Starting here, because this matters most:

What are the three things in your life you’re most proud of?

My military service, my 40+ year marriage, my volunteer work.

You’ve lived a life most people will never fully understand. What parts of that shaped who you are today, without getting into anything you can’t talk about?

Zounds. I have to say that being a cop for a year was huge. Really saw the dark side there. That rather naturally rolled into being in the Navy. I did stuff right out of a Tom.. I mean, a Michael DiMercurio book for months at a time. Something popped up today in history, and I remembered exactly where I was and what I was doing at that moment. Every mission and every cup of coffee got burned into the memory banks. Can’t say I recall them all, but sometimes something will come up, and I have total recall. I’d say that tension and the need to be 100% mentally ready were big shapers.

What would surprise people most about you if they met you off-mic?

That I’m rather silly and soft spoken. I think that’s the Santa Claus side of me. I prefer to be kind and non-threatening. Until it’s needed.

What grounds you when everything gets loud, professionally or personally?

I have Jesus. Sounds trite, but it is a show-stopper when the crazy hits my world.

Who were the voices or influences that shaped you early on?

The Reverend Father William Ozark. He first spotted me as an egg head (he used the Latin, Ovum Capit) and encouraged me to think more deeply. Ray Slater, my 6th-grade teacher, encouraged me to write. My mom. She dragged my sorry butt to the bookmobile every Monday.

Now the craft

When you pick up a new manuscript, what’s the first thing you’re listening for in your head?

Does it suck? Yeah, I don’t do books that suck anymore. I’ve done 2. My regret is profound on those. One I was too new and followed the author’s guidance, and the other was just a bad book for an audiobook. Good paper read, terrible out loud.

How do you build a character’s voice? Instinct, structure, or something else?

Total instinct. If the author is a rat, they bury a description of the voice 83 pages in, then I have to make changes, sometimes redo what is in the can. But it’s more fun.

Is there a character you’ve voiced that stayed with you long after you finished recording?

Strawberries. A turtle in a children’s software program teaching math. He was slow and creaky. I grew to hate him, and a hidden “turtle” voice popped up one day. Profane, loud, high-pitched, psychotic, armed with a hammer, and generally all the bad things you can imagine. He still rides around in the car with me. My wife loves the character for rather private reasons. He would scare the hell out of most people, so it’s just between my wife and me.

What’s the hardest type of scene for you to narrate well?

Sex scenes. They don’t belong in submarine books, which are my bread and butter.

Do you ever find parts of yourself in the characters you bring to life? All the time. A wide variety of experiences allows me to bring realism to the characters. Especially ethnic types, given my language skills.

From your side of the mic

What’s it like stepping into a world like DiMercurio’s, where the audience is sharp and the details matter?

I spot his mistakes (I spot every author’s mistakes) and correct them. I want the listener to get 100% of their money out of the deal.

What makes a story work in audio versus just reading on a page?

Some books don’t translate well to audio. Not many, but a few. I feel that if authors write for audiobook work, they produce a much better read as well. Read that pig out loud, catch the bad rhythm, and fix it. Your reader will appreciate it! Tons of intricate dialogue between 6 characters don’t always translate well to audiobooks. Gets knotted up.

What do you wish more listeners understood about what goes into a great narration?

That’s easy: 5 hours of time for every hour of listening – at a minimum. I’m rather fanatical about getting the edits right. Also, my error rate is somewhere between 0.003 and 0.001 percent. That’s exceptionally tight. Audible allows up to a 4% error rate. It means you can sync your audiobook with your Kindle. Many audiobooks cannot do that. Every mumble, wrong word, etc counts in the math. Also, dogs barking, planes flying over low, toilets flushing, and belches all need to be edited out or electronically filtered.

The line we don’t cross, but I want to acknowledge

There are parts of your life you’ll never talk about publicly. Has that shaped how you approach storytelling?

Having lived some great stories at sea, and as a cop (again, just for a year), puts me in the room where this stuff happens. Makes it a very real narration. I don’t just read the lines, I am in the scene and looking around at what’s happening. Out of body experience. It’s all acting if you do it right. I’m super glad one of my first voice coaches pushed me to take acting classes at the Guthrie in Minneapolis. Made me a better narrator.

And to close

If someone listens to your work for the first time, what do you hope they walk away feeling?

Like they watched a movie, or better yet, were standing next to the characters in real life, watching what happens.

What’s next for you that you’re excited about?

I’m writing a new novel, and just finishing up an audiobook about one man’s struggle with life, PTSD, addiction, and finding grace through Jesus. It’s really a great match for my voice.

What does a perfect, quiet day look like for you?

Sleep until the dogs wake me up. Might be 0630, might be 10! Coffee, some bagels, work out or work in the office, lunch/dinner with my wife, and Krav Maga in the evening. Return home and relax for a couple of hours before bed with Mrs. Courtemanche.

And one just because it’s you

When everything else falls away… who are you when it’s just you?

I’m this egg-headed guy who can sit and just think for hours about stuff. I love documentaries on subjects ranging from radioactive decay to dental implants. I love to learn

.If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? Just kidding! The Baba Wawa line had to be said! I’m showing my age.

I would absolutely be a Christmas tree.