My 1st SOVAS nomination!

BIG news!!! I have my 1st major #audiobook award nomination!

I've been nominated in the category of "Audiobook Narration - Short Story Anthology - Best Voiceover" by the Society Of Voice Arts And Sciences (aka #SOVAS)! The title is THE HORROR ON THE LINKS: The Complete Tales of Jules De Grandin, Volume 1, by Seabury Quinn, which I think at least a few of you have listened to. And if not, feel free to maybe pick it up on Audible. You can even listen to a sample of it just above, right on this page. 

There are a lot of fellow nominees, colleagues of mine, to congratulate as well! Probably too many to list here, but I'm in good company! I feel honored to be listed within your ranks.

Thask you, SOVAS, for the nomination! Thanks to HighBridge Audio and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to narrate such a great collection of classic horror/mystery tales, which will hopefully get rediscovered in audio.  At the time, it was my longest title, roughly 20 stories spread over about 26+ hours, so it was a marathon and a workout, but a joy to narrate!

Thanks again! Cheers, and honored to be on the list!

http://sovas.org/2018-nominees/

The day has come! My big interview with Romance Narrators​ is online! Thanks, Erin Mallon and Sarah Mollo-Christensen​, for the interview!

You'll hear about my time onstage getting my throat slit nightly in my 1st AEA gig 🗡, the compelling history of my various rounds of facial hair 🐻, and how being a narrator is a fever that requires more cowbell 🔔, but without invoking #ChristopherWalken.

Enjoy!

https://www.romancenarrators.com/blog/between-the-sheets-with-paul-woodson

It's been a busy and crazy May! This month, I:

• completed my longest single audio title to date, THE NIGHTFALL DUOLOGY by Mickey Zucker Reichert (Official) , for HighBridge Audio​, a great fantasy adventure which clocked in at 37.1 FH! 😮💦

(In addition, it was entirely in UK accents at the publisher's request, including the base narration, which is like a second skin to me, but still requires concentration so as not to get schizophrenic.)

• attended the final Romantic Times Convention (RT Booklovers Convention) in Reno with a group of fabulous narrators from the Romance Narrators group! Several authors I've narrated for were also in attendance. I spoke on 2 panels, including what I think was our best-attended, "Men in Audiobooks", although perhaps that was due more to anticipation of bare-chested cover models, who were not in attendance.

• turned the RT Reno into an opportunity for a much-needed outdoor vacation! Flew into Phoenix, then hit Sedona, Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater, the Grand Canyon (2.5 days), Las Vegas (where my brother Ben Stickel now works as a sound technician for one of the hotels), Death Valley, Lake Tahoe, and of course the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, where RT was happening. It was glorious.

• saw the release of my 1st narration of a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, RAILROADED by Richard White, for Tantor Audio!

• had my first in-person audition for Audible! It was several years in the making, but I finally got there! :) I think it went swimmingly, but still—fingers crossed.

• get to finish out the month with #APAC2018 and many wonderful narrators! Can't wait to reconnect with you all.

My #Narrator interview on the Talking Audiobooks​ #podcast is LIVE! Many thanks to Casey Trowbridge for having me. Have a listen! 😀 👂🏻

We discuss backpacking, accents, and of course, a lot about audiobooks.

(FWIW, I never considered myself a true opera singer. I dabbled in all genres. My 1st union show was a Beatles-style rock musical.) 😎🚬

You can listen via iTunes, Podbean, etc. or directly via the website (https://talkingaudiobooks.com).

