DEEP CUT
Caribbean Dive Adventures, #2
by Nick Sullivan
Narrator: Nick Sullivan
Length: 7 hours 35 minutes
Released: April 30th 2019
Publisher: Wild Yonder Press
Genre: Action-Adventure
Sometimes, the brightest corners of the world can hold the darkest shadows.
Rising steeply from the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the Dutch island of Saba is a sleepy paradise, the mountainous slopes dotted with little red-and-white cottages and the seas teeming with life. But this little oasis has a less tranquil history, many of its inhabitants having descended from smugglers and pirates.
Boone Fischer and Emily Durand are eager to explore their new home, but their peaceful lives are about to be shattered, as one of history's most powerful hurricanes begins to form - and, as if that weren't enough, a savage evil has made its way ashore. In this sequel to the best seller Deep Shadow, Nick Sullivan brings listeners to another fascinating corner of the world and sends them into a swirl of action and adventure.
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Q&A with Nick Sullivan, Author and Narrator of Deep Cut
- Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
- I’ve been narrating for so long, I think and write in a manner that is conducive to the audiobook format… much to the chagrin of my editor, as I often would opt for a sentence structure that was more in line with how a person would actually say the sentence. The Chicago Manual of Style would not always concur with my decisions!
- Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- Since I came into writing by-way-of narrating, I absolutely have the audiobook in mind throughout the writing process. I will make character choices based on what dialects I can comfortable with. You’ll likely never have a Bostonian in my books. That’s my kryptonite.
- How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
- It was a random stroke of luck. I was doing a film shoot and the woman playing my wife had been narrating for Talking Books in New York City. And just a few days before, I happened to have taken an ad from a bulletin board: the Jewish Braille Institute was looking for actors to narrate books for the blind for free. I called them… set up a time… then called Talking Books and let them know I had experience recording books (or would, by the time I showed up!)
- A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
- I used to think so… but there are some truly excellent narrators who don’t have an acting background, so I stand corrected. In general, I DO think a person who has made their living as an actor is going to be better suited to delivering dialogue... but that doesn’t mean they will always be a better storyteller!
- What type of training have you undergone?
- I studied theater in undergrad and grad school, and went to London to train at the British American Dramatic Academy. I had the good fortune to work with a number of teachers who specialized in dialects.
- Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- I set the books of my Deep Series in places I’ve dived, so there are numerous occasions when I will base plot points on things I’ve experienced, or create characters who are inspired by the people I’ve met in the islands. Emily is based on one such person… and that individual was even goofier than my fictional recreation.
- What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- It’s not “cheating”, it’s just different. I don’t think people should replace reading with audiobooks, since reading for yourself allows you to put your own mental interpretation on the book… and that’s a magical thing. But sometimes, sitting back and letting a storyteller spin the tale for you is the way to go. Plus, you can multitask!
- Do you read reviews for your audiobooks? If so, which ones stand out to you most, positive or negative? What type of the review comments do you find most constructive?
- Amusingly enough, I read a self-help book on mindfulness and meditation. It quoted a study that a negative event will carry about four times the weight as an equivalent positive event. Makes sense, in my experience. Yes, I read reviews. A lot of negative reviews are “trolly”, and most narrators know to dismiss those, but some will have some little nugget that you read and go “Oh… um… yeah. I see that.” For instance, I based my Emily character on an actual Brit I met and decided to pump her up to a full South London accent. Well, after reading some reviews from some Brits, I decided to pull her back a bit in Deep Cut. She’s still a bit more “street” than your usual Thames dialect, but I figured I might’ve picked an overly strong dialect for her.
- What’s next for you?
- I have to decide where to set the next book! And maybe take a trip there. I also have the sequel to my horror comedy, Zombie Bigfoot, to finish. And, in the immediate future, I’ve got six books to narrate for other authors.
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