It’s always a bit nerve-racking hearing your audiobook for the first time, because for so long the story has been so clear in your head, and now someone else is contributing their perspective to it too, since an audiobook really is a collaboration between author and narrator. But when I was casting for the audiobook of The Swan Maiden, I was grateful to find Australian-living-in-London actor Angela Peters, who brought Signet, Gracie and their friends so beautifully to life.

Angela works in television and theatre, has done films and commercials, and is becoming increasingly well-known for her audiobook narration. You can find out more at her website, and check out our Swan Maiden audiobook at BandCamp, Audible, Amazon and other retailers…

When did you first want to be an actor? Did you act at school?
Weirdly I didn’t do any acting at school or have any interest in it. I went off to university at University of Queensland to study Psychology, and part of the way through, a friend mentioned they were studying acting at a school in Brisbane and I might like it to help with my voice. At the time I was attempting (badly) to play guitar and write my own lyrics, so I thought it sounded like a neat idea. Fast forward to auditioning and then getting through and I absolutely fell in love with acting and decided to pursue it as a career.

How did you start out? What were some of your early roles/projects?
I remember my earliest project right out of drama school was booking a Suncorp Metway job, and laughing because my mum wanted to go into the bank and take a bunch of the brochures to show her friends that I was on the cover. It was very sweet but also terribly embarrassing given I was in my early twenties.

And what are some of your most recent projects?
Recently I’ve been involved with a few wonderful films over here in the UK. Criminal Audition was released in the UK and the US via iTunes, Amazon Prime and Sky and also had a lovely run in film festivals too, premiering at the UK’s Frightfest. The last role I shot right before Covid locked us all down was The Modern Way – it’s just about to come out, so I’m really excited about seeing this film too. And I’ve just played a doctor in Emmerdale, a really well-loved UK soap that’s been going for over forty-five years. That was really fun.

What’s your dream role/character?
Ahh that’s so hard to choose. But if you let me indulge and give you two, one would be to play a James Bond baddie, and my second would be an action heroine role in a rock-climbing film or Netflix series. Oh, the fun I could have with either of those roles. I do really enjoy angsty intelligent films too, but I just think it would be wonderful to do a massive Hollywood action film – and put my twenty years of rock climbing to work.

You also do commercials too…
Yes, I’ve been known to grace the TV and radio with my face and voice from time to time. It’s always funny when one has just come out in Oz as a bunch of friends will Facebook or whats app me to tell me they just saw me on TV – that always makes me blush and giggle. I did one for Compare the Market in 2019 that aired in Australia, much to my family’s delight. I find commercial voice acting so much fun too. I’ve done Singapore Airlines, BP, Dyson, Macleans… so many Aussie ones.

And now you do audiobooks too – how did you get into them?
Honestly, I just fell into it because I’ve been a voiceover artist for a decade now with my own home studio, and everyone kept saying that audiobooks were the way forward since they’ve become increasingly popular. I decided to stay within my native accent range and really just go for the “Aussie” roles. I love bringing stories to life, but it all really just was a happy accident.

How do you prepare to narrate an audiobook?
You always start by reading the whole story so you know your protagonist’s journey and the characters they’ll meet along the way. Personally, I find I like to break it up, almost like I would if I was working on a theatre piece. I want to understand what they want, what they’re trying to find out or fix, or do. And then go from there. And if there’s lots of characters, I make sure I know each one, and what type of voice and tone I will use for each. It’s so different to reading a book because I know I am the one responsible for helping the listener bring the story to life with just my voice.

How do you prepare for a day in the recording studio, and how do you keep in shape for regular long sessions?
There are so many dos and don’ts for voice acting, but a few of the big ones are not really drinking coffee before a session, keeping really hydrated hours before you plan on saying a single word, and not drinking any alcohol the night before. There are many more of course, but they’re the first ones I always think of. It’s so important to look after your voice because long sessions are physically demanding. And you don’t want to overdo it, or push your voice to the point that you can’t work the next day.

In the Swan Maiden you’re playing a young girl, her father, an old wizard, and a swan who transformed into a woman… Are some characters more challenging than others?
What a great question! Yes, I have found that some characters really just fall out of my mouth, and others I have to really think about. For example, the little girl and the Swan Maiden just felt so natural to me, it was almost like I knew their voices even before I opened my mouth. Some people might think that’s funny, but I’m newer to audiobooks than some of the pros who have voiced hundreds and hundreds of them, so for me, every time I’m working on a new character, it’s so exciting deciding how they’ll sound. The old wizard was a character I had to give more thought to. He has gravitas and I needed to give his wise old-but-gentle and loving character a voice that imbued those characteristics.

Is it hard to move between projects, or do you not start a new one until you’ve finished the previous one?
I prefer to work solidly on one at a time if I have the time to do it that way. This means I feel like all my brain is dedicated solely to that story and those characters. But I’m guessing all audiobook narrators are different in how they work. Also, sometimes you’re waiting for feedback from the author on something before you continue narrating, so that can be an ideal time to start working on another book or to prep for another piece. I feel you need to be fluid depending on how busy you are and what the author needs from you at any given point.

What qualities should someone have to be a great voice actor?
I wish I could answer that. I have recently been listening to loads of audiobooks, as I hadn’t really before I became a narrator myself. And it’s so surprising and delightful how varied readers are. At the end of the day, you’re a storyteller and you need to take the listener away on a magical journey to a faraway place, or bring their non-fiction to life, so a great voice actor needs to know how to tell a story beautifully and keep us enthralled. Interestingly, not everyone can do that. And I have a lot of voiceover friends who just aren’t interested in narrating audiobooks because they don’t have the stamina or just don’t love doing it like I do. It’s really fascinating. And if you’re talking about voiceovers in general, there are about a million different areas you can go into so it’s all about finding your niche. I think really anyone can do it if they want to spend the time finding what their voice suits best.

What’s next for you?
I’ve just finished a beautiful little meditation book and also a wonderfully dark Australian drama set in the outback, Children of the Outback. Who knows what the rest of the year will bring. I can’t wait to find out!