Showing posts with label Audible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audible. Show all posts

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Never Underestimate the Importance of History...by Sheila Claydon


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I think I enjoyed writing my  Mapleby Memories series more than any of my other books and, in part, this was because the research that was necessary to get the facts right sucked me in. For Book 1: Remembering Rose I had to discover what life was like in small town UK in the late 1800s and early 1900s. For Book 2: Loving Ellen I only had to go back a few years, whereas in Book 3: Many a Moon, I had to travel back to the 13th century.  Although all of this took a lot of time, it left me with a history bug. One I've been indulging ever since.  


Not by reading many history books though, but by reading historical fiction, because I know that good and committed writers get it right but in a much more digestible way.  I don't always read the books either, sometimes I listen to them on Audible or via the BorrowBox App from my local library. This way I can offset boring household chores with something much more interesting, such as what living in Shanghai was like before the Japanese invaded China - it was known as the Paris of the East - or Romancing the Klondike by Books We Love's own Joan Donaldson-Yarmey - a tale about the men and women searching for gold in the Yukon.  There are also TV series that open up the lives that people all around the world lived in the past.  I know some of them manipulate the facts a bit to suit their story but a factual check on almost anything I've read, listened to, or watched, (something I often do) has shown that most of it is faithfully reported.


In this way I've learned about so many things that I knew very little about, or, I'm ashamed to say, in some cases wasn't even aware of. Amazing books by foreign writers I had previously never heard of have opened my eyes to the devastation caused by wars, such as the Turkish/Cypriot war and the Biafran bid for independence. I've learned about the glassmakers of Venice and how they had to adjust their trade to survive over the centuries, and I've read so much about how the ordinary people of Britain and Europe lived from the thirteenth century to the present day. One of my favourites, however, is the story of Ninevah, an ancient city in Mesopotamia, where its history is told through the movement and importance of water.  The tale is so ingenious, while also being 99% accurate, that it stayed with me for days after I'd finished it, and, dare I say it, made me just a little jealous of the author for having such a skill. 


Inevitably, the lives lived in the past, before modern comforts and modern medicine, were often hard and unforgiving.  I've read or listened to tales of the displaced, the ignored, the forgotten, but then rejoiced that they have all been brought back to life by compassionate writers who want to tell their story.  In the hands of the skilled writers the humanity of the characters comes through, as well as the healing strength of love. 


I will continue to search out the history of the world because reading about it imparts the wisdom of hindsight, something the world urgently needs today. 







Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Storm's Refuge and our foray into audio books by Nancy M Bell



To find out more about Nancy's books click on the cover.

The world of audio books is relatively new to me and I was thrilled when my publisher decided to put Storm's Refuge into production. It's kind of weird to hear my words spoken by someone I don't even know and to hear my characters come to life, so to speak. The whole process was pretty painless. First I chose a short excerpt as a sample, then it was posted on the ACX site as a proposal for narrators to consider. There are also many narrators to choose from with samples of their various 'voices' and accents to choose from. You can narrow it down to female or male, certain age and regional accents etc. It was pretty cool listening to how one person could change their delivery just by altering cadence and pronunciation of vowels etc.
Fortunately, someone liked Storm and agreed to narrate for us. All this was done through the publisher's ACX account. Georgia Bragg is my narrator, and I was thrilled to find out she is an Albertan and as my book is set in Alberta, the accent and manner of speaking rings true to the characters. I had the pleasure of meeting Georgia in the beautiful hamlet of Bragg Creek, AB. If any of you are familiar with the TV show North of 60, you'll be pleased to know that Bragg Creek and surrounding area was the stand in for Lynx River. If you're ever in the area be sure to visit Bragg Creek and nearby Elbow Falls.

This is just a taste of the beauty that awaits you. Photo credit High Country News


It took a few months to produce 6+ hours of narration. Georgia did a wonderful job of keeping true to my characters and infusing them with humour and tension in all the right places. After months of reviewing and listening I'm happy to say Storm's Refuge is live on Audible. If you're interested in listening click here.

Until next month, stay well, stay happy.

www.nancymbell.ca

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