In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.
Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.
The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes.
Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.
It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.
And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.
Author Interview
Tell a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
I studied Film at Texas Christian University, but none of the technical aspects of film ever appealed to me. It wasn’t until the class on screenwriting that I understood what it was I loved about movies—the stories, the characters, and maybe most of all, the dialogue. I started writing with screenplays, and slowly moved into penning novels. I still dabble with screenwriting, and might even write a television spec script for The Last Year once the series is complete.
It’s cool how you got into writing through screenplays. What was the inspiration for Whispers in Autumn?
The original idea came from a tweet, one where someone mentioned their daughter waking up from a nightmare terrified she didn’t exist. The inspiration for the rest of the story showed up little by little, and though I always wanted the world to be subtle but terrifying, my focus from the beginning was telling the story of how Althea survived in it.
It’d be terrifying to live through the experience of feeling like you don’t exist. How did you come up with the title?
The original title was In the Autumn, but when I was working with an agent last year, she suggested we give it a little more mystery and nuance. Since there are four books, and the title of the series is The Last Year, I knew I wanted to keep the word autumn, but there was a lot of brainstorming. And drinking. And not so brilliant suggestions. A lot.
I love how the books go through seasons. The Others use mind control to turn humans into something like “contented, unquestioning robots.” How do these robots behave?
As though they’re not robots at all. The humans on Earth are, well, not exactly happy. They’re content with how things are, they accept the Others as their rulers, and go about every day exactly as they went about the day before. The most defining aspect of their existence is the lack of emotion—good or bad. As Althea wonders on more than one occasion, would getting rid of all the bad emotions be worth giving up the good ones?
That’s a tough question. While the bad is… bad… we humans aren’t good at letting go. What were the first words running through Althea and Lucas’s minds when they first meet each other?
Curiosity, mostly. And hope. Neither of them are behaving as contented, unquestioning robots, leaving them to wonder if the other could be Something Else…or something more sinister.
If you were Something Else, how would you try to blend in?
I wouldn’t be as good at it as Althea is, I can tell you that. The key to not attracting attention is not displaying any emotion at all in public. I don’t know about you, but some days, walking around with a smile on your face can be quite the task!
I’d be caught almost immediately, I think (though maybe not so quickly if no emotions means people aren’t as funny)! What are you working on right now?
I just completed revisions on Winter Omens, book 2 of The Last Year, and sent them to my editor. While she’s line editing, I’m going to be writing Book 3. The plan is to publish all four books in the series by mid-February, so I’ve got plenty to do!
Trisha is an author of Young Adult fiction from Kansas City, MO. Her spare time is spent reviewing television and movies, spending time with a large, loud, loving family, reading any book that falls into her hands, and being dragged into the fresh air by her dogs Yoda and Jilly. Whispers in Autumn is her first novel.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Hushed Paradox says
Hooray for Twitter on inspiring this novel. I'll definitely look into this book more now.
Jerri Davis says
Sounds Very Interesting.Thank you. Jerri Davis
ZaraAlexis says
I actually chose this book for one of my posts featuring cover love! I absolutely love it! Thanks for the giveaway!
DeeDee Griffin says
This is an interesting concept. I'm excited to read it!
trayche says
I'm adding this to my GR!!! Interesting interview. Thanks for the giveaway! :]
Megan says
I think I would have trouble blending in as well.
By the way, I really love your interview style.
Lexi says
The inspiration for this is interesting. And the fact that it takes place in the near future is even cooler! I'll definitely try this one out.
Anonymous says
I've already read some reviews about this book! Very excited to read it!
Lynn K. says
A nightmare of not existing…that's pretty terrifying @.@
The cover is very unusual indeed, I like the juxtaposition of the face. Prior to reading the summary, I actually thought the book was about fey and not aliens. I'm adding this to my tbr list. 🙂
♡♥♬ Louis ♬♥♡ says
I like the story – set in the future, but not too far ahead, and the Aliens remind me of my days watching "The X Files"
Clarissa (Bookadicea) says
This book looks interesting to me. I would give it a try once my reading pile is over. 🙂
aatweens says
What a beautiful book cover! Whispers in Autumn sounds like a wonderful book and I can't wait to read it. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.
