M.L. Olmstead

Hello everyone! What a long and interesting winter it has been. Though my posts dried up a bit, I have been hard at work these many months, writing and creating, and I would like to share a bit about this crazy time in my life.

Steadily, I have been writing the first draft of book 2, The Knights: Lost Stories, and what a journey it has been. I’ve laughed and cried along with our main characters, and this middle section of the story is almost complete. As of last week, chapter 33 was completed. This one is going to be longer than the first, as there are so many things to continue on from from Lost in the Void.

Speaking of Lost in the Void, my big project is entirely related to that first book. Those of you who know me well, know that I have three passions in my life, writing, singing, and voice acting. Ever since I started my first training sessions in college in Buffalo, NY, I always wanted to be a voice actor. I went on to train in NYC for a brief stint, and I recorded my first voice over demo right in the Capital region. Through countless hours of practice and studying. I managed to do a few voice over projects, but then singing became a priority, and then writing. For a time, I wasn’t sure if voice acting would ever reemerge in my life.

In 2020, I began a sumo podcast with my friend Jon, and it inspired me to buy better equipment and create a recording space, which has also led to this moment.

For the last 6 months, I have been recording and editing my own audiobook, which honestly is just as much work and challenge as publishing a book. Not only do you need to make sure you speak clearly and concisely, but then you need to deliver the right emotion and characterization. With a fantasy book such as the Knights, there are quite a few characters to dedicate your efforts into. Each line has to be recorded multiple times, unless you do a take perfectly (not likely), and then there is all the editing after the fact. Some examples are: removing breaths, extra long breaks, and page turns.

I’ve interspersed the writing of the second book with the recording of the first book, and while that may seem insane, its been quite a wonderful journey. Through the reading and recording process of Lost in the Void, I have such a better appreciation of the characters and their motivations, which has aided in the writing of Lost Stories, which arguably in more intense in every way. After writing a particularly emotionally draining chapter, it was nice to go back to the beginning when things were simpler.

Which brings me to my last note. I am preparing an audiobook sample of the first five chapters to be given away with the sale of every book at the next Mocha Lisa event. It will also become available on my website in time. Ultimately, when all of the editing is done, I will be selling the complete audio book of The Knights: Lost in the Void in the near future.

For those who have listened to my audio sample, I thank you! Many of you have shared your positive feelings about both the Knights and the audio sample, which you felt brought the story more to life. Please stay tuned to the event post that will be coming later on today.