The Voice of SJM’s Worlds: Elizabeth Evans!

Summary

I'll Read What She's Reading – The Voice of SJM’s Worlds: Elizabeth Evans!

Podcast Date: September 10, 2025
Host(s): Reggie, Mikayla, Kennedy
Guest: Elizabeth Evans, audiobook narrator for Sarah J. Maas (SJM) series

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the craft, challenges, and joys of audiobook narration with Elizabeth Evans, celebrated for giving voice to the iconic worlds of Sarah J. Maas. The hosts and Elizabeth cover her serendipitous entry into narration, behind-the-scenes on recording massive fantasy novels, character work, fan interactions, and even her experience with viral BookTok moments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Elizabeth’s Unexpected Path to Audiobook Narration

• Elizabeth stumbled into narration while at NYU, attending an Audible career workshop on a whim ([02:55]).
  • “I totally fell into it by accident. I was at NYU and Audible came and did this kind of career day... At the workshop, they let everybody read two minutes from a book. And after, like a week after that, they called and brought me into audition. And then a week after that, they started me on my first book. And then the third book I ever got was Throne of Glass.” — Elizabeth Evans ([02:55])
• Her unplanned journey started with brief middle-grade titles before landing the Throne of Glass series ([05:25]).

2. The Process: Recording Major Fantasy Works

• Books are scheduled and recorded based on word count, usually aiming for about three finished hours per day; SJM’s books can take 11–13 days, while shorter ones (like Throne of Glass) take 3–4 days ([06:13]).
• It’s an intense, “locked in the booth” process, reading straight through with breaks only for lunch and the restroom ([07:19]).
• Maintaining vocal health and stamina is critical—hydration is key, as is strategic pacing around difficult scenes and character volume ([07:35]).
  • “It’s not so much about doing a great job on day one. It's like getting to day 10... without losing a lot of strain.” — Elizabeth Evans ([07:35])

3. Performance Craft: Characterization, Pacing, and Emotional Resonance

• Preparation involves reading the entire book beforehand and making detailed notes—tracking emotional arcs, character details, and logistics like accents or voices ([16:23], [43:02]).
• No director: For SJM works, it’s just her and an engineer; all character and pronunciation choices are closely coordinated with Sarah J. Maas herself, often including voice clips ([17:13]).
• She visualizes scenes like a film to channel authentic reactions and maintains continuity across series, even years apart ([28:16], [46:30]).
• Emotional engagement is real—crying, especially during Silver Flames, mirrors her personal experiences ([34:26]).
  • “All of Nesta's stuff on the hike... I didn't say any of that out loud at all until the day in the booth because I knew it was going to break me apart.” — Elizabeth Evans ([33:20])

4. The Technical Side: Consistency, Note-Taking, and Industry Myths

• Managing multiple characters in group scenes is the greatest challenge, especially maintaining consistency across sessions ([19:05]).
• Notes focus on logistics and emotional beats per session, not actual marks on the script, replayed for each chapter ([43:02]).
• Common misconception: she does not make up pronunciations—pronunciations are always checked with the author ([30:38]).
  • “The number one thing is the idea that I'm making up the pronunciations... I've run everything. I've, like, crossed my T's and dotted my I's...” — Elizabeth Evans ([30:38])
• Audiobook recording is NOT about doing multiple takes per line; it’s mostly live, and errors are only re-recorded if needed ([30:38]).

5. The Fan Experience & Social Media Impact

• The fandom's explosive growth brings both joy and pressure—especially with community expectations for voices and characterizations ([23:40], [24:56]).
• She blocks negative forums and doesn’t engage with TikTok to protect her creative space, but friends keep her updated on trends and viral moments ([27:19], [26:05]).
  • “The people that are like, I listen to you at 3.5 [speed]. I'm like, how... That’s the only one where I’m like, I don’t...” — Elizabeth Evans ([12:13])
• She finds it meaningful that edits and fan art circulate with her narration as the soundtrack ([27:44]).

6. On Audiobook Industry & Project Variety

• Fantasy and “romantasy” are her most frequent, joyful, but also most labor-intensive genres given the world-building, names, and character juggling ([51:39]).
• She enjoys occasional detours into nonfiction or contemporary fiction for a creative "vacation" ([51:39]).
• She’s not involved in the forthcoming dramatized Throne of Glass adaptation due to union status and logistics ([29:14]).

7. Advice for Aspiring Narrators

• Learn the “rules” by listening to established narrators, but ultimately find your own unique style and trust your instincts ([47:39]).
  • “The biggest piece... is finding your signature style and your own voice. I know that I do things in a very specific way because I feel like I’ve locked into something that feels very true to me.” — Elizabeth Evans ([47:39])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I can do it for about five minutes, and then I just can't take it anymore. I get sick of myself.” — Elizabeth Evans, on listening to her own audiobooks ([10:36])
• “If you’ve listened to all the books, it’s like a year—not, probably not a year, but it’s so long...” — Elizabeth Evans, on how much time fans spend with her voice ([02:03])
• “With Sarah’s books, there’s so much to map out... Someone will come back from book two. So I need to know so many weeks ahead to be like, yeah, I’ve got to pull that audio... so I can match the voice.” ([17:13])
• “I visualise it like a movie... That's also why I'm so obsessed with the rhythm and the pacing of things. Because if you're watching an action sequence... there is that build and drama.” ([28:16])
• “I'm also now... aware of the global [audience]: if there's an accent, I know I can't do. I'm not going to try to put it into one of those books because I know there will be people in that part of the world being like, what is... you know.” ([22:49])
• “It’s why I can’t... Any time someone’s like, do you have a favorite character? Do you have a favorite book? It’s genuinely like... how could you choose a favorite child?” — Elizabeth Evans ([41:42])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:55] — How Elizabeth began narrating audiobooks
• [05:25] — First books and early career steps
• [06:13] — The mechanics of recording day-to-day
• [07:35] — Prepping physically and vocally for marathon sessions
• [09:17] — Pacing for listeners/speed options
• [14:09] — Discovering the performance side of narration (“It’s acting, not just reading”)
• [16:23] — Prep: always reads the whole book before recording
• [17:13] — Working with SJM, tracking old character voices
• [19:05] — Difficulty of balancing multiple voices in ensemble scenes
• [23:40] — Fan pressure and balancing expectations
• [28:16] — Visualization while narrating
• [29:14] — Not participating in the upcoming dramatized Throne of Glass
• [30:38] — Myths about pronunciation & process
• [33:20] — Letting herself "break" emotionally on powerful scenes
• [43:02] — How she takes and uses notes to stay organized
• [47:39] — Industry advice for aspiring narrators
• [51:39] — Enjoyment of variety in genres and types of narration

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Listener Takeaways

• Narration is a craft involving both technical precision and emotional investment.
• Audiobook voices you love are crafted with deep attention to consistency, character, and author intent—especially for beloved fantasy series.
• The growth of fandoms and social media can introduce both joy and pressure for narrators, but can also create magical synergy through fan art and viral audio clips.
• Preparation varies: detailed note-taking, prepping with authors, maintaining vocal health, and emotional readiness are all part of the job.
• Be yourself: Whether in performance or pursuing a narration career, staying true to your own voice makes for the most lasting impact.

