Home late after a “strategy chat” with Eleanor in the pub. She says audiobooks are “performative literature,” which I think was meant kindly but sounded like a warning.
I told her I’d volunteer to “consult” on the voice direction, i.e.select the narrator. She raised an eyebrow and asked if I knew any voice actors. I said I was network-adjacent to several. (Translation: I follow Stephen Fry on X.)
In my notes app I’ve drafted:
Julian Pilkington-Sterne: The Sound of Modern Literature™
It’s ambitious, yes. But ambition is a transferable skill.

Confessions of an Ageing Tennis Player
“I don’t like your attitude!” snaps “Serena Williams” as we square up over the club’s dubious grass courts. But I am “Andy Murray”, the greatest tennis GOAT ever, no really I am and you “Serena” are blocking me from my ultimate goal: chairman of our local club.
A riotously funny illustrated comic guidebook about obsession, ageing, sporting fantasy and the gap between imagination and reality.
Follow a man of a certain age — self-styled as “Andy Murray” — on his spirited, surreal journey through dreams of Wimbledon glory, club politics, and the absurdities of success that never quite arrives. The first in the Confessions series.
Discover more from Welcome to NOP (Nick Owen Publishing)
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