Greets once again. I've decided to make an audiobook of We 67 English, and share it out among friends and family. This whole project started in September 2020 as an idea for a Christmas gift for my partners family. My partners grandfather, Bill Warren, wrote the diary while POW in Leipzig in Germany. His diary only came to light a couple of years ago and most of the family hadn't been able to read it but were greatly interested in this memory of their treasured patriarch, Bill. I decided to set my self a challenge, and transcribe the diary (150+ pages of tiny, tiny writing) and turn it into a book which I could present to Bill's children and grandchildren. 

His diary also contained a number of artefacts that Bill had collected, mostly propaganda leaflets dropped by airplane by both sides, each asserting that should you, the enemy, surrender, you'd be treated really rather well and looked after. I've scanned those and included them in the book. There are a few below! 

If you want to read the whole thing, please contact me via the little widget on the right and I'll see what I can do. 

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Please find below the first few pages of Bill's diary, starting in June 1941.

June 6th 
At last the long awaited day has arrived! The day for which we had hopefully sought for three summers now. It seems that Anglo-American troops have landed along the coast of France between Cherbourg and La Havre. The sky black with ‘planes, the sea a mass of boats. Time either 11am or 12am, on the other hand it may have been pm! Germans claim 75% losses in the initial landing. June 7th Apparently the first troops landed a few minutes after midnight, A froggy told me that 12,000 planes, 6,000 boats and 3 million men took part in the operation which was completely successful. Other sources mention 11,000 planes and 4,000 boats, - probably the sailors and airmen themselves don’t know which is right. It seems dummy parachutists were first dropped, followed later (but at different places) by the genuine live article. Many parts of the distance already penetrated, anything up to 50km. All the Frenchmen here, although are usually cheerful, are now most unusually cheerful & can always be seen “thumbs upping” & wearing that inimitable smile. 8pm: Radio LaBrise reports the fall of Rouen and a speech by DeGaulle in which he tells the French people to keep their heads down until the invasion wave has passed, & then join in the bloody massacre of the Hun & also that he will be in Paris at the head of a new French government by June 22nd.

June 8th
The fall of Rouen seems to be generally confirmed; a froggy informs me that the fighting is on a 250km front, and there have been fresh landings at Dunkirk, Dieppe, Calais etc etc. Also, 10,000 boats have been used . Churchill is supposed to have said that the landings were more successful than ever he had anticipated and the large reserves of boats and planes were not required. Rumors of large “breakthroughs” in the German line in Russia and south of Rome. Radio reports fighting between German troops in France, recent amendment states that it is the Polish volunteers you have turned on the Germans.

June 9th
The German radio and newspapers have been significantly silent regarding the second front for the past 2 days, and rather reticent today, but admitted the fall of Baen. A square head informs us that the Gerries are making swift strategic withdrawals in Italy and the fighting is now 60km north of Rome. Also that 4,000 large and 4,000 small ships are taking part in the landings of troops. Begging your pardon, but a recent report from Kommando (square head source) claims the British forces to be 120km north of Rome after effecting a breakthrough in the German lines. Also that the Allied forces in France are 140km from the coast at one point.

 

So, I've been busy writing a book - it's really just a transcription of the diary kept by a British Army soldier, who is also my partners grandfather. William Warren was a Sapper (explosives expert) in the British army, and was captured in France in 1941, and held as a POW for nearly 4 years until his eventual release towards the  end of the conflict in June '44. It was a real marathon, 4 months of scribbling and deciphering in my spare time after work, his handwriting is very swirly and neat looking yet hard to decipher. One of the hardest things was the place names, as they were spelled phonetically mostly, and so I had to spend a lot of time trying variations on the spelling until I found the real place on a map. A selection of artefacts were kept inside, such as wartime propaganda leaflets from both sides, each promising a wonderful reception if you were to surrender your arms peacefully.
A small extract from the diary:

19 April. Which was Ray’s birthday, proved to be a most eventful day. The mucker and I were lying in the hay on our bed place just under the window musing on the lousiness of life – in fact everything was as usual. A few Thunderbolts were hovering around, but then they had been doing that most of the day. Suddenly we heard the roar of a plane dive which brought us both to our feet at the window. A plane was diving straight for us – Ray yelled to Harry Huntley who was lying on his overcoat opposite us & who immediately dashed toward us. Suddenly the plane opened up with machine guns and canons – the roof was riddled with bullets – instinctively we crashed to the floor with pieces of roofing tile spattering on our heads and backs. The machine-gunning ceased and was immediately followed by two dull thumps like the banging of a door – they were the light bombs.

