It is 1888, a battle-torn and weary America is still reeling from a war against itself. Although it has known peace for twenty-years, old hatreds still remain. American born Aubrey Lancaster has fled to London with her family, hiding from the secrets of their past and looking to start over. Aubrey soon finds that London has problems of its own. A killer roams its streets, one unlike the world has ever seen before! In the realm of vampires, werewolves, druids and witches, catching a killer is nothing more than opening your eyes to what really exists around you, a world which very few can truly see. But, make no mistake, it is there!

So reads the blurb on Amazon for the book Watercolors In The Rain (The Whitechapel in Red Series Book 1) by David J Lavigne. Now parts of that book have made their way to Second Life, courtesy of an interactive art installation supported by The Linden Endowment For The Arts.

We are invited to take a journey into the mind of the author at the installation, which has been put together by a team working with David Lavigne to bring chapters of the book to Second Life and the scenery is pretty damn impressive. I could be a tad biased here, I like this sort of thing. I’m also a massive fan of storytelling in all its forms.

This isn’t just a place to wander through and look at the scenery though, as I mentioned, it’s an interactive installation, as the LEA blog post on the installation explains :

Visit LEA 29 today to experience the story, to join in on a unique hunt quest, or come to the many live events planned for the entire LEA season. We have a variety of specially themed hunt gifts that are exclusive to the Watercolors in the Rain Sim, made from some of best creators in Second Life!

When you arrive at the landing point you can choose to be teleported to a guided tour, or head for the hunt or you can if you want, freely explore. The latter is fun, but you may miss out on parts of the installation if you skip the tour.

The contributors to this installation include EVO Fairies, ~The Forest~, Celtic Myst and Talevin’s Designs. As mentioned above, there are also plans for live events during the period that this installation is active, so you might want to keep an eye out for those events too.

I’ll certainly be returning for more visits.

Watercolors in the Rain: An SL Experience

Step into the mind of real life author David Lavigne as he brings his real life novel to life. With the Watercolors in the Rain team, Mr. Lavigne’s literary vision has been recreated in Second Life as chapters on this highly interactive sim. Visit and experience the story, join in on a unique quest-styled hunt, or come to the many live events planned for the entire LEA season.

Visit in Second Life

SLURL To Watercolors In The Rain : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/210/42/26/