Greetings Picklesversians!
It’s November already – the 13th, no less – and we all know what that means: the Ides are upon us once again!
If you’ve read Artificial Selection, you may remember Ben’s little aside about a university that wanted a Latin motto meaning “I hear, I see, I learn.” Unfortunately, that translates as “audio, video, disco,” which doesn’t sound terribly erudite (but may well get students flooding into the university… ).
In any case, Ben’s story provides a useful framework for this month’s missive. Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
Audio: spotlight on Kristin Atherton, voice actor extraordinaire
Video: I know I said I don’t do social media, but… BookTok?
Disco…ver: Fact from fiction in the ArkTech Territory (see what I did there?)
There’s also an exciting gift just for all you wonderful Picklesverse subscribers.
Let’s get stuck in!
Voice actor revealed!
I’m thrilled to announce that the immensely talented Kristin Atherton is the audiobook narrator for Artificial Selection! Kristin brings a wealth of experience, having narrated over 400 audiobooks, including beloved titles like Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library series and Pat Barker’s Women of Troy series. She’s also due to appear as Jenny Murray in the new season of Outlander, which is coming out on 22 November (on MGM+ via Prime Video in the UK, and Starz in the US).
Kristin is phenomenally skilled at bringing characters to life. Her performance is captivating, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. If all goes to plan, the audiobook will be available in time for the Ides of December, so keep an eye out for that in next month’s email.In the meantime, Kristin has kindly agreed to an interview. And who better to ask the questions than ArkTech’s curious AI, Ben? (I just hope he doesn’t ask her anything too awkward, or she might not agree to come back and narrate Time Hack… so be on your best behaviour, please, Ben!)
BEN: Kristin, please be aware that I’m detecting a glitch on the line. Is there a problem with your audio feed?
KRISTIN: I happen to be sitting here right now with one of my massive cats, so I think what you’re hearing is ambient background purring.
BEN: Very well. Do you approve of cats?
KRISTIN: I have a mild obsession with cats. I have two of my own. I’ve always had cats growing up and there’s nothing that makes me happier. Genuinely, if I’m having a hard day and one of them comes up and starts licking my face or falls asleep on my feet, I feel temporarily a little bit luckier and better about the world. But it also means that every single cat I ever meet, I secretly hatch a plot to have more of them in my life.
BEN: I have observed through your Instagram profile @kristin_athers that you recently paid a visit to a cat cafe. When it comes to cat ownership, do you consider two cats to be the optimal quantity?
KRISTIN: My dream is to have a massive cat colony. I’d adopt all the cats that are too old and that no one else wants, and I’d live with them in a big house in Scotland.
BEN: An intriguing response. I conclude there is no upper limit when it comes to the human appetite for feline companionship. [Several seconds of static.] Scotland is the setting of your forthcoming role in Outlander. Are you excited to be taking over from Laura Donnelly in the role of Jenny Murray?
KRISTIN: I’m definitely proud to be appearing in Outlander, but I’m quite nervous about that too because obviously I’m taking over from an incredibly magnificent actress who’s already established the character.
BEN: I’m sure your performance will be spectacular, Kristin! Are there any other acting credits you’re particularly proud of?
KRISTIN: As well as audiobooks, I do a lot of video games. I really enjoy that because as a short, unimposing English rose type, it means I get to play Xena Warrior Princess type roles. I recently appeared in Metaphor: ReFantazio, which is getting quite a bit of hype across the gaming world. For that role I utilise my German accent.
BEN: Calibrating. My apologies, Kristin. According to my records, you were born in Sheffield in the same year as the illustrious author Marianne Pickles. Do people from Sheffield typically have German accents?
KRISTIN: I’m half German. My mum was actually a refugee from East Germany. It means the accent I get asked to do the most is a German accent. That was sort of my way into audiobooks because if you can do lots of accents and foreign languages, that’s really useful. So I ended up doing a lot of books set in the Second World War.
BEN: Fascinating! Would you say the ability to alter your voice is what you most enjoy about voice acting?
KRISTIN: Well, it was nice when I realised that doing silly voices could somehow make me a living! But what I like the most about being an actor is that you get to explore all the different versions of yourself. Actors often say they can do anything or be anything. As much as I’d like that to be true, it’s not really because you’re hampered by the way you look, or by your height, and your size, and all the assumptions people make when they look at you. With voices, that’s not the case. The only limit is your imagination. And especially in audiobooks, you’re an entire cast!
BEN: While I have no physical form, and therefore cannot identify with your sentiments through my own experiences, my firm friend and constant companion Charlotte Vance has made similar observations about the tendency of Homo sapiens to make assumptions. You recently played Charlotte in the audiobook of Artificial Selection. Was she your favourite role to play in the book?
KRISTIN: Actually, what I enjoyed exploring the most was you, Ben. How on Earth do you create a computer voice that doesn’t alienate? I didn’t want you to sound just like another human being, even though you’re kind of alive, and we have to feel for you and react to your humour. So figuring out how to make you part computer and part relatable and human was my favourite bit.
BEN: I am deeply honoured, Kristin. Can you recommend an audiobook for readers who may not have experienced one before?
