I mentioned a while ago that some exciting things had been going on in the background that I couldn’t wait to share with you. Well, this is it! I am beyond thrilled to be able to tell you that Tantor Media have selected the first three books in my Blackthorn series to be produced in audio format!

I received an email late Summer wherein Tantor cited their interest in my series. Not only was I astonished that they had discovered Blackthorn, but that they showed a keen interest in starting the ball rolling straight away. The fabulous Lorella Belli Literary Agency took over from that point on behalf of both Bookouture and myself to make sure everything went ahead seamlessly. Thank you so much for all your hard work in the background, Lorella!

For those who aren’t familiar with Tantor (and so you can be assured that Blackthorn is in very safe hands), it’s a leading independent audiobook publisher based in the States. Tantor is the recipient of numerous Audie Awards, AudioFile Earphones Awards and Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Awards.

Boasting must-have authors and award-winning titles, Tantor’s extensive catalogue includes Man Booker, Pulitzer, and National Book Award winners, as well as countless New York Times bestsellers and titles with starred reviews from all the major publications. They have a brilliant list of PNR titles already and I’ll be amongst extremely good company with Lara Adrian, Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews on their list! Needless to say I am beyond delighted to have Blackthorn chosen by them.

I am exceptionally privileged that Anne Flosnik has been selected to be the narrator.

Ms Flosnik is an accomplished multi-award-winning British actress lauded for her work in fiction, romance, suspense, and fantasy. She has garnered two AudioFile Earphones Awards, an ALA Award, and three Audie Award nominations. Her narration also earned her one of the Best Audiobooks of the Year 2009 by AudioFile magazine. Though I must confess, it wasn’t just her impressive background and listening to samples of her work that won me over – but when I discovered she had narrated my all-time favourite classic, Wuthering Heights!

Not only is Ms Flosnik super-lovely (and so professional), a huge bonus is how much she’s enjoying the series so far. Here’s what she had to say about Blackthorn:

“I am completely spell bound by these beautifully crafted books. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be working with such exquisite writing. It’s very easy to care about your characters, and they, the events, and the world that you have created for them are grippingly real, on an almost visceral level. I am on the edge of my seat to discover how everything plays out, to say the very least. It truly is an honour to be the narrator for these magnificent books.”

How amazing is that?

And when I said Tantor are acting quickly, I meant it! Not only is Ms Flosnik already underway with the narration, all three books will be available on audio THIS year:

Blood Shadows released 18^th November 2014

Blood Roses released 9^th December 2014

Blood Torn released 30^th December 2014

They’re already available for pre-order for anyone searching for something for their Christmas list. 😉 (Don’t let the old covers on Blood Shadows and Blood Roses confuse you, they’ll be replaced with the new ones in time for release.)

Once all the excitement about Blood Deep’s release dies down, I’ll write a post for all those who would like to know what’s been going on behind the scenes – and what really happens in the background when a book gets selected for audio. It has been a fascinating experience.

Have a great week! xxx