Well, this may end up being a weekly post type of thing, but I suppose that's to be expected, when I signed up for so many projects over on Audible. And hey, we're all friend here.
The other day, a novella I performed called "No Kinda Life" showed up, and I don't believe I got an email about it (usually they let me know when a file has been sent me, something's been accepted, and when the work is up for sale). Here's your link: No Kinda Life.
Written by Ryan King, I was actually quite excited to audition for this one. He put up two books on the same day (at least two, maybe others, I don't remember), both of them set after the end of the world. The other one was set in an abandoned Florida, where there seems to be only one man left alive, as far as the eye can see. No women either (sorry).
I auditioned for both projects, and got the contract to record "No Kinda Life," which is much more of a Western. It was a novella, length-wise (I'd guess, since I don't know where you draw the line), set in the Texas of the future, where things appear to have reverted to an Old West lifestyle and mentality. Texas Rangers are the law in this post-apocalyptic land, and Austin Reynolds, the main character, is the son of a ranger who told him not to go into that line of work, as it's "no kinda life."
Well, he ignored his father's words, and we meet him as he has been called into an isolated frontier town to protect them from the onslaught of ruthless raiders, who ransacked the town a year before and have vowed to do so again.
My favorite aspect of this story was that the ruins of our civilization are still out there, crumbling and full of secrets, but that the survivors stay far away from the cities, as they fear they're full of ghosts. He said that some brave souls make their living going into those steel graveyards, to see what kind of treasures they can salvage. I really dug that image, and seem to recall a movie where that happened (was it TRANCERS?).
This project was a bit long to be considered a short story (final recording is just over two hours), but it was fast and easy to perform. I got to voice a bunch of characters, from the corrupt mayor, the blacksmith, the bartender, the bloodthirsty raider leader, the love interest (who may or may not be the mayor's personal whore), and the main character, who I decided to use my trusty "Dad voice" to bring to life.
I got the impression this was but one tale in a series, since there was a lot of interesting world-building this story only touches upon, but I haven't taken the time to investigate that. I've noticed a lot of book and story series on Audible, and it seems Jeff once told me that a publisher is more willing to buy a book series from an author than a single book. I can understand that, even though it seems more like Hollywood thought than book publishing (which should be a little smarter and a lot nobler, by its very nature).
If there are more Austin Reynolds stories, I'd accept the job of reading the next chapter with pretty much no qualms, and I'm sort of still holding out hope that he lets me record the last man in Florida story too. It would be nice to get a contract to narrate a couple of different ongoing series, but right now, I'm still trying to figure out the best way of to get a clear recording that's not too loud, not too soft, and free of that damnable background hiss. It will truly be nice when I can stop focusing on the sound quality, and just concentrate on the performance.
Rish Outfield, Audiobook Boy
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