GREATER WESTFIELD-When Thomas W. Hebert sought to bring his novel The Remains of the Corps: Volume 1: Ivy and The Crossing to audio, he felt a strong pull to request Grover Gardner.
Gardner, a former Publishers Weekly Audiobook Narrator of the Year and one of AudioFile Magazine’s “Best Voices of the Century,” has narrated the works of Stephen King, William Faulkner, Shelby Foote and John Jakes.
Grover Gardner is the narrator of The Remains of the Corps, Volume I: Ivy and The Crossing by Thomas W. Hebert. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
Hebert noted that at first, Gardner turned down the request to narrate his book.
“He thought committing to a multivolume project might be a problem for me if he ever had to step away – continuity of narration and all that – but when I explained that he was my ‘dream narrator,’ that he was ‘perfect for the part,’ and that I needed to really hit the ground running with my first book, he graciously agreed to take me on,” said Hebert, adding, “A true professional and a real gentleman.”
The novel tells the story of a fictional United States Marine Corps family history and is a tribute to this legendary fighting force, notes Hebert, who also served as a Marine during the Vietnam era.
“The fictional Remains (an anagram for Marines) are one such family,” said Hebert. “Told by a third-generation Marine and Vietnam veteran, the fictional Will Remain, the saga begins with his grandfather Kenneth Remain – born in Worcester, and educated at Harvard College.”
Hebert said they, and other members of their family, are Marines, but there is more to their stories – much more.
“Figuring prominently in their lives are the born-to-the-purple Kenneth Blakeslee and the beautiful KatyKay Mulcahy,” said Hebert.
To assist Gardner in creating voices for the characters, Hebert prepared a document that addressed each of the characters and how he perceived their voices and accents.
Thomas W. Hebert, A.K.A. Will Remain, has just released an audiobook of his novel The Remains of the Corps, Volume I: Ivy and The Crossing. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
“His voices included sophisticated, Southern, female, French, Irish, Scottish, and more,” said Hebert.
The narration took Gardner several days to complete at Deyan Audio Services in Los Angeles, Calif. Once the production team had pulled all of the elements together, Hebert spent two days listening to the 11+ hours “very closely” – matching every one of the 100,000+ spoken words to the book.
“I found a couple of dozen fixes that needed to be made which is typical and they made the corrections seamlessly,” said Hebert. “The technology is quite impressive, as was the dedication of the Deyan Studio staff.”
The audio distributor is Blackstone Audio, based in Ashland, Ore.
Hebert noted that hearing his characters come alive was a dream come true.
“Grover Gardner truly gets into my characters and delivers a really enthusiastic reading and many authentic, nuanced accents,” said Hebert, noting the narration, like the print edition, is dedicated to his late father, a fellow USMC veteran.
“My dad William was a terrific man and father, who resided with my mom, Bertha, in Westfield for more than 25 years,” he said.
Hebert was first introduced to Gardner’s voice after hearing his narration of Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer.
“Previously, Mr. Gardner narrated my absolutely favorite military novel of all time, Once An Eagle,” said Hebert. “Over the years, I would listen to it over and over again, fantasizing that someday he would narrate my novel. It was quite a reach, for sure, but dreams do come true.”
An audiobook of The Remains of the Corps, Volume I: Ivy and the Crossing is now available.
Now that Volume 1 is available in print and in audiobook form, Hebert said he motivated to complete Volume II and the rest of the series.
“What I am absolutely thrilled about is that Tara Kazmaier’s 134 drawings from the print edition are being preserved in the audiobook by including them in a bonus PDF,” said Hebert.
The Remains of the Corps has been released exclusively by Blackstone to Audible and Amazon for 90 days. On May 25, it will be marketed throughout the world by Blackstone to individuals, libraries, and bookstores, and will also be released on CD. The audiobook costs $21.41 on Audible and Amazon – or one credit on Audible. The CD will be priced at $34.95.
A five-minute sample of the audiobook can be found online at https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Remains-of-the-Corps-Vol-1-Audiobook/1665036702?qid=1614210956&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=EAY1T5VWP36RCA2FFNB0
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last spring, Hebert noted that since he and his wife Ellie found their social life with family and friends shut down – he delved into the research and writing for Volume II.
“Ellie very generously offered to type up all of my handwritten research which will make my writing so much easier and more efficient,” said Hebert, noting writing is at 20% complete and the research is 90% complete.
“When COVID hit, I made up my mind to make the most of the downtime, and I have done just that,” he said.
While he spends on average two to three hours a day on writing, he is still working full-time as a chief financial officer at a local company.
“Pretty soon, I will begin collaborating with my illustrator, Tara Kazmaier,” he said. “There’s a lot of fun in that. I am taking a very short break right now to help market the audiobook. I am pretty much a one-man show here at E G & A Publishing.”
