Today's interesting animal: the proboscis monkey. Poor thing! What happens when he gets a cold? Dave Lambert edited "Then Comes Marriage" and as always, he did a great job. I do remember trying hard to strike a balance between story and lesson--both Bill and I are teachers at heart, and when you're writing a novella, you don't have many words to spare. We wanted to say things that would teach, but we had to be careful that we didn't do it at the expense of the story.
In any case, I hope we succeeded. We had a particularly good time recording the book for the audio version--Bill read the man chapters and I read the woman chapters. I had never done an audio book before, so I wasn't sure if I should simply read it or "act it out," as it were. And how does one DO that? Do you make funny voices for funny characters? How far do you deepen your voice for a male character?
So . . . I made Bill go first. And tried to rise to the level of his expertise (he's very expert. He regularly plays voices on some Focus on the Family radio programs, plus he's been the voice of Jesus in a Zondervan Bible. Not that I'd be intimidated or anything, but . . . Jesus? Oh, my.)
In any case, it was fun to play off a partner, especially when writing is usually such a solitary occupation. That why I urge people to listen to this one--I think it's a lot more fun than just reading it.
The hardest part about reading an audio book is breath control. That's right. I found myself going back to my voice lessons and consciously concentrating on expanding the ol' diaphragm until I had said all the words I'd written in my sentence (and I began to wonder why in the world I choose to write such LOOOOOONG sentences.) In any case, being a singer came in handy, even without singing a word.
P.S. We had a wonderful time at book club last night. We read REDEEMING LOVE by Francine Rivers, and in the middle of the discussion, I asked, "What question would you like to ask the author?" When Julie mentioned her question, I jumped up and said, "Well, let's go ask her!"
Tee hee. It had been pre-arranged, but nobody knew that Francine was waiting on our call except me and Francine. :-) So we all crowded into my little office and chatted with her for a little while. What fun!
Next month we're reading THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, book that looks to be a real treasure!
Tomorrow: Results and Reader Reaction
~~Angie
i listened to the audio book, and it was really good. i would like to recommend the audio version as well.
ReplyDeleteI read this book today and when I got to chapter 7 I nearly fell off of the treadmill because I was laughing so hard! When my hubby & I were first married we lived in a small apartment in Phoenix. The breaker box was in the bedroom and when we'd fight he'd sit on the couch watching sports & I'd go crying to the bedroom. I'd shut the door, lock it and flip off the breaker to the TV!
ReplyDeleteTrue story, thanks for making me remember my younger days!
LOL, Suzanne! I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows how to flip a circuit breaker!
ReplyDeleteAngie
I can't wait to read this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm a wimp when it comes to conflict. Just reading these comments about flipping circuit breakers make my jaw drop!
How fun is that! I'm in my first book club ever, and that would be such a cool thing to have the author answer a question. That was an awesome book!
ReplyDeleteHow fun is that! I'm in my first book club ever, and that would be such a cool thing to have the author answer a question. That was an awesome book!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the question you asked Francine? And, the answer?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good discussion starter for a book club.
How blessed your club was to talk to Ms. River on the phone!!! I love Redeeming Love. It is such an amazing story that still lives in my head and reminds me that God forgives.
ReplyDelete