6/23/2024

Hello friends!

Several months ago, Kindle Direct Publishing extended an invitation to partake in their Virtual Voice beta. Basically, they offered to turn my book, The Water Spinner, into an audiobook for free if I used their virtual voice software. I know that there are very divisive thoughts regarding the use of AI to generate audiobooks, and I genuinely understand the arguments against, and for, this kind of technology.

For me, I simply looked at this invitation as an opportunity to make my book more accessible to those who prefer to listen to their books. As an amateur author, I have struggled with the thought of investing thousands of dollars into an audiobook, so when this Virtual Voice opportunity arose, I was really happy to try it out!

I selected the AI voice based on input from several close family members and friends, and then spent dozens of hours listening through the audiobook to make sure it sounded as polished as possible. This was -not- an easy task. I created two different languages for my book, and I had to go through and reset the pronunciation of all of those words to convey the sounds I wanted. I also had to make slight adjustments to the actual text of the book to make the listening experience a smooth one (for example - one of the minor characters has a stutter, and I couldn’t make the AI voice reproduce a stutter no matter how hard I tried, so the stutter is not present in the audiobook).

With all that said, I’m really, truly excited to have an audiobook version available!

Thank you all so much for spreading the word about The Water Spinner. Somehow, I still have people reading my book every single day, and this fact never ceases to amaze me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you my dear, wonderful readers (and listeners)!

Hugs upon hugs,

Jessie

5/7/2023

First of all, I want to express my profound thanks. The lovely, warm reception for The Water Spinner has been a dream come true! Thank you deeply, from my humble heart to yours.

I’ve received many questions regarding the status of the next book. I’m downright flattered by the eagerness to reach for the next installment, but I must apologize profusely, because I feel like I’ve let you down by not having the next book ready. The plan has always been to create a full series of books. However, other priorities have dominated my life since publishing The Water Spinner in November 2020: namely, my job as a family physician. I have been extraordinarily busy during the COVID pandemic and in its aftermath. This has left little room for creativity, and I must admit that I’ve had a horrible streak of writer’s block for the past few years.

So, I felt that all of you deserved this update. I have some parts of The Wind Spinner written, but I still have a long ways to go with the creation of new characters and the overall direction of the plot. I hope that I can try to fit in more writing time this year, especially since your appreciation of The Water Spinner is so moving and inspiring.

I am terribly sorry for the long wait. Thank you all again for your patience and dedication.

Much love,

Jessie