Talking with Corrie James, our Newest Narrator Friend – Giveaway closed

Here at AudioGals, we have purposed to locate new narrators who are not only well-trained but possess a great deal of talent as well. We have been looking particularly at these narrators with fewer than 30 commercial titles who have narrated a number of romances.

Corrie James came to our attention with her narration of two Sabrina Jeffries’ titles, By Love Unveiled and the first in the Duke’s Men series, What the Duke Desires (check out Caz’s review). The second in that series, When the Rogue Returns, is scheduled for release by Tantor in January with Corrie continuing as narrator. We have a Narrator Friend page dedicated to Corrie with a full list of her romance audio titles.

With a total of thirteen titles at Audible at this time, we’re hoping to see much more of Corrie in romancelandia and instinct tells me we will. Of these thirteen titles, eight are romance. In talking with Corrie, I discovered that her experience in narrating audiobooks goes far beyond those Audible titles but I’ll let her tell you about that.

The Giveaway

First, a few details about the giveaway we are featuring as part of our welcome to Corrie. Below the talk, you will find our entry form. Two entrants will win their choice of a Corrie James audiobook through Audible. You will have 90 days to choose your title. It’s simple – just enter by midnight (CST) Thursday, November 21st. No comments are necessary for entry although we’d love to hear your thoughts in the discussion area. You may only enter once. We’ll contact you the morning of the 22nd so watch your emails as we must have acknowledgement of your win within 24 hours. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll select another winner. Bloggers and reviewers, we welcome your entry. The giveaway is limited to availability of your chosen Audible title in your geographical area.

A Sound Clip

Below our talk with Corrie, you will find a sound clip from Sabrina Jeffries’ What a Duke Desires. This isn’t the sound clip you will find at Audible but rather an example of the hero and heroine’s interaction. We think you will be hooked on listening to Corrie!

Talking with Corrie James

Lea: Although I see a narration at Audible from 2004, it looks as though you began narrating audiobooks consistently in late 2012 and I now see thirteen titles to your name with most being romance. Can you share with us how you got your start in narrating audiobooks?

Corrie: Actually, I have been recording audiobooks for over 15 years, but it is only in the last year or so that I have been recording commercially. I started with a company which is sub-contracted by the Library of Congress Program for the Blind. This is paid work, but recordings are formatted for the special machines provided for this free service for the Blind and Disabled. Through special arrangements with the authors and publishers, a large variety of material is available without incurring the usual royalty fees. And how did I start? I put together a Commercial and Narration cassette (so you can see how long ago it was!) and sent it to everyone I could think of in the local area. I got a call from Potomac Talking Books, and they recorded me narrating a couple of excerpts and that audition was sent to the Library of Congress department for approval. Incidentally, it was there that I met one of your favorite narrators, Anne Flosnik, and it was through her that I recorded “Remember Me”” by Trezza Azzopardi for Brilliance Audio. Over the years I have recorded all genres of books, Fiction and Non-Fiction and used many accents.

Lea: Ahh, the Anne connection! (Bravo Anne) Can you tell us something about your background prior to narrating? Do you have any training that prepared you for narrating audiobooks?

Corrie: I came to audiobooks by way of the theatre and radio. In England I worked in Repertory theatre, Children’s Theatre, and BBC local radio, where I presented and created programmes. When I moved to the U.S. I (briefly) worked as a DJ on an AM station in Detroit. Another move to the East Coast coincided with the start of my family and I wrote and recorded ads for local companies, directed plays at my children’s school, and acted in Community Theatre. As time went on, I was able to reach into the metropolitan area for acting work and commercial voice-overs.

Lea: Do you have your own studio or do you work elsewhere when it comes to recording? Have you worked with a director?

Corrie: When I worked for the L.O.C. (Library of Congress) I had a monitor outside the recording booth who would watch the levels and try to catch mis-reads. The interpretation of the script was up to me as it is now that I work in my Home Studio. This is a tall closet under the stairs which has baffles on the wall to dampen outside noise, and a wonderful light up sign above the door, a great present from my husband, which says “Quiet Please. Recording” Unfortunately the dogs pay no attention to this, so they frequently have outside time when I’m at work.

I have worked with a Director from time to time, and having an outside ear to help with your interpretation can be so useful, however, having directed stage productions, I think I do have a feel for pacing and can self-direct. Mostly I record and play back and make changes when I feel the voice or energy could be better.

Lea: I see you have now recorded eight titles for Tantor Audio. Can you share how your professional relationship with Tantor began?

Corrie: Just after I had installed my Home studio, I sent out audition clips to several companies. Tantor had need of a British voice for one of their Romance novels, and luckily the author liked mine and luckily the book was one of a series so it has led to more. I have recorded books by Eliza Knight and Sabrina Jeffries and admire how both these authors invent so many intriguing characters and adventures and keep the threads of the stories clear enough to make them into a series.

I have also relished the opportunities Tantor has given me to record a couple of Historical non-fiction books. These generally require much more research into pronunciation than the fiction books. Bloody Mary, by Carrolly Erickson, is a biography of Mary Tudor, Henry VIII’s daughter. Each chapter begins with a snippet of verse in Olde Englishe -which troubled me somewhat, but as no one knows precisely how people sounded in the XVIth century. I just had to make the best of an educated guess and advice from a Professor of History. I recently recorded The King’s Grave by Philippa Langley, which tells of the search and discovery of the remains of King Richard III. The chapters alternate between her story of the evidence and search for his bones, and the historical biography of this much maligned king. Fascinating to see how a smear campaign by the Tudors successfully besmirched this man’s reputation. Again, a lot of research was required before beginning this project.

Lea: Can you give our listeners a look into your life outside of narrating?

Corrie: Going to the theatre is my favorite activity. I was in London recently and saw a terrific production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Movies are great too- like the funny and relevant In A World.

I am quite arty, and have taken classes in drawing, oil painting, pastels, and mosaics. My children live a long, long way away, so a visit to them involves lengthy air travel, but a great opportunity to listen to other accents which just might come in useful some day. I do enjoy cooking but need to be reinvigorated by a new cookbook from time to time. At the moment, I am relishing the recipes in Nigella Lawson’s Nigellissima– her delicious interpretations of Italian cuisine.

I live on the Chesapeake Bay, so we enjoy boating and crabbing. I also ski gently and scuba dive.

Lea: What are some of your current or upcoming projects?

Corrie: I’ll be reading the biography of a truly aristocratic Lady. And there are more tall, not necessarily dark, handsome strangers in my future- Romance is so popular!

Lea: We so appreciate you talking with us today, Corrie. We’re looking forward to listening to your future romance titles!

The Entry Form

Giveaway is closed.

And the Soundclip

Be sure to enter  to win your choice of Corrie James titles!

Lea Hensley