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One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

In my mind, one of the most important characteristics of Natalie McMasters is her exuberance and unbridled optimism (true, it often gets her in trouble, but that only makes for a good story). So when the narrator for the audiobook of Stripper! quit last week in the middle of the project, I had to channel Nattie to summon the optimism to deal with adversity.

I went back on the ACX website and started hunting narrators again. I contacted over a hundred to find the first one, and I was sure that I’d have to do the same thing again. Only this time, I had a release date and I was already scheduling a blog tour.

Luckily, it only took a few days to receive an audition from Lisa Ware, of Voices from LSWARE. (Check out her website https://lswareonline.com/) Listening to her narration, it was like I was sitting in the 3M office with Amos, Danny and Nattie! I immediately contacted her to propose that she narrate Stripper!, and she accepted!

Ms. Lisa S. Ware – Storyteller Extraordinaire

So the audiobook project is back on track. When it’s released in November, I will have have codes for listeners to get a free copy in exchange for a review on Audible. The number of codes is limited, so sign up early to make sure you get one. I’ll soon be making an audiobook page for the website with the sales info and other material–watch for it.

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Book Review – A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter

A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3)A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a disappointment, for several reasons. First, the story felt forced and fragmented. Some of the plot twists strained credulity and had a bit of a Deus ex machina air. Second, the author made a major gaffe, sustained over many pages, by confusing a shotgun with a rifle. I couldn’t believe this wasn’t caught by an editor in a traditionally published novel by a bestselling author from a major publishing house. The Remington Wingmaster was repeatedly referred to as a rifle and the terms caliber and gauge used interchangeably. The error was sufficiently serious and sustained to significantly detract from my enjoyment of the story. The author even thanked a source at the end of the book for educating her about shotgun terminology! Lastly, the characters’ angst actually became tiresome, mainly because they seemed to do little to overcome it. Reading about self- pity is never pleasurable. Character development was almost nil in this novel. I will read the rest of the books in the Grant County series, but I hope they’re significantly better than this one.

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Book Review – A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

A Place of ExecutionA Place of Execution by Val McDermid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Place of Execution is the best book I have read in quite a while. After reading the first few pages, I had to check to make sure it was indeed a novel and not a true crime story. It’s journalistic style heightens the suspense. While not a cozy, the author pays similar attention to details of setting and character as you would find in the best cozies. The plot is convoluted but believable, and truly horrifying because it is believable. I will surely have to read the rest of Val McDermid’s books.

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