<![CDATA[RENEE DODD READS

I'm not exactly a whiz kid when it comes the the whole blog thing. It's been over a year since my last post. Eeek!

Lots of stuff went on! I moved after living in the same place for 20 years. Good grief I'm a cliche..way too much stuff accumulated in those 20 years! I started working a "real" job in June of 2019, which kept me busy the rest of the year. While working full time, I also continued with my narration projects. It takes me a lot longer to complete projects when I'm limited to working on them in the evenings and on weekends. However I managed to complete a couple of projects, and have 1 in progress, and 4 in the hopper.

I'm super excited to tell you that the last five books for which I've been given contracts came to me unsolicited. That means I didn't audition for them. The author heard my work, liked it, and reached out to me. Yay!

Down and Out in Kathmandu

I finished narrating this book last summer. It's a Backpacker Mystery series written by Jennifer Alderson. It is the first in the series featuring the (mis)adventures of Zelda Richardson. It's a fun, humorous, yet thrilling, travel adventure set in Nepal and Thailand. Not only is it a fast-paced mystery, it offers a glimpse into the backpacker culture of Southeast Asia, and insight into what life can be like for a Westerner volunteering in a developing country.

I had a blast narrating this one. I became caught up in the story, and couldn't wait to work on it each day. In addition to Zelda, there's an Australian with dreadlocks, and a Canadian smuggler with attitude. I laughed at myself as I worked to perform the accents!

Here's what the author said about my production:
"I've just finished listening to Down and Out in Kathmandu. Wow! Thank you! What a great listen. This might be my favorite of the three audiobooks - your comic timing really makes this a fun listen. THANK YOU!

The Children's Train

In January I completed this book written by Jana Zinger.

In November 1938 on The Night of the Broken Glass, the Jewish people of Germany are terrified as Hitler's men shatter their store windows, steal and destroy their belongings, and arrest many Jewish fathers and brothers. Parents fear for their own lives but their focus is on protecting their children. When England arranges to take the children out of Germany by train, the Kindertransport is organized and parents scramble to get places on the trains for their young family members, worried about what the future will hold. Soon, trains filled with Jewish children escaping the Nazis chug over the border into Holland, where they are ferried across the English Channel to England and to freedom. But for Peter, the shy violin player, his sister Becca, and his friends Stephen and Hans, life in England holds challenges as well.

Peter’s friend Eva, who did not get a seat on the Kindertransport, is left to the evil plans of Hitler. Peter, working his musician’s hands raw at a farm in Coventry, wonders if they should have stayed and fought back instead of escaping. When the Coventry farm is bombed and Nazis have reached England, Peter feels he has nothing left. He decides it’s time to stand and fight Hitler. Peter returns to Germany to join the Jewish underground resistance, search for the mother and sister he left behind in Berlin, and rescue his childhood friend Eva.

This is a compelling story, and so well written it was a true delight to narrate. I hope I've done it justice. It should be out soon on Audible and other audio book retailers.

What's Next?

I have several books in my queue. The next book coming out is "Bullets Before Dawn-A Chinatown Mystery- featuring Johnny Vero" It's a crime novel that takes place in New York after the second world war. It’s the year 1949. The war is over. NYC Detective Johnny Vero has been promoted to Lieutenant partly as a result for capturing the serial killer, Jean-Paul Vincent in France the previous year with the help of Interpol. Griff, a one-time freight ship captain now smuggles opium and Chinese women for prostitution into New York’s Chinatown. Chinatown’s boss, Mo China, is only allowed to keep his operation flowing from Griff’s deliveries by the say-so of a crime boss, Alvise LaPoshio. Molly Penett, the first woman to be elected NYC’s District Attorney, works with Detective Vero and form an erotic relationship. Murders are mounting quickly as suspicions includes the Chinatown factions, undercover detectives, and the Medical Examiner’s office. In steps the FBI.
This is a schmaltzy book that was just fun to produce. I hope to have it out in April. Watch for it on Audible and other audio book retailers.

A word about audio books (bad pun intended)
Did you know-

Audible is a division of Amazon Books and provides a huge library of audio books narrated by some incredibly talented voice artists?
When you sign up for Audible, your first download is free?
As a member, you receive credit for one free download each month?
If one of the books I've narrated is the first book you download when you sign up with Audible, not only is it free, but I receive a spiffy award in my paycheck?
Audio books are available on other platforms such as Goodreads and iTunes.

Why I listen to audio books-

They are great entertainment for long road trips (I'm pretty sure the Harry Potter series could get one across the country and back with nary a bored moment).
They make shopping at Costco or Winco ever so much more pleasant.
They make housework fun! Okay maybe not, but listening to an audio book lightens the load of indoor and outdoor chores
They can help tremendously with insomnia. Listening to audio books when I go to bed has cured my inability to quiet my mind and fall to sleep right away. I'm convinced it's because I focus on the story, and all the things my brain won't let go of, all the world's problems I try to solve mentally, fall by the wayside and I relax and drift off... I simply set my sleep timer for 30 minutes or so, and rarely do I know when it shuts off the audio because I'm in dreamland.
Walking the dog is way more interesting when listening to audio books!
They are hands free!

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