Dear Readers,
Today, I greet you at the antepenultimate station on The Grange Trilogy Launch Line with The Chapter 1 Video. And it’s not the chapter 1 you might be expecting. Indeed, it’s not something else you might be expecting. What have I got up my sleeve for you?
Well, you can enjoy the carefully crafted run-up to the screening, or you can jump to it right now here or scroll down.
Completely New
Now, if you’ve watched any or all of the eight Chapter 1 videos I’ve made for you, one for each of the Amanda Cadabra urban fantasy mystery books, you’ll likely be expecting this new video to be the first chapter of the first book in the Trilogy. However, that would be Gwendolen, already available as a free download right here on amandacadabra.com — hardly a treat for you, dear readers, who may well have already devoured it.
So, this is the first chapter of the second in the Trilogy, Moffat. New to your eyes and ears. Creating it involved three components, and one of those, again, will not be what you might expect.
What Three?
First, the voiceover. I perform all the voices and the narration for these Chapter 1’s, in case this is your first launch journey with us all. (Such a limelight hogger, I know.) With the Amanda Cadabra recordings, this is an easy matter as the voices are already set in stone, unless there’s an extra character. You may recall how much research and help from a professional Swedish voice over artist I needed on a previous one! (You can read about that entertaining project and interview here.)
The Casting Challenge
However, for this recording, I needed four new voices. Yes, even for Moffat, whom we meet here in his 20s. In the series books, he is a venerable and imposing character with decades of experience and wisdom behind him. I needed a lighter, younger sound for the Moffat as he was in the 1950s. Which brings me to the other point. The British accent of that decade is distinctive, as exemplified by our late Queen Elizabeth, whose tones became known throughout the world. So, the hunt for 4 British actors of the period was on.
I ‘auditioned’ and finally ‘cast’ the parts that would inspire the voices you are about to hear. I hope you approve. Who are the originals? Maybe you can guess one or two. Please do write to me if so, sub rosa. Next time, all shall be revealed.
When?
The casting was done late one night, and the recording made at around 5 pm the next morning before the milkman, the postman, the neighbours and the builders were out and about. Editing followed, retakes were done and wriggled into the track. But I was not done yet with the soundtrack.
The Finishing Touch
Music. Music that gently ushers you, the listener, in and out of the beginning of the story. Now for the Amanda Cadabra first chapters and, also, you’ll hear it in some or all of the trailers, I used the brilliant and generous Aaron’s Kenny’s English Country Garden.
However, the Trilogy is edgier than the series, more urban fantasy mystery and rather less cozy, so I knew that this old favourite was not the right fit. Then it came to me in a flash: the opening bars of the soundtrack I’ve chosen for the trailer (coming your way). I hope you like it.
https://amandacadabra.com/ac1-trailer/chapter-1-from-the-grange-trilogy/
If you’d like to read along or instead you can find it in print here
The Answer to Last Week’s Question?
Does the new book take us to Cornwall, as in the Amanda Cadabra series? And the answer is … yes. Gwendolen, Moffat and Cynthia all take us to Kernow, as it is called in the Cornish language, and there we meet a character, and a crucial character, at that, whom, yes, we have encountered before.
Eye-candy
Finally, something to entertain the eye while you listen, that at the same time is not distracting. The visuals set the scene and the mood. The Chapter 1 Video Station doors are now open. Please come through.
Pre-order Links and Coming Up
In case you want to get ahead of the game today, I can give you the pre-order links to The Grange Trilogy. Here they are. You can find the book now on Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, and more are coming soon.
Next time, on the ultimate stop, The Grange Trilogy Trailer, a taste, a teaser, an intriguer. Plus, the title of the free book to download from your favourite online bookshop on Launch Day. Meanwhile ….
Happy listening,
Holly
PS With thanks to Water Drop Leaf Stock Videos by Vecteezy
PPS If you want to start the series now:
