Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing: Marva Dasef's Tips on Producing Audio Books, Giveaway

Hello and welcome to our series, Romance and Mystery Authors on Writing. Our "tipster" author today is multi-genre writer Marva Dasef.  She's giving away the winner's choice of one of her audible books. Take a peek at the books she has available at Audible .com 

Please leave a comment to be eligible for the drawing on Sunday at 9 p.m. 

Listen to an audio sample of Missing, Assumed Dead at the end of the page.

Marva, you have entered the audible book market big time. Audible books add another dimension to a book bringing the story alive to the listener. Thanks so much for sharing great tips on the process of producing an audio book.

The winner of the drawing can choose one of Marva's audio books.

Thanks, J.Q. I decided to ignore all of your excellent questions on the writing process, marketing and publishing books so I can talk a little about the process of producing an audio book.

Audio Rights

First, make sure you have the audio rights to your book. This seems a no-brainer, but when’s the last time you read your contract? If you’re an independent author, then you’ve obviously got your audio rights even if you’ve published your book through Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, etc. (if an ebook) and anywhere you might have used if you have a print book as well. I use CreateSpace myself and it’s been functioning well for me for several years.

Production Companies

I searched around for audio production companies and saw several vanity press types.  No way.

I’ve been spoiled by Kindle (plus those other guys) and CreateSpace. I never pay a penny upfront. I do a lot of the work, then the distributor takes their cut when a copy sells.

Pondering all this took me to ACX. Ta da! Wouldn’t you know it. Amazon also has an audio book production company. Why am I not surprised?

I checked it out and found it’s kind of like a dating site. You, the author, auditions narrators/producers. Pretty easy to do. Check the rather huge number of producers and start paring it down. What’s your genre? Do you want a male or female narrator? What age sound do you want your narrator? Accent? And other potential criteria.

You should also check what terms the producer will accept. I selected split royalties since that costs me nothing up front (my favorite mode of operation).
Distribution of Audio Books
To split royalties, you’ll also need to give up a bit of autonomy, that is, you need to assign exclusive distribution to ACX. But that’s not so bad a deal. Your audio book will appear on Amazon (click to buy directs you to Audible.com), on Audible, and on iTunes. That covers a huge bunch of the audio market.

After pondering the complexities of distribution contracts, you need to create a parking place for your audio book. ACX makes it easy by linking your audio book to your print or ebook Amazon page. Add a few other pieces of information, then upload (a Word file is fine) a couple of pages of your book for audition material. While you might have found the perfect voice, you really want to know how the narrator sounds doing your material.

Why is this? Well, once you’ve uploaded your book info, the people who want the job  are looking for good matches to what they offer.

My producer did just that. He courted me. Aw, gee, gosh. The dating game is afoot. I’m easy and my producer was good, so we paired up. The rest, as they say, is history. I now have five audio books released, plus one more on the way.

Here are the main points to consider:

• What kind of contract can you live with? Pay a fixed rate per finished hour (that’s the other method) and you get to keep all the royalties OR split the royalties and both you and the producer take the risk and share the rewards.
• Think hard about who your narrator is. I know you’ve got a voice in your mind when you write, even when writing in 3^rd person, you’ll most likely have it close 3^rd and want a voice to match your main character.

Now, read the rest of the articles on J.Q.’s featured posts on book marketing. That’s a topic I know nothing about.

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A FREE AUDIO BOOK? Comment here to win your choice of any of Marva's audio books. Do you listen to audio books? Have you produced an audio book? Find all of her books at Audible .com

Find out more about Marva on the Marva Dasef blog and Marva's website.

Enjoy listening to a sample of Marva's romance/mystery e-book, Missing, Assumed Dead.

Bodacious Blurbs Bonanza: Missing, Assumed Dead

Welcome to the Blurbs Bonanza appearing every Wednesday this summer!

My book blurb for Sunshine Boulevard  appears today on Marva Dasef's blog. 

Drop by to leave a comment. 

Prejudice, murder, insanity, suicide: Every small town has its secrets.

Blurb:

When Kameron McBride receives notice she’s the last living relative of a missing man she’s never even heard of, the last thing she wants to do is head to some half-baked Oregon town to settle his affairs. But since she’s the only one available, she grudgingly agrees.

En route, she runs afoul of a couple of hillbillies and their pickup in an accident that doesn’t seem...accidental. Especially when they keep showing up wherever she goes. Lucky for her, gorgeous Deputy Mitch Caldwell lends her a hand, among other things. Her suspicions increase when the probate Judge tries a little too hard to buy the dead man’s worthless property.

Working on a hunch and trying to avoid the Judge’s henchmen, Kam probes deeper into the town’s secrets and finds almost no one she can trust. With Mitch’s help, she peels away the layers of prejudice, suicide, murder, and insanity. But someone in town doesn’t like her poking around, and when they show their intentions by shooting her through the police chief’s office window, the stakes are raised. Kam must find out what really happened to her dead relative before someone in this backward little town sends her to join him.

And she thought Oregon was going to be boring.

