Narrator Spotlight: Samantha Brentmoor
Come for the voice, stay for the vibes.
Creating a movie of the mind with just a voice isn’t easy. It takes a lot of talent to master the rhythm, inflection, and tone of one character, never mind many. When I’m picking a new book to listen to, I tend to gravitate to several specific narrators because of how expressive they are. How their pacing and cadence reflect what’s happening in the story. How their ability to interpret and perform the characters creates mental images in my mind. How they throw themselves into their main character and bring them to life.
Yes, I absolutely have my favorites. And one of them is Samantha Brentmoor. From the first time I heard Samantha’s narration in Melanie Harlow’s Call Me Crazy (co-narrated with Teddy Hamilton), I was hooked. I had already fallen in love with the novel, loved Teddy’s other narrations I’d listened to, and had an idea in my head of how the female main character sounded. And when I say Samantha nailed it, I mean it. She brought the playfulness, angst, and emotional intensity like nothing I’d heard before. I think I listened to that audiobook three times in a row.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to several other books Samantha has narrated, including No Going Back (co-narrated with Sebastian York) by Janice Whiteaker, A Little Taste (co-narrated with Troy Duran) by Tia Louise, The Billionaire is Back (co-narrated with Connor Crais) by Kayley Loring, Behind His Eyes (co-narrated with Jacob Morgan) by Claire Kingsley, and No Simple Lie (co-narrated with Stephen Dexter) by Samantha Christy.
Most recently, I sank into an advanced listening copy of Storms and Secrets by Claire Kingsley, where Samantha was reunited in my mind with co-narrator Teddy Hamilton. It kinda felt like a very cool full-circle experience, but at the same time was entirely different from listening to Call Me Crazy. I didn’t feel like I was hearing the same characters, or even the same narrator because each character had a unique voice, and Samantha found it in both of them.
Funny sidebar story here: I was on the editing team for Storms and Secrets. At one point nearly halfway through, I messaged the author and told her I was hearing the main characters very clearly in my head in two specific narrators’ voices. When she confirmed them as the narrators, I did a major happy dance. Not because I was right, but because they were so freaking perfect. How incredible is it for an author to write two incredibly well-developed characters to the point where I hear them before I’ve heard them? And their voices are perfection! In fact, their performances exceeded the expectation I’d already created in my mind.
Samantha embodied Marigold Martin in Storms and Secrets just as beautifully as she embodied Dianna in No Going Back, Dakota in No Simple Lie, Claire in The Billionaire is Back, etc. In fact, what struck me most with each story I listened to Samantha narrate was how different each character was from the next and how she infused every performance with unique and genuine elements of the individual characters. Not only is her range varied enough to distinguish herself from book to book, but there were scenes in some books with four or five characters carrying on a conversation and I could tell who each and every one of them was. There were times I had to remind myself there truly was only one narrator speaking.
As I mentioned in my spotlight blog for Rose Dioro, Rose and Samantha joined me and the St@lkerSisters on our podcast last July to discuss why they do what they do and hear their insights on the industry as well. We chatted about the role female narrators play in the industry and how they are often overshadowed by their male counterparts. (And yes, that is still a blog post for another day.) The conversation was real and candid, and reminded me again of how important it is that we spend time promoting the positives in the industry as much as possible, while also shedding light on disparities and ingrained issues.
As of the date of this blog (March 17, 2024), Samantha has 220 title credits on Audible! That’s incredible! So whatever you love to listen to, chances are you can find something to love and share in Samantha’s library.
When I met Samantha at Indies Invade Philly in 2022, I fangirled. Bigtime. And I am not even a little embarrassed about that. And I have no doubt I will fangirl yet again when I see her Charm City Romanticon. And every event after. Because talent deserves recognition and praise. And I have no intention of letting my favorites forget how important they are and how much their talents, voices, and presence are needed in the industry.
You can find more information about Samantha on her website: https://www.samanthabrentmoor.com/
You can grab Samantha’s audiobooks on: Audible Chirp Hoopla
You can find Samantha on social media here: Facebook Instagram TikTok
