Release Day for Heard In Silence! (Plus a Special BTS Post w/The Authors)

Hooray! At long last, the release day for Heard in Silence is finally here!

Welcome to the celebration, everyone. I’m so blessed and honored to be able to be a part of this special collection, and I hope you all enjoy the stories we put together (also, I’d like to give a shout-out to our anthology organizer, Kaytlin Phillips and fellow authors, Saraina Whitney and Autumn Nicole! Kayti worked really hard to help edit, format, and organize the whole book tour, plus finding the organization to donate all the book proceeds to; and Saraina made some amazing mood boards for each of the stories, while Autumn created the beautiful tour graphics.)

Today, along with a book spotlight, I’m sharing a special collab post that several of the anthology authors and I put together. We thought it’d be fun to share a sneak peek into our research/writing process for our stories.

Here’s what we had to say:

(Photos taken from various sources; i.e Pinterest, Pixabay, Pexels, Unsplash, etc.)

Saraina Whitney (Invisible):

I didn’t pause to research much before I typed out my story…because I got the idea for it literal days away from the deadline. 😅 But once time came for edits, there were two things I realized I didn’t know enough about.

The first is the obvious one: what is it like to be completely deaf? Since the challenge for this anthology was to write a story without including the sense of sound, I chose for Elizabeth Thatch to have suffered complete hearing loss from a severe childhood illness.  

The interaction Elizabeth has with her childhood friend happens unexpectedly, so I felt it wouldn’t be realistic to use the medium of writing down their thoughts to communicate with each other. It would just be a little too convenient for Roland to randomly have a pad of paper and a pencil on him, you know? 😜 (Besides, he’s a very scattered and forgetful character. 🤭) 

Sign language and lipreading were the other communication options. 

Since I’d dived into the story without researching first, I’d already written their conversation in a lipreading format, where Elizabeth takes a risk and speaks aloud to him, trusting him to understand without hearing her words herself. 

I binge-watched YouTube videos about lipreading, trying to get into Elizabeth Thatch’s head and be sensitive to those small, make-it-or-break-it details. What words would be easy to miss? How could I make it as realistic as possible for her to understand Roland? 

I stumbled upon some helpful backstory—Roland was the person she first learned to lipread with and he knows to speak clearly and slowly, making it realistic that she would understand his speech over anyone else’s.

I wanted to make every detail as believable as possible because I knew from my research (…and from how fast I gave up on trying to learn it 😭 ) that lipreading is FAR easier said than done (no pun intended). If I had endless amounts of time to rework the story, I’d have included even more moments of her missing words he says. But it’ll have to work as it does. 😛

The second thing I spent way too much time researching was the term for a balustrade. I’d originally called it a stone railing. This is one of the banes of my writing existence—figuring out the names of certain pieces of architecture. I really just need to study a glossary of architecture terms. 

*wanders off this very second to go down that rabbit hole*

Riley G. Stanch (Ode to Espionage):

My story is all about Beethoven, and the story behind his ninth symphony (with an espionage twist… ). I remember hearing about that story myself, how nervous he was that everyone would hate it, how different the style of the symphony was from what was popular in his time. His hearing was disappearing quickly, and he would never be able to actually *hear* his ninth symphony played. So, with my story, I wanted to portray the struggle he had in creating something he himself could not fully appreciate as others would, and what a success it came to be—for the SACM as well.

I researched all kinds of stuff about Beethoven, and his ninth symphony. How long it took him between deciding to compose it and its premier, who conducted the premier and how Beethoven was involved in it, how Beethoven communicated when he was deaf, and even the struggles he went through with his hearing loss before this.

One thing I kept coming back to was a letter Beethoven wrote: now known as “The Heiligenstadt Testament”. He wrote it to his brothers in 1802, meant as almost a sort of suicide note. This letter is a gorgeous bit of poetry in itself, and I learned so much about Beethoven’s style, personality, and circumstances through it. He really loves personifying things such as Art and Fate, for instance, which I utilized in writing his story.

It was interesting to imagine how he might see people differently as a deaf man than he might’ve seen them while able to hear. It was both fun and challenging taking the voice I heard in the Testament, and applying it to my story. As a poet and writer, it was so fun to read what he had written, and let it inspire me in my own work. I do suggest you go read his letter: there’s a lovely recitation on YouTube by ABC Classic that I listened to a few times before I sat down to write, and I suggest you take a listen!