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Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a casual audiobook listener or obsessive SJM fan, this episode gives a deep, authentic look behind the curtain of epic fantasy narration. Elizabeth Evans’ voice has been the soundscape for a generation of readers—and after this episode, it’s clear how much heart, artistry, and craft she brings to every recording.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Reggie]

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[Elizabeth Evans]

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[Reggie]

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[Elizabeth Evans]

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[Reggie]

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[Elizabeth Evans]

Only murders and the bill dates. He's at 5. The hit Hulu Original is back. The night Lester died, he was talking with this mobster. Was he killed in a hit? We need to go face to face with the mob. Get ready for a season. Buongiorno, signore. This is how I die. You can't refuse.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You're gonna save the day like you always do by being smart, sharp, and almost always by mistake.

[Elizabeth Evans]

The Hulu Original series, only Murders in The Building premieres September 9th. Streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundle subscribers terms apply. New episodes Tuesdays.

[Reggie]

All right, everybody, welcome back to. I'll read what she's reading. I'm Reggie.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I'm Mikayla. And I'm Kennedy.

[Reggie]

And today we are here with an absolute icon, Elizabeth Evans. If you haven't heard of her, this is. Then you need to go listen to any SJM audiobook right now because she's a legend and we are feeling so honored to have her here. So welcome to the podcast.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

[Reggie]

This is. I was just telling them before we started the interview. I'm on my reread of Throne of Glass right now, listening. And I was just started Kingdom of Ash the other day. So this feels so, like, surreal because I've spent so many hours with you over the past couple weeks in my head phones. So to have you here, I'm like, this is like the coolest moment ever. So, yeah, lots of time that you've spent recording. Lots of times you spent listening.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, I. I hear that all the time from people where I don't think about how many minutes and hours it is all added up. But if you've listened to all the books, it's like a year. Not, probably not a year, but it's like. So it's so long that people sometimes have like, emotional reactions in a way that it's. It's crazy. It's so cool.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Like, I feel like I'm listening to songs Elena, right now. Like, hi. I'm a little starstruck, but, you know.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I'm like, am I listening to the book right now?

[Reggie]

Yeah. Oh, my God, it is so cool.

[Elizabeth Evans]

It is funny. I try not to. Sometimes I can, like, feel myself slipping into audiobook voice. Try not to. Like on the phone and stuff.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Well, so just to like, get started, tell us a little bit about, like, your journey to becoming an audiobook narrator. Like, is that something you've always wanted to do? And how did that happen?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, I totally fell into it by accident. I was at NYU and Audible came and did this kind of career day type of workshop that I just signed up for without really thinking about it. And then I. At the workshop, they let everybody read two minutes from a book. And after, like a week after that, they called and brought me into audition. And then a week after that, they started me on my first book. And then the third book I ever got was Throne of Glass. So it was very happenstance, not planned. Never anything I thought I would be able to do or kind of even knew about it. Just it like all really happened out of nowhere.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

When I was in undergrad, it was crazy.

[Reggie]

Wow. So those two minutes of reading that just kind of changed everything.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah. I mean, I think, honestly, you know, to be objective about it, I think that I sounded just like someone who had just moved to la. So they were like, oh, this person could start next week. So I think it was like a right place, right time. And then I read. The two minutes I read was out of Eat Pray Love. So, like, Elizabeth Gilbert. Yeah, like, that's what got me the job.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

But. Yeah.

[Reggie]

So what was your audition like? Like, what is an audiobook narration? Like, I'm so curious what that is.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah. I don't know if it's the same anymore, but back then, which is like we're like 10 years ago, maybe more than that now, they gave you three different genres where it'd be like a one page from. I remember doing like a sci fi, like a nonfiction. Very dry Sci fi or not sci fi, science business kind of. Oh, my God, my brain. It was like a nonfiction science thing about like the big Bang.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Okay, okay.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And then there was like a passage from a Lincoln biography. And then the third one was like kind of I forget what it's from, but like contemporary, fun, girly, Sex in the city. Feeling like it was a conversation between two women about like a cheating guy or something like that. But it was. Those were the three, the spread. And I think it's mostly so they can kind of place you as a character person or a nonfiction person. And, yeah, it was wild. Oh, my gosh. I haven't thought about that in so long.

[Reggie]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So what was your first book you ever narrated?

[Elizabeth Evans]

So the first two that I did were very short. They were only a couple hours. And it was this vet volunteers series. So it was for middle. Like, kind of middle schooler age.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And then Throne of Glass came along, and it was still a couple years after they'd been published in print. And so I did Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight right back to back. And that was the third and fourth book I ever did, and I didn't know what I was doing at all. And then the recordings that are kind of around now are re records from 2021, when I knew more of what I was doing. So that was kind of lucky. Yeah.

[Reggie]

Oh.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So how long does it take you to record? Let's just start with, like, Throne of Glass. Like, start to finish. Like, what is the time look like?

[Elizabeth Evans]

It depends on. So instead of going by pages, they go by word count. Because sometimes, like, a page is very dense or it's like, you know, if a chapter starts, you've already missed half a page that's blank. But they usually. I'm trying to think. So I did Silver Flames back in January, and usually I'll do, like, three final hours a day or I'll try to. And sometimes with Sarah's books, I do a little less per day because it's such a marathon because they're so long. So Silver Flames was, like, somewhere in the neighborhood of, like, 12 days, maybe 11, maybe 13.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Wow. Oh, my gosh.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And we. We would do five, and then the weekend off and then just keep going to. The book is done. Throne of Glass is way shorter. So I think when I did that rerecord, I think it was like three or four days.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I feel like that's still really fast.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Really fast. I mean, it's like you. You just start reading from the beginning, and you stop if you make a mistake. So it's like you're just. You're reading all day except for a lunch break. And, like, anytime you go pee.

[Reggie]

Yeah, but it's.

[Elizabeth Evans]

You literally. It's like if you locked yourself in a closet at 9am and read until 4 or 5pm, like, that's a day in an audiobook.

