Merry Christmas.....and a bit of horror too!

Well, with a passion for the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and Clive Barker, it was inevitable that I was going to do some horror stories. 

Part One of the Dark Crux series by Rob RodenParker is on my list to narrate for sometime in early 2013. 
(Don't let the cover fool you: this is seriously creepy stuff!)

This blog-post is to announce the above, and also to inform you that I am now fully booked up with projects until around this coming March. 

The final editing of "Spiggot" by Craig Saunders, then finishing the absolutely incredible books from Christopher Bunn's "Tormay Trilogy" and Michael Coorlim's "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" will be taking up the remainder of the year and beyond. 

This has been an amazing six months for me. Never in my life would I have thought that so many people would want me to narrate their work, and it is a privilege to do so. 

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Broken World".... now on sale!

For those of you who like your comedy a little bit on the dark side, "Broken World", the latest audiobook from the award-winning Andrew Biss is now on sale at Audible, iTunes and Amazon. 


To sum it up, it is three strange and darkly humorous dystopian tales of a world gone wrong...

"Cafe Grotesquerie"

In a broken world there exists a strange and sinister eating establishment unlike anything known or imagined - referred to in some quarters as Cafe Grotesquerie - where only the most discriminating and well-connected are privileged enough to enter its doors and devour its dark delicacies. Once inside, however, status still reigns supreme, and for one particular couple - Audrey and Aubrey - a hunger for power proves far more desirable than anything on the menu. But when confronted by a supercilious sommelier, the suspicious disappearance of their waiter, and civilization collapsing all around them, will they even be able to make it through dessert? Step inside and find out....

"Foreign Bodies"
Victoria and Max have just arrived at their hotel, La Guerre Sans Fin, ready to enjoy an exotic bargain-priced getaway in one of the less hospitable corners of the planet. Unfortunately for them, between what they perceive to be plagues of marauding insects and wildly erratic weather patterns, their holiday soon becomes a far more perilous enterprise than anticipated. When a group of local tribesmen appear on the scene, however, they at last begin to feel as though things are about to brighten up for them. And in this broken world of theirs, indeed they are....

"The Joneses"
Mr. and Mrs. Jones' zealous desire to be seen as doyens of the community lead them to undertake a misguided mission that rapidly spirals out of control. Their adoption of children from an impoverished part of the world was intended to bring them widespread admiration, but when their charges turn murderous everything starts to unravel. However, in spite of the grim realities that now confront them, they remain stalwart in their pursuit of a higher social standing. But is that really the smell of victory in the air...or did things just get a little too hot to handle?

So there you have it, folks. I am now signing off for a short break to rest my vocal cords, and to finish preparation for my next fantasy trilogy project which I hope you are going to love! 
Will be in touch again over Christmas to tell you what presents I got! 
"Broken World" by Andrew Biss... have a listen over at Audible.

Review: And They Called Her Spider

Have been once again, humbled by a recent review from "The Audiobook Guru" Jennie Mortarotti for Michael Coorlim's "And They Called Her Spider". 

The feedback from this particular narration has been wonderful, and it makes all the hard work and late nights worthwhile when I learn that people enjoy what I'm doing. 

There is also the main issue of writers providing me with good material. The value of a well written piece is underestimated at the best of times and I have been given the opportunity to work with some amazing authors since I began narrating. 

The good news for steampunk readers is that I will be narrating the rest of the Bartleby & James Adventures with "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" coming in the new year, followed by "A Matter of Spirit" and the fabulous "On The Trail of the Scissorman". 

I can't wait! 
My gratitude goes out to everyone for their guidance and support. 
It means the world to me!
Thank you.

Finally!...

After a huge amount of production time, I am delighted to let you all know that J. Kent Holloway's "The Djinn" is now available for download on Audible.com 

It has taken far longer than I anticipated in getting the project completed, as the writing was so good that I felt compelled to ensure that it was done to the best of my ability. 
Kent's patience in allowing me all the time I needed, was greatly appreciated, and I hope he is happy with the final product. 

The next piece of fantasy that I am reading is "The Hawk & His Boy" by the equally patient Christopher Bunn, who is made of the same stuff as Kent Holloway, and an incredible author to boot. 
To be given the chance to associate myself with these two literary magicians, is a privilege for someone as new to all this as me. 
As I said before, their patience and trust is greatly appreciated, and I will not let you down, gentlemen. 

