Alison Davis's Blog: A Writer's Ramblings

Hello,

First up sorry I abandoned you and the world of goodreads for so long, things got really busy! But to make up for it I am coming back with a cover reveal for the follow up novel from Miss Hannah Harvey, whose debut novel ‘How I Got Here’ I reviewed last year.

This new book is ‘After Summer’.

“ Everything changes for Arianna when she loses one of her best friends in an accident, suddenly everything that felt happy and safe, is no longer there, and she can't handle it. It used to be Ben, Summer and Arianna, always together, and now it's just Ben and Arianna left, and she needs to escape.
After Summer's death she pushes Ben away, cutting of her connection with who she used to be, but she can't keep running forever, not when the past is always ready to catch her up, especially since it's more than just Summer's death that she's running from. ”

Her new book from what I have read is similar in one sense; it charts the story of one girl who thinks she is alone in the world when really she didn't need to be. However this new book brings with it all the trapping of a foray into a new depth of writing.

Most of the story is told in third person, though there are a few journal style letters incorporated.

‘After Summer’ is a book about discovering who you are, through many trials of growing up. It delves into loss, love, expectations and a fear of asking for help, even when you know you need it.

While ‘How I Got Here’ did not go wanting for serious topics or situations, and while the writing style and the voice of the author remains fairly unchanged- even from the brief excerpt I read, the characters seemed more developed in ‘After Summer’ and I got a fuller sense of who they were.

However this is not a book review, I cannot tell you to rush out and buy this book because I haven’t even read it myself (for those of you who want to there is an excerpt at the end) but I can give you my opinion on the cover.
And here it is…




This cover ticks three important boxes. The title is clear and stands out as important. The author’s name is visible. The main character is the focus of the cover…all massive ticks in boxes.
In particularly I like how the image blurs from focus as if everything is falling away, the body language from the cover model suggests that Arianna is broken, the lack of eye contact and the ambiguity over the face and identity suggests that she is confused herself over who she is and even the colour palette of the autumnal colours suggests a mourning, as autumn is the season where all the cycle begins to end, nature’s death.
In all it’s simple, it’s clean and it’s subtle. It tells you little but hints at much. A very intriguing cover.


About the Author:
Hannah has had a keen interest in writing for a long time, starting out writing short stories when she was young. As she got older she started taking her writing more serio usly, and writing longer pieces, but it wasn’t until taking part in and completing NaNoWriMo, that she decided to pursue her writing.
Her first novel ‘How I Got Here’ was released in the summer of 2012.



Excerpt:
‘Don’t lecture me Ben I can’t deal with that tonight.’
‘I expected more from you.’ He sighs.
‘That’s the whole issue though,’ Arianna shouts, ‘so many people expected so much from me, by the time I was about thirteen my whole life had been mapped out, and I felt like if I changed even one thing, I’d be letting everyone down! I was drowning in expectations. After Summer died I just couldn’t do it anymore, but that Arianna, the one I used to be, she was so tied down by all of that, so I had to become someone new.’
‘And cut everyone out of your life? I know it’s not just me, you hardly talk to Alex anymore, you’re withdrawn around your parents, you don’t talk to my parents anymore, all of your friends were dropped, you don’t talk to Kate, and she says that Fletcher has been trying to contact you but you won’t talk to him either. I don’t understand it, you had a great life and sure I know things weren’t perfect, but you had a support system of friends and family, and you pushed them all away. What’s so horrible about the life you had planned?’
‘Nothing’s horrible about it,’
‘Then just explain to me what you’re doing? Why you’re acting like this prom queen type of girl.’
‘Maybe because I am the prom queen,’ she shrugs noncommittally, ‘I like who I am now, I have a big group of friends, I have money, I don’t have to worry about being labelled a nerd, I actually have a varied social life that consists of more than staying at home, or going to the arcade. I don’t have to care,’
‘About anything,’ he finishes for her, ‘that’s the biggest problem, you used to care about things and people, but now you don’t, or you pretend you don’t.’
‘I didn’t come here to talk about myself, so if this is the way the nights going then I’ll leave now.’ She snaps back angrily.

*Cover Image from: www.freedigitalphotos.net
Links:
Authors Website:
www.thebooktower.webs.com
Amazon Authors Page:
www.amazon.com/author/hannahharvey
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/bookish92

Check out these fabulous Reveals and Reviews from round the world and the bloggersphere ...




Bel- http://belwrites.blogspot.co.uk/2012/...

Charli- http://ramblingsofanelfpire.blogspot....

Hannah- http://thebooktower.webs.com/apps/blo...

Martha- http://theshortone08.blogspot.co.uk/2...

Ruty- http://booksaremywayofliving.blogspot...

Mark- http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

Matilda -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SIgPg...

Beth- http://www.literarylunespublications....


and there are more yet to come which I shall link tomorrow.

:D

I hope you like the cover and if you want to you can now add it to your shelf on here. That's right it's on Goodreads waiting for you to discover it.


