Locus Interview, with Angels

Locus April 2014
So the April issue of Locus is out, and I’m on the cover, next to my brain. That’s an angel hiding in the hemispheres, for all you folks who doubted my angelic nature.

Okay, maybe it’s not my brain. The Locus website has an excerpt from the interview, in which I talk about neuroscience, my family, Afterparty, and other things I’ve written.

The issue also has two reviews of Afterparty (snippets below). I’m a lucky man.

Russell Letson: “This is a real science-fiction crime thriller: the old evils and insanities are all there, given new twists by the double-edged blades of science and technology. And, like the best crime and SF novels, those moral and philosophical questions linger, after the mere whodunnit puzzles have been solved.”

Faren Miller: “Well before Afterparty concludes with ‘The Parable of the Faithful Atheist”, it’s clear that Daryl Gregory continues to be one of the top writers in a field where literature works alongside adventure–and both forms benefit from the exchange.”

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People who speak for me

Back when I was a high school teacher, I had a 40-minute commute each way, and I listened to a lot of audio books. Most were just okay. But I realized early on that when an audio book is terrible, it’s probably the book’s fault. No actor can save a bad book.

But when an audio book is great, it’s because they’ve found a great actor to go with a great book.

David MarantzWith the audio version of Raising Stony Mayhall, I felt extremely lucky to get David Marantz. He’s great–which means that if the book fails for you, it’s all my fault.

What I love about Dave’s performance is that his rich voice brings so much warmth to the book–which you really need in a novel that’s supposed to be about the nicest zombie in the world.

And Dave likes the book. My friend Marjie Nye pointed this out to me: Audible.com has a page for their voice actors to post videos about The Best Book I’ve Ever Narrated. Scroll down that page to see Dave’s entry about about why he dug Stony.  (Or, just buy the audible version!)

Tavia GilbertAfterparty will also be available from Audible.com. They just finished recording, and while I haven’t heard it yet, I’ve talked to the actor and I’ve got that lucky feeling again.

The fabulous Tavia Gilbert is narrating this one. She contacted me early on to clarify some pronunciations of names in the book, and we talked on the phone a bit about the main character Lyda and her alter ego Dr. Gloria: two voices, one brain. I’m psyched to hear the results, and I’ll post a link when the audio book’s available.

Update: The audible.com version of Afterparty is now available for preorder!

Kirkus joins the party

We were on the road yesterday, coming home from a quick Spring break trip to Tennessee to see my folks. They’re getting older, and I have to confess that I’m worried about my mom. She watched the entire three hours of “The Bachelor” finale. Obviously my sisters and I will have to take steps if this trend continues. I’m not looking forward to that moment that every child of older parents dreads: the day we’re forced to take away the remote.

Anyway, we were somewhere southwest of Winchester, Virginia with Number One Son behind the wheel (it’s good to have another driver in the family), when I checked my mail and got the news that Kirkus Reviews had reviewed Afterparty.

Now, Kirkus has the reputation for giving reviews that are… let’s just say “tough.” So I was relieved to see they’d given it a star. (“Awarded to books of exceptional merit” according to the website, which instantly put me in mind of Boy Scout promotion ceremonies. I want a badge!)

Anyway, the review’s not online yet, but here’s an excerpt:

Kirkus Star“This taut, brisk, gripping narrative, dazzlingly intercut with flashbacks and sidebars, oozes warmth and wit. A hugely entertaining, surprising and perhaps prophetic package that, without seeming to, raises profound questions about the human mind and the nature of perception.”

So that’s nice.