Next Book Review: AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: First Contact by Kat Green

Author: Kat Green

Narrator: Kate Tyler

Length: 5 hours 24 minutes

Series: Haunts for Sale, Book 1

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Released: Nov. 9, 2017

Genre: Horror

Sloane Osborne is a paranormal real estate agent in the business of selling haunted houses, but, in truth, she’s only searching for one ghost. And her time is running out.

It’s the 366th day after her fiancé’s death. Michael used to like putting things off for “a year and a day” - so tonight’s the night. Sloane will do anything to make contact with him before the clock strikes midnight. When she gets a call to check out a home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, it’s the last place she thinks Michael would contact her.

Sloane is dead wrong.

Kat Green is really the alias of authors KAT de Falla and Rachel GREEN.
Rachel Green has always believed in ghosts but saw her first full body apparition while working at an old movie theater in college. When she met Kat de Falla at a writer’s workshop, she knew she’d met a kindred spirit – one who was also sensitive to the hereafter. And after bonding on a few ghost adventures, Kat Green was born.
Kat lived in a haunted house for too long. When things really heated up, she had several paranormal teams investigate, but things only got worse. When her mother suggested they contact a shaman, she agreed to come, saying she had been waiting for Kat’s call. The home was cleansed and sold. When she paired up with Rachel Green, the idea of co-writing a book with a paranormal real estate agent seemed perfect.
With their combined paranormal “experiences”, they decided to combine their creative mojo. That’s when Sloane Osborne, Paranormal Real Estate agent, and the HAUNTS FOR SALE series was born.

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Kate Tyler is an audiobook narrator and producer with several published audiobooks available on Audible, iTunes and Amazon. A background in drama and a successful career in voiceover, Kate lives with her family in San Diego and enjoys swimming, running, cycling and stand up paddleboard.

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Do you believe certain types of writing translate better into audiobook format?
- I think it really depends on your narrator. If you have a strong narrator, which we were lucky enough to find in Kate Tyler, then the audiobook takes on a personality of its own and the magic of the author’s words come to life.
Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- It was a dream and we are so happy with the reality. As an author, you live inside your mind with these characters in these worlds. The audiobook brought a new dimension to how we were able to have readers experience the book.
How did you select your narrator?
- She submitted her work to our publisher and we chose to work with her after auditioning other narrators. We both fell in love with Kate’s voice the minute we heard her reading.
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- Both of us are “sensitive.” Kat lived in a haunted house for years and Rachel saw her first full body manifestation in college while working in an old theatre/movie theatre in her hometown in Illinois. Because of these things, it’s easy for us to dream up our own ghost stories.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- We have each other as well as Kat’s husband, Lee. Whenever we’re struggling, we bounce ideas off each other and then ask Lee if it’s possible. (And sometimes we do it even if he says it isn’t.)
If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
- Rachel - Um...YES! My first stop would be a plantation in South Carolina pre-Civil War. Then I’d head to Egypt during the time of the pharaohs. I’d also want to visit all of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World to see how they really looked. Then I’d have to meet some famous people like Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, John Donne, and Walt Disney.
- Kat - Heck yes! I would go back and meet my husband waaaaay earlier. I broke my thumb on State Street when I was 18 and I asked him, a complete stranger, if it looked broken. If I knew what I knew now, I never would have let him go after that moment.
If this title were being made into a TV series or movie, who would you cast to play the primary roles?
- Funny you should ask. With two of us writing, we picked people to play our characters right away so we could both have a clear picture of them in our heads. Sloane would be played by Zooey Deschanel, Michael is Ryan Gosling, and Jonah is Ryan Reynolds.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Any way you are taking in a book is still stimulating your brain. Whether you’re listening or reading as you’re relaxing in the tub, working out on the treadmill, or sitting in your favorite chair, you’re diving into the story and that’s what matters. There are so many people I know who have “read” more because of audiobooks then they ever would have otherwise. One person cuts lawns in the summer and listens to books when he works. What better way to spend your time? It isn’t cheating, it’s a different way of using your brain.
How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
- Rachel - This was my first published novel so my husband took me out to dinner to celebrate. Then I started working on book 2.
- Kat - opening a bottle of wine! The best way to celebrate :)
What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?
- Major in Marketing. You’re going to be able to write, but marketing the book takes a lot more effort.
What’s next for you?
- We are currently working on Book 3 of the Haunts for Sale Series, which ventures out west, to Sin City.

I’ll be honest, I went back and forth for quite a while on whether I wanted to listen to First Contact or not. I was pleasantly surprised when I bit the bullet and signed up! The storyline was interesting… losing your love, your almost husband, and searching for his ghost. Somehow I was even able to grasp the paranormal real estate agent. I think what really made this work for me was that I didn’t take it 100% seriously. It was a bit wonky and something’s seemed off. However, the bad guy… good job Kat Green! I loved how the bad guy came about. I would have LOVED a bit more background on his story and how he came to be who he is.

I really liked Jonah and the relationship that building into there. There was so much good and fun in this story that it far outweighed the areas that made me roll my eyes. I did roll my eyes a bit. I mean, I’m not an FBI agent like Jonah is and I say that fake call a mile away!! I was pleasantly surprised in the horror area of this book though. I didn’t expect so much graphic description but you could see the scenes unfold before you!

Kate Tyler was a great narrator. This was the first book that I’ve listened to with her narration and I really enjoyed it. She speaks clear and concise, yet she shows great emotion in each world. I could feel the suspense she portrayed; I could feel the nerves, the fear. Great job!! I’ll definitely look for the next book once released!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Kat Green. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.