into the past 14 billion years of cosmic revolution and explores how science touches almost all aspects of life. Considering this is one of the best-selling science books of all time, it’s worth a listen.

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The Breath of a Whale by Leigh Calvez, narrated by Karen White

If you’re as mystified by whales as I am then this is the book for you. Leigh Calvez spent a dozen years studying and researching all types of whales in their natural habitat. This robust experience allows her to relate the whale’s behavior patterns to that of our own and, overall, strengthen our connection with the natural world.

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Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, narrated by Steve West

Most people have heard the classic adage of getting a good night’s sleep, but why do we need to? Matthew Walker answers that question in Why We Sleep. He also tackles other topics related to sleep such as REM sleep, sleep aids, caffeine’s effect and much more.

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Health & Wellness

The path of self-discovery is different for everyone, but a great way to start your journey is by discovering new things about yourself. Get inspired with one of these audiobooks, look inward, learn how your mind works, and get motivated!


Happily Never After by Jill Stark, narrated by Jill Stark

Jill Stark’s Happily Never After aims to flip the idea of “happily ever after” upside down and challenge its weight in all of our lives. Stark uses personal stories of her feelings of disconnect in this modern world to illustrate her theory that if we stood still instead of spent our time chasing happiness our lives would be drastically different.

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Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., narrated by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.

Neuropsychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel uses his interdisciplinary background to explore how our minds work and how it makes us who we are. If you’re looking to learn more about how the human mind works and how to foster its potential growth Mind will illuminate those topics and so much more.

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Life Honestly by Various, narrated by Sam Baker, Zawe Ashton

Life Honestly is an uplifting anthology with pieces of varying lengths from some of today’s most inspiring and talented writers. From stories of weddings and friendship to workplace inequality, you’re bound to collect some pearls of knowledge that you can apply to your own life.

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New to Audiobooks.com? Get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Enrich Your Life With These Listens!

In celebration of Audiobook Month, we want to focus on the many ways that audiobooks add to our lives and make them better. Last week we chatted about how audiobooks can help you stay entertained. This week we’re highlighting how you can enrich your life with some noteworthy listens.

Why not give one of these life-changing titles a listen and add a little enrichment to your day? To see our full “Books That Make You Think” book list, click here. Also, don’t forget to visit our FacebookTwitter, and Instagram accounts, and use the hashtag #IListenFor to let us know why you love audiobooks. Lastly, don’t forget to enter our contest for a chance to win the ultimate audiobook lovers prize pack!

Inspiring Listens

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, narrated by Karissa Vacker

Follow five different women in a small Oregon fishing town in a time when abortion is, again, illegal in America and every embryo is given citizenship under a “Personhood Amendment.” How do these women handle this new way of life and the challenges that come along with it?

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Room by Emma Donoghue, narrated by Suzanne TorenEllen ArcherRobert PetkoffMichal Friedman

Room is all five-year-old Jack has ever known, it’s his whole world. In reality, Room is where his Ma has been held captive for the last seven years by Old Nick. Room was made into an award-winning motion picture in 2015.

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Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor, narrated by Yetide Badaki

Kabu Kabu means “unofficial taxi,” which is fitting for this collection of stories from award-winning author, Nnedi Okorafor. Each short-story (or novella) included in this collection will take you to a new and exciting part of Okorafor‘s imagination.

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Award Winners


There There by Tommy Orange, narrated by Alma CuervoKyla GarciaDarrell DennisShaun Taylor-Corbett

There There is the debut novel from Tommy Orange, which follows 12 different Native American characters. Each character’s story is beautifully interwoven throughout the novel and it all coalesces at the Big Oakland Powwow. There There received the Gold Medal for First Fiction from the California Book Awards, the National Book Critics Circle Award’s “John Leonard Prize,”the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, and was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, narrated by Bahni Turpin 

Cora is working as a slave at a cotton plantation in Georgia when she meets Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia. He tells her all about the underground railroad, which, in this case, is an actual railroad that runs beneath the ground. In this Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel, follow Cora as she discovers a new world at every train stop on her quest for true freedom.

