My guest tonight is founder and CEO of Twin Flames Studios Tina Dietz! Tina tells me how everything fell into place for a life-changing move to Costa Rica. And although she realized early on that audiobook narration was not going to be her strong suit, Tina tells me how her love of recording and interviewing starting at a very early age led to the different areas of focus of Twin Flames Studios. All this and much more over a Captain Picard and a Negroni! You can find Twin Flames Studios at...

My guest tonight is NYT, WSJ, and Audible #1 best-selling author Lauren Blakely! Lauren tells me how she ended up in a career in journalism after majoring in art history, and how that eventually morphed into being a full-time author. Lauren goes on to describe her experiences getting almost all of her books (over 50 of them!) into audio, and the importance of being able to give a voice to characters who don't share your gender. All this and much more over some green tea and a Blue Moon! You...

My guest tonight is the founder of Elephant Audiobooks, Kenny Pappaconstantinou! Kenny tells me how an education in music production at Berklee College of Music eventually led him into audiobook production, and how he came to found Elephant Audiobooks. Kenny also describes the importance of getting your home studio set up correctly, and not rushing the audition process. All this and more over A Terrible Idea (that's an IPA, not a poorly constructed cocktail) and a Spiced Rum Coco Martini! You...

My guest tonight is audiobook narrator and mentor Ann Richardson! Ann describes the culture shock of moving from idyllic farm country in Nebraska to the San Francisco Bay Area, and how the economic crisis of 2008 led to a career re-evaluation and a move into voiceover. Ann also tells me about the classes she teaches at Voice One in San Francisco, the mentoring she does with new narrators, and the importance of investing in training and equipment. All this over some Amarula and a Toronto...

My guest tonight is audiobook post-production engineer Chrissy Farrell! Chrissy tells me how stage fright may have scuttled her on-air radio career aspirations, but the audio production skills she'd learned while pursuing her goals ended up landing her a job recording an audiobook. Chrissy then describes how that experience helped her land jobs at Audible Studios and then Hachette Book Group, what life is now like as an entrepreneur, and how she feels about some of the more "prickly" aspects...

My guests tonight are partners in narration (and life!) Ralph Scott and Kendra Murray! Ralph and Kendra tell me how they both eventually wound up in Petaluma, California, working on radio plays, and how their love of theater led to a very unique wedding experience. We also discuss their approach to dual and duet narration, and how technology has changed the dual/duet/full-cast narration landscape. All this and more over a Hemingway Special and a couple of Buzzers! You can find Ralph and...

My guests tonight are Julie Wilson and Dan Zitt from Penguin Random House! Julie and Dan discuss the genesis and evolution of AHAB, one of the tools that PRH audiobook producers use for casting. They also discuss some of the changes to AHAB that were recently implemented, and talk about their vision for AHAB going forward. All this over a virgin Mojito, some Basil Hayden's bourbon, and a Soleil! You can find Julie on Twitter and Instagram at @JuliannaNWilson, and you can find Dan...

My guest tonight is Jane Love, one of two chief negotiators of audiobook contracts with SAG-AFTRA! Jane tells me about how she ended up in a long and happy career with SAG-AFTRA instead of the career in journalism she'd planned. We then discuss how the union came to be more active in the audiobook world, and some of the benefits of union membership. All this over a Gold Rush and some water -- that's replaced with a Quarantine Cooler immediately after the interview! You can find information...

My guest tonight is audiobook narrator and business coach Emily Lawrence! Emily describes her pivot late in her college career from stage to film/tv acting, followed quickly by a pivot into audiobooks. Emily and I also discuss the changes she's seen on ACX over the years, her audiobook business coaching, and how LARPing resulted in Cardinal Richelieu marrying a ninja assassin. All this and more over a Perfect Martini and some cool, clear water. You can find Emily online...

My guest tonight is audio producer extraordinaire "Uncle Roy" Yokelson! Uncle Roy tells me how sound has always been a passion of his, and how he made that passion a career when he got into music and other audio production. Roy also talks about what to look for in a good voiceover demo producer, and what his process is for creating a "killer demo." All this and more over an Egg Cream and a Salty Dog! You can find Uncle Roy at http://www.antlandproductions.com and on Twitter at @antland.

Joining me in the Speakeasy tonight is long-time narrator Oliver Wyman! Oliver tells me about getting into both voice acting in general and audiobooks specifically after meeting Paul Alan Ruben (a guest here in the Speakeasy back on episode 38), and shares some of his favorite books and characters from 20 years of narrating audiobooks. Ollie also talks about how great it is to get completely emotionally attached to the story you're telling, and explains why sometimes it's important to just...

My guest tonight is audiobook engineer Michael J. Kinsey! Michael describes how important the drums were to him growing up, and how his experience digitizing music tapes helped open the door to audiobook engineering at Recording For The Blind And Dyslexic (now Learning Ally). Michael also talks about his approach to mastering an audiobook, and how important it is to get recording levels (not to mention your recording environment) right. All this over a shot of Patron tequila and a Tropical...

