The next selection for my 2015 Most Anticipated Event is going to surprise nobody. Featuring a boy who wouldn't grow up, and a certain Captain, this novel was an easy addition to my list.
Brianna Shrum's NEVER NEVER, a retelling that starts when James Hook, the boy who only wanted to grow up, meets Peter Pan, the only boy who didn't, and follows their journey from innocent friends to the fiercest rivals in all of Neverland.Brianna took the time to answer some questions for me. She's made some amazing sounding ice cream (and that name!!) and tantalizingly teased a darker, more sinister Peter for her story.
1 Describe Never, Never in three words or less.
Three words. Oh man….I’m tempted to just panic and pull a Dumbledore and shout out “Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!” But I won’t. Three words: Dark. Romantic. HOOK.
2 If someone were to make an ice cream flavour for your book, what might be included?
That’s an awesome question. Let’s see. Rum, it would definitely include rum. And probably some sort of multi-flavored stripe of berries running through it (it’s about the only thing kids can eat in Neverland when they’re with Peter). Add in a ribbon of extra, extra dark chocolate, and a smattering of pixie dust. ;) Pixie Rumberry.
3 Can you share a secret about your book (either its world, its characters, or something that helped inspire the story)?
Hmmmm, a secret about a character: So I’ve written 5 manuscripts, 1 before Never, Never, and 3 since. Lots of baddies. But Peter Pan in Never, Never is the character I hate the most, unequivocally. More than ANY other character I’ve ever written or probably will ever write.
And a nice one about the book itself: A portion of my earnings on this book are going to the Greater Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, which is the exact hospital that J.M. Barrie left all his earnings from the original to after he died. So, kind of a fist-bump to Barrie :)
4 Your book draws inspiration from Peter Pan. Can you tell me something that particularly inspired you from the classic tale?
The thing that inspired me the most was definitely this line from J.M. Barrie’s original: “When they [the Lost Boys] seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out…” I’ve always been fascinated with good and evil and the myriad of shades in between, and when I read that line, I thought, “Holy what? Did Barrie just say…Peter legit MURDERS Lost Boys?” Pan is supposed to be this guy everyone loves, everyone roots for, but in that line, I think Barrie is letting us know that this kid is not all he seems to be. What if someone *cough* James Hook *cough* was drawn into this world of Neverland, and then realized it was not at ALL what he'd expected it to be, but there was nothing he could do about it? And my mind just kind of twisted everything out from there, to create this evil vs. evil world where, yes, Hook is wicked, but Pan brings a new meaning to the word.
5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?
This question would be more difficult if I wasn’t SUPER into Outlander right now. So I’m gonna go 1700’s Scotland. But I require a Jamie to be there. Can I have a Jamie? (Or at LEAST someone similarly kilted and Scottish accented and swoon-worthy.)
6 What three things do you need while revising?
Arizona Diet Green Tea. (I’m as addicted to it as Hook is to rum.) Some awesome movie soundtrack, preferably without any words (Revised this one to the 2003 Peter Pan soundtrack, Braveheart, and Gladiator.) And Pop Secret homestyle popcorn, baby.
7 If possible, please share the first line of Never, Never. (only answer if not too spoilery).
All children, except one, wish to stay young. James Hook, however, wanted to grow up.
A special mention of the fact that a portion of the sales will go to a children's hospital in honour of J.M. Barrie! That is amazing!
Oh, and I would very much like for PixieRumberry to be a thing, please.
Never, Never is set to be released Fall 2015 and no pre-order links are available yet but do keep an eye out for it!
Be sure to check back later on during the event for a chance to win a copy of Never, Never (or any one of my featured titles!).
You can follow Brianna Shrum on Twitter, visit her official website, and learn more about the book from the publisher website.
Are you a huge Peter Pan fan? If not do you love retellings? Let me know in the comments.
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