Happy 142nd Birthday, Yellowstone National Park

The Act of Dedication

AN ACT to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming …. is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate, or settle upon, or occupy the same or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed there from…
Approved March 1, 1872.

I love Yellowstone - it’s beauty, diversity, and history. There is just no place like it on earth. It’s what inspired me to write the Yellowstone Romance Series. Book 3, Yellowstone Awakening, is my fictional account of events that would have prevented the national park from becoming a reality. I spent hours reading the congressional transcripts of the debates about the park.  While my story is fictional, the names of the prominent men who had a hand in the creation of the park, as well as the senators who are mentioned in the story, and their opinions (not taken verbatim) are historically accurate. 

At the end of this post, I have an excerpt from the soon-to-be released audiobook of Yellowstone Awakening. Listen in on a snippet of the congressional hearings (I promise, it's much more entertaining than reading the actual transcripts), as they happened in my story.

Nathaniel Langford

If you’ve ever been to Yellowstone, and sat at one of the Ranger campfire programs at Madison Junction, the ranger will almost always point behind him or her, to a tall mountain across the valley. The mountain is named National Park Mountain, and legend has it that this is where the national park idea was born. It is said that Henry Washburn, Nathaniel Langford, and Cornelius Hedges camped in the valley just beneath the mountain during their expedition through the area in 1870, and came up with the grand idea of preserving the wonders they saw – the geysers, hot springs, canyons, rivers and lakes – for everyone to enjoy for generations to come. They wanted the area set aside as a nation’s park.

Whether this conversation actually occurred, and in that precise location, is up for debate, but it makes for a nice campfire story.  So what did lead to the birth of the national park idea?

Lewis and Clark, during their expedition in 1805, missed the area that is now the park. In 1806, John Colter, who was part of the expedition, set out with a group of fur trappers, and some historical accounts say he is the first white man to have seen the area and its geysers. He described a place of “hell and brimstone” that most people dismissed as delirium. Those who heard of his tales called this imaginary place “Colter’s Hell.”

Over the years, more fur trappers entered the Rocky Mountains, and more and more reports found their way back to civilization of a place with boiling mud, steaming rivers, and petrified trees. These fantastical stories were believed to be just that – men’s tall tales who had been in the wilderness too long.

In 1856, mountain man Jim Bridger reported observing boiling springs, spouting water, and a mountain of glass and yellow rock. But since Bridger had a reputation as a “spinner of yarn,” his reports were also ignored.

The first detailed exploration of the Yellowstone area came in 1869, when three privately funded explorers trekked through what is now the park. The members of the Folsom party kept detailed records and journals, and based on their information, a group of Montana residents organized the Washburn/Langford/Doane Expedition of 1870. Henry Washburn was surveyor-general of Montana at the time.

The group included Nathaniel Langford, who later would be known as “National Park Langford.” They spent a month exploring the region, collecting specimens, and naming sites of interest (Old Faithful, anyone?) Another member of the group, lawyer Cornelius Hedges, proposed that the region should be set aside and protected as a national park. Other prominent men also made similar suggestions that “Congress pass a bill reserving the Great Geyser Basin as a public park forever.”

Hayden Expedition

In 1871, Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, a geologist, organized the first government-sponsored exploration of the region. The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 included numerous scientists, as well as photographer William Henry Jackson, and artist Thomas Moran. Together, they compiled a comprehensive report on Yellowstone, which helped convince Congress to withdraw the region from public auction. The Act of Dedication Law was signed by the President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1^st, 1872.

Meet the Voice of Teton Sunrise

My special guest today is actor and audiobook narrator, Steve Marvel, who has recently completed the audio production of Teton Sunrise.  I’m happy to say that he will be the voice for the entire Teton Romance Trilogy.

Thank you for the interview, Steve. Tell us about yourself. What else do you do besides VO?

I’ve been a professional actor for thirty years, which means, as is typical within “the Biz”, I act in a variety of media. I have a very strong stage background, but I’ve done soap operas, a network drama, and commercials on television, and right now I’m shooting a feature film. Within VO, I also tend to do video games, particularly those with character voices. So I do a lot of different acting jobs.

