Author Interview and Giveaway: Lisa Jensen, Author of Alias Hook

Okay, there was a lot of excitement about my review of Alias Hook last week so I am very excited to bring you an interview with Lisa Jensen and a giveaway!

Author Interview:

1. How did J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan inspire you to write this book?

    What really inspired me was the book Peter and Wendy, which was Barrie's novelization of his famous play. The book shows us more of the Neverland, a magical place, but also very dangerous. The pirates, the Indians, and the boys are constantly at war with each other, and females in general (like fairies, mermaids, and mothers) are not always trustworthy. It's a book about children but not necessarily for children.

    But it seemed to me that Barrie barely even scratched the surface of this amazing world he created. I wanted to go deeper, and explore the various societies who live there—the First Tribes, the mermaids beneath their mysterious lagoon, and the Sisterhood of the fairies, who wield the real power. And, as someone who has always loved Captain Hook, I wanted to give him a chance to escape the clutches of Pan and his warrior boys.

2. Why do you think so many people love retellings of fairy tales?

    Fairy tales are eternal. The folklore they come from has been told and retold for centuries, but they are basic stories of love, longing, family, danger, triumph and heartbreak that can be adapted over and over again to suit the times. But that also means that each new generation of bards and storytellers is obliged to reinvent those tales to keep them vital and current.  The sheer volume of fairy tale-based novels out there right now suggest how strongly these powerful old stories still retain their magic.

3. Who is your favorite character in “Alias Hook?”

    Oh, James Hook, definitely! He started talking to me from the very beginning, telling me his side of the story, and I love his refreshingly caustic perspective on the Neverland and all of its inhabitants. He's witty and resourceful, and in spite of everything he's been through by the time my story begins (or maybe because of it), he begins to evolve into a man of honor.

    I also grew very fond of Stella, the woman who dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rule against grown-up "ladies." It took me a bit longer to find her voice (for one thing, she insisted on being funnier than I had anticipated), but I think she becomes a good match for James Hook.

4. Do you think it's harder or easier to write about a character that readers already know than one that is brand new to them?

    If you take a familiar character like Captain Hook, and write about him in a completely new way, as I've tried to do, then it's like you're writing a new character. Most readers don't think of Hook as the sympathetic protagonist, so I had to invent a completely new story to present him in that light.

5. If you could bring three fictional characters with you to a deserted island, who would you bring and why?

    Ooh, what a great question! Stephen Maturin could identify all the edible plants on the island, and would be excellent company—especially if he brought his cello.  Mary Russell would be a great companion because she's so capable. And...I don't know. Robin Hood? Because I've always loved Robin Hood!

Giveaway:

I am very excited to be able to do a giveaway for this great book thanks to the publishers (U.S. only)! 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

July 3: Passages to the Past – review, excerpt, giveaway

http://www.passagestothepast.com/

July 5: Harlequin Junkie – excerpt, interview, giveaway

http://harlequinjunkie.com/

July 7: Upcoming4.me – review, giveaway, original essay, republishing ‘The Story Behind ALIAS HOOK’

http://upcoming4.me/

July 8: USA Today’s Happy Ever After – round-up of Fairy Tales Revisited

http://www.usatoday.com/blog/happyeverafter/

July 8: The Lit Bitch – excerpt, giveaway, review

http://thelitbitch.com/

July 8: A Bookish Affair – review

http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/

July 9: No More Grumpy Bookseller – excerpt, giveaway

http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/

July 9: Booksies Blog – review

http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com

July 9: The Window Seat – review

www.thewindowseat13.com

July 10: No More Grumpy Bookseller – review http://nomoregrumpybookseller.blogspot.com/

July 11: Reading Frenzy – interview, giveaway

http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/

July 14: She Reads – Picture This – guest post

http://www.shereads.org/

July 14: Gone Pecan – excerpt, giveaway, review

http://gonepecanla.wordpress.com/

July 15: A Bookish Affair – interview, giveaway http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/

July 15: Books-n-Kisses – interview, review

http://www.books-n-kisses.com/

July 16: Literary, etc. – excerpt, interview, giveaway

http://literaryetc.com/

July 17: Let Them Read Books – excerpt, giveaway

http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/

July 18: Let Them Read Books – review

http://letthemreadbooks.blogspot.com/

July 19: Cheryl’s Book Nook – review, excerpt, interview, giveaway

http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

July 21: Mary Gramlich – review, excerpt, interview, giveaway

http://marygramlich.blogspot.com/   

July 22: Cocktails & Books – review, interview, giveaway

http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/

July 23: My Friends are Fiction – review, interview, giveaway

http://www.myfriendsarefiction.com/

July 24: Reading the End – review, giveaway

http://readingtheend.com/

July 28: Reading the Past – interview

http://readingthepast.blogspot.com/

July 29: Dark Faerie Tales – review, giveaway

http://darkfaerietales.com/