BLAST, BLITZ, PROMOS, REVEALS, & TOURS . . . : SPOTLIGHT Audio - YA FANTASY - THE SIX (The Gateway Chronicles, #)1 by K.B. Hoyle Narrator: Dollcie Webb

THE SIX
The Gateway Chronicles, #1
by K.B. Hoyle
Narrator: Dollcie Webb
Length: 10 hours 19 minutes
Released: November 19th 2018
Publisher: K.B. Hoyle
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

By Author K.B. HOYLE

Casting my books for television or cinema is always so hard because a) they start off YOUNG, and I’m not all that familiar with young talent, and b) they age from 13 to 19 (some as old as 21) by the time the series is over, so the look I hold in my head is not necessarily how I, or even my most devoted readers, view the characters. Therefore, I decided not to try and do a traditional dream cast post, but to post links to the character aesthetics boards I have made for each character on my Gateway Chronicles pinterest page. If The Six (and therefore hopefully the rest of the books in The Gateway Chronicles) were to ever be picked up for movie for streaming or traditional TV, I would hope that whoever gets cast looks something like these characters — and fits these aesthetics — I’ve found on Pinterest:

Assorted character looks!

Winner of the 2016 Literary Classics Gold Book Award for YA Series and recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval Darcy Pennington hates her life. She is an insufferably average teenager with no real friends, crushing social anxiety, and an indescribable sense of not fitting in anywhere. A change in her dad's job forces her to attend Cedar Cove Family Camp the summer before her eighth-grade year, and Darcy once again finds herself on the outside of a social circle of teenagers, with her only advocate being an awkward girl named Samantha Palm. The only problem is, Darcy has no desire to be friends with her, but as the hostility from the other teenagers increases, she decides to return the friendship. When Darcy begins to experience strange magical occurrences, she comes to believe she's either losing her mind or on the brink of a discovery that could give her purpose in life. After unwittingly stumbling through a magical gateway to a new world called Alitheia, she convinces Sam and the other four teenagers to travel there with her, and despite their earlier hostilities toward her, they eventually concede leadership of their small group to Darcy. Once there, they learn the "arrival of the Six" was prophesied hundreds of years before and that they must expel an ancient evil from the land. In the end their lives, and the fate of Alitheia, will hinge upon Darcy. Will she have what it takes to fulfill her mysterious purpose? Or will she fall prey to a deadly foe?

K.B. Hoyle is an award-winning Young Adult author, a public speaker, a creative writing instructor, and a former classical history teacher. She stays busy at her home in Alabama with her husband and their four young sons. She is a Readers' Favorite 5-Star reviewed author, a multiple recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval, the winner of the Literary Classics Gold Book Award for Best YA Series (2016) for The Gateway Chronicles, her best-selling six-book Fantasy series, the Literary Classics Silver Book Award winner for YA Science Fiction (2015) for BREEDER, the first book in her Dystopian Trilogy, The Breeder Cycle, and the Readers' Favorite Bronze Award winner in YA Science Fiction (2016), also for BREEDER. She was a featured panel speaker at the 2013 Sydney Writer's Festival in Sydney, Australia, and her books receive high acclaim from readers and reviewers worldwide. She is represented by Ben Grange of the L. Perkins Agency. You can visit her website and sign up for her newsletter at kbhoyle.com

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

"Daydreams and whimsy with with a touch of pixie charm." A long-time daydreamer, Dollcie Webb has always carried a special fondness for Young Adult Fantasy literature. The poetic imagery and enticing otherworldliness call to her sense of curiosity, satisfying a deep desire to explore the world around her. A graduate of Michigan Technological University with a Bachelor's in Theatre and Electronic Media Performance, she's taken her experience in audio and theatrical performance and has melded the two into a career as an audiobook producer and narrator.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Instagram

