Kay Thomas

I’m so excited about the release of EASY TARGET (Elite Ops #3) in audiobook. And I’m particularly thrilled that PJ Ochlan, the narrator for the first two books of the series, is back to tell Hollywood and Sassy’s story. A veteran stage, screen, and television actor, PJ is also a dialect specialist/coach (www.DrDialect.com) and audiobook narration instructor as well as one of the co-founders of the Deyan Institute. I interviewed PJ over a year ago when HARD TARGET and PERSONAL TARGET were first released as audiobooks. He had some fascinating information and fun stories about how he started in the business, how he preps for narration, and how long it takes to record a book. Check out that blog post here. 

With the release of EASY TARGET, I had a couple of burning questions as PJ returned to the Elite Ops world.

Kay: How do you prep for a story when you’ve already narrated other books in the same series? Is the prep easier or more complicated? Since it was over a year between your work on the first two books in the Elite Ops series, did you have to go back and listen to how you did the voices in HARD TARGET and PERSONAL TARGET or did you just read EASY TARGET and go from there?

PJ: General prep is the same in terms of research, new character choices, and so on, though there are some differences with continuing a series. It's a bit easier in that you've already got a sense of the tone, world, author's voice, etc.; and it also raises some challenges like matching already established character voices. For that, I typically pull up audio files of the characters that I keep archived from the previous books. One of the bigger challenges is when a small supporting character from a previous book, which I may have given a broader characterization to, becomes a lead in a new installment. Then that broader style which was designed to be entertaining as a sideline character won't necessarily fly for a role that carries the entire story. So making that subtle adjustment while keeping with what's been established can be tricky — but fun! That was the case in developing Sassy for EASY TARGET. Hopefully fans of PERSONAL TARGET will enjoy her promotion to the spotlight ;)

Kay: That's my hope, too, PJ! Where can listeners go to learn more about you and your audio releases? 

PJ: I've narrated across all genres, and most of those audiobooks are available through Audible and Amazon. Just go to either of those sites and pop in my name. Or find me on Facebook and Twitter, and I'll keep you posted on new releases. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pjochlan
Twitter: @pjochlan

One of the great things about audio is that even if you’ve already read the book, listening brings a whole new dimension to the story and characters. Check out this audio sample of PJ’s work on EASY TARGET. And be sure to enter the rafflecopter giveaway on my website's contest page or at the rafflecopter widget below for a chance to win all three (HARD TARGET, PERSONAL TARGET, and EASY TARGET) Elite Ops audio downloads.

Happy listening (and reading) past your bedtime!

EASY TARGET buy links: 

Rafflecopter:

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Exciting news: EASY TARGET releases today in audiobook! If you haven’t already, make plans now to “meet Hollywood” and listen (or read) past your bedtime to the latest Elite Ops adventure. The audiobook can be downloaded from Amazon/Audible or iTunes. To check it out, have a listen at this Soundcloud sample, narrated by acclaimed actor, P.J. Ochlan. Enjoy the ride...

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