@nervesofsteel is going audio. The Audiobook Experience is recording Minerva! I’m so excited.
Are you more likely to listen to an audiobook, read an ebook, or read a print book? Let me know.
My teen activism novel–The Anxious Generation meets Lois Lane meets Veronica Mars–with maybe a side of Rory Gilmore’s Christiane Amanpour obsession–will soon get a voice for all readers who love to listen.
Or shall I say, voices. When prepping notes and manuscript for the producer and actress, I had fun characterizing my many people. (Yeah, my characters feel REAL.)
(Weird but true trivia: I’d never seen Gilmore Girls until after writing @nervesofsteel. When I saw how into Christiane that Rory was, it was wild. I recall thinking “No one’s gonna believe I didn’t lift this from Gilmore Girls.” Wavelengths–some of us are on the same ones! Minerva’s totally obsessed with Christiane, until she falls for Marie Colvin.)
Here are some deep cuts from my notes to The Audiobook Experience as we were prepping for auditions and actor meetings:
Minerva Mae Christopoulos – the MC
- 13, 5’10”, curly dark hair, square jaw, Greek and Irish ancestry
- gifted, nerdy, socially awkward
- asexual or possibly gay (not out yet). Presents as nonbinary.
- See my Minerda (prequel) cover for my illustrator’s rendering of Minerva in high school (bless you, Robin Follet!)
- Obsessed with becoming a journalist. Also adores Rachel Maddow and Marie Colvin.
- Whenever she uses teen slang, it should be said like she’s wearing clothes that don’t quite fit. Like she’s an alien just learning the language.
- A “robotic Victorian” voice vibe
- Minerva aims to change the world
Diana – Minerva’s bestie since 6th grade
- 14. Tall, blonde, stunning—German Danish ancestry. Gabe calls her Princess Di.
- Happy, optimistic.
- Dutiful to her very Christian, evangelical parents. Monitored per the parents’ requests by her older brother, Ben.
- Could be played by someone who looks like Nell Tiger Free or Elle Fanning.
- Diana is extremely naïve and trusting. Late bloomer emotionally, not physically. She’s oblivious to social dynamics.
- Diana’s voice should be positive, lilting, slightly Southern accent, full of joy. Until it isn’t. She will go through a heart-rending trauma, so after that, she will be more zombie like and flatline.
Gabriel Paul Frattini (Gabe) – Minerva’s pal
- 14. Short; hilarious; out, loud, and proud. Handsome.
- Minerva’s pal since middle school.
- Italian ancestry. Coddled by his suffocating mama who loves him dearly.
- Gabe is definitely a sashay kind of guy, big on gestures, loud. Bullied often in class but determined to make this first year of high school different. His summer in L.A. has introduced him to confident gay kids who are out, so Gabe comes into the story wearing that cape of pride. Gabe’s brashness covers deep anxiety about coming out.
- Could be played by Wilson Cruz in My So-Called Life, but if he were more Italian looking.
- Gabe’s accent can be neutral, while his voice should be higher pitched than Minerva’s.
Great-Aunt Johnie Mae
- In her 70s, Boomer. Minerva’s great aunt, Minerva’s mom’s aunt.
- Chain smoker, trailer dweller, hilarious. Her voice should sound cigarette rough and real NC country.
- English ancestry of a family that’s been in North Carolina since the 1600s.
- Wise, thrown by nothing. There for Minerva when she most needs her.
- The voice that needs to sound strongest in terms of Southern accent. My partner, Greg, can give you a good rendering of a woman who’s been a lifetime smoker and super country. He’s an NC born-and-bred guy with great imitative powers. I’ll send along a sample.
The cast is deep and wide, so this is just a smidgen of a preview.
The Process!
When I met with Mary Catherine Jones (producer and founder, The Audiobook Experience) and Cassidy Brown (voiceover actor), we discussed Minerva’s robot-meets-Victorian tone. We chatted about the slightly Southern lilt of some folks in the North Carolina Piedmont. And of course we discussed Great-Aunt Johnie Mae’s country twang and giggled over Greg’s recording. I loved hearing Cassidy’s questions and then listening to her different renderings of the myriad voices she will represent.
I’ve learned about back matter, acknowledgements, and other features of an audiobook manuscript. Now I’m more aware of dialogue tags and the lack thereof; when someone’s trying to render your story, how hard will it be for them to signify that the person speaking has changed? It takes an acrobatic voice to really alternate in between characters in some fast-paced exchanges.
It’s a thrill to hear your characters come to life in a whole new way. As Greg’s mom, Dot Hawks, would’ve once said: “You can’t hardly beat it.”
The @nervesofsteel audiobook will be available at all the spaces this fall. Stay tuned!
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