This is the marketing sample (Audible, Spotify, etc) used by the author Brig. Gen. Adam Volant for his excellent and touching memoir No More Secrets: From Hurt Never Told to Transformational Truth, which I was fortunate enough to narrate on his behalf. 

Audiobook: No More Secrets (Excerpt)

***This is a maudlin little piece as well, a tear-jerker, even, but still sweet and romantic (once you get past the central theme of it) and it gave me opportunity to voice a few different voices, including varying ages and genders, and also gave me a spot to emote a bit, which I don't get to do as often as I'd like.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_April 2026 - The Long Years (Excerpt)

***This one was a fun one to read because there are so many rich and developed (and in such a small space to accomplish this!) characters to voice, it gives a voice actor a bit of room to spread her or his wings and give 'er a little in the delivery of certain lines. It also serves as a (humorous? sorta?) cautionary tale to guard against hubris and reminds us of how important it is to remember that we are NOT the center of the universe, no matter how much we would like it to be so.

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_August 1999 - The Earth Men (Full Chapter)

***This is RB's take on Sara Teasdale's beautiful 1918 poem of the same name, with a definite RB twist on it at the end, of course. It took me several takes to record it so that my voice didn't quaver near the end of it, and ESPECIALLY when the story tells us of what becomes of the family dog :-(  Many times I like to use the word poignant when discussing works of art or statements that are provocative and evokes melancholy at the same time, but this one...well, this one is just plain sad to me (but in a good, literary way, I promise).

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_August 2026 - There Will Come Soft Rains (Full Chapter)

***Ylla (which I pronounce "Ill-ah" because "Eye-lah" just seems...well, wrong, somehow) is just flat-out sad, I'll just say it from the outset, but again, I think it's well-worth your time, and I think I do it justice so please give it a listen. If nothing else, it is again thought-provoking and should be a reminder for everyone that words mean things, even if you don't intend them to, and it is best to be completely aware of your audience before sharing...intimate details with anyone. Just a word to the wise... 

On balance, The Martian Chronicles may be the best sci-fi/speculative fiction book ever written, and it is certainly responsible for starting me down this journey of voiceover work. In 2023, I decided to record an audiobook as a Christmas gift for my wife. I had never undertaken such a task but my wife has always told me she loved listening to my voice so I thought this would be a good "home-made gift" that she would appreciate, but what to pick as the subject of my project? Earlier in the year, we had discussed TMC and compared its various chapters as allegory to contemporaneous events that were occurring at that time and I posited that many of Mr. Bradbury's lessons he offered us (and warnings he issued as well) were still relevant today (maybe they always will be? Human nature seems pretty consistent to me from generation to generation). My wife said that it was all very interesting but that she had never read TMC and promised to do so at her earliest convenience so we could continue our discussion on more even footing. As Winter 2023 approached and she still hadn't read it as of then, and because of my staunch love of and belief in this tome and all of its beauty, grace, and wisdom that borders at times on the poetic rather than the silly kids stuff that comprised much of sci-fi at the time (it was first published in 1950 and dealt with evergreen sociological issues such as colonialism, racism/prejudice, patriotism, and the intersection of religion/faith with science, among others), narrating TMC for her gift seemed like a no-brainer. My wife reported loving it and still listens to it repeatedly to this day. I hope you'll like it, too.

Audiobook: TMC_February 1999 - Ylla

Vintage Seasons_Henry Kuttner & CL Moore_SciFi Radio_National Public Radio_1989

The Big Sleep (Full Cast)_Raymond Chandler_The Phillip Marlow Radio Dramas Collection_BBC Radio 4_2014

Courtesy_Clifford D. Simak_Dimension X_NBC Radio Network_1950

To the Future_Ray Bradbury_X-Minus-One_NBC Radio Network_1955

The Lost Race_Murray Leinster_Dimension X_NBC Radio Network_1950

Skulking Permit_Robert Sheckley_X Minus One_NBC Radio Network_1956

The Next Witness (Full Cast)_Rex Stout_CBC Radio Network_1982

The Blind Man (Full Cast)_Alfred Hitchcock_Unmade Movies_BBC Radio 4_2015

Light of Other Days_Bob Shaw_SciFi Radio_National Public Radio_1989

Born and raised in my beloved Wisconsin, I'm a former US Marine, retired police officer, loving dad and husband (and dog and cat guardian, too)--now budding (hopefully) soon-to-be-famous voiceover artist living here in beautiful Space City, Texas. Let's make some beautiful audio together!

Jim McFarlane

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