BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : TOUR Audio w/INTERVIEW - MYSTERY STEAMPUNK - The Jacq of Spades (The Red Dog Conspiracy Series, #1) by Patricia Loofbourrow Narrator: Machelle Williams

Author: Patricia Loofbourrow

Narrator: Machelle Williams

Length: 8 hours 31 minutes

Series: The Red Dog Conspiracy, Book 1

Publisher: Red Dog Press, LLC

Genre: Noir Mystery, Steampunk Crime Fiction

This was something to enjoy. I got good mystery all immersed in a world of steampunk. This was something that I could listen to repeatedly. Machelle added her own element of depth to this mysterious noir into steampunk crime.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Patricia Loofbourrow. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

In a far future US, the once-beautiful domed neo-Victorian city of Bridges is split between four crime families in an uneasy cease-fire. With social disparity increasing and its steam-driven infrastructure failing, a new faction is on the rise: the Red Dogs. Jacqueline Spadros has a dream life: a wealthy husband, a powerful family. But her life is not what it seems. Kidnapped from her mother's brothel and forced to marry, the murder of her best friend Air 10 years before haunts her nightmares. She finds moments of freedom in a small-time private-eye business, which she hides in fear of her sadistic father-in-law. Air's little brother disappears off his back porch and the Red Dogs are framed for it. With the help of a mysterious gentleman investigator hired by the Red Dogs to learn the truth, Jacqui pushes her abilities to their limits in hope of rescuing the child before the kidnapper disposes of him.

Patricia Loofbourrow, MD is a NY Times and USA Today best-selling science fiction writer, PC gamer, ornamental food gardener, fiber artist, and wildcrafter who loves power tools, dancing, genetics and anything to do with outer space. She was born in southern California and has lived in Chicago and Tokyo. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three grown children.

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Q&A with Author Patricia Loofbourrow

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- Not with the first one. It was only after several readers requested an audiobook that I considered doing one of The Jacq of Spades.
How did you select your narrator?
- It was very difficult to find a narrator for my first book. I got no auditions at all in six months so my ACX account was closed down due to inactivity! So when I decided to do the audiobook I went back and searched through the narrator profiles until I found several whose sound I liked and contacted them. Most didn’t even get back to me until after I picked Machelle! I’m glad looking back that it happened this way because I had listed myself as revenue share the first time and I know I would have been unhappy with that.
How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- As best I could. Machelle is great in that she does everything - old, young, men, women - I had her doing all sorts of accents and she just went with it. Even a foreign language! I sent her to speak with my cousin Dr. Christophe Landry for help with Kourí-Viní, which is spoken in The Queen of Diamonds. And of course there are unusual names and situations in my story which I did give her tips on.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- I love writing. I like to say I’m a story addict - I don’t write every day, but I’m thinking of my stories and what might make them better.
Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
- I feel that Machelle brings out the human, vulnerable side of Jacqui which doesn’t always show on the page.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- That makes me laugh. The very first stories were spoken around a campfire by our Stone Age ancestors. If not for verbal story-telling, we wouldn’t have books today.
What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
- Don’t be aspiring authors. Be authors. Write. Revise. Edit. Keep writing. Don’t let anything stop you. And if you don’t LOVE writing, as if you’re not obsessed by story-telling, you might want to consider why you’re doing this. Because it is not glamorous and there are way easier ways to make a living.
Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?
- Be demanding about fidelity to the written work, but at the same time, choose your battles. Remember, at the end of the day, you’re both on the same side. The narrator is telling the story, and just like anyone else telling a story, it may not exactly match what you have in your head. It can be frustrating at times but at the end very rewarding to see the narrator’s vision that emerges from what you originally wrote.
What’s next for you?
- The King of Hearts: Part 4 of the Red Dog Conspiracy will be in audiobook as well, probably sometime in 2019.

As an audiobook narrator with 23 years of experience moving audiences with her voice through corporate facilitation and public speaking, Machelle knows how to connect with the intent of the author to bring their vision to life. Her compelling yet casual voice draws the listener close, transporting them deep into the story and keeping them hanging on every word with full attention and anticipation. Machelle’s voice is nuanced and delivers reads that range from soft and soothing to dramatic and smoky. She specializes in Mysteries & Thrillers, but her Bespoke repertoire also includes Non-Fiction, Religious, Urban and Noire. Machelle is based in Northern Virginia with her two Boston Terriers, Daphne and Lilah, and her fully equipped studio from which she provides quick turn-around of professional quality recordings. When you need a narrator to take your listener to the edge of their seat and their breath away – trust the telling to Machelle.