BooksChatter: ✉♫ Turning Totally Devoted Audio by E.M. Bannock

Today author E.M. Bannock takes over our blog to tell us about how she turned her novel, Totally Devoted , into an audiobook, as well as setting the mood with some music and insights.

Totally Devoted (first published 28 October 2013; this new audiobook edition 1 May 2019, 8 hours 22 minutes listening time), a Contemporary Western Romance with Erotic elements.

"a vegetarian in cattle country, fun and yet a page-turner all at the same time" ~ Our Town Book

"WOW! what a great book, I couldn't put it down. The author really captured me [...] It feels like you're really there watching in the background as the story unfolds in front of you. Full of ups and downs, leaving you wanting more." ~ Shanny, Amazon reviewer

|| Synopsis & Audio Sample || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Guest Post || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

Turning Totally Devoted Audio

by E.M. Bannock

I’ve always been an avid reader and by high school I knew I wanted to write a book. Like most kids in high school, I was idealistic. I was also interested in Art. My first choice of career was Artist, but the phrase ‘starving artist’ kept repeating in my head and I knew I didn’t want that. So, I looked to my second love, writing.

Shortly after I graduated, I married my high school sweetheart and after a few months realized that he was an alcoholic and I needed to cut him loose. From that time until I met my true love, this meant that I had to get a job that actually paid enough money to live on, and that wasn’t writing books, not yet anyway. It was always in the back of my mind but took a back seat to life, love, and raising a family. It was a hard road. I started college at age 40 because I didn’t want to have to flip burgers if anything happened to my husband.

It wasn’t until our son grew up and moved out that I was able to semi-retire and pursue my dream of writing a book. The result was Totally Devoted, my first baby, I mean, book. I loved writing it. I poured my heart and soul into it. It had everything I loved, a strong-headed, independent woman, Marie. A handsome male lead that seems like a tough guy but is really a romantic. Wil is a man who stands up for the woman he loves. Looks good in grubby jeans and cowboy boots, too. It’s got horseback riding, the beautiful Oregon mountains, a sister/sister relationship that many can identify with, a father/son relationship many can identify with, and lots of adventure and suspense.

Did I mention it was an adult love story and has lots of descriptive sex? It does.

I was helped along the way by the wonderful editing staff at 5 Prince Publishing. They also gave my book a cover I just adore. I’m very proud of the finished product. I wanted to share it with the world. Lots of my friends read it and loved it. One day I asked one of my close friends why she hadn’t read it yet. She told me that she was so busy she didn’t have time to read. She spends a lot of time in her car and she listens to audio books. She loved them. I started thinking. I spend a lot of time in the car, too. We live in a very rural area. It’s a 40 minute car ride, driving 70 MPH with no stops to get to the nearest town to buy groceries. I listen to audio books, too. So, I saw her point.

There was only one thing to do. Make Totally Devoted an audio book. Thus, my adventure began. I was a novice at this so I produced it using the ACX team. They are a division of Amazon. They made it easy and fun. The most fun was auditioning the narrator. The only bummer here was that because there is descriptive sex scenes in the book, the list of available narrators became limited. I was lucky enough to find Juliana Solo. She did an excellent job and was easy to work with. I have to admit that it felt a bit strange hearing someone reading my words out loud. I had never heard anyone do that before.

Funny story about the cover. I was not able to use the beautiful cover that 5 Prince Publishing made for me. They own it, not me. I had to hustle to create a new cover. I did it myself so there is no ownership issues. So, now you know why the paperback and eBook cover looks different than the audio book cover.

In closing, I’ll just tell you that my friend has listened to Totally Devoted and loved it. That made me happy.

As a bit of extra content, I’ve chosen some songs that encapsulate the feeling of Totally Devoted.

First is Constant Cravings by KD Lang. I love her voice. I think it’s silky and sexy. I think Marie would like it, too. This song reminds me of the wanting that Marie and Wil have for each other but are too afraid to acknowledge.

Next is Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt. She has a melodic silky voice. She’s kind of C&W and I’m sure Marie and Wil could identify with this song. It’s about finding love later in life.

Third is Looking Through Your Eyes by LeAnn Rimes. It’s the song that’s playing on the radio when Wil takes Marie to Medford for dinner. In the book, I quote the line “Love took me by surprise,” which is what happens to the two of them.

Lastly is an old time favorite by Aretha Franklin, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. This is how Wil makes Marie feel when he makes love to her.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you, too, love audio books and are excited to listen to Totally Devoted. Thank you to my hosts at BooksChatter for the guest blog spot. It’s been fun sharing my thoughts.

No one would have ever guessed that Marie Trousdale and Wil Townsend would ever have anything in common let alone fall in love. When their differences test their love, danger calls. Can their love conquer all?