I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Thérèse Plummer, an Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator. She is well known for her roles in Marvel Graphic Motion Comic Ironman Extremis, Pokemon and various Yu-Gi-Oh characters, along with appearances on television shows like Virgin River and The Good Wife. We spoke about how she started out as a voice actor, what it’s like to be a voice artist in the entertainment industry, and her life away from the mic. Read on to find out what she has to say!
What do you wish listeners knew about the process of an audiobook narration? Recording and performing an audiobook is such an intimate experience of being able to bring life to author’s words and worlds and ideas. It is also a one-woman show most of the time so I am voicing all of the characters as well as narrating the story. It’s a marathon. Not a sprint.
How do you keep not only your narration but voice fresh? Sleep is my best friend. I also do all the vocal warm-ups and diaphragmatic breathing exercises before I go into the booth.
As a woman in the audiobook industry, have there been any specific challenges faced? Is the industry moving in the right direction? I would say in this industry as in any other, learning to advocate and represent myself and my worth to producers and publishers has been key in sustaining my career and ability to continue supporting myself.
What event in your life has had the biggest impact on your work? June 11, 2021, I was hit head on by a drunk driver while driving to meet my sister and niece for dinner. My entire world exploded that night. The love and support that surrounded me throughout my long recovery from this community is nothing short of a testament to the absolute beauty of human beings. I have been able to take what happened to me and speak at High Schools around the NJ area. If I can help one kid not drink and drive it is worth it to me. When I am able to get back into the booth today and still bring stories to life I am grateful and humbled.
What person in your life has had the biggest impact on your work? Robin Miles was the first person I met that did this for a living. She was teaching a class at Actors Connection and after I read for her she said, “You need to be doing this.” I said great and how do I do it? I studied with her in a class and the rest as they say is history.
Website https://www.thereseplummer.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/plummertherese/
Learn more about Thérèse Plummer Thérèse Plummer is an actor and Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator working in New York City. She has recorded over 450 audio books for various publishers. She won the 2020 Audie Award for her collaborative work on The Only Plane In The Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff garnering Audiobook of the Year! She won the 2019 Audie Award for her work on the multicast, Sadie by Courtney Summers for Macmillan Audio, was nominated for the Mutli-cast Any Man by Amber Tamblyn for Harper Audio and her solo narration for The Rogue Planets Shaken by Lee W. Brainard for Podium Publishing. The American Library Association (ALA) awarded her work on Sourdough by Robin Sloan as part of the 2018 Listen List: Outstanding Audiobook Narration for Adult Listeners.
