My Chat with Saskia Maarleveld

Hello and welcome!

Today I have a lady whose voice is a marvel I discovered and enjoyed immensely while listening to her narrations of Claire Delacroix‘s stories.

Please welcome Saskia Maarleveld!

Do you have a nickname?
My family and good friends call me Sask.

What is one word best describes you?
That is a tough one. I guess energetic, in both my personal life and my work. I don’t drink coffee, so a natural energy definitely keeps me going most days.

What makes you laugh out loud?
My sisters!

What is your favourite smell? What does it remind you of?
My mother’s perfume. Since she lives so far away, in New Zealand, sometimes she will mail me something with it sprayed on it so I have a little reminder of her!

Favourite place to spend time in.
I love the outdoors, so anywhere that I can sit on a porch and look out onto mountains and greenery is perfect for me.

Is there a genre that you refuse to read?
I don’t have much time to read for pleasure anymore, since I do it so much for work! But that means I am pretty picky in what I do read, which tends to be mystery/thrillers and fantasy, with some non fiction sprinkled in!

Audiobooks! What started them?
I listened to audiobooks a lot as a child. I am the eldest of 5 girls, and we listened in the car to keep us all quiet. Some of my favorites were G​reek Myths n​arrated by Andrew Sachs, the old BBC version of the Beatrix Potter stories and a wonderful collection of Celtic Fairy Tales. I suppose this subconsciously gave me an appreciation and ear for the craft. I also have always loved reading and I was lucky that both parents read to me from a young age. My accent work has really helped me get my foot in the door at a lot of places. One day I was able to audition for a New Zealand novel being produced by Recorded Books in Manhattan. I got that project and went from there!

Is there a genre that you would not narrate?
Not yet…but who knows…

If you could choose another career what would it be?
Probably a detective or a surgeon.

Does your work convey a specific emotion or message?
I just like to make sure to be a clear storyteller through my narration and portrayal of characters. If I can do that then I’m happy and have done my job.

What is next in your narrating work?
I have a bunch of projects to finish up in the next month before I head home for the holidays. Lots of YA, fantasy and romance to keep me busy!

I am looking forward to listen to more in the future. Wishing you much success. Thank you for spending a little time in my corner of the blogging world.

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Thanks for joining me today and I hope you enjoyed the chat.

Next on my TBL is The Highlander’s Curse, book 2 in the True Love Brides series by Claire Delacroix.

at BookCon 2015

Here are links to find out more and keep up to date with Ms. Maarleveld and her work which is quite extensive and various, over 110 audiobooks.

Audible • Twitter • website • SoundCloud

You can also check out the interview with Deborah Cooke where she talks more in depth about her work.

To start you on your listening journey, Ms. Maarleveld is giving away an audiobook  of the “Blood Fire” , book 1 in the Blood Destiny series by Helen Harper.

Mack might be, to all intents and purposes, a normal looking human, but she lives with a pack of shapeshifters in Cornwall in rural England after being dumped there by her mother when she was just a young child. She desperately wants to be accepted by her surrogate family, not least because a lot of them hate her for merely being human, but for some reason her blood just won’t allow the transformation to occur. With a terrible temper to match her fiery red hair, Mack is extraordinarily useful in a fight, and when her pack alpha is brutally and abruptly murdered, she swears vengeance. Unfortunately, his murder also draws in the Brethren—the leaders of the shapeshifter world—who will slaughter everyone in Mack’s small rural pack if they discover her true identity. Unfortunately Corrigan, the green-eyed muscle-bound Lord Alpha of the Brethren, doesn’t let much slip by him…

Winner will be chosen by Sexy Mr. Random after 3pm EST on Monday, November 30, 2015. GOOD LUCK!

Until next time read a book, listen to a book and don’t forget to show your love by leaving a review!