Showing posts with label Heartfire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heartfire. Show all posts

Thursday, October 29, 2015

#Cats This Week--#Feline #Halloween Trick or Treat by Karen Rose Smith


The Smith felines have their door open for trick or treating this weekend.  Although our furry crew already get treats daily (actually several times a day!!!), they wanted to join in the fun.  Who do you think put on their best Halloween mask?

SUNNYBUD's "Don't Cross ME" Mask


Zoie Joy's "Hear Me Roar" Mask

Miss Paddington's "I Could Give A Good Lick!" Mask 

London's "Growling Yawn" Mask


Halo's "Evil Eye" Mask
Word travels fast!  A new stray stopped by, hoping to share the "treats"!

Have a safe and "spooktacular" Halloween.  And give your furry babies an extra Halloween hug! 


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Tessa and Max have a Halloween party for Max's son in HEARTFIRE.  My treat--a free download on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


HEARTFIRE is Book 5 in Karen Rose Smith's Search For Love series. Contemporary, reunion romance with family themes.
"Ms. Smith is one of the best contemporary family drama authors." Harriet Klausner, Reviewer

         Tessa Kahill, renowned journalist who traveled the world, is falling in love with her best friend's husband all over again! Tessa and Max Winthrop dated before he met Leslie. But then Tessa left with secrets and dreams to follow her career, and Max married her friend.  With a child and what he considered a "perfect" marriage, Max was devastated when he lost his wife, his son's mother, and Tessa's best friend. A rocky road, a man and woman who are searching for love and a little boy who holds his own secret. They could be a real family if they could all become vulnerable and honest with each other. A heartfire has been burning for years. Will it lead to everlasting love? 




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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 87th novel will be released in 2015.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers.  They can find her at the links below.


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©2015 Karen Rose Smith
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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Part 2 Interview with #Narrator Alexandra Haag by Karen Rose Smith





From Alexandra Haag--

Alexandra's Website

Do you feel as if you become the characters as you narrate?
I do.  As an actor I draw on my own experiences and emotions to realize the characters.  While many characters are quite different from myself, we all experience joy, fear, anger, love, uncertainty, etc., and that's where I try to find common ground.

Do you read the book before you start or narrate scene by scene?
Oh, yes, I read the entire book before I narrate, and I outline which characters speak in each chapter.  It's vital to know how the book progresses and where the characters end up.  Sometimes characters seem to be one sort of person at the beginning, but when you learn their backstory through the book, they may end up being entirely different.  To know the details of the story is vital to believably portraying the characters.

What is the toughest part of narrating?
Listening to myself for so long!  And making sure the continuity is right--the tone and quality of the voice is consistent throughout in both the narrative portions and in the character voices.

How do you protect your voice?
Lots of water and resting when the voice starts sounding strained.

What's involved in the process from setting up a home studio, to editing, to putting the book for sale?  How long does it take?
Well, most narrators who record from home start off in a closet surrounded by blankets.  It's quite an expense to put a proper studio together where the sound is completely dampened and the outside noise isn't too disturbing (but nothing can really block the sound of engines on land or in the air).  Then there's the need for a quality microphone, lighting, boom, copy stand, A/D interface, headphones, computer, monitors, recording and editing software.  I took the plunge to create a purpose-built studio and editing bay rather early in my career.  At that time, I sat as I narrated (as do most narrators), but now I stand.  In that way I'm reminded on multiple levels to take breaks often.  I also wear headphones (some narrators don't) because I feel I can better hear various extraneous noises that can intrude on the narration.  Regarding the time to create the audiobook, it actually takes about 7-8 times the finished length of the audiobook to prepare, narrate, edit, produce and master the book.

What do you look for in an author's history to sway you toward narrating their book?
When an author has a website and blog, and has developed a fan base as evidenced in reviews and online interaction with the author, I am most happy to be part of their projects.  If the author is enthusiastic about the narration, she or he will promote it on their site.  Then, the fans who love the books will likely be excited about hearing the book come to life through audio.  This, of course, is a two-edged sword.  Fans may be disappointed if the voice in their ear doesn't match the "voice in their head" that they heard when reading the book.  But I've found that, generally speaking, if the author likes the narration, the fans will as well.

