Book Trailers

As a reader, do you like watching them?

As a writer, do you like using them to show case your novel?

I would answer yes to both of those questions. I love the idea of having such a visual representation of a book. I find that if I watch the book trailer before I’ve read the book it can be a pretty powerful draw to get me to read the book and after I’ve read the book I find I have an even deeper appreciation for the book trailer. So today I thought I would discuss some of the imagery from my book trailer for Highland Hearts.

But first, I have to mention the music. Just like in any movie or television show, music sets the mood. It can take you on an emotional journey. Here is the link so you can watch my book trailer for Highland Hearts before we talk about it any further. As you’re watching it pay attention to how the music makes you feel and try to figure out what each picture means.

http://evamariahamilton.com/

Thanks for coming back J I’m not going to talk about every picture in detail because I don’t want to give too much away, but I will state that every picture has significance in the book.

The landscape pictures are all of Scotland. Most notably when you read the words “The Battle of Culloden is over” that picture was taken in the area where the famous Battle of Culloden took place in 1746 and the waterfalls are straight from the first scene of the book, Bracklinn Falls in Callander, Scotland.

Also, the pictures that look like an enormous old church are of Glasgow Cathedral. And therein the pictures of the blue stained glass windows and the one which reads “Just to lead me to the knowledge I gained tonight” are actual windows in Glasgow Cathedral.

So what do you think the rest of the pictures signify? I’ll leave you with one more – the picture of the thistle at the end – the thistle is Scotland’s national emblem. It has significance to the country’s history because as the legend goes it stopped barefooted invaders from sneakily attacking when they stepped on them :)

Bringing History To Life!

Don’t you just love stumbling onto something wonderfully unexpected?


On a recent trip I had the pleasure of doing just that. We were taking an elevator up from a parking garage to a restaurant when the doors opened and we were in the middle of a marketplace. It was fabulous. But what made it even more special was spotting a mannequin dressed in traditional Scots clothing in a store window. This Celtic store had it all: clan mementos, quilts, books, porcelain and china, basically a ton of imports from Scotland. But the best of all was the jewelry. Excuse me while I fan myself. 

In my debut novel Highland Hearts I wrote about an antique brooch called a Luckenbooth. The brooch was usually given to a woman upon her betrothal, much like we give engagement rings nowadays. It usually had the engaged couples wedding day engraved on it and the woman would wear it on special occasions for the rest of her life, such as her wedding day, while giving birth, etc. You can guess my delight when the saleswoman said she had one in stock. You can also guess I’ll be wearing it at my book signing. J How fun to be able to bring something from my book into real life. 

Have you ever wanted to bring something from a book or from history into your life? Please share. I’d love to hear from you!