Experience the passion of theater through innovative, immersive musical audiobook detailing an emotional story of love and loss.
Close
your eyes and immerse yourself in a story of love, separation and uncertainty,
experiencing the magic of theater — without ever leaving your home.
Hannah: The Soldier Diaries is an innovative musical audiobook by
author Steve Wallis that features
narration and vocals by Zoe Wright and a foreword by Ross Kemp. This original
musical audiobook, similar in presentation to Jeff Wayne’s “War of the Worlds,”
contains 11 narrated chapters with each chapter being complimented by its own
song, as well as a special bonus track specifically written for the show by the
U.K.’s premier wartime act, the D-Day
Darlings.
When the gorgeous Hannah
meets Lance Corporal Jack Webb in summer 2012 she is quickly smitten. However,
Hannah has to decide quickly whether to embark on a whirlwind affair or walk
away, as the couple only has four weeks together before Jack has to return to
the army to fight in the Afghan War. Hannah follows her heart and spends the
most amazing four weeks of her life with Jack before he has to leave. Then,
over two months later, Jack is missing, and Hannah — who is three months’
pregnant — is beside herself with worry. Out of nowhere, a face she knows only
too well appears at her door. Are all Hannah's worries over? Or is this the
beginning of the end for Hannah and Jack?
“A triumph … A funny, moving, pop tune-filled, uplifting experience that
is also a timely reminder of how fragile peace is and how what is happening
miles away can be brought to our doorstep.”— Yorkshire Evening Post
My thoughts about Hannah: The Soldier Diaries ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"Hey there I'm Hannah, it's 8:30 on a gorgeous, toasty Tuesday morning and I'm on my way to work."
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this audiobook. I liked the synopsis and was intrigued by it being described as a 'musical theater audiobook'. I am a huge fan of musicals so—yes please!
I loved everything about this story—the storyline was interesting and kept my attention, the narrator was amazing, and the music was fabulous. As the writer notes in the interview below, the book is 'a narration plus songs in a musical theater style'. I loved that each chapter ended with a song relating to the chapter, just like if I was watching a musical!
Hannah is a quick read, or listen I guess, with only 11 chapters, not quite 2 hours listening time and it was very enjoyable. I was left wondering what was going to happen to Hannah and Jack and discovered that the author is releasing book two in December. That thrilled me and I'm excited to continue on with this journey.
I received a copy of Hannah: The Soldier Diaries for review. This is my honest opinion of the book.
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An interview with Steve Wallis
Where did the inspiration to write the
audiobook come from?
I had always loved the way Jeff Wayne had presented “War of the
Worlds” (songs and narrative) and wanted to do something similar in terms of
presentation to what Wayne had done.
The original inspiration
for the story came from my grandparents who both lived through the second World
War. I remember my grandmothers telling me what it was like waiting for her
husband’s (my grandfather’s) letters to arrive and how she just had to “live
her own life” the best she could — never really knowing if he would ever come
home. Although “Hannah” is set many years later, in 2012, the themes are still
very much the same as they were back in the 1940s.
For a good few years, I wanted to write a collection of songs for an album that
followed a narrative — a story from beginning to end — rather than just write a
bunch of songs that have no relationship to each other. “Hannah” and my
grandparents gave me the opportunity to do just that.
Why did you decide to
write the audiobook in the style of a stage musical?
I have tried to offer and
create something a little different, so it's not a straightforward album or
full-length audiobook or a recording of a stage musical. It's a narration plus
songs in a musical theater style. I have always enjoyed stage musicals and
produced a good few over the years and felt that this was a format I really
enjoyed producing and writing. Writing in this style gives the listener a
chance to imagine being in the theater without actually going to the theater.
And it offers songs that tell a story with added narration to provide more
depth to the story and characters, which a collection of songs I feel on their
own would struggle to achieve.
What are some of the
benefits in writing the book this way? Are there any drawbacks?
I think if a listener wants
a story with songs and doesn't have time to either read a book or listen to a
full-length audiobook, it fills a needs gap. This audiobook also offers the
listener the ability to enjoy the songs over and over again without buying the
actual album.
The songs tell the story in
their own way. This format is relatively unique, which could be a positive as
it offers something relatively new — but as it is relatively new, that could
also be its weakness.
Zoe Wright plays the
title role of Hannah; how did the two of you meet and what’s it been like
to work with her?
I saw Wright in a production at my local theater in Scarborough and was blown
away by her talent. I contacted her agent and asked if we could meet up.
Fortunately, Wright agreed and we went to the recording studio together and
played through the songs and she loved them.
We subsequently spent a
good few months recording all the songs and the narration and we loved every
minute. She is a dream to work with, highly professional in every way. And the
folks who have heard the audiobook so far love her North Yorkshire accent; they
love how its so real and down to earth.
Can you tell us a bit
about the bonus track, specifically written for the show, by the D-Day
Darlings — the biggest-selling female group to come out of “Britain's Got
Talent”?
When I first heard the D-Days sing on “Britain’s Got Talent,” I absolutely loved them and wanted them to
make a guest appearance in “Hannah.” I contacted their management team and they
very kindly agreed to join the project. So, I
wrote a song especially for them to sing in the stage musical version of
“Hannah” called “Where Are You?”
The song is a little
different to the other songs in the stage musical as it is deliberately
nostalgic and reminiscent of Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again.” The track does not
appear in the audiobook but is available to download as a bonus track on the
“Hannah” website.
The purchase is price of choice, meaning you can choose whatever price you want
to pay — from $0 on up.
What kind of audience
do you think the book will resonate the most with?
Listeners who like to listen to (mostly) modern music. Listeners who like music
to tell a story. Listeners who don’t have time to either read a novel or listen
to an audiobook that is hours long. A wide range of listener groups of all ages
as the story is a love story at its core. Listeners who like to invest in
characters and the story as this is book one of two (so far).
What can you tell us
about the second part in the series, due to release in December 2024?
“Hannah: The Soldier Diaries (Part 2) will be released in December 2024. The
second audiobook is a continuation story picking up where the first book ends.
The story follows the relationship Hannah has with her boyfriend's brother. The
book contains 11 brand new songs each designed to compliment and move the
narrative forward as before. This second book will complete the initial Hannah
story, but there is definitely more to come …
What’s next for the
stage musical?
The musical will take to the stage once more in summer 2025. Plans are being
made to enable “Hannah” to be the summer show in Scarborough, which means it
will run two or three times a week for a two-month period, which we are
incredibly excited about. Beyond that, we are putting together plans for a 2025
tour around the north of the UK with a follow up tour in 2026 with the aim of
hitting the West End in London shortly afterward.
About the author
Steve Wallis is a professional theater writer, producer and audiobook author. He has just produced to critical acclaim the musical stage version of “Hannah: The Soldier Diaries” in both his and "Hannah's" hometown of Scarborough, United Kingdom, where he lives with his wife and two dogs.
Wallis previously worked for the National Health Service but much prefers to be in the recording studio or sitting at his laptop writing the follow up audiobook to “Hannah: The Soldier Diaries,” which is due for completion later this year.
Connect with Steve
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