Apple Boy by Isobel Starling - Audio Book Tour + Giveaway
Author: Isobel Starling
Narrator: Gary Furlong
Length: 9 hours 43 minutes
Series: The Quiet Work, Book 1
Publisher: Decent Fellows Press
Released: Apr. 24, 2019
Genre: LGBT Fantasy Romance
A new LGBT fantasy series from award-winning author Isobel Starling
A lost lordling, a farm boy, and a tale of mystery, magic, and murder!
After a traumatic event, Winter Aeling finds himself destitute and penniless in the backwater town of Mallowick. He needs to travel to the city of Serein and impart grave news that will bring war to the Empire, but without a horse, money, and with not a soul willing to help him, he has no choice but to line up with the common folk seeking paid work on the harvest.
As wagons roll into the market square and farmers choose day laborers, Winter is singled out for abuse by a brute of a farmer. The only man who stands up for him is the farmer's beguiling son, Adam, and on locking eyes with the swarthy young man Winter feels the immediate spark of attraction.
Winter soon realizes there is a reason he has been drawn to Blackdown Farm. The farmer possesses a precious item that was stolen long ago from Winter’s family, and he determines to retrieve it. He also cannot take his eyes off Adam, and as the young man opens up Winter can’t help wondering if Adam is just kind or his kind!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBHPSXknkPI
Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional career making art in Ireland. She relocated to the UK and, faced with the dreaded artist’s creative block, Isobel started to write fantasy and found she loved writing more than making art.
Isobel writes M/M fantasy, thrillers, and comedy, and to date, has written twenty books, 11 of which are audiobooks narrated by Gary Furlong .
In 2018 Isobel Starling and Gary Furlong won what is now called The Independent Audiobook Award - Romance Category with the audiobook “As You Wish” .
Isobel and Gary are also finalists for the 2019 Independent Audiobook Awards in the LGBTQ+ Category with the audiobook “Sweet Thing”.
Website⎮Twitter⎮Goodreads⎮Amazon⎮Instagram
Originally from Ireland, Gary Furlong worked a teacher in Niigata, Japan; a puppeteer in Prague; an improv artist in Memphis, and a festival performer in Ireland.
A naturally-gifted mimic, Gary began narrating audiobooks for a living in 2015 and hasn’t looked back.
Gary specializes in accents and dialect, with fluency in Irish, British RP, and Standard American.
In four years of working full-time with audiobook production, Gary has narrated over 100 audiobooks spanning Fantasy,Thriller, Romance, YA, and non-fiction for world-class publishing houses and independent authors.
In 2018 Gary won a much coveted AudioFile Earphones Award and the Independent Audiobook Award for Romance.
He now lives in Texas with his wife and their golden retriever called "Gansey," which means "Sweater" in Irish Gaelic.
Website⎮Twitter
- When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
The year was 2014 and I truly hated my
teaching job. I was living in Japan at
the time and while I loved the country I was very dissatisfied with my job as
an English teacher. I had been
interested in acting and voice acting for the longest and had recently started
running and listening to Audiobooks. I
loved them and thought that might be something I would be interested in. I got in touch with a coach and never looked
back.
- Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
I didn’t find it difficult. I went into it prepared to work hard and I
listened to everything my coaches and more established narrators told me. I had a lot of help. I also don’t know that I have broken my way in
fully yet. I am delighted at the success
I have had so far but still feel like there is a still a long way to go on this
here audiobook road. I learn something
new almost every day and that keeps it interesting and keeps me humble and
hungry.
- A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
I don’t necessarily think a background in
theatre specifically is necessary (although it will help an awful lot), but you
have to have some background in acting.
I didn’t go to school for acting but I spent most of my university years
fully immersed in the Drama society. My
main forte is improv. I spent 10+ years
working as a freelance actor for a street theatre company called Bui Bolg. This work involved lots of character
creation, reading an audience and changing styles on the fly to suit them. I learned a lot from everyone involved. I learned how to act and improvise by
watching and working with the other actors.
I saw the hard work and long hours that can be involved in the arts when
you take it seriously and do it properly.
So I think that helped me to enter into the audiobook world with a
practical mindset and a good work ethic.
- What about this title “Apple Boy” compelled you to audition as narrator?
I love Isobel’s writing and have been lucky
enough to work on a lot of her books.
When she told me she was writing a fantasy book I knew I wanted to be a
part of it. I feel “Apple Boy” is one of
my very best performances to date.
- How closely do you prefer to work with authors?
Very closely AND not at all. Why, Gary, how cryptic of you!
What I mean by this is that before I begin
recording, I want to know everything. I
want to know what they have in mind for the characters, how they want the
narration to sound. I want as much data
as the author can give me. Once
recording has begun however I would hope that the author trusts me enough to
let me use that data to produce the best audiobook I can without looking over
my shoulder.
Isobel and I have gotten this down to a
science. She sends me the info I need, I
send her some samples of my interpretation of that info. If she doesn’t like something, she tells me
and stipulates more on what she wants.
This way we get right down to the essence of the story and
characters.
- How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
I’ll let you know when I figure it out.
:-P.
Joking aside, I think you first have to
recognize that you are approaching burn out or have reached it and let yourself
react to it how you will. If that means
having a little cry then let them tears flow.
When you have had your freak out moment, get a cup of coffee or hot
beverage of your choice and sit down and calmly assess your situation. Can you take an evening off, do you have to
work this weekend, do you need to go to the doctor for that sore throat, do you
have time for a massage etc? Find
something you can do for you, something to look forward to. That’s how I have been dealing with the tough
times. But in all honestly it is just
bloody brilliant getting to narrate for a living so I don’t like to complain
too much.
- Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
I don’t have the attention span to read
print. I don’t really have a great
attention span when listening to audiobooks either but I can do other things
while listening. I can run, walk the dog,
close my eyes while sleepy etc. I can
consume books and stories far more effectively while listening.
- What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
Favourite: Getting to read a great book for work is the
best.
Least
favourite: The sniffles, sore
throat, allergies, lawn mowers, construction across the street etc are all
simple things that can ruin your productivity as an audiobook narrator.
- Is there a particular genre you feel unsuited for? Have you ever declined a project because you didn’t think you were right for it?
I have indeed turned down projects. I was offered a project once which, once I
read it, was clearly aimed at an African American audience. As I was reading through it I felt like I was
just doing a bad impression of how I thought African American people would
sound, feel and act. I didn’t have the
right background or life experience to do the book justice. Had I continued on with that project it would
have been a massive disservice to the author, the audience and my co-narrator.
- Who are your “accent inspirations”?
Absolutely everyone. I can’t really narrow it down. You can find so many unique sounds just from
everyday life. I met an older Southern
gentleman the other day while waiting for the mechanic to finish up with my
car. He had a great way of speaking and
his voice was so interesting.
Giveaway: Apple Boy Prize Pack
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