Audiobook Review: Keys to the Coven by Vicky Loebel

                              Author: Vicky Loebel

Narrators: Nick Podehl & Emily Beresford

Length: 12 hours 49 minutes

Publisher: Pentachronistic Press

Released: Jun. 17, 2013

Genre: Paranormal

The Road to Hell is Paved with Bad Intentions. Get ready for Keys to the Coven, a witty, tightly plotted, (adult) urban-fantasy/romance set in an original universe where karma is power, sex is karma, and it's not who you know but whose soul you own that matters.* To become a demon, you must die in complete and utter despair. Three hundred years ago, Max passed that test with flying colors and joined the afterlife resolving never again to have innocent blood on his hands. Now Max has been given the job of breaking a young witch's family curse. But what she doesn't know, what Max can't bring himself to tell her, is that completing his mission almost certainly means her death. When Felicity Woodsen inherits her mother's coven, she learns each firstborn Woodsen daughter must become the consort of an evil-arch demon. Felicity's only hope is to ally with the mysteriously charming Max. But is saving her body from one demon worth risking her soul with another? Roxashael became a demon when his Roman captors sent his family, one by one to be devoured by lions. The lesson was clear: power is good; lots of power is better. Two-thousand years later, Rocky has power. He's purchased hundreds of souls, and he's created the Minsk Homunculus, a magic artifact that, by binding a human witch as his consort, turns him into an arch-demon and places him above the goody-two-shoes laws of karma. Unfortunately, Rocky made a mistake. He fell in love with Felicity's mother and in a moment of weakness promised to give up his demon-consort charm. Now Felicity's mother is dead, the Minsk Homunculus is slated for destruction, and Rocky's power as an arch-demon is about to end. No demon can break a promise. If Rocky refuses to give up the Minsk Homunculus, he'll become the lowest, most abject slave in Hell. But then, why break promises when they're so easy to corrupt? **Caution: This book contains violence, strong sexual themes, moderately explicit sex between consenting adults, (unfulfilled) threats against children, and one completely gratuitous reference to unicorns.

 

 

Vicky Loebel began her professional life as a systems programmer for NASA and moved through successively more challenging careers before settling in as a writer of tightly-plotted, romantic fiction. She lives on the slopes of Mt. Lemmon, AZ with her sister, three dogs, a rotating assortment of children, and a husband who has the patience of a saint.

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Nick Podehl is a professional Voice Actor. He has narrated over 200 audio books, many of which have won various awards.

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Emily Beresford is a professional audiobook narrator who is a nerd for books, no matter the genre. In 2013 she was nominated for an Audie Award and received an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine, for her work on the Multi-Voice title October Mourning. She lives in Michigan with her wonderful husband, and two amazing children.

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I was a little disappointed with Keys to the Coven. I will be honest I didn't know what to expect going into reading this book. As I listened and got further into the book the more confused I became. I love twists and turns in books but this one had A LOT. Maybe it was meant for print only and not audio. I'm not sure but I couldn't keep up on how things would get off track. 

   I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Vicky Loebel. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A with Author Vicky Loebel

• Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook. Turning “Keys to the Coven” into an audiobook was a dream come true. As a long-time listener (my Audible library is HUGE), I was already a fan of narrator Nick Podehl, so when I spotted his name on the ACX website, I sprang. Mike Naramore of Terrestrial Media recommended Emily Beresford as the female narrator and handled everything, so I got to walk the red-carpet of audiobook production - all without changing out of my pajamas!
• Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format? Humor is a challenge because it’s taste specific - different people are going to see different things as funny, a fact that was brought home to me when I listened to “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” - a book I thought was only so-so when I read it myself - brilliantly narrated by author Douglas Adams. (If you’ve never heard this version, track it down!)
• Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing? Nope. If it were, I’d have taken pity on the narrators and made my sentences a little less convoluted. :)
• How did you select your narrators? Comic timing is everything when reading a book that is equal parts serious adventure and humor. Since I was lucky enough to know Nick’s work, I simply found his address and threw myself across his driveway blocking his car…. Just kidding. He turned out to be available. Although I kept the driveway thing in reserve....
• What influenced your decision to have dual narration? “Keys to the Coven” alternates point of view between the male and female leads on a chapter-by-chapter basis, so dual narration was a natural choice, but I was worried about finding two readers who worked well together. Fortunately my production house was able to recommend Emily Beresford.
• Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing? My first stories were fanfiction based on an old 1960s television show called “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” about a pair of optimistic spies who save the world and always do the right thing. My demon, Max, is a distillation of the nobility, pragmatism, and dry wit I adore those characters. And sexiness - did I forget to mention sexiness?
• Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you? I love audiobooks! I started checking them out from the library (remember CDs?) years ago to listen to while commuting, and they quickly expanded to brighten chores, exercise, and rocking babies at two in the morning. Along the way, I saw the added dimension a great narrator brings to a story and discovered many new authors while sampling books by beloved narrators. In my opinion, it’s perfect symbiosis!
• In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series? I love to fall in love with characters (especially well-crafted secondary characters), so I really understand the appeal of a series. But I also enjoy all sorts of styles and genres and love to try out different worlds and plots. So both are great! Had I but world enough and time….
• Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams? Often, particularly toward the end of a project. Those smart-alecs always have something cleverer to say or more inventive to do than whatever I wrote in the first place, so then it’s revisions, revisions, revisions until my dream-masters are satisfied.

1. Waffle fries or curly fries? My waffles generally come out pretty curly
2. GIF with a hard g or soft g? Hard - soft ‘g’ is for gpeg
3. Fantasy or science-fiction? Urban Fantasy
4. Superman or Batman? Superman! But I confess my real weakness is for Clark Kent
5. Text message or call? Text
6. Pancakes or waffles? Chocolate Chip pancakes
7. Doctor Who or the Walking Dead? Dr. Who - any episode that does not revolve around a family member
8. TV Shows or movies? TV Shows (lately)
9. Facebook or Twitter? Facebook
10. Alice in Wonderland or Robinson Crusoe? Robinson Crusoe on Mars
11. Being too warm or too cold? Too cold. Because I always pack my winter underwear
12. Netflix or Hulu? Netflix for binging; Hulu for catching up
13. Work Hard or Play Hard? I’m a writer. Work is play (and sometimes hard)!
14. Passenger or Driver? Bring the car around at six please, Jeeves.
15. Amusement Park or Day at the Beach? Give me a boardwalk at the beach!
16. Honesty or Other’s Feelings? Polite evasion
17. Movie at Home or Movie at the Theater? Home

Keys to the Coven Giveaway: $10 Starbucks Gift Card- 2 Winners!

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Audiobook Review: Ballad of The Beanstalk by Amy McNulty

                                     Author: Amy McNulty

Narrator: Kaitlin Descutner

Length: 5 hours 50 minutes

Publisher: Patchwork Press

Released: Jul. 18, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

As her fingers move across the strings of her family's heirloom harp, 16-year-old Clarion can forget. She doesn't dwell on the recent passing of her beloved father or the fact that her mother has just sold everything they owned, including that very same instrument that gives Clarion life. She doesn't think about how her friends treat her like a feeble, brittle thing to be protected. She doesn't worry about how to tell the elegant Elena, her best friend and first love, that she doesn't want to be her sweetheart anymore. She becomes the melody and loses herself in the song. When Mack, a lord's dashing young son, rides into town so his father and Elena's can arrange a marriage between the two youth, Clarion finds herself falling in love with a boy for the first time. Drawn to Clarion's music, Mack puts Clarion and Elena's relationship to the test, but he soon vanishes by climbing up a giant beanstalk that only Clarion has seen. When even the town witch won't help, Clarion is determined to rescue Mack herself and prove once and for all that she doesn't need protecting. But while she fancied herself a savior, she couldn't have imagined the enormous world of danger that awaits her in the kingdom of the clouds. A prequel to the fairytale Jack and the Beanstalk that reveals the true story behind the magical singing harp.

 

Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently writes professionally about everything from business marketing to anime. In her down time, you can find her crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.

