Are you listening?

I’m absolutely thrilled that my latest book, After, has now been released as an audio book. Through ACX, the publishing division of Audible, I found the perfect voice to narrate my story. And I’m happy to say not only a voice I felt was so right, but in doing so I found Barbara Bufton, the loveliest person to work with.

It’s a strange thing to ‘give’ someone your book to narrate. While I write I see the scenes being played out in front of my eyes, hear the voices of the characters. All I do is simply write down what they are doing and saying and try to capture their emotions and surroundings. Because of that, I have a clear vision of my characters, how they speak and react. Not only that, but putting my book into someone else’s hands felt rather like taking a child to nursery for the first time and walking away, I had that same parental sensation of abandonment and guilt at leaving them!

For the narrator of an audio book it is an enormous task to not only convey what is happening in the plot and portray the emotion each character is feeling, but also they have to get that right for the author. Barbara did just that. She brought the characters to life just, or very similar to how I pictured them. Plus, she was so friendly, helpful, professional and an utter delight to work with.

It was strange to hear my book being read aloud, it was as if I had never had any involvement with it at all, a very strange experience. Once Barbara had finished her narration, I had listened to every word and a few minor glitches were ironed out the book was ready.

Covid 19 reared its ugly head just as the book was sent to be approved by ACX, which meant that everything took longer than usual. But finally, after a few more minor tweeks Barbara and I were thrilled to received notice that our ‘baby’ had been released and was available on Audible.

And if that wasn’t brilliant enough the experience mustn’t have been too bad for Barbara either as she has agreed to work with me again and is currently narrating my first three books, Trainers, Winners and Millionaires are a girl’s best friend, and will be doing the same with the remainder of the books which follow After.

After is available now on Audible:

Something else that has worked out well is finding a replacement for my brilliant horse, Kinsale. Earlier on in the year I made the heart-breaking decision that he was too big for me and that he was absolutely wasted doing the piffling amount of work I did with him and that I needed to find him a home where he would be loved and cared for and would be able to fulfil his potential. A very trusted friend in England now has him and he is loving life, I’m receiving regular videos of Kinsale flying over cross country fences and he looks so happy and relaxed.

Kinsale being away, having a real life, left a big gap in mine and certainly in Florence’s. She wandered around the fields, not exactly pining, but not exactly contented either. I needed, an older, smaller, horse who had seen it all, something grey, or bay. Definitely not a youngster, a chestnut, or something coloured. A friend of a friend I asked had three youngsters, two chestnuts and a coloured. Having asked, it then seemed rude not to go and look at them. The first chestnut was way too big, fortunately, the second had the same problem. Then, in paddock away from the house was a four year old grey and white filly. No way. Totally unsuitable. I looked again. She was the right height and nicely put together. A week later I rode her, perched on a saddle with stirrups four holes too long, I trotted gingerly around, then walked her up the road a short way and then back. A short time later I was the owner of a four year old coloured filly. Precisely what I hadn’t wanted. And yet a month later I realised Flora was just what I needed, she challenges me enough, yet she’s calm, brave and easy. Sometimes having a set idea of what you want is the wrong thing and what you need will find you when the time is right.

.