[Reggie]

Crazy. So does your voice get tired? Like do you do anything before you start recording to kind of like warm up?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah. Especially with Sarah's books. I'm like a little nuts about it just because they are such a marathon of like, it's not so much about doing a great job on day one. It's like getting to day 10 or that sort of thing without losing a lot of strain. And especially because there's a lot of male characters. So for those books, I would. I like get up pretty early. I've had like so much water the day before. And I'll do like a vocal steam and then a straw exercise and then like a whole bunch of kind of vocal things like that. And then I'm really careful about what I eat and drink during those books because it's mostly you don't want to get really dehydrated, so you don't want to have like, which, you know, towards the end of like silver Flames that I just did, I was like having coffee again because I needed it. But it's mostly you want to be super, super hydrated and you want to warm up and cool down and then you just want to pace yourself. So I would, I'd do less per day if I know. Okay. This section of Wings and ruin has like 20 characters in a chapter, so I know that that's going to be like a bigger day and I want to end it there so I can start the next day with like more description rather than characters. So I kind of try to work it out that way. Yeah, but. And no drinking. No. Like, no alcohol.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Elizabeth Evans]

You know, that's like just while I'm recording the books.

[Reggie]

And then after this, you party.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Okay. So speaking of pacing, I've always wondered this. You're our first audio narrator on the, on the podcast, so this is like so exciting. I have so many questions, but I'm curious with pacing, like, do you have to speak a certain pace for it to be like considered one time speed? You know what I mean?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, I don't. I get questions sometimes. It's like, do they slow you down? And I've had moments of being like, I'll hear myself back and I'll. I'll think, oh, wow, that does feel slower. Or I can tell. Sometimes I'm like, have they sped me up or was I like really excited? But there is a little bit of a thing, I think kind of across the board with narrators. Some people might disagree, but if you're only taking in information from an audio perspective, sometimes if I'm talking way too fast, you Might miss information. So that's a piece of it. And then really, for me, it's that I've been reading so long without stopping that sometimes you just get into, like, a groove that might be a little slower than your speaking pace. Or it's that my brain is reading about three sentences ahead of what my. Yeah. Ahead of what my mouth is saying. So I'm. I'm reading, like, three lines ahead so that I make less mistakes, and I know where the sentence is going ahead of time.

[Reggie]

Talents.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And that slows you down a little. But then I'll get. I'll get stuff where I'm aware that if people are like, oh, it's too slow, then I'll try to speed up again. And then it's such a. It's such a thing that if I'm thinking about all that stuff, then I know that I'm not focused on what's happening in the scene and in the book. So I just try to get back to that place.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So do you go back and listen to your audiobooks?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Just. Just spots. Never a full. I can. I can do it for about five minutes, and then I just can't take it anymore. I get sick of myself. But the I. So, you know, it's lovely that people will listen to, like 35 hours of me, but for me, I can just listen to little bits, and it's mostly being like, how did that come out? Or if there's something I'm very nervous about, or I know it's an iconic line, I'll kind of go back that way. But on the pacing thing, I'm so glad that people can speed me up or, like, mostly speed me up or slow me down. Some people, I think, get a little. They don't like that. I love that people can be like, oh, she's too slow. I'm gonna make her faster. And as long as I'm speaking very clearly, I think you can put me into, like, Mickey Mouse range and you'll still get what's happening.

[Reggie]

Yeah. I've been listening to you on two times speed, sometimes 1.75.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So when I've listened back to myself for those five minutes when I'm like, oh, I'll put myself at like 1, 2, or 1.5. So I get it.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

You know?

[Reggie]

Well, and it's not even like you talking too slow. It's just like. I don't know, there's just something. I just feel like there's a sweet pot spot with me at like 1.75 for almost like Every audiobook I listen to.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Well, I also think it's talent to be able to listen to your voice at all speeds, because I feel like sometimes speeding up some narrators, it can be a little higher pitch and you're like, okay, I gotta slow it down. But I feel like anyone can listen to at any speed and it will still sound fantastic.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Lots of talent.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Wow. I'll take it. The people that. The people that are like, I listen to you at 3.5. I'm like, how. That's the only one where I'm getting. And it's like that level that I'm like, I don't. Good for you. That's great.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, I couldn't. Oh, yeah. I couldn't do that either. No, I'm.

[Elizabeth Evans]

You're.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You're explaining your process, and I just can't fathom the multitasking that you can do.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Like, looking ahead. That's incredible. Did it take practice?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yes. I think it's sort of. It's not conscious practice. It's just the. The hours that you put in book to book and then just kind of knowing. I think there's just like, sort of the craft of knowing the arc of a chapter, knowing the arc of a day, knowing the arc of an entire book where if, you know, you want to start. Just, like, thinking off the top of my head, if you have a character that is going to have a big emotional journey, maybe you want to start them in a place where they sound really depressed or melancholy, and then they're going to find this big joy. You know, you sort of think about things in a macro, global scale. And then there's. I've. On my end, I've broken out the book into what I estimate the days are going to be. And so I'll look at. Especially with Sarah's books, I'll look at it like, okay, there's a battle that's like four chapters. I don't want to stop between those chapters because I want all of the pacing, and especially if I know I'm building to a big. Like, they jump off a cliff. Like, I know I'm going there. You sort of want to ramp up into those things. And so I'll sort of map it out by an emotional arc like that, where I'll go, okay, I want to get through these four chapters without stopping. Then I'll go pee. Then I'll come back. Then we'll do this emotional scene. And then I want to save this bit to start tomorrow. So I'm really fresh. So I'll stop at this chapter, pick up knowing I'm matching that kind of emotional place. It's a lot of that stuff.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Was there a point in your career because you kind of said that you didn't even know this wasn't your plan always. Was there a certain book or a moment where you realized that audiobook narrating is so much more than just reading? It's definitely more of acting.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah. I don't know that there was a specific moment as much as there's a feeling of. It's a really, really wonderful feeling to be in the booth and to get lost in the book and to sort of forget about everything. And you're just in the flow of the character. And the characters mean so much to me that I'm like, if they're crying, I'm crying. But I'm not manufacturing that. It's because I care so much about them and I'm so invested. So when I started to feel that, I think. But there isn't. I can't really pinpoint a specific moment. I know that when I first read Throne of Glass, I thought, like, oh, all audiobooks are like this. And that's not the case. Sarah's books are very special, and they're a very special world and sort of a language I feel like I speak. Speak. So those books are always just a joy to go into. And that just feels like it's. The storytelling is different because it's not just a job. I'm a fan as well, so that's kind of the best.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Well, you can definitely tell when you listen to the work you've done for Sarah's books.

