18 Comments on “Reminder: I’m in Montclair, NJ Tonight at 7:30”

1. Just emailed the Montclair family. You’ll be the biggest thing to hit since 50 Shades:

   “Fifty Shades of Grey,” an erotic novel by an obscure author that has been described as “Mommy porn” and “Twilight” for grown-ups, has electrified women across the country, who have spread the word like gospel on Facebook pages, at school functions and in spin classes. Or as the handwritten tag on a paperback copy in a MONTCLAIR N.J., bookstore helpfully noted, “Yes, this is THE book everyone is talking about.”

   http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/business/media/an-erotic-novel-50-shades-of-grey-goes-viral-with-women.html

2. Hey, Tammy wrote the first two books of SONG OF THE LIONESS while living in Montclair! She, literally, lived in a garret there for two-three years….

3. Get the organizers to take you to Cuban Pete’s for dinner. (My sibs went to school up there.)

4. I daresay you are better known for Old Man’s War, but I’m a little surprised they didn’t mention METAtropolis, since it’s right on point…

5. Sounds great. Since I’m on the other coast, I won’t attend, but sure wish it could be made available as a podcast at some time in the future.

6. I don’t know why, but I found it funny that audio storytelling is being presented in their marketing as an innovative new thing…. actually it’s the oldest form there is.

   I guess you audio book innovators are returning to your roots, really, eh?

   Have a great time! It sounds fun!

7. What Dana said. I was going to make the same comment– audio “new”??

8. I wish I could stop by. As a poet this is of course good news. I am also hoping to work with Ezra Pound Radio Opera expert Margaret Fisher in getting an monologist for my book Blue Emptiness. With the portability of books, less free time, commuting, audiobility becomes an obvious choice. I listened to Telegraph Avenue, a book mostly done in dialog, as an audio book and I believe that is its best mode of communication. As a writer, things come to me as spoken words from a very calm and quiet voice in my head and how that voice comes across is a part of the greatness of what comes to me. Don’t we all hear the words we read?

9. I’d love to be there…I listen to a ton of audiobooks and have thought about dusting off my acting credentials and sending in a audition tape to Audible. The narration will make or break an audiobook.

10. Wish I wasn’t on the wrong coast! No offense to OGH, but the big draw for me would be Barbara Rosenblat. I will listen to just about any audiobook she reads. She’s amazing. Her narrations feel like one-woman audio plays to me, and for certain series her narration seems to magically improve the quality of the text, to my ears (I’m thinking here especially of the Nevada Barr books,which I find just-OK to read, but far more entertaining and memorable to listen to courtesy of Barbara — and I discovered them in the first place by searching for more books BR had narrated).

    If by any chance this event is podcasted or otherwise made available after the fact, I’d love to know!

11. I’m with Julia – Barbara Rosenblat is the most talented voice actor EVER. Like Julia, I’ve sought out works she’s performed because SHE did them, not because of who the book’s author is. I do have to say, though, that her reading of Erma Bombeck’s work is superlatively entertaining.
    Julia, the voice/character differentiations she does in Linda Fairstein’s books are also incredible.

12. Barbara Rosenblat was lovely.

13. A question, if I may.

    In the past books-on-tape were a nice reading of words already written. As audiobooks proliferate today do they require changes in the way the author works if voice is the desired end medium–kind of like the differences between writing for a stage play and writing for the movies, where the medium requires adjustment to take full advantage of what can be done within it? (i.e. is writing for someone to read dialogue different than writing for someone to hear dialogue, as an example?)

14. I just clicked on this post 12 hours too late! As I sit here in the Montclair Panera to get work done. Hope you enjoyed our lovely little town :)

15. I worship at the altar of Judith Tarr ever since I found Queen of Swords at the local used book store; it’s ancient history major catnip. Now my two favorite heroines are Richildis and Meriamon from Lord of Two Lands.

    I’ll be checking this out for sure.

16. Aaannddd I clicked in the wrong area. Whoops.

17. I can’t believe you came to NJ and I missed it.

18. @ Barb M

    Thanks for the recs, and I absolutely agree with you about BR’s interpretation of the Fairstein novels! Actually, THE BONE VAULT was how I discovered Rosenblat as a narrator. At the time, I chalked up the excellent match between narrator and the voice of the main character (the books are written in first person) to good casting. Then by happenstance I listened to a different Rosenblat-narrated book next and did a double-take because I realized that she had been reading all the first-person narrative sections of Fairstein’s book in character. That might sound obvious, but I hadn’t encountered an audiobook narrator with that kind of dramatic range before. Thus began my fangirl-ism.

    Another series I’m not sure I’d stick with reading to myself, but find delicious to listen to BR read: Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax adventures (in all their 60s-70s splendor!).

    Elizabeth Peters was so enamored of BR’s interpretation of her Amelia Peabody series (especially the voice she gave Emerson) that Peters eventually made it a contractual requirement that only BR would narrate her books. Sadly, there are one or two early Amelias that missed a Rosenblat production. I’ve always wished they’d go back and re-record BR editions so there could be a complete set. I imagine there are rights complications I’m not aware of.

    (Sorry for the Rosenblat-fangirl explosion, John! I’ll stop now. Pleased to hear you enjoyed meeting her)