Meet the Voice of Come Home to Me

Come Home to Me is now available in audiobook format! My special guest today is narrator/producer Cody Roberts, who did a fantastic job in bringing this book to life! 

Tell us about yourself.  What else do you do besides VO?

 I originally grew up Farming/Ranching in Central Washington State.  I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (with a performance emphasis) at Southern Oregon University.  Every summer I would return home to farm so I could stay in school.  I am now one of the very few farm kids I know that is a classically trained actor.  I currently live outside of Los Angeles with my fiancé.  

I do all kinds of theater in and around the Los Angeles area.

What made you decide to become a voice actor?

  In all honesty a friend turned me onto it.  She had been doing books for a little while and I decided to give it a shot.  I immediately started getting “bites” from authors and thought it was the right route to go.  It’s another form of expression that I really enjoy doing.  With every book it gets more fun.  And I love to read.  So that’s a great perk.

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

  I love fiction.  All kinds.  I love being transported to a new world (or in this case, a new time).  I love reading non-fiction for my own personal knowledge.  But when it comes to narrating a book, I certainly prefer fiction.  You can have so much more fun with the characters and the story itself.  It seems more like playing than work.  Except editing.  That always feels like work.  J

What drew you to narrate this particular story?

  That is another one where I got lucky.  Peggy found me on this particular book.  I tend to get a lot of Western Fiction.  I believe, because I have a natural “twang” in my voice that I’ve grown up with.  That being said, I was immediately drawn to the story from the first page.  I love dark, gruff characters like Jake.  It’s so easy to sink your teeth into a character like that.

What was your favorite part of narrating Come Home to Me?

  My favorite part is definitely the lead character, Jake.  Throughout Westerns we have seen the Evolution of the Cowboy.  We start with Roy Rogers “The Singing Cowboy.”  Then John Wayne came and gave us the Cowboy that always knows what’s right, and does just that.  He is the example of what is good.  But then Clint Eastwood came and gave us the “Anti-Hero” in Westerns.  That tends to be my favorite kind of character.  He’s usually not the most “moral” of man.  He gets thrown into an extreme situation that he never likes, but where people depend on him to lead.  Just like in this book, Come Home to Me, he gets a second chance.  You never really know if he’s going to see things through to the end, or just walk away.  And if he does get there, if he doesn’t just go back to his old self.  It just creates more layers and colors to work with for a character.  And as an actor, I love it.

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

  I know Peggy, at this point, has received many loyal fans.  As she should.  I hope it’s another way for her fans to enjoy her literature.  Hopefully it will only help transport the reader, even more so, into this fantastically rugged world that she has created.  And I am really excited and humbled that I was able to be a part of that.

I've posted two audio samples at the bottom. I've posted the first sample before, but the second one definitely has a spoiler in it, so if you are not familiar with the story and don't wish to be "spoiled", only listen to the first sample. 

Available now at Audible.com Will be available at iTunes and on Amazon within a few days.