Rite Of Wands Audiobook By Mackenzie Flohr

Author: Mackenzie Flohr

Narrator: Chris Walker-Thomson

Length: 6 hours and 57 minutes

Series: The Rite of Wands, Book 1

Publisher: BHC Press

Released: Sep. 24, 2018

Genre: YA Fantasy

One boy…one Rite… And a world of deadly secrets that could change the course of history—forever. And so begins the tale of Mierta McKinnon. When a horrible fate reveals itself during his Rite of Wands ceremony, he must find a way to change not only his destiny but also the land of Iverna’s. Forbidden from revealing the future he foresees to anyone, he is granted a wand and his magical powers, but still must master the realm of magic in order to save himself and those he loves. But Mierta is not the only one with secrets…especially when it’s impossible to know who to trust.

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Mackenzie is a multi-award-winning author of the YA Fantasy series The Rite of Wands, published by BHC Press, which has caught the attention of Doctor Who and Harry Potter fans worldwide. Readers agree that Mackenzie has crafted a robust tale of secrets, mystery, and uncertain destiny that rivals the works of Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling. A storyteller at heart, she loves to inspire the imagination. Mackenzie makes her home in Mount Morris, Michigan, where she is currently penning her next adventure.

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Chris Walker-Thomson is a versatile British actor, voice artist and impressionist based in Chelmsford, Essex. He is most known for his highly-acclaimed portrayal of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton in various productions - as well as being a well-established character actor. Chris is also an exceptional impressionist, voice over artist and comedy performer.

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The Rite of Wands Audiobook by Mackenzie Flohr Narrated by Chris Walker Thomas 4 Stars

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you were able to become a warlock or witch? In Rite of Wands, by Makenzie Flohr the journey is one you will take right along with the main character Mierta McKinnon and the soothsayer Orlynd O’Brien. The writing in this book transferred beautifully into audio. The narrator was able to create each character in a way that really brought them to life. The world building in this audio book drew me in from the very start.

Narration:

The narrator did an excellent job of bringing to life the story. His various different dialects and use of tone and dictation to show differences in characters really brought each one to life. This is my first time listening to the narrator and I am looking forward to hearing him do other books as well. The emphasis put into the words to convey the character’s emotional response and understanding was perfectly timed in use of speech rhythm and proper us of each pause and inflection of his words. It was easy to feel like I was hearing the actual words from each character. I was impressed with the way he handled the two-different character’s Mierta McKinnon and the soothsayer Orlynd O’Brien. Even with the very different dialects, you couldn’t tell it was the same person. The narrator, Chris Walker Thomas did use different high and low tones for the different tone pitches. The female voices were a bit awkward sounding but it didn’t take away from the story.

Production:

The production of the book was great. The background sounds such as music trumpets and so forth, felt somewhat distracting at times but everything else was well put together. The audio sounded great. Not at any point changing from anything other than crisp and clear.

Overall Experience:

I liked listening to the book in audio but it wasn’t my favorite book to listen to as an audio format. I think that there was so much switching around of dates and characters, that at times it was hard to follow, and easy to quickly lose your attention. The book is an amazing read and Makenzie Flohr is a wonderful painter of worlds with words, but the book was a harder digestion as an audio version. However, despite this, it was interesting to hear the main characters reactions in someone else’s voice. Sometimes, we need to hear the words as they are meant to be heard by the author to fully grasp what is needed to really know about the struggle and journey of the characters. I would in the future look forward to listening to more books read by the narrator Chris Walker Thomas and written by Makenzie Flohr. I give the book, Rite of Wands, four stars. -Author Trish Beninato I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Mackenzie Flohr. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A with Author Mackenzie Flohr

• Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook.
  • It wasn’t easy, believe me! In fact, if anybody would have told me I would go through 3 narrators before finally getting the whole thing recorded, I would have probably thought “yeah, right”. Normally making audiobooks isn’t difficult at all, but my project, you could say was...unique. However, it has opened up some wonderful opportunities to appear at Comic Con and various writing conferences to teach others about the process of making an audiobook and especially, what not to do (because I probably did them all!)
• Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
  • Oh, absolutely! My ultimate goal is to have The Rite of Wands series become either a movie trilogy or a television show (preferably done by HBO or the BBC), so I definitely had the idea of an audiobook in the back of my mind when I was writing the first book.

• How did you select your narrator?
  • When I was auditioning various actors, I wanted someone who could do an impression of Matt Smith (11th Doctor/Doctor Who, Prince Philip/The Crown) since my MC was written for him, as well as someone who could read/perform Scottish dialect. I was fortunate to come across two actors, who are the best Matt Smith impressionists on the planet, and one of them was available and approached ME after hearing about my project through Doctor Who Online.

• How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
  • I was very fortunate to be able to work as close as I was with Chris, considering he lives in England and I’m in America. I do have a day job where I work as a manager at a call center, but I also wanted to be available for him as much as I could. Not only so I could answer any questions he may have, but also because I honestly wanted the opportunity to get to know him a bit on a personal level, so I could get an idea of how it was best to get the project completed as smoothly as possible. (I can be overwhelming sometimes because I am so direct). I did provide him a character sheet with descriptions of the characters as well as a language guide. But as some of my spells don’t necessarily follow the mother language they came from, I had to occasionally provide some extra pronunciation help.

• Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
  • Yes. As I mentioned above, I wrote the main character (Mierta McKinnon) for Matt Smith. There are personality characteristics of the character, which are similar to him, as well as some inside jokes, too. Other than that, there are some key elements Matt has stated he’d like to play in a character, and I’ll admit I did give Mierta some of those, with more to come!

• Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
  • Audio dramas. When I have listened to audiobooks in the past, the narrator has been so monotone, I’ve honestly fallen asleep. But then I got introduced to Big Finish Productions, and my love for audiobooks regenerated.

• Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
  • Yes, there’s a particular scene between two characters where one of the characters is near death, and the reaction of the second character just comes through as heartbreaking. I actually started crying the first time I heard it performed, which is strange for me because I’ve never cried at my own words before!

• Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?
  • Know what your budget is, determine where you want your audiobook distributed to, and, if you decide to do the 50% royalty share option with ACX, make sure that narrator actually honors the terms of the contract.

• What’s next for you?
  • I’m currently finishing up my first draft of The Rite of Abnegation, which is the second book in The Rite of Wands series. Then, I’ll be working on a standalone novel called The Burning Man, which will be perfect for YA ghost hunting readers.

Author MACKENZIE FLOHR's Dream Cast for The Rite of Wands

• Jacob Dudman/Matt Smith as Mierta McKinnon
• David Tennant as Orlynd O’Brien
• Tom Hiddleston as Lochlann McKinnon
• Lily James as Queen Anya
• Tom Felton or Toby Regbo as King Deor

Prize: 3-Month Audible Subscription

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