Zara Ramm is a professional British actress who hails from Gloucester. She is now the chosen voice for all Jodi’s audio books (except the Frogmorton Farm series).
You receive a manuscript - how do you set about preparing your narration?
I will read the manuscript with a pen and paper by my side, marking up the script on my ipad as I go with any helpful notes reminding me of character decisions I make as I go along.
(I believe some readers use different colours for different characters but I tend to just make a note of the choice I've made ....low, slight London....gruff chocolate....high friendly...etc. These obviously wouldn't mean anything to anyone else but hopefully I'll remember what I meant!)
How do you allocate an accent if the author doesn't specifically say?
If the Author hasn't allocated an accent for a character I'll just make a decision fairly swiftly based on how they talk and whether I've used that accent already in the book! I won't necessarily give an accent, depends on the feel of the book and how many characters there are.
What's the longest period you can record for without becoming tired or hoarse?
I usually record from 9am to 5pm with a small break in the morning and afternoon and a short lunch break ( When I have a quick walk up and down the lane if I'm recording at home)
I try not to record for longer than 2 hours without getting up and having a good stretch even if I don't have a break .... you have to keep incredibly still when recording as the microphone picks up even the tiniest noise..
What happens if you make a mistake? Can you edit?
If I am recording in my home studio and I make a mistake, I press stop, find the mistake on the time line (!) delete it and carry on, If I'm recording in a studio with a producer, I stop, go back to the beginning of the sentence, carry on reading and let the editor deal with the technical side.
What's the most enjoyable part of the process?
The most enjoyable part of the process? Reading a good yarn and putting on silly voices.
Do you have a favourite character?
Favourite character....someone Russian.
How involved do you get in the story? Do you cry at the sad bits?
I may or may not have a box of tissues on my desk.
Is there any accent you dislike performing?
Liverpool and Birmingham accents are a bit of a push for me to sustain.... just saying Jodi!!
What did you do before taking up narrating books?
I trained as an actor and about 15 years ago got into recording Audio Books
Are you surprised at how popular audio books have become?
I am surprised and delighted at how popular Audio Books have become... please keep listening people!
Have you ever taken a real dislike to a character?
Sometimes I record really grisly murder mystery books... there have been characters in those that I would not want to meet down a dark alley ... or anywhere for that matter...
How many accents can you do?
Quite a few pretty well , some not so well and lots really badly
What's next for you?
Next up after the Jodi Taylor I'm currently recording is a grim Scandi Noir
Thank you so much for your performances! I have found so many wonderful stories by simply searching for any you read. I especially love all the Jodi Taylor stories and I'm currently listening to the charity shop detective agency and the Cornish mysteries 😁
I can’t thank you enough for recording the Charity Shop Detective Agency books. I am enjoying them so much. You’re like a best friend. There was a voice on an advert the other day on the radio that sounded like one of the voices you do and I thought “hello, Zara”, and smiled.