Fierce Middle Grade Fantasy Reads
I’m loving this new coloring page from Michele Carpenter. What do you think of her newest offering? What music is Oskar listening to?
To print, click on the image and you will be taken to the full-size drawing.
I would love to see your drawings so be sure to e-mail me if you print these out and color them in. My e-mail is [email protected]
You know what is really exciting? Learning that your book has inspired someone to create fan art!
Michele Carpenter drew these lovely coloring pages based on the first two books in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy and they’re totally fabulous. You don’t have to be young to color them (adult coloring is all the rage!)
To print, click on the image and you will be taken to the full-size drawing.
I would love to see your coloring so be sure to e-mail me if you print these out and color them in. My e-mail is [email protected]
Good morning everyone! Thanks for joining me today. This is part three of three of an interview series with Michele Carpenter, the narrator of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest. See the previous parts here and here.
Keira (Author): Previously, we talked about your day-to-day routine, but how do you prep for a new project?
Michele Carpenter (Narrator): Mostly, just by enjoying the book–reading it to myself–but there are times when I’ll have a book with so many characters that I have to write them all out on paper and list personality attributes and a little bit of history for each one. That’s where I would write a description of their accent or voice as well. Sometimes I’m inspired to draw pictures of them sometimes (like with Zaria and Olaf) or make up little songs about them, if I feel moved to.
On occasion, I’ll use the spell check function as a way to locate all of the odd words, like fantastical character names or cities and record myself reading them to double check with the author on their pronunciations. If the author wants to give any insights into his/her characters, I always value that as well.
Watching movies and TV series can also be really great research for characters, voices, and the current hip lingo, so I do that, while folding laundry, several nights a week as well.
Keira: You had a lot of strange names, cities, and places in my story, but you handled them admirably. Was there any particular challenge in narrating Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest?
Michele: Zaria’s four guy friends were a challenge, with their various accents and the need to keep them all unique enough to differentiate. I tried to give Aleks an earthier, Irish-Norwegian accent, because of his being a changeling. Filip, had the higher voice and I gave a more British-Norwegian sound to him. Geirr, I tried to make him sound deeper and a bit prone to being whiny. Oh, and Christoffer was Chinese and an outgoing, goofy personality.
Keira: Yes, we changed Christoffer’s voice right at the end of project. He was great before, but now I think he sounds wonderful. His new voice is even more perfect for him. I really love your delivery of his lines in the epilogue. You have great comic timing with your deliveries. I think your performance made the book funnier, sweeter, sadder, etc. Do you do other types of acting? What’s been your most rewarding part to date?
Michele: I’d love to be in a local theatre production, but I’m afraid it would be too much of a sacrifice for the rest of my family right now. The most I get to do is an occasional bit of drama for my church. I drive my children to their rehearsals for their production of Disney Jr. Peter Pan. I’m also helping a bit with a youth drama team at my eldest son’s school. I’m pretty sure that most people who know me aren’t aware that acting is what I do for a living, lol!
My most rewarding stage performance was probably when I played a French Doll in high school. It was fun pretending to be arrogant and speaking with a snooty French accent. I’m nothing like that in real life.
I look forward to where Zaria is going to go, as she comes into her powers and continues to gain confidence.
Keira: Thanks! Me too! I’m having a blast working on book two (which for those interested, I’m about to release it on 11/6/2015.) For acting, what is your dream role?
Michele: If I could be the lead performer in a story about a hero and dragons that would be awesome! Or just narrating a book about dragons—that sort of epic fantasy adventure would be amazing. It sounds like Zaria may end up meeting a dragon or two before her story is all over…
Keira: Oh, she most definitely will. What’s an epic fantasy adventure without one? What projects are you working on now?
Michele: Having just finished narrating Zaria’s exciting adventures to Gloomwood Forest, I’m going to be working on two other really fun stories. One is to be narrated as a young male (my third boy-voice book). It’s a reverse-werewolf adventure, called Keeper of the Wolves. The other is called Letsi’s Labyrinth—in which a young girl has an adventure that I believe involves meeting a fairy or two.
Keira: Ooo, you make me want to go out and grab those books! Until we meet again for the next adventure with Zaria, thank you for all the love and talent you’ve given to her first adventure.
This is part two of three of an interview series with Michele Carpenter, the narrator of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest. See the previous part here.
