Men in Horror: CHRIS BARNES

And now for something completely different.....Okay, I had to throw some Monty Python in there.....

Here is the voice of horror, the fabulous Chris Barnes. 

I am not a big fan of audible books because if my eyes are not engaged I tend to fall asleep. But I could listen to Chris Barnes all day. He even does voices! It is kinda cool when you listen to him with that rich accent. I could get used to that.

1.How did you get into narrating Horror?   

It really happened through sheer force of will.  In June 2012, I took a family holiday, loaded up a few freebie ebooks onto my Kindle app on my phone and began to read.  Suffice it to say, I came across an absolute gem of a novel, “The Cold Beneath” by Tonia Brown.  It begged and pleaded with me to bring it to life through audio.

I had to wait 5 more days - 5, excruciating days, to get behind my trusty Yeti, and do something about it.

I had already previously contacted the author about producing an earlier novel of hers, but had been put off. This time I was not going to be so easily deterred.  I wanted to thank the author for writing me a great story, the best way I knew how. Reviews, they say, are the best way to thank an author. Whilst this is undoubtedly true, there is, I think, no better way to thank an author than to read their work and bring their characters to life - to make them tangible.

I recorded the first chapter of the book, added some intro music and emailed the author the link to file.  The response I got was out of this world.  We agreed, rather quickly that this particular novel should get the Audio treatment it deserved and so I got to work.

2.   Have you narrated in any other genres?

I’ve dabbled in YA and Romance thus far.  Horror is what I’m best known for, although it’s nice to be able to change it up a little, more for my own sanity than anything, sometimes you can spend too long in the darkness and it starts to affect my sleep.

3.  What makes you uncomfortable?

The feeling of being watched. Especially during an early morning studio session.

4.  Does your family listen to your work?

No, none of them are into horror, or listening to me read it either.  My two youngest love to listen to the kids book I did called Doodeedoo about a little mouse who “makes” a friend after reading Frankenstein.

5.  Has anything you’ve narrated made you uneasy?

I’ve not come across anything yet that I would have refused to narrate – there is a line, but thankfully no one has asked me to cross it yet.

6.  Who would you say you sound like?

I’ve heard the name John Hannah mentioned a few times in the same breath as mine.  I’ll take that comparison gladly.

7.  Who are your favourite authors?

The ones that I work with for obvious reasons.  I can’t remember the last time I read for pure pleasure, but I get an innate joy from doing what I do, so it’s never a chore, either.

8.  Who influences you as a narrator?

The characters in the book influence me an awful lot more than anything else.  They want their stories told, and they generally make sure I do it their way.  A prime example of this is Connie from High Moor 2 : Moonstruck, I had finished recording the book, but there was a voice in my head saying “redo Connies dialogue, do it this way instead”, so I did, all 45-50 lines of Dialogue, redone.

9. Do you remember what your first horror book was that you read?

Think it was a Shaun Hutson one, can’t remember the name of it, but it was about an amulet and finished up in an abandoned cinema I think….

10.  How old were you?

About 16

11.  Is there any subject you will not touch as an narrator?

If there is one, we haven’t found it yet!

12.  What was the best advice you were given as a narrator?

Slow down.

13.  If you had to start all over again, what would you do different?

I’d have started this years ago!!

14.  How many books do you read a year?

Around about a book every 1-2 weeks at the moment. 

15.  Do you narrate every day?

Although it varies depending on factors like the day job and being able to record, I do try to record everyday if I can.

Please provide Amazon, Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, Blog Links

Facebook Page :

 http://www.facebook.com/chrisbarnesnarrator

Blog

thedynamicram.blogspot.com

Audible.com Page :

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=sr_sort_salesrank?searchSize=20&advsearchKeywords=chris+barnes&searchRank=salesrank&searchRankSelect=salesrank

Twitter : @ChrisBarnesVA