The Face Behind the Voice
We often emphasize that there are humans behind all this tech – those who program it to analyze and parse your characters, and those who are using AI to create passive income in new ways. The Face Behind the Voice introduces you to some of the voice actors whose voice clones are frequently selected for Spoken projects.
Meet Alicia McCalla … the voice behind “Alicia Speaks”
1. Tell us about how “Alicia Speaks” came to speak?
Alicia Speaks actually began as my pen name for narration. I wanted to create some separation between my fiction author work and my narration projects, so readers wouldn’t be confused when I branched into affirmations, meditations, or even lending my voice to other people’s books.
Narration itself came naturally. Back when I was a school librarian, I was always reading stories aloud, running story times, and teaching school-wide lessons through our school TV series. I also trained students in media production. Using my voice to teach and tell stories has always been a part of me.
A few years later, author J. Thorn suggested I try professional narration, he told me I had the perfect voice. That encouragement pushed me to take the ACX Masterclass. I remember thinking, “I’ve been teaching Audacity to my students for years… I can do this.” So I went for it, and narration became a natural extension of my author journey.
When I tested ElevenLabs, I already had hours of recorded material from audiobooks and projects. I uploaded my voice just to see what would happen, and it turned out better than I expected. That’s how Alicia Speaks became both my narrator persona and eventually my digital voice clone.
2. What’s it like to hear your voice transcribe someone else’s story?
At first, it was surreal, like hearing an echo of myself reading words I didn’t write. But then I realized how powerful it was. Lending my voice to other stories connected me to a larger community of storytellers. It reminded me of all those years reading aloud to kids, stepping into another author’s imagination while still carrying my own rhythm and tone.
I’ve also noticed how few Black narrators are represented in this space. That makes it especially meaningful for me to lend my voice to projects that need a Black voice. Representation matters, and I’m excited to bring more depth and authenticity to stories that deserve to be heard in our voices too.
3. As an author and voice actor, how does Spoken fit into your creator journey?
As an author, I’m always searching for ways to immerse readers deeper into my storyworlds. Narration was my first bridge into that. But producing a full-length audiobook on my own is time-consuming. Spoken opened up new possibilities, layering multiple voices, adding emotional nuance, and letting me create projects I can take and share wherever I want.
I recently ran my Oya Warrior Goddess Lore Book through Spoken. It wasn’t flawless, my Alicia Speaks voice carried the main narration, and there were a few glitches. But what I loved was the concept and the freedom to experiment. My husband especially enjoyed all the dramatic voices! Spoken isn’t replacing my own narration, but it’s adding a powerful new layer to how I deliver stories.
Alicia McCalla writes badass speculative fiction featuring Black women with skills, swords, and superpowers. She’s the author of The Oya Lore Book and creator of the upcoming Sentinel vigilante series. Through her digital voice clone “Alicia Speaks,” she also produces affirmations, meditations, and immersive audio projects. Alicia is passionate about reclaiming voice, building storyworlds, and creating empowering narratives for readers and listeners.
To hear her voice in action, check out Alicia’s book, Talons in the Shadows.
