time travel, the titanic and taylor swift — a conversation with @authorshannoncarse
The romance genre truly has it all. From second chance to love at first sight, soulmates to small town, each love story that lives on your shelf has the ability to relieve you of your worries and transport you to a whole new world… or, in this case, a whole new time.
Beneath the Waves is Shannon Carse’s debut novel. The story follows Alice, a historian studying the past of others while desperately trying to escape the tumultuous realities of her own. She has been living a quiet life since the death of her father, throwing herself into her work and actively avoiding taking risks. That is until, in an unprecedented turn of events, scientists at the university where she works discover time travel, and they want Alice to test it out. Going against all her instincts, she decides to take the leap, a leap that finds her in 1912 as a passenger on the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage. However, the quest to uncover the secrets of the ship’s demise leads her to something she could never have expected — Charlie, a steward on board who shows Alice a kind of love she didn’t know was possible; a steward who will die in the wreck. Is this man worth risking the course of history for, or will Alice have to let go of the one person who finally broke down her walls? In this captivating whirlwind romance, Shannon Carse explores love, loss and healing. I had the honour of reading an Advanced Reader Copy of Beneath the Waves this week and speaking to Shannon about it
Spending the majority of her time lost in a daydream, Shannon Carse has been writing and creating stories for as long as she can remember. Despite excelling in English class and contributing to her school literary magazine, she always saw writing as a ‘pipe dream’; she says, ‘When we ask kids what they want to be when they grow up and use phrases like “dream job”, I think it makes them believe it can only be a dream, not a reality. So, I grew up, got that corporate 9-5, and thought, “This is what adults do”.’ Thankfully for all of us, Shannon started writing again last year, and it was the breaking news of the Titanic submersible, along with having the Titanic in her DNA like any true 90s baby, that planted the Beneath the Waves seed in her head. But what really sealed the deal was the July release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and, in particular, the song Timeless, which details what Shannon refers to as ‘peak hopeless romanticism.’ Add a vivid dream containing a detailed storyline, and a conversation with a fellow author friend to the mix, and Beneath the Waves was born.
It is probably no surprise to anyone that I read a lot of romance books. While some stick with me long term, most of the time, I read the book, escape into the plot, put it back on my shelf and move on — this was not my experience when reading Beneath the Waves. Since finishing the last page, these characters have been occupying 80% of my brain. The story is powerful, the writing is visceral, and the meaning behind the words is impactful. Alice is a wonderful female main character, and one of my favourite aspects of the story is the way that Shannon uses the time period to emphasise the strength of women, even during an era when society viewed us as inherently inferior. Particularly in light of recent world events, I was moved to tears during the scenes depicting female friendship and power; they served as a much-needed reminder of the value of building each other up instead of tearing each other down. Shannon mentioned to me the female friendships she has in her own life, highlighting the wonderful community of authors she is surrounded by — ‘those solid female friendships have been beautiful to see in a world that conditions women to see each other as a threat. Everyone has stories, and there’s space for all of us.’ I also loved hearing about her admiration for her friend, Emily Tudor, having recently read Emily’s book Replaying the Game and loving it. It’s so refreshing to see such talented women having each other’s backs, with Shannon saying, ‘She’s an even better person than she is an author. It is an honour to know her, and I will forever shout about her from the rooftops.’ We are here for supportive female friendship in 2024 (and in every year after that).
As for the connection between Charlie and Alice, it really is whirlwind romance perfection. The added element of hidden identity, and most notably, time travel, gives the story these multidimensional layers that keep you completely hooked from start to end. There is also something to be said about how Charlie and Alice are both fully-fledged characters in their own right; they aren’t just two halves of a relationship, and this allows you to root for them as both individuals and as a team. Alice’s character development throughout is deeply moving and relatable, with it being evident that the writing about her is coated in understanding. ‘Alice and the story she brought to my head has saved me in many ways,’ Shannon says, ‘I healed her, and she healed me.’ When the author has a connection to their characters, it gives the story a whole new meaning, and that is the case with Beneath the Waves. The undertone of emotion that hums through the plot in its entirety is what sets this story apart from others in the genre and leaves a lasting impression on you as a reader.
As I always do, I asked Shannon what advice she would give to an aspiring author. I think we can all agree that putting your work out there can be scary, and while she shared this sentiment, she added, ‘It’s never too late to start. Don’t be afraid to jump because the fall is the best part.’ I honestly could not recommend Beneath the Waves enough; it is one of those books that remind you why you love reading so much. It releases on December 13th (intentionally, Taylor Swift’s birthday) on Amazon in paperback and e-book, and it is also available on Kindle Unlimited. I urge you to read this book. I think we can all learn a lot from Alice.
Follow Shannon on Instagram here — https://www.instagram.com/authorshannoncarse/
Preorder Beneath the Waves here — https://a.co/d/hYyWbh4
This article was written by Jess, who you can follow on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/thatromancebook for more bookish content