I’ll be completely honest with you—I hesitated before hitting "publish" on this one.
As a writer, pulling back the curtain on a work-in-progress can be terrifying. The first chapter of my upcoming romantic suspense novel, Wings over the Okavango, is currently standing on a mountain of crucial groundwork and backstory—the kind of narrative scaffolding that I plan to tighten significantly before the full, amalgamated book officially launches on July 31st.
But because this story is a direct sequel to Whispers in the Kalahari, I needed to build a bridge for myself—and for you—to welcome back Angie, her cousin Saskia, and the untamed landscapes of the Okavango Delta. I needed to remind myself of how they first arrived at Deception Pan, encountering the German hunter Kurt Heinrich, his son, and his wonderfully colorful paramour, Charlize. All of these characters feature heavily in Wings, and this raw opening chapter sets the stage against the brutal backdrop of the real-life 1996 African drought that drives the backbone of the novel.
The Experiment: Bringing the Delta to Life with Multi-Cast Audio
Beyond sharing a sneak peek of the text, I wanted to take you along on a new creative production journey. I’ve been experimenting behind the scenes with ElevenLabs to build an immersive, multi-cast audio preview.
I had an absolute blast playing casting director for my own words:
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Angie, our 22-year-old protagonist, has been given a rich South African accent.
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Her cousin Saskia sports a familiar, distinct Aussie accent.
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For the overarching narration, I cloned my own voice to read the text.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my digital voice clone isn’t perfect just yet! If you listen closely, you might hear her occasionally wander off into a slight Irish or American twang, but for the most part, she stays true to my natural Aussie roots. It's a work in progress, but part of the joy of being an independent creative is experimenting, learning, and sharing the unfiltered, evolutionary steps with the people who love the stories.
The Story Behind the Visuals
When you watch the preview on YouTube, you’ll see a visual montage I pulled together to accompany the audio. It features a collection of small planes that have marked distinct chapters of my own life—spanning from the bush strips of Botswana and regional Australia to our most recent travels exploring the stunning landscapes of Europe. For the aviation lovers among you, I hope it adds an extra layer of authenticity to the flight paths Nick Hartley and Angie navigate in the book.
Listen & Watch Now
You can watch the video and listen to the raw, unedited first chapter directly on my channel:
📺 Watch and Listen on YouTube: Wings over the Okavango – Chapter 1 Audio Preview
Secure Your Copy Before July 31st
Wings over the Okavango is currently moving through an exciting transition! On July 31st, the story will be fully consolidated into one single, definitive volume. If you pre-order or purchase right now, you ensure that the complete, uninterrupted novel drops straight to your reading device the moment it launches.
Support an indie author by shopping direct, or find it at your favorite digital bookstore:
🛍️ Shop Direct from My Bookstore: Buy Wings over the Okavango on Beverley's Books
🌐 Find All Other Retailers: Get it via Books2Read
📺 Follow my creative journey on YouTube: @BGNettelton
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