In Patti's Imagination: AUDIOBOOK SERIES TOUR --- London Saint James' ALWAYS!!

Author: London Saint James

Narrators: Tor Thom, Charley Ongel

Length: 11 hours 3 minutes

Series: Two Hearts, One Soul Duet, Book 1

Publisher: LSJ Romance

Released: Sep. 14, 2017

Genre: Contemporary Romance

International best-selling author London Saint James' first installment from Two Hearts, One Soul Duet is the epic tale of abiding love, heart-wrenching loss, and an astonishing bond that will find a way to endure. Winter Perri never truly understood love until she met Austin Carlyle - the man who would rock her world to its foundations and give her something to believe in. But the night before they were to be married, the fairytale shattered. Thirteen years later Winter is pulled out of her seclusion only to have a painful past confront her, and when it does, she's left questioning reality, because the impossible is looking back at her with the face of a destroying angel, and piercing eyes in too familiar shades of blue.

London Saint James has lived in many places, but never felt “at home” until she met the real-life man of her dreams and settled down in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. London lives with her husband and their fat cat who thinks he owns them. As an award-winning, international bestselling author, London is living her childhood dream. She knew all the scribbling she did, that big imagination of hers, and all those clamoring characters running around in her head would pay off someday.

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Tor Thom and Charley Ongel are a happily married couple who have been narrating and producing audiobooks for the past year and a half.

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I received these audiobooks as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by London Saint James. The gifting of these audiobooks did not affect my opinion of them.

[Janet]
Audible Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Audible Performance Rating: 5/5 stars
Audible Story Rating: 5/5 stars
Goodreads Rating: 5/5 stars
In Patti's Imagination Rating: 10/10 stars

I finished listening to this book the other day and I’m still not sure how to write this review for such an extraordinary story. I love the narrating duo of Charley Ongel and Tor Thom. This is not the first book I have listened to by these two narrators, but it is the first book I have read by London Saint James. I’ve already started on book two as this is one author I want to read more from.

Winter Perri is not your usual female leading character and I can’t really say too much without giving spoilers away. Yes, the book is told completely in her point of view so the duel narration is really great to have both a female and male character talking within the same scene it helps with the mindset of the characters. It is awesome. It really enhances the listening experience and the way these narrators changed up their voices for different male or female characters made it very easy to follow the story. I love how there were even various sound effects in the audio. The emotions the narrators portrayed really made it feel as if I were in the story. Is this an emotional book, yes, yes, it is and will you want to have some tissues handy, yes, yes you do. There are a some dark moments as well as those tearful moments but there are plenty of fun times, too. There is so much I would love to say about this story, but I can’t without giving spoilers. I can say that I loved how the author really developed the characters and their relationships. This story takes place over many years and it is not a simple quick listen as there is so much meat packed in here. From the synopsis I wasn’t really sure about wanting to listen to the book, but when I saw who the narrators were, I couldn’t pass it up and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to have listened to it. There were many things I didn’t expect or see coming. I knew of one event that was going to happen from the synopsis and wondered about another which kept me guessing which just added to the enjoyment of the is story and it was so not what I expected. Yes, this story is very much about two hearts and one soul.

Q&A with Author London Saint James

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- Yes. When I write I am very conscious of turning the story into an audiobook. In fact, I use specific software during my editing processes that actually reads the MS for me so I can hear how the story translates from written word to listening.
How did you select your narrator?
- I worked with Tor and Charley on a past project and knew I wanted to work with them again. So, when it was time to turn my Two Hearts, One Soul Duet into audiobooks, it was a no-brainer for me. A quick, “Hey, you guys want to do this project with me?” e-mail and the selection process was done. *Smiles*
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- When it comes to this duet, my inspiration came from a question to myself after seeing a documentary about kids who clearly remembered events, people, and places they shouldn’t have known about and the belief of past lives. What was the question(s) I asked myself?What if there was such a thing as soul mates? One person you were meant to love? From there came, what if we met our soul mate, lost them, and found them again years later? Is soul transfer or reincarnation a possibility? Can love conquer death? Now, it’s your turn to ponder. Is it possible? Do you believe in soul mates?
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- I take some ‘me’ time by doing relaxing things like taking a bubble bath, listen to music, read, listen to audiobooks, enjoy the outdoors and sunshine. Go for walks. Watch movies. Yoga. Take a drive.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
- Yes, very much so. There is just something special about listening to some of your favorite book characters come to life off the page and be given a voice. Or at least, in my opinion, there is, and I think that is what draws me to audiobooks.
If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
- Henry Cavill as Austin/Cayden
- Scarlett Johansson as Winter
- Gerard Butler as Chandler
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
- Did a fist-pump, had a glass of wine, went out for dinner with my very own sexy man, and then came home and started on the next writing project.
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
- Actually, yes, I have. For writers, our characters are very much real. And while writing, for me anyway, I ‘see’ my characters, how they look, their mannerisms and even ‘hear’ them, the way they talk and interact with each other.
What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
- For those aspiring writers, never, ever let anyone tell you, you can’t get published. Or that being a published writer is a pipedream. I’m here to tell you my ‘pipedream’ came true. Write what you love. Write what speaks to you. Be you. Don’t be afraid to break your heart open and let the feelings flow into your manuscripts. Great writers give blood, sweat, and tears to the craft. It takes a lot of guts to put yourself out there—to let the world get their hands on your book babies. And it takes a thick skin, too. Not everyone will love your work. Not everyone will hate it, either. Don’t go into writing thinking your very first book is going to hit the big time, be a New York Times bestseller, and you’re going to get a movie deal. If you do, you will be disappointed because that rarely happens right out of the gate. Instead, write because you have a passion to write, a voice to be heard, and don’t allow anyone to extinguish that fire.