Jaiden Phillips (Silent Companions):

To be honest there really wasn’t much to creating Silent Companions. It was the first idea I had when Kayti mentioned the idea of the anthology to me and I proceeded to write it in one sitting, albeit its 1k over the word restriction of the anthology but Kayti was kind enough to let that slide. 😉 I wanted the setting to contrast with the MC’s emotions, so a bright sunny beach full of colorful houses and dancing waves seemed like the perfect backdrop and I went with it.

Lillian Keith (Stormy, With a Chance of Logan):

Well, I did two things. The first was when I was developing my MC, Norah. I originally found a picture of a young girl (around ten years old) who had a t-shirt with a blue logo near the shoulder. I couldn’t make out what it was, but for some reason it reminded me of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) logo. That gave me the inspiration to have Norah be interested in weather science. Since I wanted the description and prose to reflect what she was passionate about, I started researching weather terms (aka, watching several Youtube weather reports from various states XD. I also brushed up on some weather science too.) I listened carefully to the terminology forecasters used, and jotted it all down. Later on, during the main story edits, I wove bits and pieces of that into the story.

For the deaf aspect (I hope I phrased that right), I had a long talk with my mom about it. My older sister used to take ASL classes from a deaf college teacher, and would often interact with the deaf community to build her skills (I was very young when she did this, so I didn’t remember a lot of what happened lol.) 

Anyway, my mom remembered, and she helped me get an understanding of what the community was like. I watched short films on Youtube without the sound, or went around with headphones and earplugs to try to get a sense of what being unable to hear was like, and how isolating it can be when you’re with people who can hear (the headphones would never really get me there, actually, but I was determined to try to understand). All in all, it was really interesting to try to step into someone else’s shoes; it’s an area that I want to keep growing in, especially as a writer.

Alison Stadt (Friends of Silence):

My work “Friends of Silence” is the first story I’ve written that has featured a deaf character. Honestly, it was an intriguing challenge for me, trying to picture a world, a life without sound. And I hope I did it at least somewhat accurately! 

I didn’t really research much on the topic except for the occasional thing, just kind of wrote what sounded right. I’m not much of a plotter—I really just sit down when I feel like writing and type out whatever comes to mind. I keep telling myself that I need to plan things out, that my writing life will be so much more organized, and I will actually remember what’s going on, but no. It never actually happens. *shrugs* It’s just my nature, I suppose. XD

I guess the main theme in my story is that of friendship. I can’t really say why I chose it, it just kind of flowed from my pen to the paper (I didn’t actually use a pen or paper, that just sounded elegant XD). Friendship is always one of my favorite themes in books, and a close, well-written relationship always makes my heart warm. So I suppose it’s just natural for me to include that in my own writing. 

I also like main characters that I can relate at least a bit with. That’s part of the reason why my main character is in a contemporary world and is school-aged. I’m a bit older than her, but I can still relate. Because of her disability, she feels like she doesn’t belong, which is something I have experience with (minus the deafness). And she finds such joy in friendship—she’s not surrounded by a crowd of adoring people, she’s not going to be the center of attention in a social group, but she has one close friend, and she’s happy with that. That is really something I love—finding pleasure in the simple things. 

“Friends of Silence” was super fun to write, and I think that it is one of my favorite stories that I’ve written. I can’t wait for it—along with the other stories—to be released into the world, and I hope the readers enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it!

Kaytlin Phillips (Silent Memories):

Some behind-the-scenes moments of writing my story ‘Silent Memories’ was having recently read ‘Restart’ by Gordon Korman. I love the forgotten past trope or memory wipe, or whatever the technical name is, I love that! So when I was thinking about what I wanted my story to be for the anthology, that came to mind.

Next thing I knew, I had a white-haired boy on a beach staring at a soundless ocean, but he knew it should have sound, though he didn’t know what sound was, only that there had once been sound. Since I was creating a fantasy world, there wasn’t a whole lot of research that went into the story. I’d already written my debut, “World of Silence,” and thus research was already out of the way. But it was super fun to discover who that white-haired boy was as the story progressed, and then the ending even threw me for a plot twist. 😉

Autumn Nicole (The Dream):

I’ve always loved writing fantasy stories, so The Dream was so fun to write. Since most of it takes place in a fictional world, and it’s majorly based on the main character’s memories and feelings, I don’t recall much, if any, research that I had to do for it. The story mostly flowed out of my heart. While I have not personally gone through any of the experience’s my MC has, everyone can identify with feeling pain and heartache from something in our lives. 

