Posts tagged with: Audiobooks

Tantor Audio Winners (with bonus!)

Posted by Anna Campbell Oct 11 2012, 11:00 pm in Anna Campbell, Audiobooks, Bandita Booty, historical romance, Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed, Sons of Sin, Tantor Audio

Wow, what a great day we had yesterday talking about sexy voices. Thanks to everyone who swung by to share their thoughts on who they would like to have whispering sweet nothings in their ear. Accents ruled! Thanks also to Tantor Audio who very kindly donated a copy of the audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED for a commenter from North America. International visitors were eligible to win a signed copy of the print books.

So without more ado, here are our winners:

AUDIOBOOK: Pissenlit!

PRINT BOOK: Marybelle!

Congratulations, girls.

Pissenlit, can you please email me with your snail mail details and your email and also let me know whether you’d like a download or the MP3 CD edition? I’ll send your information to Jennifer at Tantor.

Mary, can you please email me with your snail mail details? I’ll get your book off to you next week.

Happy reading (and listening!).

3 Comments

The Sounds of Seduction

Posted by Anna Campbell Oct 10 2012, 12:02 am in Actors, Anna Campbell, Antony Ferguson, Audiobooks, Bandita Booty, historical romance, James Mason, Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed, Sons of Sin, Tantor Audio, The Seventh Veil

Hey, do you guys remember when we had the wonderful actor Antony Ferguson in the lair leading up the release of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED last month?

Antony read the audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS and it was fascinating getting an insight into the process of recording a novel. You all gave him a wonderful welcome and he was absolutely delighted that his first blogging experience was such a blast. Bravo, Banditas and Bandita Buddies!

It seems Antony wasn’t the only one impressed by the reception. I’ve since heard from Jennifer at Tantor Audio and they were so stoked with Antony’s visit that they’ve offered a very special prize today. One U.S.or Canadian resident is eligible to win either the the download edition or the MP3 CD edition of the audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, courtesy of Tantor Audio.

Never fear, we love our international guests here, as you know – I’ll give away a signed paperback of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED for people outside North America. So TWO great prizes up for grabs today. Huzzah!

In case any of you missed Antony’s wonderful interview, here’s the link: http://romancebandits.com/the-voice-of-seven-nights-in-a-rogues-bed/

Antony’s website is: http://www.antonyferguson.com/#photogallery

You can hear a really spine-tingling excerpt of the Tantor Audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED here: http://www.tantor.com/mp3/B0888_SevenNights.mp3

You can order the book direct from Tantor. Here’s the page for SEVEN NIGHTS: http://www.tantor.com/BookDetail.asp?Product=B0888_SevenNights

Or for Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Nights-Rogues-Bed-Sons/dp/1452658889/ref=tmm_abk_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1338928157&sr=1-2

I’ve always been really aware of voices. For example, I love Chris Hemsworth’s resonant baritone. Just right for a superhero. Or there’s Alan Rickman’s breathtakingly sexy purr. Yum!Or think of Sam Elliott’s lazy drawl. If he was the cowboy and I was the cow, he wouldn’t need to round me up, I’d just stay right by his side to listen to him! A truly mooving experience!

My mother always had a crush on James Mason, the wonderful English actor. He’s got the most wonderful voice, deep and resonant and musical. Delish. Check him out as the slightly psycho but extremely sexy hero in THE SEVENTH VEIL, a marvelously over the top British melodrama of the 1940s featuring some beautiful piano playing from Aussie Eileen Joyce. This film was such a hit in my house, one of my father’s nicknames for me was Francesca (the poor tortured heroine in this film) – usually when I was bashing with particular disastrous effect on the piano.

I couldn’t find a clip of THE SEVENTH VEIL, but I did find this delightfully cheesy ad for Thunderbird Wine! I thought it might give you all a giggle.

Great voice, huh? You should hear him shout at poor Ann Todd when she’s playing wrong notes on the piano!

