Month: January 2018

Read Along With Me: Witch for Hire Part 01


Read A Long With Me: Witch for Hire

@ Chapter 01


  • Who doesn’t love an Unidentified Magical Creature? Although it sounds adorable!
  • Ok, maybe not as cute as first described.
  • Boy what an F’d up kitchen! Starving would be less painful!

@ Chapter 02


  • I want to live in an Elven forest! It sounds lovely.
  • Wait, do they have internet?

@ Chapter 03


  • Why is she so angry? Seriously!
  • He was being polite, just politely say you don’t want to talk about it.
  • Really, I don’t get it, she is being mean!

@ Chapter 04


  • Elron driving all crazy is funny.
  • I would think they would be drawn to the thrill of speed.
  • Maybe he would fair better with a motorcycle?

@ Chapter 05


  • Taking out her own insecurities on poor Elron is just mean!
  • That rainbow thing sounds cool!
  • Who’s day wouldn’t be better with their own impromptu light show?

@ Chapter 06


  • I like that kind of weather! Hence why I live in Seattle. HeHe
  • So she made a large magical version of the hotter/colder game?
  • These trolls sound more like Zombies to me.


Witch for Hire

Witch for Hire Series

Written by N.E. Conneely

Read by Jeff Hays


These are my musings as I listen/read this story!

Full Review Here

More Read Alongs Here

Audiobookworm Blog Tour: A Witch’s Path Box Set, Book #1

Author: N.E. Conneely

Narrator: Jeff Hays, Soundbooth Theater

Series: A Witch’s Path, Book 1

Length: 7 hours 14 minutes

Publisher: N.E. Conneely

Released: Feb. 11, 2015

Genre: Paranormal, Supernatural

Most witches don’t work for police departments, but Michelle isn’t your average witch. She’s clanless, looking for a wizard who isn’t offended by her lack of family connections, and in danger of losing her job if she can’t find the escaped trolls before they start eating the local residents.

Trolls, angry police, and misbehaving spells are the least of her problems. Statues attacking homeowners might be problematic for your average witch, but to Michelle it’s another day at the office. Her real concern is the wizard suddenly interested in dating her and an old elf set on pestering her. When her happy family is rocked by a long kept secret her stable life falls apart faster than she can pick up the pieces.

N.E. Conneely lives in northern Georgia with her dog and a mountain of books. They sweat through the summer and freeze through the winter, and life as they know it comes to an end when so much as a single snowflake falls out of the sky. For fun, N.E. plays with her dog, reads, knits, crochets, paints, and does tie-dyeing and origami. She makes a great pizza and is currently negotiating with her husband about raising sea monkeys and growing a vegetable garden.

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Narrator Bio

Jeff Hays has made a name for himself in the audio book world by creating immersive experiences out of his productions. His versatility and authenticity in voicing characters, expressive low-impact narration, and dedication to offering the highest quality audio possible has earned him a loyal following of listeners. Having been fascinated with sound since he can remember, Jeff takes his background of composing and producing music, and his continual consumption of the avalanche of fictional media we all experience in these modern times, and uses it to inform his style of story telling in the audiobook realm.

And now, having produced more than 80 audio books and perfecting his craft, using the namesake of his live streaming narration show, the Soundbooth Theater shingle has been hung. Soundbooth Theater is dedicated to applying Jeff’s production methods to new audio books with other budding narrator talent, and expanding his scope from audio books, to voicing and producing animation.

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Series: A Witch’s Path, Book 1

 


Full Review Here:
Witch for Hire (Witch for Hire #1)


Read Along With Me: Witch for Hire
Click Here


 

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jeff Hays. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.


