30 Days of Thanks 2015: Day 22 — Narrator Lorelei King
Day 22 of 30 Days of Thanks, and today I want to say a heartfelt thank you to a narrator whose voice has made me laugh out loud in airport security lines, on long highway drives, and in the produce section of my grocery store more times than I can count: the magnificent Lorelei King.
Thank You, Lorelei King
Lorelei King has been one of the steadiest joys in my listening life for years now. Her voice is one of those rare instruments that can do everything: arch, wry, tender, scared, sharp, sincere, and deadpan funny, sometimes all in the same scene. She has the kind of comedic timing that makes me suspect she could read a phone book and find the funny line in it.
If you have not yet encountered her work, she has been a particularly beloved voice in series romance and mystery, including some long-running series where she has spent dozens and dozens of hours with characters and made each book feel fresh. The mark of a great series narrator is that you cannot imagine the books without her, and that is the case for me.
What I Am Specifically Thankful For
A few things I want to specifically name today.
Her Comedic Timing
Lorelei King knows how to land a joke. She does not punch the line. She lets it sit. The pause before a punchline is its own art form, and she has it mastered. So many narrators rush past the joke. She walks right up to it and plants her feet.
Her Emotional Range
The flip side of comedy is heart, and Lorelei has both. The grief scenes hit hard. The vulnerable confessions land. The moments of genuine fear in a thriller make my shoulders tense up. She is not a one-note voice.
Her Character Distinction
In long-running series, she keeps a deep cast clear and consistent. I always know who is talking. Always. That kind of consistency over many books is a craft skill that listeners rarely get to see acknowledged.
Her Long-Haul Reliability
Some narrators have a great single performance and then slide. Lorelei does not slide. Book after book, year after year, she shows up and delivers.
Why Narrators Deserve This Kind of Thanks
I have been thinking a lot during this 30 Days of Thanks series about how undersung audiobook narrators are. They are the actors who turn books into experiences. They are the company on long drives and lonely nights and tough chapters of our own lives. The good ones become friends we have never met. Lorelei King is one of mine.
So today, on Day 22, I want to say it plainly: thank you, Lorelei. For the laughs, the heart, the comfort of returning to your voice each time a series I love releases another installment. For making my walks longer because I do not want to take my earbuds out. For being one of the great working narrators of our time.
If you are reading this and you have never tried a Lorelei King performance, today is the day. Pull up her audiography, pick a series that catches your eye, and settle in. You will thank me. And then, I hope, you will thank her.
See you for Day 23.