The story you end up holding in your hands is much different from when it originally started. I would like to share with you a little bit about the journey The Dream took from start to finish. 

The original opening scene started off fairly close to the final, a girl waking up in the woods. But I didn’t have any idea where the story was going. This is a common scenario for me. I start a story with an intriguing opening and then try at least half a dozen times before I land on where I’m going with it. But it didn’t take long until Hannah’s backstory made itself known. Though, not all elements made themselves known at once. At one point Hannah was a surfer taking a risky dare.

Then I spent quite a bit of time crafting a broader world than the forest Hannah finds herself in. A farm, a family, and a mysterious box on a high shelf. But I quickly realized I didn’t have a clear idea as to where this story was going, and it could end up being either a lengthy novella or a hole-riddled plot if I didn’t change my angle. So I retraced my steps. 

A guide, leading Hannah back to the truth. Painful at times, but the truth nonetheless. Someone to tell her what she needed to hear. To point her towards the One who could embrace her pain. 

This story doesn’t have a conclusive ending, but a hopeful one. Hannah begins with a question. Is what she’s been told true? And she’s left with a thought. Maybe it is. 

My prayer is that this story will call you to remember. Remember who you are, what you’ve been through. Remember the pain, remember the hardships. And ask yourself a question. Is what I’ve been told about Jesus really true in light of all that hurt? I hope this story can encourage you to answer that question with a yes. 

Yes, Jesus’ love for you is deeper than the deepest ocean, wider than the farthest galaxy, and more beyond your comprehension than you’ll ever know. I pray that this story can draw you back to the Savior who loves you, who enters your pain and your heartache and holds you while you cry. And when you’re lost under the waves, may you feel His hand catch yours and see the light up above. Yes, Jesus loves you.

Lorelei Angelino (Daydreams):

My story Daydreams definitely required some of the most interesting and eye-opening research I’ve ever conducted.

At first my story didn’t really go into the hardships a deaf person had to face during World War II (actually, in the  first draft of this story, Telsi—my protagonist—wasn’t even deaf!), but the editors encouraged me to add more regarding that subject. And wow am I happy they did! Researching this topic was definitely like a slap in the face. I feel like I knew nothing about what disabled people went through during that time—and I am glad that my story can shed some light on this unsung part of history.

I think the biggest discovery for me was watching a WWII deaf (and Jewish) survivor sign her story (you can watch it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO3puzYpihI&t=1912s). That was really powerful to hear firsthand about all that she and her family went through. 

There were also a lot of articles and essays, which I went through and summarized in an Author’s Note you can read after Daydreams in the anthology. 

The topic can definitely be disheartening to learn about, but I hope it opens your eyes as it did mine and possibly even calls you to action in some way. 

Grace A. Johnson (The Girl in the Pages):

 The funny thing is, in true me fashion, I did little to no research when I began writing The Girl in the Pages. So, armed with a narrow-minded view of history, I assumed that there were little—if any!—resources and institutions for the deaf during 1820s England. It’s a logical view, right? Physical handicaps like deafness were always so taboo, and the medical community was very much influenced by the culture of society during that time (at least regarding certain things, such as mental health).

Therefore, as all historical romance writers do, I set about creating a hero that defied societal norms and strove for progress. My duke was to bring about reform and open doors for the deaf…

Oh, wait. That’s right. I hadn’t done any research, so I had no idea that the 19^th century had already become a turning point for the deaf community. Hearing people were passionate about deaf education, and began opening schools, studying alternative communication methods, and establishing a bridge between the two worlds.

That’s all well and good, I thought to myself, but surely such opportunities were only for the wealthy and noble, right? For young lords and ladies to access the hearing world, while the deaf and dumb of the slums were left to their own devices?

Wrong again.