I'm joined tonight by actor, audiobook narrator, and narration coach Helen Lloyd! Helen talks about her early years as an actor and how she found her way into the audiobook world. Helen then describes her experience as Bee Audio's "UK Voice Wrangler," and how that eventually led to her coaching practice. And she does the entire interview with a British accent! All this and more over some Earl Grey tea, an elderflower and pressed pear cordial, and a Fancy Free! You can find Helen online...

Tonight I'm joined by audiobook narrator and acting, narration, and career coach Elise Arsenault! Elise tells me about her acting journey, from George Mason University through Missoula Children's Theater, Washington, D. C., and regional theater in Boston. Elise then describes how audiobooks entered into her career mix, and explains her Power Group coaching process. All this and more over some Lenore Syrah and a Smoky Nail! You can find Elise...

Tonight I'm speaking with my first returning guest, Steven Jay Cohen! I spoke with Steven back in episode 14 about his journey as a narrator and the founder of Listen 2 A Book, which became Spoken Realms. Tonight, we take a deep dive into the roots of Spoken Realms, what's been happening there lately, and what's on the horizon. Steven goes into details about how technology is affecting the audiobook landscape, and about the importance of following directions when applying to work with Spoken...

My guest tonight is lawyer, author, and audiobook producer and director Jessica Kaye! Jessica tells me how and why she got into the legal profession, and how it eventually led her to the audiobook world. Jessica also talks about what's in her book, The Guide to Publishing Audiobooks, and about the importance of audiobook-specific training for narrators. All this and more over some Cocobon red wine (a red blend that you can't see through!) and a Gibson! You can find Jessica online...

My guest tonight is grammy-award winning audiobook producer John McElroy! John talks about his start in the audiobook industry abridging books (back when that was far more common than it is today), how he founded the Gashouse Production Company, and how that morphed into Eljin Productions 10 years ago. John also describes a typical production at Eljin, and shares his vision for Erggo, a publicly accessible database of audiobook narrators. All this over a König Pilsener and a Barracuda! You...

My guests tonight have performed many dual narrations together: Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber, romance narrators extraordinaire! Erin and Zach share their stories about getting into audiobooks, and the romance genre specifically. They also describe their process for producing great dual narrations, and share their thoughts on what narrators can focus on when diving into this more and more common approach to audiobooks in the romance genre that shift POV between the main characters. All this...

My guest tonight is this year's Audie winner for Best Female Narrator, Julia Whelan! Julia talks about growing up as a child actor on television and learning how fast the acting landscape changes when you take four years off to get an education. Julia also describes her very serendipitous entry into the audiobook world, and how important it is to take risks. All this and more over a Last Word and a Monte Carlo! You can find Julia on Twitter and Instagram at @justjuliawhelan. This week's...

My guest tonight is heading up the new Audio Division at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Tommy Harron! After a brief discussion of beer and Lambrusco, Tommy describes how his musical career led him to a job at Talking Books, then Hachette, and finally HMH to lead the newly created Audio Division. Tommy and I then talk about the progress they've made at HMH Audio and how a typical production progresses. All this over a cup of tea and some Writer's Tears Irish Whiskey! You can find Tommy on LinkedIn...

My guest tonight is Earphones award-winning narrator James Patrick Cronin! James tells me about being a child actor and his subsequent education in both acting and philosophy (not to mention his whiskey education, being an Irish citizen and having lived for one year in Edinburgh and seven years in Kentucky). James also talks about his choice to use a pseudonym, why using a pseudonym carries no negative connotations in this industry, and how important it is to make a decision about a pseudonym...

My guest tonight is the Studio Services Coordinator at Blackstone Audio, Jesse Bickford! Jesse and I talk about how she wound up in Southern Oregon and eventually started working at Blackstone Audio. Jesse goes on to describe all of the different responsibilities she's had at Blackstone, including proofing, casting, and... just about everything else! All this and more, over a glass of Druid's Fluid and a Dirty Old Man! You can find Jesse on Facebook...

Tonight I'm joined by voice actor and audiobook narrator Sean Crisden! Sean and I discuss his ten years of narrating audiobooks, primarily in the romance genre, and how audiobook narration fits into his voiceover business, which includes commercial, e-learning, and video game work. Sean also has lots of great advice for narrators who may want to branch out into other areas of VO work (spoiler alert: building relationships is important in other VO areas as well!), and describes his SPORTH...

My guest tonight is prolific audiobook narrator and VO coach Khristine Hvam! Khristine describes how she got into animation and later audiobooks, with some great stories that illustrate how important it is to always present yourself professionally. Khristine also tells me all about producing the first full-cast musical audiobook, and her approach to VO and audiobook coaching. All this over a lemon-lime club soda and a Tequila Cocktail! You can find Khristine at https://hvamaudio.com, on...

My guest this evening is John Marshall Cheary, founder and CEO of John Marshall Media! After John and I wax a bit poetic about gins and tonics, he tells me about his early years as an aspiring drummer and how his musical roots led him into audio engineering. John goes on to describe the role that John Marshall Media plays in an audiobook production and how a production goes from start to finish, then offers some very good advice for narrators -- and entrepreneurs of any stripe. All this over...