AppWatch
By: Michelle Ison
It was Ernest Hemingway who said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” That’s true but what if a book was more than just a book? Rich Shapero is a writer and a musician whose multimedia storytelling combines fiction, music and art to allow a reader to step into another world. The TooFar Media app features the immersive story experiences of Rich Shapero, including Arms from the Sea, The Hope We Seek, and Too Far.
The author collaborated extensively with the musicians, giving them room to experiment, to immerse themselves in the pieces and take risks that they wouldn’t have been able to take in a more structured studio environment. There are three full-length digital albums with 33 original tracks written by Shapero and Orenda Fink that accompany the written word…with visual art by Eugene Von Bruencheinhein, Donald Pass, and Francois Burland. Now, there are currently three stories that offer this immersive experience.
The first story, Arms from the Sea, tells the tale of a young sculptor from the State of Salt who swallows a poison pill that transports him to a watery heaven. There the monstrous, seductive creator reveals to him what it might mean to redeem a desolate world. Next, The Hope We Seek, follows Zachary Knox north in his search for gold. He arrives at a mining camp where arduous labor, sustained by belief in the cult of Hope, promises an unearthly reward. The Hope We Seek earned a 2015 Digital Book World award for best adult fiction app. Lastly, Too Far, which shares the same name as the publishing company and the app, is the story of an end to innocence that follows two 6-years olds, Robbie and Fristeen, as they take refuge from their turbulent homes by exploring the mysterious woodland and beyond. The stories themselves are engaging and fascinating, but they are even more so with the addition of music and art. The TooFar Media app allows you to dig down to discover layers beyond the writing that plunges you deeper into the story, changing the way you experience literature. The Village Voice described it as “A delirious fusion of fiction, music and art.”
TooFar Media is a free app, available on iOS and Android devices. Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play or go to TooFarMedia.com today.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Ison is a writer, editor and technology reporter for NewsWatch. She lives in Northern Virginia and loves all things tech.
