Tell me a little about your book’s title and what it represents?
Island Whispers is sort of a nod to all the mysteries that are going on in the book. However, it first was just the title of a book mentioned in the story. Angelica’s father had recorded mysterious events in a book titled: Island Whispers. My mother was the one who suggested that I change the title to Island Whispers because it worked better. So I did and that’s how it was born.
What is the primary message you hope to share with readers? How do you hope they will feel after reading your book?
I want them to feel understood. I want them to come away and see magic everywhere and fun. However, they are also supposed to understand that the world is not so divided into black and white. There are different stories that need to be told and we interpret what we experience differently.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t let yourself give up and keep challenging yourself to explain things that you previously just wanted to shove under the bed and attribute to magical chance. There were a lot of things that I just kind of gave up and let slide until I realized that they could be explained if I just dug further. It really added more to the story and didn’t make it seem like there were no rules and that things could happen at the “author’s whim”.
Why should we buy your book? What makes it special in comparison to other books in the same genre?
You should buy it because it is a fun adventure with a world that is not our own. It’s relatively easy to read without complicated jargon that populate other fantasy novels and provides enough of a familiar feel that I think readers will immediately be comfortable with most of the ideas. Still there is enough new information and details that make it another book to store on the shelves next to other fantasy novels. Also the characters are relatable, emotionally they react how we would expect someone to react. Their powers aren’t over the top and I think they reflect each of their personalities as well. I really like how the book builds and the characters begin to grow with the story.
