With my last novel, What the Night Sings, I heard from a lot of readers and parents that the audiobook was particularly impactful for reluctant readers or those with learning challenges, especially when read alongside the physical copy. And because of the sheer volume of sources in my research process, I can’t possibly read all the physical that I need to—so I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and I know the importance of a great narrator.

Now, I’m very fortunate to have a part in the audition process of my audiobooks, and when I heard the audition tapes for A Cloud of Outrageous Blue, I knew right away that it was this woman, Ell Potter, who I would choose to narrate. She is a lovely reader, and a lovely person with an interesting background in both literature and theater. In this interview, we talk some classic Vesperisms values, just one artist talking to another about the creation of a work we participated in, in a sense, together. Interspersed here are excerpts from the audiobook of A Cloud of Outrageous Blue, narrated by Ell Potter.

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Vesperisms: The Art of Thinking for Yourself is the podcast to help you make sense of your place in this crazy world by reclaiming an artistic worldview. Everything around us is trying to push us into boxes, but that's not how artists' minds work. Let's get off that detour and back on the main road to thinking for ourselves: as artists.

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My newest book, A Cloud of Outrageous Blue, can be found at any bookseller—I recommend your local indie bookstore, who would love your support right now.

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Follow me on Instagram @vesperillustration, and support Vesperisms on Patreon!

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Music for Vesperisms is provided by Ben + Vesper.