Ship of Dreams

Two books in one month and we’ve got our very own ticket-to-ride on the Titanic in Ship of Dreams! 

Can you tell us about your approach to such a monumental event in history?

Olivia: It's tough to write a story based on a historical event that also appears in one of the most beloved movies of all time. So while we wanted to show what life on the ship would be like for our characters and do the infamous end of the voyage justice, we also didn't want to step on the toes of what's been done before. We've created our own cast of characters rather than depicting too many actual passengers from the ship, but each was made to represent the different kinds of people on the ship - from the wealthy elite to passengers in third class to the stokers down in the boiler rooms. We also tried to stay true to the emotions and impact of bigger events even if, like in any story, we've changed some specifics to give our characters a satisfying narrative. I hope we've done it justice!

Kelly: When one views real-life photos of Titanic, those images are often quite sterile. In most cases, they were taken before the ship even had any passengers aboard! So when creating the art for these scenes, we always tried to include little details to make the rooms feel lived in. Real people were part of the ship's tragic story, and we wanted to acknowledge them in our work. You can't help but feel the lives of those who voyaged on the ship when viewing the backgrounds for this particular story. I hope you feel the same!

Nathan: I admit I joined this team after work on the book had already started, but from what I understand we wanted to look at one of many different stories that could have occurred during the events of the Titanic. Sometimes we forget that people having "just another day" on a trip or at work are really going through something amazing, hopefully players will enjoy the spotlight we put on people from all different walks of life in this book!

Amanda: The team wanted to make sure we kept the historical take on the Titanic with our backgrounds and fashion; it was really fun researching all the different references and historical information about this voyage. I think the best part about working on this book was brainstorming the fashion of our characters' outfits! With the limited references of that era, we were able to add in our own taste of color to create some of our favorite outfits. In addition, the color palette and transition of our characters' outfits tell a bit of the characters' journey as well!

Artists: Who was your favorite character to design? Writers: Who was your favorite character to write? And why?

Olivia: My real answer is Theo, the charming stoker who catches our main character's eye (and happens to be very good with their hands). But our main character's sister is a close second:

she's complicated, and her priorities and yours may not always line up, but she genuinely cares for you and has a lot on her shoulders.

Jeffrey: Olivia's given the best answer, so I'll champion the little guys in Theo's stoker friends, who are a couple of delightful side characters with some great lines. You always know a scene is going to be fun when they're in it. Oh, and Count Grigori deserves an entire "day in the life of" chapter.

Nathan: Well I am not an artist or writer sadly, but my answer for both is Theo. Between the writing and design of the character, they are not only easy on the eyes but also so very approachable. I really appreciate the kind nature of a person who works a physically demanding job, as I have worked with people like Theo in real life and enjoy being reminded of them.

Kelly: The main character was the most fun to design, because she has looks that span many different occasions – tea time, formal dinners, getting fresh air! It was fun to brainstorm all of the ways we could make the outfits meet the needs of the story while also providing a variety of era-appropriate looks.

Amanda: I think Theo (Female) was probably my favorite to brainstorm their outfits. It wasn't very common to have women working below deck with machinery / engineering (especially in the early 1900s), so it was actually really fun trying to come up with what they would be wearing!

What research was involved in order for the team to properly portray 1912? Did the team look at linguistics? Popular hairstyles and clothing? Dining etiquette?

Olivia: We spent a while researching the amenities on the Titanic to come up with fun locations for the story, and, spoiler, this ship had everything! It really was a luxury liner! Many facilities were only for first-class passengers, but I had no idea that the Titanic had a swimming pool or a Turkish bath. (They might make an appearance later in the book...)

Nathan: I can say with confidence that there have been many conversations on the team about using certain terms that are era accurate, just to be certain you can really immerse yourself in the story. I also distinctly remember a conversation about the number of buttons a certain outfit had during art review. During this time it had a specific number of buttons, and it was important we got that right.

Jeffrey: Aside from researching the amenities for the first and third class wings of the ship (sorry, second-class, we skipped over you), I remember looking into some 1910s slang for certain scenes and there was a discussion with the music team about swing vs. jazz influence in our tracks.

Kelly: Doing a deep dive into fashion history is always a plus for me. It was fun to find primary references from the 1910s to use as a base for our outfits and hairstyles, whether in a photograph or even found in advertisements. Finding reference of Titanic (or in some cases, her sister ship, Olympic) was also an interesting challenge. So many different rooms, lounges, and amenities aboard the ship! And while we might have pushed the boundaries slightly (like: was that silhouette really in use in 1912? Or even combining some amenities into one shared space), we felt it was worth it! If a particular outfit or detail evoked the right era (and was too good to pass up!), then we definitely wanted to include those touches to create the lush, romantic atmosphere of our setting. 

Amanda: While the research for the upper deck rooms and areas of the Titanic were photographed and documented, there's not a lot of references to find for any of the areas "below deck", which is a pretty important location for our characters in the story. It was nice to research and brainstorm how our characters would be traveling and using the lower deck areas to make sure our backgrounds came into play with their journey.

Were there any fun bloopers that happened during the production process of Ship of Dreams?

Olivia: During some early testing of the book, I had to use placeholder art since our beautiful new ship backgrounds weren't ready yet. So for a few chapters while we were writing, the Titanic became a pirate ship in looks if not in name, sailing the high seas.

Jeffrey: It's always funny to read a love interests romantic and steamy confessions to their beloved "NameTest"

Nathan: My favorite issue so far was that while testing a chapter, male Theo for some reason never put his shirt back on after the end of the last chapter. So there we were, wandering around and having adventures with this man who just refused to wear a shirt. I have attached a photo of my favorite line during this timeframe as it encapsulates the ordeal perfectly.

We have to know… Will we get our happily ever after?

Nathan: I could tell you the answer, but I want the readers to stay ignorant of both the LI and MCs fates so they can truly and sincerely enjoy every last moment of their time together on Ship of Dreams.

Jeffrey: That depends. Can you determine the buoyancy of different objects in a ship's wreckage to find the one that can support two people? 

Olivia: Great question! But you'll just have to read and find out... ;)

The suspense!! We’re looking forward to launch day. Until then, thank you for reading!

<3 The Choices Community Team