I realised early in the process of writing Curious Physiologies, that it would be excellent material for an audiobook—a single point of view (almost) and lots of interesting monster voices for a narrator to get their teeth into.
I had only just started the process of finding a narrator when an amazing one fell into my lap. I connected with Sarah Edwards on TikTok after seeing a post she published that advocated for human voices (and not AI). Looking at her back catalogue of work, I never imagined she would be interested in working with a fairly untested author, but luckily for me, that turned out not to be the case.
I recently sat down virtually with Sarah for a chat about her work and the process of producing the audiobook for Curious Physiologies.
Jay: How did you get into audiobook narration? What have been your favourite books to narrate?
Sarah: I’m an actor and when live work became impossible during the pandemic I discovered I could transfer my skills to audio drama and audiobook narration. I did some research, got my partner to teach me the bare basics of sound engineering, created my little recording space, and never looked back! I’ve genuinely loved all the books I’ve narrated because they’re wonderful entertainment, but I think my favourites are those that have strong characters whose hidden layers get revealed as the story progresses. As an actor, I’m constantly looking characters that make me sit up and take notice, thinking ‘now how would I play her?!’ I love fantasy but I particularly love fantasy that’s grounded in recognisable reality. It makes it all seem so possible and (in fact) likely that just around the next corner you’ll meet the Sandman, or an Angel, or perhaps a member of the LineFolk community.
Jay: What’s the most fun part of the narration experience? What’s the most challenging?
Sarah: The most fun part for me is finding everyone’s voices. When you read the manuscript, you look for clues to help you get to the heart of each character and find out what makes them tick. It’s like going to a party where you don’t know many people, or your first day in a new job; you meet people and try to work them out from what they say (or don’t say,) how they dress, and how they react to others. Then you can piece that together and create the character.
The most challenging thing is narrating stories where you have lots of very similar characters – same background, same upbringing, very similar age etc. You have to work hard to find the subtle differences so that the listener can pick out exactly who is who.
Jay: How have you enjoyed working on Curious Physiologies so far?
Sarah: I’ve loved it! As I mentioned, I love fantasy that’s grounded in reality and this story immediately struck a chord with me as I recognise so many locations and landmarks from when I lived in London. Despite the fact that it’s usually bustling, the Tube can be eerily empty and atmospheric late at night or early in the morning, so the possibility that it hides a mythical force and the secrets of a group of ancient folkloric creatures is entirely believable when you’ve experienced those quiet times alone on the platforms! It’s beautifully written and the characters are so well rounded so it’s a treat to narrate!
Jay: What’s your advice for indie authors looking to produce an audiobook?
Sarah: I’d always suggest reading each chapter out loud to yourself as you go. By the time it gets into the hands of a narrator it may be too late to alter the printed version, so if you’ve not had an editor’s beady eye cast over the text it’s a great idea to take the time to read it aloud to yourself you can check for any exposition or syntax rhythms that may need tweaking, identify any repetitions and mistakes, and edit those out before your story’s recorded. Pronunciation and character breakdowns are also a great help! And then I’d simply say trust the narrator to do what you hired them to do and sit back to enjoy the sensation of hearing your characters brought to life.
Jay: I went into this process with character voices in my head, but within seconds of hearing what Sarah came up with, her versions became THE versions. I expect they will stay that way until the inevitable Netflix adapatation!
Thanks so much to Sarah for taking the time to answer questions for my website.