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin

Living in a poor neighborhood while attending a fancy prep school already has sixteen-year-old Starr Carter teetering between two worlds. This fragile balance is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Starr must then decide between speaking out for Khalil and staying quiet for her and her family’s safety. The Hate U Give not only won countless awards, but the audiobook also received the Audie Awards for Best Young Adult and Best Female Narrator.

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Diverse Listens


The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar, narrated by Jeed Saddy

The Atlas of Reds and Blues features a narrator known only as “The Mother” who moves with her family to Atlanta to start fresh but finds that racism is still running rampant. Eventually, a police raid of her house ends with her being shot. As she lies bleeding, she replays her life and tries to find out how she got there. Drawing inspiration from the author’s own experience of a raid on her home, The Atlas of Reds and Blues tackles what life is like as a second-generation American and a woman of color.

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Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala, narrated by Julia WhelanPrentice Onayemi

Speak No Evil follows the story of Niru who appears to have it all; however, he has a secret—he’s queer. Only his friend, Meredith, knows and keeps this secret. Once Niru’s father discovers his son is queer and Meredith is unable to provide support for him due to her own emotional stress, Niru’s future and everything he expected is thrown into chaos.

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Training School For Negro Girls by Camille Acker, narrated by Bahni TurpinJanina Edwards 

A compelling debut from Camille Acker, Training School for Negro Girls is a collection of short stories told from the perspectives of women of color about race, gender, family, identity, and more. These women navigate the pressures of society while also challenging the stereotypes of what it means to be black.

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New to Audiobooks.com? Get a free audiobook when you sign up for our one month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobook!

STAFF PICK: Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow

Post by Jennifer Joudrey

Title: Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow
Author: E.K. Johnston
Narrator: Catherine Taber

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

Star Wars fans are familiar with the legendary story of Luke Skywalker and how he used to bullseye womp rats back on Tatooine, leading him to successfully bring down the Death Star, or how about the unforgettable tale of the Millenium Falcon? It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. These stories are heavily embedded in Star Wars lore, but what about some of the unknown stories?

In Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow we are reunited with Padmé Naberrie, formerly the Queen of Naboo. Now leaving her nobility behind, she finds herself in the middle of the chaotic and dangerous Galactic Senate on the planet of Coruscant. As Queen, Padmé was always so certain of her actions, but as a Senator everything is new. Trying to maneuver her way through the volatile political climate proves challenging as she learns who she can trust and who she cannot.

The narrator Catherine Taber delivers the action-packed book in an energetic and exciting manner. Listeners familiar with the Star Wars saga will enjoy this movie-like audio experience. This book is full of characters that are well-known in the Star Wars universe, and she gives each character a dynamic presence in audio form. Through her tone, the listener can hear both the strength of Padmé as a character who successfully defended her home planet of Naboo from invasion, and her vulnerability as a new Senator attempting to navigate an ever changing political environment.

This is E.K. Johnston’s second Star Wars novel. Similar to her previous novel, Johnston was able to provide more background and history to a character that has such an important role in the fandom that Star Wars fans know and love. She has provided us with a detailed account of the struggles that Padmé faced entering the Galactic Senate because of factors such as her age, gender, and inexperience. There has been a lot of debate recently regarding the way that female characters are portrayed in the media, and Johnston’s portrayal of Padmé shows strength and determination in the face of adversity. Writing a book about such a pivotal character could be a daunting task, however, Johnston effectively bridges what we know about Padmé’s past and future in an exciting read.

Listening to a Star Wars audiobook will be a game-changer for any fan of the movies. I cannot recommend them enough. Other amazing titles to check out would be:
Star Wars Ahsoka, Phasma, and Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi Leia, Princess of Alderaan.

Publisher Summary:

Written by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars Ahsoka!

When Padmé Naberrie, ‘Queen Amidala’ of Naboo, steps down from her position, she is asked by the newly-elected queen to become Naboo’s representative in the Galactic Senate. Padmé is unsure about taking on the new role, but cannot turn down the request to serve her people. Together with her most loyal handmaidens, Padmé must figure out how to navigate the treacherous waters of politics and forge a new identity beyond the queen’s shadow.

