Narrators

AudioFile: What is the one thing you wish you knew before you recorded your first book?

Thérèse Plummer: That I am going to mess up and make mistakes and to not take myself so seriously but to have fun telling the story. I suffer from perfectionism and was so hard on myself in the beginning to do everything “right.” What I wish I could tell myself in that first session recording Susan Mallery’s DELICIOUS was to have fun and just tell the story. Mike Charzuk at Audible was my engineer and helped me keep a good sense of humor. To this day, if I am not laughing during a session with my engineer and/or director, I know something is wrong.

AF: Tell us something surprising about yourself.

TP: I worked for five years as an adolescent counselor after I graduated from King’s College with my degree with High Honors in Psychology. I utilized the arts in my therapeutic treatment plans. I came to New York City at 26 years old to pursue acting as a profession, knowing I could always be of love and service to young people in this new capacity. The universe has given the gift of storytelling and telling my own story through podcast interviews, and I hope I have helped at least one person along the way.

AF: What are the pros and cons of recording a series?

TP: I was so lucky to narrate Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series, which then let to Carr’s Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossing series. Pros are an amazing relationship with Robyn Carr and the fans after all these years. Cons are becoming attached to the characters and series, and it’s sad when the series ends. The fans keep it all worthwhile—and now that Virgin River is heading into season 3 on Netflix, it is an absolute blast to watch Robyn’s stories stake another form. I landed a small role in season 1, and the transition from playing every character in the audiobooks to one role in the television series was so easy! LOL.

AF: What’s your go-to beverage when recording? How about after recording?

TP: I will have multiple beverages in the booth with me and hope to God I will not spill anything. Some of my favs are water, coffee, tea, and kombucha as well as pomegranate Burt’s Bees balm for my lips. Talking all day makes for a dry lip. This combo has helped me tell many a story. After my session it’s usually room temperature water, and a lot of it. I won’t talk much either.

AF: Is it difficult to avoid foreshadowing, especially when recording a book with a twist?

TP: I love this question. Personally, there is nothing worse than figuring out who the killer is early on because of giveaways. I have learned, even though I know who the killer is and how the book will end, to stay in the moment and stay with the story. Honoring the text and the plot, with all its twists and turns in real time, makes it so enjoyable for the listening. I am a huge crime fan and love to honor these stories with all the acting chops I got.�

AF: Thanks so much, Thérèse, for taking time out of your day to talk with us. I bet your psychology background has informed your portrayals of all kinds of characters over the years. I haven’t yet watched the streaming series Virgin River, but I can’t wait to look for you in the first season.

For more audiobooks performed by Thérèse Plummer, browse her audiography.