Tiffany says
I am in love with the cover and the title of the book. I love books that have beautiful covers (:
Also, the book itself sounds very intriguing. I really want to find out more about it (:
Oh! Paper Pages says
Great interview! I love when people study something different in school and end up writing.
SP
Holly Letson says
I have heard nothing but good things about this series.
michelle wong says
This sounds like a great book to read. I never heard of it. I'm definetely into this types of books. thanks
Tiffany Drew says
I agree that the title definitely got my attention, as did the lovely cover! I'll be checking this one out for sure, I need to know what Althea and Lucas are and why they are immune. I'm intrigued! Thank you for bringing this book to my attention 🙂
Dovile says
I'm really interested by the plot of Whispers in Autumn, I love this kind of books. I'll add it to my wishlist.
Kayla Beck says
I hate to admit this, but I'm one of those people that judges books by the cover – and this one is awesome! I was completely on board for whatever it was as soon as I saw it. Finding out it had aliens in it was only a plus. I can't wait to read Whispers in Autumn – thanks for sharing!
Spav says
This is the first time that I've heard of this book but it sounds really interesting! The theme of aliens controlling humans is kind of scary.
Andrea Diaz says
Thank you SO MUCH for this giveaway!
Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay says
Yeah… I know some days I can't wipe off the smug smile on my face at all and some days its like I don't even know what a smile is…
I love all the colours of Autumn. The synopsis sounds good… Hope to get my hands on this one some time soon.
I would like to invite you to my blog for some Trivia Fun! http://bit.ly/NuebEB
Kassandra Fuentes says
Thank you so much for the amazing interview and giveaway. The cover of this book is just lovely 🙂
Taryn Knight says
I ♥ the cover of this book!
It looks fantastic!
Natalie Aguirre says
This sounds like a good book. I hadn't heard of it. Thanks for sharing about it.
starryblue says
I really like the synopsis and cover.
Taylor Knight says
I love how the idea for the book came from a tweet. I think that's one of the great things about Twitter/Facebook. People can get ideas from little things and turn it into a great book.
Christina K. says
I really love this interview! How cool is it that the book was born from a tweet – and what a creepy nightmare.
I love the tone of the book from what the author said. And it's a sci fi dystopian which is so unique:)
Thank so much:)
Fall Into Books says
This book sounds amazing! I'm adding it to my TBR right now!
Leah says
The title doesn't really seem to fit the storyline but it's interesting! The novel reminds me of the movie Equilibrium but with an alien twist. 🙂
Salima Korri says
Whispers in Autumn sounds really original and it's Dystopian which I love! The interview too explained more about this book and I'm looking forward to reading this in future.
Anonymous says
Great interview!
Whisperers in autumn sound interesting 🙂
Thanks for the chance of winning a book!
Beth Gallinger says
I'm absolutely adding this to my list of books to read. It's completely unlike most YA books that have come out recently.
M.A.D. says
I like what the author had to say about humans not being good at *letting go*, so true lol
Whispers in Autumn sounds like a book I'd love to read, plus that cover is beautiful!! <3
Mary DeBorde M.A.D.
I Talk books! says
The cover and synopsis look interesting. Adding it to my TBR shelf. 😀
Eli Yanti says
Great.. cant wait 🙂
Shannon Romein says
I am really intrigued by the book's premise, as opposed to your usual hostile takeover, the mind control adds a new element. Thanks for sharing this book
Wendy says
The cover of this book is beautiful! I am looking forward to being able to read this book. Thank you!
wendyrailey@yahoo.com
E.J. Stevens says
Adding to my TBR list. The synopsis is intriguing.
Jen R. says
Wow, I can't believe I've never heard of this book before! The synopsis sounds really cool! 🙂 I haven't read that many books on aliens, but I think I'd like to give this a try. And Whispers in Autumn is definitely the best title!
Sarah Kalaitzidis says
A book with Aliens that is just Amazing!! Thanks for the great interview and giveaway!!
Gaby says
I love this blog not only for your giveaways but of your reviews. I come here all the time for your reviews. I love that sometimes I change my mind about not reading a certain book after reading one of your reviews 🙂 (Does that make since?)
Tore says
Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I can't wait to read this book. Sounds very good. Tore923@aol.com
Kitty says
Whispers in Autumn is a really good title, along with the book cover it's really attention grabbing. This sounds like a really intriguing story!
marybelle says
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN is a great title. Caught my attention. A wonderful interview thank you.