Q&A with Author N.E. Conneely
    • Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
      • As an author the process is rather easy. Once Jeff was onboard with the project all I had to do were some pronunciation recordings, listen to the book, and give it the go ahead. The Jeff and Soundbooth have done all the heavy lifting.
    • Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
      • I think my experiences in working with Soudbooth Theater and Jeff have been different from most author’s because of how Jeff approaches the narration. He really wants to bring the story to life and make it as immersive as possible for the reader rather than simply read it
    • Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
      • Not even a little. Witch for Hire started out as a combination of writing exercise and National Novel Writing Month project way back in 2009. It wasn’t until 2013 that I got motivated to publish the book and write the rest of the series.
    • How did you select your narrator?
      • A put a sample of the book up for audition. Jeff was the only narrator who could do a male and female voice, which was rather necessary for the story as it has multiple first person points of view, so I picked him.
  • How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
    • Yes and no. Jeff read through the books before starting the narration so he had a pretty good feel for the characters. The pronunciation of some of the names and terms have been trickier. Since the books take place in north Georgia there are a lot of names that can be traced back to the Cherokee tribes who originally lived here. Ellijay, Etowah, Cohuttah, Dahlonega, and other names are a little tricky to figure out just from the spelling.
  • Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
    • I always heard the saying, “Write what you know.” That sounded great until I wanted to write fantasy. No one really knows magic, but I did know north Georgia. I grew up there, went to college, and worked my first job in the area so I picked that for the setting. It was what I knew.
  • Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
    • It’s not really a single part, but I love how the narration brings out the snark and sarcasm that are in the books! It can be difficult to make that show through in text, but it’s so vivid the audiobook!
  • If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
    • No. I think we experience time as a linear constant to give us motivation to stay in the present and make the most of it. We only get one try at the here and now, which to me is part of what defines the human experience.
  • What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
    • No. Not everyone can physically read. Audiobooks give the deaf access to thousands of books they wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience. Even lifelong print readers can find themselves transition to audio. My grandmother loves to read, but she had tremors that make it very difficult for her to hold a book steady enough to read it or easily turn pages. Audiobooks are how she continues to read.
  • How did you celebrate after finishing each novel this series?
    • Oh, well, it depends on the book. When I finished Witch for Hire I celebrated by starting A Witch’s Path. When I finished A Witch’s Path I went out to dinner with my family and had a margarita. I think for A Witch’s Trial I had two glasses of wine and bought myself a tiny glass flying pig. Upon completing A Witch’s Concern, I went on a date with the man who became my husband. I didn’t celebrate finishing A Witch’s Rite because I was sick. For A Witch’s Demons, I went out to dinner and had a margarita.
  • What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
    • When I’m in a writing slump I try to read more and sometimes I switch projects until I find something that sparks my imagination. As for a reading slump, well, I tend to go in cycles of reading a lot and not reading much.
  • Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
    • Yup! Michelle first showed up in a dream. While the dream has nothing in common with the books, it did spark the idea and I’ve really loved writing Michelle’s adventures.
  • What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
    • Read, write, repeat. Write new things, read news books, reread books, read your own work, and write something new. Then do it all over again. There’s no substitute for reading and writing.
  • Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?
    • Enjoy it. Enjoy hearing the characters come to life and know that even if audio isn’t your favorite format, you’re making some readers very happy.
  • What’s next for you?
    • Write another book! I have a story arc for three more Michelle books as well as lots of other worlds that are begging to be explored so I have a lot of work to do!

 

Book 1

Jan. 28th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

Jazzy Book Reviews

TheHufflepuffNerdette

T’s Stuff

Jan. 29th:

Bean’s Bookshelf and Coffee Break

Turning Another Page

Booktalk with Eileen

Jan. 30th:

Chapter Break

Bookworms Corner

Audiobook Romance

Jan. 31st:

Working Mommy Journal

Notes from ‘Round the Bend

Feb. 1st:

Lilly’s Book World

Two Girls and a Book

Feb. 2nd:

Bound 4 Escape

Holed Up In A Book

Feb. 3rd:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Up ‘Til Dawn Book Blog

Book 2

Feb. 4th:

Bean’s Bookshelf and Coffee Break

Feb. 5th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

Turning Another Page

T’s Stuff

Feb. 6th:

Chapter Break

Bookworms Corner

Audiobook Romance

Feb. 7th:

Lilly’s Book World

Feb. 8th:

Working Mommy Journal

Jazzy Book Reviews

Booktalk with Eileen

Feb. 9th:

Bound 4 Escape

Holed Up In A Book

Feb. 10th:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Two Girls and a Book

Book 3

Feb. 11th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

T’s Stuff

Feb. 12th:

Bean’s Bookshelf and Coffee Break

Turning Another Page

Feb. 13th:

Chapter Break

Audiobook Romance

Feb. 14th:

Bookworms Corner

Lilly’s Book World

Feb. 15th:

Working Mommy Journal

Booktalk with Eileen

Feb. 16th:

Bound 4 Escape

Jazzy Book Reviews

Holed Up In A Book

Feb. 17th:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Two Girls and a Book

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Review: Witch for Hire (Witch for Hire #1) by N. E. Conneely

My ReviewsA Witch Without A Clan, Working For The Law.

Witch for Hire is the first title in the Witch for Hire Series by N.E. Conneely.

Jeff Hays narrates.

This has multiple P.O.V.s, but it is a continuing story arc revolving around One Main Character! HFN endings with no cliffhangers. I would advise to read these in order to get the most out of the experience.

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Content Warning: Trolls are like zombies, so you can fill in that blank.

♥ Story ♥

I listened to this as part of A Witch’s Path Box Set. It is also available as a single title. Both ebook counterparts are available through the Kindle Unlimited program.

This is the first in the series and sets up a lot of the mythology as well as introduces the main players in this world. Humans are closer to mythological beings than anything else. The scenes are well described and you can tell a lot of thought and research went into it, but it was almost too much at times. I think some stuff could of been saved for later book.

There is a lot of action with a smidgen of romance thrown in. There is a potential love triangle in the making. It drags a bit in the middle and the trolls were more like zombies but if you skim you will miss potential plot clues for future books. There were lots of small laughs as well as a few tears for some of the creatures. I was not disappointed, except for the fact that a certain character DID NOT become a troll snack, although…, he was away at the end and maybe when book two starts they will have an update that he did. I am looking forward to more either way.

Audio Sample from Audible

♥ Author ♥

N.E. Conneely is definitely good at story telling, just maybe a little too much info for one story sometimes. This was my first by her and I will be reading more!

N.E. Conneely has 05 Audible Titles.

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Jeff Hays is Amazeballz! Seriously! This whole thing was done by one guy and you won’t even be able to tell. The characters and voices are all Amazing! I want more stories voiced by this guy because whatever he is reading it going to be good.

Jeff has 96 Audible Titles

Witch for Hire

Witch for Hire Series

Written by N.E. Conneely

Read by Jeff Hays

Ebook obtained through Kindle Unlimited

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Review: Timeless Whisper (Timeless Hearts #1) by Sandra E. Sinclair

My ReviewsSometimes Righting A Wrong Takes Time(Travel).

Timeless Whisper is a Connected Standalone by Sandra E. Sinclair, that is part of the multi-author series Timeless Hearts.

Meghan Kelly narrates.

HEA, NO cheating, no cliffhangers!

Even though these are set to be standalones, they tend to be connected by author. Case in point, the characters in the three stories written by Sandra E. Sinclair are connected. #1 is about Raven, #5 is about her best friend Torin, and #9 is her cousin Emily. So I would advise to read these 3 in order to get the most out of the experience.

Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins

Content Warning: This is pretty PG.

♥ Story ♥

This is a time travel series based in the town of Heartsbridge, Texas. There is a portal there from the past to the present or vice versa, whichever way you want to look at it. There is a prequel to the series that can be obtained for free through Amazon that breaks it down, but that is the most important part to note. That and there is a woman manning each end of this portal that look the same because they are of distant family relation.

