Physical Books Are On The Shelf! Are Audio Books Coming Next?
April came and went in a blur. "Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-6" is on the shelf. And I'm looking at options to produce an audio version
TLDR!
Here’s what to expect from this month’s update:
“Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-6” is out!
Is It Audio Book Time? (Have your say!)
Writer’s Groups Are A Blast
The Fight For A Local Library
Bookish Events For May 2025
April 2025 Accountability
“Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-6” has finally hit the shelves
It’s been a long road from seeing my first story in an anthology, back in 2014. It was a small-press release, with little promotion or support from the publisher, but it still felt good to be published.
But now, that story is one of six in the “Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-6” collection. Both ebook and physical copies are available at many of the online stores.
But that’s not all… Black Birch Books in Wasilla (Alaska) kindly agreed to put several copies of the book on their shelves. Every single one of them is signed!
I’m proud to support Black Birch for a number of reasons:
Black Birch Books is a female veteran owned business.
They specialize in new & used books, Alaskan gifts, and are highly supportive of local writers, artists and creators.
They are the only bookbinder in Alaska.
They hire homeless youth.
They have a packed community events schedule (including Coffee With A Veteran, the Mat-Su Bookworms Book Club, Author Events, Open Mic Nights, and more)!
They provide a judgement free and inclusive environment for all in a comfortable and relaxed space.
They ship anywhere!
Are you looking for an audio book version?
Well, the good news is that I am looking into options for making an audio version available. It won’t be an immediate release, because producing an audio book involves a lot of work, and can get pretty costly.
So here’s where we are:
I’ve tried recording test chapters, and have not been happy with the quality of the recordings. Keeping a consistent volume, pacing, tone, or even vocal quality has been hard. And editing, while possible, is time consuming, especially if I have to try and replace a bad section with a new recording (which may not match the quality of the existing). It’s possible, but the quality won’t be anywhere near as good as commercially produced audio books.
Hiring a professional voice actor can cost over $30 per hour, and it will take an unknown number of hours to record the book. I might also have to pay for studio time, editing, and other aspects of professional recording. If I wanted to give each character/narrator their own voice, I’d need to audition and contract multiple voice actors. I also have no idea when I’d be able to afford to make this happen, but it would produce a good quality product.
Digital voice recording, using AI, has some very strong possibilities, which I’m currently looking at. Many of the provided voices sound very natural and realistic, read at a decent pace, and there are options to create custom voices. This would potentially allow me to give each character their own voice and produce a richer experience overall.
I know which direction I’m leaning on this, but I’d like to hear from you. As readers, your experience with a book is very personal, and the manner in which it’s presented can make a big difference in how it comes across.
Writers groups are amazing!
I’ve been part of online writers groups for a number of years, and it can be hard keeping up with everything that gets posted. It’s even harder keeping track of all the people that come and go from the groups. But they can be great places to meet fellow creatives.
But there’s nothing that beats meeting fellow writers in person. And that’s why I’m so glad that I was able to attend the April meeting of the Fireside Writers Circle at Fireside Books (Palmer, Alaska). Our host was Krysta Voskowsky, a writing coach, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Among the writers were journal writers, poets, fiction writers, non-fiction writers, and people looking to expand their writing into new areas.
We ran through introductions, listened to Krysta read a poem, chatted about how it affected us, and then moved on to a speed-writing session.
Twenty minutes of writing from Krysta’s writing prompt, led to more hand-written words on the page than I’d been able to type in days.
Those words may never see print, but the act of writing so many words in such a short space of time was intense. And will definitely be something I look into trying again… Some of us shared what we’d written, others didn’t, but everyone had their own style, voice, and ways of expressing their thoughts. When feedback was requested it often came in terms of how what we’d just heard affected us, the images it brought forth, and was supportive.
Before we parted ways for the night each of us was asked to report back on last months writing commitments, and to choose one for the coming month.
Needless to say, I signed up for the May meeting in a heartbeat! And I am committing to writing something every day through May!
Advocating for a better Palmer library!
A little over two years ago, part of the roof on the Palmer library collapsed due to a heavy snow load. It was a particularly heavy winter in terms of snowfall in our part of Alaska, and staff had already reported sounds from the roof that suggested it was under increased stress.