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In 2010, I graduated from California University....of Pennsylvania (yes, you read that correctly) with a BA in Theatre and Dance. I have been a professional actress for 7 years in Columbus, OH working in both Musical Theatre shows and Dramatic plays ranging from Classic, Rock & Roll, Modern, British, American Southern, etc. I work as a Children's Theatre teacher as well as a Commercial Actress where I specialize in voice acting, photo, commercial and tutorial video work. I am interested in new projects and pursuing new opportunities. I am a big, avid reader, and listen to audio books more than the radio in my car. My favorite genres are historical fiction, fiction, nonfiction and biographies/ memoirs. This is a new endeavor for me, and I am thrilled to explore different characters through storytelling. Reading is a big passion of mine. Bring on the books!

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I absolutely loved what Amy McNulty did with Ballad of The Beanstalk. At first I wasn't quite sure what to expect but WOW did she do an excellent job. Amy was able to take a children's story and turn it into an adult book, the way it twist and turned throughout the story. It made it so much better! I also really liked how there were two separate worlds but yet they were both connected to each other.

The narrator, Kaitlin Descutner did a wonderful job. The flow of the story was smooth with no mistakes. No background noises that I could hear at least. Also, the singing was phenomenal and I especially loved the harp.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

   I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Amy McNulty. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A with Author Amy McNulty

• Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
• I work with a platform called ACX, which matches book rights holders with narrators/producers. I posted my book and Kaitlin Descutner was one of the narrators who auditioned. She’s a professional actress and she brought such life to the story! I loved working with her. She even sings! I sent her the book, we touched base on a few notes, and she produced the whole audiobook from start to finish. I checked it, we tweaked it together, and then it was ready to go!
• Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
• Sometimes. Descriptive writing really helps bring a story to life. At the same time, though, I know some people who prefer listening to audiobooks to reading, and it would be a shame if they couldn’t read all sorts of books because some books lend themselves better to audiobooks than others.
• Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
• I wasn’t thinking about it when writing (which I discovered was an issue during the recording/editing phase, as I didn’t make who was speaking in a scene or two clear to the narrator), but I always try to get my books made into audiobooks once they’re finished just to get them in front of another audience that might have otherwise passed by them.
• How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process?
• Kaitlin did most of it on her own. After she finished the first recording, I got back to her with notes and we tweaked it together. But as far as recording and editing goes, it was all her.
• Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
• I’ve always wanted to write a fairy tale YA book, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it in a way that’s never been done before. Strangely, when I was watching the Rifftrax Live performance of Santa Claus and the Ice Cream Bunny (it had a Jack and the Beanstalk segment in there—don’t ask, ha), I was struck with the idea of doing a prequel explaining where the magic harp came from. (Since it seems to have a human figure/face in some versions.) Jack and the Beanstalk has never even been one of my favorite fairy tales, but I ran with my idea.
• How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
• I’m actually increasing my writing pace starting this year, so it’s odd that I’m getting less burnt out the more I work. It helped that I transition to editing more than business writing this year as a freelancer, so my creative energy doesn’t get zapped by my work before I can turn around and write. I discovered the joys of writing on a word processor this year, too. I get more words done by working on a non-glowing screen without internet access, so I’m not distracted. Still, it’s important to take breaks and not force myself to write too much every day.

• Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
• The songs! Music is essential to the story and Kaitlin made up a tune for the lyrics I wrote for a song.
• If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
• I love period dramas and classic romance books, and I’m a huge fan of fantasy and the medieval and Elizabethan eras. It’d be hard for me to choose, although I know actually living in those eras would be difficult. More likely than not, I’d be a servant or peasant, not the aristocracy that have such compelling romances in these stories!
• If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
• Hmm, I’m not sure! My favorite actors and actresses are probably too old to take on the roles. I think I pictured Ezra Miller for Mack, though.
• What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
• It’s absolutely not! Any way people can enjoy stories is legit. Audiobooks make books more accessible to both people with reading disabilities and busy people.
• How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
• I usually post a GIF of Kermit the frog waving his arms on social media. That’s how I feel when I finish a book.
• In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
• Standalones allow you to move on to the next project, but with series, you’ve already done some work establishing characters and the world. Series tend to sell more books because you may have hooked people with the first book, but on the other hand, if that first book didn’t hook many people, there’s almost no point in writing more books. Most of my books have sequel/series potential. Writing standalone is actually hard for me! Ballad of the Beanstalk is probably my first standalone where I really have no intention at all of writing a sequel to or series for.
• What’s next for you?