Read more and sample the audio →

New to Audiobooks.com? Get a free audiobook when you sign up for our one month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobook!

From Book to Broadway

Did you know that some of the most well-known broadway shows are often based on books? It’s true, before the catchy show tunes and choreographed numbers, these stories lived on pages instead. Before heading to the theater, or if you can’t snag a ticket to these popular shows, why not listen to the work that inspired it all?

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo

After a soundtrack that went viral and a successful run Off Broadway, Be More Chill just debuted on Broadway in March of 2019. Based on Ned Vizzini‘s novel of the same name, Be More Chill is a sci-fi story that focuses on the importance of being yourself.

Publisher Summary:

Jeremy Heere is your average high school dork. Day after day, he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and dryly notes the small humiliations that come his way. Until the day he learns about the ‘squip.’ A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the squip is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life… 

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Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, narrated by Scott Brick

In 2015, Hamilton: An American Musical, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, took the world by storm with its refreshing cast and innovative use of rapping to tell the story of one of America’s founding fathers. Since then, it has been critically acclaimed and has won countless awards including a Grammy, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 11 Tonys.

Publisher Summary:

In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, National Book Award winner Ron Chernow tells the riveting story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America… 

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Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, narrated by Pete Cross

Les Misérables was adapted into a French Broadway musical in 1980 and then later translated to English in 1985. Often fondly called, Les Mis, it is the second longest running musical in the world and was the recipient of 8 Tony awards. Most recently, a film adaptation was released starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russel Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, and many other notable stars.

Publisher Summary:

Considered to be French novelist Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables, which was published in 1862, is a sprawling historical and philosophical epic that covers from 1815 through the Paris Uprising in 1832…

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Wicked by Gregory Maguire, narrated by John McDonough

Now a record-breaking, award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked, an adaptation of Gregory Maguire‘s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, debuted in 2003. This re-telling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (also a Broadway musical) tells the tale from the perspective of the misunderstood Wicked Witch of The West.

Publisher Summary:

Maguire travels back to Frank L. Baum’s land of Oz for this absorbing fantasy that delves into the background if the famed Wicked Witch of the West, a misunderstood creature who challenges the preconceived notions of good and evil.

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Matilda by Roald Dahl, narrated by Kate Winslet

Based on the beloved children’s book of the same name, Matilda: The Musical, tells the classic tale of Matilda, an amazing girl with the power of telekinesis. Matilda: The Musical saw its Broadway debut in 2013 and since then, has received five Tony Awards and boasts the most Olivier awards held by a musical, tying only with Hamilton.

Publisher Summary:

Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she’s just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating terror of a headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It’ll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!

Read more and sample the audio →

New to Audiobooks.com? Get a free audiobook when you sign up for our one month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobook!

Audiobooks.com Interview with Andrea Emmes, Audiobook Narrator

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes while narrating an audiobook, take a listen to our interview with audiobook narrator, Andrea Emmes, where she chats about her favorite titles, how she gets into character, and sheds some light on the audiobook recording process.

Audiobooks.com: Let’s start out with how you got into narrating audiobooks.

Andrea: That’s a good question. I’ve been a performer for most of my professional life, actress or dancer. In 2006, I actually was in a bad accident in a stage show I was in and ended up getting a pain disorder, so I had to regroup and find something else to do. So, I went back to college, got a degree in video game design and art design and was a Game Designer at Disney Interactive for a couple years, but then got laid off.

I was like, “Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?” It’s so hard to find another job, especially with my pain disorder. I don’t even remember how exactly I was looking and my husband went, “Well, why don’t you look into audiobooks?” Because he listens to audiobooks all the time. “Oh my god, that’s a great idea.” because I have my voice over equipment and my mic—I still had all my equipment, so I started researching it and I found an article on ACX that Sean Allen Pratt, who is a coach and a narrator, wrote, reached out to him, and kind of started from there.

Audiobooks.com: Very cool. So, when it comes to recording audiobooks, what is your process for getting into character?

Andrea: Ou, that’s a good question. It’s so interesting because when you’re doing a book you’re every character, right?

Audiobooks.com: Right!

