Laura Loyola moved to Australia from Chile, where she had studied architecture. In Australia, Laura gave birth to her daughter Emma, who has an extremely rare genetic disorder (KAT6B variation). Laura looked forward to sharing her favourite fairytales with her daughter, but soon found – given Emma's developmental challenges – that these fairytales didn't resonate with Emma or Laura's experiences. When Laura and Emma received a book about a child who wore an eyepatch, Emma was suddenly interested. So Laura decided to write her own stories, with heroes inspired by her daughter, because she saw the joy that it gave Emma to hear stories about people she could relate to. To learn more about Laura and Emma's story, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeN69Lt10Yw 'A Very Special Gift' can be purchased from major book sellers as both a print book and audiobook. https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?author=Laura+Loyola

In this episode, Sarah and Layne talk about Layne's work as a young adult disability advocate with lived experience of cerebral palsy. And – Layne talks about her new found love of audiobooks! Find out more about Layne and sign up for her blog @ laynedixon.com.au

In this episode, we talk with 14 year old Anni Ratten whose recent novella, 'The Shadow Master's Eye', has hit the shelves as an audiobook. Anni talks about why she wrote 'The Shadow Master's Eye', how she found the writing experience, and what she hopes to achieve with this gritty work of dystopian fiction. We also talk with Anni about her current favourite reads, and she offers insights into the sorts of books she and her peers enjoy. You can find 'The Shadow Master's Eye' on all good audiobook retailer platforms, including Google Play, Kobo, Audible and Booktopia. It's also available as an eBook and paperback, in which you'll also find illustrations drawn by Anni.

In this episode, we talk with Kati Schwartz, a playwright and actor in the US whose work has won accolades in the New York New Works Festival, the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Kati's latest work, 'Bad People', explores her own experiences with manipulative relationships in what Kati calls her own #metoo story. 'Bad People' is now available on Audible as a multi-cast audio play, and in today's podcast, we talk about why Kati wrote this work, what she hopes it will achieve, and how the writing process has helped her move forward personally.

In this episode, we talk with Landon Beach about his latest book, "Narrator", which features—you guessed it!—an audiobook narrator in the lead role. What's the book about? Why did Landon decide to feature an audiobook narrator as the protagonist? And how have real live audiobook narrators responded to this book? You'll find out all this and more! Oh, and for aspiring indie authors out there – Landon has some great tips for you!  Landon was born and raised in Michigan but now lives in the Sunshine State with his wife, two children, and their golden retriever. He previously served as a Naval Officer and was an educator for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer.  He is the award-winning author of Huron Breeze. Voices of Today (C) 2022.

In Episode 5, we talk with five experienced audiobook narrator/producers who have experience in the world of full cast audiobook productions. How do multi-cast productions work? Why do they work? And what's it like to participate in them? Join us to hear the answers to these questions and more, as we talk with Ted Wenskus, John Burlinson, Susan Iannucci and Elizabeth Klett.  Ted Wenskus is a writer and theatre/voice actor who has worked on 60+ audio productions, including staged performances, audio projects for the National Park Service, and titles for Audible. His own audio play, Take It or Weave It (co-written with Meredith Powell Carroll), won an Audio Verse Award for Best Writing and was presented at a live listening session at the national HEAR Now Audio Fiction and Arts Festival in Kansas City in 2018. Since 2020, Ted has served as a judge for the Atlanta Fringe Festival’s audio showcase, helping select the festival’s Critics’ Choice Awards. He has also appeared in a number of live radio shows on stage (The 39 Steps, Vintage Hitchcock, Frankenstein), where he has focused on designing and performing live sound effects using period materials and techniques. John Burlinson has been narrating audiobooks since 1984. His earliest projects were in association with the Texas State Library’s Talking Books Program, which provides free library services for Texans with blindness or visual, physical, or reading disabilities. Over time, John developed a specialty in reading books on the American West: its history, legends and lore. In later years, John has also recorded many books for LibriVox  (over 425 sections and counting). He is a member of The Online Stage and Voices of Today and has been featured in many productions, from classics, like Sophocles and Shakespeare, to contemporary works by authors such as Wade Bradford and Mike Murphy.  John has narrated, edited and produced audiobooks for publishers including: Redwood Audiobooks, Brash Books, University Press Audiobooks, IAMBIC, Outlaws Publishing, ACX and Healing Habits Publishing. To make sure there was always food on the table, John worked for over 30 years at the Texas Department of State Health Services, latterly as the Deputy Regional Director of the 30-county region of Central Texas, the “hill country”. Over the years, John was involved in nearly every aspect of public health work, although for some time before he retired in 2013, he was prominent as a subject matter expert in public health preparedness and disaster response.  As a result, he spent many long hours driving the highways and byways of Texas, giving him ample opportunity to listen to audiobooks and hone his craft by studying the great narrators and voice artists of the past 50 years. Susan Iannucci is a full time narrator and VoiceOver actor working from California USA. She has been producing multi-cast productions for several years along with her own solo narrations. Pulling together multi-cast projects with actors throughout the world continues to be a great challenge and thoroughly rewarding. Involved in project management, casting, cover design, ad copy and post production mastering of files, these productions are multi-faceted. Susan is passionate about presenting great literature to the audiobook industry, bringing heart-warming stories from the past into the present that they might not be forgotten. Elizabeth Klett is an English literature professor by day and an audiobook narrator by night. She trained as an actor at Drew University and holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois. She loves reading (and teaching) fiction, drama, and poetry of all kinds, and delights in creating distinctive voices and accents for literary characters. Elizabeth has been a professional audiobook narrator since 2011, with over 300 titles available at Libro.fm, Audible and elsewhere. She is currently on the roster at ACX, Audiobook Empire, Bee Audio, Findaway Voices, Pink Flamingo Production

