ALL ABOUT THOSE TOBY NEAL AUDIOBOOKS!
Introducing the AUDIOBOOKS tab on my website!
Hurrah–you can now scroll through all of my books in audio, in ONE EASY PLACE! Check it out HERE, and at the tab at the top of the Home page. Yay!
Who else LOVES audiobooks? They are so great on a roadtrip. They have been lifesavers for Mike and I while traveling, doing stupid chores (like cleaning out a closet or garage) and working out or walking, not to mention when sick. A good audiobook is even better than a movie, in my humble opinion!
The process of having most of my books made into audio has been a labor of love, not only for me but for the two extraordinary voice actresses who have brought them to life.
When I was first approached by Audible to contract the Paradise Crime Mysteries with Lei, I insisted that we find “someone from Hawaii” to read them because the “Hawaiian Creole” aka “pidgin” dialect in the stories, as well as the Hawaiian names and places, are VERY difficult for outsiders to do.
Enter the talented SARA MALIA HATFIELD! Sara is a “local girl” from Makaha on Oahu, who went to college at the University of Hawaii and makes her living as an actress with voiceover and narration as a part of her considerable resume, which you can read HERE. I've met Sara in person. Her beauty and personality, as well as her sexy voice, have done an amazing job bringing Lei to life through TWELVE Paradise Crime Mysteries, two standalones, and both of my memoirs! Sara is exacting in her standards and her perfect pronunciation of pidgin and Hawaiian is seamless and brings readers straight to Hawaii.
Sara pictured with most of the books she's narrated with care and emotion for Toby Neal
Much as I wished Sara could do ALL of my books, I had a lot of them… and Sara got busy with other aspects of her career. So I went on the hunt for someone equally talented who could help with the less Hawaii-heavy stories.
Enter the amazing Sonja Field! Sonja is an American voice and accent coach based in London. After graduating with a BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon, Sonja worked for several years as a professional actor in theaters across the U.S. She then obtained an MFA in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. She is also a certified Knight-Thompson Speechwork teacher.nIn addition to coaching, Sonja is a professional voiceover artist and audiobook narrator.
If anyone could learn to pronounce the Hawaiian accents and names in the Paradise Crime Thrillers with Sophie, it was Sonja! She struggled for a bit with her first book (Unsound) but studied clips and samples and worked closely with me. With her professional background as a dialect specialist, Sonja was determined to master Hawaii's little-known regional dialect. She created the British/Thai accent that Sophie speaks with, and a wonderful range of international character voices for the series. She also did UNSOUND, Dr. Wilson's book, and the Toby Jane romances are as dreamy and romantic as anyone could wish with her talents bringing those characters to life.
Sonja Field brings the Paradise Crime Thrillers depth and passion!
It was past time I let readers know how MANY Toby Neal books are available in audiobook (there are 28 all together) and a little something about the two amazing women I've been lucky enough to work with on them.
Have a listen to the samples on any of the books listed at their retail site–you won't be sorry! That link to ALL of my audiobooks once again is HERE.
