YouTube is a fantastic expressive outlet as well as a trove of humble, yet amazing, talent. I’ve enjoyed following and discovering many independent musicians through YouTube, not to mention a host of other entertaining content–from video game demos, to comedy routines, to lifehacking vlogs, to backyard chemistry experiments. It’s wonderful to find so many contributors at all levels of various expertise having a good time sharing what they love. Further, as I carry on in my own career as a writer, I find myself drawn, not only to investigating the production work that goes into creating quality audiobooks on a budget that an independent author like me can afford, but also to observing the creative ways others utilize audiovisual social media to promote themselves, share their work and passions, and connect with their fan base on a more personal level.

YouTube is also a powerful tool. The art of producing an intriguing channel with quality video content, much like producing a quality podcast series, is a media form that fascinates and inspires me. Publishing fiction independently or through a small press is another platform with its own unique challenges to quality and visibility that I’m personally more familiar with, so I can at least sympathize with the amount of work, trial, error, and growth that must go into cultivating a great YouTube channel. This is notwithstanding the incredible advances in digital technology in the past decade that have made sharing one’s work with the world wonderfully accessible.

I discovered Lindsey Stirling on YouTube when the Piano Guys gave her a shout out on their Facebook page one day. She had her own quirky style–dancing with her violin–and I fell in love with her music as well as the beautiful videos she produced. She’s an independent LDS music artist who has made quite a career for herself that, in many ways, began with, and has been perpetuated by, that meek online platform (YouTube). I downloaded the audiobook of The Only Pirate at the Party because I was intrigued to learn more about the journey of this successful and delightful personality.

Lindsey’s memoir is both candid and wholesome. It is the story of how her faith, family, and upbringing are woven into her drive to keep learning, growing, and experimenting with her talents–even in the face of setbacks–and how these aspects of her life have informed her values and carried her through poignant personal struggles, including an eating disorder. It is an insightful and entertaining read (or listen, in my case), and it’s chock full of quirky humor. The audiobook is narrated by Lindsey herself, which is an additional treat.

Check out The Only Pirate at the Party here on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2gdyA7w

Or find the audiobook here on Audible: http://adbl.co/2fj1owt.

#LindseyStirling