Skull’s Vengeance follows a woman fulfilling a prophecy to become a Celtic warrior queen as she faces off with her half-brother in the fight of her life. What was the inspiration for the conflict in this installment of your series? 

Skull’s Vengeance continues the storyline and conflicts from the first three books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series that began with a revenge curse cast by Queen Rhan against her husband, King Amren. A druidess, Rhan foretells that their son, Marrock, and a daughter sired by a future queen will overthrow him. Amren marries next queen, Rhiannon, with whom he has three daughters, and banishes Marrock for assaulting his youngest daughter, Catrin. Marrock returns with the aid of the Romans and fulfills Rhan’s curse by slaying his father, his stepmother, and eldest half-sister. Catrin is enslaved by a Roman commander but is freed two years later by her secret Roman husband, Marcellus. 

At the start of Skull’s Vengeance, King Amren’s spirit charges Catrin to avenge his death and overthrow Marrock who now wields dark magic from the skulls of her slain family members. The inspiration for harnessing the mystical powers from skulls is based on Caesar’s account that Celts believe the soul is immortal and reincarnates into another entity after death. The head is considered the temple where the soul dwells. To possess an enemy’s head is to possess his soul—a symbol of divinity and power from the spiritual world. The story expands on this concept in the conflict between Catrin and Marrock. She must learn how to summon powers from souls trapped in severed skulls to overthrow her half-brother, a powerful sorcerer and shapeshifter.

What challenges, if any, do you face when finding a narrator to help bring your audiobook to life? 

Skull’s Vengeance posed a unique challenge because the story is told by Catrin’s point of view and various male characters, including Marcellus and Marrock. I felt the audiobook needed both male and female voices to capture the essence of each character.  I met the male narrator, Scott Ellis, at a workshop where I discussed with him the possibility of using two narrators for my audiobook. After listening to narrators who auditioned his organization, I selected Scott Ellis and Heidi Housh and arranged for production through the ACX exchange. Everything went smoothly after that.

What advice would you give authors considering the audiobook route with their work? 

Audiobooks offer an additional format for an author’s work that is growing in popularity. Nonetheless, authors need to consider whether the cost of producing an audiobook will yield sufficient royalties to justify the upfront costs. Factors to consider include the following:

• Narrator: The three options for narration are the author, AI-generated narration, or a professional narrator. If the author chooses to narrate, he/she needs access to audio production facilities. AI-generated narration may be cheaper than contracting a narrator, but the quality might not be as good. The upfront costs for obtaining a narrator varies from $100 to $400 per finished hour depending on experience. It is important that an author auditions narrators and selects one who captures the essence of the book.

• Distribution:  An author needs to choose whether to distribute exclusively with ACX or go wider (e.g. Findaway Voices by Spotify). Exclusive distribution through ACX offers a higher royalty rate of 40% on the retail price but is limited to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. ACX also has an exclusive option in which an author can share one-half their royalties to narrators in exchange for reduced or free up-front costs for production. For those who choose to distribute widely, ACX offers a non-exclusive 25% royalty on retail price. Findaway Voices offers 40 options for distribution and charges a flat fee of 20% for each sale minus retailer’s cut. For example, if an audiobook sells for $20, the retailer’s cut is $10, the Findaway fee is $2.00 ($10 x 20%), and the author’s royalty is $8.00.
  
• Flexibility in Pricing: ACX sets the price of audiobooks while authors set their prices at other sites, including libraries. Being able to set the price allows flexibility for promotion.
  
• Established Followers: Although wider distribution offers authors more options for distribution and pricing, keep in mind that most audiobooks are sold at Audible and Amazon. Unless you are a well-established author with a strong following, it might be a better option to distribute audiobooks exclusively through ACX at the start. After 90 days, an author can switch to non-exclusive ACX option for wider distribution.

Can fans look forward to a fifth volume in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series? Where will it take readers? 

 I am currently writing the fifth book, Dragon’s Anvil, in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. The book continues the story of Catrin and her Roman husband, Marcellus, as they prepare their forces to overthrow King Marrock, a sorcerer and dragon shapeshifter. On their quest, enemies from Rome and Britannia stand in their way. Family loyalties fray and warriors fall. Betrayed and torn from those she loves, Catrin journeys to the dark depths of the Otherworld and resurrects with newfound magic matching Marrock’s. But will the mystical power be enough to defeat Marrock and save her husband and son from doom. 

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