Today I am so pleased to welcome Jordan Castillo Price to Joyfully Jay. Jordan has come to talk to us about the audiobooks for her incredibly fabulous PsyCops series (I love and adore this series). She has also brought along a link for a free short in audio format to share with everyone!  Please join me in giving Jordan a big welcome!

Hi, Jay! Thank you so much for letting me visit today and talk about my latest project: PsyCop audiobooks. Audios are nothing new, but they’re certainly new to me, so I’m hoping to get the word out.

In early 2012 I was giving a talk to a large group of M/M readers and writers at the UK Meet in Brighton, and one of them asked what role audiobooks would play in the genre. I said, likely none. At that time, the cost to produce an audiobook was so high, and the readership so specialized, that I didn’t think one could support the other.

Little did I know, two months prior to that talk, the Audiobook Creation Exchange (owned by Amazon) had just launched a new way for authors with to collaborate directly with actors and producers. While it’s a much more involved process to create an audiobook than it is to produce an ebook, nonetheless it’s now reasonably within an indie author’s reach.

I wasn’t what you’d call an early adopter. I actually waited a while to take the plunge. A couple of things allowed me to test the waters. One, in PsyCop I’d written a series that already had lots of devoted readers, and two, Among the Living is fairly short, which meant I wouldn’t stand to lose too much money if it turned out nobody bought it.

On my Facebook page, PsyCop fan Shayla asked about the advantages of audio books vs ebooks or traditional paperbacks. As a reader and longtime audiobook user, I find that audios have a very different place in my life than books or ebooks. I work on a computer all day and my eyes get so tired I don’t even want to watch TV. But what does that leave me to do with myself? Needlework, puzzles—when my eyes are tired, all of that is out of the question too. When the eyes want to rest, there’s no denying them! Audiobooks are a soothing way for me to use that time that otherwise might have been frittered away doing nothing, or, heaven forfend, cleaning the house. I’m particularly fond of listening to audio when I’m sick.

As an author, I find the advantage of branching into audio is the potential of finding and connecting with new readers. I had expected all of the initial feedback on the PsyCop audiobooks to come from existing PsyCop fans who were interested in a new way to experience books they already knew. It turned out that a few of the early reviews were by listeners meeting Victor Bayne for the first time.

Since I was leery of the process, I was particularly fussy about the actor who would be the voice of Vic. Thankfully, Gomez Pugh and I found each other, and he’s perfect—his collaboration takes the PsyCop series to a whole new level. But don’t just take my word for it.

Stream a sample from each book at the PsyCop site

• Among the Living (PsyCop #1) on Audible, iTunes and Amazon
• Criss Cross (PsyCop #2) on Audible, iTunes and Amazon
• Coming soon! – Body and Soul (PsyCop #3) on Audible, iTunes and Amazon

And my gift to all of you, Thaw, PsyCop Short #1.1, free for download or streaming

Bio

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the midwest, from inner city Chicago, to rural small town Wisconsin, to liberal Madison. Her influences include Ouija boards, Return of the Living Dead, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” and boys in eyeliner.<

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who’s plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her new series, Mnevermind, where memories are made…one client at a time.

Contact Jordan at the following places:

• Jordan’s Facebook Fan Page
• PsyCop Fan Page
• Goodreads Fan Club
• LiveJournal Blog
• Jordan’s Twitter
• Sign up for JCP News
• Visit jordancastilloprice.com