Narrator Spotlight: Michael Kramer & Kate Reading

When I started thinking about the audiobook for Eden's Rise, I had what seemed like a crazy idea: could I hire not one, but two narrators?

The novel splits between two timelines. The main story follows Eden and his friends through the underground dwarven empire. The secondary timeline follows Aleena, set 80 years earlier. There are also Anya's point-of-view chapters woven through the Eden timeline. Having a man and a woman narrate those different threads felt like the natural way to give each voice its own identity.

It seemed like an idea too ambitious to attempt for a debut novel. But then I thought of Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

Why Michael and Kate

They first popped on my radar when listening to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Michael narrated the male chapters and Kate the female ones. Turns out, they've done the same for Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive and dozens of other fantasy novels. They are, quite simply, the gold standard for epic fantasy narration.

But what really drew me to them wasn't their resume. It was their range. I listened to The Eye of the World somewhere around the 4th draft of Eden's Rise which is when it dawned on me that narrating a book is not just reading the book. It's performing it.

Michael and Kate give each character a distinct voice, a distinct energy. Characters come alive in a way that makes you forget you're listening to a single narrator. That felt like a great fit for Eden's Rise. The novel has dwarves, humans, soldiers, scholars, emperors, dragons, and ancient beings. Each one needed to sound real in their own way, not just like a narrator putting on an accent.

So I sent them an inquiry and was very excited to learn that they were available. We agreed that Michael would narrate the main Eden timeline, while Kate would take the Aleena timeline and Anya's POV chapters in the Eden timeline. Their voices create a natural separation between the two threads without the listener needing any other signal.

Working Together

The process of working with Michael and Kate has been smooth and professional in every way. They have a clear workflow that they've refined over years, and it made everything easy from the start. Even though the process was organized and formal, it also felt warm and welcoming.

I'll be honest: as a debut author without the backing of a traditional publishing house, I often worry about not being taken seriously. I've had a few interactions with artists who prefer not to work with self-published authors, often because of past experiences that went poorly. I understand those concerns, but it can make things harder when you're starting out. That was not the case here. Michael and Kate were open, professional, and generous from the very first contact. I'm grateful for that, and it's something I won't forget.

A Different Kind of Collaboration

Working with narrators is different from working with illustrators. With an illustrator, I can share reference images, sketch layouts, point to details and say "more of this, less of that." With narrators, the collaboration is more about trust. You hand them the words and let them interpret the characters. Michael and Kate bring decades of experience in fantasy to that interpretation, and their instincts are excellent.

Listening to the final version was a fascinating experience. When you work with beta readers, they'll tell you what they like, what they don't. But you never really know what happens inside their head. And you often wonder whether they think of the characters the way you do.

When I listened to my own book the first time, it was like looking into Michael's and Kate's mind, seeing exactly how they understood the characters. Because that's how they performed them. And for some it's exactly as I thought of them, but others were interpreted quite differently.

It was a great reminder that you cannot control the reader's view and, as an author, you have to let go, have to accept that everyone brings something different to your book.

What excites me most with regards to this book is the idea that readers will be able to experience the story in two very different ways. The novel on the page. And the novel in their ears, brought to life by two voices who understand this genre better than almost anyone.

You can learn more about Michael's and Kate's work at katereadingaudiobooks.com.