January 28, Meet the Author Event

I've been invited to speak at the Arden-Dimick Library coming up soon. I hope you can come if you're in the neighborhood. It would be so cool to have someone come up to me and say, "Hi, you don't know me, but I read your books (or blog, or heard about you, etc)."

These are fun events with a lot of good questions about writing, marketing, blogging, getting published, and most importantly about how my travels interweave with my novels.

Book Review of El Tiburon, by H. Schussman

I was super excited to receive this unofficial review from a reader up in Trinity County, CA

Be sure to send me a review if you want to have it featured here.

Book Talk at the North Highlands-Antelope Public Library

Last year I did this event at the Rancho Cordova Library. It was pretty cool. A bunch of people showed up, some whom I've never met, and many friends from the community.

My book, El Tiburon, is set in Antigua, Guatemala. Before I wrote the book Joe and I went there for a month for language school. I was won over by the people and the history. After a month I had a good feel for the town's layout and the daily vibe. We were there during Semana Santa (Easter Week), which I used for several scenes. We returned for another month of language school and to be the Godparents for our Godson's wedding. That was a great event for us. We were able to be part of the community. We still stood out like sore thumbs, but it was really great. (Check out my travel blog; A Dashing Bold Adventure in November 2009 & August 2013).

I will bring textiles, photos of the city inside the garbage dump, and various items. I will also bring books for you to purchase IF you want to, but I would love it if you came to this event even if you already have El Tiburon. I will also be donating a book to the library.

I also want to remind my audio-readers that El Tiburon was released back in August. Let me know if you would like to review it and I'll get you a copy. I only have a couple of free copies, so make sure you get in touch with me.

5 Copies of El Tiburon for Free

WOO-HOO !!!!

I can't tell you how excited I am... well actually I can because I'm a writer :) My publishing company, Vinspire Publishing, has just now started a promotional for El Tiburon.

To get signed up for the giveaway just go to the website and follow the directions... Here's the link to make it easier for you:

Vinspire Publishing 

H. Schussman interviews Jim Foster, Voice Over Artist

Heidi: First, Jim, tell us a little about yourself.

Jim: Hmm… how much autobiography do you want? I’m 48, married to my wonderful wife Joellen, have five energetic kids (three girls, two boys) aged from 11 years to 2.

I live in Wamego, Kansas; home of the world-famous Wizard of Oz museum. I was born and raised in Kansas City. Though I’ve lived in Kansas most of my life, I have lived overseas for a few years, and traveled in Europe and much of the US.

Heidi: What made you decide to become an Audio-Book Voice Over?

Jim: I’ve often been told I have a face for radio. ☺ Seriously, I’ve been encouraged to do so by many over the years. Two folks’ opinions carried enough weight to actually push me forward: a pro audio engineer; and a co-worker who listens to audiobooks regularly. I ran across the ACX web site, and that gave me a place to start. I need to give a shout out to Brian Coles, a friend of mine who believed in me enough to provide gratis tuition for that first VO class.

Heidi: What genre do you prefer to work with?

Jim: I’m not sure yet. When I first started auditioning, I went mostly for non-fiction, thinking that would be a more natural fit. However the first two books I’ve done (one of which is El Tiburon) were both fiction. I’d still like to do some non-fiction, but I’ve found with fiction getting inside the characters and voicing them is a lot of fun.

Heidi: When did you start voice acting?

Jim: I’ve been involved in community and church drama productions for years, and done occasional VO work for friends and inside communications at my job.

I first started soliciting work about two years ago. When I decided to get serious, I signed up for training classes I’ve taken a couple from Bill De Wees (a talented VO and great teacher). For audiobooks specifically, I took the ACX Master Class with David H. Lawrence XVII and Dan O’Day.

Heidi: What are you working on now?

Jim: I’m just about to start The Ghostwalker File by Kevin Robinson, a contemporary novel. In the meantime, I do regular short-form voiceover work of Fiverr (e.g. podcast intros, explainer video VO, phone videos.) There’s also a full-time day job, and another side business as a gunsmith and armorer for the local police department. Add the large family, and I’m always working on something...

Heidi: Do you see yourself in any of the characters?

Jim: To give justice to each, I try not to identify with any one in particular. What I do is give each a physical place in my head. Sean was to my right forward, kind of leaning out the side. Gary was just to the left, and forward; Sport was center, just a little back. By giving them each a spot to “sit”, it made it easier to hold long conversations with myself.

Heidi: Where do you record? Describe your studio.

Jim: In all truth, it’s a just a walk-in closet off our master bath. It’s isolated with sound-deadening curtains; the clothes in the closet are the remainder of the sound treatment. Acoustically, it’s delightfully neutral, but it is a long way from being soundproof. As such, I record after about 9 pm, when kids are in bed, and my neighbors aren’t mowing lawns or driving about. My long-suffering wife gets banished to the family room in the basement.

The recording equipment is a mic, a monitor attached to the wall, and cords running to a laptop kept outside the recording space.

We’re in an age where advances in technology have replaced the need for a lot of specialized equipment in audio recording. It’s revolutionary.

Heidi: Do you practice outside of the recording studio?

Jim: Reading stories to my kids, for one. I work on building specific voices for characters. I also take webinars on performance as income permits. I’m saving up for one-on-one pro coaching.

In addition, I spend time taking classes and practicing editing techniques and audio sweetening. Making money as an independent narrator requires producing a high-quality product as efficiently as possible, both in performance and in post-processing.

Heidi: Who are your all-time favorite authors?

