Laura Loyola moved to Australia from Chile, where she had studied architecture. In Australia, Laura gave birth to her daughter Emma, who has an extremely rare genetic disorder (KAT6B variation). Laura looked forward to sharing her favourite fairytales with her daughter, but soon found – given Emma's developmental challenges – that these fairytales didn't resonate with Emma or Laura's experiences. When Laura and Emma received a book about a child who wore an eyepatch, Emma was suddenly interested. So Laura decided to write her own stories, with heroes inspired by her daughter, because she saw the joy that it gave Emma to hear stories about people she could relate to.

To learn more about Laura and Emma's story, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeN69Lt10Yw

'A Very Special Gift' can be purchased from major book sellers as both a print book and audiobook.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?author=Laura+Loyola

In this episode, Sarah and Layne talk about Layne's work as a young adult disability advocate with lived experience of cerebral palsy. And – Layne talks about her new found love of audiobooks!

Find out more about Layne and sign up for her blog @ laynedixon.com.au

In this episode, we talk with 14 year old Anni Ratten whose recent novella, 'The Shadow Master's Eye', has hit the shelves as an audiobook.

Anni talks about why she wrote 'The Shadow Master's Eye', how she found the writing experience, and what she hopes to achieve with this gritty work of dystopian fiction.

We also talk with Anni about her current favourite reads, and she offers insights into the sorts of books she and her peers enjoy.

You can find 'The Shadow Master's Eye' on all good audiobook retailer platforms, including Google Play, Kobo, Audible and Booktopia. It's also available as an eBook and paperback, in which you'll also find illustrations drawn by Anni.

In this episode, we talk with Kati Schwartz, a playwright and actor in the US whose work has won accolades in the New York New Works Festival, the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Kati's latest work, 'Bad People', explores her own experiences with manipulative relationships in what Kati calls her own #metoo story. 'Bad People' is now available on Audible as a multi-cast audio play, and in today's podcast, we talk about why Kati wrote this work, what she hopes it will achieve, and how the writing process has helped her move forward personally.

In this episode, we talk with Landon Beach about his latest book, "Narrator", which features—you guessed it!—an audiobook narrator in the lead role. What's the book about? Why did Landon decide to feature an audiobook narrator as the protagonist? And how have real live audiobook narrators responded to this book? You'll find out all this and more! Oh, and for aspiring indie authors out there – Landon has some great tips for you! 

Landon was born and raised in Michigan but now lives in the Sunshine State with his wife, two children, and their golden retriever. He previously served as a Naval Officer and was an educator for fifteen years before becoming a full-time writer.  He is the award-winning author of Huron Breeze.

Voices of Today (C) 2022.  

In Episode 5, we talk with five experienced audiobook narrator/producers who have experience in the world of full cast audiobook productions. How do multi-cast productions work? Why do they work? And what's it like to participate in them? Join us to hear the answers to these questions and more, as we talk with Ted Wenskus, John Burlinson, Susan Iannucci and Elizabeth Klett. 

Join us as we chat with P.J. Morgan and Erin Marie White, two audiobook narrators who have both studied linguistics and have a background in theatre performance. What new insights might they have for us, as audiobook listeners, narrators and writers? 

ERIN MARIE WHITE: Erin Marie White is an Australian actress and audiobook narrator. Bitten by the theatre bug in her teens, Erin has been performing for most of her life. With a BA in Linguistics and a Master of Speech Pathology, Erin has a unique perspective on language, communication and the power of the human voice. She is a natural storyteller and adores narrating audiobooks.

PJ MORGAN: A lifelong storyteller, book nerd, actor, and secret author, P. J. Morgan has finally reached the pinnacle of human form as a professional audiobook narrator! She is an empathic performer with a broad skillset who believes in the power of the written and spoken word to transform, educate, elevate, and escape. She has narrated over 130 titles to date, from Sci-Fi to non-fiction, for BeeAudio, Audible Studios, Findaway Voices, Spoken Realms, Pink Flamingo Productions, and many independent authors. When not in the booth, she is outside playing with her equine friends, hiking with her demonspawn chihuahua, or crafting hit-or-miss vegan meals. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, P. J. is especially interested in stories featuring diverse characters, and has a soft spot for unusual protagonists and sympathetic villains.

Hosted by Sarah Bacaller (www.sarahbacaller.com) and produced by Voices of Today (www.voicesoftodayorg) – an Australian audiobook production company. 

Victor Dima is a fierce advocate for the audiobook industry. He is a respected audiobook reviewer and consultant, and he is legally blind. In this podcast, Victor discusses his passion for audiobooks, along with tips for those interested in writing audiobook reviews. He also discusses the controversial topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the audiobook industry – and offers an important and surprising perspective, with valuable insights from his own lived experience as someone who can no longer access traditional print text. To find out more about Victor's work, check out www.theaudiobookblog.com and his Patreon channel @ www.patreon.com/victordima.