In November of 1792, 29 years prior to the start of my story, the Asylum for the Support and Education of the Deaf and Dumb Children of the Poor was established in London. By 1809 (still 12 years before my story), the Asylum had eighty children in attendance and trade training had been introduced. This institution, along with its superintendent John Watson, had already blazed a trail to revolutionize the treatment and education of deaf and dumb children, regardless of their social status. Also in 1809, John Watson published Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb, a book featured in my story that explores finger-spelling and the techniques used by Thomas Braidwood in articulation and lip-reading over thirty years ago at what was Britain’s first school for the deaf.

Instead of writing a progressive hero that pushed for reform at Parliament, I ended up with a hero that was very good at buying books. 😅 Not that there’s anything wrong with either type of fictional fellow, but there is something wrong about making assumptions. The history of deaf education and nonverbal communication methods is far more vast and rich than you’d think, and that’s all because of people 300 years ago who longed to see the deaf flourish, serve their countries and society, and receive the Gospel.

Further Reading:

https://www.britannica.com/science/deaf-history/The-19th-century

http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/LondonAsylumDeaf/

Marisa Phillips (At Least…):

I restarted my story probably twenty times before I settled on the one in the anthology. I even remember telling Kayti I ahd finished my story and wanted her to edit it and then next day, I deleted and restarted again…lol…because it just wasn’t working.

I wanted to take a different angle, so I choose to have a character who has recently went deaf and to have her be thankful for the things she can still do instead. She still has her site, she can still run, and though her hearing is gone…her life is not over. I wanted to paint a picture of gratefulness and hope. Though, I think God wrote the story more than I did, because I was at my wits end and then next thing I knew, this was the story I had. 🙂

---

Here’s a peek at the other stories and featured poem in the anthology!

---

Blurb:

Some voices can only be heard in silence.

Thirteen young authors invite you to journey deep into a silent world so often overlooked. Within these pages, you’ll find bittersweet contemporary YA, spellbinding fantasy, tender romance, and so much more, each centering on a deaf character.

Curated by author Kaytlin Phillips, this short story collection offers you a peek inside a life without sound, a fresh perspective on a world you may never have experienced. For a moment in time, hush the noise around you and absorb the quiet heartbeat of these diverse stories. Let yourself be swept away in these characters’ struggles, heartaches, and victories.

Heard in Silence features work from Saraina Whitney, Alison Stadt, K.R. Mattson, Marisa Phillips, Kylie Beevers, Riley G. Stanch, Jaiden Phillips, Lorelei Angelino, Lillian Keith, Grace A. Johnson, Kaytlin Phillips, Autumn Nicole, and Wilder W.! This unique, richly imagined short story collection will stretch your mind and hold your heart captive.

---

If you haven’t had a chance to snag your copy, check out the links below!

Book Info:

Release Date: Sept. 8th, 2023

Genre: Anthology/Fantasy/Contemporary/Historical/PoetryAuthors: Saraina Whitney, Alison Stadt, K.R. Mattson, Marisa Phillips, Kylie Beevers, Riley G. Stanch, Jaiden Phillips, Lorelei Angelino, Lillian Keith, Grace A. Johnson, Kaytlin Phillips, Autumn Nicole, and Wilder W.

Book Links:

Goodreads Book Link: https://www.goodreads.com-heard-in-silence-anthology

Order Link: https://www.amazon.com/heard+in+silence+anthology

And catch up with the rest of the tour here:

Tour Schedule:

Monday, Sept. 4th

Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement 

Tasha Van Kesteren – Author Interview

Tuesday, Sept. 5th

Writers’ Vision – Author Interviews

Wednesday, Sept. 6th

Grace A. Johnson – IG Spotlight & Author Interview on Blog

Kristina Hall – Review

Katherine Barnard – Review & Spotlight

Thursday, Sept. 7th

Lorelei Angelino – Review and Spotlight

Old Fashioned Book Love – Review and Spotlight

Friday, Sept. 8th

Autumn Nicole – IG Spotlight

Saraina Whitney – Spotlight

The Introspective Introvert – Spotlight and BTS Collab Post

M. C. Kennedy – Review

Riley G. – Spotlight

Lucy Peterson – Spotlight

Sisters Three – End Tour

Vanessa Hall – Spotlight

---

Thanks so much for joining our celebration! We had a great time creating this anthology for you all and we hope you enjoy our stories. Happy Release Day to Heard in Silence!