Subscribers-only sneak peek!
Listen to Chapter One of the audiobook version of "Boomerang," coming in June!
(Warning: Due to the content and some profanity, listeners should be 18 and up.)
"Boomerang" audiobook early listen!
I knew I was missing out on a major market when it came to my debut psychological thriller, "Boomerang." After all, it's how I devour most of my books these days, given my busy schedule.
And I realized there are a whole lot of others just like me. Listening to books in the car, while making dinner, doing laundry, getting ready for bed at night and even settling into bed at the end of another busy day.
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I hemmed and hawed. Do I create an audiobook version? (Heck yeah.) Do I record it myself? Not so sure. Mostly because as a grad school student, business owner, indie author and marketer, I knew my limits. And I knew trying to do it on my own would likely make me crazy.
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After much contemplation, and as fate would have it, I was at an author event in April where another indie told me about ACX, Audiobook Creation Exchange, an Amazon service. It's a place where busy authors like me can find the perfect narrator to bring their books to life.
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So, I started poking around. I liked what I heard. And then, I found her.
Narrator Keira Grace. (Photo courtesy of Kira Omans)
The voice behind Boomerang: Keira Grace
"Kira Omans (she/her) appears in CSI: Vegas, The Gods II, What Happened to Suzy, and Power Rangers: Rise of the Ninja. Her voiceover credits include Girl From Nowhere (Netflix), Real Sports with Brian Gumbel (HBO), and Microsoft. She has narrated 200+ audiobooks, including work by USA Today Best-Selling authors. Kira is a 3rd-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and she has performed traditional Chinese folk dance for over twenty years. Adopted at 10 months old,
Kira is an adoptee activist, fighting for adoptee rights and to increase adoption education. She is on Chinese Adoptee Alliance’s Communications Committee and has spoken in collaborations with Hate is a Virus and Adoptees for Justice. She’s written essays on adoption, as well as a testimony for Voices Against Illegal Adoption’s joint statement that was presented at the UN. She co-created Very Asian Foundation’s guide on Adoptee-Centered Language in Journalism & Child Welfare." (Info & photo courtesy of Kira Omans)
Kira Omans was the first narrator I stumbled upon. I listened to one of her samples and knew immediately. She was The One.
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But I still did my due diligence, putting a sample of "Boomerang" on ACX for narrators to submit samples and try out for a possible contract with me.
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I was inundated by auditions. I couldn't keep up with every single one. I listened to a good 20 or 25 of them. And there were some really good ones. (And some not so good.)
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But my mind kept going back to Kira. There was something about her voice, and the way she offered a variety of samples of her work so I could get an idea of her range of vocals. I asked her to audition. She did.
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And it just confirmed I was right. She would bring the fictional Taryn Metcalf's story to life.
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Lucky for me (and you, my listeners), we were able to settle on a contract, and she got to work pretty much right away. She just wrapped it up last week, and boy, was I thankful something led me to her. She's simply amazing. I was blown away by her performance, and she was an absolute delight to work with.
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When I listened to the very last chapter (the epilogue), I was in tears. It was perfect. So perfect, I almost forgot I was the one who wrote it.
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Lucky for you newsletter subscribers, you get an exclusive early listen. Up top is Chapter One of the audiobook, which will be available June 18, 2024, exclusively on Audible. So take a breather and enjoy the first chapter. (Warning: There is profanity in it, so if you don't want to hear cuss words, stay away. Otherwise, go for it!)
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Kira, whose producer moniker is Keira Grace, is not only a narrator but an actor, activist and, as I came to realize, a lovely human. Her website explains more:
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So, there you go. And get ready.
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Even if you've already read "Boomerang," listening to the audiobook version is a whole different, more immersive experience. I really enjoyed hearing someone else tell the tale I penned, and I think you will, too.
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It's set for release soon, in early June. Sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media so you'll know as soon as "Boomerang" drops on Audible.
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