Will Santer's Swan Song make your Christmas?
Lynn Santer
CEO Story Telling Magic. Multi award winning novelist, biographer, and documentary producer.
On a sprawling property in the subtropical paradise of Australia’s Gold Coast, a Hollywood superstar made a very unexpected appearance. Priscilla Presley wanted to meet the wild black swans resident on her friend, Lynn Santer’s, lake – the same swans that are central to Santer’s newly released and already critically acclaimed YA novel Swan Song. Once Presley read an advanced copy of the book, this iconic and savvy businesswoman immediately decided she wanted to act as Executive Producer on an animated musical feature film adaptation of the story.
It’s wit meets murder in a subtropical paradise with a cavalcade of colorful characters.
According to veteran stage performer and producer Richard Loring , “This one has the potential to rival The Lion King!” He should know. Loring’s international musical stage sensation African Footprint premiered on Millennium Eve, on Robben Island, with Nelson Mandela, to an estimated television audience of 1.5 billion, before receiving standing ovations in 4,000 performances around the world.
“A story like Lynn Santer’s Swan Song has never appeared before,” said Loring. “It is not often that you can say something is truly unique and original but this one is. Especially with Australia’s iconic black swans.”
“I never doubted for a moment that you would receive rave reviews for your heartfelt, beautiful story,” said Presley, who herself is no stranger to what makes a blockbuster success. “It has to be a movie,” she added. “It’s enchanting, full of charm, humor and drama.”
Will the wily Swan Queen outsmart her deadly foe?
Santer (Australia’s own ‘Lady of the Lake’) was inspired to write the story by 23 years of observing wildlife on the lake where she lives. When a murderously aggressive swan moved into the territory in 2018, threatening beloved lives and the peaceful harmony of the wildlife community, Lynn started blogging about the drama, collecting fascinated followers all over the world. While the novel is partly fantasized and fictionalized (and completely anthropomorphized) it is largely based on those real events, while touching on themes that resonate with today’s world issues.?
“With all the doom and gloom in the world, the time is right for something inspiring and uplifting, albeit the story is not without its dark moments and high drama,” said Santer. “None of my advanced readers (aged 11 – 87) saw the ending coming and, frankly, it took their breath away.”??
Six readers will win their own Queen Serena Swan or Lord Quacksalot Duck from Santer’s hit YA novel “Swan Song” in time for Christmas!
The paperback is exclusively available on Amazon. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want a stocking filler from the real “SANTER”? Ho ho ho.?
To be in the running to win a Queen Serena Swan or Lord Quacksalot Duck just email proof of purchase to: [email protected] with your postal address prior to December 10th. Winners will be notified by email and on social media.
More information at: https://swanlakepress.com/about-the-book/
Phone:?+ 61 (0) 410 513 009
3 Book Reviews
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite
Swan Song is a young adult adventure novel featuring animals as central characters by award-winning film producer and bestselling author Lynn Santer. Inspired by the swans and other animals living on Santer's subtropical property on Australia's Gold Coast, the book follows the animals on the fictional Swamp Hen Island, where Queen Swan Serena and her beloved King Hugh reside. Serena and Hugh rule over a peaceful kingdom, but trouble arises when their daughter, Isis, moved by revenge, brings back the tyrant Hannibal as her mate to challenge Hugh. After a draining battle, Hugh loses his life and kingdom to Hannibal, whose atrocities force Serena and her newborn Prince to flee and the other animals to rise in revolt. Will the white duck Lord Quacksalot find Serena and the Prince in time? Can Isis find her redemption?
Some real-world parallels in Lynn Santer's story shed light on the issue of immigrants and the problems they face while acclimating to their new environments. Swan Song, at its heart, is a coming-of-age story about two sibling heirs to the Swan kingdom who choose two very different paths to react to life's challenges. Lynn Santer draws inspiration from watching the swans on her own property to weave a fascinating tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption. There are some delightful shoutouts to movies and other pop culture references sprinkled throughout the book, which adds another fun engagement factor to the narrative. Animal lovers will find the book particularly heartwarming as Santer captures animal behavior and social interactions flawlessly on the page. Highly recommended.
