Month: March 2024

Dipping My Toe in the Audiobook Stream

Photo is book cover. Title: Unleashed in Oregon. Author: Sue Fagalde Lick. Image is a reddish-gold Labrador retriever at the beach.

Everyone says audiobooks are the thing. You gotta do an audiobook. I don’t listen to recorded books myself. They put me to sleep. Maybe that’s conditioning from falling asleep while being read to as a child. Also, I just don’t have time to listen. When I go for a walk or exercise, I want a break from all the words.

But I have two friends who are legally blind and can’t read anymore, and I know a lot of people who prefer audiobooks. They have no time to read, but they’ll listen. Plus, I was curious about how it would work.

I worried about the technology, having visions of hunkering in a closet speaking into an expensive mic and hoping the sound was good enough. Tech is not my jam, although I can usually figure it out in a couple dozen tries. Finding and paying a professional studio to record a book takes time and money I wasn’t ready to spend.

But then Amazon’s KDP—Kindle Direct Publishing—program, which I have used for several of my books, offered to convert any of my ebooks for free if I would try their beta audiobook program. I decided to try it out with Unleashed in Oregon: Best of the Blog, published in 2017.

KDP provided an assortment of virtual voices, male and female, with and without accents. I tried each one and ended up with a woman’s voice I’m going to call Kate. She sounded so real I let her read the whole book. Now and then I needed to stop her to correct pronunciation—my name, the name of the bridge just north of here (Yaquina), wind as in a breeze not wind as in winding up a toy—but she got most of it right, even words I would struggle with. Her voice never tired. She never had to stop to cough or clear her throat.

In the process of listening to all nine hours and seven minutes, typos were revealed, errors I had not noticed in earlier versions. I marked all the mistakes and made some other changes, based on what I have learned in the last seven years. Shouldn’t I say Native American instead of Indian? Do I really need that line that sounds so whiny? Maybe that photo isn’t worth the space. Those margins should be wider and the type bigger.

I also discovered I really like this book, and I love the way the stories sound when Kate reads them.

It took a week of intense work—I logged 15 hours last Tuesday—but Unleashed in Oregon in its new spiffed-up version is now available at Amazon in print, ebook, and audio formats, and I would love for more people to read it. I may even put together another blog collection next year, just to preserve my stories.

I am not an advocate of using artificial intelligence to do our writing for us, nor do I want to put professional actors out of business, but wow, these virtual voices can do what no human can do as well. “Kate” was not as expressive in some places as I might be, and I think I should use my own voice on my novels and my upcoming memoir. I would never let a computer voice read my poetry. But as a quick way to produce an audiobook for people who are unable to read a book on paper or a screen, this is pretty fantastic. That mellifluous voice reading my words is just computer coding at a whole new level, but it blows my mind.

Where do we draw the line with AI? We have been using it for years, long before it became the latest buzzword. What about Alexa, autocorrect, or the voice in our GPS? Will technology take over? I hope we don’t become people who don’t know the difference, but it is fun to play with.

I don’t know the future of Amazon’s new beta program that uses virtual voices. For years, they have offered ACX–Audiobook Creation Exchange–which links authors with professional studios to record their books. Amazon is not the only company or the best company producing audiobooks. Findaway Voices, Author’s Republic, and SpeechKi are a few. Having not tried them, I am not endorsing any of these, but they are out there. You can also do it all yourself and upload your books to Audible, YouTube, Spotify, etc. Now that I have done one, I’m eager to make audio versions of all my books.

Tell me. Do you read audiobooks? If you’re a writer, have you published an audiobook? Do you think it’s okay to let a computerized voice do the reading? What about using AI for writing or other tasks? I would love to hear your comments.

Meanwhile, Unleashed in Oregon is now available in print, ebook, and audio formats.

Happy spring, happy Easter, happy reading/listening.  

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Sometimes You Need to Make Your Own Birthday Party

A few days before my birthday (Saturday, March 9), I posted on Facebook that I was worried about spending the day alone. As comments started flying in, I regretted the post. A) I sounded pitiful and B) most of the comments were along the lines of “throw yourself a party.” What I really wanted was someone to be moved to do what my family used to do when I was a child: treat me like a princess all day long, shower me with presents, and not require any effort on my part. 

Suggestions included: throw yourself a party, host a jam session, go for a long walk, invite friends over for pizza, take a train ride, go to a gallery, and do whatever makes you happy.

Ultimately, my post worked. A nearby writer friend who had just had her own less than perfect birthday suggested we go out to lunch. We did, and we had a great time. In the afternoon, I had an online poetry reading, and lots of friends showed up. Several people telephoned. My neighbors brought cheesecake, a CD, a card and big hugs. Facebook “happy birthdays” are still rolling in. I also had a dinner invitation, but declined because my dance card was suddenly full. In the gaps, I played piano, and I did not feel alone at all–because I let it be known that it was my birthday and that I did not want to be alone. 

I’m embarrassed that I did that, but I have spent too many March 9ths on my own, some in hotel rooms eating takeout, some at home whining because nobody loved me. 

The truth is it’s different when you’re an adult. My father and my brother would both say “it’s just another day,” but I can’t accept that. Can you? Maybe I’m just spoiled. 

I always do things to treat myself. In fact, I took myself on a mini-vacation to Salem and Corvallis, OR, the two days before my birthday. I attended a poetry reading, did some writing, bought a new outfit, and bought myself a new printer. The weather was beautiful, and it felt good. But it’s not the same as being surrounded by people all singing “Happy Birthday” while you blow out the candles on a cake.

When you have no family or “best friend” nearby and you don’t have that mythical posse of friends who seem to show up in every novel, movie, and TV show, birthdays become problematic. If you don’t make a lot of noise, it is quite possible you will spend the day alone. 

Back in San Jose, we had a Filipino friend who used to throw his own birthday party every year. Those parties were huge. He cooked for days, hired a band, and invited everyone he knew. They started at dusk and went on to the wee hours of the morning. He did have siblings and nieces and nephews to help, but wow, it was a lot of work. I don’t think I could do that. Okay, I could, but I don’t want to.

However, I do want to celebrate that I have made it to 72 relatively healthy and still full of dreams and plans. A lot of people don’t make it to this age. I thank God I have.  

How birthdays are celebrated depends a lot on age, family situation, and cultural background. Some cultures go all out, while others barely note the day. Most Americans gather for a meal or at least for cake. They light candles and sing “Happy Birthday.” They offer gifts. That’s what most of us expect. But  “elder orphans” like me need to make some noise if we want it to happen.

Lessons for people who live alone like me:

  • Make sure people know about your birthday.
  • If you don’t have plans and want to do something, say so.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for cake or whatever you want.
  • Take charge and invite the people you would like to have with you.
  • If you’re okay being on your own, make it a day of hiking, meditation, reading, writing, or whatever makes you happy.
  • If you’re going to be alone, plan for your favorite foods, buy yourself some flowers, and watch a movie you’ve been wanting to see. 
  • When other orphans’ birthdays come around, help them celebrate. Don’t assume they already have a plan.

Your turn. What do you do on your birthdays? What would be the perfect birthday? What do you suggest for people who are on their own and might be forgotten? 

I am so grateful for everyone who stepped up for my birthday. It was the best one I have had in years. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

For some fascinating facts about birthdays, click here.

Photo by lil artsy on Pexels.com

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