Putting the Com in the Rom: A Q&A with Narrator Siena East

A comedian walks into an audiobook recording booth…

Danica Nava’s rom-com The Truth According to Ember—which The New York Times called “funny and messy in the best way”—follows the adventures of Ember, a Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break in her professional life. That is, until a little white lie turns into a catalyst for success…and also misunderstandings, misadventures, moral gray areas, and all the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and gut-wrenching moments in between. Oh—and did we mention swoony romance? Yes, that too.

In a story with so much humor and nuance, the right audiobook narrator is key, and comedian, writer, and actor Siena East knows exactly how to bring it. We sat down with Siena to talk about the importance of hitting authentic comedic notes, doing a “sexy man voice,” and what it means to bring pieces of her own experience to narrating a Native love story.

PRH Audio: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us Siena! To kick things off, could you tell us a little bit about The Truth According to Ember?

Siena: Of course! The Truth According to Ember is a romantic comedy novel written by Danica Nava. It’s the story of Ember, a flawed, funny, and determined Native woman who… ends up tripping over a bunch of lies she tells. I mean I don’t want to spoil the story, because it’s a really compelling novel about a woman who is learning how to be okay as herself in a world that is both gentle and tough, and the complexity of that.

PRH Audio: We won’t give anything away! In addition to narrating audiobooks, you’re also a writer, actor, and stand-up comic. What was it like for you to bring those skills to narrating a rom-com? Was there anything special you did to prepare for recording the audiobook?

Siena: It was really interesting recording an audiobook because it’s kind of like acting and kind of like stand up, but also it’s whole own thing. Similarly to stand up, you are painting a picture, and similarly to acting, there’s an element of performing as characters, but in the end the most important thing is you’re telling a story and you want people to feel that story. I was really excited to record because I knew something that mattered to Danica was landing the jokes, and I was like… okay good that is of the utmost importance to me. I love the way she really wanted to get the comedy across. I had read and annotated the book before to make sure I was really understanding the intent of everything I was saying from prose to dialogue. It was my first time narrating an audiobook so the special thing I did was… remind myself to slow down and let the producers know to remind me to slow down. I’m a fast talker and a faster thinker, so I can blaze through a sentence, which is something that I’ve made work for me in my comedy. When I was first starting out as a comedian, I studied a bunch of comedians and discovered that like me, Joan Rivers spoke very fast and figured out how to use that to her advantage. However, speaking fast is NOT an advantage in an audiobook, so I kept myself in check!

PRH Audio: Without spoilers, is there a moment in Ember that you’re particularly excited for listeners of the audiobook to hear?

Siena: My half joke, half serious answer is the steamy scenes! I worked very hard to get the vibe of those scenes and to do a sexy man voice. However, my very serious serious answer is the humor. Danica writes Ember with such a clear voice, perspective and humor that the jokes are all over the book and integral to understanding Ember as a character as well as what makes her both incredibly flawed and incredibly relatable. It was freeing to get to live in a Native lady character who is crass, bold, and deeply unsure of herself, and all of that complexity lives in the humor of the novel.

PRH Audio: When you were recording, what’s the one thing you brought with you into the studio that you couldn’t do without?

Siena: A sweater. It gets cold! Maybe I’m being a baby and maybe this is the wrong answer, but a comfy sweater and a cold water bottle are the perfect combo for reading aloud for hours. Is that what the Reading Rainbow guy wore? I can’t remember. That’s how I’m picturing him though, but his sweater was nicer than mine I think. I should invest in a nicer sweater.

PRH Audio: November is Native American Heritage Month; what does representation in the audiobook field look like to you?

Siena: Whenever someone is telling a story, they are bringing pieces of themselves to the story and character. When reading a Native story, I’m bringing pieces of myself that help me enjoy and bring alive the humanity, complexity, and humor of the Native story I’m telling that help me allow the listener to live in that nuance with me. As a Native woman myself, I am able to bring my own truth to the sincere and painful moments Ember has as well as my own incredulousness to the humor that comes from her own frustration with the world. So it’s not just about checking off a box and having a Native person doing narration, it’s about me having the ability and understanding to bring something personal to this Native character that helps the listener fully understand the Native world and perspective the book is embodying. Another narrator who hasn’t lived the same life, experiences and in the same world might not find the same nuance, humor, and perspective that makes a novel like The Truth According to Ember so special.

PRH Audio: Thank you Siena for sharing this, and for taking us so thoughtfully through your process as a narrator. Last but not least, we’d love to ask: what was the last great thing you listened to? (It can be an audiobook, a podcast, an album, a song, anything that you’re loving right now).

Siena: The Celebrity Memoir Bookclub podcast. I’m also listening to Blowback which is great, but I love Celebrity Memoir Bookclub. I get some side glances for listing it as my favorite podcast, but the hosts Clare and Ashley do more than dish celeb gossip throughout–each memoir is a painting of a life. Some memoirs are dishonest and some refuse to do any self analysis, but so many show how much of a person’s life is not defined by one moment. Many of the memoirists have survived incredibly traumatic situations from rape and being molested as a child, to intimate partner violence and addiction. It has been really healing for me to hear the stories of people who have gone through and been affected by these traumas, but don’t let those traumas define them. They happen, they take you through the trauma and then through the rest of their life. So is it kind of a silly and light podcast? I think it’s the perfect medium for showing how much life is made up of more than the bad things that happen to you. Plus some episodes are so funny, I cry laughing. I super recommended the Andre Agassi episode which changed my life in all of the dumbest ways.