Narrator Interview: Lauren Sweet #LoveAudiobooks

Posted by on Jun 6, 2018 in Miscellaneous | 10 comments

June is Audiobook Month. We will have several narrator interviews, along with other audiobook posts and of course audiobook reviews. Lastly, don’t forget to check out our giveaway.

 

Meet Lauren Sweet

Lauren Sweet loves falling in love. The fact that she gets to do it every day is the best part of her job. She’s narrated more than 100 audiobooks, at least half of which are by USA Today or New York Times bestselling authors. Her greatest passions are reading and acting, so narrating audiobooks is a dream come true. Originally from New York, Lauren is currently based in Los Angeles. Her other passions include writing, traveling, and chocolate.

 

Lauren Sweet Audible Listings

Lauren Sweet’s Twitter @LSweetAudio

Lauren Sweet’s Instagram @LSweetAudio

I giveaway a free romance audiobook every Monday to my most interactive follower, so be sure to follow me @LSweetAudio!

An Interview with Lauren Sweet

 

1. How did you get involved in recording audiobooks?

I’ve always loved to read. I’m also a conservatory trained actor. Audiobooks is how these two sides of me meet in a perfect love child. I started as a home studio narrator with independent publishers and authors. I did that for a few years before I started reaching out to mainstream publishers and working with them.

 

2. What type of prepwork do you do before recording a new book? Do you prepare differently if the book is standalone or first in a series versus later books in a series?

Not really. You never know when a standalone could become a series! My prep is pretty much just reading the book. I make notes about the characters: who they are, qualities they have, things that might affect how they’d sound. I look up pronunciations for words I don’t know and learn any accents if there are ones I’m not familiar with. Other than that, I just get to narrating!

 

3. Do you narrate every book that comes your way or have you ever turned one down. And if you have what made you decide not to go forward with this project?

Well, I turn down a lot of books from independent authors or publishers who don’t pay a rate I’m comfortable with. I’ve had to turn down books simply because I was so busy that I couldn’t fit them in my schedule and the author or publisher wasn’t willing to wait for me to be available. I’ve also turned down books that had content I found objectionable: racist, sexist, homophobic, things like that. I’m not comfortable telling stories that promote hateful ideals towards anyone.

 

4. What is the element of narration that you find comes easiest (accents, age, emotion, rhythm of the story)?

Emotion, for sure. I love getting into the character’s mindset and feeling the story as they do. I think it comes intuitively to me because of my many years of acting training.

 

5. What is your favorite thing about performing audiobooks?

Artistically, I love telling a good story that makes me feel like I’ll be contributing to someone else’s life when they listen to it. Whether it’s because the story will make them laugh or make them feel connected to a larger world or even make them believe in love.

Practically, I love being able to work from home. I get to make my own schedule, snuggle with my kitty whenever I want a break, and wear pajames all day!

 

6. What was your most challenging read? What made it so difficult?

Not going to name titles, but the most challenging reads are the ones that I don’t believe in. There are some titles where the characters are poorly developed, the writing isn’t great, or the major themes support ideals that aren’t quite offensive but that just don’t jive with me. When I get titles like that, it’s a struggle to get through. I want to make sure I tell every story to my best ability, but telling a story I don’t believe in takes extra energy and can be exhausting.

 

7. Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?

I’m terrible at this question! Mostly because I’m not sure I’d really like to meet anyone. If it’s someone I idolize, I don’t want to give them a chance to disappoint me. If it’s someone I don’t idolize… then why would I want to meet them? It’s a catch-22! There are many amazing artists out there who have inspired me in my life, but I find that the person and their art can sometimes be very different things. If I’m ever lucky enough to meet some of the people who have inspired me, I think that’d be wonderful, but if not, I’m perfectly happy to let the art speak for itself.

 

 

Lauren Sweet Books

OHellNo Series by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
El Diablo [The Devil] by M. Robinson
Breaking Up with Barrett by Katy Regnery
Dr. ER by Max Monroe

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Melanie Simmons
I’m Melanie and I live in Ohio. I have two horses and a dog. I’m an animal lover, avid book reader and audiobook listener. I like to live vicariously through fictional characters. I enjoy reading and listening to mostly fictional books in the paranormal genre, including Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. My favorite paranormal creatures are shifters, doesn’t matter the flavor.