Reader Rayna

Month: June 2015

  • Blog Tour: An Interview with Michele Carpenter the Narrator of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest – Part 1

    Hey guys! Here today on my blog I’m hosting a post as part of a blog tour for self-published author, Keira Gillet, and her debut novel, “Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest.”
    So, without further ado, here is the interview with the narrator of the audibook, Michele Carpenter and author, Keira Gillet!

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    Good morning! My name is Keira Gillett and I am so happy to be here today at Reader Rayna with Michele Carpenter. This is part one of three of an interview series with Michele, the narrator of my debut novel Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest. Watch the book trailer and hear Michele as Zaria:

    Keira Gillett (Author): Why did you decide to become an audio book narrator?

    Michele Carpenter (Narrator): For the last ten years, I’ve loved listening to audio books! They helped fulfill my desire to read when I didn’t have time to stop and hold a book long enough to dive into a story. And I was jealous of the narrators. There were several narrators who’s performances really inspired and called out to me, such as David Pittu (39 Clues Books) and I soooo badly wished I could do what they were doing! After narrating my first book, I was hooked! I don’t get to be just one character. I’m ALL the characters and that really satisfies my love of acting and performing.

    Keira: We talked some about this over Facebook, but for readers can you share what a typical day spent recording is like for you? I know I’ve found it fascinating.

    Michele: I wake up at 5:30am and help my kids off to school. Shortly after that, my husband arrives home from work, which is when we get to have coffee, eat breakfast together, talk, laugh, and enjoy one another’s company for a few hours. Pretty soon, he heads to bed, I brew a cup of Tazo Passion tea, fill my water bottle and head into the studio to begin recording. During this time, I may have to stop and research word pronunciations or accents online. Once I finish a chapter, I relax and listen back to it, proofing for errors as I go, and doing what we call “punch ins” wherever I’ve made mistakes.

    I stop for lunch, check my social media and email accounts for messages, grab more tea and head back into the studio until I hear my kids’ school bus—which usually concludes my working time, but not always. It just depends on what’s going on with them and whether or not we have karate or rehearsals that evening. After my little ones are in bed for the night, I sometimes do more recording or spend time reading and planning future manuscripts for upcoming books.

    Keira: What is your favorite part about narrating books?

    Michele: I have two. I love imitating children and teen voices as well as different accents and character voices. The second is that narrating a book is like building something. I’m bringing the book to life with my voice. I’m shaping it into an audio world. That’s pretty fun. By the time the book is over, I hate to leave that world I’ve just created.

    Keira: You do voices extraordinarily well, not just kid voices! As a reader/listener and author I knew what I wanted in a narrator, but how do you determine which books you want to audition to narrate for?

    Michele: Soooo far, I’ve chosen them by how much the story interests me, combined with whether or not I feel I have the ability to perform it well. If it has a higher sales ranking, then that’s always helpful in the deciding process. And as long as I have a choice in the matter, I want it to be a book that I feel I can be proud of afterwards and not ashamed to have my voice and name on.

    Keira: Passion and interest I agree are super important. I looked for a narrator who could share both with me for my story. What’s the most important part of your job as a narrator? What aspect of it means the most to you?

    Michele: A great performance! I hate getting rated anything less than a five star. I wish all of my reviewers gave me a five star… I always do my best to give an exciting, five star performance.

    Keira: In my (not so humble) opinion you’re off the charts! You brought Zaria Fierce’s world alive and gave the characters heart. Thank you so much for lending your incredible talent to this project. Readers, listen to the audio file below for a sample of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest performed by Michele Carpenter.

    Don’t you agree that Michele is super talented? Thanks for joining us today!

    Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood ForestBook Blurb: On her birthday, Zaria Fierce finds her usual path to school blocked by an ugly river-troll. At first she’s surprised and curious, but then Olaf threatens to eat her, which is an act Zaria could not in good conscience consent to, so Zaria counteroffers. A deal is struck and she goes to school, but Zaria is about to learn the hard way that one does not trick a river-troll and expect to win.

    Early Reviews:

    “With kids interested in “Frozen,” with Anna and Elsa, this would be a natural progression.” – Judi Oswald, Reference Librarian

    Available in E-book | Print | Audio Book formats.

    See if you’re eligible to get a free copy of the audio book here.

    Excerpt:

    Geirr stooped to pick up some decent-sized sticks, and Zaria bent to grab a few too. They talked amicably and walked, stretching their legs, until they were too burdened by their loads to keep going.

    “My arms are going to collapse,” Zaria huffed. Her breath fogged around her face, covering and then revealing a well-pinked nose and cheeks. “Let’s head back to camp.”

    “Sounds good to me,” Geirr said and turned around to do just that. Zaria followed and collided into him, dropping her load of kindling all over the ground.

    “Hey!” she exclaimed, as she went to gather them. “Why did you stop?”

    “I don’t think we’re going to find camp,” Geirr said, worrying his lip. He juggled his armful of wood and pointed haphazardly forward. “It’s like pea soup.”