[Reggie]

It's so much hard.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So good.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You really bring the characters alive.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I had to record some promo stuff for recorded books, and it was so. It was, like, so difficult for me because I love that no one can see me and I don't have to think about my face. And then the second there's a camera there, I'm like, oh, my God, I look so crazy. Or I'm, like, doing all this weird stuff.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

No, I think people love to see that. And, you know, the readers are also sobbing alongside you, feeling all the same emotions.

[Reggie]

Yeah, that was me in my laundry room yesterday. Yeah. Yeah. I just think it's so fascinating, and it's. I've always known that, like, audiobook narrators have so much talent, but to hear kind of everything, you know, that goes into it is crazy. So do you read the book before you record, or you kind of. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Then that's a lot of hours.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yes. So I've never. I've never done a single book that I haven't read all the way through before I start recording.

[Reggie]

Gotcha.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I know there are some people that don't do things that way. Well, it's also like, if you have a director who has read the book and has prepared you, they can, like, tell you as you're going along. I've. With all of Sarah's books, it's always been me and an engineer. There's never been a director. But specifically with her books, there's so much to map out because there's so many characters or you're picking up, you know, it's Throne of Glasses. That series took so many years that it's sort of. Someone will come back from book two. So I need to know so many weeks ahead to be like, yeah, I've got to pull that audio. I've got to ask them to send me a clip of, like, chapter eight. This, like, these pages from, like, five years ago so I can match the voice.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Elizabeth Evans]

With her books, I get them quite early for a lot of those reasons. And then I run everything by her before. Like, we always have a conversation where I. When I'm reading, I'll make a list of every. Every single word that I'm like, how would she want me to say this? And then I'll ask her. And I have, like, recordings of her over the years of just her saying the words so that I know that I'm matching it exactly.

[Reggie]

So cool.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Kind of funny to see, like, how many years in a row, but with all of that and just the scheduling, those books I get. I get pretty early compared to other books, which is nice.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

That's so fun for you.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I enjoy so much the secrets.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I'm sure.

[Reggie]

I'm sure. Like, maybe I need to get into audiobook narrating, which I'd be so terrible at. But, you know, anything for. Just kidding. But that's so special for you.

[Elizabeth Evans]

It is fun because they. Especially now they. They come with so much, like, password protection and, like, very unbreakable code type of stuff. And that's. That makes me feel cool and then nervous about any spoilers or anything. Yeah, it is really fun. Especially, like, with Crescent City knowing that it was gonna cross over early and then, like, seeing the reaction and people, like, losing their minds was so fun and so satisfying. And I remember reading or, like, I knew, but when I was reading those pages, I was texting her, like, people are going to lose their Minds, they're gonna die. So it was just so fun to watch all of that. And just. It's just such a privilege. Was great.

[Reggie]

Yeah. So special for you. Well, you were just talking about how there are so many characters, especially like in Sarah's books. Is there a certain character that has was hardest or the most difficult to voice?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, it's not so much a specific character. It's the balancing of all of them.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So characters. Scenes that have more characters in them are just by design, more difficult. Like when there's eight people in a scene, that is just a more difficult thing to do. And if you're four or five days in and I feel like I've lost a little bit of the basiness range that I can. Like if I've lost some of that and then, you know, or it's being in your head about is this person coming out exactly the way they came out three days ago, or have I started to change the voice a little bit? And trying to keep all of that consistent and match, that's kind of the most difficult thing. And then there is this weird thing that happens in the booth where you can overdo things, and then you're sort of undercutting the scene. But if I don't do enough, you can't tell who's talking. And that is always. You're kind of dialing things up and down the whole time. And it feels completely different inside your head than the final product. So it's always navigating. All of that is the most difficult. And then it's like, if I have made a choice that I'm like, this is going to be so cool. And then it's like here, and it's not sustainable, or it's like I do something that is vocally damaging that I cannot replicate in five days.

[Reggie]

Yeah, that.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Another switchback. Wait, this isn't the top. Where's the summit? Why am I doing this? At REI Call Co Op, we believe.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

There are places within ourselves.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Almost there. You got this. That we find only outside. Wow. This is worth it.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

We have the gear, inspiration, and advice to help you get there. Rei co op, visit rei.com.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So that's how sometimes I've done that. Um, and. But yeah, it's mostly the balancing of characters.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

How do you find each character's voice? Is that a hard process? Do you just kind of say different lines and see what feels right?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Well, the first thing is that whatever is on the page that she's put in there is like the guiding principle. And so there's a lot about, like, a character where they're from, their education level, their sort of general view of the world, if they're surlier, if they're more seductive, like, all of those things. And then especially when it's a new series or like me taking over for Acotar for those books, I will send her clips just of the main characters to be like, do you like this? Is this good? I've had moments in the past of being like, what if all the witches are Russian? And she's like, I don't think we should do that. And then later I'll be like, she was so right. Because I didn't know that I would be going into years and years and years of that choice, you know, those. Those sorts of things. But I always start with. With what's on the page and then I run it by her. And anytime there's anything that's like an accent or sort of a. A sort of special choice, I'll. I'll at least text or email to be like, are you cool with this? Do you want me to send a sample? And we've got a good shorthand and a great amount of trust at this point. But I always look at it like it's her material, and I want to honor that material, and I don't want to put anything on it that is me or ego or trying to sort of do something that will undercut the story. You know, it's always about what can I do to bring the story to life? But it's. It's all come out of her head, so I'm trying to honor that.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I love that.

[Reggie]

Yeah, that's how it should be, you know?

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, I was just going to say I'm also now, when I started doing these books, like, there wasn't the sort of. The fandom is so huge now, and I'm aware of that in a way that I wasn't for all of Throne of Glass. And now I'm a lot more aware of the global, like, if there's an accent, I know I can't do. I'm not going to try to put it into one of those books because I know there will be people in that part of the world being like, what is. You know.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So I'm just more aware of those things than I maybe was, you know, seven years ago. And I was like, oh, I'm going to do this.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You know, does that ever feel. I mean, since the fandom is so big, do you ever feel a sense of pressure or are you Just kind of at this point, do you just. Guys. Do you guys have such good, like, trust that you don't feel that pressure?

