The audiobook version of “Girl, Haunted” by Blake Pierce has a surprise for listeners at the end of Track 18. That’s when audiobook narrator Kate Burns “crashed out,” in her words, over a technology glitch.
At the end of the psychological thriller’s chapter, the audio keeps playing and Burns starts cursing at her computer.
โStop it,โ she says. โI f—— hate this โฆ Why do you do this?โ
The expletive-filled rant goes on for about a minute.
One reader noticed the accidental inclusion and posted it to a Facebook group for readers of psychological thrillers. From there, a video of the moment hit TikTok.
The viral audio clip eventually garnered a response from Burns herself.
“Kate here ๐๐ซฃ my niece has been telling me for months to post my work on TikTok but I donโt think this is what she meant. The comments are funny. Thanks for being nice about it,” Burns commented on a post.
In an interview with TODAY.com, Burns says her frustration was because her recording software wouldnโt play back her audio.
Though she also edited the audiobook, Burns didnโt notice her meltdown made it into the final cut until she got an email from a listener.
โI thought, โYeah, I narrated that book,โ and then I hear it, and I thought, โI am in such big trouble,โโ Burns says.
While she was initially โterrifiedโ to learn the moment went viral, Burns says she was โheartenedโ by the support of viewers who relate to her frustration.
โI was so nervous and so absolutely mortified, but I did read a bunch of the comments people wrote, and I thought that is so nice, nobodyโs saying, โYouโre awful,โ Burns says. โEveryoneโs like โWe get it.โโ
โRealest thing Iโve seen today,โ one user commented on the initial TikTok of the blooper.
โShe was a Girl โฆ Haunted by technology,โ another joked.
“Me with any printer ever,” one viewer noted.
Burns made her TikTok debut to post her response to the moment. Her bio reads, “Tech-challenged voiceover artist for books, major brands & a crash out.”
โI woke up this morning to learn thereโs an audiobook blooper of me crashing out because Iโm technologically challenged and my recording software was giving me a hard time,โ she wrote in the videoโs caption.
โTo the half a million of you who heard that, thank you for giving me some grace. I apologize and it definitely wonโt happen again,โ the caption continued.
Burns is a voice artist who has recorded over 20 audiobooks. In her video, she referenced her long career recording a variety of different voices, noting that she has โnever actually been hired to just lose it completely like I did.โ
She said she has informed her publisher that the error needs to be fixed. She also said in the video she plans to โcut herself some slackโ like a lot of fans have. As one wrote in the comments, “We support you.”
Burns tells TODAY.com one silver lining to the experience is that it connected her with listeners.
โI wonder, โDoes anybody listen to the books that I narrate?โ Burns says. โTo hear people say โIโve listened to you. Your voice has gotten me through stuffโ โฆ Itโs really awesome.โ
โIโm sorry that it took this incident for me to hear some feedback, but Iโm super grateful for it,โ Burns adds. โIโm grateful for everybodyโs kindness for understanding how this could have happened.
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