Q&A with Narrator Dollcie Webb

Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
- Not initially, I luckily managed to land my very first audition within a day of submitting and the thrill of that has had me hooked ever since. Full disclosure however: I did have a difficult time because I didn’t realize how much effort would need to go into the actual work behind narrating and producing. A result of that was some of my earlier work suffered. I had a difficult time remaining consistent in my performances because I was so focused on the technical aspects of performing in the booth and getting a clean audio recording.After researching online and listening to more YA Audiobooks I was able to identify what I liked about certain performances and what I thought could be improved. For me it was about relaxing in the booth and allowing myself the freedom to immerse myself in the story. To get out of my own head, stop over analyzing, and just be present in the moment of the story. Once this happened it brought a level of joy and satisfaction to my work that I don’t think many people are lucky enough to experience.
A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
- Yes I do. My theatre background gave me the skills I need to be a successful audiobook performer. I don’t think a BA in performing arts is 100% necessary to being a successful narrator but for me I wouldn’t be here without it.
What type of training have you undergone?
- I have a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Electronic Media Performance from Michigan Technological University. I also attended the VO Atlanta conference my senior year of college and learned a. LOT. It was there that I realized how far-reaching the voiceover world is and how I could actually make a living using the skills I acquired from college.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
- It took me a year after I started narrating to realized burn-out is a very real phenomena. I help prevent burnout by making sure to take care of myself and making sure to replenish my creative well. Reading stories for the fun of it, singing in the shower, listening to podcasts for authors and narrators, watching TED talk videos, watching cartoons, and listening to audiobooks.
What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
- The synopsis was intriguing and sounded like something I would normally read for the fun of it. Upon further research I discovered it to have received the Literary Classics Gold Book Award. I knew then that it would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to be a part of something so special!
How closely do you prefer to work with authors?
- Usually as closely as possible. I know how much time and effort I put into working on the audiobook and that can’t even compare to the amount of time that the author invests to write the book! I have so much respect and admiration for the authors that I work with, I want them to know that we’re on the same team and we both want the audiobook to do well.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
- My least favorite part is reading the reviews afterwards. While the work is time-consuming and can be quite tedious, reading the reviews requires a different form of mental fortitude. I have to be in a good place mentally and remember to not take negative reviews personally. (I adore the positive reviews but I’m always worried my hubris will get the best of me.) When people don’t like something about my performance I really strive to use that as constructive criticism to improve for the next time. That’s a guiding point I always try to remember: to always be learning and improving.My favorite part is tied between 1) getting that fresh manuscript from the audiobook rights holder and delving into the story while there is still so much to discover about the plot and characters and 2) Submitting the final audiobook to the rights holder. There is always an excited rise in my heart rate when I go to press “submit”.
What type of the review comments do you find most constructive?
- The best reviews are the ones that can pinpoint exactly what they thought needed work in the audiobook. My biggest goal as an audiobook narrator is to disappear while the audience is listening. It’s my job to tell the story in a thoughtful and engaging way. If there is ever anything about my performance specifically that detracts from achieving that goal, tell me! I want to know so I can utilize it the next time I get handed a manuscript.
Who is your “dream author” that you would like to record for?
- Tamora Pierce hands effing down! Her Daughter of the Lioness books got me through high school and it was her books where I really latched onto the philosophy that girls are strong and can become leaders and world builders. Tamora writes beautiful, immersive stories with these amazing and inspiring female lead characters and to have the chance to be involved in, or contribute to, her work would be a dream come true.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- I have to say that is an uncharitable way to view the medium! Firstly, it’s not like audiobook are hurting anyone, so why put the effort into maintaining such a strong negative thought about it? Secondly, think of how audiobooks are opening a world of information to consumers who otherwise might not have access. People commuting to work, the visually impaired, small children learning to read, the disabled who may not have the motor reflexes required to hold a tablet or flip a page, ALL of these people now have the option to enjoy stories that would be difficult to read without the assistance of audiobooks. Physical reading is a luxury not everyone has the time or means to enjoy. Audiobooks are tools that help level the field between literate healthy readers and those readers who could use a little assistance.