Speaking a Story to Life: Narrator Interview

In my interview with voiceover actor Tiffany Morgan Baker, she shares her experience in voice acting and narrating the audiobook Angel from the Rust.

How long have you been voice acting?

A long time! My first Voice Over job was in 2005. 

Where and how did you get into voice acting?

NYC. I was the voice for several pharmaceuticals (I had friends who worked for an ad agency) and then I got a weekly recording gig for a company called Howcast that produced how-to videos on everything from how to make bunny ears for kids on Easter to how to install an in-ground sprinkler system. 

What drew you to this audiobook project (Angel from the Rust)?

Oh man, where to start?? I love the genre (I’m a total SciFi and Fantasy nerd), but the story, the dynamic and well-developed characters, the setting, and the proposal for a possible future of humanity really inspired my imagination.

Recording an audiobook isn’t simply reading while speaking into a microphone. There’s much more to it than that. What extra steps or special ingredients need to go into narrating an audiobook and narrating it well?

I could write a book in answer to that!

First, of course, reading the whole thing cover to cover before beginning is really important. I like to know where the story is heading so that I know what parts are important to keep close to the chest and where a bit of foreshadowing can be used.

Also I like to know where the characters might be putting something together, and where they’re in the dark. I like to make sure I’m preserving the revelation of the plot as the author intends. Then, getting a sense of the characters is really important. How does this person develop over time? What surprises them? What are their strengths/weaknesses? What do they think their strengths/weaknesses are? How are they described by other characters in the story? And then, it’s determining the point of view of the narration.

In AFTR, this shifts from chapter to chapter (and at times within a single chapter as well), as we follow different characters in their journeys. So the performance tone of the narration needs to shift subtly to align with the main character of each chapter. And then there’s preserving the character voices and referencing back to them so there’s consistency whenever that character appears throughout the audiobook.

Before you do a recording session, do you have any rituals or exercises that you use to get ready?

I always read the chapter again before I start, even though I’ve usually already read it several times. I need to note where important plot points and shifts happen.

Depending on the time of day, I’ll warm up my voice so it doesn’t get tired during the recording session. And some tongue twisters and enunciation exercises, as well as looking up any words that I’m not 100% sure about how to pronounce or what they mean.

Oh, and a bottle of water and a cup of decaf Earl Grey tea with oat milk and 3 drops of stevia are always in the booth with me. Every time.

In Angel from the Rust, were there any characters you connected with?

Well, I really love what Felicity sees and believes in. I identify as somewhat between a Techna and a Natreo myself. 🙂 I even have a tattoo of a tree on my back!

And of course I connect a lot with Corvala. She’s a performer, she finds creative solutions to problems, she doesn’t let fear get in her way, but she’s also imperfect and struggles finding her power at times. And she sings loudly when she believes herself to be alone in the woods.

Which parts of the story were the most fun to record? Which were the most challenging?

Most fun was probably the combat and action sequences. I like following the journey of the characters as they’re ambushed and surprised by what others do or what they, themselves, are capable of. And in Chapter 5 that follows the trolls, I loved getting to consider the world from their point of view.

The most challenging was when there were a lot of characters in the same scene, like when the Capel brothers followed Corvala into the tunnel in Chapter 9. But that was also super fun because I loved creating all their voices based on their personalities. Maybe the most challenging also equals the most fun?

You live in Norwest Oregon where the story takes place. Did your knowledge of the area help in bringing the story to life?

I do! Definitely, I had some very specific landscapes and forests in mind while reading it. It was great that so much of the story takes place outside because Oregonians spend a LOT of time outdoors. It made me feel happy to envision that among all the big shifts that happen in the future, our connection with the land (especially with the Gorge) stays consistent. 

If you could narrate the audiobook for one of the old classics, which one would you like to do? Why that one?

Y’know, I actually have a radio play of A Christmas Carol in the works that I began back in 2019. I narrate, I got a bunch of my actor friends in NYC to record the parts, with my husband playing Scrooge. That’s super fun – and I swear I’ll finish it for Christmas 2023!

Other than that, it’s gotta be Atlas Shrugged. It would take 1 million years to record, but boy, do I love that story and Dagny Taggart is such a total BA, especially for that time period. She’s my literary heroine for sure!