While Jonas isn’t very pretty on the outside – he’s definitely a beastly beast inside and out when the book starts and the outside stays pretty beastly – he has a lovely voice and it’s one of the first things Sidonie notices about him. Not only that, he loves to whisper Italian endearments to her (it makes sense in context, trust me). By the way, thanks to a reader suggestion. I’ve just put an Italian glossary up on my webpage. So if any of you are confused about the meaning of tesoro or la mia anima, just swing by there. I guarantee you’ll want pasta for lunch afterwards!

So let’s whisper sweet nothings at each other today. Are you a voice woman? Are there any speaking voices that really appeal to you? Who would you love to hear murmuring tender endearments in your shell-like ear? Does he need to have an accent?

Don’t forget, for North American commenters, there’s an audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED up for grabs, and for international visitors, there’s a signed copy of the paperback edition. Good luck!

101 Comments

Seven Nights ARC Winner!

Posted by Anna Campbell Aug 12 2012, 10:51 pm in Anna Campbell, Antony Ferguson, ARCs, Audiobooks, Bandita Booty, Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed, Sons of Sin, Tantor Audio

Wow, what a wonderful reception you all gave to my very special guest Antony Ferguson on Friday. He was delighted with the enthusiasm in the lair and has promised to come back and talk to us again (oh, wouldn’t it be lovely if he could actually TALK to us in that lovely English accent?) when the second book in the Sons of Sin trilogy comes out. Huzzah! Thank you so much for giving him such a welcome and thanks to Antony for being such a great guest.

The winner of the ARC of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED (out 25th September – not that I’m counting or anything!) is:

KATHLEEN O!

Kathleen, could you please email me on anna @ annacampbell.info (no spaces) with your snail mail details and I’ll get your book off to you. Congratulations and happy reading!

1 Comment

The Voice of Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed!

Posted by Anna Campbell Aug 10 2012, 12:01 am in Actor, Anna Campbell, Antony Ferguson, ARCs, Audiobooks, Bandita Booty, Charles Dickens, Grand Central Publishing, Little Dorrit, Peter Allison, Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed, Sons of Sin, Tantor Audio

by Anna Campbell

I’ve got such a treat for you guys today and to celebrate this special occasion, I’m giving away an ARC of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED (out 25th September) so make sure you leave a comment!

SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED is going into audiobook from Tantor Audio. This is the first audiobook for one of my stories so I’m really excited. I’m even more delighted today to bring you Antony Ferguson, the actor who recorded ROGUE. I was fascinated by the process of turning a book into a recording and if the questions I’ve had from readers since I announced the audiobook are any indication, I’m not alone in wanting to know how it works. Antony is here today to share some trade secrets!

You can find out more about Antony and see videos of his film work on his website: http://www.antonyferguson.com/#photogallery

Here’s a link to the audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED which is available for pre-order: http://www.tantor.com/BookDetail.asp?Product=B0888_SevenNights

And if you’d like to hear an excerpt of ROGUE read in Antony’s best style, check out this link: http://www.tantor.com/mp3/B0888_SevenNights.mp3

Antony, thank you so much for being my guest today on the Romance Bandits. I don’t think we’ve ever had a professional actor in the lair before. We’re all fascinated by the process of putting a book on tape. Can you give us some idea of the process involved? How long does it all take?

Firstly, I wanted to say how delighted I am to be the first professional actor in your lair. I hope I don’t disappoint! The process of putting out a book on tape is very similar to putting on a play or a movie. Firstly actors are auditioned to find the one best suited to the project (either by producers listening to the actor’s past work, or having them record a small segment of the book). Once the book is cast, the producers then send the actor the book to read, and to prepare characters etc. The actual recording of the book requires the actor to sit in the studio for several LONG days, where they try to make the book come alive for the listeners. Using different voices, inflections etc to differentiate characters, but, and I think this is VERY important, never imposing upon the characters the author has created. I believe the actor must be true to the author’s work and not try to embellish it. Once the book is recorded, it is sent to the publisher for quality control (listening for misreads, mispronunciations etc) who then sends the actor a list of any corrections to be made. The corrections are made and returned to the publishers, and the book is produced.

From beginning to end, the process takes about a month.

Do you prepare for a reading the way you’d prepare for a dramatic role?