Keira: Last time we spoke, I asked you what you looked for in a story when you auditioned to be the narrator. This time I want to know why you were drawn to narrate Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest specifically. Care to share?
Michele: It was actually my husband who found Zaria for me. He was browsing through the calls for auditions and sent me the link. He knew it was right up my alley. I read over it and fell in love with the book description. Recording books for kids and teens is my favorite! And epic adventure fantasy is the best!
Keira Gillett: Tell your husband thank you for me! It’s funny, because I saw your narrator profile and almost sent you an e-mail to ask you to audition for me, but chickened out. One Mind! As the author I have had the pleasure of listening to the audio book several times, I really want to know, how do you create character voices and how do you remember them and not mix them up? I’ve read books to my younger sisters in the past and would just wing it.
Michele Carpenter: As I read through a book (in my head), each character begins to develop his or her own voice – often influenced by movie or book characters I already know. Getting a good visual in my mind by associating characters with actors or other characters I’ve seen before, is priceless. When I adopt one and imitate it with my own voice, it becomes something entirely different and new again. You probably wouldn’t guess that I’m actually imitating David Bowie, Hagrid, Jem from the Holograms, or Keanu Reeves, lol!
Keira: I think I heard shades of what you’re talking about with one or two of the voices, and you’re right, they become new again in your voice. You have a way of making characters feel like good friends you’re catching up with over lunch. Do you have a favorite character to act in the story? If you do, which character and why?
Michele: I loved being the trolls, though I think their voices sound better in my head than they did coming out. Also I loved reading for Zaria, because the idea of a shy girl finding her confidence is a great story and I really liked that aspect.
BUT…my FAVORITE character to read for was definitely Hector. I enjoyed making him robust and bigger than life. He seemed so sure of himself, knowledgeable and jolly, all the time. Definitely a cool guy and great prince.
Keira: You got Zaria exactly. When you read for her, she came across so sweet. Olaf came out sounding phenomenal too. When I first heard you narrate him, I did a gleeful dance in the car. (You can hear Zaria and Olaf in the audio book sample below.) I also adored your Hector. He was perfect. You really got to know my characters and gave them such life and love. So those characters were your favorite characters to act, are there any other character voices that you enjoyed?
Michele: The bad tempered, brownie, Master Brown. He wasn’t very likable, but I thought his voice was hilarious.
Keira: Oh yes, when I heard him he made me laugh. The voice reminded me of the surly munchkin greeter at the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz motion picture. Last question for today, we talked voices, but what was your favorite scene to record in the book and why?
Michele: The scene where the kids are entering the beautiful Álfheim city was a lot of fun. The descriptions were exciting, and beautiful, and I got to read for a lot of various characters, new and old.
Keira: That is a fun scene. The children are nearing the end of their quest too which amps up emotions. Thanks so much for chatting with me about producing the audio book of Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest. I’m so blessed to have worked with you on this project.
Don’t you agree that Michele is super talented? Thanks for joining us today!
Available in E-book | Print | Audio Book formats.
See if you’re eligible to get a free copy of the audio book here.
Narrator Bio: Michele Carpenter is an artist at heart, with a passion for acting. She and her husband (also a voice actor) often work on projects together and help one another through the journey. Together, they have three kids. Michele’s children love to hear her read stories and beg her to edit her narrations in the same room with them so they can listen too. It’s partially for this reason that Michele has come to feel a personal responsibility to only record books that aren’t inappropriate for children or young adults–at their respective age levels and according to the maturity levels of the books they’re able to read. “We never know how long we have on this earth and I’d rather leave behind a legacy of books that I’m not ashamed to have my friends, family and even future grandchildren, listen to forever.”
Website: http://www.michele-carpenter.com/
Social Media: Twitter (michelecvoice), Facebook (michelecarpentervoice), YouTube (micheleyoutube)
I’m excited to be on Aimal’s blog, Bookshelves and Paperbacks today. We’re discussing how to pick a narrator for your book. It’s a tough job, but an author’s got to do it (especially if she’s self-published.) So what should you do? Join us to find out!
Michele and I are over at Rayna’s blog Reader Rayna. This is part one of three. Join us to learn more about Michele’s day to day, how she got into the business of narrating, and her favorite parts about narrating, and more.
