Historical Fiction Review: 'River Aria' by Joan Schweighardt

From the pen of talented historical novelist Joan Schweighardt comes another well-crafted, meticulously researched story about family, community, immigration, oppression, the environment, and having to face the consequences of one’s actions.

It’s 1928 and the Great Depression is looming around the corner when two impoverish but talented mixed-raced—Amerindian and European—Brazilian immigrant cousins travel to NYC to find a better life and fulfill their dreams. Estela, a singer of arias and a product of the Teatro Amazonas during the time of the rubber boom, has a beautiful voice and dreams of becoming a famous opera singer; Jojo is a fisherman and a gifted artist. As a start, Estela is offered a seamstress position at the Metropolitan Opera House while Jojo is offered a scholarship at an art school. Will they achieve their dreams against all obstacles? If yes, at what price?

River Aria is the third installment in this author’s series and is focused on the next generation of the family featured in the first book. There is so much I enjoyed about this novel! The worlds of art and music in 1920s NYC come together engrossingly. The multifaceted, original characters—you don’t often read stories about indigenous people from Brazil—and their struggles to find purpose and meaning in a complex, ruthless city that is a character all on its own, kept me riveted. Parentage and identity are big themes with both Estela and Jojo as they struggle with their origins and how it affects their lives. Having read other books by Schweighardt, I’ve become familiar with her literary prose. She always strives for depth, and she pays great attention to detail.

The author visited the rainforest, as well as Manaus, the Amazon, and Rio Negro as part of her research, and considering the authentic feel of the plot and characters, I’m not surprised. In spite of this, however, the writing doesn’t get too heavy-handed, which is sometimes a problem in this type of book. I particularly recommend River Aria to historical fiction fans who have a special interest in the rubber boom that took place in Brazil in the early 1900s and how it affected the fishing villages and the indigenous people living there.

Find out more at www.joanschweighardt.com

A Chat with Joan Schweighardt, Author of 'River Aria'

Joan Schweighardt is the author of River Aria, which is both a standalone novel and the third book in a trilogy, as well as other novels, nonfiction titles, and children’s books. She is also a freelance writer and ghostwriter. Currently touring the blogosphere, she’s here today to discuss her novel, her series, the themes in her work, and her research conducted in South America. Visit her at www.joanschweighardt.com

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it? 

River Aria is narrated by Estela Hopper, who, as a ten-year-old girl living in the impoverished fishing village of Manaus, Brazil in the early 20th century, is offered a twist-of-fate opportunity to study opera with an esteemed voice instructor. During her years of instruction, Estela, who is talented, passionate and dramatic by nature, dreams of leaving Brazil to perform in New York. But as her beloved instructor is not able to convince the managers of the great Metropolitan Opera that they should bring on a mixed-race immigrant who grew up on the banks of the Amazon River to become an elite performer, Estela accepts what they do offer, a position in the sewing room, and leaves Brazil on a ship with her cousin JoJo in the year 1928.

The challenges that befall Estela and JoJo in New York are plentiful. Estela’s father, an Irish American who came to her village nearly twenty years earlier (at which time she was conceived), has a plan for what her life should look like once she is settled. Her relationship with JoJo changes drastically when he learns he was lied to about his own parentage, and again when he takes a dangerous job working for the owner of a speakeasy. And of course her personal challenges of finding some modicum of success in a place like New York are not only enormous but crushing to her once robust sense of self.

River Aria is a standalone novel, but it is also the last book in a trilogy that begins in 1908, in Manaus. Basically what happened, historically speaking, is that after the invention of the automobile, rubber, which had been used previously for things like shoe soles and manufacturing parts, was suddenly in extremely high demand. The Amazon rainforest is full of rubber trees, so entrepreneurs from all over Europe rushed to Manaus, which is centrally located on the Amazon river, and made it their headquarters for the rubber industry. There was nothing there, so they had to build their own mansions, hotels, restaurants, schools, and they built them all with the best materials, imported from Europe. But in 1912, rubber trees that had been planted on British territories in Southeast Asia began to produce, and the industry in South America came to a standstill. All the wealthy Europeans fled, and the amazing structures they had built to accommodate them were left to decay—which happens quickly in a region on the equator surrounded by rainforests. The centerpiece of their architectural achievement was the Teatro Amazonas, a magnificent opera house the rubber barons hoped would entice the world’s most elite performers to come to Manaus. The rubber boom was my inspiration for the entire series, but the Teatro Amazonas inspired River Aria.

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

I have published all three of the books in my “rivers” trilogy with Five Directions Press. Five Directions is a “by invitation only” publishing co-op. I feel very fortunate to be with them. As you might guess, the idea of a co-op is that everyone pitches in to ensure that each author’s book is as good as it can be. Decisions about what books to publish are based not on what the founders feel is likely to be a big commercial success but on the founders’ collective idea for what makes for a great read. All the authors at Five Directions are talented storytellers. I am in great company. 