 Shauna Richmond's Raghnall books

I asked Shauna Richmond to tell me a little about her books and the universe in which they are set, and what themes they explore.

 Raghnall series is a dark fantasy series with hints of Norse, Celtic and Gaelic mythology. Trigger warnings for the book include strong language, sexual references, sexual assault and violence throughout. The books are told through multiple points of view, much like game of thrones, nobody is ever truly safe. The wrath of Raghnall is book one to this series, here we are introduced to Finn Olden and the rest of the Olden clan. Finn is the male protagonist, although he is part of the gentry, he is often ostracized and left to his own devices due to his infamous temper and foul mouth. The Oldens are a prestigious household, and one of the longest to rule in all the lands. They are known for their fighting spirits and kind hearts , though they seem to share the same flaw of a short life expectancy. Finn’s Uncles were died young and although it is understood that Gabriel died in an ambush, Tristan’s cause of death is not only vague, he is scarcely talked about. Freya Raghnall is the only daughter to Bjorn and Catherine Raghnall. Her mother was a renowned shield maiden , her father heir to a stolen throne. Freya escaped an attempt on her life when she was a well-being the only person from the massacre to make it out alive. She survived another attack at the hands of her betrothed resulting in his death and her rise to the throne of Rosefort. When Freya meets Finn at a banquet held in his homelands the pair soon find themselves attracting all sorts of trouble. As the series moves on, the characters start to unravel the mystery of Tristan and Gabriel’s death and also Freya’s family’s massacre. The Raghnall series is much darker than that of prequel (The Olden Chronicles) as the reader is seeing the aftermath of the wars and the decisions the fallen heroes made. 

You find more books by Shauna here on Amazon.

 

 The Encore

I'm working on another new book, this one is by Canadian author Lauren Holmes. You can read all about Lauren here, she's a fascinating lady! 

Here's a summary of the novel from Lauren's own site:

The Encore is a gripping page-turner about extraterrestrials facing extinction from a terraforming enemy. Desperate, they kidnap the worldbuilders who rescued future Earth for an encore performance. Threats to survival multiply with eco-crises and intrigue from powermongers. However, The Encore is also more. IndieReader describes this award-winning thriller as “a must-read for those who care about our continued existence.” It plumbs deep for those who seek substance beyond suspense. The threats to future Earth are real. Thankfully, so are the solutions. New potential for individuals, humanity, and worlds are revealed. That is why The Encore captured the Inspirational Fiction award from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. This is “hard science fiction” set within an “alternate history” that will inspire all aspiring worldbuilders. Lauren Holmes writes from decades of experience maximizing the careers of global executives. Her education in evolutionary anthropology unexpectedly informed breakthrough techniques for promoting sustainable self-actualization and continuous self-transcendence for all – her current mission. The Encore is an otherworldly tale of catastrophe, courage, calling, creativity, and camaraderie. It is an eco-thriller forewarning of an all-to-possible threat to planet Earth. Yet it is as inspiring and heartwarming as it is alarming and unnerving. Live the mission with this legion of lovable heroes. Dare to remain unchanged by this transformational thriller.

 I'm delighted to be narrating this book for Lauren. Here's a sample of the book to get you thinking:

"Please call me Rikard, Connor. You are a most welcome addition to our life-and-death fight. Thank you for agreeing to help us. I look forward to hearing you introduce your process tomorrow at the Council meeting. My wife Ingrid and I would be delighted if you’d join us for dinner in the next few days as your schedule permits.”

“Thank you, Rikard. I’d be delighted,” responded Connor perfunctorily.

“Pardon my intrusion, Axl,” he said finally acknowledging the Minister’s presence with a nod in his direction. “I’ll leave you gentlemen to your important work.” With that, Rikard turned and abruptly exited the office with the same speed at which he had burst into it.

Supreme Commander Riis has the charm, charisma and sociability of successful politicians. However, he has very little of the substance that Axl possesses. It was obvious to Connor that someone had bought this man’s way into his current position. Riis was a front. A puppet. And by the strain he sensed between the two men, Connor suspected that Axl was not the puppet master but the enemy.

Riis also lacked Axl’s benevolence. In fact, there was a foreboding in his manner which made Connor fearful. He realized that he would be even more uneasy if Axl was no longer there to protect him. In an instant, he realized his dependence on the Minister. He accepted that Axl was friend not foe.