A

Hey guys,
I'm past the issue I was having with NaNo and I'm on a roll again, I've managed to make my story come back around to the core of my story, reconnect it with what I was trying to do with my novel.

I thought I'd share a little bit of that below.

It’s the hope that we read it for, and that we watch these movies for, the enjoyment of disappearing into a perfect summer, a perfect day, a perfect moment. I just don’t know if I want to take away that hope. If I end my story early this month maybe you can decide how you want it to end.


Keep Writing

A

Hey everyone,
Today I'm going to share an extract about how Scarlett spends her Sundays.

Over to you Scarlett...
A


Thanks :)
ok so ...
The thing about Sunday, is that Sunday is a nothing day. Have any of you ever experienced the Sunday blues? Like I know that most people have heard of the Monday blues. The day when everything seems rubbish because you’re going back to school, or work, and you really just want to do nothing but sit around and feel crappy. The Sunday blues are the same. You don’t have the mental energy to get up and do anything and the evening is the same dull Sunday night television, the same horrible shows with the threat of Monday hanging over your head. Well in the holidays. Especially in summer. The Sunday blues melt away. The nights are long and full of promise. There isn’t the same dull television, because films are on, or you can go out to dinner, or, in my case...
Sunday meant staying at Heidi’s and reading Kafka...

I hope you all liked it :)
I'll see you soon

Scarlett
xxx

Hey everyone,

Sorry I didn't post a video today I forgot some of my laptop equipment stuff so I couldn't record in good enough quality.

So, an update...
I am up to an interesting turn around in the Summer.
A flip to a possible chance at 'the summer when everything could change' which is proving a lot of fun to write if a little difficult. The reason for this, I think, is because I'm so used to writing about the dull, normal summer events that it's almost hard to write something going well.
Here's an extract of the beginning of the turn around...
Enjoy,

My dearest reader,
Some much anticipated good news
Today was
I don’t know how to begin telling you about the day I just had.
Actually four simple words will sum it up quite nicely.
It was a date.
Yup dearest, most encouraging, reader, a date.
This morning Violet got up and walked syrup with Lolly so I had a lie in and woke up to the sun coming through the curtains, I swear the birds outside were singing me awake; and, although I may have been half asleep at this point, I’m pretty sure they all swept in through the window and were joined by a few rabbits and a deer, who all helped to dress me as I sang a song about cleaning or something.
It was one of those mornings. The alarm wasn’t shrill and it actually turned off once I’d got out of bed and didn’t trip itself and go off again as I changed. My slippers were where I had left them and Syrup hadn’t run off and chewed them in the night, something he seemed to only do with my slippers.
My shampoo was full and the water pressure managed to stay fairly constant. My bath towl hadn’t fallen off the rail like usual.
And most importantly I owed Marybelle big time. The top and skirt she had picked out fitted perfectly! I looked like a model from Glamour. She’d chosen this white vest tope which had a completely lace racer back and the lace snaked over the shoulders and joined at the neck line, then she had stuck me in this stunning red and white bow print circle skirt which had this adorable black patent belt on the waist. Then she lent me one of her copious quantities of cardigans, it’s a black one with long sleeves and three huge buttons that hold it together. Only because it was so warm I left it open.
Then , and this is a miracle you will fully appreciate if you are a girl.
My foundation powder, which I had been carrying in my handbag for three days because I forgot to take it out before work, was actually still whole and didn’t have a single crack in it. Miracle.
My eye shadow went on smooth and didn’t just pack to the corners of my eyes and sit in the creases when I blinked. And although I rarely use it, my eyeliner was sharp and not blunt with those horrible wooden splinters which scrape your face when you forget to sharpen it. I dug out some red lipstick from a box on my dresser and slicked it on in a hurry. Then running down stairs I grabbed some pop tarts, because , miraculously, Violet had left some for me.
I mean seriously these are the mornings you dream of.


Hope you like it feel free to comment and let me know what you think :)

A

10 Days In!!!

That only leaves 20 more to finish a novel in.

1/3 through the plot line.
Have you introduced your catalyst for the main event?

If not better start mentioning it soon, lay the ground work for that early on and then the whole event can build up during your last third and BOOM you have your plot on track.

I'm just getting the ball rolling on one of the big events for my character. Because while there is clear over all plot line in the novel, within the blog posts there are so many individual events all with tiny plot arcs.

So what I'm asking myself is this. Am I still happy with my ending. The scope of the blog posts and the beginning building blocks of main events allow me to change the plot direction while I am 10 days in fairly easily. So do I waver from the vague plan I had?

I'm not sure but I'll work it out. Importantly make sure you work it out for your own novel, before we're nearing the mid way point!


Here's a small extract of where I'm up to...

While we headed over Violet told me she’d been reading this blog, at first I thought she might be really mad at me for putting in about what happened with Cindy and stuff that went on at the mall.

It turns out she’s really enjoying it and she’s not bothered by that stuff at all, although she’s a little concerned for me.

‘Scar, don’t you ever worry that Barbie or Cindy or even that jogger might be reading this?’

A valid question right? Only I’d never considered it before.

