A pair of recent events nudged me to look back on my gig as a storyteller. Spoiler alert: if you’re seeking conflict or unhappiness, look somewhere else. I couldn’t be more pleased at how things have turned out so far.

Silver Award for Cry of the Kestrel

My work for Marla Himeda on the Bardic Isles series is probably the most significant achievement I have in narration. Both the first two books, Master of Music and Cry of the Kestrel, are multiple award winners. The most recent one, from the BookFest Awards, is particularly dear to me because a) it’s silver (I am obsessed with grey as most friends know), but also b) you can easily read it, and c) it’s personally crafted. The BookFest Award is real, but they don’t send one out. So Marla’s husband Scott crafted two of them to her specifications, and My Lovely Wife actually located a retailer online who will send you exactly one ribbon to use it for.

When I pose with them all around my neck, Genna has to hurry and take the picture because my back won’t hold out. I’m in Mark Spitz territory… But the point here is, I’ve had the privilege to work with some splendid authors on stories of superior quality (the paper versions win awards too!).

Outliving Audible!

The other thing that’s happened recently is that some of my audiobook projects are starting to be RE-published. I received notice, first that the four-book bundle of Fantastica by M. R. Mathias was now “Approved for Publication”! And then the same message came in for Debbie Bishop’s War Eagles. I had finished those books back before Covid.

That’s when it hit me. Seven years.

When a narrator contracts with an author on Audible for Royalty Share distribution (that’s the way I started out), the author doesn’t have to pay me a cent. Instead, when the book goes on sale, after the platform takes its cut, we split the remaining royalty 50-50. It’s a great way for Indy authors to get into audiobook without money up front, and it also served me well when I was first hanging out my shingle and trying to attract work. The term of that contract is seven years: after that, if the author does nothing, Audible auto-renews the contract for another year. Aha…

I wrote to Mr. Mathias and Ms. Bishop to remind them that NEXT year they have every right to cancel and take back any future royalties for themselves now. And I thanked them again for putting me on the path lo, those many moons before.

So, I started out about, hem, seven years ago (not counting my own tales), and I’ve had some accomplishments in that time.

Put those two together and you get Hahn’s Audio Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame Audiobook Awards through 2025

{More details to come on future social media posts}

When Words Fail

I’ve been able to work with dozens of authors, guest-posting, beta-reading and chiefly now in narrating their tales for audiobook release. I’ve authored nearly a million words on my own, read at least ten times that for others (pleasure reading, what’s that?), and I flatter myself to think I’ve seen every one of them, all the words, at least once.

But sometimes it doesn’t take too many.

“We WON!” That was the subject line of an email from Marla Himeda, the author of Master of Music a few weeks ago, alerting me that the Independent Publishers (creators of the IPPY Awards) had selected the tale as the Outstanding Audiobook of 2024 (one of eight outstanding books overall at the link, scroll down).

I’m appending my previous post below, to describe the work itself. In all honesty, I recommend fellow authors to check out the music links at the very least. This tale is an immersive experience unlike any I’ve worked on, and evidently the experts agree.

How Big a Deal?

Just a few more words here, to give a sense of what Marla has accomplished with this book. Two summers ago, I was privileged to work on Crow Country, another fabulous tale (of a VERY different kind), and the publisher decided to submit it to the IPPYs for 2023. That year, there was just one grand category for ALL audiobooks, no genres or other sub-categories. Crow Country was one of two Gold Award winners and I thought I could not be prouder. The story is great, and I worked hard to bring it to sound with voices, FX and more.

But this year- the fast-growing IPPY Awards now have four distinct categories for audiobook, with Gold/Silver/Bronze winners in each category. Has to be hundreds, possibly thousands, of entries. And yet Master of Music was considered THE Outstanding Audiobook of that entire group. I could not be more pleased for Marla Himeda, who has labored with love to create a unique world setting with compelling characters, and to infuse the audiobook version with music she hears, much like her main character, songs that she simply MUST bring out.

I’m thrilled to have observed a creative process unlike any other, and of course I’m also thoroughly gratified to have played a part in Marla’s orchestra as well.

(And yes, the sequel, Cry of the Kestrel, is underway at this moment!)

Long-Awaited Release (January 2024)

The most involved and ambitious audiobook project of 2023 for me is finally hitting the digital shelves. I can’t wait for you to sample the Bardic Isles Book 1, Master of Music.

Marla Himeda has composed (and I mean that quite literally) such an original story–fantasy without swords or dragons or races–yet there is strong conflict within the major characters. There are elements of mystery, suspense, and humor (as with any good fantasy) in a tale for anyone from 6 to 96. The tone is much like Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander, but the author deals with adults, their thoughts and worries just as deeply and capably as the protagonist who’s barely a teen. A mentor and his student, learning about maturity as much as music.

All this goes to a fine fantasy book, and that’s… fine. But the music.

You Heard Me. Music!

Here is a book actually-factually stuffed with music. Musicians are the main characters. The magic in the world comes from music. There are flowing, wonderful descriptions of flutes, pipes, harps, trios and ensembles including voices. And, see, there’s music too. You can hear it.

Because Marla Himeda, as we were working on the project, decided she would compose it all.

She worked instruments and voices into the descriptions she had previously written, in a seamless match between what I read aloud and what you can hear alongside it. It’s truly a unique listening experience. We went over portions of this word by word and beat by beat, syncing to the eighth-note and to every decibel of volume.

I have had the privilege to work on scores of books in my narration career, for dozens of authors besides myself. This has to rank as one of the most memorable, and I think enjoyable pieces yet. Very few projects I’ve worked on come up to this level. Hard to say for sure, but maybe none of them.

If you’re looking for hours of entertainment, strictly at 1.0x speed, I would recommend Master of Music. The author has gone “wide” and it’s available at all the major outlets, below are just a few. I am honored to have been asked (therein hangs another tale!) and I look forward eagerly to the sequel, as much as a reader as narrator.

Try the Sample, you won’t regret it.