Review (from Amazon):
**** Fast Paced Mystery

S.Durham - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing, Assumed Dead (Kindle Edition)

Missing Assumed Dead by Marva Dasef

In this fast paced mystery suspense, Kam McBride is summoned to a small town in Eastern Oregon to settle probate on a property of a distant relative she wasn't aware existed, until now.

Kam agrees to go to Eastern Oregon only to appease her mother's wishes of obtaining any family photographs, or family documents, but when Kam arrives in the hot and dusty town, things get a lot more complicated as she delves into what really happened to her long lost relative, Salvadore Vasco, seven years prior.

As she slowly uncovers the town's layered secrets, with the help of a hunky sheriff deputy, and her life is threatened more than once, Kam realizes she's stumbled onto a much deeper mystery than she bargained for.

Ms. Dasef's harrowing action scenes and interesting characters drew me in to the end of this tight mystery, and there are some fascinating twists, which add to the flavor of this story. I felt the intimacy scenes were a little rushed, but that's the romantic in me, and sometimes Kam's character was a little too hard headed for her own good, but thankfully Mitch was able to gently steer her in the right direction. Occasionally, I was distracted by the `he said, she did this' passages, but all in all, Missing Assumed Dead is a solid and unique mystery, with great action and atmosphere, and interesting secondary characters. As an Oregonian, I definitely enjoyed this read and would recommend it for all mystery suspense enthusiasts.

S. Durham

Amazon Buy Link

                                                       

Recipe: Basque Chicken and Chorizo Saute from Mystery Author Marva Dasef

Author Marva Dasef is my guest today. Her latest release, Missing, Assumed Dead, takes place in the high desert of East Oregon. My travels have never included that area of Oregon, so not only did I learn about that region of the country, I enjoyed reading another great mystery from Marva. Leave a comment and you will be eligible to WIN your own copy of Missing, Assumed Dead. The winner can have any one of the three file types (PDF, EPUB, PRC). Please leave your email address so I can notify you when you win.

Now, read on as Marva shares her recipe. Welcome, Marva.

I’m happy that Janet has offered up the challenge of providing a recipe. Since my book is based on the disappearance of a Basque sheepherder, and my intrepid heroine plus one visit the Old Basque Inn (a real restaurant in Jordan Valley, OR), I had to scurry off to the internet to find some Basque recipe I could actually manage to prepare. I was delighted to find that my “normal” cooking fit fairly well into a Basque kitchen. Thing is, I don’t cook to recipe. I’m generally winging it, pulling stuff out of the fridge that looks like it might go with whatever it is I’m building.

Here’s the “real” recipe, but note that I didn’t follow it exactly for various reasons. The excerpt following the recipe shows Kam and Mitch at the real Old Basque Inn.

(Original recipe at http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/basque-chicken-and-chorizo-saute)

Basque Chicken and Chorizo Sauté

4 ounces dry chorizo, sliced 1/4 inch thick

(Marva’s variation: I used turkey polish sausage since we keep the fat content low. Chorizo is definitely a fatty sausage. Tasty, but hell on the arteries.)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 whole chicken legs, split (3 1/2 pounds)

(Marva’s variation: As far as I’m concerned, use any parts of the chicken you like. I finally went with boneless thigh meat.)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons shredded basil

2 large thyme sprigs

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup dry sherry

(Marva’s variation: Strangely, we happened to have some sherry, but it was sweet. I hesitated, then cut the amount to 1/2 cup so as to not make the dish too sugary.)

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

One 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and pressed dry

(Marva’s variation: I couldn’t find frozen artichoke hearts. Looking wildly about the culinary supplies, I decided that Brussels sprouts were the same size more or less.)

Crusty French bread, for serving (I cooked some rice to go with.)

1. Heat a very large, deep skillet. Add the chorizo and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly browned and some of the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chorizo to a large plate.

2. Heat the olive oil in the skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until well browned, 15 minutes. Add the chicken to the chorizo.

3. Add the bell peppers, red onions, garlic and thyme to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sherry, paprika and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.

4. Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Add the artichokes, tucking them in between the chicken pieces. Raise the heat to moderate and cook uncovered until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a deep platter. Stir the basil into the sauce and spoon over the chicken.

Serve with crusty bread (plus a side of rice)

Prejudice, murder, insanity, suicide: Every small town has its secrets.

by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com

EXCERPT FROM MISSING, ASSUMED DEAD

Mitch put the SUV in gear, turned right on Oregon Street, and again onto Wroten. A couple of blocks later, they pulled into the parking lot of the Old Basque Inn.

Kam sat still for a moment, admiring the façade. It obviously began life as a two-story house and was later modified for the restaurant. A covered porch with a railing ran the full length of the white building with green trim.

Inside, a smiling woman carrying menus greeted them. She seated them at a table covered with a dark green tablecloth. Gleaming white plates and salad bowls, with silverware neatly laid atop the folded napkins, were already set at the empty tables. It looked like Christmas inside with the red shutters and gold valances. Kam nodded appreciatively. From her seat, she looked into another room with a richly carved bar. Stemware hung from an overhead rack.

