Some time ago I
interviewed Linda Acaster about her Mediaeval romantic suspense Hostage
of the Heart, when I reviewed the ebook. Today it is being launched as
an mp3 audio download and I’ve invited her back to talk about the process.
How did this come
about?
I followed a couple of links. Writers need to allot time to
keep abreast of news and possible opportunities, just as they spend time
publicising their work and activities. This new era of digital publishing is
expanding at a rate of knots and, as I discovered, it’s not confined to the
printed word.
Audiolark is an audio book publisher based in Canada
Remind us of the
storyline
The novel is set in 1066 on the eve of two devastating
battles that change the course of British history. On the Welsh borderlands
Rhodri ap Hywel sweeps down from the mountains to reclaim stolen lands, taking
the Lady Dena as a battle hostage. Tutored to believe the Welsh are barbaric,
she finds herself abandoned by her Saxon kin and used as a pawn by the Welsh.
Amid the intrigue and power-plays, dare she place her life in the hands of a
warrior-knight shielding secrets of his own?
A Mediaeval novel with
North American accents?
It’s what I braced myself for, but when the first proof
arrived I was delighted to hear an English voice. Audiolark takes great care to
match its narrator to the text, and I was asked to consider both the
pronunciation and stresses placed on the sentence structure, and report back.
This was an interesting exercise. I’m used to proofing
galleys of print books, and checking the html formatting for ebooks, but it was
my first experience of proofing an audio download. I had to be very accurate in
noting the timings – what at first sounds odd might take up less than a second;
I kept having to ask myself whether it was just me being pedantic or whether
there was a possible problem – and then I had to be specific in describing what
I thought was the problem.
Just as proofreading text is not simply a matter of reading it
through, proofing audio is not simply a matter of listening for enjoyment. I
found it far more taxing than proofreading text. The list of queries,
thankfully short, went back to Audiolark where each query was checked against the
master. I thought that would be it, but no, I was sent a second proof. I love
this level of professionalism. Audiolark wants the best for its customers and
its authors, which is wonderful for us all.
Hostage of the Heart launches as an 8-hour DRM-free mp3
download on 21 June at the discounted price of $3.49 for one week, $9.99 normal
price.
Hostage of the Heart ebook:
I-Pad, Nook, Sony, Kobo https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/14120
To catch up with Linda Acaster’s other fiction:
4 comments:
Thanks for hosting me today, Stuart. I'll be dropping in for the rest of the evening (UK time) and again tomorrow if anyone wants to comment or ask a question.
Always a pleasure to host a writer with something to say and a great way of expressing it, Linda.
Ooh, shucks [blushes], and here's me lost for words...
Hard to believe.
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