I am really excited to welcome Bill Nevitt to Write with
Fey. Bill is the audiobook narrator of Seismic Crimes, Tsunami Crimes, and
the-soon-to-be-released Flaming Crimes! His answers are fascinating and gives a
neat perspective into the work of narrators.
Welcome, Bill!
~*~
1. What equipment do you
use and what’s your process from audition to finished product?
My equipment consists of a “Lexicon
Omega” computer interface, Rode NT-1000 condenser mic and an Apple “iMac Pro”
computer, 25” monitor.
Following the narration, I listen to the
entire chapter, completing three steps:
A) ”Proofing” – confirming my narration
matches the text of the book;
B) Editing – Confirming/adjusting the
timing of the read, i.e. appropriate pauses, etc.
C) Mastering – noise reduction and
volume adjustments to meet ACX’s standards
2. When you narrated
Seismic Crimes, I’d only worked with one other narrator for Hurricane Crimes,
who did voice Beth in a womanly tone. In the beginning, it would make me laugh
until I got used to it, so I’m curious…how do you create the voices for female
characters?
All of my characters, both male and female,
have been derived from people that I’ve either known well, grew up with, was a school
classmate with or former coworkers.
Inspiration for character voices can also come from people that are
public figures, athletes, “shady”/criminal types, or, people that are just
plain “quirky characters;” this can be people I’ve encountered at social
events, ball games, etc. I never know what the origin or source of my next
character will be.
3. What genres do you
enjoy narrating the most?
Although each genre has its appeal, I’d
have to say any form of Fiction appeals to me the most, as those stories allow
me to create voices to match the author’s description of the characters that
comprise the story. That’s why it’s so helpful for Fiction authors to provide
as much background information about the characters as possible, so I can
create voices for those characters that sound like “the voice of the character
the author heard in his/her head” when he/she wrote the book.
4. There are a few steamy
scenes in nearly every installment of the Disaster Crimes Series (except for
the shorter works). How do you feel about narrating steamy romantic scenes?
I believe the key to narrating romantic
passages, as well as any other dramatic pieces, is to give the listener “the
gist” of the scene and let the listener’s imagination take over from there. The
listener’s imagination, in many ways, can provide “more steam” to the scene
than the narrator can create, as all listeners have their own concept of what
is seductive or erotic. An excellent example of the use of imagination was in
the movie “Jaws,” as viewers did not see the shark until well over sixty
minutes into the movie; the viewer’s fear was heightened by the viewer’s own imagination,
not the visual. I try to achieve that
level of involvement for the listener in all my Fiction narrations.
5. What caught your
attention with Seismic Crimes that had you auditioning for it, especially
considering it was Book Two of the series?
In reviewing the audition information,
the concept of the book intrigued me. To that point, I had not narrated a
Romance title and believed that the story was one that would be compelling for
the listener, if I provided a solid performance.
6. So far, which of the
Disaster Crimes books (Seismic Crimes, Tsunami Crimes, Flaming Crimes) have you
enjoyed narrating the most and why?
Seismic Crimes, as that was the book was
where I was first introduced to the characters, as I did not narrate the
initial installment of the series, “Hurricane Crimes.”
7. Do you have a favorite
character and/or moment from the Disaster Crimes Series?
I would have to say the villains in the
books, such as David Buckland (Buck) and Jackson Storm. “Sinister types” that
required unique voices.
8. I have fun writing the
villains, too. How did you become an audiobook narrator?
I had established myself as a voice
actor and on camera talent several years ago.
A colleague of mine suggested that I investigate audiobook narration; I
tried it and really “took to it.” Audiobook narration gives me the opportunity
to “act” with my voice, as well as read many interesting books!
9. If you could narrate
any book in the world, what would it be?
As a History “buff,” I’d really like to
narrate any of Stephen Ambrose’s works. His writing was very compelling. It’s a
shame he passed away at a relatively young age.
10. That is a shame. What
are the other audiobooks you’ve narrated?
“Flaming Crimes,” once completed, will
be my 30th audiobook narration.
Rather than list them all, I’ll offer a
breakdown by genre: History – 6; Mystery
– 6; Historical Fiction – 1; Romance – 5; Sports – 2; Sci-Fi - 1; Young Adult –
1; Spiritual – 1; Business – 7.
Anyone interested in reviewing any of my titles can do so via
Audible, Amazon, iTunes, You Tube (Bill Nevitt) or my website: www.billnevittmedia.com.
YouTube – Bill Nevitt
~*~
Wow! I had no idea you’ve done so
many audiobooks. Lucky #30, perhaps? Haha! Thank you for your hard work and
dedication, and thank you for participating in this interview.
Everyone, I encourage you to check
out Bill Nevitt’s work, and please leave him a comment below. Thanks!
