When Two Valentines Meet: My First Worldcon with Skyboat Media

Worldcon —have you ever been? Well, I can now say I have! This was my first time, and wow, what an entrance. Not only did I get to spend the weekend with some of my favorite people — Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki, and Alison Belle Bews of Skyboat Media — they also invited me to perform with them in Stefan’s spoken word program, Mightier Than The Sword. More on that in a sec!

The whole weekend was a blast. So many great conversations with authors, audiobook listeners, and passionate readers. Costumes everywhere, books taking the mainstage, written and audio, and so much love for storytelling. The vibe was electric.

Now, back to the show 😉 Mightier Than The Sword, led by AudioFile Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki, is a journey through the power of the written word — from Shakespeare to Bova. Being part of it was special on two counts: it was the first time Gabrielle, Stefan, and I had ever performed together live, in front of an audience — and I got to revisit my role of Valentine from Orson Scott Card’s multi-Audie-nominated Ender’s Game Alive: The Full Cast Audioplay. Here’s the magic: Gabrielle originated Valentine and Stefan originated Ender in the original audiobook of Card’s novel, so as the audiobook and audioplay merged, our two Valentines met — with Stefan crossing between them as Colonel Graff and Ender. What an incredible joy to be part of. 🎭

And next year? Worldcon 2027 heads to Montreal — O Canada, how fantastic! 🇨🇦

Last thing — if you’re an author looking to turn your book into an audiobook, definitely head over to Skyboat Media and check them out. You can find them at skyboatmedia.com.

Hugo Award Finalist: The Sound of Children Screaming

The Sound of Children ScreamingAbsolutely thrilled and overjoyed for Rachael K. Jones and her well-deserved 2024 Hugo Award nomination for Best Short Story with The Sound of Children Screaming. Narrating this powerful piece for Nightmare Magazine (October 2023) was an honor I won’t soon forget. 🎙️✨

As an audiobook narrator, some stories truly leave a lasting mark, and this is one of them. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a chilling, important tale that resonates deeply in today’s world. Inside Thurman Elementary, a mysterious portal traps a teacher and her students in a world suspended in time, with The Gun just beyond the classroom door…

The Hugo Awards take place this Sunday, August 11th, in Glasgow, Scotland at the 82nd Worldcon.  So wish I could be there!  Sending out big congratulations and lots of #HugoAward love ❤️ to all the nominees.

If you haven’t yet, you can read or listen to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 in Issue 133 of Nightmare Magazine by going to Nightmare-Magazine.com or hitting the link here!

Special thanks to Stefan Rudnicki and Skyboat Media for entrusting me with this unforgettable story. ✨