[Elizabeth Evans]

I. I don't feel it with her. I feel. And I really hadn't until I was doing the Acotar this round, and I. It was just a sort of new level of the. The conversation inside my own head of trying to, like, accept those things because I'm never going to be able to get rid of them from my brain. But just go, like, you have been rehired for a reason. I love these books. I love these characters. I'm just going to do the best job that I can do with them. I'm not going to do everything perfectly. If I hear stuff back, I may be like, why did I do that? You know? But I'm. I'm just gonna do the best that I can do. And you can't please everybody.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And at least at this point, it's like, if I'm not your cup of tea, one, you have choices for Acotar, which is nice. But also at this point, if. If you're not into what I do, like, you know, what you're signing up for, like, getting into the beginning of the book. So that feels like a little bit of a comfort. And then this round was the first time the Spotify video came out when I was in the middle of recording maybe Wings and Ruin, and it was the first time that I was getting DMS and messages from people asking me to do certain things with certain characters.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, that.

[Elizabeth Evans]

That felt, like, very exciting of, like, oh, my gosh, people are excited for this, or they're excited for my interpretation, but equally difficult to be like, okay, just get it, you know, out of my brain and, like, delete everything off of my phone. Reddit is blocked on all my devices forever.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

As it should be.

[Elizabeth Evans]

As it should be. Because there's no good that can come. So part of it is just the. As much as I can just focus on the story and the characters and doing that justice, like, that's my job. And, you know, people will love it if they love it. And then you can't please everybody if they're like, how dare you?

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You know, that's really true. And honestly, I mean, I'm sure I can speak for all three of us when I say that you're one of our favorite female audiobook narrators. And also, I'm. Hopefully it was helpful. When I remember when it was announced that you were redoing Acotar, we were all so excited, and I Just felt like everyone in the community was so excited because you are so good at your job. So hopefully that helped take a little bit of the pressure off because, I mean, in our eyes, you can't do any wrong.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So thank you. I also have to say, most of the time, I have all of the. I really don't love being on social media just for it getting into my brain while I'm in the booth, but I have a lot of that off my phone. And then like four or five of my friends that are also huge Sarah fans and were sort of before I was really in the conversation, they will give me a sort of general. Like, the conversation is positive, like, don't freak out. Or they'll sort of.

[Reggie]

Or they'll be like, sweet.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Hey, this, like, clip is going viral on Tick Tock. You should know, like one of the. The. About the orchestra. There's a clip.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Political moments will go viral and so I'll have people send me that just to be kind of aware. But yeah, it's. It's so funny because it does feel like pressure because I love the books and I want to do a good job for the fans. And then there's also a piece of me that's like. But I just love these books so much and I would rather be able to do them with all of that stuff combined than not do them at all, you know? Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

The amount of TikTok audios, that trend with your voice. Yeah. Is astronomical.

[Reggie]

Seriously, it's a lot.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I'm not on TikTok at all because I just don't. I don't want to run into it. It's great that it's out there, but I don't want it in my head.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I totally see why you wouldn't. But just know that you're. You're quite popular and I. On social media and there's always some edit with your voice and then some epic music, you know, with the different fan fan art and it's always so fantastic. And then I cried. Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So the ones I've seen where the art is really amazing, that like, that blows my mind where I'm like this. If I've contributed in any way to somebody creating something like that, that is so cool. But think about. And just the things that people can make. It's amazing.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, it's incredible. Well, kind of along that lines. When you're narrating a book, do you have like a visual of like scene by scene or are you too much multitasking going on at one time?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, that's the like if I'm. If I'm in a really good place where I've gotten out of my own head. I'm not listening to how I sound. That's sort of the barometer where if I've gotten lost in it, it's just playing out like a movie like that. That is how it feels when I'm. And it's sort of. It's still my voice saying the character lines. But what's inside my head is like the way it would be if you'd watch a movie. And I'm just. I don't know how to say it. It's sort of. Hopefully I'm suggesting enough that fills like your ear will fill in the rest of the character voice that I can't actually physically reproduce. But I do see it like that. It's like you'd be watching something. And I think that's also why I'm so obsessed with the rhythm and the pacing of things. Because if you're watching an action sequence or a rescue sequence, like there is that build and that drama. But yeah, it's. I do see it like that.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

There's a dramatized throne of Glass coming out. Are you a part of it or no?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No. I. And I started getting a lot of questions. So at first I thought I'm. I wouldn't expect them to ask me because it is one. I'm older now. Like I was Aylin's age when I started and I'm not anymore. But so I kind of wouldn't expect it. And then also with a new version there is that thing of like wanting it to be their own thing. And then I found out that actually. And I. You know, if I'm. If I'm not 100. Right. Don't come for me. Internet but graphic audio I was told works with non union actors.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Evans]

In SAG aftra. Even if they wanted to, I don't know that I could be a part of it.

[Reggie]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Evans]

They're working with non union actors. If I'm wrong, that is just what I have heard and quickly googled. Okay. To be like, is that the case? But I've never been approached by anyone from there. I've never met anyone there. I wish them all the best. It's such a great series to get to do and I'm also glad that it'll. It'll be out there for the fans.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah, I'm really excited for that. But you will be missed. It will be different hearing someone else be her voice.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

They all. They all exist as is already.

[Reggie]

So I think what would you say is, like, a common misconception that people might have about audiobook narration?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Oh, my gosh, I'm so glad you asked. The number one thing is the idea that I'm making up the pronunciations of how I think they should be or if people will be like, oh, this is a festival. From a certain place, it should be pronounced like this. Like, I've run everything. I've, like, crossed my T's and dotted my eyes where. That's the number one thing that I'm like, you think I'm sitting around deciding, like, I'm gonna say this, or I'm gonna. It's gonna be Nehemia without checking with what was in her brain. So that. And then I think the idea that you. You're rehearsing over and over, and then they pick a take. Like, it really is like, that's the way it came out on the day. And if we've stopped, it's because I've made a mistake or the fire alarm has gone off or I've burped or something like that. Yeah, you're. You know, I have rehearsed on my own in my apartment. And then when I get into the booth, it's just. It's you. You start and you keep going, and you're not sort of perfecting a line of dialogue. It's the way it's coming out in the moment. So probably that.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So before you hop into the booth, you've obviously physically read the book, as you've already said, and then you rehearse it prior. So do you basically read every single book? You narrate three times or.

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, no, not. Not even close. And it's. At this point, it's just. I'll sort of do the beginning bits of dialogue to get the voices down, or. I don't really do this as much anymore, but I used to, especially when I started, I would just record myself and then listen back to Be like, can you tell who's talking when? Do I need to do more? Do I need to do less? Do I need to raise my pitch, lower my pitch? So that kind of stuff. But I'll really just. It's the biggest emotional arc moments of the book. Sometimes I also will go, okay, by chapter 30, they're in my body and in my voice. And I don't need to rehearse the scene because I know where it's going. I know where I'm building to, and I want it to come out in the spontaneous way. For the first time of what it would feel like to say those things for the first time. Yeah, so sometimes there's that, but mostly it's like making sure that I'll get certain moments more towards the first third of the book. But never. And usually not any of the narration, just the literal dialogue and sort of the way that you would do the scene as if you were cast as the actor in all the parts where it's just the dialogue so you feel the scene of it.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah, that totally makes sense.