Audio sample within podcast:
WE EAT OUR OWN by Kea Wilson (Satire, Thriller):

Other #Audiobooks referenced in this podcast:
• ROCHAMBEAU: WASHINGTON'S IDEAL LIEUTENANT
• THE HORROR ON THE LINKS: The Complete Tales of Jules De Grandin, Volume One
• WE WILL NOT GO TO TUAPSE
• CHURCHILL, ROOSEVELT, & CO. (releasing May/June)
• MAXIMUM VOLUME: THE LIFE OF BEATLES PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN
• LIVE FROM NEW YORK: THE COMPLETE, UNCENSORED HISTORY OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
• BANANA: THE FATE OF THE FRUIT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
• THE NIGHTFALL DUOLOGY (releasing Summer 2018)

Audiobook Narration Reviews:

Railroaded

Narrator Paul Woodson does a marvelous job with this audiobook. His deep, resonant voice brings to mind nineteenth-century intonations and pronunciations. Narrating at a lively clip, he has a command of the author's intent, pausing and accentuating for effect and to create dramatic tension. What makes Woodson's job a bit easier is that he's narrating history written by one of the giants in the field. The story of the building of the western railroad after the Civil War is a story of America itself. There's greed, ambition, the public good, racism, government involvement, and the wealthy industrialists, known as the Big Four--Stanford, Huntington, Crocker, and Hopkins--who got it done.
—AudioFile Magazine

Link to Audiofile Review

Maximum Volume

"This listening experience is a treat! Kenneth Womack's examination of George Martin's life will entertain those who fondly remember, and those who enjoy, the "British invasion" of popular music in the 1960s. Paul Woodson provides a beautifully professional narration with British inflections throughout. His timing, pacing, and flair are simply perfect. The record producer who initially spurned and later embraced the four lads from Liverpool is profiled in grand style. Martin's production work with Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, and many others, is examined with meaningful behind-the-scenes narratives. The audiobook's greatest strength is a perfect level of detail to maintain the listener's interest. This is the first of two intended volumes--this one ends in 1966. It sounds like more great listening lies ahead." —AudioFile Magazine

Banana

"Koeppel’s popular book about banana science, culture, cultivation, and consumption poses a challenge for audiobook narrator Paul Woodson, which he fully meets. Koeppel shifts back and forth from a lighthearted study of the role bananas play in our lives in the U.S. to the tragic blood-soaked history of banana cultivation in the tropics around the world, particularly in Central America. Woodson must find a tone suitably somber to discuss the machine-gun massacre of workers in Colombia and suitably lighthearted to discuss the Chiquita banana song at length. With his smooth baritone, he does an excellent job. His pronunciation is clear, and his pacing as always good. He conveys his interest in his subject—whether it’s banana genetics, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, or Wall Street corporate takeovers." —AudioFile Magazine

The Efficiency Expert

"Here Paul Woodson's spirited delivery enhances one of Burroughs's few realistic stories, which also parallels his own life. It's 1921 when Jimmy Torrance, who barely finished college, moves to Chicago in search of a good job. Woodson's Torrance is enthusiastic and meets every obstacle with confidence and optimism." —AudioFile Magazine 

AudioFile Magazine review of my narration of Beatles expert Kenneth Womack's great bio MAXIMUM VOLUME, about George Martin, record producer of the Fab 4!

"This listening experience is a treat! Kenneth Womack's examination of George Martin's life will entertain those who fondly remember, and those who enjoy, the "British invasion" of popular music in the 1960s. Paul Woodson provides a beautifully professional narration with British inflections throughout. His timing, pacing, and flair are simply perfect. The record producer who initially spurned and later embraced the four lads from Liverpool is profiled in grand style. Martin's production work with Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, and many others, is examined with meaningful behind-the-scenes narratives. The audiobook's greatest strength is a perfect level of detail to maintain the listener's interest. This is the first of two intended volumes--this one ends in 1966. It sounds like more great listening lies ahead."— AudioFile Magazine

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/134535/

Have a listen:

https://soundcloud.com/paul-woodson/maximum-volume-george-martin-demo-prologue?in=paul-woodson/sets/audiobook-samples

Buy the audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Maximum-Volume-The-Life-of-Beatles-Producer-George-Martin-Audiobook/B074WHMYCW