Andrea: So, we have to flip flop back and forth constantly kind of like Sybil, if you know that movie reference? I might’ve dated myself.

I do a lot of prep work beforehand. I have this whole spreadsheet where, as I’m reading the book, I write down all the characters—information about them, their quirks, their age, certain vocal qualities or accents that are listed in the book, or other attitude attributes. So, I have them kind of locked in at least there, so I have an idea of who everyone is before I actually go into the recording studio. Because it’s kind of a constant switch back and forth, sometimes there’s a lot of stopping and I have to go back to my spreadsheet, take a moment, “Oh yeah, that’s right, where we are in the scene,” until you finally get into the flow of being able to switch back and forth.

A lot of times it’s just a matter of, “Okay, I’ve got this one character who is quirky, but she’s a little bit jealous of the main character because she wants that guy or whatever.” Then, I try to just say, “Where would I find that emotion?” Or, I’ll actually have this list of character references to say, “Maybe it’s Rachel McAdams from Mean Girls that I’ll kind of pull that attitude from.” Or Reese Witherspoon from Legally Blonde if I’m looking for something that’s really bubbly and positive.

Audiobooks.com: That’s very cool and on our end, when you listen to it, it just sounds like a natural flow from character to character. Sometimes you don’t think about what goes into it.

Andrea: Yeah, and that’s the hard part. To me, it’s slow, and sometimes it’s a matter of the editing part. Sometimes like, “Oh, wait,” I have to stop, pause a second because I went out of voice. Sometimes it’s easy to blend the voice from one to the other when you’re going back and forth [between] accents. If I’m speaking in an Irish accent and then the next character is Texan I might leak that Irish into the Texan. I’m like, “Okay, hold on a second,” Let me pause, say a little sentence to get myself back into it and then dive right back in and then make sure that the edit is nice and clean. Of course, the professional editors clean all that stuff and make it really pretty. Yeah, it’s an art and a science.

Audiobooks.com: Yeah, it sounds like it! What are some of your favorite titles that you’ve narrated so far?

Andrea: That’s a good question and there’s many, but if I had to narrow it down to a couple…I’m very much into the geeky stuff, having been a Game Designer in my previous life, if you will, before I got into audiobooks. I was also big into comic books, so one of the books I did not too long ago was The Frame-Up by Meghan Scott Molin, which is this amazing book where you’ve got the strong female character, MG, who is a comic book artist, but she also ends up becoming a consultant for the police to help find this vigilante who’s going around and causing all kinds of havoc. It’s a really great, funny, light-hearted, but yet action-packed book. That was super fun!

I also has a really good time doing Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, which is for middle graders. That was such an awesome book because you’ve got Maxine Einstein, or Max, who’s a 12 year-old genius and she ends up working with a whole bunch of other kid geniuses from all over the world. They’re doing good deeds around the world and helping…I’m trying not to give away the book…doing a lot of great things for the world using their genius, which is in different areas. Of course, there’s an evil villainy guy that’s trying to muck everything up. It’s just a really great book for kids, I think, and hope it’s inspiring, not only for them to read more, but to get into science and be excited about doing things for their community or their world or trying to make the world a better place. So, I think that’s probably one of my favorites.

I guess, lastly, this is kind of on the flip side of this. I also really like Flights of Fancy by Jen Turano, which is a historical, clean, Christian novel. It’s just a beautiful love story back in the 1800s that’s very funny and whimsical and also very light, but romantic.

Audiobooks.com: For sure! It sounds like you’ve done a variety of things.

Andrea: Yeah, which is nice because it kind of changes up things. Not too long ago I did a LitRPG and then I’m back to doing another Christian romance and then back to doing a mystery or a non-fiction book. That’s exciting for me because it keeps things from getting too monotonous.

Audiobooks.com: Yeah, exactly. Something new each time.

Andrea: Yeah, yeah!

Audiobooks.com: I guess this is kind of a related question. If you could narrate any book, which would you choose?

Andrea: Something, I think, geeky. I mean, I love the YA genre a lot. I feel like that’s my jam. I feel I can really get into the snarky angst place that they live in and I just love how things are just worked out in a different way, especially if you do something that’s paranormal because I love the paranormal kind of stuff.

