We are so proud of our recent 2010 NABE Pinnacle Book Award for Voice-Over Voice Actor for “How To.“ The North American Bookdealers Exchange offer Pinnacle Awards for independent publishers throughout the US who present outstanding achievement in various categories.

We’re also extremely proud of our Winning Award in the “Young-Adult Educational” category of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Awards. The NIEA award finalists and winners in various categories for independently published books, so we’re quite pleased to be the Winning book in our category.

Getting an award is always both flattering and appreciated, since it’s always nice to know others think highly of whatever you’ve spent such time & energy working on. Go VOVA!!

Unfortunately though, sometimes, no matter how hard you fight to take care of yourself, you get sick. This has to be one of the worst things, since you feel like poo, but more than that, you can’t work (’cause you don’t sound like yourself) and you can’t audition for future work (since you don’t sound like yourself!). It is torture. Besides the inconvenience of illness or even the rescheduling or canceling of work, which is so hard, the not-auditioning can be even harder, since you have to make the call to not put yourself in the ring for jobs down the line.

I just had to talk with my agent about a client request audition for a video game from last week. At the end of the week, I was sick and I made the call to decline (hopeful that come this week I would be right as rain). Monday I got the call that they still wanted to hear me, but still under the weather so I begged off once again, but somehow it was harder this time. I sound a little better, what could screaming and yelling a little bit hurt?

Well, it can hurt everything, even coughing while being sick can strain the vocal folds which can possibly lead to nodules and even nodes. Knowing this, and having battled vocal strain in the past, I know it is the responsible thing to do, to not push my vocal health (since not only do I sound like a frog underwater, but pushing to record could permanently damage my vocal cords and future vocal health).

It is so hard to say no, to turn down work, and potential work, but ultimately as Yuri’s favorite arachno-human says “with great power comes great responsibility.” In my case it may not be power to save the world or throw killer spiderwebs, but I have the responsibility to take care of my voice so that I can have the power to use it! So I am begging off work with the hope that my responsibility to myself and possible jobs will pay off and come health, I will be ready and able to work once again.

Being sick can affect everyone, or as I like to say: Cause ’sick’ is just ’suck’ with an I for a You.

Be well, stay well, Tara

We’re very excited to finally launch this exciting hot spot for info, glimpses into our lives as voice actors, details on jobs, auditions and all things VO.

Enjoy! And of course “Raise Your Voice!”

Tara & Yuri