Susan Holmes, Guest Blogger

My guest this week is Susan Holmes whose first audio book was recently released. Loved the book and can’t wait to listen to the audio version. Susan is here to give us her take on audio books. Please welcome Susan, and if you leave a comment you’ll have a chance to win the audio version of DeadlyTies.

 Heard Any Good Books Lately?

I love books. I love the look of them, the feel of them, and the world they open. They’ve nourished my soul and fueled my imagination since I was given my first library card. Whenever I moved—be it to different states or different countries—the packing crates were always full of books.

Then came digital. It took me quite a while to consider a Kindle or a Nook a real book. If Santa hadn’t given me a Kindle, it might have taken me even longer to catch on to the practical advantages of reading ebooks. But now I’m hooked and love the convenience of having dozens of books at my fingertips.

When my third book—and first novel—Deadly Ties (A Waterside Kennels mystery) was published last year, fans clamored for an audio edition. I’ll confess: I was skeptical at first. How could a stranger possibly match all the voices I heard in my head? And what reader would trade the joy of lingering over the page (printed or digital) to listen to a narrator with no emotional connection to the words? 

Fans and voiceover artists soon set me straight. Here’s what I learned from them that changed my attitude about audiobooks and have me shopping at Audible and Amazon as often as I go to my local bookstore.

Audiobooks add a new dimension to the novel. When I opened auditions for Deadly Ties I was amazed at the response. Some of the top producers at Audible auditioned for the chance to narrate my novel. (What a thrill!) And although everyone was offered the same script and basic character notes, no two auditions were alike. Perhaps most fascinating part was the way each narrator interpreted the characters, and the marvelous variety of voices they brought to the story. The oh-so-talented Robin Rowan captured the voices in my head and transformed a manuscript into performance art. 

Audiobooks can go where other versions can’t. Fans tell me they prefer to listen to audiobooks instead of music when they’re working. One mystery lover said she listens to a half-dozen books every week while working on the assembly line. (Who knew?) And yesterday, a friend told me she typically listens to three audiobooks at any time. One goes with her for her hour-long daily commute, another is reserved for her time on the treadmill, and she keeps one in her office desk to enjoy at lunch. 

Audiobooks are the “value-added” answer to chores. Laundry, dishes, and dog-walking can take up hours of our time. Multitaskers tell me those pesky daily chores go a lot faster when their minds are engaged. And since you can load audiobooks on all sorts of gadgets and adjust the narration speed to boot, you can enjoy a great book just about anywhere.

So it’s official: you can add me to the group of diehard audiobook fans. Professional narrators bring a new dimension to the printed word and offer book lovers another way to enjoy books. And let’s add authors to that list, as well, because I found myself enthralled as I listened to Robin narrate Deadly Ties. Unlike some narrators who prefer to read the entire book before they begin, Robin wants to experience the story just as the reader does. Remember what I said about emotional connections? Imagine my delight when she sent me this note:

My heart was pounding—POUNDING—at the end of Chapter 41! Wow! I’m riveted!!!

Now here’s your chance to get your own heart racing! Listen to a sample at http://tinyurl.com/q7hcefv  and leave a comment for a chance to win your own copy of Deadly Ties.

Deadly Ties

Dogs. Family. Friends. Treasure. Stories and rumors from the past. Secrets and lies. They’re all at the heart of this story. When trouble begins at the kennel, Maggie will have to dig into the past for answers if she wants to have a future. Because her search just might lead to murder. 

Visit Susan’s website: http://dogmysteries.com

Read free chapters: http://dogmysteries.com/free-excerpt/

Listen to a sample & get the Audible edition: http://tinyurl.com/q7hcefv

Buy the Kindle edition: http://tinyurl.com/mnx8sbu & add narration for just $1.99

Find trade paperback at Indiebound: http://tinyurl.com/ksa4ncp

Follow on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ozk3uja

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dogmysteries

CLICK HERE for a visit to Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

My book, A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery, is also out in audio book format. In the spirit of today’s blog, if you’ve read this far I’m offering one free copy of my book, too.  Add the word “Secret” to your comment and you’ll be in the running.

Susan Holmes, Guest Author

This week I’m welcoming Susan Holmes, author of the Waterside Kennels Mysteries. I’ve read Deadly Ties, the first in the series. Not only was I entertained, but I learned a bit about working with dogs. I think you’ll enjoy Susan’s post about… Well, read on, and welcome, Susan.

A Twist on an Old Rule

The Golden Rule of “write what you know” is embedded in my DNA. That’s my only explanation for how I came to write “Three Little Bears Visit New York City” before I hit kindergarten. It seemed perfectly reasonable to me; after all, if people go to the woods on vacation, why wouldn’t a bear go to town?

And New York City was a place I knew something about. My maternal grandfather had been a photographer in New York, and my father talked about how different “the big city” was from upstate New York where he’d been born.  I used to watch my dad doing the New York Times crossword puzzle (in ink!).  So the name, the place, was embedded in my consciousness early on.

Honoring the “write what you know” rule served me well for years, until I had an idea for a mystery with an amateur sleuth who runs a boarding kennel. Just one problem: the only thing I knew about kennels was from the customer’s point of view. Then it hit me: the “rule” was just a starting point. And thus “write what you can know” became my mantra. 

My fictional kennel was constructed using everything I’ve learned about real kennel operations, with the addition of some nice extras. In real life, kennels are often run on shoestring budgets, while mine features many of the “bells and whistles” kennel owners had on their wish lists. The kennel owners I worked with were generous with their time and knowledge and let me follow them through their daily routines. As a result, I saw behind-the-scenes action customers wouldn’t typically see, which helped me better appreciate the hard work that goes on in a well-run boarding kennel.

The kennel is the physical “anchor” for the series. The story plays out across the region, which allows me to bring in the wonderful people and places of the Ozarks: Eureka Springs and its art galleries, the largely unpopulated area around Beaver Lake, and the folk tales handed down from one generation to the next. The inclusion of the Ozark treasure legends was inspired by conversations with the folklorist Phillip W. Steele. (Who can resist a treasure hunt?) If I’d stuck with the old rule to write only what I know, this series would never have made it to print.

Whether you’re writing about old stories or new problems, there’s something liberating about starting a project you know little or nothing about. You’re not constrained by what you know, or even what you think you know. So next time you get a wild idea about something, let it fly and see where it takes you!     

Thank you for some wonderful insights, Susan. I hope you'll come back one day.

*

DeadlyTies: A Waterside Kennels Mystery

 Dogs. Family. Friends. Treasure. Stories and rumors from the past. Secrets and lies. They’re all at the heart of this story. When trouble begins at the kennel, Maggie will have to dig into the past for answers if she wants to have a future. Because her search just might lead to murder. 

Read the first five chapters: http://dogmysteries.com

Links:

Website: http://dogmysteries.com 

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/luva72t          

Facebook Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/ozk3uja

Find me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7302683.Susan_Holmes

Follow me on Twitter: @dogmysteries https://twitter.com/dogmysteries

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com