It was a good week and a very creative one.  I started two new book projects as well as starting my first pastel painting in over fifteen years.  I love times like this and it’s one of the joys of being a writer.
The first project was inspired by my listening to a new audiobook by Spider Robinson, Stardance. What prompted the new project was that the book was recorded by the author. I’d enjoy recording the audio edition of one of my nonfiction books, Life On Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life, and have been pleased with the results. I recently used ACX to make the audiobook available on Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes.
But when it came to my fiction novels, I’ve been hesitant to try to record them myself…until this week. After listening to Stardance I realized an audiobook novel did not necessarily need someone who could create different voices for each character. Don’t get me wrong. I love audiobooks that are well done with a narrator with such ability.  It’s just that I now realize it’s not a requirement.
Of course, not every writer should narrate their own audiobook. If your nature is to be more of a reclusive, introverted hermit with a strong shy streak within your nature, you’ll probably want to pass on such a project, but over the years I’ve become comfortable speaking in public, so feel pretty comfortable with narrating my own material as long as I don’t need to create a bunch of different voices.
So today I started recording Dominion Over All – the first book in the Zak Bates Eco-adventure series. And at the risk of sounding egotistical, I’m really enjoying the story and the process. I plan to have it completed and submitted through ACX before I break for the Christmas holidays (though knowing me if I don’t make that deadline, I’ll probably work on it during my R&R time.)
I’m also offering a sample of Dominion Over All Chapter 1 here.
Pre-Order and Save: If you’d like to pre-order your audiobook copy of Dominion (and thus further inspire me to get it finished), you can do so by now. When it goes on sale (audible.com, iTunes, Amazon) it will probably sell for around $15-$20. You can buy it now for just $9.95.

I’ll notify you when the book is finished and let you know how you can download the MP3 chapters.
I’ll also share about my second new book project here in the next few days. Stay tuned.