I don’t necessarily believe that winning contents means a story, or an author, is good. But when wins keep piling up, then there has to be some truth to it. And if you read, or listen in this case, to this story, I’m quite sure you’ll get the reason.

Alexandria Rising (The Alexandria Rising Chronicles, Book 1) by Mark Wallace Maguire, narrated by Thomas Cassidy, released in May in the Action, Adventure genre.

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Rand O’Neal, an ambition-less reporter, is given a single task upon the death of his grandfather: Destroy a mysterious map. What should be a simple errand thrusts Rand into a journey across three countries where he discovers humanity’s biggest secret. The book is labelled an action adventure, but contains elements of science fiction, suspense, and mystery.

About the Author: Mark Wallace Maguire

Mark Wallace Maguire is a Kindle best-selling author of several books, including the highly-praised Alexandria Rising Chronicles. He is a 2017 Independent Author of the Year Finalist and a 2017 Georgia Author of The Year nominee. He is also an award-winning columnist and journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of magazines and newspapers at home and abroad. He’s been honored by several organizations, including The Associated Press, Georgia Poetry Society and Society of Professional Journalists.

In 2005, he was named Berry College Outstanding Young Alumni of The Year.

When he’s not writing, he enjoys hiking, playing guitar, shooting short films and gardening.

Hi Mark, and thank you for being her today.

How did you select your narrator?

I was seeking a narrator who could capture not only the tone of my book,  but also the pacing and, perhaps, most importantly in capturing the characters’ voices and intonations. I auditioned several, but Thomas really shone through. He had the English accent I sought for the gravitas, but also was excellent at accents, pacing, pausing and shifting gears. I was extremely impressed and he was a joy to work with.

How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?

I provided some cultural insight to Thomas he wasn’t aware of prior such as certain Southern colloquialisms or pronunciations. However, I also wanted to give him a wide berth in relaying what he ‘heard’ in his head. Since this was truly a joint creation I believed in letting him possess some of the interpretations.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?

I do enjoy a good audiobook. I used to commute between 2 and 3 hours a day and discovered the format was not only an amazing way to pass the time, but a fantastic art form to enjoy. There are certain aspects of an audiobook which just can’t be beat such as the simple act of someone really good telling you a story. At the same time, you have the issue of still incorporating your imagination so you are not completely fed the experience as you would be in TV, the stage or the movies.

If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the  primary roles?

Thomas and I had this conversation. Without getting into the weeds, I was eyeing Ian Richardson from the British version of ‘House of Cards’ as our primary antagonist, Christopher Waltz as another antagonist and a young Josh Holloway from LOST as our main protagonist.

How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?

A fine bottle of properly aged ale.

What’s next for you?

I have a second series of books which are in the fantasy genre. The first book is, “In Pursuit of The Pale Prince.” The sequel is set to be published in October 2020. Thomas and I are also discussing him narrating the second book in The Alexandria Rising Chronicles, Alexandria Reborn.

What inspired this book?

That’s an interesting question. There wasn’t one or two things in particular, rather, it was a combination of circumstances and ideas. I wanted to have fun writing it and the reader to have fun reading it. I was weary of writing in reality, you might say. That said, the inspiration, on one hand, was an outlet — a catharsis — for me to discover and create a world and characters outside of my existence. As far as other inspirations, I was intrigued by the idea of how little we really know of history, our world and our collective works as a species. I was also inspired by numerous authors’ works including Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown, Susanna L. Clarke, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (who wrote “Lost”), Clive Cussler and J.R.R. Tolkien.

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About the Narrator: Thomas Cassidy

Voice actor from the UK. Narrator of over 80 audiobooks ranging from London based police thrillers (The Edmonton Police Series), a variety of financial and self-help books, to the globe hopping excitement of the Alexandria Trilogy.  In his spare time he enjoys martial arts, fitness, old German cars and conspiracy theories.

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