In addition, the latest Bartleby & James Adventure from steampunk guru Michael Coorlim, "And They Called Her Spider" is now on sale at Audible, Amazon and iTunes. It is only an hour long, but I had an absolute ball recording it! 

Thank you to everyone for your support and goodwill in getting these projects out there. I hope your readers (and listeners) will enjoy what I have done. 

Broken World (Omnibus)...

It is set to be a manic few weeks in the run up to Christmas and you will not be hearing much from me until early in the new year. 

Yesterday, I completed a quick series of short stories from stellar dark-comedy guru Andrew Biss. 
Called "Broken World", it will be available through the usual outlets in early December. 

In the meantime, rather than give you a description and possibly spoil the plot, here is a sample for you to listen to. 
I do hope you enjoy it! 

Steampunk!...

Three weeks ago, when asked to narrate the Victorian steampunk adventure story "And They Called Her Spider" by Michael Coorlim, I had no idea what 'steampunk' was, and even less of an idea about how hooked I was going to get by it in such a short space of time. 

To put it in a nutshell, steampunk is "a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century."

The best way I can describe it for you from a personal perspective is to go back to the time of Jules Verne and his "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea" types of machinery. Wonderful fantasy worlds, with great story-lines and awesome characters. 
Coorlim adds a Sherlock Holmes element to this era, and out of that has come the "Bartleby & James Adventures" series, which is quite simply magnificent. 

Now, in a fit of immense grace and kindness, he has invited me to narrate the second in the series entitled "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" and I am utterly thrilled at being able to accept. 

"And They Called Her Spider" is due for release in the next week or so. 
In the meantime, check out this incredible author and his equally incredible imagination, harnessed forever in his books. 

And They Called Her "Spider"...

A short novella on the way from stellar author Michael Coorlim. 'And They Called Her "Spider"' is already a huge hit on Amazon.com and in the next couple of weeks, you will be able to download it from Audible and iTunes. Am looking forward to reading this one. It is very similar in ways to "Two Tocks Before Midnight", which I loved reading!

From what I can gather from the sample manuscript, it is an immensely entertaining story about The Bartleby and James Adventures: a steampunk mystery series following the cases of consulting detectives Anton Bartleby and James Wainwright through an alternate Victorian history. 

In their debut adventure, London is in the grip of an unstoppable assassin known only as the Spider, and consulting detectives Bartleby and Wainwright have been commissioned to catch her.

Can the surly inventor and savvy gentleman track her down and stop her string of murders, or will Queen Victoria be her next victim?


The author, Michael Coorlim (that's him on the right) is a Chicago-area screenwriter and author of fast-paced character-driven fiction about authentic people in fantastic situations. His best-selling steampunk collection, The Collected Bartleby and James Adventures, was published by Pomoconsumption Press. He can be found online at www.mcoorlim.com

Also, watch out for the long-awaited The Djinn by J. Kent Holloway. I am releasing it to the author this week, so expect it to hit the virtual shelves very, very soon!

Hike Up Devil's Mountain

After quite a wait for processing, I am happy to say that Penny Estelle's children's book, "Hike Up Devil's Mountain" is now on sale at Audible.com 
It covers the story of ten year old Andy Thompson, and his adventures having accidentally turned his young friend into a toad. 
Lots of twists and turns in the plot which will keep the kids happy for hours. It kept me amused for a few while reading it! 
Anyways, it is out just in time for Halloween! Bwahahahah! Enjoy!

The White Angel Murder: Review

Audiobook guru Jennie Mortarotti listened to my latest audiobook, The White Angel Murder and was good enough to review it on her blog. 
It is nice to read that she enjoyed the book and as always, she took the time to get in touch with me and give me extremely valuable feedback on the different genres that I read. 
The jury is still out on my best genre, but it looks like it might be horror. 
Just in time for the Halloween rush! 

Egyptians & Axe-Murderers....

As "The Djinn" is now in the final stages of mastering, I have begun initial preparations for Craig Saunder's rather bizarre, dark-humoured, and ultimately very funny "Spiggot", published by Grand Mal Press.

The book follows two, well one, rather hapless copper and his sharper female partner, as he gets dragged through the ultimate police nightmare: getting caught inside the body of a serial axe-murderer, named Harold. 

It is very difficult to describe where the book sits in relation to the others I have done this year, but equating it to some TV series, I would say that it has the working-class coal-face vibe of "Auf Weidersehen, Pet", the street-wise bitterness of "The Sweeney" and a healthy dose of foul language and arse jokes that would not be lost in an episode of "The Young Ones". 

