CJ Critt comes to area libraries

By Josh Eiserike

Published: March 29, 2008

CJ Critt might not be as well known as author Michael Crichton, but her name yields more hits in the Prince William County library system database.

"If I look her up under our author search, I'm probably going to find her in the hundreds," adult services librarian Joann Hartzell said. "OK, 87—but that's just what we have here."

Critt's pen name (formally it's Carol Jane Crittenden) yields all those hits because of the 150 or so audio books she's narrated, even though she's a writer by trade.

Critt hosts "Tales from the Critt" Wednesday at Chinn Park Regional Library. She will perform selections from her audio book repertoire and answer questions.

"It'll be entertainment first, then this very friendly chit chat," Critt said.

She'll be across town at the Bull Run Regional library Thursday leading a writing workshop titled "The Write Stuff," during which she'll share her own autobiographical writing and coach participants through theirs.

"It's not therapy, but it's very cathartic," Critt said. "They see that I'm wacky and fearless and that gives them permission (to share their stories)."

Critt, 53, acts, writes, performs, dances and reads for audio books. She is also a house writer for Radio Disney, where she writes commercials and promotions.

"I wear many hats to make a living," Critt said.

When she was younger, and people asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Critt would tell them, "Quick Draw McGraw."

"When I found out that wasn't possible, acting was my second choice," she said.

Critt, who splits her time living between Brooklyn and Dallas, said she's always been a performer, from her early days of show-and-tell to landing in Broadway show "Waltz of the Stork" during the early '80s.

"Mario Van Peebles and I made our Broadway debut together," Critt said.

She got into the audio books business during its early days about 15 years ago. A fellow actor was already working in the industry and suggested Critt give it a try. They shared an agent and that was enough to get Critt an audition.

Readers might recognize her as the narrator of popular books by New York Times bestselling writers such as Janet Evanovich and Patricia Cornwell.

"For me the beauty of audio books is you can slip into the skin of different characters with your voice," Critt said. "It doesn't matter what you look like, how old you are or even what gender you are."

Critt also said that it is very rewarding to be able to transport listeners into the world of the story.

"It's the complete sense of storytelling," Critt said. "You're there on page one, you're there on page 100. There's this complete sense of propriety."

She always reads the book through once before a reading, often skimming sections again and marking difficult passages or character names. She will almost always record what is called a "voiced narration," where she performs different voices for different characters.

"Every studio has a slightly different recording process," Critt said. "It's not good to come in unprepared."

Typically she reads for about 90 minutes to two hours before taking a break. She'll work in some studios for three hours at a time; others demand eight-hour workdays.

Critt is preparing for a reading of her musical noir, "The Black Dahlia," in New York next month. She's also written a young adult novel, "Eggstory," which she hopes to publish—and, of course, record the audio book.

Want to go?

CJ Critt events are free, but call ahead to register.

"Tales from the Critt"

7 p.m. April 2

Chinn Park Regional Library

13065 Chinn Park Drive

Prince William

703-792-4800

"The Write Stuff"

7 p.m. April 3

Bull Run Regional Library

8051 Ashton Avenue

Manassa

703-792-4500

On the Web:

web.mac.com/cjcritt

Actress/narrator to entertain, teach

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072 or .