Avocationally, I enjoy tinkering with my web site and those I’ve helped others put together, and I practice Aikido, an all-defensive martial art.

What made you decide to become a voice actor?

An audition, actually. I was called to read for the part of a talking peacock in a feature-length cartoon for Mattel, Barbie as the Island Princess. The company liked the character I did and the fact that I can sing, so they hired me. From there, I started developing a reputation as someone who can create characters vocally.

When you are reading the script, do you become animated?   Describe what we would see.

My booth is pretty closed in, so I don’t do a lot of body movement, though I will move at times when the character is described in motion—running, in a fight, etc. Most of the time, you’d see me seated before my mic and the script, the feelings of the characters showing on my face, with perhaps my hands gesturing, till I accidentally bump the mic. And curse.

What is your favorite type of story to which you lend your voice talents?

I suppose I prefer contemporary thrillers though, as I’ve said elsewhere, anything with good, tight writing and an engaging story is fun to read.

Well, you did a great job narrating a historical romance novel! What drew you to narrate Teton Sunrise?

The writing. I’m continually on the lookout for new projects, so I read a lot of auditions scripts. When I come across one in which I feel I can relax with what the author’s written—when I know she’s telling a coherent, intelligent story—then I know I’ll be able to do my job more fluently, without getting caught in plot or language gaps.

Also, the audience—your books are popular and well-reviewed. Hopefully, that translates to greater audiobook sales.

Do you do anything to prepare for a narrating session?

Of course, I read the book first. As I read, I make note of who all the characters are, their relationships to one another, and any accents or explicit speech characteristics. I also look for any physical descriptions which might give clues as to how a character should sound—a “broad, barrel-chested man” likely has a deep, full voice; a “wizened old woman”, a reedy, scratchy voice. I also read for theme and tone—is this light-hearted or serious? What’s the narrator’s attitude? (From the actor’s perspective, the narrator is a character, too.)

When it comes to the actual recording, I just make sure to bring enough water to sip liberally through the session. I also use a technique Scott Brick taught me: apply lip balm to keep lip smacking to a minimum. First session of the day, I’ll also “wake up” my mouth with a few tongue twisters.

What sets you apart as a voice actor?

I think with me, its two things: versatility and sensitivity. I’m pretty skilled at differentiating characters with my voice, which originates from early childhood, when my parents used to play the Vaughn Meader “First Family” record album—a send-up of the Kennedy clan—and I would mimic the voices. They thought that was great, so I did it a lot. Time on stage further developed that skill.

I’ve also spent a lot of time meditating, which tends to give one greater insight into human needs and motivations, I think. I tend to identify fairly easily with what characters are thinking and feeling. Again, stage training has helped with that ability, as well.

What was your favorite part of narrating Teton Sunrise?

I’m sorry to say it, but I really enjoyed voicing Laurent (folks who’ve read the story will understand both parts of that statement). Such a jovial, full-of-life character with a French accent, no less, which performers love to do. Big characters like that are very forgiving—you can go way out on a limb, and they still sound real.

Yes, he was a favorite character for a lot of people. Your portrayal of Laurent was absolutely brilliant!

What was the most challenging part in this story?

Honestly, not one particular character or passage, but certain sections of description. In a lot of books—less so with this one, frankly, but still present to an extent—there are passages of description that go on for longer than anyone would normally speak them in a single sentence. The narrator has to find places to pause and breathe which sound natural—essentially, adding punctuation where isn’t there. Those things can be tricky.

What do you hope the listeners will take away from your delivery?

Fundamentally, I hope they’ll be as moved and excited by the story as they would were they reading it from the page. More so, actually. I hope my descriptions and characterizations bring the story alive in ways they might not experience from reading alone.

Describe your work space. Do you work in a studio, or from home? What sort of equipment is needed to narrate an audio book?

I have a recording booth in my home, which is where I do the bulk of my narration work. We’ve converted half of a walk-in closet, via theatrical drape and foam panels. The space is just large enough for me to sit, facing a mic and, about foot behind that, a reading stand holding my Kindle and, beside that, a monitor. I also have a keyboard and mouse in there, which is attached to the computer that sits outside the booth proper, so that I don’t record the fan noise.

