Auditing Long Lost Midwife’s 32-chapter Audiobook

When this audiobook is finally available through Audible and other purchase links, I will

breathe a sigh of relief. It’s my first audiobook experience, so I have nothing to compare

it to. Any project that requires tasks to be completed by other people will invariably run

into snags. I’d rather not dwell on that. Surely, though, I fantasize about being a literary

star. I could snap my fingers. “Oh, Mr. Smith, what is it? What do you want?” “People,

please,” I would say, “could we possibly move a little faster?” “Oh, Mr. Smith, of course!

We can definitely move faster. Please forgive us our slow pace. You’re right. It’s quite

unforgivable.”

At the beginning, I definitely liked auditioning potential readers. Whoever set up the

auditions gave each reader the same Long Lost Midwife passage. I sensed the

organizer had chosen it because of the vocal variety it offered. Spoken conversation. A

few foreign words and phrases. Descriptive lists of items found in a wealthy person’s

house, and some vocabulary not used in everyday speech. One word I remember:

anathema. Out of seven readers, only three pronounced it correctly. A famous park in

Paris was mangled by most.

As I write this, I’m currently listening to the late Anna Massey read Daphne du Maurier’s

Rebecca. It’s my book club’s selection for the month of March. Once a year we read a

classic. Du Maurier’s language, as narrated by this BAFTA-award-winning British

actress, captivates me. I could dwell in that audio world forever, I tell myself as I’m

listening.

Narrating a novel well is no small achievement. It’s hard to go up against Massey and

du Maurier, but quite honestly, I’m very impressed by the narrator I was able to choose

out of seven candidates. David G. I believe he’s high in the ranks of talented narrators.

For several years I sang in a group now defunct that specialized in operatic singing. I’m

a chorister, not a soloist. Being in Sonomento gave me the opportunity to hear many

highly trained voices. Soloists who could sing very high notes. Soloists whose voices

could paint the basement. Exposed to that many voices over several years has given

me, I believe, a discerning ear.

Thus, when I praise David G, I’ve got a wee bit of history to back me. I personally know

of one author who read his own work to cut down on costs. Costs are important to

contain, I understand that. However, I recommend securing someone else. Why? Two

reasons come to mind. The external reader’s performance becomes a litmus test for

how well your work translates to another’s interpretation. Secondly, there’s value in

experiencing your work as a total visitor. And, to add a third reason, a good reader can

find and elevate pockets of dramatic interest that you, as the writer, possibly didn’t know

were there in the text. When that happens, the element of surprise is assuredly a gift.

Plus, it’s really fun to listen to your book as you’re driving around, doing errands. Hear the story come to life. While the audiobook is nearing its final release, you can immerse yourself in the world of Long Lost Midwife today in print or digital formats. Secure your copy at your favorite retailer below: AMAZON | GOODREADS | BARNES AND NOBLE