');"> Exclusive Interview with Buzzy Mulimedia Buzzy Multimedia are the producers of the upcoming "Interlopers" audiobook, written by Alan Dean Foster and voiced by Ben Browder. [ Click here for 11 soundbytes from the audiobook ] August 2nd, 2004 Interview conducted by Danielle Sprengel. Many thanks to Joy Poger & June Williams from Buzzy Multimedia for agreeing to this interview. BBO: Alan Dean Foster's "Interlopers" was first published 2001. Tell us a little bit about the book. BM: Interlopers is a suspense novel that has strong Sci-Fi , horror, and action adventure elements. A young archeologist has his world turned upside down when he returns from a dig in central America. His perception of the world changes in a radical way. One moment he is a university academic working happily away toward a full professorship, the next he is a desperate man. Forced to battle an enemy that he never even knew existed, he must travel to strange places and seek help from sources he could never have even imagined. He is struggling to have the woman he loves restored to him only to find that their concerns pale against a disaster that is brewing that would kill millions and set humanity back thousands of years. BBO: Foster is an accomplished Science Fiction author and has published many novels, short stories, both fiction and non-fiction. Why turn this one into an audio book ? BM: We look for a story that has characters that you really care about, has a good flow, and is very visual. When a narrator reads the story you should feel like you are part of the story so the visual part is very important. We like to think that any book that we turn into audio could also be seen onscreen. BBO: What is the process of choosing a voice ? Are you looking for someone already involved in science fiction for a science fiction book ? BM: We don't just look for a voice. We look for an actor. One who could portray the principle character. The actor needs to have great range and discipline. It is great if the actor understands the genre. Someone like Ben Browder understands Sci-Fi, can slip from character to character with extraordinary skill, and has the sheer talent to bring the exact emotional resonance to every scene. BBO: Do the authors have a say in the voice that is used ? BM: No, they do not, not exactly, but we want to make our authors happy and we can say that Alan Dean Foster was happy with the choice of Ben Browder for Interlopers. BBO: How did the work with Ben come about? BM: First we had procured the rights to the book. Then we looked around for an actor who had the training and experience that would fit our criteria. Ben was the obvious choice. Our problem was that he had been filming in Australia for years so we didn't even send in a proposition to his people till there was a shot that he might be available in the US. Fortunately for us he managed to fit us into his schedule and we think he did so because he read the book and saw the potential in it that we did. BBO: You said Ben really brought the book to life. Tell us more about working with Ben. BM: He is very disciplined with a strong work ethic but he also has an incredible sense of play. What a sense of humor!! While the work went forward you could always count on him to make you laugh. It helped us all decompress. Part of his gift is having the vision to not only see what the author sees but what the character is experiencing. You feel that as the story unfolds. There were times we all had to just stop and listen to Ben take the materiel to places you could not have expected. BBO: When you received the first recordings. What was your reaction ? BM: As we listened to the first recordings we all had the same reaction. This should be a film, and Ben should play Cody Westcott. Even the beauty of the language of the novel doesn't overwhelm the story. Ben makes you care about Cody, he makes you believe that characters like Karl Heinrich Oelefsenten von Eichstatt (Oelefse) and Tjapu Kuwarra not only could exist but that you want them to exist. BBO: Any other Ben stories you can share ? BM: There are too many funny moments to recount. He has a real gift for voices and accents and one of the moments we remember is of him doing an outstanding Yoda when we got to one of the most serious moments in the book. Even though I knew he was classically trained it still surprised me to hear him break into a Shakespearean soliloquy, then moment later go all southern and let us hear how the book would have sounded had Cody come from Tennessee and not Arizona. BBO: Good luck for the audiobook and thank you for the interview. The "Interlopers" audiobook will be out in the beginning of October 2004 and can currently be pre-ordered. INTERLOPERS By Alan Dean Foster Voiced by Ben Browder unabridged 8 CD edition Sale Price: $45.00 You can buy the book here No part of this interview may be used without permission Cover image provided by Buzzy Multimedia Direct Link to this Interview: http://interlopers.benbrowder-online.com