Jim: That’s a very difficult one. I’ve been a voracious reader from my very young years so there are many, many books and authors I love. Filtering by the list of books I re-read on a regular basis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Elizabeth Moon, Larry Correia and John C. Wright rank up pretty highly.

But there are always new authors with stories out there who surprise and delight. I have a bias towards science fiction, modern thrillers, mystery and (selectively) fantasy.

Heidi: Do VOs write query letters? If so, did you find writing a query letter a challenge? How did you overcome that challenge?

Jim: Not as such, at least on ACX. I do, however, audition. In some ways it’s easier than a cover letter: there’s no deciding what to say. I just have to decide how to say another’s words.

For me, the hardest part is setting aside the time to seek out and audition for the next book project I’d like to do. It’s really just a matter of setting goals and a schedule to keep moving forward.

After that, it’s the waiting. With rare exception, you never hear back from the rights holder directly; at some indeterminate time in the future, ACX gives you the polite, “Thanks, please try again” form letter.

Another challenge is learning not to take the rejection personally. I’ve auditioned for a lot of books I was sure I was perfect for… didn’t get the job. Sometimes I’d really like to know why.

In the end, I may deliver a perfectly good performance, but if the author/publisher wants a soprano, young female voice, that’s their choice. Nothing I can do will change that.

Heidi: What makes you choose a book to commit your voice to?

Jim: I research the book, read as much as is available, and look for indicators it would be a good “fit”. For example, when Vinspire offered me El Tiburon, I spent some time Googling you, reading your blogs, reading interviews by and with you; and also Vinspire’s website and reviews. That gave me a lot of confidence that this was a book I’d enjoy doing and could be proud to promote.

Heidi: I know my publisher, Vinspire, contacted you. Is that common for you?

Jim:  It’s happened a couple of times. ACX is a matchmaking service, essentially, so rights holders can hunt for narrators, just as I search for auditions. It’s not as common as I hope it will be some day. ☺

Heidi: What advice do you have for an aspiring VO to be contracted by a publisher or author?

Jim: First, you don’t need to have a special type of voice. If you can read aloud clearly, you can potentially read an audiobook. Then do research on how to set up a home studio. ACX themselves have a Youtube channel with many helpful videos. Don’t think you need a huge amount of gear: your current laptop, a free copy of Audacity and a decent large diaphragm condenser mic with appropriate interface will do you. You can find mics that will work for $100 or less.

Establish an ACX profile (it’s free!) and start listening to other folks’ demos, and start paying attention to ones you like. See what you can learn. With an ACX account, you can also apply to the ACX Narrators and Producers group on Facebook, and read the wealth of information there.

Finally, get your gear together and start auditioning! You can’t truly learn, except by doing. You can also cut your teeth by volunteering with LibriVox, who record public domain books pro bono. Again, learn by doing.

Really, that’s the hardest part. It’s easy to get lost in always preparing to be “good enough”. There is no such thing. Have a bias towards action, but play it for the long game… start quickly, but don’t give up.

It’s pretty much the same battle a new writer or any aspiring creative hopeful goes through. Just do something, then work to do something again, just a little better next time. Keep doing, keep learning. Never assume you’re the best, but never let “them” tell you you’re not good enough.

Budget for and plan to get professional training at some point. That’s expensive, but it’s ultimately worth it. I highly recommend the ACX Master Class: they really teach how to leverage ACX; how to record well and record efficiently; and how to market yourself on ACX. Plus there’s a great community of ACXMC grads who are helpful and encouraging. I can’t imagine getting to this point without them.

Link to Jim’s Fiverr gig: http://bit.ly/2acniAP

Link to Jim’s Narrator profile on ACX: http://goo.gl/DNgCty

At present Jim doesn't have a website, blog or a facebook page for my VO work. But folks are welcome to contact him at jimfostervo@gmail.com.

El Tiburon- Audio Book

My book, El  Tiburon is officially released as an audio-book through Audible.com. If you are new to Audible, you can grab it for free by signing up with them as a first time member. Here's the link;

El Tiburon - Audible

Cordova Library's Meet the Author Event

I was invited to speak at the Rancho Cordova Public Library about my new release, El Tiburon. I can’t tell you the last time I went to a public library. It was actually pretty neat. The quiet hushed atmosphere, the respect for other people’s space and concentration. My event was called “Book Talk, El Tiburon by H. Schussman,” and I was warned that five to ten people would actually show up, mostly to eat the snacks.

Luckily for me, a fan set me up to be interviewed by the local newspaper. Margaret Snider from the Grapevine Independent wrote a great article about me being a local author and how people should come meet me. It worked! I had about twenty readers show up. They asked about Guatemala, the garbage dump, writing, and how to get published… I talked with them for a good hour and could’ve kept going!

I was especially intrigued by a lovely couple from India who were visiting their son in Rancho Cordova. They read the paper and decided since they were also authors, they should come see this American author. They were delightful, asking relevant questions and having their photo taken with me.  A week later found us sitting in their hotel room amongst children and grandchildren eating Indian snacks and drinking American wine. Both are doctors and opened a hospital in a small city in Western India. They specialize in Medical Tourism. By the time we left them (five hours later) we had promised we would come to India and stay with them. I can still see Rajeev’s face as he held out his hands and said, “You come to India, and we will show you the underbelly of our country!” For those of you who know us, you won’t be surprised that this sent a shiver of excitement through me. Visiting a nearby forest to meet an indigenous people-group and stay in a house on top of a hospital with two lovely doctors… oh the joy of a serendipitous meeting.