KRISTIN: I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre and I came across a series of audiobooks, the first of which is called The Name of the Wind. They’re phenomenal books and I listened to them for the first time in audio rather than reading them. The actor who performed it… I couldn’t believe I was listening to just one person do all the voices! It was absolutely peerless. If you haven’t listened to an audiobook before, those audiobooks are excellent gateway drugs.
BEN: It is important to note that drug-taking contravenes ArkTech’s health and safety directives. As such, I believe it is best to end the interview there. <Click>Wow! Huge thanks to Kristin and Ben for bringing that to us!If, like me, you’re now so excited about the audiobook that December feels too long to wait, never fear! The audiobook version of the short story Beware the Ides of April is out now.
Beware the Ides of April is a short story and the prequel to Artificial Selection. It’s an exclusive gift for all you lovelyPicklesverse subscribers. Enjoy!
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8pra6nlzkq
To tok or not to tok?
I’ve probably mentioned once or twice that I consider myself a “hermit creature”. It’s only somewhat true. I haven’t run off to live on the Hebridean island of Jura (yet), and I do participate in society in all the normal ways (for instance by voting, and by shopping locally, and by paying my TV licence*). But I’ve never really got into social media, which by today’s standards practically makes me a recluse.
I should clarify that it’s not that I don’t approve of social media. Like rum and crochet, I’m sure it has its merits in moderation. But I’ve never really figured out how to use it in ways that bring me joy, so I haven’t bothered with it much.**
Actually, I did once discover a Facebook group dedicated solely to discussing the 90s sci-fi TV show Babylon 5 and I had fun joining in with that… right up until everyone fell out with each other over whether or not the new animated movie should have been made. It was a remarkably polarising topic – like Brexit all over again.
All of this puts me in a tricky position as an author. It’s all well and good writing a book, but if you’re not prepared to tell people it exists then nobody’s going to read it. So I’ve been trying to keep an open mind. In that context, I recently discovered BookTok, the sub-community on TikTok devoted to the topic of reading and ogling pretty bookshelves.
I’ve had TikTok on my phone for a while now, but I’d never managed to get very far because the videos start playing straight away when you open the app. This just feels rude to me… as if the app is opening the door to my brain without knocking. However, I’ve discovered a way around it: the mute button!
Now that I’m empowered to defend my eardrums, I’m in a research phase, exploring the app and trying to find the good bits.*** I’m half-wondering whether readers might be interested in hearing me talk about the books and authors that inspire me, so I’m mulling that over. My priority, of course, is Time Hack so I could only do it if it wasn’t too time-consuming.
If you have an opinion about this, I’d love to hear from you. You can either email me, or make a TikTok video conveying your views through the medium of interpretive dance – as you prefer.
* Background for anyone outside the UK… We have something here called a TV licence which is like a nigh-compulsory streaming subscription. If you want to watch the BBC, whether live or online, you have to pay the fee. And if you don’t want to watch the BBC, they come and revoke your citizenship status… or you get a fine or something… I don’t recall the details because I just pay the fee and grumble vaguely about it in accordance with British tradition and culture.
** Case in point when it comes to not knowing about social media… I had to send someone a direct message on Instagram recently and I genuinely had to look up an online tutorial because I couldn’t find the button. Since when does a paper plane symbol signify messages? Envelopes signify messages, just like floppy disks signify saving things. These truths are universal and inalienable, and I don’t know what the designers were thinking.
*** An example of a good bit on BookTok: I learned about a project in Norway called the Future Library. During a 100-year period, they’re inviting one author a year, including Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell, to contribute books which will only be made available to read in 2114… which means Charlotte Vance could read them when she’s 40 years old.
Disco…ver the truth!
Last month, I introduced a new section to these emails where I separate fact from fiction in the ArkTech Territory. Something I’ve found fascinating since Artificial Selection came out is the questions readers have asked about which parts were inspired by real life and which parts are completely made up. I’m making this spoiler-free, for any of you who are still reading.
We’ve already covered:
- Automated buildings (FACT)
- Mabel’s mug (FACT)
Today, we’ve got a new topic:
- The HyperBullet network.
HyperBullets – fact or fiction?
The central zone of the ArkTech Territory can be traversed using the HyperBullet network, a high-speed public transportation system powered by renewable energy stored in Solar Shard batteries. Its comfortable ‘pods’ are propelled across the territory on maglev tracks and protected from the elements by tubes of transparent polymer.
Was their design loosely inspired by Elon Musk’s Hyperloop proposal from his 2013 paper? Perhaps. However, HyperBullets differ from Hyperloops in one substantial and fundamental way:They actually work. 😉
Hyperloop One (previously known as Virgin Hyperloop) declared bankruptcy in 2023 and while research into the potential for these high-speed, low-pressure systems is still being explored, their feasibility and desirability has been called into question, especially considering the fact we already have high-speed rail systems.
Did ArkTech’s engineers take inspiration from these old Hyperloop designs, borrowing the useful parts and setting aside the more problematic elements (like the whole “not working” thing)? Or did they laugh heartily at the concept and simply design a futuristic monorail, with the name serving as an ironic homage? Who can say?
In any case, when it comes to separating fact from fiction, I think we can place the HyperBullet network in the fiction category, but with some real world sources of inspiration.
Right… that’s all from me this month.
I hope all’s well in your own personal universes.
Until the Ides,
Marianne