Yes, I prepare in exactly the same way as for a play or movie. I first read the book carefully (this sounds obvious, but sometimes actors will just speed read or even not read the book at all before they record the work! ) and make notes on the characters. I make a list of everyone’s character traits, and then I think about all the people I know who have similar traits. This then helps me create the voices and attitudes, and how I will play each character. If I were preparing a play or movie, this would also help me create how the characters walk, move, stand etc.

Do you work mainly on romance novels or do you work on a wide cross-selection of books? Do you have any favorites?

Lately, I have been working mainly on romance novels, but in general, I have worked on a wide cross section of books. I have recorded biographies, history books, economics books, as well as some classics of literature. A recent biography I recorded was the story of an Australian game warden in Africa, called WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T RUN, and yes, I had to read the whole thing in an Australian accent! Luckily, my dad was Australian (born in Broken Hill, NSW) so I had a little help with my memories of him.

One of my favorite books, was my recording of Charles Dickens’s LITTLE DORRIT. It is a superb book and quite a challenge for the actor. It is 36 hours long, and has about 40 characters. In the last chapter alone, 17 characters make an appearance!

Wow!

My favorite genre, however, is the romance novel. I love the scale of the stories. They deal with such big issues, such as love, betrayal, passion etc, that I find I get swept up in the emotions as I read. Several times, I have had to stop reading, as I find myself so moved that my eyes start to tear up, and my voice cracks! The characters are so clearly defined, they are a pleasure to perform. I really hope I get to record a great many more romance novels in the future.

As a man reading romance novels, did anything surprise you about the genre?

Not really. I grew up in a large family of mostly strong women, so I was well aware of the honesty, integrity and strength of character women have. One of the things that draws me to romance novels, in fact, is the way the female characters are represented. I would be a liar, however, if I didn’t say that I was more than a little shocked by the explicitness of the sex scenes!

I bet! How did you get into acting?

I can honestly say that I never wanted to be anything else but an actor. I grew up watching all those classic Hollywood movies and being totally fascinated by everything I saw. All the glamour. and the drama. I also was so in awe of Laurence Olivier. I must have seen every movie he has made and read every book written about him. To me, he was the perfect actor, with such power and presence, and a total command over his audience. I am embarrassed to admit, that I wanted to be just like him. As soon as I left school, I went to drama school for 3 years, and when I graduated, I stared working in theatre and touring shows. I have been an actor ever since.

You’re a Brit living in Los Angeles. Has it been easy settling into America? Is there anything you miss from home? One of our Banditas, Anna Sugden who now lives in Cambridge is a Brit who lived in New Jersey for several years so I’m sure she’ll be interested to hear your response to this question!

I found it very easy to settle in America. I was born and grew up in central London, so when I moved to New York City (where I lived for 16 years before moving to Los Angeles) it was a very easy transition. Both cities have a similar energy and a fantastic theatre scene, so for me, I fitted right in. Los Angeles was a slightly different proposition for me, because the pace of life is considerably slower. I was used to performing in the theatre regularly (both in New York and in regional theatre all over America) but in L.A., one tends to audition/work less. The weather and the beauty of the city, however, more than make up for it.

Also, please tell Anna Sugden that I think Cambridge is a lovely city, and I have worked at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, in the Market Square several times.

What’s coming up for you?

It seems I am going to be quite busy over the next few months, as I have just been offered a series of six romance novels, written by Donna Grant. Highland romances with a supernatural twist which I am very excited to start. Also, after just finishing recording Anna Campbell’s novel, SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, (which I loved) it would be great to record some more of that series in the future.

Oh, just the right thing to say! LOL! Thank you! And thank you for being our guest today. Such very interesting answers.

Banditas and Bandita buddies, Antony hopes to be popping in and out of the blog today, so if you’ve got questions for him, he should be around to answer them.

To get conversation going, let’s talk audiobooks. Are you a fan? I know Bandita Christina Brooke is. Do you have a favorite? If you could have anyone in the world reading a romance novel to you, just you (setting optional – I quite like the idea of a candlelit boudoir but then I’m strange like that!), who would it be and what would the book be?

To celebrate Antony’s visit and the audiobook of SEVEN NIGHTS IN A ROGUE’S BED, I’m giving one commenter today a signed Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of ROGUE – perhaps if you ask nicely, your honey will read it to you!