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

As noted above, my inspiration for River Aria was the opera house in Manaus, Brazil, and as the story unfolds on or near rivers (the Amazon and its tributaries in Brazil and the Hudson in New York), River Aria seemed like the perfect title. Also, in many ways the story is itself an aria. It has an aria’s characteristics: it’s told in one voice, and it’s quite dramatic. 

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like? 

We have a cover designer at Five Directions Press. I worked with her in the designing of the first book in the trilogy, called Before We Died, and we decided that we could keep the same basic design for all three books, varying the colors. I love the design, which features lush tropical leaves and bird of paradise flowers,  and given that all three books touch in someway on the lushness of the Brazilian rainforest, it’s a good fit.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

Courtney Hall is one of the founders at Five Directions Press.

How was your experience working with the designer? 

Good; she is very professional. In fact, she has a day job designing covers for a large book company.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover? 

Readers seem to love the covers. A lot of people have commented on them.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer? 

If you will be overseeing your own cover design, you can take your time and check out the work of multiple designers. But if you are working with your publisher’s designer, remember she or he has a limited amount of time to produce a great cover for you. Go in with some idea of what you want and what you don’t want.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

I’m grateful for the space you’ve allotted me to talk about River Aria and my publishing process. Thank you.

Historical Mystery Author Marty Ambrose Talks about her Cover for 'Claire's Last Secret'

Marty Ambrose has been a writer most of her life, consumed with the world of literature whether teaching English at Florida Southwestern State College or creating her own fiction.  Her writing career has spanned almost fifteen years, with eight published novels for Avalon Books, Kensington Books, Thomas & Mercer—and, now, Severn House.

Two years ago, Marty had the opportunity to apply for a grant that took her to Geneva and Florence to research a new creative direction that builds on her interest in the Romantic poets:  historical fiction.  Her new book, Claire’s Last Secret, combines memoir and mystery in a genre-bending narrative of the Byron/Shelley “haunted summer,” with Claire Clairmont, as the protagonist/sleuth—the “almost famous” member of the group.  The novel spans two eras played out against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Italy and is the first of a trilogy.

Marty lives on an island in Southwest Florida with her husband, former news-anchor, Jim McLaughlin.  They are planning a three-week trip to Italy this fall to attend a book festival and research the second book, A Shadowed Fate.  Luckily, Jim is fluent in Italian and shares her love of history and literature.  Their German shepherd, Mango, has to stay home.

https://www.martyambrose.com/

Find out more about CLAIRE'S LAST SECRET on Amazon

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

It’s a re-telling of the Byron/Shelley “haunted summer” of 1816, but from the perspective of Claire Clairmont—Mary Shelley’s stepsister—when she is much older, living in Italy.  I liked have the “dual narrators” linking the past and the present, with a bit of a mystery twist, so it’s genre-bending . . . from the voice of the “almost-famous” member of the literary group.  I felt like Claire’s story had never really been told. I’ve always been very interested in the Byron/Shelley circle but, for some reason, I never paid much attention to Claire Clairmont.  Then I read The Young Romantics, which included a fragment from Claire’s journal where she noted that “summer of love” had not turned out so well for her.  I also realized that she lived to the age of 82 in Florence, Italy; it struck me that outliving everyone who had been a part of the greatest years of her life had to be challenging.  I started there . . . 

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

It took me about a year to research, write, and edit the book; then, my agent sold it in about six months.  After that, my editor and I did about six months of editing and the book was published about six months after that.  It took about two years to go from finished book to published book.

I went with trying to publish the traditional way, but it’s purely a matter of choice for each author.  Personally, I think the editorial process at a traditional publisher can’t really be duplicated with an indie press; the levels of editors, proofreaders, line editors, etc., all work together to make the manuscript a finished product.  I’ve never had an editor who didn’t improve my book.  It takes longer to go with a traditional publisher, but I think it’s worth the time and effort.

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing it, or did it come later?

I love the title of my book, Claire’s Last Secret, and I’m delighted that my editor at Severn House also liked it.  I originally had the title, Claire’s Summer, but my agent and I felt it didn’t have enough “edge” for this kind of novel.  I mulled it over and the new title came to me the next day:  the book is really about Claire’s “secret.”  Voila.  The new title.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

My publisher, Severn House, has in-house cover art designers, but I did have quite a bit of input.  I knew that I wanted the cover to reflect some of the important settings in Florence, especially the Boboli Gardens.  They did a beautiful job of creating those images in a dreamy landscape.  I loved it.

Who is your cover designer and how did you find him/her?

My cover designer is from Severn House.

How was your experience working with the designer?

I made suggestions to my editor who then worked with the designer to create the cover; I so liked how it reflected the mood and settings in the book.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

My book is being released on September 1^st, so I haven’t had a great deal of response to the cover yet, but the advance readers have commented on the lovely Italian landscapes and the figure of Claire looking over images that reflected on her past.  So far so good!

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

I think it’s really important to work closely with your editor as to what you’d like to see in a cover.   Also, it’s essential to think about what kind of cover really reflects your book:  what would make a reader want to pick it up in a bookstore or order online? 

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

If you are interested in historical fiction and a new narrative about the Byron/Shelley circle, I think you’ll enjoy Claire’s Last Secret.  It was a book that I so loved writing!

