I’m a very visual person and always have been. If I see it I can memorize it, learn it, remember it, etc. But listening has always been a bit more challenging. I get distracted–usually by visual stuff.
But I really wanted to hear my short story, “Bonds of Love and Duty” being read. It’s been out in Fantastic Hope (edited by Laurell K. Hamilton and William McCaskey) since April. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I can tell you that I got chills. I’ve held copies of the book in my hand, I’ve seen it in stores, but listening to it still made quite an impression.
And it did bring up a question for all of you. I remember audio books as being read/narrated without “voices.” In other words, the narrator would read them with emotion and a bit of “acting” but not attempt to impersonate the characters’ dialogue. Does a man reading a woman’s dialogue as falsetto, or a woman reading a man’s dialogue by lowering her voice bother you? I can see lowering the voice for a whisper or raising it for a shout, but if a character is gasping for air, or crying, do you want to hear that re-enacted? I’d love to hear your thoughts.