Guilty Indulgence: Audiobook blog tour #Beneath @MaureenAMiller @AnAudiobookworm

Author: Maureen A. Miller

Narrator: Brandy Skelly

Length: 8 hours and 12 minutes

Series: Beneath, Book 1

Publisher: Maureen A. Miller

Released: Aug. 17, 2018

Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult

From USA Today best-selling author Maureen A. Miller comes this young adult adventure that will plunge you deep into the Atlantic Ocean.

It was Stella Gullaksen's final break before starting her freshman year at college. Joining her best friend Jill and Jill's family aboard the Starkissed, Stella wakes up to a violent storm that capsizes the boat over a hundred miles off the New Jersey shore.

As the waves pull her under, Stella knows that she is going to die. Instead, an unusual current drags her deep into the underwater canyons of the Atlantic Ocean. Powerless against the raging waters, she is suddenly sucked into a ventilated cave. One by one, Jill and her family also emerge in the sunken cavern. With only a faulty diving flashlight to keep oblivion at bay, Stella and her best friend's brother Colin search the cave in hope of finding a way back to the surface. What they discover, however, is that they are not alone. There are other survivors in this subterranean grotto - survivors spanning decades of maritime disasters.

Will this discovery prove salvation, or have they all been condemned to the same fate? A grim finale at the bottom of the sea? On an alliance forged by friendship and attraction, Stella and Colin battle to escape the danger that lies beneath.

USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller worked in the software industry for fifteen years. She crawled around plant floors in a hard hat and safety glasses hooking up computers to behemoth manufacturing machines. The job required extensive travel. The best form of escapism during those lengthy airport layovers became writing.

Maureen's first novel, WIDOW'S TALE, earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. After that she became hooked to the genre. In fact, she was so hooked she is the founder of the JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE website.

Recently, Maureen branched out into the Young Adult Science Fiction market with the popular BEYOND Series. To her it was still Romantic Suspense...just on another planet!

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I studied theatre in college, and even participated in storytelling festivals when I was growing up. I'm a practicing attorney, and love to participate in ACX projects to keep my creative side happy and fulfilled. I can perform fiction and non-fiction, in neutral-American or Southern-American accents.

I live in North Carolina with my husband, toddler, and pound puppy. I have a soft spot for romance and I love a good laugh!

Big warning - for those afraid of the big wide ocean, things that go bump in the dark and wondering just what lies in the darkest depths leagues below the surface, this story may have you on edge for a bit. For the rest, who are slightly claustrophobic and fear dark and enclosed spaces, the rest of the book may be a rough ride. But for those who tough it out, Beneath may prove to be a challenge worth the effort as Maureen Miller weaves a tale of a family and friend who are capsized in an unsuspecting storm and miraculously survive a slingshot current taking them on a wormhole journey through the depths of the ocean into a land beneath the sea.

This is not a fairy tale. There are no mermaids and magic dust. Just survivors and lots of secrets. Stella, Jill, Colin and their parents wind up in the odd cobbled together Underworld with its fresh water from the River Styx and the inhabitant who take them under their wings. There is little trust and survival is at stake. Only Stella and Colin seem to be dedicated to the prospect of keeping track of time and finding a way back to the surface however. Full of intrigue and the first blushes of romance, Beneath strikes a good balance of action and well crafted story with great characters and solid dialogue

Brandy Skelly does a solid job of narrating with varied tone and inflection to keep the characters unique and interesting. She also brings great cadence and pace to the story which could have a tendency to flag or roll into melodrama (as it is about teens trapped in a cavern miles below the ocean's surface). I found it to be very engaging and definitely enjoyed the performance overall.

I give Beneath four chocolate dipped Strawberries and a can of flat coke (you'll have to read to get that joke). I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Maureen A. Miller. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A with Author Maureen A. Miller

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- No. If I went into thinking about an audiobook I might have written something resembling a screenplay versus a novel. But a strong narrator has the magic to take any tale and captivate the reader’s ears.
How did you select your narrator?
- I had several auditions, most with seasoned narrators. Yet, listening through the auditions one voice stood out. Brandy Skelly. The main character, Stella, is young and is thrown into a surreal and dangerous situation. Brandy Skelly delivered the drama and incredulity in that initial audition, captivating me.
How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- In this whole big country of ours, what are the odds of learning that your narrator lives in the next town? We discussed pronunciations and dialect. For the most part, all characters were from the New York/New Jersey area. Brandy nailed the Long Island accent!
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- My characters always borrow upon people from my past, as remote as the connection my be. Stella Gullaksen, the main character was named after a Swedish girl I went to middle school with.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- I’m an early morning writer. I can conquer the universe between 6am and 10am. After that my conquests taper off, until sometime around 9pm I am reduced to structured sentences that sound like “Run Spot run.”
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
- Audiobooks are the only way I can manage a long drive. If I have to travel far for a book signing or conference, I devour audiobooks along the way. And if the book is not finished by the time I get there, I will circle around a block ten or twenty times until it is complete!
Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
- The opening sequence. Brandy captures the desperation of the scene perfectly.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- When I was a kid our local radio station used to read a scary story every Wednesday night long after my bedtime. I would sneak the radio under my covers and stick the speaker up against my ear so that my parents wouldn’t hear. I loved hearing those Wednesday night stories! Was that cheating, or was I just enjoying being told a tale?
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
- I started the sequel! Although this book has a certain closure, there is room for more to be told.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
- With a standalone you can pour your heart and soul into one story and not have to worry about leaving anything leftover for the next. There is as much satisfaction for the author to tie up strings as there is for the reader. However, a series lets an author hold on to characters that are near and dear to her heart.