Thank You for Listening(35)



One more thing you should know: she was equally insistent about you. It had to be both of us or she didn’t want it done. Jason and I decided not to tell you that in the beginning. We didn’t want you asking for a bigger cut.?

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 7, 5:15 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

I would definitely have asked for a bigger cut.?

That’s actually very heartwarming. I appreciate you telling me. She was very good to me when I was first starting out. I loved doing her books, even if they were in a category I later pulled back from. I’m sad she’s gone. But we will do right by her!

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 7, 5:33 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Agreed.

Question: I Googled you, too (feel anything?), and 75 Romance novels but nothing in the last five years. Curious. Why did you stop and, more importantly, how can I?

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 7, 7:48 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Haha. Well, I started in Romance, used it as a training ground. Full disclosure: I never enjoyed the genre. Other than June and a few other authors who were wonderful writers, I just don’t like Romance. It’s not my . . . thing? Speed? Taste? I think I’m too cynical. For what it’s worth, I don’t do Faith-Based and Inspirational either.

Bah humbug.

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 8, 10:22 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

I get it, Scrooge. Trust me. I ONLY do Romance. And some days you’re just not in the mood for happily ever after.

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 8, 5:21 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Most days.

(But also I did some terribly written omegaverse/wolf erotica and that put me over the edge. Here lies Sarah Westholme, slain by her own prudery.) Also FYI, Sarah Westholme is a pseudonym, that’s why there are only 75 titles under that name. I record other books under my real name.

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 9, 7:13 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

At least Sarah Westholme sounds like an actual person. Brock McNight sounds like a porn star.

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 9, 7:15 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Well, congrats. Nailed it.

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 9, 7:24 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

I almost went with ROCK McNight but might as well be Stiff McStufferson at that point.

Anywaaaaaay, have you recorded the first episode yet? If so, can you send? I want to hear your tone/pacing before I start.

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 9, 7:35 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

It’s attached, Stiffy. Have a great weekend!

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 12, 2:15 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Hope your weekend was good.

Listened to the first episode. I have to tell you–maybe I shouldn’t tell you–no, I’m going to tell you: you’re ridiculously good. Shadow Walkers was a while ago and that impressed me. But this is exceptional.

You should read books out loud. Has anyone ever told you that? People might even pay you! Something to look into.

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 12, 9:26 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Thank you! That means a lot, coming from you.

I was a bit concerned I was out of practice. Any tips or tricks you have for narrating Romance these days would be welcomed.

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 13, 11:43 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

I wouldn’t worry about performance. People listen at 3X speed.

Kidding.

Kind of.

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 13, 11:47 AM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Sorry, that was glib. Of course you should care about performance.

One of us should. cymbal crash

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 14, 6:12 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Why do you only record Romance (if I may ask, obvs)?

From: Brock McNight

To: Westholme, Sarah

Date: January 14, 7:31 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

Money aside (LOLZ obviously it’s the money):

It’s a crash course in learning about women. A subject I have repeatedly flunked.

From: Westholme, Sarah

To: Brock McNight

Date: January 14, 7:38 PM

Subject: RE: CASANOVA, LLC–and hello!

That would be like me learning about men from narrating Sci-Fi. Ten pages on the inner-workings of the spaceship’s command center A.I.? That can’t be the extent of what goes on in their heads.

Julia Whelan's Books