Book Cover Junkie Interviews Historical Fiction Author Joan Schweighardt

Joan Schweighardt is the author of several books. In addition to her own projects she writes, ghostwrites and edits for private and corporate clients.

Connect with Joan on the web:

www.joanschweighardt.com 

https://www.facebook.com/joanschweighardtwriter

twitter@joanschwei

Interview:

Tell us about your book! What is it about and what inspired you to write it?

The Last Wife of Attila the Hun is based on a combination of the history of Attila and some of the legends that grew out of that same time period. I read the legends back in college and fell in love with them and wanted to make them my own. First I tried writing a long poem based on them, but I wasn’t happy with the result. Then I started studying the history of the times of Attila and was inspired to attempt to superimpose the legendary material over the historical material and create a novel.

Tell us about your publishing process. What was it like? Did you go indie or the traditional way?

The Last Wife of Attila the Hun has been published three times. In 2003 Beagle Bay Books, then a small independent traditional publisher, published it in hardcover under the title Gudrun’s Tapestry. It had a great run with them, garnering great reviews, winning ForeWord and Ippy awards, and being translated into Italian and Russian.

A few years ago Beagle Bay transitioned from book publishing to book packaging, and the rights to the book reverted back to me. I had just read a blog about a publisher called Booktrope, and because they were awarded venture capital for their publishing model, and also because they sometimes published reprints of previously published titles, I sent them the book and they accepted it. They gave it a new title, fresh edits, a new cover, etc., published it in October of 2015 and went out of business (so much for their publishing model) in May 2016.

Two lives is a lot for a novel to enjoy in these times. I had no plan to push for a third life for Last Wife. But C.P. Lesley, an author, academic and one of the founders of Five Directions Press, a publishing co-op, had read Last Wife as a prelude to a one-hour interview she did with me for her “New Books in Historical Fiction” podcast segment. When C.P. heard that Booktrope was going down, she contacted me and offered to re-publish Last Wife under the Five Directions banner.

Third time’s the charm, they say. I’ve had several books published over the years. This is the only one that has enjoyed three lifetimes. And this is my first time working with a book co-op. I’m very excited to have this experience.  

How did you choose the title for your book? Did it come to you right away, before you started writing the story, or did it come later?

The first title for the book, as mentioned above, was Gudrun’s Tapestry. The protagonist’s name is Gudrun, and a tapestry she creates near the end of the story figures prominently into the plot. The people at Beagle Bay chose that title, and that was fine with me. When the book got to Booktrope, I decided to change the title to The Last Wife, but my then-book manager felt it should be more specific, hence The Last Wife of Attila the Hun. In order not to lose the Amazon reviews Last Wife had garnered during the Booktrope launch, the people at Five Directions and I determined that it would be best to keep the same title for this third launch. The cover of course is new.

Tell us about the cover design process. Did you have a basic idea of what your book cover would be like?

I love the gold and black logo that is used for the very popular Broadway play Hamilton. I mentioned that to C.P. Lesley and she suggested we use a gold dragon symbol as the artwork for my cover. Even though there are no actual dragons “on stage” in the book, the people of the times believed heartily in dragons, and there are stories of “off stage” dragon encounters throughout. Courtney J. Hall, another Five Directions founder and author, and a fabulous graphic designer, took the dragon symbol C.P. Lesley had found and used it to create the front cover.

How was your experience working with the designer?

C.P. Lesley and Courtney J. Hall understood my vision for the cover and simply made it happen. My experience working with them was, therefore, excellent.

Back in the old days—when traditional publishing was the only kind there was—authors didn’t generally get involved with cover design. I didn’t know what Beagle Bay had planned for the cover until I got my box of books in the mail. I loved the artwork they came up with, which featured a chest, a sword and a tapestry, a rather literal interpretation of key elements of the story. And I loved the cover that Booktrope’s Michelle Fairbanks (of Fresh Design) came up with, which featured an ancient map of Europe. And I love the new cover. All three covers are very different and all are equally appropriate.

What has been the readers’ response to your cover?

So far everyone who has had reason to comment has said they love it.

What tips would you give to authors who are looking for a cover designer?

The options for cover art are endless. Don’t overthink it, or you will make yourself crazy. Unless you yourself know something about cover design, share your vision for the book with your designers and then sit back and see what they come up with.

One of my favorite covers was for a novel I wrote called The Accidental Art Thief. My publisher for that book (Twilight Times Books) asked me to put together a list of key words describing the book and then asked several cover artists to come up with cover concepts. Then I got to pick the one I liked the best, which was so awesome and really fit the whimsical tone of the book. When you are describing the book, be sure to describe its spirit as well as its story.

Anything else you’d like to say about your book?

I loved writing The Last Wife of Attila the Hun. It’s a complete surprise to me—and a great pleasure—to find myself still talking about it all these years after its first incarnation. I’m very grateful to all the people at Beagle Bay, Booktrope and now Five Directions who have had some part in helping to generate the three lives of my book. And I’m happy to have some small part in extending the lives of the wonderful legends on which the book is based.