Been quiet lately, haven't I? Yes, that's a bi-product of busyness.
What have I been busy doing?
I'm glad you asked.
For one thing, I've finally slogged through the major revisions of Dream Girl! (my YA novel for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.) It's currently out to the few and the proud readers who will give me their feedback so I can revise some more, as necessary and get this bad boy into the hands of agents and editors.
To keep myself from premature submission syndrome, I put together a book trailer. For a taste of what I've been toiling over for so many years, here's a peek.
The graphics aren't the best, but you know what is? That awesome voice reading my words. It's a powerful experience to give your words to someone else and see how they interpret them. In this case, I couldn't have imagined a better result. In fact, I am so impressed that I decided to interview The Voice, himself, in case you want to give the English treatment to your own words. (I highly recommend it.)
Welcome, Robert Charleston of www.OneLoneEnglishman.com
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| This is the view from Robert's studio. |
The Restless Writer (RW): You have a gorgeous voice! Your
timing and inflection are just perfect. Have you taken voice or acting lessons
or is this 100% natural talent?
Robert Charleston (RC): No lessons of any kind. I simply enjoy speaking
other people’s words aloud. Some things I’m asked to read are quite a
challenge. All the better!
RW: You mention it a little on your
website, but how did you get started doing this?
RC: American friends used to laugh at the way I said
things (such as dot-com) and ask me to record the odd poem or piece of prose to
send to friends back home to amuse them too. Except that most of the friends
(all right, women friends!) weren’t so much amused as... how can I put
it... fascinated. And they too asked me to record things. And here we are
today.
RW: Have you ever been to the US? If so,
where did you go and what did you most enjoy here? If not, what would you most
like to see or do here?
RC: I haven’t travelled widely in America. New York,
parts of California, hitch-hiked along the odd highway, that’s all. Top place
is probably Grand Central Station. Two places I would love to visit are Sam
Phillips’ Sun Studio in Memphis (to record one of my own songs in the very
space used by Elvis and Jerry Lee), and the Florida Keys (probably because of
Hemingway.)
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| I am in love with this view! |
RW: Many Americans have a romanticized
view of England. What do you like most about living there? Can you tell us a
little about where you live?
RC: I like never knowing what weather to expect from
one day to the next. I’m also a sucker for open countryside, Spring, harvest-time,
tucked-away villages, ruined castles, and big soft ice-cream at the seaside. And
where do I live? Right now in a gorgeous old cottage, parts of which date back
to the mid seventeen hundreds. It’s in my study at this cottage that I do my
recording. There are no straight lines in this building, which makes it
constantly fascinating, and the garden is like a small park, with mossy steps,
a lily-covered pond, curious walls, and a little upside down house concealed in
thick bushes, with a door in the floor only big enough for a child to crawl
through.
RW: Your sister, Elspeth, has a companion
site www.OneLoneEnglishwoman.com
Presumably, you have a good relationship with her. Did you always get along
well?
RC: Elspeth and I both provide readings for anyone who
wants them, mostly separately but occasionally (when asked) together. We get
along very well these days, but when we were kids she was pretty bossy. A
couple of years younger than me and wanting to be in charge the whole time.
These days, she lets me be boss on alternate Wednesdays.
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| Window on the right is the studio where the magic happens! |
RW: Your recording samples are from
classic literature. Are you an avid reader? Any favorite authors or passages?
RC: I used to read far more than I do these days.
Because I do a fair bit of voice work now I like to seek out passages or poems
that I can explore thoroughly, which can mean poring over a short piece for
ages, reading it aloud over and over seeking out the most affecting inflexion
or nuance without sounding pompous (I hope). I would love to record an extract
from something dark, like Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Turn of the
Screw. But I like to do modern stuff too!
RW: The recording you did for me, which I
used for my book trailer, gave me goosebumps, it's so good! How did you get
started doing book trailer voiceovers and what do you most enjoy about it?
RC: When my cousin (an author) asked me to do a book
trailer for a YouTube video (The
Realities of Aldous U) I relished those few words so much that I just
wanted to do more and more. I wouldn’t want to do a whole audio book, but I do like
trying to get the most out of a few lines, be it an extract from a novel, a
poem or, indeed, a book trailer intro.
RW: Is there anything you're at liberty
to share about the most memorable greetings you've been asked to record?
RC: Ah, The Song of Solomon. Whew! I’ll record that
again anytime, with pleasure, particularly the bit about the (CENSORED!).
RW: If someone loves your voice but
doesn't have a literary passage or any specific material in mind for you to
read, what would you recommend?
RC: I would suggest that they email me (OneLoneEnglishman (at) gmail (dot) com)or Elspeth (OneLoneEnglishwoman (at) gmail (dot) com)
and say what sort of mood they wish to invoke or convey and we’ll see if we can
find something appropriate. No extra charge for the research. Elspeth and I
enjoy it, we really do.
RW: Are there any famous voices that
inspire you?
RC: I don’t know about ‘inspire’, but there are some
that are a joy to listen to. Orson Welles for one. Garrison Keillor for
another. And Cary Grant, Antonio Banderas, Alan Rickman, and
oh, to sound like Geraldine
McEwan...
RW: Ok, give it to me straight. Many
Americans turn to putty for a good English accent, but do you have a thing for
American accents? (of any variety)
RC: I’m not good at accents myself, but I do enjoy other people’s. You name it I’ll
probably dig it at some level.
Thank you, Robert!
