Interviews: Audiobook narrators Lauren Fortgang and Carly Robins
When the sun is shining, school hasn't started yet, and The Walking Dead has a while before the next season airs, it's time to load up on audiobooks. There are some amazing ones being released this month or just released, and all I can say is … why doesn't Audible have a membership that provides five credits a month?
Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep, narrated by Lauren Fortgang
What it's about (courtesy of Pocket Books and Audible):
Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.
One important lesson I've learned in the assassination business is that to be the best, you have to roll with the punches. Now that I'm queen of Ashland's underworld — by default, not by choice — a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that's the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld's top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.
My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I'm embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death.
INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN FORTGANG
What has been your favorite book to narrate?
Lauren: I'm pretty proud to have been asked to narrate for the likes of Joan Didion and Twyla Tharp, but I think my all-time-favorite narration is still Ruta Sepetys' Out of the Easy. It's a vivid, layered coming-of-age story in a unique setting. I love the characters and I adore Ruta. She's a glorious writer. I have so many that I love, but I'm especially a fan of Young Adult storytelling because I really devoured books as a kid. So all those narrations, from Sheila Turnage's Tupelo Landing series to the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, really tickle my fancy.
Any funny or interesting things happen while recording?
Lauren: Always! I'm a goofy misreader. So there's a lot of that. And every title is interesting because I'm constantly learning so many little details about a topic I might otherwise never have researched. My YouTube history is hilarious because it's the strangest hodgepodge of topics searched — usually while I'm on the hunt for the pronunciation of a small town, or a specific tidbit that comes up in the text. I recently narrated Margaret Lazarus Dean's Leaving Orbit, a non-fiction about the end of NASA's Shuttle program. It was so fascinating. That's a real treat for a narrator. It can also lead to a trip down the Internet rabbit hole because one video leads to another, and pretty soon you look up and don't know where the hour went and can't remember why you're watching a university speech by a physicist about a German rocket scientist.
How do you get into a book/story?
Lauren: Well, most narrators come from a performance background, and narration IS acting. So there are elements of storytelling at play that require me to tell the tale from the inside out and identify as each character in real time as I'm reading. It's a skill we get better at over time, I think, like with any element of being a performer. The simple (and most complicated) answer is that it's about being fully connected to the characters and their truths.
How do you prepare for all the different characters and their tones/vocal ranges?
Lauren: It's partly the "feel" of a character and partly a matter of logistics and technicalities. I have my basic narration self, which will generally be the voice of the lead, and then there are characterizations that are based on clues the author leaves in the text. I don't generally do big, huge character shifts unless the story is quite broad or fantastical (or unless it's noted). And in that case there's a lot of leeway for "play," as with the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. Sometimes I make vocal decisions based on logistical reasons, such as needing to create a different sound for two men of the same age who are in a lot of scenes together. To help the listener, I might need to make one sound slower, or more brooding, or peppier than the other so the listener has a better guide as to which is speaking. I utilize series of markings and sound-files I'll leave in my script so that I have references along the way once I'm in the studio.
Who is your favorite narrator?
Lauren: I'm surrounded by really talented colleagues, and they are all skilled in exceptional ways. I use their skill sets as touchstones along my path to becoming a better narrator myself. For example, I think Suzanne Toren is legend, and I aim to have her connection and ease with the material. Some narrators have a real talent for accents, and some have a gift for making the narrative smooth and compelling. My ultimate favorite award has to go to Gabra Zackman because, aside from being an extremely talented actress (and now author!), she opened the door to my own career in audiobooks, and that makes her tops in my book! Plus, I just got to take part in the multicast recording of her brand new series, The Bod Squad, which is about as fun as it gets.
Check out an audio excerpt from Spider's Trap by Jennifer Estep, narrated by Lauren Fortgang (full audiobook available at Audible.com):
(If you can't see the video here, you can watch/listen on YouTube).
Broken Prime by Andie Devaux, narrated by Carly Robins
What it's about (courtesy of the author and Audible):
When Evie loses her way in the woods during a terrible storm, she is determined not to die. But snow and darkness close in and all seems lost — until a stranger finds her. Warm and safe at his cabin, she can't help notice how sexy her rescuer is, and things go from warm to scorching hot.
But Nicolas lives alone on the mountain for a reason. And his secrets may be more dangerous to Evie than the cold.
INTERVIEW WITH CARLY ROBINS
What has been your favorite book to narrate?
Carly: First, I would like to say that being an audiobook narrator is maybe the best job in the whole world. Now onto your question … Ohhhh! That's like asking me to choose a favorite amongst my children (although I don't have children, but I can imagine). That is an impossible question to answer, because truthfully, each and every book I narrate is a favorite. Authors and fans have lived and loved each of these books, and because of that I approach each title with the same enthusiasm.
Any funny or interesting things happen while recording?
Carly: Ummm … almost always. Since I narrate a lot of romance titles … you can only imagine the kinds of scenes that come up. You kind of have to quickly get over any kind of embarrassment while narrating a sex scene, especially when working with an engineer or a director. There are definitely times when explosions of laughter and funny voices make appearances to break up the tension of a particularly graphic sex scene.
How do you get into a book/story?
Carly: That's a great question! First and foremost, I am a voracious reader and lover of audiobooks. Before I began narrating about two years and a hundred titles ago … I was a trained actress living in NYC. Actually, I am still a trained actress living in NYC! My training is what I rely on to get the best performance for each title. I always read the book beforehand, making notations and imagining the voices in my head and figuring out all of the relationships and the tone of each book. All the preparation work allows me the freedom to let go of all preconceived notions and just begin with the very first sentence and then discover each sentence thereafter.
How do you prepare for all the different characters and their tones/vocal ranges?
Carly: All of the clues for this are written in the text. I am honoring the words of the author and then applying my skills as a performer to interpret. I really try to focus on the behavior of each character and their function within the story. I find that allows me to get into the mind-set of each character so that within each scene I can play around and just have fun with the dialogue and characters. It really is like doing a one-woman show! All the characters are swirling around in my mind just waiting to speak.
Who is your favorite narrator?
Carly: There are so many wonderful narrators out there! Again, you are asking me to choose … so unfair. But if I have to list a few … I love to listen to Suzanne Toren, Julia Whelan, Kate Rudd, Katherine Kellgren, Barbara Rosenblat. I also think it is fun when a celebrity narrates their own book. It gives you a chance to hear and enjoy them in a different medium.
Check out an audio excerpt from Broken Prime by Andie Devaux, narrated by Carly Robins (full audiobook available at Audible.com):
(If you can't see the video here, you can watch/listen on YouTube).
Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for RT Book Reviews magazine and works in the submissions departments at Dreamspinner Press and Entangled YA. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).