I still haven't the slightest idea of where I am going to go with this one, but it is bound to be a laugh. 

Expect it to be released by the end of the year. 

The Djinn: Sample

A quick post to say that Seven Realms publishing have released a sample of J. Kent Holloway's book The Djinn, which I narrated or "performed" as the new cover says. 

I kind of like that! 

Anyway....I'm off to the studio. Here is the sample. Enjoy! 

It's Coming....

The White Angel Murder: Now on Sale

Victor Methos' fantastic murder mystery book "The White Angel Murder" is now available for download on Audible. 

It is the first in a series of novels centred around the Cold Case Unit at the San Diego Police Department, and the life of Jon Stanton, a detective with an uncanny skill for solving murders, combined with a very troubled past. 

This book has been an absolute joy to read, and there have been a few times in the studio where I had to stop and simply admire how well Methos weaves a story together. 

I highly recommend to head over to Audible and have a listen!

Guess Where I Live!

J. Kent Holloway's sensational adventure story, "The Djinn" is now in its final phase of mastering in the studio. It's a brilliant story, and very refreshing for me to read as it takes me back to the old days and reminds me to the epic desert adventures stories of the past, like Lawrence of Arabia and Sinbad the Sailor. Really fantastic stuff! 

There is also the distraction element of the book. Because of when and where it is set, there is not a telephone or computer screen to be seen anywhere. One wonders how we ever solved the mysteries of the past without Google! 

It has been a pleasure to read it, especially because of where I live, and knowing that the places he describes in the book, are just outside my door.

I want to thank Kent for his amazing patience in giving me the time to complete this, and I hope it brings him every success!

And for those of you still wondering where I live (for me, it is the most beautiful country in the world).....here's a photo....can you guess where it is? 

Oh, Alright Then!...

After a few months of arm-twisting and requests from everyone, I have decided to give in and go on Facebook. 

I'm not the best of friends with the social media icon since they brought out Timeline. 
However, scientists who are far smarter than I could ever aspire to be, have told us that this is the way we must go, and so here I am. 
The Wayne Farrell Audiobooks Page is up and running. It looks very bare and empty right now, but I hope with your help that will change. 
PLEASE! Like me! :(

Review: The End of the World

Andrew Biss' fantastic book, The End of the World has received a stellar review on the Audible website. I am delighted for Andrew as he's one of the hardest-working men in literary rock 'n roll!
Even I got a mention in the last line, which is terrific! 
Anyway, get yourself over to Audible, give the sample a listen to and download a copy. You won't regret it. It's a great story! 

Update: The White Angel Murder

Just a quick update to let everyone know that The White Angel Murder by Victor Methos will be released for approval by the author this coming Sunday. 

This has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It's a fantastic, very cleverly-written story that keeps you on your toes until the last page. 

Even having read the book twice before sitting down to record it, there were still times when I had to stop at the end of some paragraphs and simply admire how this author puts a story together. Wonderful stuff. 

I will keep you updated with the release notice when it comes in, and look forward to hearing your feedback on it!

Want a sneak preview?

The Tormay Trilogy

I am delighted to let you all know that I have agreed with fantasy writer Christopher Bunn to narrate his wonderful epic adventure 'The Tormay Trilogy', starting with Book 1 "The Hawk and His Boy" which tells the story about a young chap named Jute, who can climb any wall, and steal anything--and he just got hired for what he thinks is an easy burglary job. The only problem is, if he succeeds, the Thieves Guild is going to murder him. He just doesn't know that. Not yet. Being a thief always came easy for him, but it's a lot harder now, particularly when everyone wants him dead. Hiding out in the city of Hearne, Jute finds some strange allies in an old wizard and a talking hawk. Together, they uncover an ancient secret of terrifying power. All Jute needs to do is stay alive long enough to figure out why's there's a price on his head, why a deadly shadow is stalking him, and why the Dark is haunting his dreams.
The other books in the series, follow on from The Hawk, and are called "The Shadow At The Gate" and "The Wicked Day". It is over 400,000 words of narration, so this is an epic read as well as an epic story. 

At this stage, I hope to be able to release the audiobooks at the beginning of next year with there being a possibility of the first book in the series coming out before the end of the year. 

I would like to thank Christopher for giving me this fantastic opportunity to read such an awesome series. It is going to be simply great!