Raven ❤ Lance

Raven Eyez leaves Heartsbridge, Texas only to return for close to the same reason years later. The stress of everything is getting to her because the voices she is hearing makes her feel like she is on the verge of a mental break. Stopping by a dinner from her past causes a flood of memories and more voices. Exhausted from the stresses of her life, she passes out on a coach in the backroom only to awaken to something different. It takes a bit for Raven to realize that the town she is in and the Lance that is in front of her are not just different in location and personality.

The writing was witty, but I feel that Lance’s empath ability was underused. The time travel elements are clever and believable. The characters are endearing and make you want more, so you can find out what happens to everyone else. Once you start you are going to want the other two, so go ahead and get them now.

Audio Sample from Audible

♥ Author ♥

Sandra E. Sinclair is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I am looking forward to more.

Sandra has 13 Audible Titles.

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Meghan Kelly’s performance was excellent. There were clear distinctions between her male and female characters.

Meghan has 156 Audible Titles

Timeless Whisper

Timeless Hearts Series

Written by Sandra E. Sinclair

Read by Meghan Kelly

Ebook obtained through my local library system.

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Review: Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok by Jim McCann

My ReviewsAdds back-story to the characters


Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok is based on the recent film of the same name and is written by Jim McCann.

MacLeod Andrews narrates.

Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins



♥ Story ♥

I listened to this before I saw the movie, however I am not concerned with spoilers. I decided to wait to write this review until I had watched the movie so I could compare for those of you who DO have an issue with spoilers. Now after seeing the movie, I can say that you really won’t be spoiled much if you listen to this first.

This is more of an ‘addition to’ rather than a ‘retelling of’ the movie. So if you are looking to get the movie in an ebook/audiobook, you are not going to get it. It essentially ends at the midpoint of the movie. If anything, you get more back-story on the situations and characters than you will get on the screen. Just like any page to screenplay adaptation, much is lost in the translation because its just not cinematic enough.


Sighing, he tried again. “Tony Stark is a genius.”
— Thor


This has 2 stories within it. It was a bit confusing at first because that is not made clear in the audio. I thought I had hit a button on my tablet and it was re-starting. I was able to get the ebook version from my local library, which helped greatly.

There is the ‘main story’ which is more from the perspective of Thor. It starts roughly where the movie starts and conclude with our hero’s leaving the trash planet. Then there is a ‘bonus’ story THOR: RAGNAROK: A NEW STORY which is more from the perspective of Hulk. This one starts back at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron with Hulk’s self-imposed exile. You get a lot of incite into Hulk that was definitely not in the movie.


“Thor friend. Thor stay!”
— Hulk


Most of the character’s encountered and situations spoke of, you would of seen in previews, chat messages, or interviews, etc., so not much to be spoiled by. But for those that live under rocks and have not seen any other Marvel movies, you may find it spoilery.

I found that it added ‘More’ to the story. There are also some bits and one liners that were funnier in the audio than they were in movie! I was really hoping that they would make it to the screen because they were hilarious. If you are one of those people that like all the little nuances to the overall big picture, then this will be right up your alley whether or not you listen to it before or after you watch the movie.

I loved getting the ‘Hulk’ opinion. There is also a scene between Thor and Banner that is priceless! I felt this listen enhanced my movie experience and would recommend it to anyone who wants that little something extra.



♥ Author ♥

Jim McCann did a great job with this addition to the Marvel World. I felt it properly portrayed and honored the characters as well as adding value.

Jim has 03 Audio Titles


♥ Narrator(s)♥

MacLeod Andrews gave an excellent performance that allowed me to get lost in the story. Excellent character portrayals.

MacLeod has 321 Audio Titles


Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok

Written by Jim McCann

Read by MacLeod Andrews

Audiobook obtained for free at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review