Before entering the voice acting profession, I studied a lot. I took plenty of notes and afterwards, when I saw how helpful my notes were, I organized my notes into a book titled, "Ten No Nonsense Steps to Becoming an Audiobook Recording Artist." The book is available on Amazon and Kindle.

One chapter in the book is devoted to taking care of the voice and foods a voice actor should avoid before beginning a recording session. I wrote an article about foods to avoid and published it with the hope that I could help new voice actors avoid common mistakes in the recording studio. The article is titled "Voice Artists Don't Eat Polish Sausage - Foods to Avoid Before Going Into the Recording Studio."

In the voice recording studio, time is money. And, when something goes awry with your voice, sometimes, the only thing to do is wait until the problem clears up. Avoiding foods that are hot and spicy or foods that dry out the voice or produce phlegm should be avoided. Some examples are pepper sauce, bananas, peaches and pears. Foods that produce gas are beans and cucumbers. Also consider beverages such as wine, which dries out the tongue and throat and milk that produces phlegm. My article gives more examples and more information. Read more...

The following video provides some additional tips that help you take care of your voice. It was created for teachers, but after watching this video, I discovered that it applies to voice actors as well. The narrator explains how to sit and stand to produce better quality sounds from your voice. There are also some helpful tips such as how to stay hydrated and how to properly clear and protect your throat.

2015 was a year of definition. There are many opportunities available to voice actors and in 2015 I had the joy of exploring and developing my voice acting talent to great levels.

With all the fun I had doing commercials, reading for animation, and novels, it is difficult to choose just one area in which to focus my talents. Still, that is what I have decided to do in the year 2016. I'm still deciding, but I have narrowed it down to two genres. I'm going to audition for more commercials and narrate instruction manuals. I like commercials for the royalty aspect and I like instruction manuals because I get to learn something in the process.

What are your goals for 2016? I'd love to hear what other voice actors are doing in 2016.

Thank you for visiting. And, I wish you much success in 2016.

Honestly, it might be too much to write yet another post about how my publisher is publishing another audiobook narrated and produced by me. And, it could be boring to read that James Nugent is the author of yet another book about being a Catholic. But… well… while you might be yawning, I’m jumping up and down with pure joy. It’s another feather in my cap and it’s another statement that says, “Marlene, you have what it takes to be a narrator and producer in the audiobook world.” It’s also the promise of another paycheck.

I’ll keep this short, because I’m working on another project of which I’ll probably be bragging about next month.

The title of this most recent audiobook is “Catholic, Politically Incorrect and Moral.” Notice the title and realize that this is a story about being Catholic, while at the same time having beliefs that our society would consider politically incorrect. Naturally, being Catholic it is a given that you would be considered moral. But, nothing guarantees that you will be politically correct. When Mr. Nugent commissioned me to narrate this audiobook, he requested that I read it very slowly. Read slowly, this audiobook forces the listener to take in every single word. It is thought provoking and I can assure you that if you listen to this audiobook, you WILL walk away with a profound level of thinking about what it is like to be Catholic with morals that don’t necessarily fit in with many people of the entire world.

Narrating and editing this audiobook for publication was a joy for me. I learned a lot about what it is like to be a politically incorrect Catholic person. I highly recommend this audiobook for anyone wanting to learn more about this religion or what it is like to be firm in your commitment to any religion, no matter which religion you practice.

The audiobook is available right now on Audible Books and soon to be released on Amazon and iTunes. Download your copy of Catholic, Politically Incorrect and Moral from Audible Books today!

Copyright Marlene Bertrand 2014
All rights reserved.