Laura Kinsale, Anyone?

Here’s a summary with links of all interviews, features, and reviews we have had in association with Laura Kinsale.

The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Nobody who has listened to Laura Kinsale’s wonderful prose brought vividly to life by the massively talented Nicholas Boulton can be in any doubt that the dozen audiobooks they have produced (so far – fingers crossed) have shown again and again exactly what an audiobook can and should be. Every aspect – writing, performance, direction and overall production have combined to put these titles at the top of the heap when it comes to romance audios, and they undoubtedly represent a pinnacle of achievement in the field.
Seize the Fire by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Even though I have eagerly snatched up every single audiobook from this hugely talented author/narrator team as soon as they’ve appeared, Seize the Fire is one I’ve been waiting for ever since Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton began their collaboration. The prospect of hearing Sheridan Drake brought to life in all his tortured, roguish, f**cked-up, delicious glory by such a wonderfully skilled narrator made this one of my most highly anticipated listens of the year. And needless to say, my expectations were more than met.
Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

I’m a sucker for a good “second chance” romance, and given that Lessons in French is the tale of two lovers reunited after a decade apart, it was bound to be right up my street. Throw in the words “narrated by Nicholas Boulton” and not only is it right up my street, it’s got its boots off warming its toes in front of the fire at the pub round the corner!

Lady Callista Taillefaire, daughter of the Earl of Shelford, and Trevelyan Davis d’ Augustin, descended from a family of French aristocrats who fled the Terror, fell in love as teenagers, but were separated by the earl, who didn’t believe an impoverished Frenchman was worthy of his daughter.
Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

I think it goes without saying that this could be the Manhattan healthcare providers directory narrated by Nicholas Boulton and it would get an A+ because his voice is incredibly fetching and his acting skills remarkable in every way. Add to that the same fetching and remarkable writing skills of Laura Kinsale, and this is an audiobook dream team that will make you glad you have an Audible account! Kinsale admits Uncertain Magic is an early effort on her part, with a touch of paranormal before paranormal was cool.

Roderica (Roddy) Delamore was born with the genetic gift that isn’t named – she can sense and hear the innermost, unspoken thoughts and emotions of
RWA 2014 Workshop – Hearing Voices: Why Audiobooks Are Suddenly Chic
Are you planning on being at the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Conference this year? It’s being held in San Antonia, Texas on July 23 – 26 and we’ll be there!

I’ll be teaching a workshop, Hearing Voices: Why Audiobooks Are Suddenly Chic, along with Laura Kinsale, Karen White, and Suzanne Saville. We’ll give an overview of the audiobook market, the creation process, and how authors can participate in this fast-growing publishing rights opportunity. You’ll find the workshop in the Career Track so we encourage you to sign up!
Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Ok, be honest. If I said, this is the Baltimore Business Phone book narrated by Nicholas Boulton, at least half of you would continue reading. The man has some serious narrating chops – his straight narrative voice alone is enough to carry me to the heights of ecstasy and beyond. Add in his remarkable and varied character voices, accents, his perfect pacing, his winsome women, his incredibly credible children’s voices and you have The Perfect Storm of All Things Audiobook. It is a universally acknowledged truth that he is only in want of a good book to read.

Enter Shadowheart. (Ok, right, any of Kinsale’s books.) Shadowheart inspires me to think of two
The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

It’s finally here. I’ve been talking about The Shadow and the Star since I first discovered Laura Kinsale’s plans to release her books in audio format. In case you haven’t heard (which is doubtful if you hang around AudioGals), this is my favorite Kinsale book, so much so, that it also ranks as one of my all-time favorite historical romances.

Through Nicholas Boulton’s performances of Kinsale’s titles, my appreciation for her writing has increased. Where before, I may have been a bit resistant to her difficult lead characters (especially heroines) in print, with Boulton relating each tale so superbly, I’ve learned to rest, even as the tension builds to almost uncomfortable heights or the personal suffering of a lead character makes me want to shy away. In doing so, I’ve learned to trust the author to consistently deliver a riveting story that, while I may be a little worn out from the anticipation or worry, I’ll be tremendously pleased with in the end.
Kinsale’s For My Lady’s Heart Is Available at Audible Once Again!
Laura Kinsale’s For My Lady’s Heart is once again available at Audible after being unavailable the past few weeks. It was removed from Audible’s shelves when it was discovered that Chapter 14 was missing.

I agree with Caz’s earlier review of For My Lady’s Heart. It’s simply one of the best audios to hit the market this year. I encourage you to read her review and consider listening!

And to tempt you further, here are two sound clips from For My Lady’s Heart.
A Recorded Talk with Nicholas Boulton and Laura Kinsale
Over the past five months, we have literally raved about Laura Kinsale’s audiobook releases. Six have been released since May 2013 with two additional titles scheduled for release before the end of the year and the balance of her backlist in 2014. The combination of writing and narration is simply outstanding. ...
My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

It had been so long since I read My Sweet Folly that I only really remembered that it begins with an exchange of delightful letters, so listening to the audiobook felt much like rediscovery.

Folie Hamilton is the young second wife of an older man. When she responds to some correspondence from her husband’s second cousin in India, one Robert Cambourne, it is initially because she knows her husband will not and she feels it is only polite. The post was vastly slow in the early 1800s, of course, so it takes many months for a reply. But over the course of a few years, they develop a deep regard, even love, for one another. When Folie’s husband dies, the response she receives from Robert is unexpected and crushing and their correspondence ceases.

Some years later, Robert has returned to England from India and has taken on the mantle of guardian to Folie’s stepdaughter Melinda who is now aged 18 and ready for her coming out season. Robert acts very strangely – are his feelings of persecution paranoia? Or, as they say, is it really paranoia if people are actually after you? There are plot twists and turns along the way to a HEA for Folie and Robert – through it all, the affection that began in their early correspondence doesn’t fade or waver.
For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale

Editor’s note: We have added sound samples below the review.

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Medieval romances aren’t a great favorite of mine. I will admit that I haven’t read a large number of them, but most of those I have read have been too anachronistic for my taste. Of course, there is going to be a degree of anachronism in any historical romance – after all, we usually read about the titled and the wealthy and not about the miserable poor eking out a harsh existence in the slums – but for me, medieval romances have to gloss over the more unpleasant aspects of their time to an even greater extent than those set in the nineteenth century. The other thing I’ve found frustrating is the language; in having characters who are supposed to live in the fifteenth century speaking as though they come from this one. It’s easier – I imagine – to ape the language used by Jane Austen as it is much closer to the English we use today, whereas a book written in language appropriate to the Middle Ages would probably not gain a huge audience.
The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

The Publisher’s Blurb*: They called him the Prince of Midnight – a legendary highwayman, once dashing and dangerous… now a tarnished, forgotten hero, exiled and alone. She sought his fabled skills in the ruins of a French castle – a proud and desperate English beauty, drawn to the myth… but bewildered by the man. Across perilous mountains and tempestuous seas, together they pursued their separate dreams – of vengeance, of passion, of glory reborn… kindling the all-consuming fires of a bold and unexpected love that would set the midnight skies ablaze.

My Take on the Story: I read The Prince of Midnight in ebook first, a few months back, after news of Kinsale going to audio. What a swashbuckling ride! Kinsale’s way with words is incredible – she’s a true artiste with words, weaving a tale that envelops us, and moves us,
Laura Kinsale Guest Blogging Today!
It’s just reading a book out loud; how hard can it be?

So we’re a good way down the road in this audiobook project, in which Nicholas Boulton is narrating–oh, a lot–of my novels. I’ve learned a huge amount that I never knew about audio production; about sound leveling and studio time and, yeah–the reason AUDIOBOOKS COST SO EFFIN MUCH.

They are expensive for a reason. To create a great audiobook requires many skills in different fields. First, you’ve got me, the author. That’s say, a year’s worth of work right there, the novel itself. (We’ll hope it’s at least decent.) Then you’ve got the narrator, Nick. That’s backed up by training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and decades of experience in stage, screen and radio acting, not to mention his scads of raw talent. Then you’ve got the producer, Garrick Hagon of The Story Circle, an actor himself (Red 3 in the original Star Wars, btw) who also narrates and produces audiobooks for major publishers, who studies the scripts I send and figures out how to pronounce words I can’t (even though I wrote them, apparently), and directs Nick in the narration, helping him keep track of major and minor characters and scenes and how-did-we-pronounce-that-butler’s-name over hours and days of recording. Most of my books take at least a week or more of 8 hour days to record. You can figure at least 2 hours in the studio for each hour of finished audio.
The Dream Hunter by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

I read The Dream Hunter in print a few years ago. It doesn’t hold the special place in my heart which Flowers from the Storm (my first Kinsale) holds, but I remember enjoying it very much. When I was offered the opportunity to review the audio version, I jumped at the chance – not least because it is very possible Nicholas Boulton has the sexiest voice in the universe.

Arden Mansfield, Lord Winter has a raging case of wanderlust. When his father, the Earl of Belmaine, nixes his plans to travel to the South Pole, he accepts a commission from some horse enthusiasts to locate and bring to England, a horse known as the String of Pearls – reputedly the fastest horse in all the world.
Midsummer Moon by Laura Kinsale
Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

When I heard – here at AudioGals of course! – that Laura Kinsale planned to release her books in audio format, I was, well, to say excited is probably the understatement of the year. I’ve followed her progress via her interviews here and feel very privileged, as one of the newest reviewers at AudioGals, to have been given an advance copy of one of the first batch of titles for review.

