Monday, July 1, 2013

The Voice of Elf Abba

Valerie Abba web Local high School Student to be the Voice of Christmas Valerie Trujillo (15) of Covina has been chosen to voice a popular series of Christmas stories penned by local author Bill Wilbur. For years, Mr. Wilbur has written a Christmas story chronicling the adventures of a clumsy elf named Abba and sent the story as a Christmas card to his family, friends, and a few select fans. Recently a copy of the latest story was made public and fans began clamoring for copies. Mr. Wilbur is probably best known for his western novel, SARAGOSA, released in 1995 and now in pre-production to be turned into a feature film. “I have always had the heart of a child when it comes to Christmas. I think there is real magic in the air around the holidays and that sometimes gets lost in the commercial juggernaut of retail. I try to capture a bit of that magic to share with my family and friends,” Mr. Wilbur said when asked about his unique Christmas cards. In March of this year, students from Northview High School in Covina, CA performed a stage production of Mr. Wilbur’s book, SARAGOSA. They sold out three nights and raised money towards their proposed theatre which is set to begin construction early next year. Ms. Trujillo played the lead female role in the stage production and Mr. Wilbur felt her energy and voice were perfect for his little elf. “Abba needed equal parts of exuberance and stubbornness mixed with a healthy dose of wide-eyed wonder. Valerie embodied all of those elements and added an air of intelligence to her reading that made the words sing,” Mr. Wilbur said. The audio productions of ‘The Adventures of Elf Abba’ will be available this holiday season on CD and for download through Mr. Wilbur’s author blog, The Wordslayer Cometh. Contact the author at gnubill@yahoo.com