This came at a time when the library service was already being stretched thin, operating out of an aging building, and trying to serve a community twice the size than it was intended for.
Ever since the roof collapse, the library staff has been operating a very limited service out of rented office spaces. Having worked in the library service myself, I understand the affect such things have on the staff. It’s been a very stressful two years for them, with little end in sight.
The public have had to deal with a much more limited book selection, housed in a facility that was never designed to operate as a library. When the library hasn’t had a book, they’ve had to transfer them from other local libraries, which is not a quick process. They’ve also been unable to offer anything like the level of community support services (like tax advice, internet access, copying facilities, meeting rooms) that the old library building housed.
Despite the need for the library, and the services it provides, the old building still stands, a damaged eyesore, and constant reminder of what used to be the heart of the community. People went to the library, but they also shopped local stores, and used local services while they were out. Parents took their kids in for story time, and introduced them to the wonders of the written word.
The local economy has suffered in the last couple of years, and part of that is down to the massive drop in people visiting the library.
Part of the delay was due to the insurance company dragging it’s feet on making a payout, but a lot has been down to the city council. Goalposts for a new library have changed multiple times over the last two years, everything from designs, services, staffing, funding amounts and fundraising attempts have altered multiple times.
The local voters approved for the city to take out a bond of up to $10,000,000 toward the costs of demolishing the old library, designing the new one, and getting it built. There was a payout from the insurance company that would cover a big chunk of the costs. The Friends of Palmer Library had already raised a significant amount of money. And a substantial donation had been offered by someone who wished to remain anonymous, but had lost faith in the project moving forward due to the delays, and had withdrawn the offer pending groundbreaking on the new building.
Much of this I learned only earlier this week, at a local council meeting, which I attended in an effort to understand why there had been no apparent progress on repairing or replacing the old library building.
The meeting was scheduled to last 2 hours:
45 minutes of that time was taken up by the council members debating and voting on the agenda.
Then they removed several items from the agenda because their lawyer hadn’t reviewed them.
This reduced the meeting to an information only meeting (half of which wasn’t going to be presented).
All potential decisions on action were delayed to the next meeting.
My wife and I took the opportunity to speak in support of having a new library as soon as possible, as did many others. There were calls for the council to stop delaying, and get the project moving forward. People pointed out that the library serves an area much bigger than they boundaries of the city that houses it. That it supports local business by being just one part of people’s day spent in town. But more importantly that we would accept no further unnecessary delays.
As things stand right now:
There have been no firm decisions made on when they will demolish the old building, which sits on the site they intend to build the new library on.
There has been no firm timeline on when they will break ground on the new building.
Even the best projection for opening the doors is over two years away.
Believe me when I say that I will be attending as many future meetings on this matter as I possibly can. I will keep telling the Palmer City Council why the library is needed, and remind them that progress is long overdue.
Bookish events for May 2025
May 1-31 - National Get Caught Reading Month - Grab a book and start reading. Read anywhere and everywhere. Get caught. Pass on your love of reading!
May 1-31 - National Military Appreciation Month - Raise awareness and encourage celebration and appreciation of those who serve – or who have served – in the armed forces, and their families.
May 3 - Wordsmith Day - celebrate the masterful manipulators of language (authors, poets, editors, and other writers), or start writing yourself.
May 3 - National Paranormal Day - Is your house haunted? Have you seen something science can’t explain? Or is there a paranormal legend in your area? Learn more, or enjoy a good paranormal/supernatural read.
May 3 - Write a Review Day - Did you read any good books lately? Leaving a review, because sharing your thoughts and experiences can guide others to the best reads.
May 5-11 - Children’s Book Week - Books act as an entry point into so much learning for children of all ages, and provide easy entertainment for young minds.
May 8 - Make a Book Day - celebrate your love for reading and writing, and the hard work that goes into taking a story from idea to finished book.
May 15th - National Notebook Day - Jot down your to-do list, journal your thoughts, make lists or try creative writing.
Feel free to share any book-related events in the comments.
Writing/Editing Update - April 2025
I’m shortening this section of the updates to actual achievements for each month.
Joined a writer’s group that meets monthly.
Started fleshing out the characters from the short stories so I can give them more depth in the novels ahead
Started to revisit the outline for “Of Wolves & Men”