Join us as we chat with P.J. Morgan and Erin Marie White, two audiobook narrators who have both studied linguistics and have a background in theatre performance. What new insights might they have for us, as audiobook listeners, narrators and writers?  ERIN MARIE WHITE: Erin Marie White is an Australian actress and audiobook narrator. Bitten by the theatre bug in her teens, Erin has been performing for most of her life. With a BA in Linguistics and a Master of Speech Pathology, Erin has a unique perspective on language, communication and the power of the human voice. She is a natural storyteller and adores narrating audiobooks. PJ MORGAN: A lifelong storyteller, book nerd, actor, and secret author, P. J. Morgan has finally reached the pinnacle of human form as a professional audiobook narrator! She is an empathic performer with a broad skillset who believes in the power of the written and spoken word to transform, educate, elevate, and escape. She has narrated over 130 titles to date, from Sci-Fi to non-fiction, for BeeAudio, Audible Studios, Findaway Voices, Spoken Realms, Pink Flamingo Productions, and many independent authors. When not in the booth, she is outside playing with her equine friends, hiking with her demonspawn chihuahua, or crafting hit-or-miss vegan meals. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, P. J. is especially interested in stories featuring diverse characters, and has a soft spot for unusual protagonists and sympathetic villains. Hosted by Sarah Bacaller (www.sarahbacaller.com) and produced by Voices of Today (www.voicesoftodayorg) – an Australian audiobook production company.

Victor Dima is a fierce advocate for the audiobook industry. He is a respected audiobook reviewer and consultant, and he is legally blind. In this podcast, Victor discusses his passion for audiobooks, along with tips for those interested in writing audiobook reviews. He also discusses the controversial topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the audiobook industry – and offers an important and surprising perspective, with valuable insights from his own lived experience as someone who can no longer access traditional print text. To find out more about Victor's work, check out www.theaudiobookblog.com and his Patreon channel @ www.patreon.com/victordima.

In this episode, we interview three powerhouse women of the audiobook industry: Karen Commins, Amy Soakes and Susan Iannucci. Each  works to create connections with others, to foster connections and develop the skills of others — and we ask why this is, and what drives their projects.  KAREN COMMINS:  Karen Commins is an award-winning audiobook narrator, producer, publisher, and leading curator of info about the audiobook industry. She is a 6-time audiobook juror for the Voice Arts Awards competitions. Karen has written about audiobooks on numerous sites and spoken about audiobook creation and marketing at VOAtlanta, on ACX University, and on several podcasts. After years of helping narrators on their journeys through her articles, videos, online advice, and private consultations, in 2019 Karen launched NarratorsRoadmap.com. This site is THE destination for narrators of all levels, with a knowledge base, video courses, event calendar, casting directory, and an incredible number of resource links. AMY SOAKES:  Amy came to narrating after a career in television, both in front of and behind the camera. She’s passionate about open communication, flexibility and transparency within the industry, and runs NarratorList.com – a website where authors and narrators can connect prior to committing to an aggregator (Australian and New Zealand narrators and authors can also connect through AussieNarrator.com). Amy has written a wealth of information on independent audiobook production, and provides a venue for rights holders to freely list auditions and contact narrators. She also runs AudioFreebies.com, which helps authors and narrators distribute promotional and review copies of their audiobooks – not just via Audible promo codes, but also with Findaway Voices or Authors Direct codes, or any other method available to the rights holder. SUSAN IANNUCCI:  Susan is a full time narrator and voiceover actor working from California, USA. She has been producing multi-cast productions for several years along with her own solo narrations. Pulling together multi-cast projects with actors throughout the world continues to be a great challenge and thoroughly rewarding. Involved in project management, casting, cover design, ad copy and post production mastering of files, these productions are multi-faceted. She is passionate about presenting great literature to the audiobook industry, bringing heart- warming stories from the past into the present, that they might not be forgotten. Produced by Voices of Today (Production Copyright 2022). Hosted by Sarah Bacaller.

In the very first episode of The Audiobook Reader's review, meet Prof. Matthew Rubery, a scholar who has spent the last decade writing about audiobooks! How and when did audiobooks develop? What makes a great audiobook? And how have attitudes to audiobook-listening changed over time? Is audiobook-listening a legitimate form of reading? Plus, find your next great audiobooks with reviews of three recent productions.  Hosted by Sarah Bacaller. Produced by Voices of Today (Production copyright 2022).