DK Chapter 1 Audio

I am thrilled to be able to share with you a very special project.  Like many experiences of value, it has a great story behind it.  Language is a funny thing; these days, even the word ‘story’ brings back memories for me.  For the longest time, when I was in school, I’d never come across an English class I didn’t like.  That remained mostly true in college, but by that point, every one I attended was held to a very high standard…

In my sophomore year of high school, I met Mr. Morse.  He was caring, generous, and an amazing storyteller.  He believed, as I do, that telling one’s stories is the best way to learn about life, the lives of others, and how to best express oneself--in short, the foundation of what makes life meaningful.

His approach epitomized the values I felt every English class should have.  But, I couldn’t have articulated that at the time.  After all, I had yet to see all those principles intermingled in action.

To be fair, I should say, ‘at play’.  The two years I spent as Mr. Morse’s student would prove to be the most fun I had ever had in an academic setting.  He made everyone feel completely at ease; all in that classroom agreed--even if it was unspoken--that we were among friends.

Not that I ever did much speaking...More often than not, the only sound from me was nearly uncontrollable laughter.  I have a deep appreciation for Mr. Morse’s sense of humor and comic timing; I don’t think I had ever laughed that much before in my life, and probably not since.  I’m convinced this was the reason behind my receiving the superlative of ‘Best Laugh’ in senior year.

The art of storytelling was ever-present.  We students wove our stories into essays, and when his company AcademicMerit launched its first product, Literary Companion, Mr. Morse read the passages selected from each novel.  Some people learn better if a text is read to them; I’m not one of those people.  Still, I would always look forward to starting a new passage so that I could hear Mr. Morse’s interpretation.  I recall those recitations--and the entire class experience--with the utmost fondness, and for years, those memories were the source of many smiles.  They  remain cherished to this day.

I was fortunate enough to reconnect with Mr. Morse recently.  I was just beginning to think of the results of the life changes that inspired DK as my “new normal”, and accepting that was not easy (and remains trying at times).  Having been met with profound change so consistently was extremely jarring for me.  That said, it was--and is--extremely gratifying to once again find myself the recipient of Mr. Morse’s kindness and understanding.

When you choose to surround yourself with the intricacies of the English language on a daily basis, as I have, you discover pretty quickly that some people have naturally pleasant reading voices.  I used to think that reading aloud wasn’t all that difficult, and, throughout school, would often volunteer to do so in class.  I’ve since learned that I really don’t have the voice for it.  I now realize that there’s an art to bringing out the rhythms and tones inherent in the English language, and it is not one that can be learned or honed--as the saying goes, either you have it, or you don’t.

Self-publishing my novel has been a long but rewarding experience.  I’ve become familiar enough with my chosen platform that I could, in all likelihood, seek out a professional voice artist if I so chose.  Yet, even more than that, I would have enjoyed doing it myself--but as much as I would have relished  bringing my writing to life in these ways, I knew that neither would be the right choice.  After all, I needed someone who I felt could truly capture the down-to-earth spontaneity that is the essence of Jaime.  So, to me, there was only ever one option.

The mastery of oral storytelling is, I believe, a true gift.  Like stories themselves, it should be shared.  So, it is with great pleasure that I present to you--the first chapter of Daisy’s Keeper as read by my friend, Mr. Ogden Morse.

The audio can be heard below.