I mean obviously I knew Marybelle, Candy and Heidi knew about it but I never considered that maybe other people from Cedar Falls would find it out there on the internet.

I mean I know I haven’t exactly hidden that this blog is all about Cedar Falls; but given the size of the internet the enormity of the blogger sphere I just assumed, I guess, that none of you reading this would be living in or around Cedar Falls. I think I just assumed you would all have just stumbled upon it rather than searching for it.

Naive, maybe. Logical, maybe. True, definitely.

I just never gave it thought.

So when Violet asked me it caught me off guard and I had to weigh up what did I really think. Did I care if The Store Whore knew that was what people called them behind their back or not? Did I care if anyone from school found it? Did I care if Zac found it? Would I care if the jogger found it?

The answer came to me immediately...



A

So today I was meant to blog about where you should be up to and how I'm doing.

Instead I have just one piece of advice amongst the chaos.

Keep Calm and Keep Writing!

A

Hey everyone,

I hope if you are writing as well that you are making your word counts and getting your ideas down.

Personally I am coming up on the 15K mark. That means a lot, a lot, of re working time lines and working out what to pad and what to introduce.

Writing a novel as a blog is something that had never occurred to me but it allows me to explore so much more of the narrative device.

Today as you write or as you read look at what the author is doing as they tell the story, what tone does the lead character have. What motivations are implied that you have missed through simply top reading and not catching the details.

It's what goes unsaid but hinted at that makes the character real. Flaws and all.

Are you drawn to a certain tone, a certain formality. If so why?

Just something to think about,

A


Scarlett your turn!

Q Celebrity Crush?

A Haha. Ok well how long do you have? No in all seriousness?
Zac Efron's a 'hottie' as Heidi puts it.
Marybelle and I share a mutual fangirling over Johnny Depp even though I know he's way old for me.
And right at the top of the list is Viggo Mortensen, but only when he's in character as Aragorn.
Judge me all you want...
*SIGH*

Hey guys,

So I didn't blog yesterday or the day before as I didn't have much to say and I'd already told you about Scarlett's first love and the question yesterday was the first kiss, the day before her best friend which is complicated as she has three.

So, what I'm going to do is tell you about PracticeMakesProse, my collab channel. This month the theme is Writer's Block. Worth checking out.

http://www.youtube.com/user/PracticeM...


Over to Scarlett to answer her quick fire round,

A

Q First kiss?

A He kissed me, covered in mud, with water drenching us, dressed in his Lacrosse kit in the pouring rain. I'll save his dignity and not post his name on this blog as well.

Q How is your week going?

A Well and awfully. So far my elusive attempts to capture THE summer are failing pretty miserably.
I've started a summer class, which is going well, I've made my sister happy, good, I've spent time with my friends, good. And then a whol myriad of awful which does not bear repeating but I'm sure one day my story will be told.

Q Who is your best friend?

A Ok well I'll give you a run through of the gang...
Marybelle (not her real name luckily), my oldest friend, is a huge Eurovision Fan! She’s obsessed with the odd pop music and weird trance stuff that they sing. She was the one who persuaded me to try the white blond look. Disaster from application to dying over it. –AVOID IT. She is also obsessed with boys and magazines about getting boys.

Candy (again not her name) is in my year and kind of sits on the edge of the two person clique me and Marybelle make up. Candy’s hair is cut short like a boys and is bleach blond.

Heidi(this one is her real name- just kidding, she has long plaited hair is all). Heidi is like her mom, alternative. Visiting Heidi's is a whole experience. She's the newest member of our group.

Well today is awesome.

Day four in NaNoWriMo, is, for me at least, the day when everything falls into place.
Traditionally I hit tiny hurdles with my plans and plot and characters in the first few days and then day four arrives and I've ironed them out and so the true first 20K euphoria arrives.

This is were for the first 20,000 words you write you feel great, it's then you hit the issues and the doubts.

But one day at a time.
Today I wrote a pivotal scene about Scarlett's first kiss and so established a feud with one other character I also introduced her friends in more detail.

Hope your writing is going well,

A


Q Describe your day today.

A Well...

So Today. Walked Syrup, hid from the jogger, male, 17, brown hair, listening to music. Same one who I had an unfortunate incident with early in the week.

I worked my shift at the coffee house rather uneventfully, same customers, same orders, same jobs. Same drama flyer, this time I took one and put it in my bag, I’m thinking it could be fun to do it after work.

Heidi said she’d look into it and find out all the details etc. Heidi’s a planner. She’s always organising our study groups or arranging outings to the museums and cinema and parks, making sure everyone knows what to bring and when we’re leaving. Candy reckons she’s a mom without kids.

After work I drove back to ours and picked Violet up (My sister). She was already waiting on the porch, in skinny jeans, a panda t-shirt and pumps. She practically hurled herself into the car and plugged in her MP3. That’s how it came to be that when we arrived at the mall and parked up I had Justin Beiber in my head on repeat.

Enter huge conflict with a certain enemy of mine. Drama Drama Drama. Still no summer of promise though...