I did a LitRPG series, which is wonderful, but really, honestly, when it boils down to it I just want a really good story. If a really good story happens to be a cozy mystery I’m all over it.

Audiobooks.com: For sure, yeah. Okay, coming down to a few of the end questions. What’s something about the audiobook production process that listeners might find surprising?

Andrea: That listeners might find surprising? How much I belch during recording, but that never gets in. You know, and that’s actually a true statement.

It’s very tedious. You start the prep where you get the book and then you should read it and go through it, make all your notes and make sure you, especially if there’s a bunch of words you don’t know how to say, make sure you look them up and you have that for reference, check with the author or publisher if you have any questions.

Then, the recording process—you’re sitting in front of this computer screen and you have your editing software. I use Studio One recording program. I don’t just go in there and record and don’t have to worry about any of the editing stuff when I’m doing home studio working from home, so I have to be sort of Engineer, Director and Audiobook Narrator, so it’s a long process.

There’s a lot of mistakes, there’s belching, sometimes there might be cursing if you mess up that is is all wonderfully edited out. Yeah, I guess that’s really it is just it’s a longer process.

It’s not just get up to the mic and read because there’s a lot of acting you have to put forth or making sure like, “Oh no,” like I said before, “what was that voice again? Let me stop.” Especially if I’m doing a series and I’m like, “Oh, Jack was in book one, but he didn’t show up again until book three. What was his voice again?” Then I have to go back to my archives and find out what was his voice.

Or a lot of times, like in Max Einstein, I had 12 different accents I had to learn, so I had to spend a lot of time with Kenyan, Swahili, Chinese, Irish, Mumbai, and Texan…I’m telling you, there was a whole bunch. Taking the time before I even get into the booth to do and listen and study all I can to do the best that I can for that accent. It’s a lot, a lot of work that goes into it. It’s fun!

Audiobooks.com: It sounds super fun and it’s like you said, “an art and a science.” It’s not like rolling up to a microphone.

Andrea: Yeah, I mean, those moments are awesome. If you go into a studio and they have everybody over there at the publishing office and all you have to do is just perform, it actually is a lot more freeing, but when you’re in the studio yourself at home sometimes it’s hard to focus. You have to really work to not over micro-manage yourself, so you can stay in the moment and be the moment. Like, “Ah, man. There was a weird gurgle my stomach did. Let me stop, go back, delete that, and start over.”

Audiobooks.com: That seems like quite the process, but it turns out well, so that’s good.

Andrea: It does! It’s amazing to me to know an eight hour book might take 20 hours in the studio to record. When you hear it all done, especially once the editors and the proofers have all tightened things up, the end result is like, “Ah, man, that’s awesome and fulfilling!”

Audiobooks.com: Exactly, so cool to hear the end product all shiny. Okay, then finally, do you have any other projects on-the-go that you can tell us about?

Andrea: Sure, well, I just mentioned another Christian book. I’m doing the Amish of Pontotoc series by Amy Lillard. I just recorded books one and two, A Home for Hannah and A Love for Leah. Not sure when those are coming out because I just finished them.

I’m excited about that and on the docket, Max Einstein, book two is coming out…Oh, oh, oh, you know what, talk about geeky stuff sort of, The Hashtag Hunt, by Kristina Seek. I’m super excited about that. Actually, I start that in two weeks, which is about this character who is trying to win $10,000 to help her with her business by doing this contest called The Hashtag Hunt. She ends up getting these text messages saying, “I need you to find a hottie in the wild.” There’s a bunch of rules she has to do and in doing so, she ends up on this grand adventure that’s kind of out there and crazy and there’s a little love involved. Super fun! I can’t wait to start that.

Audiobooks.com: Super cool. It sounds like a good listen.

Andrea: I hope so! It was a great read because I’ve already prepped the book.

Audiobooks.com: Yeah, that sounds amazing. Okay, well that’s all the questions I have. You went into great detail and I’m very excited to listen to anything upcoming from you!

Andrea: Thank you! I appreciate the time to chat.

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