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The novel Salve Creek tells the story of Xavier Creed, a young man murdered in a small industry town in contemporary Northern Alberta. When Xavier goes missing the night of a large bush party, no one notices his absence. Having spoken for months about leaving for Edmonton, his friends and even his own mother assume that he took the Greyhound. Told through the close-third person narration of three main characters—Penelope, Dean, and Westley—the novel takes place over the duration of a year. With the discovery of Xavier’s remains, the narrative moves forwards and backwards in time, pushing against perceptions, as well as both the reader and characters’ understanding of events. Salve Creek is a non-linear narrative told primarily in fragments to reflect the shattered status quo of both town and characters. Penelope, who felt a desire bordering on obsession for Xavier, is particularly affected by his death and finds herself unable to sleep. Her dreams bring her closer to Xavier and repeatedly to the neighbours’ empty field. Dean, who met Penelope the night of the bush party, struggles to communicate his attraction to her. As the novel progresses, his frustration takes increasingly violent shapes. Westley, ten years older than both Dean and Penelope, is a stranger to them both and his actions affect them in ways they cannot see or understand. Salve Creek is a rural noir, written in the new gothic style.

本創作嘗試發展一套結合音樂與故事元素的數位繪本，以非線性敘事為架構，融入音樂敘事元素，以「帶走一首曲子」的閱讀形式，創造一種新的繪本閱讀經驗。在閱讀繪本的過程中，讀者可以透過選擇場景中的角色，在閱讀完該角色故事後，獲得代表角色的音樂元素。隨著多次選擇互動，背景的音樂元素也慢慢增加，讀完故事的最後，可以得到一首完整的曲子。根據讀者的選擇不同，將得到不同的音樂結果，此結果也詮釋了每一次的故事經驗。 本繪本創作以「心弦之歌」為主題，透過主角與城市人物的互動，產生聽覺和視覺的變化。本創作期望創造一個由單一至豐富的閱讀體驗，透過音樂、人物與故事的結合，加深作品所要傳達的訊息，並結合音樂和繪本的療癒特性，來達到滿足的效果。 創作完成後進行作品實測與評估，施測對象根據目標對象及評估目標，由21-30歲具繪本閱讀經驗者及潛在讀者、具數位繪本或音樂相關互動App使用經驗者、具音樂背景者所組成，分別就內容及形式兩個面向，透過作品實測、問卷和深入訪談的方式來評估是否達成創作目的，並針對問卷及訪談的結果進行歸納分析，最後提出結論和建議。 / The purpose of this research is to develop an interactive digital picture book app which combines musical and narrative elements by adding musical narration into non-linear narrative structure. This digital project, “Song of Heartstrings”, is aimed at creating a new reading experience of picture book by designing the reading form: “Bring Back a Song”. “Song of Heartstrings” shows auditory and visual changes through the interactions between protagonist and other characters. Through the reading process, audience can select one or more characters among all, and collect corresponding soundtrack after finishing the character’s storyline. The goal of this app is evaluated by readers’ experiences test, questionnaires and in-depth interviews. After that, we use inductive approach to analyze the result of questionnaires and in-depth interviews, and make conclusion and recommendation.