Bridgetown: A Harm Reduction Novel Audiobook Production is Complete!
Savannah Gilmore, Narrator of Bridgetown by Jordan P. Barnes
Aloha all,
I wanted to provide a quick update on the status of my second book. Bridgetown: A Harm Reduction Novel, which is slated to drop on March 6th, 2022 (#BlackBalloonDay). Black Balloon Day is a day to remember and honor the lives lost to overdoses. It is a fitting launch date with the subject matter of Bridgetown: A Harm Reduction Novel aimed at overdose awareness and prevention as we navigate the worst year on record for the overdose crisis.
When I released One Hit Away back in 2020, I was blown away by the performance of my narrator Ryan Haugen and knew that I had to do an audiobook for Bridgetown. People just connected with it so well, and after releasing the audition of Bridgetown to ACX (Audible Creation Exchange), I had several awesome narrators submit their samples, but one stood out above the rest. I chose Savannah Gilmore not only for her obvious talents but because I believed she could honor and respect the subject matter. This proved to be the right call and last night, as I clicked [approve] to submit the files to ACX QA (quality assurance), I couldn’t help but feel like we did something great together. Mahalo Savannah.
Savannah was the perfect voice for this audiobook because she got the intent from the jump. Working with her was a breeze, even under a tight timeline that was compounded by a full request from a literary agent. Ultimately, I decided to withdraw my query and forge ahead with production, and the narration is brilliant. Each chapter received was like opening a gift on Christmas Day. Even as the author and knowing what was coming, some scenes were soooo moving, gutting, and inspiring. There were a number of heavy moments that she performed flawlessly, both capturing the tug and pull of high-stakes dilemma in a way that humanizes both sides of the coin. Navigating these scenes, like when a mother hopes to catch her daughter at the syringe exchange, is not only a story that needs telling, but a perspective that is real and guttural and happens all the time.
I’m really proud of the work that we did to bring Bridgetown to you in audiobook format. Ultimately, Harm Reduction seems to be making national headlines lately as the Biden administration makes moves to make progress across the board so it feels like the right time to release the book. My story also essentially came to life as Mayor Bill de Blasio (NYC) approved the opening of the first Overdose Prevention Sites in the country in November 2021. As an author, you can’t plan these sorts of things, but I’m happy to be part of the conversation and hopefully present another compelling conversation piece to the public. I’ve learned loads from writing this book, and hope you get as much out of it as we put into it.
Aloha,
Jordan
#harmreduction #audiobook #overdosecrisis #bridgetown