    Zaria looked up from playing fifty-two pickup and saw what worried Geirr. In front of them was a wall of fog, thick, viscous, and impossible to see through. She gulped and carefully set down the pile she’d been working to gather again. Was it her imagination or did the fog seem to be breathing? It crept closer in stages. Not fast enough that she saw it while looking directly at it, but if she looked away and back, it most definitely moved.

    “Uh, Geirr,” Zaria said, slowly gaining her feet. “I think we should move and fast.”

    Geirr looked at her puzzled. “I don’t think fast is an option here. Now if you pick up your stack and stick near me maybe we can Marco Polo our way back to the others.”

    “Geirr,” Zaria hissed, her voice ratcheting higher. “The fog is moving.” He didn’t look impressed. The breathing sounds from within the fog grew louder, distressing Zaria. “No seriously, it’s moving like it’s alive.”

    Geirr looked back again and stared hard, trying to penetrate the fog with his gaze alone. Zaria started to ease away, firewood forgotten.

    “Come on, Geirr, we have to move. Can’t you hear the breathing?”

    “That isn’t you?” he asked, alarmed.

    “No!” Zaria shouted. “Run!”

    Purchase your copy of Zaria Fierce today.

    Keira Gillett author pictureAuthor Bio: Keira Gillett is a technical publications librarian, book blogger, world traveler, artist, and now author. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing and Painting. From an early age her mother instilled a love of the written word, as such she has always been a big reader. Her first book, Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest, is about a young girl who must complete a quest to save her friend from a nasty river-troll.

    Website: http://keiragillett.com

    Social Media: Twitter (keiragillett), Facebook (zariafiercetrilogy), Pinterest (keiragillett)

    Michele CarpenterNarrator Bio: Michele Carpenter is an artist at heart, with a passion for acting. She and her husband (also a voice actor) often work on projects together and help one another through the journey. Together, they have three kids. Michele’s children love to hear her read stories and beg her to edit her narrations in the same room with them so they can listen too. It’s partially for this reason that Michele has come to feel a personal responsibility to only record books that aren’t inappropriate for children or young adults–at their respective age levels and according to the maturity levels of the books they’re able to read. “We never know how long we have on this earth and I’d rather leave behind a legacy of books that I’m not ashamed to have my friends, family and even future grandchildren, listen to forever.”

    Website: http://www.michele-carpenter.com/

    Social Media: Twitter (michelecvoice), Facebook (michelecarpentervoice), YouTube (micheleyoutube)

    Available in E-book | Print | Audio Book formats.

    See if you’re eligible to get a free copy of the audio book here.

  • Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Books of the Year So Far

    I haven’t done Top 5 Wednesday for a long time now. Whoops. Well, this week’s topic is all about your favorites books of the year so far. This is going to be hard to choose, but I’m going to do my best. I feel so unfair giving these ranks, but alas, I must.

    daughterofsmokeandbone

    5. “Daughter of Smoke & Bone” by Laini Taylor.

    I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much. It had romance, it had mystery, it had sexy characters, it had beautiful writing and it had so much, much more. It was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. Check out my review here.

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    4. “Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare.

    This book, though a prequel trilogy beginning, was awesome and wonderful and omg Will Herondale’s personality is amazing. I love the old feel of London and the steampunk affects of the story. I can’t wait to continue on! Check out my review here.

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    3. “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J Maas.

    A wonderful beginning to a new trilogy, this book had romance, steamy scenes, hot Faerie men, a strong heroine, and more. It was so worth the read, even if some parts felt out of place and all that. Check out my review here.

    anemberintheashes

    2. “An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir.

    Wow, this was a strong beginning to a new fantasy series. So far, we only have this book and the upcoming sequel, but I hope it’s more than just a duology. It has action, adventure, romance, betrayal, villains you love to hate, and more. Check out my review here.

    simonvs

    1. “Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli.

    This book had me giggling and squeeing for a large portion of what I was reading. It was so cute and fun and such a great read. If you haven’t read this yet, what are you waiting for? Do it. Do it nooooowwww. Check out my review here.

    Okay, because this is just cruel and unusual punishment, here’s a couple of honorable mentions that have also been my favorites this year:

    What are some of your favorite books of the year so far that you’ve read? Let me know!

  • Unravel Me Book Review

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    Title: Unravel Me
    Author: Tahereh Mafi
    Series: Book #2 in the Shatter Me trilogy Publisher: HarperCollins
    Publication Date: February 5, 2013
    Genre: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
    Pages: 461
    Format: Purchased Paperback

    “Unravel Me” by Tahereh Mafi is the sequel to “Shatter Me” and it follows Juliette, a girl with a touch that can kill – literally – and a super strong power unknown to her. This second book deals mostly with her after she has escaped from the grasps of Warner, a nineteen year old soldier who is as cruel as he is ruthless, and winds up at a place called Omega Point that houses many more people with powers like her.

    Now, this review will contain some spoilers given that it’s the second book, so if you haven’t read it yet, then please do.

