Why I Narrated The Lying Spiral Myself
I narrated The Lying Spiral audiobook that runs over 7 hours. That is a healthy chunk of time to spend with Eli Gentry, an ex-cop PI with a bad knee, a drinking problem, and a cigarette habit. Lovely company. Bring antacids.
I must like punishment, because I looked at one difficult job and said, “Fine, stack another one on top.”
Why I wanted my voice on The Lying Spiral audiobook
The story already lived in my head. Every sentence had a pulse and a limp.
Narration felt less like acting and more like paying a bill I had been ducking. I knew the pauses. I knew the sharp little cuts. I knew where the jokes should land. Writing is one way of communicating. Audio cannot hide behind anything.
If a line sounded fake, my name sat right there on the cover, accepting the responsibility of blame. So I kept my grip tight and my mercy mercilus.
Eli Gentry has bad habits and worse timing
Eli is an ex-cop PI with a bad knee, a drinking problem, and a cigarette habit. That combination takes time and money.
A bad knee changes a walk. A drinking problem changes a state of mind. A cigarette habit changes endurance.
I didn’t need to polish any damage. Polish belongs on shoes and chrome. Clean people in fiction can be useful, sure. Damaged people bring attitude, confrontation, and better dialogue.
Eli earns sympathy the hard way, by being useful and unbearable. Do they have the nerve? Or are they oblivious to the consequences? Very on brand for my characters.
Hours and hours of fun trouble
7 hours plus is long enough for a leisurely drive, a list of multiple chores, or several rounds of laundry. Short enough to finish before a day ends.
The format changes the pressure. A page can wait. Audio keeps walking. The voice has to carry every choice, every nasty little turn, every joke that probably should apologize.
I narrated The Lying Spiral because my voice belonged in the mess. Not because my voice is pretty. Pretty can be suspicious. I narrated the audiobook because the book had already borrowed my temper, my timing, and my patience.
Craig Tyson Adams on the cover and Craig Tyson Adams in the headphones feels fair. Possibly conceded. I accept both charges.
I’m glad I narrated The Lying Spiral. My throat may file a complaint, and my sense of mercy remains under investigation. I put Gentry through hell. 7 plus hours of my voice walking beside a damaged PI with a talent for making life harder. Good. Petty. Honest. My kind of dude.
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