[Reggie]

That makes it just feel more magical to me. Like the fact that you said that some of the lines you want to be able to like when you're recording, say them for the first time. I don't know why. That just seems like the coolest thing ever to me.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, I knew in. And I don't mean to talk so much about Silver Flames, it's just the one I did most recently that I can talk about. But all of Nesta's stuff on the hike when she has that big breakthrough. I didn't say any of that out loud at all until the day in the booth because I knew it was going to break me apart. And because my relationship with my own dad, who passed when I was younger, was so similar to her relationship. And so a lot of the things that she's going through, I knew were gonna personally hit me in a way that I wanted to say them one time in the moment having built up to them. And it's one of the first times. Sometimes we'd have to re record a lot because when I cry, I'm very snotty. It changes the audio and we have to go back and just make it cleaner because it's like. It's just so gross. But that we left in. I think, except maybe one line. We left in almost all of it as I cried a lot during that. And we just for the first time left it in because of the fan response. Honestly, I want to like.

[Reggie]

So I need to go right now.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I don't have Silver Flames by you on audiobook, but now I need it just because of that.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Well, I hope. I also don't mean to. Now they're. They're out, so I feel a little better. But I also don't. I don't mean for anyone to go in with like an expectation.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, yeah, of course.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, but. Yeah, but just that I knew reading it, I was like, this is gonna really hit me. Or there are certain lines and some of the iconic lines from Throne of Glass and things like that that mean a lot to me that I just know somewhere deep in my soul where I just need to say them in the booth and that's they'll come out because I mean them and then I don't need to worry about it, you know?

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

It's so beautiful.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I love it. So after re recording all of the Acotar, would you say. Because I feel like you maybe have already answered this, would you say the Acotar series was the hardest to narrate versus Throne of Glass? Or do you have one that was harder?

[Elizabeth Evans]

They just all have different challenges. It's sort of like going to different countries on the same continent or something. I actually don't know if that makes any sense, but they're just different. They're hard in different ways for different reasons. I remember when we started Crescent City, I sent a lot of samples to Sarah about like, okay, this is a different vibe. And you know, so that felt like a challenge there. Throne of Glass, a lot of it was just the technical challenge where I was doing those books for so many years, but they would be six months to a year apart. And then like Kingdom of Ash, for example, I had just started grad school.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh my gosh.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I got the book early. I talked to Sarah about like, I usually would record during fall towards, you know, kind of the holidays. And I was like, I'll be in school then. So I got the book early and I recorded her second draft up until like the last couple of days of it. And then I came in on Sunday for like a month and was having to pick up like a full week had passed and I was trying to match from the week before.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh my gosh.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And I was recording off her second draft. So then when her final draft came in, I. I went in for like a year, full, full eight hour session. And we recorded the edits and they cut like all her cuts. And then this was so cool. And I would never put this on ebay unless I was in a very. I would never put it on ebay. I have her handwritten edits where it was like, insert this page or this section here. So the technical element of recording Kingdom of Ash was so crazy. And I've never had a process like that again. And it was all to try to get it in by the deadline so the print and the audio would come out on the same day. So they're hard for different reasons. And then with Acotar, it was the. The kind of mind game of it. And I was so excited to get to enter that world and do those characters in a more full way than just I'd known about in Crescent City. But they're. They're just different reasons why they're. They're all hard. Yeah, well.

[Reggie]

And is it. Correct me if I'm wrong, Acotar is first person and then Crescent City and throwing a glass or third person. Right. Was that more of like. Was that kind of a challenge to. I mean, I'm assuming, like from other things you've narrated, you've probably done first person before, but with the tone of like Sarah's books to go from third person to first person.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I. Yes, it was just a different vibe. I also have felt so comfy in third person that when we kind of got back, when we get to the section of that series where there are the third person pieces of it and then we get to Silver Flames, like, that sort of felt like coming home in a way because I was so used to it. And then the first person, which was so fun to do in just a different challenge is. I think the hardest part of it is you're sustaining the emotion of it all the way through. Instead of the narrator who's sort of like the. Like in a tennis match, the umpire. My brain won't work, but, you know, Commentator. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're sort of on the outside, maybe sometimes with an opinion, but you're doing that. And then the characters are doing like the tennis of the scene. And with first person, especially with these books, navigating, making sure that it's clear when it's an internal thought, when it's external dialogue, and then when there's mind speak. So you're trying to give it a bit of a hush to say, this is dialogue. So it's different than, you know, I walked to the door and got a glass of water or whatever. But you're trying to make it dialogue, but not fully out loud dialogue, so that it's just its own challenge. Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I'm just so impressed with the technicalities it takes and that you're able to do it. I'm sure it's not easy, but you make it seem easy and flawless. I'm just. I'm in awe right now.

[Elizabeth Evans]

That's the biggest compliment. Thank you so much.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I. I guess maybe you've already answered this too, but would you say there's a character you would say you're most like or you relate to the most?

[Elizabeth Evans]

I think they've. They've just all found me at different stages of my life in different ways. Like, I definitely. Aylin. I grew up with. And that will always be the case where I felt like I was not only growing up as a person and as a woman, but as a narrator through those. That series. And so that will always be that special relationship. But then I came to Bryce in Crescent City when I was grieving and I was also kind of in like a party girl element, the way that she sort of begins. And so they. They've just all sort of found me. And then the funny thing about Feyre is that I got married between book one and book two in my real life. So funny. But I did book one and then I got married and then I came back two weeks later and I started Mist and Fury with all the wedding stuff. And it was so satisfying. They've all kind of found me in. In different life stages in a really awesome way that just has turned out like that.

[Reggie]

That's incredible. Yeah, it's kind of like because how long ago was it that you started Throne of. Did Throne of Glass?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Really bad years. But it would have been whenever the. The books came out in print. I think we were two, maybe, maybe three years after.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

It's like 2014 or 2015 somewhere.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it's been like a decade. So they're like. You're kind of growing up with these characters and they're like growing with. That's so cool and so special.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, it's just. It's funny the way that. That has sort of organically worked out. Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

So you did Throne of Glass and then Crescent City and then Acotar or.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Is that the correct order?

