Serving up a Story

What a delight to chat with new audiobook narrator, Jessica Renee Ryan. 

Jessica, a former elementary school teacher and now full-time audiobook narrator, joined me this morning to talk about how she got started in the audiobook narration industry, her thoughts about education and A.I., the value of having a professional coach, pseudonyms, and more!

You can find Jessica on TikTok or listen to samples of her narration work over on Audible.com.

Happy listening, all.

This week I had the privilege of chatting with audiobook narrator Kyle Snyder. Kyle is a busy husband and father of four, a small business owner, an accomplished musician, and a successful audiobook narrator.

Sometimes things are meant to be, and it looks as though this new career has been precisely that for Kyle. He has experienced massive success in the past year and a half, so it was satisfying to hear him share his journey with me.

Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow the Serving up a Story podcast for more interesting interviews with readers, writers, narrators, and other awesome word nerds.

Have a great day.

In this episode of Serving up a Story, I had the pleasure of chatting with audiobook narrator Erin Moon about the importance of having a work/life balance. 

Erin is a wealth of information about so many things; I could talk with her for hours about SO much. As well as being a caring, intuitive person, Erin has twenty-six years of experience working as an actor and an audiobook narrator. In addition, her work as a yoga therapist keeps her well-connected to her mental/physical/ and spiritual well-being.

So, go and grab yourself a cup of tea and have a listen. You're not going to want to miss what Erin has to say!

On this episode, we get to hear mystery author, JC Fuller, talk about her popular Rockfish Island Mystery Series. JC also talks about her writing process, how she began her writing career, the jump into audiobooks and how she met her perfect narrator.

Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy listening to what JC has to say!

Are you curious about what it would be like to work as an audiobook narrator? No idea where to start? Tune in and listen to narrator Tom Jordan and me chat about the industry. From how he got started, to narrating different genres, to the giant A.I. monster that is lurking on the horizon, Tom has lots to say about it all.

If you would like to learn more about Tom or listen to some of his audiobook samples, you can find him at: https://www.tomvoiceover.com

You can find his published audiobooks (along with more samples) over on Audible: 

https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Tom+Jordan&ref=a_search_c3_lNarrator_1_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=73SEY0RFDMA7TDKB6JBW&pageLoadId=Z66CyaIuZaZQeI0y&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c

Thanks for stopping by, and tune in on Monday, February 20th/23 for another visit with an awesome guest! 

Yeah, I've been MIA these past few months. I'm sorry about that but I have a good reason. I've been training to become an audiobook narrator! What a journey this has been (and continues to be). And who knew the industry was experiencing such a BOOM. So, what about you? Are you interested in learning more? 

I'm not sure where I'll end up with this, but so far, so good. I'm having a blast. Because books are my thing. Print, audio, electronic... I'm IN!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like to nerd out about books, writing, and all things wordy, make sure to hit the "FOLLOW" button.

Hi, and welcome to SERVING UP A STORY, where we talk about writing: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I've been a little bit AWOL the past few days, and that's mainly due to getting my seventh novel, TANGOFISH, ready for release this coming Friday (February 25th/22). It's been a lot of fun but a lot of work, and I'm pleased Tango's story will soon be out in the wild.

In this episode, I read you a snippet from TANGOFISH. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by, and if you're writing, I hope the words are flowing!

Okay, ALL writers would love to see their book up on the New York Times Bestseller List. And, why not? Why SHOULDN'T you and your book be up there alongside Colleen Hoover, Victoria Schwab, Mark Manson and James Clear? After all, they're mere mortals, too. But, they are mere mortals who know ... 'The Secrets."  No, I'm not talking about that Law of Attraction stuff (although that might be an exciting topic for the future because I have thoughts!); I'm talking about ten very easy-to-follow secrets to nailing your first draft. Because there's no chance of bestsellering it unless you've completed a first draft, right? 

So, without further adieu, I share my TEN SURE-FIRE SECRETS FOR NAILING YOUR FIRST DRAFT with you. Here we go!

Welcome to "Fiction Friday," where I'll be reading a piece of short fiction each Friday, though not necessarily a story of mine. For the kick-off, though, I'm going to share with you something I wrote a few years back called THE DEER TRAIL. It's a story about the changing nature of friendship - a story about feeling trapped, about things unsaid, and the fear of change. I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by and happy writing, friends.

What's the secret to a compelling story? Badass characters? An impressive vocabulary? Flashbacks? First Person narrative? Nope. I mean, those things can be awesome, but if your story lacks an emotional punch, it's gonna be a "meh" kind of story.

In this episode, we will talk about writing from your heart instead of your head. Sure, your head is a valuable thing, but ultimately, it's your heart that will bring your story to life. 

So, pull up a chair and have a listen. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Every "job" has a certain dress code, right? But, what about writers? Is there a right way to dress? Does it make a difference? What do you think? Do you have a writer's uniform? I'd love to know.

Have you ever "forgotten" to back up your writing? Have you ever lost an entire first draft into cyberspace? Blarg! The worst!

In episode #6 of Serving up a Story, I share my not-so-great experience with exactly this thing. Sigh ... learn from my mistake, fellow writers. That is all.

Have you ever experienced a bout of the dreaded WRITER'S BLOCK? Some people say no such thing exists; that a "real" writer ploughs through the hard times and produces whether they feel like it or not. I beg to differ! And here, I tell my story and explain how starting an Instagram account got me back in the game. (If you'd like to hang out over there, I'm at @writerontheisland)

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to hit FOLLOW to enjoy regular episodes about writing - the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Writers who walk. Why are there so many of us who do it? Thoreau did it. Virginia Woolf did it. William Wordsworth did it. Maybe they were on to something because research says that walking fuels the creative process, much more so than sitting does. So, I've decided it's time to lace up the sneakers, fill up the water bottle, and hit the trails. I hope you'll join me!

Have you ever wanted to break up with social media? Has Instagram stolen too many of your precious writing hours? Are you struggling to market and promote your work on too many social media platforms? And finally, if you are old (like me), do you miss the days BEFORE the Interwebz?

The struggle is real, but I guess our eternal quest for balance is ALWAYS going to be something we strive for.

Imposter Syndrome. It's a thing! And one which almost every writer has experienced at some point in their career. Why do you suppose that is? Why do we find it so hard to call ourselves writers? Do we really need to receive a six-figure paycheque before we can comfortably refer to ourselves as such? What's with THAT? Let's face it; no one really cares what we call ourselves, but it isn't about them... it's about us and our self-sabotaging, limiting beliefs. Let's change that. Today.

Plots, points of view, protagonists, and publishing. Sounds romantic, doesn't it! Hi, and welcome to the Serving up a Story podcast hosted by me, Carol Anne Shaw, the author of 7 books for young people. This is where I get up close and personal about the world of writing. Because being a writer isn't all rainbows and royalty cheques; sometimes it sucks. 

So, in addition to talking about books, beta readers, and backstory, I'm also going to get real about the not-always-so-fabulous impact that writing full time can sometimes have on our mental and physical wellbeing.

A warning: this podcast isn't fancy, but it's honest, and hopefully, you might even find it a bit funny. So, welcome to Serving up a Story --  I'm glad you're here, and I hope you enjoy the weekly food-for-thought I'll be dishing up for you!