• I’m working on my romance series (written under Joy Penny) and then I have a paranormal YA series I want to publish next year.

 

Amy McNulty's Top 10 Books Read in 2016

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
3. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
4. Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan
5. Winter by Marissa Meyer
6. The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
7. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
8. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne
9. Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer
10. This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

   

Ballad of the Beanstalk Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift Card

 

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Audiobook Review: Heart of Stone by Dakota Willink

Author: Dakota Willink

Narrators: Lacy Laurel, Jeffrey Kafer

Series: Stone, Book One

Length: 14h

Publisher: Dakota Willink, LLC

Released: June 29, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Krystina Cole was a girl on a mission. She had big dreams and aspirations, none of which included a man by her side. She knew better than that – at least until she met Alexander Stone, the New York billionaire real estate tycoon. She saw the way that he looked at her, and the dark promises in his eyes. She was curious about his world and all that it entailed. But the shadows of her past haunted her, making her afraid to explore possibilities that she could never before have imagined… Alexander Stone was a man who knew how to get what he wanted. He understood the value of finesse, and the importance of patience and diligence to achieve the desired result. He was successful and wealthy, relying on his naturally sharp instincts to guide him through life. But a chance run in with Krystina Cole quickly turned his world upside down. Her quick wit and firecracker attitude was the complete opposite of what he wanted in a woman, and his instincts failed him at every turn… However, both Krystina and Alexander are clinging to the secrets in their past, and neither of them are willing to compromise. Krystina’s hardened heart makes emotional surrender a hard limit. But for Alexander, revealing his past could have devastating results.

 

Dakota Willink is a contemporary romance writer and editor, and the author of The Stone Series. She is an associate member of Romance Writers of America and a Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards winner.

Dakota has always had a passion for reading and writing. From the time she was an adolescent, she enjoyed curling up with a good paperback, reading genres that ranged from thriller and fantasy, to mystery and romance. She always dreamed of one day writing her own book, but had put her aspirations on hold to focus on her family and a career that would pay the bills. However, her heart continued to be with fictional characters – whether they belonged to a favorite author or if they were just stories that she made up in her own head. In 2013, Dakota gathered enough courage to turn her dreams into a reality. In between playing chauffeur to two very busy children and working her job during the day, Dakota began to put words on paper. Eventually, she began to describe her life as a book. Everything she saw or heard throughout the day, intertwined with her imagination for the creation of future writings. By 2014, with the support of her husband and two children, she gave up the security of a steady paycheck and began working on her first novel full time. Her first novel, Heart of Stone, was published in December of 2015. Less than a year after its release, the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards recognized Heart of Stone as the 2016 Bronze Medalist in the romance category. Dakota resides in the Western New York area, where she enjoys spending time with family, her two Labrador Retrievers, and her spoiled rotten cat. During the summer months, she can often be found soaking up the sun on the Great Lakes with her family.

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Lacy lives the life of a full time wife, mother and household manager. Needing a temporary escape from time to time Lacy returned back to her first love - reading! After devouring everything she could get her hands on she thought, -what if she could mix her love of performance and literature in a professional capacity? Once getting involved in the world of book narration she quickly became hooked and when not with her family you can find her in her studio working hard to grow in her own storytelling abilities.

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Jeffrey Kafer is an award-winning Audiobook Narrator and professional voice actor. Spanning over 350 titles, he specializes in Romance, Thrillers, Sci-Fi and more!

 

I was expecting another Fifty Shades book but boy was I wrong. Each character was a little more complex than the ones in Fifty Shades, which I really liked. The book takes place in New York City and was described perfectly for me to understand. The characters were well thought out and developed. The storyline was written smoothly and didn’t seem to be any gaps. I could connect with Krystina and for someone in her mid-twenties she’s been through a lot. Alexander Stone, where do I begin with him. He’s your typical cocky, wealthy guy but don’t worry he’s not another Christian Grey.