[Elizabeth Evans]

That is the correct. I think, yes. And I think, yeah, it would have been that I finished and started Crescent City six months later. Maybe more than that.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Okay.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I think that's true. I have to act up. So sorry, I can't go back and.

[Reggie]

I don't have one.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I'm sorry, I just threw that. That question on you. Do you have a favorite. Is there one certain book that's stood out for you as a narrator, like narrating it?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No. And I really don't mean for that to be a cop out answer. It's that I truly love them all and they've hit me at different times in my life for different reasons. So just like just the example of that nest a bit in Silver Flames. There's been many, many moments like that throughout all of the books where I know something's gonna hit me in a certain way and I really look forward to it. But I. It's why I can't. Anytime someone's like, do you have a favorite character? Do you have a favorite book? It's. It's genuinely like, you know, me thinking about, like, how could you choose, like, a favorite child? You know, I don't have children yet, but. But it feels like that where I just genuinely. I love them all.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

No, that's not a cop. That's not a cop out answer. People ask us what our favorite book is, and then we clam up and we're like, how do we decide? Because different books hit you differently. That's not a cop out answer at all.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, that's so true.

[Reggie]

So I'm very curious what your notes look like when you're recording. Like, are you highlighting things? Like, so you know, like, when a character's voice is coming up? Because in my brain, I'm just like, how does she know that? I mean, I know you're reading, like, three lines ahead, so maybe you're getting that way, but I know sometimes it won't specifically say, like, Lorcan said. You know what I mean? Like, I'm just so curious what your notes look like, or is it just very clean? Here's the book.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, I make. There's no notes in the manuscript. Back when I started, I used to highlight or that kind of thing when I was kind of learning. And it just takes too much time, to be honest. And now, because I'm. My eyes are reading ahead of what I'm saying, and I've prepped the chapters and, like, I know what's coming in the arc of it, but what my notes look like to myself. I make them when I'm reading the book for the first time. So I'll have her book on one side of the screen and then my notes on the other side. And it's every. It'll be like, part one, whatever it is, chapter one, this page to this page. And then every character that's introduced that speaks, it'll be the page they come in, their name, everything that describes their physical look, their voice, any other things. And then things I'm kind of tracking of, like, is this person a spy? Question mark. Or things that, like, are then probably later in the book. And then I now kind of do it for myself also by location, where it's like I have a shorthand when I get into the booth, where it's like, chapter one, we're in this cave, and then we go to this castle, and it's so and so's pov. And then we go back to this place and we pick up with this. So I have a bit of a shorthand, just so, like, while I'm peeing in, like, the minute that that happens, I can be like, okay, the next chapter is this, this, this. Okay, that's got it. I remember that. And then I'll give myself a little phrase too, where it'll be like, chapter four. She learns the secret about this. So I just sort of have that memory. And then it'll be like, big emotional scene here. There's a big fight here. There's a big. You know, I kind of do it that way. And then if anything changes about a character of, you know, this isn't any really thing in. In these books, but, like, if a spell is cast on someone or if they're disguised as someone else, like, I have all those notes to myself. And then all the pronunciations are in there, too, where it's like, when we get to this place, it's said like this. And, like, literally, in Throne of Glass, I had, like, the word otter, like, the animal, and then lun. Otter. Lun or otter or whoever. I would have that. Yeah. Just in the booth. Because sometimes if it's a word that I would just want to make sure that I'm staying consistent. I just have a little reminder every, you know, 10 chapters, but that's what my notes look like. And then when I go into the booth and it's just the script on an iPad, then I just have my phone with my own notes on it. And every between chapters or on, like, a quick break, I'll just check it. And then in the morning, this is the other kind of crazy thing. So the night before, I'll reread the 70 to 100 pages that will probably cover the next day. 100 is a lot. Like, I don't know why I said that, actually, closer to 70, but I'll reread that. So I've literally read every word of it pretty fresh. And then the morning of the session, that's when I'm going through and looking at scenes and being like, okay, there's this moment I want to land that this is an iconic thing. And then I'll go to the studio and record all day, come home, eat, and then read the next pages that I do the next day. So while I'm in the actual recording process, it's kind of like I'm in it all the time until the book is done. Wow.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Wow. I mean, we. We've never talked to an audiobook narrator before, but you are so organized and prepared that, like, scratches the itch in My type A brain. That's amazing. Oh my gosh.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Well, sometimes it's also. One of the really, really fun things about doing Acotar was having done Crescent City that book already. I was like, okay, I want to make sure I land some of the characters that appear in that book. I want to land them in that vocal place. Like I knew Nesta had this whole journey, so I wanted her to start in a hottier place and then have that whole emotional breakthrough so I could sort of enter in this calm, warrior like place by the end of Silver Flames, hoping that it will match what was in Crescent City, meet her there with Bryce. So I sort of mapping out that stuff is really fun and scratches the type A itch in my brain. So sometimes I'm also tracking things that I know are coming in that way also.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

That's amazing.

[Reggie]

It's so much to juggle. Like I can't even wrap my brain around that. But I think it's so fascinating and you just. It's like so much talent. So I'm very curious to know if there's anyone listening that wants to go into like audiobook narration. Like, what advice would you give them?

[Elizabeth Evans]

Oh man. Well, this is advice that I got that I felt was helpful for me. So I'm. I'm regurgitating it and I won't say the name of the person just in case, but. But the basic advice was I wasn't sure if I should try. If I should try to emulate what other people do. And there's a certain. I think especially with audiobooks, there's a bit of that when you're starting out, especially to kind of learn the guidelines and the ground rules of like how this craft sort of works. But then I think the biggest piece of it is finding your signature style and your own voice. And so I know that I do things in a very specific way because I feel like I've locked into something that feels very true to me. And I'm not trying to be like anybody else. And so I. That's kind of the advice that I. I would give is figure out what makes you you about narrating and like listen enough to learn from other people but really find, you know, don't try to just sound like somebody else.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Well, I feel like you have a very unique voice in the fact that anyone will be able to recognize your voice. And I think that is really great advice for honestly anything in life to try not to compromise what other people are doing to still be yourself. And I think you do that Perfectly because your voice is just. It's you and no one else can replicate that. So I think that's fantastic advice. Just tell people to kind of be them and what makes them special or unique. Love it. I love it. Okay, we have. We had to ask if you've had any memorable or funny bloopers while recording or mispronunciations that you can remember.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So I get asked this question all the time and I never have a good answer. And I'm so sorry. Sorry. And I wish I did, but it's. There are funny. The funny things that have happened are not. They're not kind of in the booth. It's mostly like I'll be in the middle of the most graphic sex scene and it's the day the executives are stopping by and they like walk into the booth in that moment.

