 |
| Danny Susco |
Tell me a little about yourself. How did you get into narrating/producing?
Well, as to myself, I spent a vast portion of my life with my nose in a book. All through school, I always had one on me, ready to open at the slightest free moment.
This, along with joining the marching band, predisposed me to become what I am today: a huge nerd. Like the vast-stacks-of-books, magic-the-gathering, dungeon-master-and-Warhammer-40k kind of nerd.
As for how I got into narrating and producing, I have been told for some time that I have a good voice for radio (also a good face for radio, but that came from my then-girlfriend/now-wife). I always enjoyed reading, both to myself and out loud, dabbled in acting, and made different voices with my brothers ever since I was little.
Then, I went to college and earned a Bachelor’s of Journalism from Ohio University (Go Cats). They wanted to be sure that we would be able to do whatever we needed to create a news story, from shooting video to editing audio.
Fast forward three years from graduation, and I was freshly laid off from the company I worked at since I left school. I had heard of ACX before, and already had a pretty nice microphone for recording audio, so I figured, why not?
How many books have you narrated and do they have a common thread or theme?
Including the Soulkind Awakening, the number of audiobooks I have narrated comes to a grand total of two. I am, however, hard at work on book number three (The Shadow of the Soulkind – tell your friends!), and loving audio producing.
That said, before securing the Soulkind books, I did look over several other titles for ones I might like to record. One was a cookbook (that I ended up recording), which I thought would be good to cut my teeth on. I also looked at a children’s book and a few sci-fi novels (not nearly as well-written as the Soulkind Series).
There was one book that I was offered, but I decided not to take that one up – I’m not certain how comfortable I would be doing an audiobook of a highly niche erotic novel.
What do you love most about narrating audiobooks?
My favorite thing about making audiobooks is also what I like doing with the rest of my time: I love making things, especially for other people to enjoy. I think my favorite feeling is showing something I made to someone and having them go, “Wow, I love it!” That goes for cooking as well as audiobooks.
How do you select a book to narrate? Do you prefer a specific genre or types of characters?
I prefer to stick with genres that I would enjoy reading. In general, that would mean fantasy or sci-fi. However, I am pretty well-read, and love anything with good content that isn’t too dry. Well, almost, now that I think of the erotica novel.
How do you prepare to read/record a chapter? Do you read a book several times before you record the audio? Or do you just about memorize it?
I like to take it chapter by chapter. Generally, I will read through a chapter once, to get a feel for what the mood is and whether there are any problem spots. Then, I will jump right in. It combines the thrill of a live performance with the low pressure of talking to yourself. Plus, I can swear if I flub a word (and I often do so quite loudly, to the great amusement of my wife).
How do you decide on the specific voice and tone to do for each character (in the SK Awakening for example)? What are your favorite types of characters to voice? (who in this book, and why?)
Well, step one is to ask the author if they had any thoughts on what a certain character’s voice should be. That’s why in the Soulkind Awakening, Jace’s voice is just my own normal speaking voice – it was an author suggestion. Otherwise, it is based on the character’s age, physical appearance, and personality. For example, Straeten is in his early 20s, is a stalwart friend, and works as a stable hand. That made me think of my older brother (currently farming fish in the California desert), so I went for a deeper voice. Or, there was Stroud, the glowering leader of the Guardians, so everything he says is clipped, as if he’s a little annoyed and impatient.
My favorite character voices, though, are the Darrak. It’s a ton of fun to snarl out sentences like a lizard-man.
Do you have a ritual or routine you do before sitting down to record the audio?
Not so much beforehand, save for reading over the material I’m about to record.
I often dangle one hand down next to my chair while recording, though. One of my cats tends to start meowing quite loudly if he wants your attention. So, if I hang one hand down, he can rub up on it and I will scratch his chin while recording.
Is there a scene you just loved to narrate? Is there a scene that was especially difficult to narrate?
I love fight scenes. It’s a lot of energetic lines, so as I’m recording I’m throwing my hands in the air, belting out the action.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that there was a scene that was especially difficult, save for characters with difficult voices talking a lot. For example, Caspan Dral or Graebyrn both have deep, deep voices, and that can be difficult to keep up.
What tips do you have for aspiring narrators/producers?
Don’t be intimidated. When I first considered audiobooks, I was scared off by the expense and jargon, but with a little research, I was able to make something that great and venerable Audible declared good enough to put its stamp on.
Also, if you don’t know what audio editing program to use, download Audacity – it’s free, there are a bunch of tutorials, and you can get plugins to do just about whatever you need the program to do.
What are your next steps in your career as a narrator?
Just keep recording! The very next step, though, is the second book in the Soulkind Series.
Do you have questions for the author? Me? Comment below and I'll get back to you.
Check out Danny's webpage here, https://modernmidwestman.com/. He'll show you some recipes!
Interested in the audiobook process? Read this post I wrote about the whole process here
The Soulkind Awakening is available on Amazon, Audible, and on iTunes. Thanks for checking them out!
