The Voice Behind the Book

A cool thing happened this past weekend: Cassandra Alling came to town! And if this name doesn't mean anything to you (yet), allow me to explain: Cassandra is the voice actor who read my novel Like A Flip Turn. It was so fun to meet her and talk about literature with her!

Cassandra had told me that she'd like to experience some of the places in Gettysburg that inspire my writing. We met up at Garryowen, which is not in Like A Flip Turn (or anything that's yet been published), but does make an appearance as Rory O'Sullivan's in Time Jumps (which should be ready to go this winter; you'll like it a lot). As is the correct thing to do, both Cassandra and her boyfriend got the fish 'n' chips and seemed to thoroughly enjoy them! Since I'd had that dish before, I decided to branch out and try something new: a fried oyster sandwich. It too was good.

Matt was our waiter and this was fun because 1) it's always fun to have Matt as a waiter, and 2) because when I entered the dining room, Cassandra's boyfriend told me that he was there to meet a famous author and Matt had predicted it was me. Isn't that funny? It made me feel special.

Cassandra and I talked about what makes us write/voice things and she demonstrated some accents. She can do so many different dialects--I find it quite impressive! And she can just switch up her accent on a dime!

After Garryowen, we walked down the street to the Ragged Edge and this was my favorite part of the visit because as I entered the coffee shop with Cassandra, I tried to imagine what it would be like to enter it as a reader who's experienced Bottomless Joe's on the page but not in real life. And do you know what? I nailed the description of Bottomless Joe's, if I do say so myself. Sure, the front door is a different color than the Ragged Edge's... but the chalkboard menu is there, and the cozy feel of a home-turned-coffee shop, and the back garden is magnificent! Plus, my Marketing Manager Mary joined us!

All in all, it was just a really cool experience to meet the person who brought my characters to life. Here's hoping that we might get to do it again someday with another book! 🤞🏼