Alone again, Connor restarted the discussion, “So have you brought me here to die, Axl? I fear our friendship is going to be short-lived,” he quipped. Axl laughed. “I must have more faith in you than you do, Connor.” Connor continued to jest to break Axl’s tension. He motioned to the large picture on the wall of Vaudeville comedy duo and silent film comedians, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Their famous catch phrase was printed boldly on the top, “Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!” “I relate, Axl. I suspect I’m not the first,” he joked. Axl laughed again succumbing to the distraction. “Would you believe this is the oldest known relic from Earth? I ‘ve often wondered if it suggests the time when Annutia was terraformed. Laurel and Hardy were famous from the late 1920s to the 1940s. Annutians tend not to concentrate on history as much as they do on Earth because our religion has us focusing on the ‘now.’ We’re taught mindfulness and contemplative techniques and practices in school from the first grade to help us to do that.< /br>“Obviously, we need creative solutions now, Connor. We need you to repeat with acceleration your conversion of humanity to a talent- and creativity-worshipping power structure. We need our world’s talents working at the maximum to save our planet and ourselves. There is no one better than you to do that.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Unfortunately, we’re a population devoid of creativity. We have so many rules, and so many castes and so much prejudice and judgement that we’ve all but eliminated the courage to be creative. We’ve become a left-brain society where logic reigns supreme. Our creative right brains have atrophied.

What makes you think there is enough time, Axl?”

“I’ve studied your career, Connor. You’ve worked on the liberation of individuals to their full creative expression for 30 years. When you assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief for Global Human Resources Maximization, you had your strategic plan completed and being actioned in your first month. You established most of the structures for global conversion in your first two months. What is it you call yourself? Oh yes. An execution creative.

“This is your encore, Connor. Faster. Smarter. With higher stakes. And with more fulfillment than the first time around. There is no project more meaningful for you to undertake.

“If you went back to your retirement on Earth without at least trying, you’d regret it for the rest of your life. Facing death is not the anathema for you, Commander Kane. Facing a life without meaning, purpose, and mission is far worse for someone of your talents and passions.

“You’ll see, Connor. We’ve already started. We’ve released your speeches and writings into our corporations and upper educational streams to get people thinking about the conversion.

“I’m going to have Annalise arrange for you to access to the Planetary Government Library today. You’ll get an idea of how much we know already so you can formulate what you want to say to the Council tomorrow about your plan.”

Connor refrained from comment while he began to formulate possible strategies. He was indeed an execution creative by passion. He believed he could implement anything even if it had never been done before. He found new implementation challenges irresistible.

“I’ve studied your methods for achieving the restructuring to release the greatest creative solutions to global crises. However, what I haven’t been able to figure out yet is what levers you pushed to cause the break in the money-and-political power grid in the first place. A discussion for another day.”

Connor suspected Axl was referencing the forces behind Rikard Riis. The Minister jumped up without warning for a third time and stepped quickly to his desk to flick on the intercom. “Birgitte, has Annalise returned yet for Commander Kane?”

“Yes, sir. She’s been here for some time.”

Axl moved to the door and opened it.

“So sorry to have kept you, Annalise. Please come in for a moment. Commander Kane needs library access to Earth information to find common ground for his speech to the Council tomorrow. He’s also going to need information about the Council Ministers, so he can shape his speech to his audience.

“I think it’s also advisable that you make him aware of the conflicts among them so that he’s not blindsided. In fact, why don’t you bring him at the beginning of the Council meeting so that he can observe the conflicts and players in action.

“Thank you, Annalise. And thank you Commander Kane for undertaking this critical mission for us,” Axl said while shaking Connor’s hand. “I look forward to hearing you speak. Please use Annalise to let me know how I may help.”

And without even a moment to consider or to ask a question, Connor suddenly found himself outside of the Minister’s inner office next to its closed door. Connor was impressed by how smooth Axl was. He felt out-finessed.

“This way, Commander,” directed Annalise. The tall and muscled Brik again trailed them. Obviously, Axl considered him a VIP needing a bodyguard.

“Were you able to arrange the call with my wife?”

“I was indeed. We have thirty minutes to arrive back at the appointed time.”

As they stepped out of the elevator on his floor of the residential tower, Connor could see at the other end of the hall Jon sitting at the table guarding his suite. Perhaps Axl was right. Maybe he’d underestimated his talents somewhat despite the celebratory gala.

As they arrived at the suite, Annalise walked to the office where an external telephone resided. Connor took the covers off his lunch while he pondered how he was going to tell Lenore that there was a good chance that he would be dead within the year.   

Monitoring & Mixing my audiobooks

I've been using KRK Rokit 6 monitors for my audiobooks for nearly 4 years now, and I really like what I hear. My As I work in mono, I only need one monitor, no need for a stereo pair. I work using a digital audio workstation, AKA a PC with a half-decent audio-interface, namely a Audient ID4, which offers XLR & 6.35mm jack inputs and TRS balanced outputs for monitoring. It took a while for me to understand exactly what TRS was - initially I was hunting around fruitlessly for a USB interface that offered XLR outputs as I was fixed on having balanced output (for the initiated, balanced signals in audio terms are designed to minimise unwanted noise intruding into the signal, such as from nearby electronics). All the interfaces I looked at did not offer this, at least not the budget conscious variety I can afford. After consulting my slightly more knowledgeable elder brother I was realized that although TRS utilizes the 1/4 inch jack plug interface, it carries a balanced signal, care of the TRS wiring (TRS = Tip/Ring/Sleeve) follow this link for more information. With this new information I realised that I had a good choice of USB interfaces that will provide balanced output suitable for a studio monitor. After some investigation I plumped for the KRK Rokit 6, monitor. Opinions are a little divided but I find it more than enough for my audiobook needs. 

I will say that it is a little bottom-end heavy, and combined with my Rode Procaster XLR dynamic studio mic, which has low-mid warmth, I found initially my recordings seemed pretty muddy and woolly sounding. For anyone possessing either of those two components, I have a few words of advice born of my own experience: 

Rode Procaster: Requires plenty of gain to get the best frequency response, but has incredible signal-to-noise ratio, so it's very clean souding even if you EQ it heavily. I found that my Audient iD4 didn't drive it hard enough, and have since used a Podtrak P4 by Zoom, which has an insane 70db of gain. The difference in audio characteristics with the right gain is remarkable.

As for the Rokit 6 - this too needs a little attention - on the rear there are some EQ adjustments in precise 1, 2 and 3db increments. I rolled off the low frequencies by 3db to gain a more accurate sound that held up when I replayed the files elsewhere. 

Please read this article from Sound on Sound.

So, I've got a Spotify channel.

This is exciting. Well, I've had it for a year but just not really told anyone! For anyone that's interested, here's a brief summary of how I got started recording audiobooks..

I used to be in a band. 

Which ended a few years ago, and I was looking for something creative that I could do, preferably something I could do that would make the long winter evenings a bit more creative and fun. But most things I thought of required other people, and as much as I like other people, they do tend to let you down when it comes to organising stuff. Initially I wanted to do a podcast, I have tons of good ideas but really, I need someone else to co-present, and I just couldn't get anyone interested enough to commit to do it. So what could I do, that was creative, and self-contained? Well, I've been making short films and documentaries for years, and recording audiobooks seemed like a natural extension of that, and I had most of the gear already.....

So, what could I record?

Writing my own short stories is fun, but not something I could do on an ongoing basis, it's too time consuming to write and record. So, I set about finding novels that are out of copyright, classic novels, and started recording them. I'm still doing that to this day, a nd I've got Moby Dick, War Of The Worlds, A Cloud Over Innsmouth and others available on Spotify and Soundcloud. After a couple of years, a friend showed me the ACX website, which is where narrators and authors collaborate to make audiobooks for Audible. I was hooked immediately. I'm recording my 7th book now, and it's immensely satisfying knowing my work is publish and being enjoyed by hundreds of listeners.

The ACX process is somewhat unclear initially, but I've now got a firm understanding of their requirements, and my submissions seem to sail through the QA checks without issue.

And so are more chapters of Moby Dick!

I've just been for a lovely sunny evening walk in darkest Wiltshire, and for the first time in a while I'm feeling energised, there's a light at the end of this bleak and wintery covid-lockdown tunnel! 

I've produced 9 chapters of the classic novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville and uploaded them to Soundcloud. It's not the easiest book to narrate, more challenging than some of the HP Lovecraft stuff. I thought The Shadow Over Innsmouth was hard going, but the flowery old-English used by Mr Melville is almost another language in places.

For those of you not familiar with the novel, it's about a one mans pursuit for revenge, an angry salty sea dog captain of a whaling ship in the early 1800's is going hell for leather after a white wale that once bit his leg off and sunk his ship. A better summary is below, borrowed from sparknotes.com. Go to the free audiobooks page to listen to the book or visit soundcloud here. 

Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler. He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers’ inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg’s strange habits and shocking appearance (Queequeg is covered with tattoos), Ishmael eventually comes to appreciate the man’s generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the traditional capital of the whaling industry. There they secure berths on the Pequod, a savage-looking ship adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequod’s Quaker owners, drive a hard bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ship’s mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage.

The Pequod leaves Nantucket on a cold Christmas Day with a crew made up of men from many different countries and races. Soon the ship is in warmer waters, and Ahab makes his first appearance on deck, balancing gingerly on his false leg, which is made from a sperm whale’s jaw. He announces his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the legendary great white whale who took his leg, because he sees this whale as the embodiment of evil. Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and declares that it will be the prize for the first man to sight the whale. As the Pequod sails toward the southern tip of Africa, whales are sighted and unsuccessfully hunted. During the hunt, a group of men, none of whom anyone on the ship’s crew has seen before on the voyage, emerges from the hold. The men’s leader is an exotic-looking man named Fedallah. These men constitute Ahab’s private harpoon crew, smuggled aboard in defiance of Bildad and Peleg. Ahab hopes that their skills and Fedallah’s prophetic abilities will help him in his hunt for Moby Dick.

The Pequod rounds Africa and enters the Indian Ocean. A few whales are successfully caught and processed for their oil. From time to time, the ship encounters other whaling vessels. Ahab always demands information about Moby Dick from their captains. One of the ships, the Jeroboam, carries Gabriel, a crazed prophet who predicts doom for anyone who threatens Moby Dick. His predictions seem to carry some weight, as those aboard his ship who have hunted the whale have met disaster. While trying to drain the oil from the head of a captured sperm whale, Tashtego, one of the Pequod’s harpooners, falls into the whale’s voluminous head, which then rips free of the ship and begins to sink. Queequeg saves Tashtego by diving into the ocean and cutting into the slowly sinking head.

During another whale hunt, Pip, the Pequod’s black cabin boy, jumps from a whaleboat and is left behind in the middle of the ocean. He goes insane as the result of the experience and becomes a crazy but prophetic jester for the ship. Soon after, the Pequod meets the Samuel Enderby, a whaling ship whose skipper, Captain Boomer, has lost an arm in an encounter with Moby Dick. The two captains discuss the whale; Boomer, happy simply to have survived his encounter, cannot understand Ahab’s lust for vengeance. Not long after, Queequeg falls ill and has the ship’s carpenter make him a coffin in anticipation of his death. He recovers, however, and the coffin eventually becomes the Pequod’s replacement life buoy.

Ahab orders a harpoon forged in the expectation that he will soon encounter Moby Dick. He baptizes the harpoon with the blood of the Pequod’s three harpooners. The Pequod kills several more whales. Issuing a prophecy about Ahab’s death, Fedallah declares that Ahab will first see two hearses, the second of which will be made only from American wood, and that he will be killed by hemp rope. Ahab interprets these words to mean that he will not die at sea, where there are no hearses and no hangings. A typhoon hits the Pequod, illuminating it with electrical fire. Ahab takes this occurrence as a sign of imminent confrontation and success, but Starbuck, the ship’s first mate, takes it as a bad omen and considers killing Ahab to end the mad quest. After the storm ends, one of the sailors falls from the ship’s masthead and drowns—a grim foreshadowing of what lies ahead.

Ahab’s fervent desire to find and destroy Moby Dick continues to intensify, and the mad Pip is now his constant companion. The Pequod approaches the equator, where Ahab expects to find the great whale. The ship encounters two more whaling ships, the Rachel and the Delight, both of which have recently had fatal encounters with the whale. Ahab finally sights Moby Dick. The harpoon boats are launched, and Moby Dick attacks Ahab’s harpoon boat, destroying it. The next day, Moby Dick is sighted again, and the boats are lowered once more. The whale is harpooned, but Moby Dick again attacks Ahab’s boat. Fedallah, trapped in the harpoon line, is dragged overboard to his death. Starbuck must maneuver the Pequod between Ahab and the angry whale.

On the third day, the boats are once again sent after Moby Dick, who once again attacks them. The men can see Fedallah’s corpse lashed to the whale by the harpoon line. Moby Dick rams the Pequod and sinks it. Ahab is then caught in a harpoon line and hurled out of his harpoon boat to his death. All of the remaining whaleboats and men are caught in the vortex created by the sinking Pequod and pulled under to their deaths. Ishmael, who was thrown from a boat at the beginning of the chase, was far enough away to escape the whirlpool, and he alone survives. He floats atop Queequeg’s coffin, which popped back up from the wreck, until he is picked up by the Rachel, which is still searching for the crewmen lost in her earlier encounter with Moby Dick. 

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mobydick/summary/

 

Olde Whale Picture

 

Wilts & Berks Canal, Wichelstowe

A quick walk by the canal before I head back to the studio to start work on the next audiobook, Raghnalls Revenge. A glorious colourful evening, although pretty cold!