领英推荐
Reviewed by Bailey Cavender for Reedsy
LOVED IT
“Swan Song” opens on an idyllic lake, where most of the creatures live in harmony. Ruling them are the swans, Hugh and Serena, beloved by the other animals. When it is time for their daughter, Isis, to leave the nest and find her own kingdom, she is furious and vows to return to reclaim her birthright. Tragedy soon follows, and Serena is forced to flee, with her youngest Swan, Prince, in tow, until he is old enough to reclaim his rightful place.
This is a delightful novel that focuses on one small place and the creatures who live there. The characters come alive in “Swan Song”, allowing the reader to become invested in them and their struggles. Readers will laugh, cry, and find themselves thoroughly enjoying spending time with Serena and the other birds of the kingdom.
Slice of life animal stories can feel trite and half-baked, and that is not a problem for this novel! The reader is allowed to care about this pond, small as it is in the grand scheme of things, and feel invested in the story. The stakes are high for this kingdom, and the reader feels that.
Every bird has a unique personality, and they are clearly based on real birds that the author observed in her own pond. This helps make the story come alive in an even brighter way, and ensures that each character is memorable.
The writing is lyrical and beautiful, painting a picture of this idyllic lake. The novel calls to mind “Firebringer”, “Bambi”, and “The Lion King”, but has a unique flavor all its own. It made this reader laugh, cry, cheer, and feel like she was a part of something grand in this one small kingdom. “Swan Song” will become a classic animal story, and is certainly one to check out!
Reviewed by David P Busuttil MDH, Senior Lecturer Pathology, University of Malta (David Bush) for Goodreads
An enchanting tale replete with life lessons
Inheritance disputes and power struggles have been a thing since the days of Cain and Abel. They bring out the best and the worst of human nature, so it is no surprise Shakespeare wrote about them. My favourite is King Lear. Since then, countless novels have been written about family disputes, the most famous about the squabbling brothers Karazamov.
And that is what makes this delightful novel, Swan Song, so original and relatable. Relatable because inheritance issues are a part of human nature and human nature does not change. Original because to my knowledge, this is the first anthropomorphic tale about inheritance feuds.
This novel should appeal to all readers, young and old, male or female, irrespective of whether they like talking animals or not. For it is an Aesop’s type of fable about transcendent and universal issues. It is a tale of greed, ambition, treachery and coming of age. There is a heating pot of myriad conflicting emotions: of love and hate; of sacrifice and selfishness; of loyalty and betrayals: of pride and prejudice; of sharing and domination, and so much more.
But, above all, the central theme is of tolerance and governance , encapsulated in this quote:
“Being queen is about more than fighting battles. Violence should only ever be a last resort. Violence is not our way. Reigning over a kingdom is about building relationships, friendships. It’s about knowing every inch of the kingdom, to know where dangers lurk, to know where to shelter from harm, to understand the needs of others.”
The author underpins the togetherness, team-building and team-work, when the different species unite to reclaim the kingdom. The story reminds me of the Catholic King James II who was betrayed by his beloved daughter, wife of the conniving William of Orange. They plotted with the English parliament to steal the King’s throne. It’s a pity parliament did not have the integrity of the swamp hens, ducks, crows and turtles. This served to perpetrate the entrenched religious sectarianism and the English mistreatment of the Irish.
The characters are interesting: Hugh the aging pacifist whose mantra is, “smarter not stronger”; the considerate and aptly named Serena (a probable reference to the character in E.B White’s novel, the Trumpet of the Swan); the vain and ambitious Isis who has to be careful what she wishes for; the belligerent, usurping Hannibal; the na?ve but well-intentioned Prince who does not yet have his wings. Will he ever earn them?
There is good character development: Isis’ plight heightens the emotional dimension of the narrative. We also get to understand the reason for Hannibal’s arrogant bullying, and we can feel some sympathy for his excesses when he goes about setting his own rules.
The prose is lyrical, the rhythm melodic, the descriptions vivid and colourful as the author draws from her real-life experiences. The charming, graceful style of the novel reminds me of the Disneyesque animated movie “The Swan Princess” based on Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.”
All in all, an enjoyable read. I recommend.