[Reggie]

It's that kind of thing.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Or you're in like the biggest chase scene. And I'm. Because I'm like, very. I'm a lot. So I'm like in the booth, like really like in it. I'm going very. You know, it's all of that and then the fire alarm will go off, so you'll have to leave for an hour. And then the whole time you're like, no, how am I going to get back in it? How am I going to match that? And so it's those things. But I don't have a kind of funny, like, blooper moment Sometimes though, if I burp, I will keep going. And then that. I personally enjoy that. Like, it's like me being my like very serious, dramatic self and then a burp in the middle of a word, but then like, the sentence will still have gravitas. And I personally get a kick out of. Yeah, but. Yeah, I wish I had a better answer.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

No, I mean, it doesn't surprise me with how prepared you go into the booth, like, which is just once again, scratches that type A brain itch in my brain.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Very impressive. I'm curious to know. I mean, you just finished Silver Flames and we know that there's certain things you can't talk about. But. But curious what stuff you're working on. What's next for you in the audiobook narrating world?

[Elizabeth Evans]

I can say. So I'm on another series. It's the Tempress series by Stephanie Fisher. And I know I'm going to do her third book of that in January and February and that'll come out, I think, in March of next year. And I'm so. I think that's All I can say that's great.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Is fantasy your favorite genre to narrate?

[Elizabeth Evans]

I think so. I don't know. It's. It's definitely the one that I am offered the most. And so. And I really love it because there is something about going into these other worlds and these very extraordinary circumstances. And I really love all of that. And it's just so what these authors have come up with is so inventive and creative. So I love it. And then when I get to do other things, that can also be a treat where I did it a nonfiction neuroscience book once that anybody else may like. Other narrators were like, you're excited about this? And I was like, I get to say stimo Siever. And like the number of. It's just so different for me that it was like a four day vacation to a nonfiction world where they gave you like the dictionary pronunciations of every word or there's a series I'm on by Catherine Mack that I love that, that I can say I'm doing the next one of that. And that book is just a contemporary, cozy murder mystery, very fun series. And that book, the character breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience. So that is really, really fun to do because it's so special and different. And a lot of the times she will see set up a joke in the narrative and then the punchline will be direct to the audience. So that is personally very satisfying. So I. When I get to do a lot of different things, I really enjoy that. And then fantasy and Romanasy, it's definitely the thing I've done the most and the sort of. It's a very comfortable place for me. And it's also like it's a really difficult genre to record because you are juggling so much. So when you do a book, you know, based in New York City, that's people in their 20s that are dating. Like there's not as much prep that goes into that than the like extra magical elements and other worlds and portals and characters from this book. You know, you're doing a lot to map out. But I do love it. It's the. Mm. It's also just the joy of it I think is what makes it easier that sometimes the. It's hard for me to not beat myself up if I. Especially if it's. There's something coming and I know I want to nail it and I. We get through it and I'm like, I don't know or I. I hope it was there. I've done the Best I can. Or just going like, you're not going to nail every moment in a book. Or sometimes where I think I've nailed it and then I hear a sample online and I'm like, what did I. Oh, God. You know, so there's. There's that, but it's definitely. There's just so much joy in getting to do it and that kind of stuff. Yeah.

[Reggie]

So cool.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

I think it definitely correlates. We can see how much you care about narrating books and bringing those characters and scenes to life. It really, really correlates in the listeners can tell.

[Reggie]

Oh, for reals?

[Elizabeth Evans]

I'm so glad.

[Reggie]

Yeah. Well, one last question I had for you. I'm just curious to know. I know you're a big fan of like, Sarah's books and stuff. Do you. Are you a pretty big reader? Like, do you enjoy reading? Do you have time to read right now?

[Elizabeth Evans]

No, I do love to read. In this particular moment, I don't. And what I'm reading a lot is scripts. I'm reading screenplays because of the other side of my life. So at this exact moment. And it's funny because I get into a place where I've realized, like, oh, the only things I've read have been for work. And then when I pick up a book that I'm reading, for me, it's sort of like a vacation because I'm going, oh, my God, I don't have to. I'm not sort of reading it with an eye towards, like having to do that thing or having to balance that section or I'm just getting to. Somebody asked me once, they were like, when you read, do you hear yourself narrating in your head? And I was like, no, because I don't have to.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Elizabeth Evans]

So if it's just me reading for me, yeah, I don't hear anything, you know, but at the moment, I'm not reading much. In terms of novels.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

You're a busy gal. You're a busy gal.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Yeah, at this particular moment. But I'm happy to be busy. Yeah.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Okay. Sorry. I have one last question. How early do you record an audiobook if it's getting, like, released, if that makes sense. Like, how early do you get an early copy of a book?

[Elizabeth Evans]

It totally depends. It depends on the sort of level that the book is in terms of, like, if it's a big deal book and then how much post it needs and how much they kind of need to. When they need it to be ready by so that it will drop on the same day as the, the print, it's, it's always different but it, if it helps, like the timeline I had for the ACOTAR, the 10th anniversary re record, I knew about it, it took like a year to set up and then I recorded from like mid end of September through the holidays and then into the first couple weeks of January. And their deadline was that they needed all five books by the end of January and then they were supposed to come out in May and then it got moved back a couple weeks, but that was sort of there. That was kind of the timeline on that, if that is helpful.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah, it's all, it's just different for every author.

[Elizabeth Evans]

And, and sometimes they're especially like in the case with this Temper series, like they're having to turn it around so quickly because of my schedule. But that particularly. But I couldn't record it until then. So I know that that will be. I'll record during the day because my like three final hours around here and then they, they'll be doing the QC process immediately as soon as I finish. So it's happening back to back because I'm going to be doing that January, February, ish, and then it comes out in March. So that's like a very, very fast turnaround to try to meet, you know, the quickest deadline.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Yeah. Yeah, that's totally cool.

[Reggie]

Well, we're just so impressed by you and this was so, so special for us. Like, I'm so excited that I didn't finish my reread of Throne of Class before this so I can like listen to it tomorrow. And just having this knowledge now is just making my entire day. So thank you so much for making this such a special thing for us and taking the time to speak with us. And I'm sure our listeners are going to be so giddy when we tell them that you're hopping on. So thank you so much.

[Elizabeth Evans]

Thank you for, for having me. And it was, you're all so lovely. This was a lovely conversation. So thank you for, for that and just so like, it's just so nice to talk to people who also love the books. It's just always a, a great thing. So this was so great.

[Mikayla or Kennedy]

Oh, thank you. You're the best ever. Thank you.