This is a Cover Re-Reveal and review for the book "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story" by Alison Davis. This is my first time doing a cover review like this so please bear with me.
Synopsis:
Whispers on the Wind : Ari’s Story, is a Young Adult fiction novel, set against the stunning backdrop of a fictional English coastal town, deals with new environments, finding your place, falling in love, and the fascination we all have with where we came from and the history surrounding us.
Hidden letters from 1812, the British Regency, tell the story of Alexander Ventus, member of a very rich and influential local family. Besotted with a local women, Elizabeth, who is deemed beneath him, he is forced into a marriage with another woman. Distraught she throws herself from a cliff. Followed years later by Alexander, burdened by his guilt.
Arianna takes a job at the local library where she begins to fall in love and become embraced in the community. Arianna does her best to uncover their stories, only to discover that history is repeating itself, every male descendant of Alexander has died on that cliff top and now a new set of letters have appeared with the same seal and the same warning signs.
Haunted by the echoes of the past, Arianna finds love, sees death and saves one man from repeating his ancestor’s mistakes after she takes it upon herself to catch him when he falls.
Excerpt:
I stood in the cavern and looked about with a candle. I’d only been down in the hidden grotto a few times and hadn’t ever ventured beyond the first pillar. Even now I still didn’t go any further than that. There was no need; so many hidden treasures were right by the steps. I set the candle in the closest corner as always, and within its range I scanned the treasures. There were tiny figurines carved from wood set in some of the alcoves. They become mere silhouettes right on the edge of the pool of light cast by the flickering flame. Some small tin toy cars from the 1950‘s were stationed into traffic queues, with a fire engine parked up by the pillar and a small police officer with his hand held up to the nonexistent drivers. There were more relics in the ‘garden’ above, some magazines from the 1970’s rotting in a corner, next to the bench. Even older relics were scattered about too, hair ribbons, earrings and even a photograph of a wedding from the early 1900’s. On the back of it someone had penned a note.
My darling husband,
You were mine for one short hour before you were taken to the battlefields.
I waited. I wrote to you. For so long I waited to hear from you, a note, or a letter. Then I
waited for a telegram. For the news you were not returning to me. Then I just waited.
My family moved away. I stayed and waited for news. But it never came. Without you the world is grey, my heart is still, and day blurs into night. I feel as if I am Lot’s wife -with all the tears I have cried I shall surely turn to salt.
You never returned to me my love and so I shall come searching for you
The handwriting had deteriorated gradually throughout the note and the ink was smudged, tears had stained the words. I had placed it on a ledge of a rocky alcove last time I was down in the cavern to stop the damp ruining it too much; but now I reached out and slipped the picture into my bag as the candle light began to dim and the flame died.
My review of the cover:
I really love the picture that was chosen for the cover because it really has a lot of meaning as to what the book is about. I also like the choice of font because it is an elegant handwritten font and that really ties in well with the theme of the letters that are a large part of the book.
The only thing I am not sure about is the placement of the text. I think it may have looked better if "Ari's Story" was not on top of the face but I'm not quite sure about that. Also I have taken, for my design major, classes on designing book covers and the use of typography and some thing I learned in class was the importance of hierarchy, meaning what is the most important thing that you want your reader to see first. On the cover the words "Ari's Story" is the most dominant in the hierarchy which was a little confusing since the main title is "Whispers on the Wind" but I may have misunderstood that and "Ari's Story" is supposed to be the main title. In any case I do think that the cover is well made and really sticks with what the story is about.
I have read the story and would highly recommend it! It was a book that I could not put down!
About the Author:
Her first novel, Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story, was published in August 2012 on Lulu.com.
Hanging from the Family Tree: Tobias' Story, a companion/sequel to Whispers on the Wind, will follow soon.
Author Interview:
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I wish I did, everyone I speak to has a great story; they met an author at school or they could write before they could talk. I just read a lot (for 'a lot' read 'obsessively'). I think mostly, I kept writing because I had stories I wanted to tell, and only I could tell them.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I don't know. I think I definitely tend to stick to 1st person most of the time, as I like being able to put the reader in the character's shoes- make them feel what the character does and see what the character sees. There is probably more than a little bit of me wanting to get more involved in the story too.
Why did you choose to title your book "Whispers on the Wind"?
When I was writing the novel I wrote under the title 'The Lost Letters' or variations thereof, I changed it when I wrote the end scene and I wanted to encapsulate the journey Ari, the main character, goes through with each letter she finds like a whisper of a story you half hear.
