Milwaukee Author Wins Prestigious Audie Award Nomination
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MILWAUKEE, Jan. 23, 2025 ~ Milwaukee novelist and playwright, Rebecca Anne Nguyen, has been nominated for a prestigious Audie Award in the Best Narration by the Author category for her audiobook, The 23rd Hero. The novel follows the story of a woman who travels back in time to prevent climate change from occurring. This nomination places Nguyen in competition with renowned names such as Whoopi Goldberg and Salman Rushdie.

The Audie Awards® are considered to be the highest honor in the audiobook industry and are often compared to the Oscars. Past winners and nominees include influential figures like Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and Sam Heughan.

Nguyen's audiobook features her own narration, where she voices over 30 characters with varying accents from French to Swedish. "I had not initially planned on narrating the audiobook myself," Nguyen shared. "Therefore, while writing the novel, I did not limit myself to where my characters came from or how they spoke. My protagonist encounters individuals from different countries such as France, Mongolia, and Australia because it made sense for the world of the story. However, bringing these characters to life off the page presented a whole new challenge."

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To prepare for this task, Nguyen worked closely with New York City dialect coach Erik Singer, known for his work with Austin Butler in Baz Lehrman's Elvis. "Erik is truly a miracle worker," Nguyen praised. "He helped me develop unique voices for each character and provided valuable insights into voicing different genders and ages. We tackled some of the most difficult dialects I could imagine, like recreating a 16th-century French accent when modern French did not exist yet. This nomination would not have been possible without his guidance."

The audiobook was recorded at Independent Studios in Milwaukee, WI with sound recording and design by Steve Kultgen. The winners of the 2025 Audie Awards® will be announced during a gala event in New York City on March 4.

Rebecca Anne Nguyen, who goes by she/her pronouns, is also the recipient of the 2024 Reader's Choice Award for Best Adult Book (Bronze) for her debut novel, The 23rd Hero. The book has been a #1 bestseller on Amazon and has received high praise from Pulitzer finalist Susan Choi, who described it as "a wild and marvelous ride." Nguyen's writing has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Insider, and Slackjaw.

With this Audie Award nomination, Rebecca Anne Nguyen continues to make a name for herself in the literary world and solidifies her position as a rising star in the industry.
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