“Here’s the wine menu,” the waitress said, offering it to Mitch who passed it to Kam. “I think you likely know more about wine than I do. Being from the big city and all.”

Kam scanned the selection of mostly Oregon grown wines and was delighted to see an imported Basque wine called txakoli. “This tixa, um, is this red or white?” she said, pointing at the menu.

“Cha-co-li,” the waitress provided helpfully. “It’s a white but tends to taste bitter to an inexperienced person,” she said. “I’ll fetch the open bottle to give you a sip before you decide.” The waitress bustled away.

Mitch ordered for them both since he’d eaten at the Inn several times. “Trust me. You’ll absolutely love the chorizo.”

Kam looked dubious but said, “I’ll trust you with the food since you trusted me with the wine.” After a taste of the txakoli, Kam decided to go with the cultural flow. The food would hopefully rub off the raw edges of the wine.

Book Trailer:

Marva Dasef is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and a fat white cat.  Retired from thirty-five years in the software industry, she has now turned her energies to writing fiction and finds it a much more satisfying occupation.  Marva has published more than forty stories in a number of on-line and print magazines, with several included in Best of anthologies. She has several already published books and a few more scheduled for 2011 and 2012 from her super duper publisher, MuseItUp Publishing.

MuseItUp Buy Link:  Missing, Assumed Dead 

Amazon Buy Link:  Missing, Assumed Dead  

Interview with Marva Dasef--Win Her New Release Missing, Assumed Dead

What a privilege to welcome talented author, Marva Dasef, to the Beach Reading Bonanza. Marva's new book, Missing, Assumed Dead, will be released on Friday, July 29 from Muse It Up Publishing. Be one of the first to read it by entering our drawing. Leave a comment to be eligible to win this e-book filled with suspense, mystery, and romance.


Thanks so much, Marva, for being a guest on the J Q Rose blog. Before we find out all about your new book, please tell us what you do in the summer time.


My summers aren't what they used to be. When a kid, I trudged to the bean fields of Oregon to make money for school clothes. When I was in college, I took summer classes. When I was an adult, I worked somewhere or other. Now, I'm retired. Woo hoo! Wait a minute! I still don't have summers to myself. Vacations? Forget about it. I'm a slave to my own writing. Promos and writing continue on without a break, so no beaches for me. Staying cool is easy when you have whole house AC.


EXCEPTION: The big wonderful exception is when our granddaughters come to visit. They're young women now (14 and 16), but we take time to do fun stuff. Recent years have us taking them to the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We catch a play or two and always stop on the way home to ride the white water jet boats on the Rogue River. A little miniature golf (I always lose), maybe a trip to the Saturday Market (a big deal in Eugene), Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Texas Hold 'Em. But what pleases me most is that they spend their free time with noses planted firmly in books. Of course, they're obligated to read Grandma's latest writing, but they take that with good nature.

They've both already read my upcoming beach book, "Missing, Assumed Dead." And they put the stamp of approval on it. Which is neat since they live in eastern Washington, a carbon copy of my book's setting in eastern Oregon. No beaches out there, but there is a lot of sand, wind, dust, and heat.

My mystery/suspense novella, "Missing, Assumed Dead," will be released from MuseItUp Publishing on 7/29. How neat. That's right when my two favorite critics come to visit.


I can just picture you now with your granddaughters in a lively conversation about your books. What a lot of fun that would be. Tell us about your new release.

When Kameron McBride receives notice she’s the last living relative of a missing man she’s never even heard of, the last thing she wants to do is head to some half-baked Oregon town to settle his affairs. But since she’s the only one available, she grudgingly agrees.

En route, she runs afoul of a couple of hillbillies and their pickup in an accident that doesn’t seem...accidental. Especially when they keep showing up wherever she goes. Lucky for her, gorgeous Deputy Mitch Caldwell lends her a hand, among other things. Her suspicions increase when the probate Judge tries a little too hard to buy the dead man’s worthless property.

Working on a hunch and trying to avoid the Judge’s henchmen, Kam probes deeper into the town’s secrets and finds almost no one she can trust. With Mitch’s help, she peels away the layers of prejudice, suicide, murder, and insanity. But someone in town doesn’t like her poking around, and when they show their intentions by shooting her through the police chief’s office window, the stakes are raised. Kam must find out what really happened to her dead relative before someone in this backward little town sends her to join him.

And she thought Oregon was going to be boring.


Book Trailer

Where can we learn more about you and purchase the book?


MISSING, ASSUMED DEAD
Prejudice, murder, insanity, suicide: Every small town has its secrets.
by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com
Blog: http://mgddasef.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/MarvaDasef
Twitter Handle: @Gurina

MuseItUp Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/Missing-Dasef
MuseItUp Author page: http://tinyurl.com/MIU-MarvaDasef
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZI_8LgOIb4

Readers, remember to leave a comment to be eligible for the drawing to win Marva's book!