                Lacey Laurel and Jeffrey Kafer did a wonderful job at narrating the Heart of Stone. I personally like it when there’s more than one narrator. It makes the book sound better and it’s easier to understand the different characters when there’s more than one narrator. I didn’t hear any background noises that would interfere with the narrating of the book either.

                So not wanting to give too much away, I really enjoyed the book. It kept up its momentum and it was engaging. I was hooked from the very beginning. Overall, I give Heart of Stone five stars.

   I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Dakota Willink. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A with Narrator Lacy Laurel

 

• When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator? I was listening to more and more audiobooks and I just kept getting the urge to do it.
• How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance? I just researched until I found ACX, and on their website it talked about what you needed, how to do it and I just went for it.
• Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started? No, it was not difficult to break in but to stay in is a totally different story.
• A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career? I don’t know if it’s essential, I have a very limited background from when I was in school. I love theater. However now I do find training very important. Getting an instructor for the type of narration you want to perform, attend seminars and classes in both performance and audio technology – you should really know how to use the equipment you are utilizing and some ‘employers’ will only accept your work if you are using certain technology.
• What type of training have you undergone? I am seeing a coach for non-fiction (Sean Pratt-@SPPresents) and another for fiction (Andi Arndt - @andi_arndt). Between the two a variety of topics in narration and the business of narration are covered. I see improvement every time I have a session, which is really encouraging, I am lucky that although I may not have years of professional acting or collegiate acting training I am able to utilize my coaches to help me improve and to learn more about what it is that I do.
• How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating? For me it is a combination of things. Because of the performance aspect, if I am not feeing it, I try not to push through. I will walk away and do some of the many other things I am responsible for in real life. My hours are really flexible because I work out of a home studio, so sometimes it is just as simple as hanging out with the family. Other times, I find that listening to others narrate in the genre’s I work in really helps. Especially when they are good they will motivate me to want to get back in the booth.
• Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you? Yes I am constantly listening! I love audiobooks! For me, I find myself listening while I am doing housework or playing the driver to the kids.
• What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook? My favorite is recording, getting to immerse myself into another world. I also love the read through of the book; it really gets me excited and helps me to plan out where I am going to go. I guess editing is my least favorite part, but only in comparison to the other parts, I love to do it, just not as much as performing or reading.
• Is there a particular genre you feel unsuited for? Have you ever declined a project because you didn’t think you were right for it?
• What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator? It is exactly the story I would read as a consumer, and if it has my attention in that way then I want to audition because I know I will have fun with it while recording.
• How closely do you prefer to work with authors? I love having input from the authors, although every relationship is not the same. I do prefer it when even if they are not the ones who hire me, they have made the decision to have me be the voice of their book.
• Has anyone ever recognized you from your voice? I have had a couple of people recognize me as my pseudonym, and it was nice because I took it as they had taken the time to listen to my work.
• Do you read reviews for your audiobooks? YES! It is an addiction I wish I could drop!
• If so, which ones stand out to you most, positive or negative? The negative, but only because I always try to take something from them that I can improve on.
• Who is your “dream author” that you would like to record for? Dream author – I think CD Reiss, I love her work!
• If you could narrate one book from your youth what would it be and why? I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – that book spoke to me in my soul on so many different levels I can’t even fully describe!
• What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”? Maybe to them, but as a mother of five kids, I know everyone does not learn the same way, receive things the same way and we are very lucky to live in a time that we have audiobooks as a way for people to enjoy books.
• What bits of advice would you give to aspiring audiobook narrators? Take advice from those who have been there, get a coach and study away!
• What’s next for you? Project wise I am getting ready to dive into Stepping Stone, book 2 of The Stone Series, Asher Black by Parker S. Huntington, Stryker by Tess Oliver, Fighting Dirty by Sidney Halston, and Dark Love Part 2 by JB Duvane.

Heart of Stone Giveaway: Kindle Fire 7

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