Teatime and Books: Audiobook Blog Tour ~ The Storyteller's Diary: A Collection of Short Stories - Written by J. Edwards Holt & Narrated by Dean Ruple

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Audiobook Blog Tour ~ The Storyteller's Diary: A Collection of Short Stories - Written by J. Edwards Holt & Narrated by Dean Ruple

Author: J. Edwards Holt

Narrator: Dean Ruple

Length: 5 hours 11 minutes

Publisher: J. Edwards Holt

Released: July 2, 2020

Genre: Fantasy; Children's

Whether you’re looking for mystery, adventure, light-hearted laughs, or even something on the scarier side, The Storyteller’s Diary has it all! Set in the fantasy world of J. Edwards Holt’s Little Men, Big Treasures trilogy, this collection of short stories includes over a dozen tales, featuring all kinds of fantastic mythical creatures like dragons, wizards, elves, and much, much more!

Born in North Carolina, United States, J. Edwards Holt always knew that he wanted to be a writer. After graduating high school, he attended college and pursued a degree in education, but later decided to change course and follow his dream to become a novelist and children's author. Now a full-time writer, editor, and blogger, Holt spends his free time dreaming up stories and reading. He is passionate about spreading Christian messages through his writing, watching science fiction and super hero movies, and collecting comic books.

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I've loved to read for as long as I can remember, but I have been in love with the audiobook form since I was 13 years old - I was grounded for the week, but found an old Walkman cassette player and passed the time with some great books. While I have been narrating professionally for less than a year, I already have a number of titles of various genres under my belt. In addition to my work on ACX, I also have experience doing sports announcing for local teams. As a teacher of English for 8 years, I read to and with my students almost every day from a variety of genres. I submitted my first audiobook, Reecah's Flight by Richard H. Stephens, in February of 2020, the culmination of years of dreams and work, and have been going strong since!

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Q&A with Author J. Edwards Holt

Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
- It was a fairly easy process. Thanks to ACX, I was able to find Dean Ruple, who helped make the process easy, and in the end did a fantastic job narrating.
Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
- Definitely. Characters stories and the more interactive stories are much better to listen to in audio.
Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- Absolutely. With Audible and all the audiobook platforms out these days, it’s definitely something on every author’s mind.
How did you select your narrator?
- Well in this instance Dean actually approached me first, and I was very impressed with his audition so I chose him as the narrator.
How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process?
- We kept in touch -- and still do from time to time. Personally, I think we make a great team!
Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- Yes, I do. Some of the characters’ names are difficult to pronounce, so I always send my narrators a list of pronunciations.
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- Much of my writing is inspired by stories and verses from the Bible, as well as other books and movies.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- It isn’t always easy. I would say that when it comes to writing, there are writing days and non-writing days. Some days I can just write away and other days I just know I’m not going to be able to get anything on the paper. So, my advice is this: if it isn’t working today, try it another day.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
- I do listen to audiobooks from time to time. I love the way you can just sit back and listen to the book, letting your imagination kick in and create visuals for you.
Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
- Hard to say, but I think that Dean really brings the characters and stories to life!
What’s next for you?
- I’m working on the first book of my next series.It’s a trilogy set in the same world as “The Storyteller’s Diary”.