I have to confess that I haven’t read Midsummer Moon, but knowing I was going to be listening to it, I read a few synopses and a mixture of reviews and quickly realized that it’s a book that seems to divide opinion. I can certainly understand now why that is the case – the idea of Merlin inventing prototypes of both the telegraph and aeroplane does rather stretch credulity and Ransom can come across as dictatorial and somewhat unsympathetic at times. But as sometimes happens with audiobooks, that which may come across as implausible or unpleasant on the page, can be transformed by an intelligent, engaging performance and a new light shed on a character or characters’ motivations and actions.

And that is most certainly the case in Midsummer Moon, thanks to the superb vocal talents of Nicholas Boulton. He is quite simply one of the best narrators it has been my good fortune to hear.
Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
For those who have been waiting, Flowers from the Storm was released 6/05.

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

We Kinsale fans are getting such a treat – 12 audiobooks in the next year, all narrated by superstar Nick Boulton! And Flowers from the Storm is arguably the most eagerly awaited Kinsale title amongst them all, for good reason.

Flowers from the Storm is a break from the regular Regency historical (for one thing, it isn’t exactly Regency, but that’s beside the point). The hero is the Duke of Jervaulx – the regular arrogant peer hero, who starts the book dallying with a married woman. Then, in a dark twist, Christian suffers a massive aneurysm,
Three Gals Talking: Laura Kinsale’s The Prince of Midnight

Laura Kinsale’s first audiobook, The Prince of Midnight, is due to hit Audible any day now. Her entire backlist will be released in audio format in 2013 and into 2014. That’s twelve Kinsale titles and we’re excited in a big way about these sure-to-be treasures. All three Gals have listened to The Prince of Midnight and are eager to talk about the experience but first let’s start with the publisher’s blurb:

He was once a legendary highwayman. Now he’s a recluse, living out his life in a ruined hideaway. When Lady Leigh Strachan comes looking for a man who can teach her how to wreak revenge on her enemy, she’s disgusted and disillusioned to find that the famed Prince of Midnight can hardly stand steady on his own two feet. S.T. Maitland wants nothing to do with his former criminal career, or with this fierce, beautiful, unhappy woman, until the old thrill of living on the cutting edge of danger begins to rise in his blood again.

Three Gals Talking

Brenda: I’m starting a little off topic but my very first thoughts as I downloaded these precious Laura Kinsale audiobooks were … if the many dedicated Laura Kinsale plus audiobook fans knew we had access to early listens (and where we lived) they’d get together and hire a hit man to get pre-release copies for themselves – and I’d understand. :D

Melinda: LOL. I’m ready to wax eloquent about writing and you’re imagining a riot of audiobook lovers

Lea: LOL – I’d feel the same!

Lea: I knew the combination of Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton would prove to be a success but I still found myself a little stunned at the sheer perfection of the pair as I listened to The Prince of Midnight. And although I finished it several days ago, I remain in withdrawal.
Laura Kinsale – Making the decisions for her audiobooks
We are thrilled to have Laura Kinsale joining us today to share her experiences as she made the decisions necessary to assure her popular backlist was published just the way she wanted in audio format. We even have a sound clip from The Prince of Midnight! Here’s Laura!

So it’s here. The first raw edit of the first three chapters of the first of my novels ever to be read aloud. It’s here. Now. Today. After months of researching, planning, budgeting, a lot of getting lucky and a certain amount of risk-taking; after discovering that a 1 GB download from London will take 12 freakin’ hours on my lousy “high-speed” internet connection, after much technical frustration and a sleepless night of waiting…finally there’s a complete file there. On my computer. And it’s someone reading my book. And I’m going to put on headphones and listen to it. I’m so excited!

No, wait. I’m terrified.

Truly terrified, as an author, to let go of my words, to turn them over to someone else in such a concrete way. Or maybe it’s the fear that I’ll hear them, my words, and they’ll sound ridiculous
Laura Kinsale Is Coming to Audio!

Note: As of 5/5/13, Kinsale’s full backlist is now scheduled for audio release in 2013 and into 2014.

I’m thrilled to announce that it’s official. Laura Kinsale is coming to audio! Her entire backlist! And we won’t have to wait long as plans are to record all in 2013 with half released around mid-year.

Laura carefully chose Nicholas Boulton, an accomplished British actor, to narrate all twelve titles. I was quite excited when I checked out the sound clips from A Battle Won and David Copperfield over at Audible. Talk about a spectacularly sexy voice!

If you have been hanging around AudioGals or Speaking of Audiobooks, it’s likely you know of my wish to see Laura Kinsale in audio format. Her memorable tales are truly unique with a depth rarely seen in today’s romances. And now, to know I’m to hear her work in the very near future with an obviously talented male narrator? For this long time Kinsale fan, audio news doesn’t get any better than that.

Here’s what we have to look forward to: