Ask LaQuita James what she does for a living, and you’ll get a simple answer: “I talk — all day long.” But as with most things, the story of how James became an in-demand voice-over artist and audiobook narrator is just a bit more complicated.
Originally from Decaturville, Tenn., James first moved to the area to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she received a degree in speech and theater, with a concentration in communication disorders. A certified speech-language pathologist, she later earned a master’s degree at Tennessee State University, and spent many years working with patients in skilled nursing facilities.
After college, James got involved in the local theater scene, performing with companies such as The Larry Keeton Theatre, SistaStyle Productions and KB Productions. After landing a small part in a music video, she found an agent and started working regularly in film and television, with supporting roles in Hap & Leonard, Still the King, Nashville and more. She’s also a regular participant in Middle Tennessee’s 54 Film Fest, and won the festival’s Best Supporting Actress award for her work in the 2020 short film “Raised by Wolves.”
“There’s a real rush that comes with live performance,” James says. “I love the way it stretches and challenges me. And I especially enjoy taking on all the different characters — the idea that I can put on a costume and just be someone else for a bit.”
But it wasn’t until about seven years ago that James got into voice work. She was talking with a friend at a local party when a stranger stopped her.
“She said: ‘Excuse me, do you do voice-over work?’ When I said no, she said: ‘Well, you should.’ Turns out, she was a voice-over casting director in New York City. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, that sort of thing just doesn’t really happen to people, right? But it did.”
Intrigued, James started doing her homework, and eventually recorded and edited her own demo, in which she read a scene from Kathryn Stockett’s bestseller The Help.
“I ended up booking three major publishers with that little demo,” James says with a laugh. “And things just sort of took off from there.”
Since then, James has narrated projects for TIME, HuffPost and Reuters, as well as audiobooks for Audible, Hachette Audio, HarperCollins and other well-known publishers. Notable titles James has voiced include the Caldecott Honor Award-winning book Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora and the bestselling The Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine. She also can be heard voicing the role of Katrina in the popular audio drama Margaritas & Donuts.
James still works in speech pathology, although she has moved to more of an administrative role these days. But most nights, you’ll find her burning the midnight oil, recording her latest project.
“I’ve always been a night owl,” she says. “I worked the second shift in college, waiting tables at Cracker Barrel, and I don’t think I ever really got out of that schedule. But I like to record late at night — it’s quiet, and there aren’t many distractions.”
And while that daily shift from the clinical to the creative may seem like a stretch, James says there is plenty of common ground.
“My work as a speech pathologist has helped me in so many ways. My understanding of speech patterns helps me tremendously in learning different accents, and I also just have a better sense of how to care for my voice. And, of course, my work as an actor carries over to my voice-over work as well. When I narrate an audiobook, it’s like doing a play all by myself — I get to play all the parts, bringing each of the characters to life.
“It’s been sort of a crazy journey and totally unexpected, but I love it. I’m approaching it like Shonda Rhimes’ book, Year of Yes — I’m just trying to embrace the opportunities and enjoy the ride.”
Photographed by Eric England.