What do you like to do most when you're not narrating?
I enjoy travelling with my husband, playing golf, snow skiing in season, walking in the neighborhood or on the beach, watching films, visiting with my now-grown children, doing community and church volunteer work with friends and, of course, reading!

What are you planning next?
Thankfully, mu dance card is pretty full for a few months.  After HEARTFIRE, I'm working on a couple of thrillers, several romances, and a couple of historical fiction mysteries.  It's just so much fun to immerse myself in these stories, much as I do when I read a book.  But as an actor/narrator, I get to live the stories, and by doing so I find myself, more times than not, falling in love with the characters and stories.  And, for that, I'm very grateful to my authors who entrust their stories to me.



©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

An #Interview with #Narrator Alexandra Haag, Part 1, by Karen Rose Smith


When I went searching for a narrator for HEARTFIRE, a sweet but sensual romance about family, it was my 16th audiobook to put into production.  This time, instead of listening to hundreds of samples, I listened to an audiobook a friend had developed and asked her about her narrator.  She recommended Alexandra Haag highly on all levels of production from the technical to the professional working relationship.  I asked Alexandra to audition and her voice was perfect for all my characters.  She does a wonderful job of distinguishing voices as well as with all the technical aspects of production.  I'm so pleased to introduce her to my readers and other authors so you can learn a bit about her and the process.  Our interview is detailed so I'm doing a Part 1 and Part 2 blog of it.  I will post the second installment next week.


From Alexandra Haag--

 Alexandra's Website

 Tell us a little about your background: Where are you from?
I was born in Central California, spent my school years in the Midwest, and my college and adult years in Southern California.  I like to say I'm a California girl with good Midwestern values.

What was your schooling?
I have a BA from UCLA in English/American Studies and an MA from San Diego State University in Education/Educational Technology.

How do you train to become a narrator?
An acting background is very important, but narration is even more specific, so it's essential to find a coach who can guide you through the skills peculiar to this very intimate medium.

What's been your experience with narrating so far?
I found that audiobook narration has a very steep learning curve and I'm amazed by how many have taken on the challenge.  I produce my own work as well, so there is a lot of technical knowledge that goes into the actual recording, editing and mastering of the finished audio.  It's a challenge, but deeply rewarding when an author is pleased with the results, and listeners and fans respond positively to the audio presentation.

What genre do you like to narrate the best?
I've enjoyed all of the genres that I've voiced, which include non-fiction, memoirs, young adult, science fiction, historical fiction, and romances.  My little secret, though, is how much I enjoy the romances.  I've been lucky enough to narrate romances with themes that generally reflect my own values and I appreciate how the authors can marry traditional values with some pretty hot intimate scenes!

Did you read a lot as a kid?  As an adult?
Throughout my life I've been a voracious reader and have great respect for writers.  I know the challenge of the writing process and, when I narrate, I do my best to honor the author's words and intent.

Why did you decide to begin narrating audiobooks?
For several years I read the local paper on our local PBS radio station as a service to the sight impaired, and I also facilitated a neighborhood book club.  One month we read a book that I thought should be available on audio and I contacted the author/publisher.  While they ultimately never made an audio of that book, I did record it for a friend of mine with macular degeneration.  From there, I decided that I'd commit myself to exploring and honing this craft.  I feel that it's the highest privilege to be invited by listeners to spend extended times with them, speaking in their ears and telling them a story, and I've studied and worked at this craft in order to offer a performance worthy of their trust.

How do you know what voice to use for each character?
When preparing the book, I try to gather as much information from the text as I can about the physical and emotional makeup of each character.  I try to make the voice reflect all of that information so that when you hear the voice, you can picture him or her in your mind.

How do you keep the voices straight?
It can be a real challenge to remember how each character sounds.  In my mind I have a kind of visual map as to where the voice is coming from (high/low, thin/fat, breathy/gravelly, etc.).  Sometimes I realize that I don't like my initial choice of voice for a character and then must go back and re-record.

Read Part 2 of my interview with Alexandra next week.



©2014 Karen Rose Smith


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