Let’s Play It By Ear

Happy Wednesday, folks! I'm giving you a break from my normal witty, pensive offerings today (insert your celebratory emoji here), so I can introduce you to my talented niece Jocelyn Duford.

Jocelyn has always excelled at singing, dancing, and performing in musicals, plays, and other dramatic delights. There is another incredible dimension of her repertoire I'd like to share with you today: her amazing talents as an audiobook narrator. I can personally attest to her brilliance, since she breathed life into my debut novel, That Moment, bringing rich emotional depth to this thriller (pssst: here’s a sample for you:  Action Thriller 1st Person | Jocelyn Duford, Audiobook Narrator)

Hey, but don't take it from me. let's sit down with Jocelyn now, so you can get the scoop firsthand. Without further ado, here is our recent chat: 

Welcome, Jocelyn. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with me and my amazing readers. I'd like to ask you ten questions today, if you'll oblige me. Okay, here we go. 

DD:     When did you first know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?

JD:      Since I've been acting for the stage the majority of my life, storytelling is something I've always been interested in. I also grew up an avid reader and have been listening to audiobooks for many years. One day it just clicked that audiobook narration was the perfect combination of my love of acting and my love of literature. 

DD:     Do you have any role models in the audiobook world that you try to emulate? 

JD:      The performer whose work inspired me to pursue narration is the late, great Katherine Kellgren. I listened to her narration of the amazing Bloody Jack series and the scope of her character work, accents, and compelling storytelling is what I aspire to create.

DD:     Authenticity is so crucial when fleshing out a character's emotions. How important is having a background in drama when narrating an audiobook? 

JD:      I feel that a background in acting can only help when it comes to audiobook narration. The prep work I do for characters on the stage is the same as what I do prior to narration. Being able to connect to characters and deliver their stories truthfully is what acting is all about, so I believe that having such experience is key to good storytelling.

DD:     How do you select which stories to narrate? 

JD:      I need to submit auditions for the majority of the titles I narrate. I look for auditions in genres that excite me the most (YA, fantasy, science fiction) but I also keep an eye out for stories that have compelling subject matter.

DD:     That Moment ended up being almost six hours of finished listening time. Can you give us an idea of how many production hours goes into one finished hour? 

JD:      It takes about 6 production hours for every finished hour of an audiobook. This includes actual recording time, time for editing and proofing, as well as the final quality control checks and any re-recording that might need to be done.

DD:     Is it more difficult to narrate a story with a male main character, versus a female character? 

JD:      Absolutely. When the POV is female, I use my natural speaking voice as a baseline. For a male POV, I have to make adjustments to my natural tone and pacing, which requires a bit more time and brainpower.

DD:     You have an amazing range of voices, dialects, and accents you're able to recreate. How do you keep all of them straight as you move from character to character within a story? 

JD:      It really comes down to knowing who each of the characters are, where they're from, how they feel about a given situation or person, and what their ultimate goal is. I make notes about the characters as part of my prep work and also keep small audio snippets of their voices, which is especially useful in a series.

DD:     Which voices do you enjoy recreating the most?

JD:      I enjoy voicing characters that have boisterous, jovial personalities. I love to do over the top mothers or well-meaning yet misguided kings.

DD:     Give us a brief overview of the most recent audiobook you've narrated. 

JD:      This isn't the most recent audiobook, but it is one I feel truly honored to have recorded. It is the memoir Raising Wrenns by Mal Wren Corbin. The piece takes us through the struggles of Mal's childhood growing up in Worcester up to her ultimate return to that same neighborhood after the death of her brother. It is a beautiful story and I highly encourage folks to take a listen.

DD:     Okay, last question, I promise! What else would you like us to know about you, your socials, and any future dramatic projects you're working on? 

JD:      I have some projects lined up, so be on the lookout for new releases and a possible performance on stage this fall. I try to post to Facebook and Instagram (@jocelyn.duford) with updates, but I confess I'm not the best at updates! 

Well, there you have it, people. I’d like to thank Jocelyn for allowing us into her theatrical world today. If you’d like to get further immersed, here are her website links:

Drama: https://jocelynduford.wixsite.com/jocelyn-duford

Narration (with wonderful audio samples): jocelynduford.wixsite.com/jocelyn-duford-voice)

And you should totally check out the audiobook version of That Moment. you can find it on Amazon and Apple Books. And be sure to look for the other entertaining titles Jocelyn has narrated. There are dozens of them! Here’s the link, so you can also enjoy her spirited, emotional performances for yourself: https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Jocelyn+Duford

Thanks for tuning in. And remember, whatever you are―just like Jocelyn―be a good one!

-Dave