From the Author
I am always amazed at the changes in technology. A a child, our family huddled around the radio on Saturday evening and listened to an audio episode of a crime thriller. Those days are back! Creating the Audiobook version of Forsaken Chains has been an awesome experience and working with Margaret both an honour and a privilege. We are excited to announce that Forsaken Chains is now available to listen to at your convenience in the following ways:
- Listen to the first five chapters under Podcasts on this website!
- Listen on your mobile phone, through Bluetooth or on your laptop or desktop computer, in your favourite web browser.
- Listening is just like watching Netflix without the pictures;
- The Audiobook is organized by chapters so you can always return to where you left off whether that is on your phone or your laptop;
- The Audiobook files are located on a secure site. Access works directly with nearly all major podcast apps, including Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Castro, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Airr, Podcast Addict, Beyond Pod, and many more (but not Spotify) You should not need to download another application to listen.
- After purchasing the Audiobook, you will automatically receive an email (or text if you provide your mobile number) with your personalised, secure access.
From the Narrator
Reading a book is one of life’s great pleasures. Reading “Forsaken Chains” aloud has taken this pleasure and amplified it, both figuratively and literally.
The audio book project began in the Spring of 2021 following an introduction to Ruth by a mutual friend. I was given a draft manuscript to read before deciding to commit to reading the book aloud. Initially, Ruth considered a few chapters would be sufficient to create Podcasts. We both soon realized that the project could be expanded to include the entire book and the search began for a suitable recording studio.
Call it coincidence or a happy accident, we discovered that the Community Arts Council of Prince George had recently begun developing a Digital Lab to educate and encourage artists in the finer principles of photography, graphic art, and Podcasting. The Studio was made available to us and we began recording early in July, with Ruth operating the equipment and myself narrating.
We navigated challenges related to learning new software and equipment, including the use of headphones and microphones. Each session was about two hours with 20 pages of reading; you can imagine the time required to read aloud roughly 300 written pages.
The project was joyful in many respects. For me, it offered the challenge of shifting voices and controlling breathing, all the while trying to ensure the story flowed smoothly and the narrative was clear and well paced. I can honestly say that upon completing the reading, I felt a gap in missing these weekly sessions. Not only did I come to enjoy the adventure of Frank McCauley, I also came to see the project as a personal adventure.
I am grateful to Ruth for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this project. I hope that you may derive as much pleasure from listening to this recording as I have in being the narrator. Who knows, perhaps Frank McCauley will be taking on another case in the future!
Margaret Jones-Bricker
