The audio book version of The Patch Project is currently available on Bandcamp! You can listen on the site or download the book on a pay what you can basis.
When deciding what to charge for the book, I was thinking about how so many people have already purchased a print copy. I didn’t want them to have to pay again for basically the same book. I also didn’t want cost to stop people from accessing the book, since covid continues to rage and work has dried up for many artists I know. Plus, I wanted to make the first book available so people who are interested in the sequel can be up to speed when it becomes more readily available. So, if you’re able to pay a few bucks for the book, feel free! If you’ve already bought a copy or don’t have the funds at the moment, listen for free!
Recording the book was a lot of fun. My husband and I used to co-host a podcast, and editing audio files and spending hours in a sound-proofed room is actually something I miss quite a bit!
The most challenging part of the whole process was accommodating two inexplicably needy cats. I could spend the whole morning with them, but as soon as I sat down to record, there they were, pawing at the door and meowing. Eventually, I just left the door open a crack so they could enter or leave as they pleased. There is one particular line in the audio book that I recorded directly after dealing with said needy cats: the part of the story is quite serious, but it sounds like I’m laughing.
Also, I recorded an entire chapter with something caught in my throat that no amount of coffee could fix! Aside from that, I feel like, all things considered, the audio book turned out pretty well.
Something else you may notice is that some words or sentence structures don’t quite match the printed version of The Patch Project. I’m currently revising the novel for a reprint with Adventure Worlds Press in the fall, and I incorporated a couple of those changes in the audio version. Also, some sentences were just really awkward to say aloud! I also cut adverbs and descriptors that I deemed excessive or contradictory. Reading aloud for an audience really changed how I look at the book, which is going to help a lot with further revisions!
So anyway, there’s the story of the audio book! If you give it a listen, let me know what you think, as I’m hoping to make more audio books in the future (I dream of a fully-voiced audio book with characters and a narrator who is not me 🙂 )!
brittni in ink 
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