Back In The Saddle

Well, my world tour is finally over, and it is now time to get back into the studio again. 
The great thing about doing something that you love is that it never gets old or tired, so to be honest, I am delighted to be back again. 
I always find it amusing that even when on vacation, an idea for a character pops into my mind, and I have to write it down for fear of losing it. Just one of those things, I guess: haunted by the voices in my head! 
The photo was taken at the Ascott Makati in the Philippines, when I should have been enjoying breakfast!

My next recordings will be 'The White Angel Murder' by Victor Methos which will be ready to roll in about a week, and J. Kent Holloway's 'The Djinn' is due for launch about a week after that. 
Both books are very different styles, but share a common strand of brilliance. 
Negotiations have started for another audiobook which I am bursting to tell you about, but I have to keep a lid on it until things are finalised. Hopefully, I will be able to tell you all about it shortly. 
Until then, check out The End of the World or Two Tocks Before Midnight. I hope you will enjoy them.

The End of the World Release

This is just a quick note to let you know that The End of the World by Andrew Biss is now available on Audible.com.
It will also shortly be available on Amazon and iTunes.

This audiobook is well worth listening to, and you can get the lowdown on it by clicking here.

I'm still traveling for the next week or so, but you can expect Victor Methos' sensational The White Angel Murder to be ready for release at the beginning of October.

In the meantine, get your ear-buds around The End of the World. You will not be sorry!

Considering A Career In Audiobook Narration?

The amazing team at ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) gave me the opportunity to share my experiences about being an audiobook narrator. 

It is a truly brilliant concept, and I am delighted to be a part of it. 

You can read the article by clicking here.

No Rest For The Wicked...

Before the release of the wonderful The End of the World, has even hit the shelves on Audible, (they tell me it will be there in two weeks), here I am again, working with award-winning author Andrew Biss.
This time, it is to read his latest triplet of short-stories, entitled "Broken World". 
The three stories are written in the authors signature style which is a mix of dark comedy and the macarbre, and always with a twist in there somewhere. 
I expect to have them ready for release by the end of October. In the meantime, you can have a look at them on Amazon. 

Sticking with the realms of the comedic and the bizarre, I am also very pleased to have been asked to record a rather quirky and very entertaining novel called "Spiggot". Written by the very talented Craig Saunders, it follows the world of a cranky but nevertheless very effective detective who, while working a case, gets accidentally transported into the body of a serial axe-murderer. 
I have said enough! Expect Spiggot to be available for your listening pleasure in the final quarter of 2012.

And then last night, my inbox chirped and the lovely Penny Estelle invited me to read her fantastic children's adventure called "Hike Up Devil's Mountain". Think: the Famous Five meets Hammer House of Horror!
A very entertaining read for youngsters. Will be fun to do, I'm sure. 
And I need to squeeze a vacation in as well! 

Now on AudioFile Magazine

My narrator profile is now available on the AudioFile Magazine website. 

Anyone who is interested in audiobooks should be subscribed to this brilliant magazine. They also have the option to download it directly from their website, which is both convenient and environmentally friendly!
A very big thank you to Robin Whitten (Founder of AudioFile) and Megan Hiller for their assistance in getting me listed. 


The final post-production work is being done on The End of the World by Andrew Biss. 
There is also a chance that I will be doing a similar type of quirky book over the coming months, and I hope to be able to post more details about that in the coming week. 
It's all getting very exciting now! 

Almost done...

Andrew Biss

Having had an almost seamless read of Andrew Biss' The End of the World, (a credit to his wonderful writing maybe?) it looks like this will be finished much earlier than I had anticipated. 
Therefore, I think that you will be able to get your hands, or ears on it from Audible.com and iTunes within the next couple of weeks. 


I know that I have said it before, but this has been an absolute joy to read, and I do hope that you will get as much pleasure out of listening to it, as I have had in recording it. 
If you have ever wondered what happens after you die, The End of the World may have the answers you seek! 


Coming soon!

Free Story: The Curiosities of Lady Blackrose

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to narrate a short piece by up and coming horror writer S.S. Prazak. 

Prazak is one of those authors who is keeping alive the traditional horror elements, that I would normally attribute to the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, and with a twist not unlike the old UK television series "Tales of the Unexpected". 


Bottom line is that he is definitely one to watch. You can find some of his work on the awesome MicroHorror website, and he has kindly allowed me to attach a full copy of his work for your listening pleasure. 

Two Tocks Before Midnight Review

A manic studio day yesterday with a lot of character work going into a new book. 

It was nice to see that "Two Tocks Before Midnight" by CJ Martin received a review from Jennie Mortarotti.