    Okay, so in the first book I thought Juliette was a really weak character. She was scared and afraid, sure, but she was also just kind of… pathetic, really. In this second book she does grow more of a backbone, but not for at least half of the book. She still relies heavily on Adam to be her rock and comforter and the one thing to give her strength, but she has so much potential and spark in her that she doesn’t need anyone to really make her stand out. I still found her to be annoying and complicated at times, and I thought that she could have done so much more than she actually did, but I did see a change in her, even if it was subtle, and I’m interested to see how much she may or may not grow in the third book.

    Adam was kind of a non-existent character unless he was around Juliette. We learned that he has his own ability and that’s why he’s actually able to touch Juliette. But his ability isn’t without its faults or flaws as he’s unable to cope with touching her for long periods of time or when he’s not focusing on deflecting her ability – or Energy, as they refer to it in the book. He’s a lot angrier in this book for various reasons, and I thought they were all viable. I just wished we could have seen more of him and a deeper look into his personality than what was given.

    Warner. Oh my gosh, Warner. What an awesome and interesting and complex character he is. Okay, so when I read this first book I thought he was the creepiest person and was super stalkerish and just.. he creeped me out. In this book, though, we got a more in depth, human look at Warner and it made me like him all the better. He has his dark side, don’t get me wrong, but the fact that he’s got secrets and his own ability (which is a really cool one and I want it) and how interesting he is just in general made me love him. I thought, yes, some of the the things he said or did initially were kind of weird or out of place, but as he made more and more appearances and we learned a little more about him, it felt like we were getting a glimpse into what made Warner the way he is. I’m interested to see how he acts in the third book.

    Kenji is like, my best bro friend. I want him to be my friend in real life. He’s sassy and funny and witty, but super smart and independent and everyone looks up to him. I think he’s a great asset to the story and brings a lot of needed comic relief and “tell-it-like-it-is” to the story.

    As for the plot, I thought it was really centered around Juliette’s feelings for Adam and the combating feelings she begins to develop for Warner, and how she isn’t strong enough and blah blah blah. I was annoyed with her for the first half of the book, really. I wanted the plot to be more focused on her training at Omega Point and the others with their own cool abilities. I think that would have been much better and beneficial to the development of the story. But, I also did enjoy the back and forth aspect because of how polar opposite the boys are. It made it kind of spicy.

    I wanted to learn more about the war, the outside world, the Reestablishment, Anderson (I really don’t like him), and other things that were briefly touched upon. But I also understand that as it was from Juliette’s conscious stream of thought we may have not been able to get it all because she was dealing with other things mentally and emotionally.

    Overall, I thought this book was better than the first and I do recommend continuing on with the series if you’ve read the first book.

    I rated this book 4/5 stars.

  • June 2015 TBR + #TBRTakedown Readathon

    Well, we’re half way through the year already (can you believe it?) and it’s time for another TBR challenge for the month. Whether or not I get to all of these books is up for debate, but I’m going to do my best.

    BUT FIRST. Let’s start off with the #TBRTakedown Readathon hosted by Shannon of Leaning Lights over on YouTube (and here’s my video if you want to check it out).

    This is another readathon that’s pretty relaxed, but she gave five challenges you can opt to try out during the week. And, well, I decided to try it out.

    1. A book that’s been on your shelf for at least a year. For this one I chose “A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin. Now, I’m not going to attempt to read the rest of the book as I’m already 33% through it from when I stopped almost two years ago, but I am aiming for at least another 100-200 pages read.
    2. An unread sequel. Now, I’m not really cheating (but I kinda am) in that I’m going to finish “Unravel Me” by Tahereh Mafi. I didn’t get to finish it last month and I really want to, sooo, yeah.
    3. The first book in a series. For this one I chose “Shadow and Bone” by Leigh Bardugo. I’ve heard so many great things about it that I figured I’d definitely give it a go.
    4. A book that’s out of your comfort zone. Well, this can be either based on genre or content, and I chose content. I picked “Stolen” by Lucy Christopher, which is a book about kidnapping and since I’ve never read about that subject (nor am I fond of the subject) I figured it fit.
    5. A book from your most recent haul. And for this one I chose “Magonia” by Maria Dahvana Headley (since I already read all the other books from my latest haul). I think it’s going to be an interesting read and I hope to enjoy it.

    Alrighty, so that’s all I hope to read throughout the week. Will I get to all of these books? Probably not, but it’s okay as long as I try to read what I can.

    As for the rest of my TBR for the month, I plan on reading:

    • “Ignite Me” by Tahereh Mafi, this third and final book in the Shatter Me trilogy.
    • “Days of Blood and Starlight” by Laini Taylor. I’ve been dying to finish this trilogy and the third book will be coming out in paperback on July 7th, so it’s not too far away from now!
    • “The Final Empire” by Brandon Sanderson. I really want to start reading this trilogy and see what all the fuss is about. I don’t doubt that it’s a great book, I’m just interested to see how it goes and all that.

    As for my TBR Jar Challenge for the month, it’s to read a book that won an award. Well, “Stolen” by Lucy Christopher won or was nominated the Pulitzer prize, so… killing two birds with one stone!

    I think that’s enough books to last me the month, don’t you think? Maybe I’m being too ambitious, but I hope to at least start some of these books, if not finish them.

    What are your reading plans for the month? Let me know!