Behind the Voice: Bringing Moons and Shadows to Life

Good morning, my Moonlighters.

The audiobook didn’t just happen. It was crafted.

Every line, every pause, every breath was shaped with intention. During this process, I learned that when authors receive their audio back, many will spot-check it. Not this author. I listened to every single line with one finger on the page, following the exact word being spoken. So when I say this happened one step at a time, I mean that literally. For me, it was never about simply making sure the book could be heard. It had to feel right. It had to land in the gut, hold you along the way, and carry the same weight, restraint, and quiet intensity that lives on the page.

Moons and Shadows doesn’t move quickly. I know that. I’ll probably get slack for it at some point, but this story is what it is. It’s okay if it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Alice in Wonderland was my favorite book growing up, and I know plenty of people who couldn’t stand it when they were younger, only to pick it up again as adults and feel it differently. Maybe Moons and Shadows is like that. Maybe it’s the kind of story you talk through with a friend, or unpack in a book club, the way Rayanna works through things with Runa. Because healing isn’t a straight line. It waits for the moment to rise. Sometimes it hits all at once, and sometimes it finds you in the quiet of the night. Like this book, it lingers. It holds. It asks you to stay in moments that might otherwise be rushed.

And that meant the voices had to do the same. There were moments where we slowed a line down, not for clarity, but for impact. Moments where silence mattered more than the words themselves. Moments where the emotion had to sit just beneath the surface instead of spilling over it.

And then there were moments that caught even me off guard. One scene in particular—it wasn’t louder, and it wasn’t overdone. It was controlled. Chapter 2 was the first bout of understanding for me in this. Tension held just long enough that when the line finally landed, it didn’t hit like a sound. It hit like a realization. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just narration. This was the story being brought to life in a completely different way.

There’s something about hearing a character hesitate, hearing the breath before the words, hearing the shift you might have only imagined while reading. It changes how you connect to them. It makes it personal.

So when you listen, know this: what you’re hearing wasn’t rushed. It was built carefully, intentionally, piece by piece. And there’s a moment coming—one I’ve been waiting for you to experience this way.

Wait until you hear that scene right at the end in Chapter 36. Then it comes again, even more so, in Chapter 39. 

Have faith, my friends. We are just getting started.