Jennie Mortarotti

It reminded me of how much fun it was to record the book, as I have a special affinity with any old style Sherlock Holmes-type stories. I love the settings and have been more or less begging CJ Martin to write more of the Agora series. 

It is always great to see kind words about narrators in the review also.

Sometimes we get forgotten about. 

But then again, isn't that our aim: to silently and unobtrusively entertain our listeners?

My thanks goes out to Jennie for her kind words. 

You can check out samples of the audiobook by clicking here. 

The End Of The World Teaser Trailer

Just a quick post between takes to say that you can watch a teaser trailer for "The End of the World" by Andrew Biss by clicking the link below. 

It will give you a good feel for what the story is about. 

Enjoy!

Another Busy Week...

Time flies when you're having fun, and this is no more proven than when in the studio, recording a great piece of work. 
It really does make my job so much easier.


This week, I was given some samples of a new book to read in order to see if I'd be capable of making an audiobook out of it. 
I do wish that I could tell you the name of it, but at this stage I've been gagged. But what I will tell you, is that there are over thirty different character voices to be done, and this is where the main decision-making is being focused right now. 

Does the publisher get one narrator to do it, or multiple voices? 
Once this has been decided, then I guess I will be able to tell you a bit more about it. 


In the meantime, life, and work, goes on. 
The End of the World, by Andrew Biss is almost completed, and after that, I am straight into the latest Victor Methos mystery called The White Angel Murder. 


The Djinn by J. Kent Holloway comes after that. Lots of character-work in this book, and it's going to be worth the wait! 


Don't forget that you can leave comments here on my blog to say hello, and you can also catch me on Twitter! 

Busy, Busy!

Well, the summer is getting hot here and it is time to start looking at the vacation brochures. An island paradise somewhere would do the trick! 

In the studio, I have completed my character development for Andrew Biss' incredibly funny, and sometimes downright unnerving, 'The End of the World'. 

Recording will begin on it this week, and I would expect it to be finished and launched on Audible, iTunes and Amazon within the next four weeks. 

In parallel to this, 'The Djinn' - J. Kent Holloway's melting-pot of adventure and suspense in medieval Jerusalem, is about half-way through it's first read for character and pronunciation, and will be recorded subsequently. 

For now, however, it's time to get back to work!

The Djinn

J. Kent Holloway, author of the best-selling novels Primal Thirst and The Curse of One-Eyed Jack, has asked me to record his new book "The Djinn".


Set in medieval Jerusalem, it is a wonderful tale of adventure and suspense. 
I got hooked within the first few pages of the manuscript, as it is one of those books that will appeal to young and old alike. 


It's a solidly written, fast-paced book, that is well worth checking out. 
You can read the great reviews it has here. I'm sure you'll love it!
It is going to be fun to read, and I'm looking forward to reading it to you.

The End Of The World

It is going to be a busy few weeks! 
Andrew Biss has invited me to record his latest audiobook entitled, "The End Of The World". 


This book has been very successful on Amazon with reviewers comparing it to Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy and John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces.


Andrew Biss is an award-winning author and playwright whose work has received critical acclaim in both the U.S. and the U.K. 
In 2011 he was named as a finalist for the prestigious Heideman Award. He is a graduate of the University of the Arts London and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.


I am very happy to be associated with this project and am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

The White Angel Murder

Yesterday, I was contacted by stellar author Victor Methos, who has asked me to record his Amazon best-seller "The White Angel Murder". 


The story tells of a ruthless serial killer who is stalking the women of San Diego, and even hardened detectives are aghast at the viciousness of the murder committed. 


It is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend you check it out. 

Two Tocks Before Midnight

Well, what a hectic couple of weeks it has been, but I am pleased to say that "Two Tocks Before Midnight", the latest offering from accomplished mystery and suspense writer CJ Martin, has just been launched on Audible.com.

Centred around a Sherlock Holmes style character, it did not take me all day to decide on narrating it when the offer came through! 

The main character, Carl Brooke, now in his old age, recounts a tale of murder and mystery in 1859, within the walls of the Agora Society, a gentleman's club made up the local learned gentry. 

Although this is just a one hour novella, I have been informed by the publishers Kotoba Books, that there are plans for a series of Agora stories in the near future, and I am very much looking forward to narrating those......if asked again! 

You can download "Two Tocks Before Midnight" at Audible.com and it will also be available on Amazon and iTunes in a few days. 

Don't forget to write a review and tell us what you think!