At minimum, an audiobook narrator needs a quiet space (sound “dead” inside and reasonably quiet outside), a microphone and audio interface (so-called “USB mics” combine both), a computer on which to record the sound, and the software to do the recording.

Can you share an unusual experience that happened during or as a result of narrating.

Something that doesn’t happen every day and which makes me proud occurred as I was recording my very first audiobook. Audible.com (which most of your readers probably know is the “leading seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment on the Internet”) sponsored a contest for new narrators. The prize was to record The Leavenworth Case, one of the earliest detective novels ever written (and, interestingly, penned by an American woman!). I submitted my audition, and I won! Nice to have that kind of validation, especially that early on.

Congratulations! Well-deserved.

Thank you so much for being here today, Steve, and  for giving us some insights into producing an audiobook!

To find out more about Steve, please visit his website.
http://www.stevemarvel.com

Please scroll down to listen to an extended sample of Teton Sunrise.

Teton Sunrise is available at Audible.com, Amazon, and iTunes

Teaser Tuesday - Teton Sunset

Enjoy this week's teaser!

Satisfied that there was no danger at the moment, Lucas turned back to the fire. The girl hadn’t moved. She’d eaten the meat, and listlessly rotated the skewer between her fingers. Lucas nudged her arm.

“Bring your blanket,” he said, and motioned to the other side of the fire. She stared up at him with wide eyes.

“What for?” she challenged. She didn’t budge.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lucas reached for her arm, and easily hauled her to her feet. “Because I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Don’t let me keep you, Walker,” she retorted, and yanked her arm back. He tightened his grip, and his lips widened in a smile.

“It might get a tad cold tonight,” he drawled, and glanced up at the cloudless night sky. “I think it’s best that you and I stay close.”

Her eyes widened. Her tightly drawn lips quivered, as if she was about to erupt like some of those hot water pools he’d seen up along the Yellowstone. No question she would scald him with her words just as those hot pools would scald a man to death.

“Over my dead body. I’m not sleeping under the same blanket as you.” She tried to pull away from him. Lucas easily hauled her up against his chest. A fierce determination settled in her gaze, but he also detected a hint of fear. He cursed himself for putting that look in her eyes. Why did she have to be so disagreeable?

Before he did something foolish, like wrap his arms around her and kiss her, Lucas wrapped the strip of leather around her wrist instead, then tied it to his own arm.

“What are you doing?” she demanded heatedly, and yanked to pull her hand free.

“Making sure you don’t run off in the middle of the night.” Lucas pulled her along behind him.

Teaser Tuesday - Teton Sunset

She turned her head just in time to catch a glimpse of an Indian rushing between the trees some distance from the cabin. She recognized him instantly.

“Black Sparrow. Run,” she called. Her Indian friend’s arrows would be no match against Lucas’ rifle.

Lucas shot her a split-second perplexed look, then he released her and spun around, raised his rifle, and fired. “Sonofabitch Blackfoot,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Get out of here, Black Sparrow,” she called again. Lucas grabbed for her, and pushed her in front of him.

“Stop shooting at him,” she demanded, and kicked at Lucas when he wouldn’t ease his grip.

They reached the cabin, and Lucas elbowed the door open. Releasing her, he turned, and fired his rifle into the trees again. A faint cry tore through the air.

“Got ya, you bastard,” Lucas called triumphantly.

She kicked forcefully at his legs.

“Stop your fighting and get inside the cabin, woman, before we both get killed.” He cursed loudly when her foot connected with his shin. “Dammit, what the hell is wrong with you?”

He shoved her backwards inside the cabin in front of him. She dug her heels into the dirt, refusing to be manhandled. She shot a quick glance over his shoulder, and caught a glimpse of Black Sparrow. He was clutching at his arm.

“Save yourself,” she called, just as Lucas released her and spun around. He aimed his rifle again. She had seen enough of his skills as a marksman to realize that his next shot would be fatal. Without hesitating, she did the only thing she could think of at the moment to divert Walker’s attention. She lunged at him from the side, and clutched his cheeks between her hands, then pulled his head around to face her. Without hesitating, she pressed her lips to his mouth. Wide-eyed, she stared over his shoulder, just in time to see the warrior dart through the trees away from the cabin.