NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH AUDIBLE, AMAZON MP3, and iTUNES:
SEARCHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS
by MARTIN TURNBULL
I love old movies. Even as a kid I had an affinity toward old Hollywood, whether it was film or radio or old movie magazines from that collectibles store I visited in Palo Alto lo those many years ago. So when I discovered the existence of Martin Turnbull's Garden of Allah series I was immediately interested. And like Mark "The Falcon" Ellis, Martin decided to go the self-publishing route for his series, which has paid off with both a fervent following and a film deal!
So when it was time to record Searchlights and Shadows, the fourth book in the nine-volume series, I inquired if the narrator for his previous books was sticking around for the newest title or if he was looking for someone new. As it so happened, his narrator had moved on to other things, and he was indeed looking for someone new. The end result is now available as a digital download through all of the usual suspects, and like "The Falcon" this one was a joy to work on.
Here I portrayed Southern belle and wanna-be boutique owner Gwendolyn Brick, "gumption girl" Kathryn Massey of the Hollywood Reporter, and closeted MGM screenwriter Marcus Adler, all of whom are residents of the legendary "Garden of Allah," a hotel/apartment complex founded by silent screen star Alla Nazimova. Over the years the Garden became the place to be for stars and starlets, musicians and writers alike, a bohemian paradise for such luminaries as Robert Benchley, Gloria Stuart, Errol Flynn, and the Mark Brothers.
Mixing fiction with fact, Kathryn's search for her father, Gwendolyn's dealings with Bugsy Siegel, and Marcus' new romance with a Breen Office official with Errol Flynn's rape trial, the Hollywood Canteen, and the growing menace of the HUAC, Searchlights and Shadows offered me the opportunity to do something I've never done before in an audiobook: provide the voices for as many as 40 movie stars and celebrities including Orson Welles, Ava Gardner, Mickey Rooney, Louella Parsons, and Humphrey Bogart. The trick here was to provide a hint of the original voice, and not do a flat-out impression, or run the risk turning the character into a caricature. Thank God for YouTube!
Anyway, a big "thank you" goes out to Martin for letting me voice his characters, and here's hoping for a crack at the fifth book...for now, though, you can find Book Four through Audible, Amazon MP3, and iTunes. Take a listen, I think you'll like what you hear...
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