by Charles S. King
Records of The Hightower Massacre is queer horror dystopian fiction that would best be enjoyed by readers who have speculated about the dark future in the US for LGBTQ+ people. With elements of the fantastical grounded by an all too real fear, Records is a glimpse into the nightmare we’re all facing as legislation rolls backward and reduces our rights for protection against discrimination based on our identities and orientations. There’s an excellent contrast between the two protagonists, Aubrey and Ash, the former’s consistent dark humor and the latter’s naivety, which slowly gets suffocated as they fight for a better life in a society that’s fighting to break them. Their journey from the confines of a conversion facility to gaining closure is a tragedy that I found as intriguing as I did haunting.
The book hosts a diverse cast of voices fitting for its place within LGBTQ+ literature, and the audiobook grants an edge to the emotional punches while I read. In the villains, you can listen for the weight of Samson Cash’s command, Marco’s spitting drawls, and the jovial frat boy and toxic Karen energy of the Stout couple. A compliment I enjoyed most from the authors is that Dan Forsythe, whom I viewed as the demonic incarnation of the dystopia’s oppressive, parasitic system, sounds like a used car salesman. Among the unfortunate residents of the Hightower course correction facility, you can enjoy Helen’s wry inflection, Bill’s gruff world-weary air, and Hu’u’s ominous one-liners. I’ll let you make up your minds about what you see (or hear) in Aubrey and Ash!
Until I produced the audiobook, I didn’t realize how many details I had lost while reading the novella. So much more movement goes into the dialogue, and the pacing feels more dynamic. The primal, backed-into-a-corner fear evoked by the facility becomes fully rendered.
Narrating Records of The Hightower Massacre was an exercise of love and pigheadedness. My journey narrating this audiobook contained its own challenges, though much less perilous. My errors as I learned how to narrate tended to be fraught with silliness, not horror.
In the same way my brain pictures a strawberry whenever I say “tomato,” I am perpetually stuck in dumb confusion limbo when anyone spells letters aloud. And numbers. I’m also nearly incapable of following verbal directions because I don’t “hear” them. Undiagnosed auditory processing issues aside, I dislike doing impressions. I had also never listened to an audiobook in my life, which led to a lot more embarrassment upon deciding this would be a fun new job. I love writing and reading, after all. I thought, how hard could it be?
Not impossible. But the editing. Lords above, was it a test of my patience. Five minutes of audio you listen to can take an hour to produce if I’m lucky, being a total greenhorn. I’m already getting sidetracked so I’m not going to get into the specifics.
As possibly the least qualified person ever to attempt narration, I started doing auditions. Ordered some better recording equipment and an editing program since I quickly learned that pushing around the little sound waves on my phone is a complete and utter pain.
Scrolling on ACX–the audiobook website for connecting writers with narrators–I saw the trans colors of Andrew and Maeva’s book, skimmed it in a half delirious insomniac afternoon, and added it to my “later to-do” pile. Near incoherent, my brain only picked on some politic-looking acronyms–my arch nemeses. Can’t record those if I can’t hear the letters straight!
In the meantime, I got used to the new programming for sound editing, fended off a scammer weirdo trying to poach my audio samples on ACX, reported him, added another audition–another rejection–and rediscovered my “later” pile I’d already forgotten about.
I read the summary for Records. It looked great! I read the script and knew I had to get the role. I put my audition together. Not sounding desperate at all, I placed my little blurb of “Pick me I’m super gay!” next to my submission, along with a note that I was willing to re-audition if necessary. When I’d asked, a former author was kind enough in a prior audition after rejecting it to give me some good advice on starting with voicing what you know.
Unsurprisingly, I had to re-audition. Surprisingly, I got the role!
Next was only the simple matter of feminine vocal training. I’ve never known how to sound like a girl, and the best resources I could find for training were a bunch of transwomen on YouTube. Countless tutorials later, I hit record and did my darndest not to sound like a man impersonating a woman.
I started listening to Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary on Audible while making chainmail in my free time. It’s brilliant! Helped me get better at pacing while doing recording and edits.
Some challenges I had recording for this: I couldn’t for the life of me pronounce “sojourner.” Couldn’t hear the stress difference. I practiced…for so long. I also kept getting gently scolded by Maeva for adding bad southern accents to their characters–admittedly, an easy fix. It was just too fun. I made Samson Cash sound like a clown for one statement then had to redo it. Totally ruined his menacing of Hightower’s sojourners. Last is the character, Marco. Real nasty fellow. For me to produce the narration, it’s really truly acting. Keep in mind I’ve never done theater, let alone impressions. To voice him, I had to feel mean. I cuss a lot, but it’s different when it’s targeted aggression. Doing that, even in the privacy of the cabin where I record, made me feel indescribably icky.
The character I most enjoyed voicing was Samon Cash. There’s just something about his blustering that adds to his repulsiveness. Even if it was difficult to get myself to be so loud. My favorite written character is Helen–shoutout to Andrew for writing her in! It was easy voicing Ash and Aubrey since their personalities, if you cross them, are disturbingly close to mine.
I’m incredibly thankful to Maeva and Andrew for allowing me to produce an audiobook of Records of The Hightower Massacre. Its production was a first for all of us, and they were an immense help in spot-checking errors.
Please check out Maeva and Andrew’s other work! I’ll be getting my writing published soon under the name C. R. Bride if you wish to support me there, and should I complete more narrations they will continue to be as Charles S. King.
NOTE: From Friday, July 19. 2024 to Sunday, July 21, 2024, the e-book of Records of the Hightower Massacre will be free on Amazon to cover all time zones in relation to the Dark Mode Books “Stuff Your Kindle” Event. I don’t know about you, but when I listen to a book, I like to have the text handy, too. Why not pick up both? – Andrew
About the Author
I’ve always been drawn to the eerie and unusual. I write psychological horror, fantasy, queer, romance, and have a flair for the gaming genre. I’m twenty-one and a recent graduate from Lewis & Clark College, OR, with a Bachelor’s in English. Shortly upon graduating early so I could move out of my apartment to undergo major surgery, I returned home to recover without a sure-fire game plan. Working as narrator for Records of the Hightower Massacre was an exciting way to get back on my feet while learning about another side of publishing. I’ve only published at my college and high school magazines between commission paintings (Andrew and Maeva graciously let me modify their book cover), though I’ve outlined several series and standalones that I will be publishing within the next couple of years.
I hope to return to voice work eventually. To pay the bills I’ve been bartending at the family business and picking up odd jobs here and there, such as babysitting, groundskeeping, and office work. I’ve been learning Japanese and completing TEFL certification so I can teach English abroad. My present goals are to work in Japan, get my first novel published, collect more tattoos, and adopt a Main Coon.
Find me under the pseudonym C.R. Bride using the links provided. I rarely post, so don’t be alarmed by my absence!
https://www.instagram.com/c.r._bride?igsh=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
https://www.instagram.com/kulthum0?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr