Thank you all for entering the contest! I appreciate all of your support! I will be having another contest which ends December 24th for 5 more codes. (If you didn’t win this time you’re entered in the next drawing too!)
Here are the winners this time: Robin Gaskins, Jennifer Kingston, Betty LaFlame, Joanne Maly, and Rececca Hurd!
You will all receive an email with a free download code shortly!
For years I have wondered what it would be like to have one of my books available in an audio version. I often hear my characters in voice while writing, and knowing that writing witty dialogue is one of my strong points, I hoped that my readers could hear their voices, too. Now, with the advent of The Secret of the Kindred Spirit becoming an Audible book, I know that they can.
In June of this year, Alex Hyde-White of Punch Audio contacted me after he saw a CBS interview I was in about the Kindred Spirit Mailbox at Bird Island in Sunset Beach. He said he was intrigued by the story of the mailbox and thought others would be too. Had I ever considered doing an audio book?
I was surprised by how reasonable it was. I’d always thought producing an audio book would cost thousands. I was convinced to give it a try using one of my best selling books. I had once heard that in the world of self-publishing (one I’ve been in for fifteen years), that if you sold five thousand books, you were a best seller. With The Secret of the Kindred Spirit, I am a best seller three times over. Maybe it was time to hear my character’s voices come alive and to allow others to hear their stories as well.
Alex sent me a link to the ACX website and within minutes I was able to audition narrators for the part. How cool was that? It was so much fun listening to the voices and imagining them as Cassie and Michael. But it was also a bit of work as there were so many that I liked. I was able to narrow my choices to five, and then Alex helped me narrow them further. My book is an erotic mystery. A murder is solved by clues left in the Kindred Spirit Mailbox. The hero is a police officer and the heroine is a bridge builder. As they work to solve the case, a torrid romance develops. Betsy Baker was chosen because Alex had confidence in her ability to read the “fun bits”—the parts that make a steamy romance such a good beach read. And since my book does take place on one of the best beaches in the Carolinas, having a trashy beach book that is already popular with both tourists and locals seemed a good way to start my foray into audio books.
I cannot wait to see how my book appeals to those living further away. As a workingwoman, mother and wife, I have not been able to market outside of my area. With my book being available on Audible, and with such a well-established company that will promote it worldwide, my story will be available to more readers. And Betsy, having done such a magnificent job of bringing my characters to life, will transport readers into some pretty spicy scenes. Living vicariously is what reading is all about—and getting to experience the best parts of people’s lives is a real bonus. As a romance writer, I give my characters a happily-ever-after that my readers can share in. Whether it’s one of my contemporary or historical novels, you can count on being wrapped up in good romance. And spice, lots of spice.
I am thrilled to have my first audio book on the market, and over the moon about Betsy making my story come alive. So if you’re snowed in this winter, come to the beach, via The Secret of the Kindred Spirit.