What inspired you to write "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story"?
I just realised after 3 years of not writing, that writing, even when you are not at your best or you are far from home, can make you feel better; it gives you a voice and I had a story that needed telling. That and I figured no one would ever read it!
When you began writing the rough draft of "Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story" did you know that you wanted to eventually get it published?
*laughs* No, I knew my partner would read it and possibly a friend or two. Mostly I wrote it for myself and for family, so that I would have something I had created that I could give to them. If I knew I would go on to publish I would have included a lot less of my song lyrics. Although if anyone wants to have a go at writing music to them contact me on YouTube :P
I know that you have written this story from the point of view of another character. Are you planning to publish that story as well?
As soon as I decided to edit Whispers on the Wind: Ari's Story, I decided 'in for a penny in for a pound'. Not publishing Hanging for the Family Tree: Tobias' Story, would be like only publishing half the story, even though it runs on a tandem timeline.
What was the editing process like for you? What is some advice you would give other writers who are looking to edit their writing for publication?
For me the editing process was great, luckily I had a great editor and it was a lot of fun, we laughed at least half the time!
As far as advice goes.
Firstly, make at least 3 major edits after your initial look-through's, catch all the typos and grammar you can and have someone beta read it to make sure.
Secondly, accept that your book will not suit everyone, people will dislike a character or disagree with a motive.
Finally, know that no book is ever finished! Ever! I am a firm believer that an author is never done with a manuscript; we could edit and re-write until we think it is done and on the last read through discover at least five things we want to change. Only then it would never be read. The final edit is just what is the best version of that novel right then.
Are the experiences in the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Well I am only 5'2" so I can certainly identify with the moments where Ari is frustrated by her height. Although I have never fallen in love with my boss, nor have I found hidden love letters! Although if I had a boss like Ben... *laughs*
The beach party is based off a few parties from my teenage years and since and look out for the redecorating scene, that one's based off real life.
What books have most influenced your life and your writing?
Well there are almost too many to choose from. I've read JRR Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy 6 times, once a year from age 11 to 17. Those books inspired me to try different narrative styles and genres, although the most lasting impression is the use of elegant, simple description.
Apart from that I draw on a number of books and authors to help inspire my writing although my golden rule is NEVER read something similar to what you are writing. Far too easy to lose your plot in the book's and risk changing your story on a whim.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
A hundred things including giving Phil a bigger role. I'm Team Phil.
Haha, no I think I'd probably leave it the same because if I changed it I'd only find a hundred other things to change it in and I'm pretty happy with how it came out.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find dialogue can be quite challenging as you have to get the characters voice just right, they need to have tone and a consistency- that is a fine balance; especially considering how things you need saying may be something you would never say out loud.
What was the hardest part about writing your book?
The hardest part was finishing the book and walking away for a while. It took 11 days to write the first draft. When I was done I sat back and thought, I don't want this to be over. The second hardest was writing the cliff scene.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and if so what was it?
That writing a novel is a very rewarding experience, it's also very addictive. I also learnt that when I speed type I drop 'the' quite a lot *laughs* It was like reading a northern version of the book. Even now my editor firmly believes that Phil is from Yorkshire.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological and logistical) in bringing this story to life?
Research- Definitely the clothing for the periods, a lot of period details were researched and verified and check and double checked.
Literary- I'm dyslexic so grammar was my biggest challenge although surprisingly not a lot of grammar editing was necessary, just checking and making the writing uniform.
Psychologically - While writing the novel it was fun, the biggest challenge was loss of sleep as I was writing best late at night. I think it was because I had only told a few people so I had no pressure on me.
Logistically- The filming of the trailers was a lot of fun and it was just the logistics that ere stressful, juggling locations, costume, script and keeping the filmmaker, actors and sound guy in the loop. Plus the guy who composed and played the music for trailers 1 and 3 lives in Canada so I just descried the scenes to him as we were still filming and he wrote from that. It was stressful at times, I needed to do so much and get so much organised, the cover, the blurb, the publishing site profile, manuscript, press releases, review copies & meetings. But it was so rewarding at the same time.
Do you have any advice you would like to share with other writers?
Keep a pen and paper on you, a camera and a sense of humour. Write about what you know. Weave passion into your writing and your writing will be powerful.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for your support, the encouragement I've received has been amazing and I hope you enjoy the book. If you have any questions about it (even after reading this comprehensive list) then feel free to visit my Q&A page and I'll do my best to answer them.
